Chapter 20: Please, Make It Yuri!
Yu Linna had considered her future more than once. Given her current situation, entering society early was the most practical option. For someone like her, just surviving was already a challenge. Adding school to the mix seemed redundant. Ideals were built upon a foundation of basic necessities.
“You’d better think it through.”
“I’ve already thought it through.”
“You’re so smart, wouldn’t it be a waste not to go to university? With your abilities, you could get into a good university!”
“Only if I could afford it…”
Like countless impoverished students in China, it wasn’t that Yu Linna didn’t want to study, but she simply couldn’t afford it. Of course, she knew that life without a university education felt incomplete. And in her past life, she lived for such a short time, not even making it to university. She naturally wanted to experience it in this life.
But facing reality, she gave up.
“My family’s situation isn’t good. We really can’t afford it. I’m thinking of finding a full-time job after high school. That’s the most practical option.”
Hearing her speak about her situation in a seemingly lighthearted tone, Fang Jiayi’s expression turned serious, and the atmosphere around them changed. The previous harmony was now replaced by a heavy silence that filled the pink room.
She had heard that Yu Linna’s family situation wasn’t good, but she didn’t expect it to be this serious. Would a normal family be so poor that they couldn’t afford university? As long as they had a stable income and a decent life, they could generally afford their children’s university education. Unless they were truly destitute.
Yu Linna seemed to be in that situation.
Fang Jiayi didn’t feel comfortable prying into her personal matters. After all, she was just an outsider, not qualified to interfere too much. Besides, what was their relationship? Friends, at most. She couldn’t solve all of Yu Linna’s problems.
“Well, if that’s what you think, I won’t say more. But Linna, the college entrance exam is still some time away. You can wait until after the exam to make a decision.”
“Mm.”
Yu Linna nodded silently, seeming to take her words to heart. Although she didn’t think it would change anything.
After that, the two girls fell silent, the previously lively atmosphere gone. Yu Linna quietly found a spot to read manga, no longer speaking, reverting to her usual aloof demeanor at school. Fang Jiayi felt awkward. She had finally invited a classmate over, but they barely interacted.
Helplessly, Fang Jiayi turned on her desktop computer, opened her video editing software, downloaded a few videos, and prepared to edit them together. She had to release another commentary video soon. As a famous uploader on Bilibili, regular updates were her responsibility. Moreover, she had promised her fans a commentary video on an old anime, which she had been procrastinating on. She was finally starting on it now.
At first, Yu Linna just saw the little angel editing videos and didn’t pay much attention. Many people edited videos these days; it wasn’t difficult. Anyone with a little skill could create decent videos. She simply considered it a hobby of Fang Jiayi’s.
Until Fang Jiayi put on her headphones and tested the microphone.
“Ahem, hello everyone, I’m the fighter among the dregs, Dancing Angel, and today I’m going to talk about a 2004 anime… Hmm? Seems like there’s something wrong with the microphone.”
Fang Jiayi checked her microphone; it didn’t seem quite right. Maybe she had been using it for too long, and the sound quality wasn’t as good as before. It seemed she needed a new one. Although a new one would be expensive, for the sake of future livestreams and videos, it was a necessary expense.
“Wait a minute, Fang Jiayi!”
“Hmm?”
The little angel took off her headphones, looking puzzled.
Yu Linna had put down her manga, taken out her crappy phone, opened the Bilibili app, logged into her account, and searched for the uploader she followed. After scrolling for a bit, she found the name “Dancing Angel.”
“Holy shit, you’re ‘Little Angel’?!”
“Pfft, so you follow me, emmm…”
The little angel was quite surprised. Her deskmate actually followed her Bilibili account. But it made sense; she was also a hidden otaku, also liked anime. Since they were in the same circle, it wasn’t surprising that she had a Bilibili account.
“Dancing Angel” was the account Fang Jiayi used on Bilibili. Initially, she didn’t have many followers, but riding the wave of Bilibili’s growth, her fame grew. Now, she was a rare female uploader on Bilibili, quite well-known in the otaku community. In a sea of male uploaders, Fang Jiayi was a breath of fresh air, affectionately called “Little Angel” by her fans.
“You’re really Little Angel? Wow, your voice is a bit different from your videos!”
“I use a voice changer, so it’s not surprising that there’s a difference.”
