Not long after Shen Huai and Chu Meibo sat down, Yu Chen and two friends also sat down in a private room upstairs arranged by Mr. Xue.

Yu Chen was about 40 or 50 years old, tall, with slightly dark skin and unexpectedly thick hair. He was holding a fan in his hand. With him were his two friends Yu Guangping and Shi Ren, who were also one of the supporting actors this time.

The three of them were old drama fans for many years. This time they came with him for the audition, and also came to Mr. Xue's theater to listen to the drama for fun.

Mr. Xue was almost 70 years old, with a head of white hair combed neatly, looking very elegant.

After the tea master served tea to the four people, Mr. Xue said, "I'm honored to have you here today. When Lingling goes on stage, please feel free to give us your advice."

Yu Chen smiled and said, "We are being asked to show off our skills in front of an expert."

Shi Ren also said, "I heard that your daughter has always been known as 'Little Yun Qiyi'. We are also lucky to see Mr. Yun's elegance on the stage again."

Mr. Xue waved his hands and said, "It's just some exaggeration from friends. Don't take it seriously."

Although he said this, he had a proud smile on his face, which showed that he was just being modest. Xue Ling was the daughter of him and his wife in their old age. He had always doted on her. Otherwise, with his personality, he would not do such a backdoor thing.

After a while of chatting, the stage started.

Mr. Xue built this theater to promote traditional opera. Everything was modeled after the old theater, and the rules were also based on the old ones.

Most of the performers here were Mr. Xue's disciples, and some were students from the local Peking Opera Academy. Not all the performances were old ones, but there were also some new ones.

Several people watched and commented.

Mr. Xue had some worries in his eyes: "Over the years, opera has been declining, and there are not many children who come to learn opera. Many of them can't bear the hardship. But the most important thing about opera is 'one minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage'. Once you slack off a little, people will see it immediately."

"Just like the previous part, the taste is not coming out..."

Mr. Xue said, and sang directly. Although he is old, he is still sharp. His singing is thick, broad and bright, and the aftertaste is long.

Because this is the end of a play, the gongs and drums on the stage stopped, and many drama fans were chatting off the stage.

Suddenly hearing Mr. Xue's lyrics, it immediately attracted the attention of many people. Although it was only a few short sentences, it still made everyone applaud directly.

Shen Huai and Chu Meibo also looked in that direction.

Chu Meibo raised her eyebrows: "Is this Mr. Xue?"

Shen Huai nodded and pointed to the direction: "Your target person is also there."

Chu Meibo said "hmm" and lowered her head thoughtfully.

At this moment, the gong sounded and Xue Ling came on stage.

It must be said that the play she chose was very thoughtful. It was the "Beating the Drum and Cursing Cao" that made Yun Qiyi famous back then. When she walked out and appeared, even Chu Meibo was dazed for a moment, thinking that it was Yun Qiyi resurrected.

The drama fans below also cheered loudly.

Xue Ling is indeed quite talented. Her voice is originally similar to Yun Qiyi's, and she deliberately imitated Yun Qiyi's singing accent, and stood on such a retro stage.

It was as if one could really see the young woman standing on the stage. Although she was a woman, she was as righteous as any man.

When Xue Ling finished singing, the cheers and applause from the audience were very enthusiastic. Mujiang City was originally a hometown of opera. People here have been influenced by opera since childhood. Many old opera fans have been immersed in it for decades. It is not easy to win their applause.

Upstairs, Yu Chen also clapped slowly with shock on his face: "She can sing like this at such a young age, it's simply unbelievable!"

Yu Guangping and Shi Ren also nodded.

Mr. Xue had a proud look on his face: "Although Ling Ling was raised by me and my wife, she has never slacked off in her practice. I am not bragging, but among all my disciples, the one who can really inherit my legacy in the future is probably this girl from my family."

Yu Chen was about to agree with him when he suddenly heard a clear female voice from below.

"This opera is not sung correctly."

The smile on Mr. Xue's face froze immediately, and Xue Ling, who was bowing on the stage, was also stunned.

Chu Meibo ignored Shen Huai's gesture and stood up directly.

Many opera fans were discussing enthusiastically, but they didn't expect that someone would come to disrupt the show. It turned out to be a little girl in her teens. Someone immediately mocked her, "Little girl, how old are you? Can you understand opera? Stop making trouble!"

Chu Meibo was not angry, and smiled, "Just because you are young, you can't understand opera?"

"That's not what I mean, you..."

Xue Ling is very talented and has been learning opera since she was a child. She has heard nothing but praises since she went on stage, especially for "Beating the Drum and Cursing Cao", which she sang best. No one has ever been so impolite to say that her singing was wrong.

Her face flushed and she couldn't help asking, "Then tell me, what did I sing wrong?"

Chu Meibo turned her head and raised her eyebrows and said, "This play, "Beating the Drum and Cursing Cao", tells the story of Kong Rong recommending Ni Heng to Cao Cao. After Cao Cao summoned Ni Heng, he neglected and despised him, and ordered him to be a drummer to humiliate him. So Ni Heng beat the drum and scolded Cao Cao at the banquet. This play has been passed down for many years and has been sung by various schools. Yun Qiyi learned from the Yu school and is famous for his rich voice and emotion, and his mellow rhyme. He is elegant yet vigorous."

