However, upon closer inspection, he realized that the instruments labeled on the electronic drum roll were indeed traditional Chinese instruments—large and small drums, cymbals, large and small gongs…
Now, a woman in a pink t-shirt is performing opera. She is not pretty; her skin is a healthy tan from hard work, and her fingers are rough. But when she makes the gestures in the opera, she doesn't look ugly at all; on the contrary, she exudes a vibrant and natural vitality.
True art is never high above; it is rooted in a broad and inclusive land, allowing everyone to pick the flower they love.
Cheng Jixue led him around the back of the pavilion without disturbing the others who were enjoying themselves. The person playing the zither was an elderly man with graying temples. Even Zhang Chaohe, a layman, could tell that the strings were played well. The young boy sat next to him, intently playing the electronic drums.
Zhang Chaohe was actually amused. He tugged at Cheng Jixue and asked, "What's this? A Peking Opera DJ?"
Cheng Jixue smiled and said, "Don't let Uncle Qu hear this. He already thinks that stuff has no taste."
"Oh, Xiao Cheng's here!" The woman in the pink t-shirt looked up and saw Cheng Jixue and Zhang Chaohe standing silently outside the pavilion. She put down her hand and greeted them warmly: "Why didn't you call me?"
Cheng Jixue waved his hand, but before he could say anything, his older sister interrupted him with a barrage of questions: "Did you come with her?"
Cheng Jixue nodded: "Boss."
However, at the same time, Zhang Chaohe had already replied, "Friend."
The air fell silent. Zhang Chaohe glared at them, and then the two of them spoke at the same time:
"friend."
"boss."
Zhang Chaohe unilaterally announced that he had lost his birthday present.
A note from the author:
DJ Xiao Cheng: My sword furiously slashes at the snow-winged eagle, my mountain soars majestically to the clouds, Changban Slope is burning, I'm live-streaming my chopping down of Cao Cao!
Updated the pre-order synopsis! Sigh, I still think silly, chuunibyou (delusional) stories suit me best. My next book will be "Defeating Superpowers with Money"! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-05-23 20:33:06 and 2022-05-25 16:40:01!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 21
For the first time, Zhang Chaohe clearly felt that many people liked Cheng Jixue.
In the past, online, he could only feel the flowery words surrounding Cheng Jixue, praising his good looks and excellent opera singing—although their affection for Cheng Jixue was genuine, it was far less intense and direct than the affection he felt today.
Cheng Jixue's theater troupe used to live nearby. It's no exaggeration to say that every elderly person in this small park had listened to Cheng Jixue's performances, and every child had held Cheng Jixue's hand. They treated Cheng Jixue as naturally as they would their own family.
While Cheng Jixue is usually gentle, he is like the mist in the mountains or the fish swimming in the sea; but today, Cheng Jixue is like a thousand sunflowers chasing the sun's brilliance and vitality at the same time. He seems to shine when he stands in the crowd.
Everyone has the unique charm to be the protagonist, Zhang Chaohe thought with a smile.
Halfway through his thought, he suddenly realized something was wrong—feeling sorry for the protagonist was just the beginning of the cannon fodder's misfortune!
Wake up, Zhang Chaohe! You two have a terrible relationship, like the one between a cold sky and a broken heart!
Uncle Qu, who was concentrating on playing the strings, glanced up and saw that the friend Xiao Cheng had brought was quietly leaning against a pillar, gazing at the bustling crowd.
He looked like any other young man, but his eyes held a strange loneliness.
Uncle Qu didn't gesture to him, so he just casually called out, "Young man!"
Zhang Chaohe seemed to wake from a dream, only then realizing that the person was calling him. He thought for a moment and asked, "Uncle Qu?"
Uncle Qu's smile was anything but kind, it had a mischievous, childlike slyness about it: "Why don't you come and play together?"
Cheng Jixue cast a glance from afar, like a parent playing mahjong making sure their mischievous child hadn't run far. He and Zhang Chaohe exchanged a look across the distance, gave each other an apologetic smile, and then went back to wrestling with the child who was tugging at his trouser leg.
"I don't know how to do this." Zhang Chaohe smiled slightly, still keeping his domineering CEO persona in mind even at this moment, refusing to lose his composure.
Uncle Qu thought for a moment: "Then do you know how to do this?"
The sound of the strings changed, and Zhang Chaohe's eyelids twitched!
The most beautiful flower on the grassland, the fiery red Sarilang!
He was shocked and quickly looked at the others—of course he knew that this was something Uncle Qu had deliberately played for him, but they were in the middle of their performance of the Empty City Stratagem, so what was the point of Xian'er suddenly disappearing?
The old man who sang the "empty city strategy" remained calm and unhurried, even leisurely finishing his line before taking a dramatic turn and continuing: "With her in my heart, I will look back even if I am thousands of miles away!"
