Половины жизни, посвященной музыке и макияжу

Глава 120

After a while, the woman on the stage was singing a mournful song. Zhu Qiaolian was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief when Duan Chen suddenly spoke up: "Why is Boss Zhu shedding tears?"

Zhu Qiaolian glanced at the hem of the person next to her and smiled somewhat bitterly: "She probably felt that what she sang was exactly what I was thinking."

Duan Chen frowned, turning his head to look at Zhan Yun. He saw that Zhan Yun was silently looking towards the stage, a faint smile on his lips, but no joy in his eyes or brows, and his expression was somewhat cold. Duan Chen was puzzled as to why, but he could clearly sense that the person beside him was somewhat unhappy.

He had been focused on the case, watching the play intently while mentally processing the details. He had invited Zhu Qiaolian to sit with him to ask about the play. But as he watched and listened, something suddenly felt off. He first asked Zhu Qiaolian, then wanted to see Zhan Yun's reaction. In the past, whenever they encountered similar situations, even if they couldn't speak, they would always communicate with their eyes. But now… Duan Chen pursed his lips, a hint of hesitation appearing between his brows. Was he being difficult?

Zhao Ting also turned his head, first glancing at Zhan Yun, then looking at Duan Chen: "What's wrong?"

With business at hand, Duan Chen had no choice but to turn his gaze back to Zhu Qiaolian and continue asking, "Ms. Zhu just said that she has already watched it several times. Could you tell me about the content of the play?"

Zhan Yun knew that Duan Chen had been staring at her profile for a long time, but she didn't see any sign of coquetry or submission from her. She was so annoyed that her teeth ached, but she also knew that she had to put the big picture first, so she turned her gaze to Zhu Qiaolian.

Zhu Qiaolian smiled and replied softly, "Yes, it tells the story of a scholar and a young lady. They fell in love at first sight and eventually became husband and wife. However, after several years of marriage, the young lady found a new love and wanted to divorce her husband, but the scholar refused. In the end, the young lady died with resentment, and the scholar also cut his own throat to follow his wife in death."

Zhao Ting raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, then noticed the affectionate look in Zhu Qiaolian's eyes, and saw Zhan Yun's slightly annoyed expression across from her, clearly holding back a grudge. He couldn't help but find it amusing. This kid's been riding high lately, but even he has his moments of unease!

Duan Chen noticed that Zhan Yun's mood was off, but because the other two were present and it was in public, he couldn't ask him directly. He could only patiently continue to ask, "Did that Madam Ye often come to watch the play before?"

Zhu Qiaolian also noticed the change in Zhan Yun's expression and felt at a loss for words. She stammered, "Well, but she only came once."

Bi'er suddenly interjected, "That Madam Ye really likes that young man in blue."

Zhao Ting thought for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Not the one we're singing now?"

Seeing that Zhu Qiaolian did not object, Bi'er shook her head and replied, "It's another one, younger and prettier."

Seeing that the performance was about to end, Duan Chen nodded slightly to Zhao Ting, got up and walked to the back. Zhan Yun gave Zhao Ting a wink, signaling him to keep an eye on things here, then bowed to Zhu Qiaolian in farewell before following Duan Chen.

Despite still feeling uncomfortable, Zhan Yun stayed close to her, occasionally shielding her from the crowds surging towards them in the aisle. Finally, he simply took her wrist, his other arm protecting her shoulder, and quickly walked to the back. This kind of place was always a mixed bag, and trouble could easily arise. It was one thing for him to be upset, but if something really went wrong, he would be the one who would feel the pain in the end.

They had already inquired with the waiter beforehand; the place where the opera troupe changed clothes and put on makeup was in the back courtyard of the teahouse. There was a small door around the staircase; they could go through it. The two didn't say a word the whole way, and they walked rather hurriedly, their posture inevitably appearing overly intimate. Some men who passed by saw the two running back intimately, and they all gave knowing smiles, their gazes towards Duan Chen somewhat lewd.

Zhan Yun's eyes grew colder. He quickly led the people around the corner of the stairs, then suddenly spun around, grabbing Duan Chen by the neck and pressing her against his shoulder. Duan Chen was stunned by this action, but she also caught a glimpse of someone behind the stairs. However, because the corner was pitch black, Zhan Yun blocked her view before she could see the details.

The people there had clearly seen them. Duan Chen first heard a short gasp, followed by a man's low curse. After the curse stopped, there was a rustling of clothes and another soft complaint.

Duan Chen noticed that the breath above him was slightly heavy, and the body holding him was also a little stiff. He roughly understood what was going on. One of his hands was still being held in another's palm. Duan Chen pressed his palm and whispered, "It's okay." In the world of brothels and theaters, it was inevitable to run into such things. At most, it would be a little embarrassing, but it wasn't worth getting angry about.

Zhan Yun frowned and lowered his head, gradually loosening his grip on the back of her neck. Because he was facing away from the light, half of his handsome face was shrouded in darkness, his eyes half-lit and half-dark: "Aren't you angry?"

Duan Chen felt that the question was a bit absurd, but he had always felt that this person's emotions were different from usual. After thinking about it from different angles, a smile gradually appeared on his lips.

Zhan Yun gritted his teeth, cupped her cheeks, and was about to kiss her. This girl was too infuriating! While others were heartbroken and breathless because of her, she acted like nothing was wrong from beginning to end, and even laughed at him after she realized what had happened?! Was it really that funny?!

Duan Chen turned his head away, quickly covering his lips with his free hand: "Stop messing around." He was in a hurry to get things done, and besides, in a place like this, he couldn't let him act recklessly!

