Ancestral Clip Sound!

Xia Keke was young, energetic, and full of life—not only was she good-looking, but she had a sweet, infectious smile. Most importantly, her voice was just as pleasant.

But, well, that made sense.

After all, if she didn't have a great voice, she probably wouldn't have been hired as a radio host in the first place.

Linhai Traffic Radio.

A prestigious station.

Cao Shengming had never interacted with anyone from there before—at most, he'd seen the building from a distance.

"This is my workplace," Xia Keke said with a bright smile. "I have to go on air soon. You guys just sit quietly next to me and don't make a sound. Once I'm done, I'll take you out for something good to eat."

"Got it! No worries—I'm not the type to talk too much," Cao Shengming reassured her, making an 'OK' gesture. "In fact, the real me is a quiet and mysterious handsome man."

Pfft.

Xia Keke couldn't even count how many times she had laughed today.

But she had to admit—this guy was pretty funny. Not only was he kind, but he had a great sense of humor.

If he doesn't have a girlfriend…

Wait, what am I even thinking!?

Shaking the thought away, Xia Keke quickly put on her headset and started her broadcast.

Following the instructions of the station staff, Xia Keke's voice rang out through the studio:

"Welcome, dear friends, to Linhai Traffic Radio's Today's Emotional Confusion segment. I'm your host, Xia Keke."

"Now then, let's take our first caller of the day..."

Cao Shengming sat quietly on the sofa nearby, sipping his water as he listened to Xia Keke offering advice to the callers.

It didn't take long for him to get the gist of her job.

Basically…

It was just chatting.

Callers would phone in with their emotional troubles, and Xia Keke—like a big sister—would comfort them with advice and soothing words.

"I don't think her job is all that technical," he muttered under his breath.

For someone who claimed to be a 'quiet and mysterious man,' he clearly wasn't good at staying still for long. He turned to the photographer and whispered, "Honestly, I feel like I could do this job too."

The photographer thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Bro, that's where you're wrong. You think it's just chatting, but there's actual skill involved."

"Think about it—these callers are emotionally hurt. To answer their questions properly, you have to put yourself in their shoes. That takes empathy, not to mention a bit of psychology. Otherwise, you'd probably just make things worse."

Before Cao Shengming could argue, Xia Keke suddenly turned and shushed them with a finger to her lips.

Both men instantly clamped their mouths shut.

Time passed, and before they knew it, more than an hour had gone by.

Then, out of nowhere, Xia Keke suddenly stood up.

"Nope, I can't hold it anymore," she said, her face turning slightly red. "I… I think I ate something bad this morning. I need to go to the bathroom."

"Huh?"

Cao Shengming blinked. "But what about the show—"

"It's fine, I just put on an ad break. I should be back before it ends."

With that, she hurried off to the restroom.

Cao Shengming watched her disappear down the hallway and sighed.

"So even little fairies need to poop and fart, huh..."

The photographer stared at him in disbelief. "??? Bro, that was so uncalled for. But… I mean… yeah, you're not wrong."

Inside the restroom.

Xia Keke let out a relieved sigh.

But just as she reached out to grab some toilet paper—

She froze.

The tissue roll was empty.

"WHAT!?"

Panic set in instantly. She instinctively reached for her phone—

Only to remember it was still on the mixing console.

Damn it. What now!?

She was officially screwed.

The ad break was only three minutes long. If she didn't return in time, the radio hotline would automatically connect to the next caller.

"Is… is anyone there? Help…?"

She called out weakly.

But her cries were destined to go unanswered.

"It's over… I'm finished…"

If the radio went live without a host… would she actually lose her job!?

Back in the studio.

Cao Shengming was starting to feel uneasy. He glanced at the clock, then at the restroom door.

"Why is she taking so long? What if she fell in?"

"!!!"

The photographer's jaw dropped. "Bro! We're in a live broadcast studio—can you not be so crude!?"

"..."

Cao Shengming blinked, then pointed at the live stream camera. "Trust me, the viewers are probably even more impatient than I am."

The photographer thought about it for a second. "...Okay, fair point. Maybe I should go check too."

[ No one understands me better than Cao Thief! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ]

[ (Covers mouth, sobbing) Wretched!? What's wretched!? This is called compassion! This is caring for women! He should be commended! ]

[ (Laughs) Not gonna lie, I feel like No. 10 really gets me. ]

Before Cao Shengming could decide whether to go find Xia Keke,

the studio phone suddenly started ringing.

— Jingle bell… Jingle bell…

The sharp ringing startled both men. They shot each other a panicked look.

"Bro… what do we do?"

Cao Shengming took a deep breath. "I think the ad break ended, and the hotline auto-connected."

"Then what do we do!?"

"I mean… let's just wait. Maybe she'll come back any second now."

A second passed…

Then ten seconds…

Then thirty…

Then a full minute…

But the damn phone just kept ringing like a death knell.

The tension in the room grew.

"Bro… I really don't think she's coming back anytime soon."

"Then… how about we answer it?"

"That's fine, but—"

The photographer hesitated. "Xia Keke is a woman. If we suddenly switch to a guy's voice, people are gonna notice."

That's when it hit him.

"F**K!"

Cao Shengming's eyes widened. "I never thought this ability would actually be useful one day! It may be a voice-clipping skill, but at least it sounds like a girl!"

The photographer was utterly confused. "What the hell are you talking about? What's a voice-clipping skill?"

Cao Shengming turned to him with a serious expression.

"Listen. This is a secret passed down in my family for eighty-eight generations. Originally, I didn't plan to reveal it, but now, in this dire moment, I have no choice."

With that, he stepped forward, took a deep breath, and picked up the phone.

Ding! Lv1 Voice-Clipping Skill Activated!

"Hello~?"

Cao Shengming (in a high-pitched, cutesy voice): "Ahh~ h-hello… h-hello ~ ehe~ ahh… h-how can I help you uwu~? Hehe~"

The photographer was stunned.

The camera in his hand shook violently.

"Bro… just what kind of ancestors did you have!?"

The entire live chat exploded.

[ HOLY SH*T! ]