Defeated By Love

Translated by Fairy_Dust

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Sorry for the long wait! 

“…”

Shu Nian thought that she had read it wrong and wondered out loud: “Are you writing a self-criticism report?”

Xie Ruhe gave a light hum and reached out his hand to flick through it before turning it over. He really wanted to cover it up. Before she could speak again, he headed for the recording studio.

“Come with me.”

Shu Nian gave an “oh” and followed.

It was different from yesterday. The entire afternoon was just her practising.

Xie Ruhe had her listen to the full song first before getting her to enter the soundproof room. He had her listen to the melody as she sang. If she went out of tune then he would point it out and have her sing it again.

During the audition, Shu Nian had heard a lot of things regarding Ah He. People said that he had a bad temper and was impatient. He scolded people without mercy and was extremely mean.

Fang Wencheng even gave her a warm reminder beforehand.

" "

Recently, Xie Ruhe’s mood wasn’t too good. He was very temperamental so she should try to work harder and talk less.

When she was practising, Shu Nian didn’t feel any fear. She just felt like she was in class listening to a lecture. She would do everything according to his instructions but once she entered the soundproof room, it was like she was going to the battlefield.

Shu Nian was actually very afraid of being scolded by him. Her singing trembled and her whole body would stiffen when she heard his voice.

Her voice was tight and unnatural.

As he became aware of her strangeness, Xie Ruhe frowned.

His expression made Shu Nian’s palms sweat. Her heart felt uncomfortable like how she used to feel when she got caught sleeping in class by the teacher. She swallowed: “Sorry, just let me adjust first. I will sing properly after. Can I practice by myself? I won’t be out of tune later…”

Xie Ruhe calmly interrupted her: “Can you tell when you’re out of tune?”

Shu Nian’s lips moved but she didn’t know what to say.

Because realistically, it wasn’t possible.

Shu Nian explained in a low voice: “I really did practice yesterday after going back home.”

Xie Ruhe said: “I know.”

Shu Nian relaxed a little afterwards. “I will do my best.”

Xie Ruhe looked down and thought over it for a while. He said: “You sang much better yesterday. You just can’t reach the high note because of your technique.”

Hearing those words, Shu Nian was at a loss: “What should I do then?”

Xie Ruhe said: “Come out and practice.”

Shu Nian nodded and went out of the soundproof room to stand beside him.

“When you’re singing the high note, don’t shout with your voice and use more air.” Xie Ruhe gave her a demonstration. “You always use your throat to sing which can really hurt your vocal cords.”

Shu Nian didn’t know what to do: “How do I sing with more air?”

“When you’re singing, you should put pressure on your voice.” Xie Ruhe said. “You should practice your breathing first.”

Shu Nian was very familiar with this because voice actors also had those kinds of training. She would practice them when she had time. She did them all easily and naturally without any difficulty. She did them a total of 3 times.

Her breathing was very stable and Xie Ruhe didn’t have her continue with the exercises. He continued: “When you sing the high note, you should use your abdomen, tense your chin and don’t tilt your head back. You need to put more pressure on your throat.”

Shu Nian listened to his instructions and followed them.

Xie Ruhe said: “Try singing that high note now.”

Shu Nian sang it.

Xie Ruhe reminded her: “Tuck in your stomach and use its strength.”

Shu Nian thought over his words and tried again.

Xie Ruhe still thought it was incorrect and said: “You’re twisting your waist. Inhale and tuck your stomach inwards. Try singing now. Feel for yourself if you’re using waist strength or not.“

She did what he told her again but it was still wrong.

Shu Nian felt very gloomy. She obviously followed his instructions but she still couldn’t get any results. She exhaled sadly and suddenly bent over to grab his wrist.

Xie Ruhe looked at her in surprise as her right hand travelled up his wrist.

Shu Nian felt defeated. She felt like she could never do it well and was desperate for his help. She put his hand on her waist and seriously said. “Feel it, I did use strength. My muscles are all tight, I did everything you told me to do.“

“…“ Xie Ruhe froze because of that action.

He stared at his own hand on her abdomen and his Adam’s apple slid up and down. His face remained expressionless and his emotions were well concealed but the tips of his ears gradually became red. He licked his lips and tried to pull away.

Shu Nian pressed his hand down and didn’t let him go: “Teacher, help me find the problem.“

It was the first time that he was in such an intimate position with her. He was a little uncomfortable. “What?“

After, Shu Nian sang the song again according to his instructions.

