Anime Production, Healing the Audience

Why else would people say Yang Li had such a hotheaded personality? One moment, she was still reflecting on herself; the next, after hearing Zhang Siyu explain the reason, she bristled like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on.

"You?"

Fang Zheng gave Yang Li a sidelong glance. "You're so rash, and you're only a temporary worker. At most, you count as half. No more than that."

"Half?!"

Yang Li stared at Fang Zheng with wide eyes, looking as though she were ready to pounce on him and teach him a lesson at any moment.

"You only count as half because you advertised for me during that interview. Otherwise, you wouldn't even count as half," Fang Zheng muttered.

But upon hearing that, Yang Li sprang straight up from the sofa. She felt that her dignity had been insulted.

I'm the top female host of Modu TV Station, and I humbled myself to do voice acting for you, yet you're still finding fault with this and that? Why don't you just fly up to heaven?

Just as Yang Li was about to explode, Zhang Siyu stopped her. "Alright, let's leave it at that."

Then she looked at Fang Zheng. "Director Fang, wasn't today supposed to be Lily's audition? When will it begin?"

As she said this, Zhang Siyu herself felt like she had gone crazy. With her abilities, there was absolutely no need for her to settle for working under an empty-shell company like Fang Zheng's.

Yet, as if possessed, she had agreed. Even she suspected she might have a fever.

She had actually agreed to stay at a company with only two official employees.

"Audition?" Fang Zheng froze for a moment, then looked at Zhang Siyu in pleasant surprise. "The audition will start shortly, but before that, shouldn't you sign the contract?"

Earlier, Fang Zheng had worried that Zhang Siyu might hear the company only had two people and storm off in anger. After all, no normal person would want to stay at a company like this.

But from Zhang Siyu's words, it seemed she had agreed to stay?

To be honest, Fang Zheng greatly admired Zhang Siyu, especially her keen eye for observation and analysis.

"Alright."

Zhang Siyu took a deep breath, picked up the contract Fang Zheng had placed on the coffee table earlier, casually flipped through two pages, and signed her name immediately. Her decisiveness made even Fang Zheng feel ashamed.

This girl had quite the nerve. Wasn't she afraid there might be some trap in the contract?

Fang Zheng signed his own name on the contract, then smiled at Zhang Siyu. "Although the company has just been founded, I believe you won't regret your decision today."

"Welcome to the ACG family!"

"Thank you, Director Fang."

With the contract signed, Zhang Siyu officially joined Fang Zheng's ACG Culture Company as its CEO.

"Director Fang, may I ask what preparations you have completed for the company's establishment?"

Zhang Siyu looked at Fang Zheng. She was used to acting swiftly and decisively. Since she had signed the contract, she immediately entered work mode. Only after understanding the company's current situation could she begin her next tasks.

"Well... does registering a trademark count?"

"..." Zhang Siyu slapped her forehead with a smack and stared at Fang Zheng in disbelief.

Heh, I won't regret my decision today?

What a load of crap. I'm already starting to regret boarding your pirate ship!

"Ahem, here's five million in startup funds. Take it for emergencies!" Fang Zheng took out a bank card and handed it to Zhang Siyu, then said to Yang Li, who was snickering nearby, "Come with me to the recording room."

Fang Zheng really could not withstand Zhang Siyu's resentful gaze any longer. He admitted that he liked being a hands-off boss, but he had indeed handled this matter rather poorly. Feeling guilty was only natural.

"Oh, right, Siyu. I posted a recruitment ad earlier. You can use it to screen for talented people. Remember to prioritize voice actors!"

After saying that, Fang Zheng led Yang Li to the recording room and shut the door tightly behind them, afraid Zhang Siyu might rush in the next second to fight him to the death.

In the living room, Zhang Siyu held the bank card Fang Zheng had given her with a complicated expression, truly unsure what she was feeling.

She had muddleheadedly joined Fang Zheng's company. It did not suit her personality at all, and even she found it unbelievable.

In the end, Zhang Siyu could only attribute it to Fang Zheng's personal charm.

Some people were simply born to be leaders. What was a leader?

They did not need to personally handle every matter. They only needed to give orders. As for the trivial matters aside from decision-making, their followers would naturally handle them personally.

And in Zhang Siyu's eyes, Fang Zheng was exactly that kind of person. Perhaps he really was an outsider when it came to managing a company, but wasn't that the best opportunity for her to demonstrate her value?

Those above controlled people, while those below handled affairs. That was probably the kind of relationship they had~

"Oh, the card's password is 123456."

Zhang Siyu watched Fang Zheng say that and immediately shut the door. She smiled silently, then picked up her briefcase and left Fang Zheng's residence.

For a newly founded company, the very least it needed was an office location. That was the foundation for everything. They could not possibly work out of Fang Zheng's home.

On the other side, only after Fang Zheng heard the front door close did he finally let out a long breath.

It was not that he was particularly afraid of Zhang Siyu's forceful personality. He simply felt that he had tricked her.

