Exclusive Rights to An Online Voice Actor

Chapter 146

unedited

At that moment, Qi Jing felt his hands cover in cold sweat. There was clearly no one around, yet he subconsciously lowered his voice, his tone just as distraught as his feelings, “…You knew about this?”

Shen Yan replied softly, “Mhm. I saw that post on the forum yesterday.”

He paused for a bit there.

“I actually… didn’t want you to find out. I didn’t want you to feel bad about it, so I acted as if nothing happened when we talked on the call last night.” He let out a bitter chuckle, sighing heavily. “But ultimately, nothing can remain a secret forever.”

However, Qi Jing was only concerned with one thing, his breath trembling slightly. “Did you… listen to it?”

Shen Yan’s reply made him feel like someone rescued out of the suffocating depths of cold waters he found himself drowning in. “I didn’t.”

This sensation of getting submerged in chilly water really truly wasn’t pleasant. Qi Jing felt as if he woke up from a bad dream, and he let out a sigh of relief after returning to reality.

“Hah, haha… Fortunately you didn’t.” He laughed hollowly, trying his best to keep his usual joking and relaxed tone, “Even I don’t want to listen to it for the second time, not to mention you…”

Shen Yan didn’t respond for that short while.

“I didn’t listen to it, but that’s because I felt that if I did, I would find that guy in real life and give him a solid beating.”

Suddenly, he uttered those words with all seriousness, with neither his voice or tone leaving any room for doubt.

But this in turn amused Qi Jing into laughing, “Doctor Shen is so scary—”

He was clearly laughing, but when his laughter gradually stopped, Shen Yan suddenly said in a low voice, “Qi Jing, don’t be sad.”

Upon hearing those words, Qi Jing’s eyelids twitched slightly. It was still fine before Shen Yan said this, but once he did, Qi Jing became acutely aware of the damp and bitter cotton lodged in his chest. It was filling it to the brim, and without pressing it he wouldn’t know that it was already saturated with bitterness, but even the slightest touch could make it seep. Originally, he felt numb to it, but now he couldn’t stop the welling of tears in his eyes. Even he himself found it embarrassing, so he did his best to hold them back.

“It’s not like I’m sad about it.” Rather than saying he was sad, it was more accurate to say he felt wronged.

Unfortunately, his voice lacked any persuasiveness, as a small, choked sob accompanied his words. His phone’s microphone quality was also frustratingly good, faithfully transmitting every tiny detail to the other side.

“Don’t be sad.” Shen Yan just murmured soothingly again.

“Mhm…”

The second time, he finally replied in a small voice. The two of them both quietly ‘accompanied’ each other in this silence for a while, until he was able to go back to the original topic.

To be honest, there was no way Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn’t know about the publication of this teaser. He knew about it yet turned a blind eye to it, making it obvious that he was intentionally trying to disgust him.

“This guy definitely also knows that I have a boyfriend IRL.” Since he definitely heard something about his and Tan Zixian’s opening during the competition. “With this so-called ‘teaser’ shared around, there was a chance it would get shared all the way to my boyfriend and potentially sow discord in our relationship—maybe that was his intention.”

Luckily, Shen Yan wasn’t a credulous type, and he also knew the whole course of the events, so he wouldn’t fall into Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s trap.

“You don’t have to worry about me here,” Shen Yan spoke unhurriedly, “For now it’s the most important to not let him know your work information and send those things to your company. Especially since it’s a crucial time for your work transfer, so if something unexpected happens… So, be a bit more careful, don’t leave those files on your work computer.”

“Mhm, I know. I already deleted them all, and I will be extra careful in the coming days.”

“Mn, that’s good.”

Making this call really was the right decision. Just chatting like this and I feel so much better. Qi Jing smiled to himself.

“I’ll be back this afternoon, possibly before dinner.” He had initially planned to give Shen Yan a pleasant surprise, but saying this to express his gratitude when he felt warm in his heart wasn’t bad either.

As he expected, Shen Yan sounded very happy with this, his voice tinged with a smile, “Really? Alright, then tell me what would you like to eat, and I’ll go buy the ingredients after work to cook it for you.”

Qi Jing hummed softly for a while, mimicking a thoughtful tone and leaning on the railing alongside the levee. Then, he suddenly laughed. “I want to eat you.”

Shen Yan was clearly stumped, taking a long while to reply.

“This will have to wait until a bit later…”

“Pfft,” He actually took it so seriously. Qi Jing decided to stop teasing him, unable to hold back his laughter, “Fine, fine, I’m joking—if I actually want to eat you someday, I will definitely tell you, but it’s not today. Today’s weather is so cold, so I really want to eat a warm soup. Any kind is fine, you can just buy whatever for it.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Qi Jing raised his head to take a deep breath.

