Chapter 21

After walking for an unknown amount of time, she quietly looked back but did not see the familiar figure.

Did she say something wrong?

Jian Xinyi was a little annoyed. Why was she trying to show off her abilities at this time? It seemed that she was only making things more complicated.

And without money, how could she enter Wanhua Pavilion?

Dusk was approaching quietly, and the evening breeze blew straight through her clothes. Jane Xinyi's pace became faster and faster, and she only wanted to go home quickly.

"Zhuiyu, what are you thinking about? Why are you ignoring me even after calling you for so long?"

A pretty face suddenly appeared in front of Jian Xinyi. She subconsciously pushed up her non-existent glasses, looking a little embarrassed. "I was a little distracted just now. Why are you here?"

"I saw you in a daze from a distance. Where have you been?" Bai Yuanyuan straightened his face, looking like a head teacher who found out that a student had done something wrong.

"Nothing. The opera troupe is about to start performing, so I wanted to join in the fun." Jian Xinyi chuckled twice. "If you have nothing to do, why don't you come over to my house later?"

Bai Yuanyuan ignored Jian Xinyi's nonsense and got straight to the point: "Why do you go to the opera troupe if you have nothing to do? Did Lao Lin let you go there?"

"That's right. I've discovered that places like opera troupes with lots of girls also have lots of customers. You know what customers are, right? It's just..."

Before Jian Xinyi finished explaining, Bai Yuanyuan nodded as if she had suddenly understood something. "So you went to the opera troupe to promote your work. How about that?"

Jian Xinyi tried hard to pull the corners of her mouth upward, "Just... someone kicked her out."

She didn't intend to talk about the Huadan issue. People in ancient times were quite feudal. It would be bad if she was given the title of "living king of hell".

"The troupe is kicking us out. Didn't you pay?" Bai Yuanyuan blurted out the truth. Only then did she realize she'd said something wrong. She quickly tried to make amends, "But it doesn't matter. An opera troupe isn't a good place to be. Let's just write well. We won't have to worry about no one buying it."

"Alright, stop provoking me." Jian Xinyi sighed and hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to speak. "Do you... have money?"

"Even if you have one, you can't go to the opera troupe. That kind of place is not suitable for people like us." Bai Yuanyuan rejected her righteously, but still left a little room for negotiation in her words.

When dealing with a little girl like Bai Yuanyuan, there is a trick that always works.

Jian Xinyi smiled slightly, pulled Bai Yuanyuan closer, and said slowly, "The owner of Wanhua Pavilion is extremely beautiful, the kind of beauty that is difficult to tell whether it is male or female."

Recalling the class owner's stunning beauty, Jian Xinyi couldn't help but sneer in her heart. Can't she be defeated by this?

Bai Yuanyuan was a little hesitant, but still shook her head. "No matter how beautiful he is, that can't be..." However, she seemed to still have a strong desire to know more about the words "indistinguishable between male and female". "How beautiful is he?"

The fish was hooked.

Jian Xinyi quickly smiled and said, "You'll know when you come. Please, it's definitely worth the money."

"Did you do this on purpose?" Bai Yuanyuan finally understood. "Okay, Lin Zhuiyu, you're getting more and more creative. Go by yourself, don't drag me into this."

"Yuanyuan, what should I do if you leave, Yuanyuan..." The scene of the famous Spring Festival Gala crosstalk actor chasing the car gradually emerged in Jian Xinyi's mind, but she could only stare at Bai Yuanyuan's back in a daze.

There was nothing she could do. It was all her own fault. She would just go back and find Qian Yuan again.

Being able to join the opera troupe is considered a success!

Jian Xinyi patted her cheeks hard and said, "It's okay. It's just a small matter. I'm just asking someone for a favor."

As she walked along, Qian Yuan's annoying face kept appearing in Jian Xinyi's mind, making her very impatient. She accidentally bumped into someone's vegetable stall, and the fresh green onions rolled all over the ground, getting covered in mud.

"You girl, why don't you look when you walk? I picked these freshly from the field, and now they are dirty." The old man who bought the vegetables was immediately furious, and the colleague who quickly picked up the vegetables did not forget to scold her.

"Excuse me, uncle."

Jian Xinyi quickly apologized and helped people pack up their things.

A man in the distance saw Mu coming over and straightened his stall. He looked at Jian Xinyi and she looked familiar. "What's wrong? Hey, isn't that you?"

Jian Xinyi then looked up. It turned out to be the housekeeper from the opera troupe. She quickly thanked him, "Thank you very much. I accidentally knocked over their stall."

"I see. I was wondering why the dish hadn't been delivered today, so I came to check. If the boss knew about this, he'd probably scold you again." The housekeeper changed his previous harsh attitude towards Du Le. His face was very gentle, and he spoke in a kindly manner. "I'll give you a little more money as an apology."

After saying that, the housekeeper took out a few copper coins and handed them to the vegetable vendor. The vegetable vendor took the money and left happily without saying anything.

"Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be able to join the troupe today. I'd probably have to work in the fields to compensate him for this little bit of green onion." Jian Xinyi smiled awkwardly and touched the back of her head. "How is the troupe doing lately?"

"Well, it's been the same since the incident, but under the recent management of the boss, no one has spread rumors anymore." The housekeeper didn't say much, as if he realized that he was being too talkative, and left in silence.

