"Hello, my name is Duan Mengqi, nice to meet you."
As the tall woman spoke, she took off the mask on her face.
A beautiful face that was no less beautiful than Chu Yinyin and had its own merits compared to Chu Yinyin appeared in front of Chen Yan.
Chen Yan was stunned.
He vaguely felt that this face seemed familiar, but for a moment he couldn't remember where he had seen it before...
However, Duan Mengqi's name is also quite familiar, and I must have heard it before.
After letting go of Duan Mengqi's hand, he saw Duan Mengqi holding Chu Yinyin's arm again and leading Chu Yinyin into the private restaurant. Chen Yan followed the two girls into the restaurant while wondering where he had heard this name before.
This private restaurant looks quite ordinary. It is just a courtyard house in a shabby alley within the second ring road of Beijing.
The gate of the courtyard has not been repaired much and there is no plaque hanging on it. If someone passes by, they would not even guess that this is a private restaurant. They would just think that this is the same as the ordinary courtyards in Beijing, where the elderly people in Beijing live together.
Those with better conditions may have renovated the courtyard house and installed air conditioning and other modern facilities.
In poor conditions, even toilets and kitchens may be shared, and living in a courtyard house means there is almost no privacy.
But in fact, after pushing open the door of the courtyard, you will find that there is a different world in the courtyard.
Although the area is not large and it is just the most ordinary yard, the design of the yard is quite amazing.
In the center of the courtyard is an open space with several osmanthus trees planted. The flower beds on both sides are filled with evergreen plants and some edible flowers and plants.
The ground is paved with bluestone slabs and decorated with a few green bamboos, which looks quite quiet and peaceful.
There is even a small artificial pond in the corner of the yard, with more than a dozen precious goldfish in it.
The sound of gurgling water seems to be running water?
A few antique wooden chairs and a stone table form a simple rest area.
At this time, the night sky is bright and the full moon is hanging high in the sky. Even such a small courtyard can create a sense of tranquility in the midst of noise.
The main door of the house is open, and inside is the dining area.
A large amount of mahogany furniture, coupled with some screens and carvings, does not look vulgar at all.
There were many ink paintings and calligraphy works hanging on the wall. Chen Yan had no knowledge of these things, so he had no idea whether they were good or bad, or whether they were real or fake.
The ambient lighting is relatively soft and doesn't seem suitable for business banquets, but it is enough to make people happy when having a simple meal with good friends.
"This place doesn't welcome guests to the public, and it's not run for profit. It's a bit like Jixiang's nightclub, but it's completely different. It's very quiet and private. Mengqi likes it here and often comes here to meet up with friends. The owner is an elder in Mengqi's family. It's actually a cozy home opened specifically for Mengqi to make her happy."
Chu Yinyin suddenly introduced herself to Chen Yan next to her.
The three of them had already walked into the main room and sat down at the dining table.
Chen Yan's eyes swept across the walls of the main room one by one. After confirming that he really couldn't understand anything hanging on the wall, he withdrew his gaze.
After hearing Chu Yinyin's explanation, he suddenly had an idea and finally remembered who Duan Mengqi in front of him was!
"It's you! You're the young singer who was very popular a few years ago? Duan Mengqi is your real name! Right? You use a stage name in the entertainment industry! I was wondering why you look familiar and your name seems to have been heard somewhere before, but I just can't remember it right away! Because what I remember most is actually your stage name!"
Chen Yan said with a look of surprise.
Duan Mengqi smiled and nodded, "That's right, I was wondering how long it would take for you to recognize me. It seems that I have been out of fashion for too long. When I was popular before, even with a mask, I would be recognized when walking on the street. But after being silent for these two years, even without a mask, there are fewer people who can recognize me.
Once I put on the mask, I became an outsider. Aside from the wolves on the street, no one would recognize me. And even those wolves tended to stare at my chest and butt. Because I was wearing a mask, few people even stared at my face.
Chen Yan said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, it has little to do with whether you're famous or not. It's mainly because I don't pay much attention to the entertainment industry and I've never been a fan of celebrities, so I don't know much about male and female stars. I've only heard of those who are really famous. So from this perspective, your fame is really quite big."
Chu Yinyin continued, "Meng Qi is certainly quite famous. When she first wanted to become a singer because she loved singing, her entire family opposed her. There's no other way. Whether it's a singer or an actor, to people above a certain level, they're just actors.
In ancient times, they were considered the lowest class, completely unreputable, and anyone could boss them around. Unlike today, when so-called celebrities act like they're truly important figures, their status remains unchanged in the eyes of the truly influential.
"Mengqi's family is much more established than ours, so if she simply loves singing, that's fine. But if she insists on being a singer, releasing singles and albums, appearing in public, and standing on stage to please her fans, that's something her family really can't accept."
Chen Yan asked curiously, "Then why did she become a singer? Didn't her family stop her?"
Duan Mengqi explained with a smile, "My family dotes on me. They tried to stop me at first because they were worried I'd be a flash in the pan. They didn't think about it carefully and just wanted to become a singer. Don't just run away after two days in the industry. It would be embarrassing."
Later, when they realized I was serious about singing and that I genuinely loved it, and that I had a hard time getting interested in other things, they let me go. And with my family connections, I didn't have to deal with any of the messy things in the industry; I could just focus on singing.
At this point, Duan Mengqi showed a look of regret, and continued, "But I haven't found any good songs in the past two years, and I'm too lazy to sing ordinary songs. I haven't had any new works in two years, and I never participate in variety shows. Without exposure, I've naturally become outdated."
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