The winter air was still cold, but it wasn’t bitingly chilly upon breathing anymore, even clearing his head by quite a bit. Right now, he had already calmed down, so he had both the energy to think and strike back in response.

Upon arriving back at the guest house, he splashed his face with cold water before sitting back in front of his laptop. After carefully going through the things he wanted to say in his head, he took a deep breath and opened Weibo, typing a lengthy, formal post, clearly stating his position on the matter to everyone.

【CV-Don’t ask for my return date】:

Due to me being busy with the year-end work, I haven’t been able to go online these days. I only got to know about what occurred in the past few days when my friend notified me about it.

Indeed, I may have not spoken clearly about retrieving the rights to use my dry recordings when I first left the ⟪Trap⟫ audio drama production, and I didn’t send any official written announcement. However, I believe that not using the VA’s recordings after they leave has always been one of the basic rules and forms of courtesy in this circle.

I want to ask the ⟪Trap⟫ production crew—taking the recordings I invalidated without me knowing and using it for such an explicit teaser, then distributing it publicly, don’t you even the basic respect for the voice actors?

I wanted to ask the ⟪Trap⟫ production crew—don’t you think that taking without asking for permission should be considered “stealing”?

You can argue that your production is non-profit and not for commercial use.

I can also say that my voice acting is non-profit, and not for commercial use. Could it be that after spending time and effort to record it, I have no rights to decide and have a say in its use?

Let me hereby solemnly declare—I have already left ⟪Trap⟫ a long time ago. When I left, the teaser for the second episode as well as the episode itself didn’t even get released. Therefore, the unauthorised use of my recordings for the second episode teaser, as well as the negative impact it caused in the forum, both constitute infringement of my rights and defamation to my reputation. I demand the immediate removal of the original teaser and a public apology on both Weibo and the forum! @A Lifetime’s Lock @CV-Bronze Sparrow Terrace

Then, he also made the same post in the forum thread.

At that time of the day, most of the people there were either working or at school. The fight between Lifetime’s Lock and Knives cutting in from four sides took place the evening before, lasting throughout the night, but currently, they were both in a temporary ceasefire. It was very likely that the fight would continue when the people came back in the evening, so he had to hurry up and say everything he had to say clearly before the next round of fighting.

And finally, he sent an offline QQ message to Knives cutting in from four sides.

Don’t ask for my return date: Hello, director Knives. Although you have already left the production crew and are no longer the director, and our only collaboration so far ended in such an unfortunate way, I’m very thankful for how you stood up for me and fought for my case. Thank you.

However, I also feel deeply sorry seeing the loyal staff members like you getting involved for my sake. I’m sorry that my personal grudge with Bronze Sparrow Terrace ended up implicating the uninvolved people like you. If it’s possible, I would like to handle the situation myself moving forward. I hope to minimise any negative impact this case has on you guys. Don’t worry, I will definitely strive to seek justice, so please, rest at ease while watching over from the sides. ^＿^

By the time he sent this message, his two-hour lunch break was almost over. He quickly deleted the file he downloaded from QQ and cleared all of the chat records, then hurriedly left for the interview.

The afternoon interview was one-on-one. Throughout, he had to keep communicating with the interviewee and the recording crew on the scene, so he had no mind to spare for sneaking out to check the reaction of the people on Weibo and forum. After the interview concluded, the company car drove straight from the recording site back to the provincial capital, arriving somewhere around half past five.

Qi Jing got back home before the time and, after setting down his luggage, took a relaxing hot bath, trying his best to make himself look more presentable and refreshed.

After all, who wouldn’t want to look as fresh and relaxed before their loved one, rather than showing a troubled and gloomy face.

Still, even if he didn’t put his troubled feelings on his face, it didn’t mean he didn’t have them.

Right now there should be more people online, so maybe there’s some development… He thought to himself, taking a hesitant look at the wall clock, then strained his ears for any footsteps in the hallway. There was none, and since Shen Yan was supposed to buy groceries after getting off his job, Qi Jing probably still had some time before he was back. That being the case, he was unable to resist opening the computer and browsing that thread.

Very well, the thread was a whole page longer than when he checked it around noon.

That meant that his message probably got seen by quite a number of people.

And it really turned out just as he expected.

When discussing a piece of gossip, there was nothing that could cause bigger waves than the main character of the gossip themselves speaking personally for themselves. He didn’t bring up any emotions at all, his cold demand for the current producer of ⟪Trap⟫ as well as Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace to make an apology causing a huge uproar. It was so great that even the onlookers that watched the fight between A Lifetime’s Lock and Knives cutting in from four sides the previous night started to appear and take sides.