Zhang Chaohe listened with trepidation, feeling as if he were teetering between a royal theater and a market stall. Uncle Qu continued playing triumphantly; he was the center of attention in the square, controlling the singing trends of the masses!
"Were you originally in the same theater troupe as Cheng Jixue?" Zhang Chaohe sat down next to him.
"Yes! I've been with Old Zheng's family for forty years. Now that I don't have a place to stay, I've actually become more relaxed!"
Zhang Chaohe vaguely sensed that he was approaching a completely new and more distant Cheng Jixue. He hesitated for a moment but still decided to push open that door: "How did he get into the troupe?"
Everyone said he could have gone to the provincial theater troupe, or even made a name for himself in the national theater troupe. Why would he be willing to stay in a small folk theater troupe and even take on a lot of debt?
Even though he himself was already desperate and destitute, he knew that once he made this decision, he would have to carry this heavy shackle for the rest of his life.
“He was our troupe leader’s last disciple.” Uncle Qu sighed. “I heard he’s a celebrity now? You must be his celebrity friend, so it’s normal that you don’t know these things.”
“In our line of work, it’s all about oral and hands-on transmission. That’s how the old tricks are passed down from generation to generation,” Uncle Qu said casually, watching Cheng Jixue’s back as he strummed his strings. “Our old troupe leader used to sing female roles, but the young troupe leader’s voice wasn’t good enough for that, so he switched to male roles. Brother Zheng was planning to stop passing it on, but then the young troupe leader brought a classmate home when he was in school.”
It's a very cliché story: the old troupe leader, who had no intention of passing on his skills, encountered a gifted young talent. He poured all his knowledge and skills into teaching his apprentice, unreservedly instilling in him the same expectations he had once held for his son.
After his death, his son and apprentices took over the troupe and continued to perform the stories on stage until a car accident caused his apprentice to lose his partner.
It's no wonder that Cheng Jixue was willing to do everything in his power to repay the kindness of being taught.
That night, after returning home, Zhang Chaohe tossed and turned for a long time, unable to fall asleep. He didn't want to admit that his insane, overflowing sympathy had surged again—the usually gentle and reserved Cheng Jixue was like a bird with broken wings, stuffed into a cage, beautiful and pitiful.
But is he really willing?
Is he really willing to leave the stage and go on stage?
Zhang Chaohe's head ached more and more. Reason told him that Cheng Jixue was not only suitable for the stage but also for the performance, but emotionally he couldn't help but hesitate and feel sorry for him.
At three in the morning, Zhang Chaohe, sporting dark circles under his eyes that looked like they were about to fall off his feet, poked the gaming companion: "Are you there? Want to play games? Double the pay."
The other party replied instantly with enthusiasm: "Boss, log in, I'm going to call in reinforcements and wreak havoc!"
Upon opening the game, Zhang Chaohe finally suppressed his racing thoughts, but still seemed somewhat absent-minded, silently maneuvering his cool character in circles. The guy wanted to ask him to join a raid, but suddenly realized this was a big spender, and immediately shut up out of professionalism.
The sponsor suddenly asked, "Have you seen 'Drunken Blade'?"
The gaming companion was stunned for a moment, then immediately slapped his thigh with one hand: "I've seen it! I remember stealing my dad's ID card to watch it at an internet cafe when I was in junior high! I really love Jade-Faced White Fox!"
"Drunken Blade" can even be considered a work of its time, and the other young people also sighed about their own naivety when they were reading this book.
Zhang Chaohe then asked, "If a collaboration skin for Drunken Blade were released, would you buy it?"
"Of course I will! Whether it looks good or not, it represents my youth, and I'll definitely buy it just for collection purposes!"
Zhang Chaohe, satisfied with the answer, logged off and prepared to sleep. He planned to activate both "Drunken Blade" and "Swift Frost and Bright Snow" that he had previously selected. However, "Drunken Blade" was intended for Cheng Jixue, while "Swift Frost and Bright Snow" was for Mei Jinghan. If Cheng Jixue was his first friend in this world, then Li Yimao and Mei Jinghan were undoubtedly his second and third.
In fact, he was silently watching over every adjustment and refinement of "Alas".
Before that, Zhang Chaohe had a bold idea – since “Drunken Blade” is a popular national IP, it would be a waste of the money he spent to buy the IP if he didn’t make a lot of money.
How can IP products make money the fastest and most elegantly?
A collaboration!
Collaborating with games, brands, and popular apps—this kind of joint effort is sure to attract more attention than ordinary promotional campaigns.
As long as the "Drunken Blade" IP is frequently seen in the public eye and silently integrated into people's lives, the release of a series of feature films will definitely attract a lot of attention!