" "

After the song finished, Xie Ruhe immediately withdrew his hand. He kept his eyes away and his voice was at a low and vague volume. “Just sing like this. You can practice on your own.“

Shu Nian blinked: “Am I doing it right now?“

Xie Ruhe still didn’t look at her. He rubbed his right hand with his left hand.

“En, just practice some more.“

She noticed the redness of his ears and how it was spreading to his neck. Shu Nian asked: “Is the AC turned on too high?“

Xie Ruhe looked over to her: “Is it too warm?“

Shu Nian shook her head and pointed to his ears: “No, but your ears are red so I thought that you were hot.”

The look in Xie Ruhe’s eyes was a bit unnatural. He reached out and touched his ears: “It’s a bit hot.”

Shu Nian responded with an “oh” and went to find the remote control to lower the temperature.

After that, the two began to do their own things. Shu Nian practised the song by his side while Xie Ruhe looked at the computer. He didn’t know what he was doing. After she practised for a while, Xie Ruhe brought her a bottle of water and said: “Take a break.”

Shu Nian took it and drank a sip: “Okay.”

Xie Ruhe continued to look at his computer.

Shu Nian took out her phone to take a look. She suddenly found that there were few missed WeChat messages. A new red dot appeared at that moment which made her think that it was a public account or something but when she clicked on it, she found that it was Lin Qiqi, the girl she met on the day of the audition.

Lin Qiqi:【 Remember me? I auditioned with you that day. I’m Lin Qiqi! 】

Afraid of disturbing Xie Ruhe, Shu Nian silenced her phone:【 I remember. 】

Lin Qiqi:【 What’s your name? 】

Shu Nian:【 My name is Shu Nian. 】

Lin Qiqi:【 Hahaha looks similar to studying. 】

Except for work and her parent, Shu Nian rarely talked to other people. She didn’t know what to say so she just sent back a smiley face.

Lin Qiqi:【 By the way, have you been given a call from the director? 】

Lin Qiqi:【 I haven’t received one yet [I’m going to cry soon.] 】

Lin Qiqi:【 It’s been almost a week, even if I didn’t get the role they should at least let me know. [Going crazy] 】

Shu Nian didn’t know whether to tell the truth or not. She felt a little embarrassed and was stuck on how to reply for a while. She had no choice but to send out an emoji before putting aside her phone. She continued to practice singing in a low voice.

Shu Nian didn’t look at her phone again.

She silenced her notifications so she couldn’t know if the other party was still sending her messages without looking at her phone. The screen flickered on and the messages could be clearly seen on the lock screen.

Xie Ruhe tilted his head intending to see what Shu Nian was doing. As soon as he moved his eyes, he was immediately attracted by the phone she had placed next to her.

The messages came in one after another.

Lin Qiqi was not aware of Shu Nian’s indifference and kept acting enthusiastic and familiar.

Lin Qiqi:【 Looking back to that day, Ah He only spoke to me. 】

Lin Qiqi:【 Although he was scolding me, isn’t it just another way to attract my attention? 】

Lin Qiqi:【 Ah, but no news is equal to not passing. 】

Lin Qiqi:【 I thought I would pass. [Going crazy] 】

When Shu Nian turned her head, she saw was that Xie Ruhe’s complexion wasn’t very good. He was looking at her mobile phone screen in silence. The glow landed him and he lowered his head with a vague expression.

The bright yellow light couldn’t conceal the cold air around him.

Shu Nian asked in confusion: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Ruhe didn’t take back his gaze: “Who is it?”

After hearing that, Shu Nian lowered her head and glanced at her phone. When she saw the text messages on the screen, she felt a little embarrassed. She immediately pressed the power button and turned it off: “Don’t look at it anymore.”

Xie Ruhe stared at her and asked again: “Who is it?”

Shu Nian answered in an unclear voice: “Someone I met during the audition.”

Xie Ruhe frowned: “I scolded her?”

Shu Nian was not good at saying stuff behind other people’s backs and felt a little sorry for Lin Qiqi. In a moment of carelessness, she let her messages be seen so she didn’t dare to speak anymore. She responded with silence.

A while later.

“Shu Nian.” Xie Ruhe called out to her. “I didn’t want to attract her attention.”

Shu Nian didn’t know how to respond to him: “Huh?”

Xie Ruhe was suddenly very serious. His black eyes were shining as if he was particularly worried about the matter.

“Don’t believe her.”

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Thanks for reading!