【Comment 942】:

Aaaaah, Don’t ask for my return date himself came out!! So his recordings really were used without him knowing!!

【Comment 943】:

I’m somewhat relieved now (?)… Because I witnessed the new producer and the original director of ⟪Trap⟫ having a dispute here yesterday, yet didn’t see any response from Don’t ask for my return date. I was uncertain whether he knew about this, or if he cared at all. At least right now, the situation finally became clearer.

The fact is that the recordings got used without authorization, right?

Although audio dramas are a grey sphere in terms of the ownership rights, with a lot of unclarities around them, just as Don’t ask for my return date has said, not using a VA’s recordings after they left the production is an unwritten rule within the community. To do this even after finding a replacement actor for the role really raises the doubts about the producer lady’s intentions.

She really should come out and give a sincere apology. As for the Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace… I really can’t tell if he should apologise; is he the mastermind behind it? (Fine, to be honest I just really love his voice…)

【Comment 944】:

Hehe, the girl from the previous comment really is too naive. How could the circle’s slick social butterfly like Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace not know about this matter? I thought it’s common knowledge that A Lifetime’s Lock is his close friend ? ╮(╯▽╰)╭

Especially since he had a beef with Return Date prior to that, so I think that everyone already should be aware of whether he’s the mastermind behind it~

【Comment 945】:

To the commenter above, do you have any evidence for your claims?! If not, then stop making baseless accusations here!!

I don’t believe that Bronze Sparrow-sama would do such a thing. It’s all the fault of that bitch proclaiming herself to be his close friend. If someone has to apologise, then she’s the one who should apologise. Bringing our Bronze Sparrow-sama for no reason like this, Don’t ask for my return date is being. Just. Too. Much!

【Comment 946】:

To avoid more issues from arising, I guess I have to give up on my anonymousness to speak up—I’m also a VA myself (but I’m a small nobody in the circle, so everyone, please don’t make any assumptions). I’ve also encountered a similar situation before. A certain producer I was working with didn’t edit or or pass my recordings to the post-production for the longest time after receiving them from me. I tried reaching out to her quite a few times later on, but she ignored me, so I just left a message that I’m leaving the production, asking her to find someone outside and scrap my recordings.

But as it turned out, to my surprise, half a year later I saw that audio drama getting released, and my recordings were used… When I confronted the producer about it, she said that she didn’t receive my message because QQ was untable. But she was active on Weibo everyday, so how come she didn’t see all those messages I left her there? It’s truly ridiculous.

This feeling of swallowing a fly really is hard to describe.

Luckily, the audio drama itself was decent. At the time, I thought that since I’m just a small nobody, and the other party held some considerable influence as a staff member, there was no point in arguing. I just thought that I’ll let that one ungrateful bite pass. But now, seeing the same thing happen again to someone else, I deeply regret not standing up for myself and seeking justice at that time.

Well, everything I said was just venting about my past predicament. But I’m with Lord Return Date on this one! No matter if I’m just a small somebody, or if the other person is some Great God, justice should prevail!

The number of replies in the thread continued to skyrocket.

Qi Jing silently observed everyone’s reactions from behind the screen, at times serious, at times smiling gently, his finger tapping the F5 button repeatedly. There was clearly a group that still harboured animosity towards him, but the more and more people were slowly siding with the just side. There were even some people with similar experience like in this 946th comment who spoke up to support him. He felt a sense of satisfaction in speaking up for the truth, to leave no regrets behind for himself.

Click.

When he clicked F5 again, his finger suddenly stopped, as all of his focus shifted to what he was seeing before his eyes.

【Knives cutting in from four sides】:

┭┮﹏┭┮ I’m sorry… Return Date left me a message saying to avoid getting involved anymore as he handles it, but, but… Seeing him say that made me feel an immense guilt, and I couldn’t find peace in myself.

If you see this, Return Date, then let me apologise to you. There’s still some things I need to state clearly so I can let you go and resolve this matter with a clear conscience.

Everyone, the following is my own ramblings. Strictly speaking, it isn’t related to the recent teaser, but you know what they say about the “butterfly effect”? I believe that what I’m about to tell has indirectly contributed to all of this, making this the root of the disaster.