"Hey." Seeing the housekeeper about to leave, Jian Xinyi hurriedly grabbed him. "Well, this isn't a good thing to say, but I'm really worried about Dule. Can you let me in to see her before this starts?"

"That's not impossible, but you have to follow me closely." The housekeeper sighed and handed the shallot in his hand to Jian Xinyi, "Just say you're here to deliver food. Remember, don't let the boss see you."

Jian Xinyi hugged the bundle of green onions, hugging them more tenderly than a child. "Thank you so much."

The housekeeper smiled slightly, said nothing, and secretly brought Jian Xinyi in through the back door of the theater.

Wanhua Pavilion truly lives up to its name. As soon as you enter, you will see a yard full of red plum blossoms. The fragrance of plum blossoms fills the yard, mixed with the faint scent of cosmetics, which makes people even more intoxicated.

Before Jian Xinyi could come to her senses, she heard a woman angrily shouting at them, "Why did this batch of food arrive so late? If the boss can't eat hot food, I will hold you responsible."

"Here you are! You won't get anything hot if you're impatient." The housekeeper smiled and took the green onion from Jian Xinyi's hand and gave it to the woman opposite. The woman snorted and turned into the kitchen without forgetting to threaten him.

"If you delay again next time, I'll have the class owner fire you."

Jian Xinyi curled her lips. Everyone in this troupe had the same temper as their leader. They were people who could not be provoked.

The housekeeper took her to the corner of the garden and spoke to him stealthily.

"Okay, go do what you need to do. I won't be able to help you next time."

"Thank you, uncle."

After expressing their gratitude sincerely, Jian Xinyi and the housekeeper went straight to the wing room in the backyard.

I’m getting a little excited thinking about discussing the second business deal.

"Everyone, get your act together and help Dule arrange the finale."

Suddenly, a sharp female voice was heard from inside. Jian Xinyi looked towards the source of the voice and saw a slim woman scolding a row of girls in front of her. She was a little curious and hid behind a pillar to continue observing.

The girl with the twin buns seemed a little dissatisfied and retorted, "Du Le is still young, it's not appropriate for him to play the role of Bright Moon Fairy. Why not let Sister Ru Lan take the role?"

"Rulan has never rehearsed 'Bright Moon Fairy,' and Dule has been rehearsing 'Bright Moon Fairy' before. Isn't that enough?" The woman squinted at the girl. "If you have any opinions, please speak up now. Don't delay rehearsals."

People in a row looked at each other, unable to say anything.

"Then go in and line up." The slim woman led them into the room. After a while, the yard became lively again, with the sound of stringed instruments filling the ears.

Jian Xinyi quietly walked closer and peeked inside through the crack in the door. She saw Dule wearing a slightly loose costume, but his expression and posture were completely different from the day he was kicked out of the troupe. He was much more calm.

Before she could come to her senses, a cold male voice came from the side: "You have no money to watch a play, so you climb over the wall. Did you learn all these habits from that boy who visited the brothel?"

Jian Xinyi was so frightened that she stepped back, turned around and touched her heart: "Wow, you scared me to death."

Qian Yuan looked at her coldly: "Tell me, what's going on?"

"If you ask me to tell you, I will tell you. Do you think you are..." Before Jian Xinyi could even utter the word "police", she discovered a shocking fact.

Logically speaking, Qian Yuan is indeed a policeman.

"Forget it, don't worry about it. It's enough for you to know that I can enter the Wanhua Pavilion without you."

Jian Xinyi snorted coldly and was about to leave with her hands on her hips, but was stopped by Qian Yuan. "Without me, you really can't get in. But with me, I can send you out."

"You!" Jian Xinyi's eyes widened in anger. She pulled Qian Yuan's hand and walked to the corner of the yard, whispering, "Is this what you deserve just because of Zhuo Yun?"

Qian Yuan pulled off his token and showed it to her, swearing, "As a member of the Jinwu Guard, it is my natural duty to ensure the safety of the troupe. I cannot allow anyone with suspicious behavior to take advantage of the opportunity to cause harm."

Before Jian Xinyi could refute anything, she saw the butler approaching from a distance and bowing to Qian Yuan: "Sir, the boss wants you to come over."

"Let's go together."

Qian Yuan didn't care about Jian Xinyi's thoughts and directly pulled her to the opera troupe's villa.

The villa is hidden in a bamboo forest, which can completely hide the sound of stringed instruments from the front yard. It can be said to be a safe place to live in the bustling city.

Upon entering the courtyard, the fragrance of plum blossoms filled my nose. The plum trees on either side of the courtyard were in full bloom, their red plums striking the eye and their fragrance even more intense. A simple thatched cottage dotted the landscape, with only three bedrooms, somewhat unbecoming of the owner of this ostentatious opera troupe.

But as soon as she entered the front hall, Jian Xinyi was dazzled by the sight of gold. Everywhere she looked was mahogany inlaid with gold. Even the vase holding the dead branches of red plums was made of white porcelain with gold decoration.

Rich, rich people are so inhumane.

When the troupe leader heard someone outside the room, he slowly walked out of the bedroom, casually wearing a white cotton robe, which made his face look even more handsome.

"Oh, there's a rat in the troupe again. Thank you for troubling the Jinwu Guards." He glanced at Jian Xinyi and chuckled, "Your Excellency, please don't worry about the rat for now. Look, this is what I found in the dressing box."

Qian Yuan stepped forward, took the paper, and read it slowly: "Manru's death was not caused by Lingyan."