Zhan Yun took a deep breath, realizing he had gone a bit too far. He kissed her fingertips and whispered, trying to scare her, "Wait until we get back to the inn tonight..."

Duan Chen felt a slight tremor in his heart at the implied meaning in his words. He pushed the man's shoulder away a little and glared at him with a slight upward tilt of his eye.

Although they'd shared a bed for the past few days, Zhan Yun had been remarkably well-behaved, not even offering a deep kiss or holding her while sleeping. They'd always slept separately, using two separate blankets. Now, however, he'd suddenly gone mad…

Actually, Zhan Yun said that mostly to scare her; he didn't really intend to do anything to her. Seeing Duan Chen glare at him with an unusually lively and cheerful expression, a hint of reproach in her eyes, yet also a touch of allure, she couldn't help but soften. He smiled broadly, took her wrist, and they walked together towards the backyard.

As the two entered the backyard, they saw a lamp lit in one of the rooms, and could faintly hear voices coming from inside. Just as they reached the door, two people walked out side by side. One of them was the young man who had spoken with the troupe leader by the stage earlier, and the other was a pretty girl. Both of them had changed into their costumes and had light powder on their faces, clearly preparing to go on stage and perform.

As they brushed past each other, Duan Chen noticed that the girl had drawn willow-leaf eyebrows. The two young men hadn't gone far when an old man emerged from the house. He seemed surprised to see them, but still cupped his hands in greeting: "My surname is Zeng, and I am the head of the 'Plum and Willow Troupe.' May I ask what brings you two gentlemen here?"

Upon hearing the name of the opera troupe, Zhan Yun raised an eyebrow slightly, cupped his hands in greeting while holding a folding fan, and said, "Greetings, Master Zeng. We listened to the performance earlier and thought it was indeed quite good. A friend of mine is celebrating his birthday on the seventh of next month, and we wonder..."

Before Zhan Yun could finish speaking, the other party waved his hand repeatedly and bowed to the two of them, saying, "I'm really sorry, but we'll be heading to Muzhou in two days. Besides, our family has an ancestral rule that we only sing outside and not in private homes."

As they were talking, a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old rushed out and stood near the door, timidly peeking out to look at the two of them. The troupe leader, surnamed Zeng, seemed to dote on the girl, only glancing at her indifferently without saying anything.

Duan Chen had a sudden inspiration and smiled slightly, "This young lady's eyebrows are really beautifully drawn. My younger sister loves willow-leaf eyebrows the most, but she can never draw them very well."

Zhan Yun found it amusing, but maintained a calm expression, echoing Duan Chen's words: "Is it because the eyebrow powder is bad? I don't know much about these things, but I've heard that you need to use a finer eyebrow powder to make it look better."

The little girl covered her mouth and laughed, shaking her head as her braid swayed back and forth: "No way! What's the use of just having good eyebrow powder? The main thing is how skillful the person is at drawing it. My brother-in-law drew this for me..."

The troupe leader coughed, and the little girl immediately stopped talking, stuck out her tongue at the two of them, and turned to go inside. The old man bowed to the two of them again: "The room is very dirty and messy, so please don't come in and sit down." He turned halfway around, his words and expression clearly indicating that he wanted them to leave.

Duan Chen had already thought of a question and persistently pressed on, "Master Zeng, please wait. I have another question, and I hope you can help me answer it."

The old man turned around, still wearing a polite smile, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused: "I wouldn't dare. Please ask, young master."

Duan Chen pointed to the flag standing in the room: "I wonder if that plum blossom was painted by the troupe leader himself? It's really exquisite."

The old man's smile was somewhat stiff: "Young master, you flatter me. This plum blossom is indeed painted by me."

Duan Chen stared at the man for a while, then smiled and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "There's nothing else. Thank you, Master Zeng, for answering my questions."

The old man nodded, turned, and closed the door. Duan Chen and Zhan Yun exchanged a glance, then quickly ran out of the teahouse and soon found Chu Hui by the roadside. Although the unexpected person wasn't one of the other constables from the prefectural government office as previously agreed, Duan Chen still quickly instructed, "Go back quickly and have Lord Li bring some men to wait at the alley entrance. Arrest her as soon as the play ends." Chu Hui nodded in acknowledgment and quickly disappeared from sight.

The two then returned to the teahouse, where they saw Zhao Ting and Zhou Yufei sitting across from each other at the table, but Zhu Qiaolian and the maid were nowhere to be seen. Zhan Yun breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhou Yufei, walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said gently, "You're so late, I thought something had happened."

Zhou Yufei slowly turned his head, his expression so dejected it was almost frightening. He forced a smile and waved to the two of them: "You're back."

Zhan Yun frowned and looked at Zhao Ting. What had happened now?

Zhao Ting shook his head slightly, not knowing yet, he hadn't asked.

Duan Chen glanced at Zhou Yufei, then focused his attention on the two people on the stage, saying softly, "After a short while, send two people out to meet them. These people must be kept under close watch; none of them can escape." Right now, they've only identified the entire "Mei Liu Troupe," but they don't yet know which member was responsible. Therefore, they must apprehend them all and bring them back to the yamen for questioning.

The other two nodded. Zhou Yufei, who had been silent all along, suddenly looked up and asked, "Duan Chen, can I go with you later?"

Duan Chenwei was slightly surprised, but still nodded. It didn't matter who went out later, as long as they could coordinate with the people coming from the government office to block both ends. Besides, judging from Zhou Yufei's appearance, it was obvious that it was definitely related to Yao Shu'er from last night.