After several days of on-site investigation, Zhang Chaohe decided to partner with the mobile game he was currently playing. Coincidentally, the person in charge of the game's studio, Youjie Studio, was Li Ye, the only son of the Li family in the industry. Zhang Chaohe's invitation quickly received a warm response, and the two parties planned to meet again in the evening two days later to discuss the matter further.
Meanwhile, Assistant Jiang also arranged for Cheng Jixue and Chen Xingting to meet on different floors of the same clubhouse. Zhang Chaohe's plan was to talk to Li Ye in the first half and then go to meet Cheng Jixue and Chen Xingting in the second half, and also take Cheng Jixue home.
Just this once. Zhang Chaohe thought calmly, he really was just going that way.
On the day of the banquet, Zhang Chaohe dressed up in a flamboyant manner—this was the first time the young boss had met with friends in the industry, and it wasn't in his nature not to outshine everyone else. Sure enough, Li Ye was also dressed like a peacock spreading its tail feathers. The two looked at each other and realized that they both looked like walking ATMs, and immediately revealed a tacit smile.
The two exchanged pleasantries, discussing everything from their family businesses to future business directions, and the conversation flowed smoothly. Li Ye was outgoing and talkative, and also a prolific internet user. As they chatted, Zhang Chaohe began to reveal his true nature, failing to maintain his aloof and domineering CEO persona.
Li Ye seemed to be alluding to something: "Young Manager Zhang and Senior Manager Zhang are very different."
Zhang Yinshan is mature and steady, treating people with a gentle breeze, while his business acumen is like a whirlwind. He has always been a role model for other people's children in the industry.
Zhang Chaohe knew he couldn't compare to his elder brother, but he still held a sliver of hope: "How are we different?"
Li Ye pondered: "Young Master Zhang is more... um... sincere, while Old Master Zhang is more shrewd and clear-headed, with more holes than a hornet's nest."
Zhang Chaohe understood; Li Ye was subtly mocking his foolishness.
He lowered his head and ate his food with a slightly depressed expression. Li Ye leaned back in his chair and brazenly sized up the second young master of the Zhang family—he certainly looked like he had been too well protected by his father and brothers. Although he had a sharp and domineering appearance and temperament, one could still see his kind and innocent nature in his words.
As he was lost in his wild thoughts, he saw the previously calm and composed CEO Zhang suddenly swipe open the phone on the table. The gray WeChat message box started flashing, and the other person quickly scanned it, his aura instantly hardening, like a storm crashing down on him!
Li Ye was filled with doubt and suspicion. He subconsciously sat up straight, trying to peek at what news could have made Boss Zhang so furious in an instant.
He soon stopped spying because Zhang Chaohe received a phone call—the surroundings were so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and given the extremely close proximity, Li Ye could clearly hear every word coming from the phone.
"Mr. Zhang, something bad has happened! Just now, a guy surnamed He claimed to be your friend and insisted on sitting here waiting for you. He..." The man opposite him spoke in a slightly stiff voice, as if he was quickly choosing his words: "At first, he forced Cheng Jixue to sing opera, and now he wants to take Cheng Jixue to a hotel room!"
The background noise is a young man's slightly weak shouting: "I'm sleeping with an... actress and I have to put up with your attitude? Get out of here!"
"Bang!" The phone was disconnected.
Zhang Chaohe suddenly stood up, the heavy solid wood chair even letting out a sharp groan as it was dragged along.
His anger came like a thunderbolt; in the blink of an eye, Zhang Chaohe had kicked open the door to the private room and hurried away from Li Ye's sight.
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support, my darlings! The next chapter will be available for purchase!! Welcome back to experience the daily life of a wronged child with Little Zhang! Tomorrow there will be a 10,000-word update, and then I'll get off the paycheck and start a high-intensity six-chapter-a-day update (I'll give it my best! Hope Little Zhang blesses me!).
See you tomorrow!
★Pre-order novel "The Sickly Beauty is a Martial Arts Master" - a hilarious and refreshing entertainment industry story;
1.
Li Shuangchi and Shang Cui have been married for three years. Li Shuangchi has always cherished Shang Cui like a treasure. After all, although Shang Cui is gentle and indifferent, she is in poor health and is a delicate and sickly beauty.
One day, Li Shuangchi was half asleep when Shang Cui woke her up, saying in a serious tone, "Husband, wake up! I've traveled back in time!"
Li Shuangchi, startled awake: ??
Shang Cui solemnly declared that he had not only traveled back to the Republican era, but had also received guidance from a master and become a martial arts grandmaster, a veritable reincarnation of Ip Man!
Li Shuangchi: Oh no, he was just physically unwell before, he didn't have any mental problems!
Li Shuangchi thought he was joking. He thought to himself, since his darling was so proactive, wouldn't it be a waste not to do something about this beautiful night?