Seeing Xue Ling's expression, Chu Meibo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She said indifferently, "Yun Zhuoyi was once known as the number one female male lead. She may have been challenged by others. If she had a personality like yours, let alone becoming a star, she would probably be booed off the stage."
Xue Ling couldn't take it anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she threw down the curtain and went backstage.
Shen Huai sighed helplessly and rested his forehead on his hand.
Chu Meibo shrugged innocently at him, indicating that it wasn't that she had gone too far, but that the young girl's mental fortitude was too poor.
Shen Huai said, "I did want you to perform, but I didn't want you to make enemies. After she finishes singing, there's a small theater where audience members can also go up and sing, to experience the art of opera. I was planning to let you try it out then, but who would have thought you..."
Chu Meibo: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Shen Huai: "..."
How could he have known that Sister Mei would be so audacious as to cause trouble on someone else's turf? Now look what's happened; he's certainly made a good impression, but he's probably also made an enemy.
Shen Huai rubbed his forehead, feeling he could imagine how furious Mr. Xue upstairs would be. Even if Director Yu valued talent, he wouldn't ruin his friendship with his longtime friend over this.
Shen Huai felt that the opportunity had been ruined and was preparing to leave with Chu Meibo.
But then a head popped out from upstairs, and Yu Chen said with a smile, "Little girl, would you like to come up for some tea?"
Chu Meibo and Shen Huai exchanged a surprised glance before going upstairs to a private room.
Among the people in the private room, Mr. Xue and Director Yu were people Shen Huai had shown her photos of from the beginning, so she recognized them at a glance.
Although Yu Chen called the two people up, he did not speak for a moment.
Instead, Mr. Xue spoke up: "Young lady, have you studied opera before?"
Chu Meibo hesitated for a moment, then vaguely replied, "I've learned a little."
Mr. Xue shook his head seriously: "You can tell these things from what you hear, so you must have studied a lot. Don't be modest at a time like this."
Chu Meibo didn't say anything. If they knew that she had once shared the same master as Yun Zhuoyi, they would probably be terrified.
Mr. Xue didn't mind and slowly said, "You're right. You learn the form but lose the spirit. I always thought that I had been immersed in Peking Opera for so many years and that no one understood Peking Opera better than me. But I didn't expect that I was not as insightful as a young girl like you."
Previously, Shen Huai had also given Chu Meibo a brief introduction to Mr. Xue. He explained that Mr. Xue had been working tirelessly to promote Peking Opera all these years, and even at his advanced age, he was still making efforts for it, which was truly admirable.
Chu Meibo has always held these veteran artists in high esteem, even though she is probably older than the old man. Their spirit alone is enough to command her respect.
After Mr. Xue finished speaking to her, he sat down to think.
Yu Chen then spoke: "Your name is Chu Meibo, right?"
Chu Meibo nodded.
Yu Chen laughed and said, "I thought my itinerary was a secret, but I didn't expect it to be found out so easily."
Shen Huai then spoke up, taking all the blame upon himself.
Since he readily admitted it and apologized, Yu Chen couldn't press the matter further, especially since he hadn't kept his trip here a secret and quite a few people knew about it.
Yu Chen looked at Chu Meibo: "You seem to have done a lot of research on Yun Zhuoyi."
Chu Meibo nodded. Of all the people present, probably no one understood that woman better than her.
Yu Chen then asked several questions, all about Yun Zhuoyi's early life, which Chu Meibo answered one by one. This information was not easy to find, and unless one was very knowledgeable about Yun Zhuoyi, they probably wouldn't know it. Little did he know, Chu Meibo only knew about Yun Zhuoyi's early life; if he had asked about her later life, Chu Meibo would probably have been completely stumped.
Yu Chen was very satisfied and had Chu Meibo sing a song on the spot.
In terms of singing, Chu Meibo is naturally no match for Xue Ling, but her domineering and confident aura is far beyond what Xue Ling can match.
On a whim, Yu Chen immediately pulled out the audition script, which was about Yun Zhuoyi's experience of deciding to go north to study opera. She abandoned her existing fame and started all over again for the sake of art. Yu Chen could see that do-or-die spirit and her fervent pursuit of art in Chu Meibo's performance.
Now, Yu Chen was also conflicted.
He originally intended to give this position to his friend's youngest daughter, but Chu Meibo's performance was so outstanding that he couldn't help but hesitate.
Mr. Xue seemed to see through his thoughts and said seriously, "You don't need to worry about me. Just use whoever is better."
Xue Ling happened to come in after removing her makeup at that moment. Upon hearing his words, her eyes reddened again: "Dad."
Seeing that Mr. Xue wasn't just being polite, Yu Chen nodded and said, "Mr. Xue, I'm sorry."
After he finished speaking, he made a phone call to his assistant: "Tell that the girl from the theater troupe that she doesn't need to come for the audition."
He extended his hand to Chu Meibo and said, "Congratulations. I hope you can perform just as well in the future and not disappoint me."
Chu Meibo gently grasped the other person's hand and smiled slightly: "I will not let you down."
Mr. Xue also said earnestly to Chu Meibo, "You are very talented, and I can see that you have some basic skills. It's a pity that you haven't practiced for many years, so you're a bit rusty."
These words made Chu Meibo feel a little ashamed, as she had indeed not practiced for "many years".
Mr. Xue: "If possible, I hope you can come to Mujiang often in the future. If you want to learn opera, I will teach you. Don't ruin your talent."
Xue Ling was already indignant, and upon hearing Mr. Xue's words, she immediately became anxious: "Dad!"
Mr. Xue patted the back of her hand and said sincerely to Chu Meibo, "Your acting skills are very good. I believe that in time, you will definitely become an excellent actress. I also believe that you like Peking Opera. If possible, I hope you can promote Peking Opera. On behalf of the Peking Opera community, I thank you."
As he spoke, he even stood up and bowed deeply to Chu Meibo.
The people around him were shocked, and Chu Meibo and Shen Huai quickly helped him up.
Chu Meibo felt a pang of sadness. She had witnessed Peking Opera decline from its most prosperous days to its current state, and the sense of loss and change made her feel uneasy.
She earnestly assured Mr. Xue, "Don't worry, I will definitely work hard for it."