1. First of all, the rights to produce the ⟪Trap⟫ audio drama were first obtained by the original producer, Rouge Flower. Because we have collaborated before on a different production, so when she approached me to direct this audio drama, I agreed. I must admit that at the time, part of the reason why I agreed was because she mentioned that she managed to invite Bronze Sparrow Terrace, this god-level VA. I was excited for this opportunity to work with Great God, but never expected the events to unfold this way.
2. The staff members who had worked with me before should all know that I emphasise the importance of getting the voice actors to play together to get good results. I’m not the type to settle for simply editing the dry recordings to make it work. I believe that the two main VAs need to connect and establish rapport, allowing them to collaborate more effectively and understand each other better. It is only through this process that they can portray a convincing chemistry between the characters.
3. From the very beginning, we planned to have Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Return Date find some time for a session to rehearse it. But we completely didn’t expect that… when they actually did, I found the portrayal of the police officer by Bronze Sparrow Terrace differed completely from the original character setting (this was also pointed out a lot by the fans of the original novel after the audio drama was released). Not only that, he and the sound designer also frequently requested Return Date to match his acting style according to his liking. In the end, Return Date conformed to them under the pressure, leading to both of the characters diverging from the original novel and getting subjected to a lot of criticism. But Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace firmly insisted that audio dramas are a form of derivative work, so he had a freedom to portray the character according to his own wishes, regardless of the differences from the original work. As a result, no corrections were made.

Perhaps you may wonder: Is that so? If you, the director, thought that he wasn’t suitable and didn’t perform well, then why did the first episode of ⟪Trap⟫ still credit “Bronze Sparrow Terrace”?

That’s right, I admit. At that time, I succumbed.

The original staff considered many aspects. The role for Bronze Sparrow Terrace was already set, and replacing the actor afterwards would be extremely unprofessional. Additionally, he was also the one who brought popularity to the audio drama, and this I can’t deny, or even wish to deny. So, I made a choice to accept that Bronze Sparrow Terrace would continue to play the main character, as well as agreed to let Return Date continue playing an OOC flirtatious 0.5 Shou.

But now, I really want to go back and slap my indecisive self from the past!

If I could persuade Rouge Flower and Puppet Show to adhere to the principles of creating an audio drama, selecting the voice actor according to their suitability with the character rather than compromising for a more popular actor… Maybe everything wouldn’t arrive at this point today, ending up involving the innocent Return Date…

Return Date, I’m sorry.

I’m truly, sincerely so sorry.

“Silly girl…” Qi Jing had no words. The four words that escaped his parched lips sounded rough, leaving a lingering bitter taste behind.

This reply was exactly the kind he dreaded to see the most. Just glossing over the matter would suffice, so why burden herself by shouldering the blame for everything that transpired? Even if those really became the underlying cause for the subsequent conflicts, it was already all in the past. It would be fine to engage in a rational argument over the unauthorised use of his recordings, but openly admitting to single-handedly ruining two characters by succumbing to the god-level VA’s influence, it really was simply asking trouble.

He knew that she did so to fully disclose the entire truth from behind the scene and clear his name before everyone. However, the price of it was too great—

However, unbeknownst to him, one part of this price would make his heart skip a beat when he laid eyes on it.

【A Lifetime’s Lock】:

Hehe, well said, really well said.

Well then, my dear director Knives. Since you and Don’t ask for my return date made declarations this bold and grandiose, then let me ask this: Do you dare to reveal a certain crucial point that you so conveniently “omitted”?

Hm?

Do you dare?

Do you dare to answer my question here, publicly? You constantly proclaim to be such a responsible director, saying that the feeling for the role won’t be perfect without the rehearsal between the main actors before making any decision… So, I ask you, wasn’t there a certain newcomer at that time? Didn’t you and the other staff members blatantly ignore the actual main actor and arrange for him to rehearse with Don’t ask for my return date instead? As a result, Don’t ask for my return date immediately sent the recordings (note that this happened even before the run-through with Bronze Sparrow-sama, recording with the newcomer right after that rehearsal). Wasn’t that the case?

“Ah—…”

At that moment, a shiver ran down Qi Jing’s spine, causing him to stop his breath and freeze motionless like a statue.

Indeed, this was the very aspect Knives cutting in from four side “omitted” to mention.

She did so on purpose, as before, he had asked her before to not mention the case of him and Shen Yan rehearsing together, as it could invite hate way too easily. He wouldn’t even mind it, but Shen Yan was different. Shen Yan had never involved himself in his struggle with Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

Knives cutting in from four sides really did keep her promise. Even in this long, honest comment, she still tried to keep the part about “Geese Fly North” out of it.

He didn’t expect the sound designer to remain so resentful about this—

With his heart pounding uncontrollably, he once again fearfully tapped F5.

Once this got uncovered, there was no way to keep it a secret anymore.

【Knives cutting in from four sides】:

…Ha, hahahaha… What a splendid question!!

