#### Chapter 1:
At midnight, the study was filled only with the low hum of electronic equipment.
I took off the glasses I had worn all day and rubbed my aching temples. The screen displayed this month’s financial report; the deficit was like an indelible scar at the bottom of the data column.
Back when the recording studio was first established, I had thrown myself into the industry. Luckily, I landed several high-profile film leads and major brand commercials, which put the studio on solid ground. Income was good back then, and I naturally took on a few apprentices.
But with the rise of AI voice acting, many clients who didn’t care much about sound quality switched to algorithms that could generate voices in seconds. After all, if there were no special requirements, why spend a fortune on live voice actors? Projects dwindled, and the once-bustling studio grew so quiet you could hear dust falling.
While I was still lost in thought, the study door was gently knocked. My wife pushed it open, dressed neatly in homewear, her eyes carrying their usual polite distance.
“Still awake? You’re driving our daughter to class tomorrow, don’t forget.”
There was concern in her words, but after I nodded, she turned and closed the door again.
To be honest, we barely exchanged three sentences all day.
Thinking back, I had never expected a passionate romance. My family pressured me to marry, and under our parents’ arrangement, I married my wife.
She wasn’t a bad person, so we lived respectfully, like polite roommates.
After our daughter was born, we naturally started sleeping in separate rooms to care for the child.
My wife had her own career and life, so we mostly went our own ways. Whoever was free would buy dinner, and after eating we’d each retreat to our rooms or check the child’s homework.
As for whether she had her own romantic life outside, I didn’t know and never asked.
After closing the revenue report, I quietly opened an incognito browser to a porn site, ready to take care of myself.
After my wife got pregnant, we hardly had sex anymore. Besides my lack of interest in her body, she herself had little interest in sex, so for years I had relied on my hand.
I thought my life would continue uneventfully until five years ago, when a young apprentice—Lin Yu—appeared.
He had just graduated from university and finished his military service. He said he had loved the animation and film characters I voiced since childhood and wanted to become a voice actor. Voice acting is tough and unstable, so I honestly laid out the pros and cons, but after my persuasion failed and seeing the passion in his eyes, I took him on as an apprentice anyway.
He was a diligent, sunny young man—young and full of energy. Watching him perform made me feel like I was in my twenties again. He often messaged to check in or chat, and I was happy to talk with him.
One day I learned that every night after leaving the studio he had to catch the MRT, and if he missed it he would have to ride a shared bike over ten kilometers to his rental. So I started driving him home every day. Even though it wasn’t on my way, I still made the effort.
Since I had to drive my daughter to class during the day, most of the time I took him home at night. Sometimes Lin Yu would fall asleep in the car, and while waiting at red lights I would secretly watch his sleeping face. His youthful skin looked especially soft under the passing streetlights. I didn’t fully understand the feeling, but it made me happy and content.
Sometimes, if he hadn’t eaten dinner, he would eat something in the car.
I normally hated anyone eating in my car, but I enjoyed it when Lin Yu would say, “Teacher, want to try some?” and feed me, so I never stopped him.
On cold days I would drape a jacket over him while he slept in the passenger seat.
I wondered what this meant, but eventually concluded that I saw him like a child and simply wanted to take care of him.
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#### Chapter 2:
The studio’s voice-acting revenue kept declining. Renting out the space barely kept things afloat, and I still had an apprentice to support. Not good at actively seeking work, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and call around for jobs.
Flipping through my contacts, I dialed a business contact I had worked with before.
“Oh? Teacher, is that you? How have you been?” came the enthusiastic voice on the other end.
“Haha… not so great. Fewer and fewer projects.” I forced a smile, my tone a little awkward.
“Ah, seems like everyone’s struggling. Quite a few voice studios we used to work with have closed. It’s the AI wave…” the contact sighed.
“Yeah… so I was wondering if you have any jobs I could take.”
“Jobs, huh…” The contact paused.
“Yes, anything to earn a bit more and get through this period.”
“…Ah! There’s one special project. The client said AI doesn’t work well for it, so…”
Hearing that, my interest sparked. “Oh? What is it? Tell me.”
“Teacher… I don’t think you’ll want this one. It’s for a popular adult boys’ love erotic game.”
“…What?” I was momentarily stunned. The word “boys’ love” rarely appeared in my circles, and I knew little about that community.
“It’s voicing scenes of guys with guys… doing that kind of thing!” the contact said sheepishly.
“I see… I might not be able to…” I hesitated, ready to decline.
“Well… Teacher, I don’t have many other projects right now, but this one pays really well.”
At the mention of good pay, my interest returned. “How much?”
“Fifty thousand.”
“Fifty thousand?!” I was shocked. That was nearly triple the usual rate!