“I’ve watched many of your videos.”
“Thanks for the support.”
“Can I have your autograph?”
“Emm, sure. But I’m telling you, don’t sell my autograph.”
“…Okay.”
Yu Linna originally wanted to sell the autograph for profit, but her scheme was seen through.
However, it was quite surprising that her deskmate was a famous Bilibili uploader. If she hadn’t seen her making videos, she wouldn’t have known. This deskmate was truly hiding her talents! She thought Fang Jiayi was just an ordinary girl, but she was actually a hidden boss. It turned out that she, Yu Linna, was the real loser!
Fang Jiayi was the happiest. She hadn’t expected her deskmate, Yu Linna, to be an otaku and even follow her account, watching her videos regularly. In other words, Yu Linna was her fan! Deskmate turned fan, this feeling was amazing! The previously unattainable ice queen was actually her fan! How impressive it would be to tell her friends.
“Um, Fang Jiayi… since you’re Little Angel, can I talk to you about Bilibili?”
“Of course. Isn’t that why you came here, to discuss anime with me?”
“Then I won’t hold back! Little Angel, please, make a commentary video on a yuri anime, please!”
“Huh?”
Seeing Yu Linna kneel before her, Fang Jiayi was taken aback. As an anime commentator, she usually focused on anime with many flaws, often of questionable quality. Of course, she also covered good quality anime, but among so many videos, she didn’t seem to have done any yuri anime commentaries.
“My favorite anime, Kon, no one has ever done a commentary on it. It’s such a good anime, why hasn’t anyone covered it? It’s an outrage! So, Fang Jiayi, as my good deskmate, please, make a commentary video on Kon, please?!”
“Th-this…”
What the heck? Asking her to comment on a yuri anime?
Although she didn’t have any prejudice against yuri anime, having watched a few light yuri series herself, she had never done a commentary on one! A female uploader commenting on yuri anime, was that really appropriate?!
“Calm down…”
“I won’t get up until you agree!”
“Th-this… okay, okay, I agree, alright?”
Only after the little angel agreed did Yu Linna reveal a satisfied smile. Today was truly a lucky day. Not only did she discover that her favorite uploader was her deskmate, but she even got her to owe her a video. The commentary video she had always wanted to see would soon become a reality.
Yu Linna was a yuri anime fan!
Fang Jiayi, on the other hand, had a headache. A yuri anime commentary, she had never done one before. And as a female uploader doing this kind of commentary, would her fans think she was gay?
Due to face, she didn’t want to say it directly.
Yu Linna, immersed in happiness, opened WeChat, wanting to browse her Moments, when she received a message from Nangong Ying.
“I’ve advanced to the national competition! The competition is in two days, and there will be a live broadcast. You can watch it on xxxx.”
Seeing this message, Yu Linna felt a pang of something.
Nangong Ying had actually made it to the national competition, going to the furthest place, as expected. The national singing competition was held in Beijing, far away from here, and Nangong Ying was there now. The place Yu Linna once wanted to go, Nangong Ying had reached it before her.
Thinking that her friend had gone so far, while she was still stuck at the bottom, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of disparity. Yu Linna originally wanted to reach greater heights through other means, but she realized it seemed impossible.
“What’s wrong? You don’t seem happy.”
“No, I’m happy… Nangong is going to participate in the national competition. I’m happy for her.”
Yu Linna brushed aside her feelings of disappointment, putting on a smile to mask her true emotions.
“Nangong? I heard from people at school that she’s participating in a singing competition and even advanced to the provincials. Is she at the nationals now?”
“Yeah, she just sent me a message, see?”
“That’s amazing. As expected, geniuses are different from us. It’s been years since someone from our area made it to the national competition. She’s truly bringing honor to us.”
Yes, the gap between them was growing.
Even Yu Linna had to admit that the distance between her and Nangong Ying was constantly widening and would continue to grow. In the future, Nangong Ying would reach higher and further places, while she could only stay where she was. She was different from Nangong Ying; she didn’t train from a young age, so she couldn’t become like her.
“Linna, you don’t look well, what’s wrong?”
“…Nothing, just feeling a bit emotional. Nangong is moving so fast, if I’m not careful, I’ll only see her back.”
This feeling of being left behind wasn’t pleasant.
But the naive Yu Linna didn’t know that her future was even more unpredictable.
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