With Zhang Siyu's capabilities, she could thrive at any company, yet she had joined his company—a company that had nothing but a name—without even asking about her salary.

Putting everything else aside, that trust alone was enough to make Fang Zheng feel guilty.

"Hey, you don't need to be like that." Yang Li found Fang Zheng's relieved appearance rather amusing, though she was still quite grateful to him.

Zhang Siyu had a forceful personality. It was not necessarily a bad thing, but at the very least, it did not suit some companies.

A forceful personality certainly had its advantages, but not every company's decision-maker liked being a hands-off boss like Fang Zheng.

Most company decision-makers were the ones giving orders, and all they needed was a tool to manage the company within the rules they had established.

In such circumstances, Zhang Siyu's forceful personality was no longer an advantage but a disadvantage, because those decision-makers did not need an executor with opinions of her own.

"Because of Siyu's personality, perhaps only a laid-back chairman like you can give her room to fully display her talents. I think Siyu chose to join you because she saw that too."

Yang Li might be hotheaded, but she was not stupid. Otherwise, she would not have become the top female host at a fiercely competitive TV station at such a young age.

Big Shots who enjoy this, please support me~~~~~~~~~*

Fang Zheng glanced at Yang Li in surprise, shook his head, and said nothing more.

He turned and walked to the side, picked up the script he had prepared earlier, and handed it to her. "Familiarize yourself with it first."

After giving the script to Yang Li, Fang Zheng turned and went into the recording booth beside them, beginning to adjust the equipment.

He had to handle the recording and editing himself. Perhaps once the company grew larger, he would hire dedicated editors and sound engineers.

But for now, he had no choice but to do all of it personally.

And Fang Zheng, who had entered the recording booth and started working, did not notice Yang Li's actions outside the glass room.

Yang Li returned to the living room, brought in her bag, then took out the poster of Shiru that Fang Zheng had given her and hung it on the wall in front of her.

With an infatuated smile at the corners of her lips, she stared at it for a long while before remembering her voice-acting work. She quickly picked up the script beside her and began reading.

"I won't tell everyone, so it's okay to have a good cry~"

"There's nothing wrong with that, right~ Probably..."

"I'm terribly sorry."

"When I cooked, I burned the meat and Akame coldly scolded me. When I cleaned, I made an even bigger mess and caused trouble for Brody. When I went shopping, I mixed up sugar and salt, and Leone laughed at me mercilessly. A few days ago, while doing laundry, I accidentally washed Mine along with it."

"So I wasn't assigned any work at the base, and I could focus properly on training."

Yang Li looked at the script and softly read it word by word, carefully sensing every part of Shiru. She put herself in Shiru's shoes, considering what emotions would be most appropriate for each line.

Looking up at the poster hanging on the wall, Yang Li wore a gentle smile.

"Shiru, I'll make your voice acting perfect!"

Without realizing it, Yang Li had completely immersed herself in the script. Although she did not yet know the specific plot, just reading these lines allowed her to feel Shiru's gentleness and airheaded charm.

"I grew up in the underground district of the Imperial Capital... I was clumsy at everything and had no talent at all. 'Something must be wrong with one of that girl's brain circuits.' People often said that about me."

"But even someone like me once had friends I could get along with well."

For some reason, Yang Li suddenly felt her mood becoming stifled. The feeling was familiar, just like when she had watched Star Dream.

"That's not true, Shiru. You still have me. Shiru isn't useless at all. You're so gentle, so beautiful."

Yang Li muttered to herself. She had completely put herself into Shiru's role, unconsciously experiencing Shiru's feelings and sensing everything about her.

"I made it!"

"My body... won't move..."

"While you still can... hurry and run... Mine~"

"I'm so glad I could be useful in the end, Night Raid... my home... I love everyone so much... I'm really happy~"

"I'm sorry, Tatsumi. I... can't hold you in my arms anymore."

Drip! Drip!

Crystal-clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes and fell onto the script, making crisp sounds.

Without her realizing it, Yang Li's tears had already soaked the script. At that moment, she forgot everything around her. She only wanted to cry without restraint and release the repression in her heart.

Even without images or knowledge of the plot, those few lines alone allowed Yang Li to vaguely guess the ending awaiting her beloved Shiru.

Between the lines, she could clearly feel Shiru's heartfelt cherishing and love for her companions, as well as her care and concern for Tatsumi.

If not for the script in her hands, who would have imagined that Shiru, who gave everyone the impression of being airheaded, had such a gentle side?

Heart-wrenching!

The pain cut deep into her bones. Her eyes unconsciously grew moist, and as emotion overwhelmed her, tears blurred her vision.

"Why are you crying now?"

Fang Zheng walked out of the recording booth and saw Yang Li's shoulders trembling nonstop. He stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Fang Zheng, you bastard!"

Yang Li threw the script in her hands into Fang Zheng's arms. With tear tracks on her face, she suppressed her sobs and ran out of the room.

Watching Yang Li's retreating figure, Fang Zheng picked up the script that had fallen to the floor. Feeling its dampness, he could not help but freeze.