And here I never expected it would be you to ask it. I initially wanted to respect the VAs’ privacy and avoid bringing them up. However, since you already exposed this matter, then I, as the director, will speak the truth—yes! This did happen! And even if it leads to me getting a huge backlash, I’m still going to point out, fair and square, that the newcomer you mentioned, who replaced for Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace, actually delivered a performance ten times superior to the one by the Great God himself!!

【A Lifetime’s Lock】:

Wow! Wow! Wow! You truly have the audacity to admit it so shamelessly! Director Knives really is straightforward!

You admit that you disregarded Bronze Sparrow-sama and eagerly sought a newcomer to rehearse with Don’t ask for my return date—am I correct with my summary?

【Knives cutting in from four sides】:

Yes, you are correct.

However, the reason why we arranged for him to rehearse with Return Date and not Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace… was completely because on the evening of the day we agreed to do the PIA, Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace bailed on us and went on his own to meet his friends, can you believe it?! He chose to meet his friends and left all of us, who set aside time for him, behind (including Return Date, who had managed to find some free time in his very busy schedule). He actually went! To! See! His! Friends!!

You went there at that time as well, did you conveniently forget?? Do you dare to claim that Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace showed up?? Moreover, there are two other fans who can confirm that he stood us out.

As for whether he really went to meet friends that day, there’s numerous people who can provide evidence. Those who don’t believe can look for them on their own.

Since we didn’t want to waste time and felt guilty for possibly inconveniencing Return Date, we decided to find a temporary VA to have a run-through with him. Going through the script together first would mean there would be less work during the actual rehearsal with Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace later on—it was a very simple plan.

But we didn’t expect the temporary voice actor we invited to be this amazing! He actually acted so completely faithful to the original!

【A Lifetime’s Lock】:

Tsk tsk tsk, please, stop boasting so hard, director Knives. (Oh, I’m sorry, it’s “former” director~)

If there really is some “newcomer” better than the widely acclaimed god-level VA, then where’s the evidence? Hehe, I have only heard a few of you mention such a person, yet there is not a shred of evidence to prove that such a person exists. You keep insisting that because Bronze Sparrow-sama didn’t show up that evening, you hastily brought in this guy for the rehearsal, and now claim that his performance surpassed the official version. But how can I trust if any of it is true?

The way I see it, there is only one truth—all of you, along with Don’t ask for my return date, have a personal grudge against Bronze Sparrow-sama. It seems like you fabricated all kinds of excuses to belittle him and remove him from the production, am I right?

If that’s not true, then let me see the evidence? Come on, where is it?

【Knives cutting in from four sides】:

I’m so furious!!

I’m so furious!!

I’m so furious!!

If I had remembered to record the audio at that time, I would absolutely bring it out to slap you in the face with it!! （╯‵口′）╯︵┴─┴

【A Lifetime’s Lock】:

Hahaha, look, everyone! I told you were making all of this up~

Okay, enough already. If you have no evidence whatsoever, then I’m going to ask everyone in this thread to serve as witnesses—you’re a bunch of liars.

As he continued pressing F5, his rigid finger felt like it could actually crack the key. His entire body exerted its strength to mash it, like a sharp iron nail getting hammered into a post.

But at the same time, he also felt like he was very calm—so calm even, that it was almost scary.

He calmly moved the cursor to the folder he hadn’t opened in a long, long time—one he thought he would never have another chance to open—finding the MP3 file titled “⟪Trap⟫ Ep1 run-through”.

He calmly opened the web page of the cloud storage, browsing through, selecting the file, then initiating the upload.

He calmly observed the progress bar as the numbers slowly grew from 0% to 100%, fully aware of what they represented.

He remained calm, yet he still couldn’t refrain from carrying out these actions that were far from calm themselves—it was because, for the first time, he felt such a powerful need to clear that person’s name.

“Upload complete”. The system message flashed before him.

He tilted his head slightly, taking a deep breath, then copied the link without saying a word, pasting it into the reply box on the forum.

Then, with utmost solemnity, he typed his official ID Don’t ask for my return date in the username field.

And at last, under the link, he added coldly—

【You want an evidence, then I will give it to you.】

And finally, following the example of when she wrote “Merry Christmas” on the download page for her Christmas present, he resolutely threw in three words.

【Happy New Year.】

A/N:

Although I know that plenty of you don’t like reading long comments from the forum, to be honest, some of them are based on my observations and experiences, as well as represent the characters’ attitudes. As someone who’s obsessed with the details, those things are essential for a well-developed plot. Therefore, I can only apologise to those who hate reading those comments…

On another note, I must say, 2Yan, you really are an unruly fella— (covers face ← eh?)