“A lot, right? And it’s fifty thousand per person. Since two people are needed, that’s one hundred thousand total. The sex scene is just a fifteen-minute animation segment. Adding regular lines would pay even more.” Sensing my silence, the contact pressed on. “Teacher, this fee is way above market rate. It’s a big game company with a big budget.”
Hearing the price, I didn’t think twice. “Alright! I’ll take it. I’ll take it.”
“Great, Teacher. I’ll contact the client and we’ll come see you soon.”
After hanging up, I sat in the studio office thinking about this unfamiliar territory. If it really added up to over a hundred thousand, it would cover several months of operating costs.
"Knock knock!" “Teacher, I’m coming in.”
The only remaining apprentice, Lin Yu, walked in holding two cups of coffee. Seeing me looking troubled, he asked what was wrong. When he heard the project details, he immediately looked eager, leaned in to ask more, and volunteered to voice with me.
“Teacher, let me do the other role! I can voice it with you!”
I didn’t agree right away. Part of me resisted, part felt it was inappropriate, and part felt anticipation. Looking at his clean, sunny face, I suppressed my complicated feelings and told him we would decide once the script and contract arrived.
In the afternoon, the contact brought the contract and the client’s representative to the studio. The moment the representative saw me, he shook my hand enthusiastically. “I’ve heard so much about you, Teacher! I’m so glad you agreed to this project.”
“Hello, hello…” I shook his hand politely.
“This is also great publicity for the company, haha!” the contact said grandly. The praise made me a little uncomfortable.
Reading my expression, the contact smoothly changed the subject. “This time it’s a script about a young servant seducing his master. The company has prepared some lines, including regular dialogue and intimate scenes.”
At the words “intimate scenes,” I cleared my throat uneasily. I felt both awkward and curiously excited.
“Regular dialogue should be fine—just read the lines. But the intimate scenes are the focus of the game… If you feel the lines don’t sound natural, you can improvise and we’ll adjust the script. Since it’s a game, editing is much easier than for animation or film. So we’ll have to trouble you with that part, Teacher.”
“I see… Alright. I’ll decide as we go.” I stiffly picked up the script and flipped to the first line I saw:
*‘Master… Master’s so thick! It’s all the way in…’*
A strange thrill surged through me. I immediately realized I was getting physically aroused. Heat rushed downward. I quickly put the script down, forced myself to calm down, and picked up the contract.
“The payment is exactly as written in the contract. Please take a look, Teacher.”
Just like that, the contract was signed without any suspense.
That night, alone in my home study, I studied the script, focusing on the intimate scenes. I hadn’t read many lines before I started reacting. The explicit words circled in my mind. As I read, my hand unconsciously reached for my crotch. The heat inside my pants was already burning. Just as I was about to pull my pants down, there was a knock at the door.
“Knock knock.”
The sudden knocks made my face flush with embarrassment, as if I had been caught cheating. I quickly pulled my hand away, breathing hard. “W… what is it?”
“I’ll drive the kids tomorrow. I have some errands to run.” It was my wife at the door.
“Oh… okay, got it.”
After she spoke, she closed the door and left without another word, leaving me in the study with my heart still racing.
Sitting in the chair catching my breath, heart pounding, I picked up my phone and texted Lin Yu that we would start recording tomorrow.
Putting the phone down, I leaned back and closed my eyes. My mind was filled with the intimate-scene dialogue. The thought of standing in front of the microphone with Lin Yu tomorrow both excited and unsettled me.
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#### Chapter 3:
In the following days, with no other projects, we focused entirely on this recording.
The battle sound effects, fight lines, and regular story dialogue were no problem for Lin Yu and me—we had voiced games before.
Before we knew it, all the regular lines were done. That night, only the trickiest intimate scenes remained.
Inside the soundproof booth, the atmosphere was strangely quiet. Wearing monitoring headphones, I spoke into the expensive microphone:
“No! Don’t… tsk…” I tried, but it didn’t feel right. The emotion was off. I tried again. “Don’t! You’re… mm…”
The voice came out dry and stiff, lacking any sensual tension.
“Teacher, are you okay?” Lin Yu, sitting across from me, asked with concern, removing one side of his headphones.
“It’s hard to get into the scene. I’ve never experienced anything like this, haha…!” Looking into Lin Yu’s bright eyes, I suddenly felt embarrassed and ashamed, and instinctively looked away.
“Yeah, Teacher, you’ve said before that voice acting needs experience and mental imagery. Asking a married teacher to do this must be difficult.” Lin Yu smiled.
“How about we try role-playing? What do you think, Master?” Lin Yu suggested playfully.
“Haha! Maybe that’s not a bad idea…”
“Master~~” Lin Yu immediately slipped into the young servant’s coy, flirtatious tone. He really had talent for this.
“How dare you! You little servant! It’s all my fault for spoiling you too much.” I started playing along. A warm feeling suddenly welled up inside me.