Seeing that she was talking freely, everyone knew that she really understood drama, so they gradually quieted down and listened to her continue.

"Your singing style and body movements are indeed very similar to Yun Qiyi's. It is obvious that you have worked hard to learn them. However, you have only learned the form but not the spirit. You have not learned her essence at all."

Xue Ling was anxious: "You...you are talking nonsense!"

Chu Meibo laughed and said: "It's like this play. Ni Heng is arrogant because of his talent. He has the wildness and arrogance of a scholar. He is venting his anger and also wants to show his literary character of literati who values ​​reputation over life and death. This part of the lyrics is full of wildness and anger, and even the resentment of his own lack of talent. He sang with the determination to die, so he was unrestrained. , her words were sharp and venomous, making people feel completely satisfied after listening to them. "

Chu Meibo paused, and said with some reluctance: "After Yun Qiyi finished singing, although it was a cold day, the people in the theater were all excited and cheered in unison. Only then did she gain a firm footing. And you, your singing was too rigid and too gentle, lacking the heroic spirit and vigor of a scholar. If you can be called 'Little Yun Qiyi' for this, Yun Qiyi would probably be so angry that she would jump out of her grave."

Xue Ling was so angry that his face turned red, but he had no words to refute her.

The fans were also whispering in the audience, obviously not expecting Chu Meibo to be able to tell the whole story. More importantly, there were several senior fans who nodded frequently when she was talking, obviously thinking that she was right.

Seeing Xue Ling's expression, Chu Meibo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, and said lightly: "Yun Qiyi was known as the number one female actor at that time, and it is possible that she had been provoked by others. If she had a temper like you, let alone becoming a star, I'm afraid she would be booed off the stage."

Xue Ling couldn't stand it anymore, tears burst out, and he directly threw the curtain and went to the backstage.

Shen Huai sighed helplessly and held his forehead.

Chu Meibo innocently waved her hands at him, indicating that it was not that she was too much, but that the girl's psychological quality was too poor.

Shen Huai said: "I really want you to perform, but I don't want you to make enemies with others. After she finishes singing, there will be a small theater where the audience can also go up to sing and satisfy their craving for drama. I was planning to let you try it then, who would have thought that you..."

Chu Meibo: "Why didn't you say so earlier."

Shen Huai: "..."

How did he know that Meijie was so bold that she would directly destroy the show on someone else's territory? Now, the performance was performed, but the hatred was probably also made.

Shen Huai rubbed his forehead, and felt that he could imagine how angry Mr. Xue upstairs would be. Even if Director Yu valued talent, he would not ruin the friendship with his long-time friend because of this.

Shen Huai felt that this opportunity was ruined, and was about to leave with Chu Meibo.

But she saw a head popping out from upstairs, and Yu Chen smiled and said, "Little girl, do you want to come upstairs for some tea?"

Chu Meibo and Shen Huai looked at each other in surprise, and the two of them went upstairs to the private room together.

The people in the private room, Mr. Xue and Director Yu, were the ones Shen Huai had shown her photos of at the beginning, so she recognized them at a glance.

Although Yu Chen called the two people up, he did not speak for a while.

Instead, it was Mr. Xue who spoke up: "Little girl, have you ever learned opera before?"

Chu Meibo hesitated and said vaguely: "I learned a little."

Mr. Xue shook his head seriously: "You can hear these things, but you definitely have learned a little. Don't be modest at this time."

Chu Meibo didn't say anything. If they knew that she had the same master as Yun Qiyi, they would probably be scared to death.

Mr. Xue didn't care and said slowly: "You are right. Learning the form but losing the spirit. I have always thought that I have been immersed in Peking Opera for these years, and no one knows Peking Opera better than me, but I didn't expect that I can see it more thoroughly than you, a little girl."

Before, Shen Huai also popularized Mr. Xue for Chu Meibo. He has been running around for the promotion of Peking Opera in recent years. Even at an advanced age, he is still working hard for this. It is very admirable.

Chu Meibo has always been respectful to these old artists. Even though she is probably older than this old man, this spirit is enough to make her respect him. After

Mr. Xue finished talking to her, he sat aside to think.

Yu Chen then spoke: "Your name is Chu Meibo, right?"

Chu Meibo nodded.

Yu Chen smiled and said, "I thought my itinerary was kept secret, but I didn't expect it to be known so easily."

Shen Huai spoke at this time, taking all the responsibility on himself.

He admitted it so readily and apologized, so Yu Chen couldn't hold on to it anymore. After all, his itinerary this time was not kept secret, and many people knew about it.

Yu Chen looked at Chu Meibo: "It seems that you have studied Yun Qiyi a lot."

Chu Meibo nodded. Among all the people present, no one knew that woman better than her.

Yu Chen asked a few questions, all about Yun Qiyi's early life, and Chu Meibo was able to answer them one by one. These materials are not easy to find, and if you are not very knowledgeable about Yun Qiyi, you may not know them. But he didn't know that Chu Meibo only knew about Yun Qiyi's early life. If he asked about the later life, Chu Meibo would be confused.

Yu Chen was very satisfied and asked Chu Meibo to sing a song on the spot.

In terms of singing, Chu Meibo is naturally not as good as Xue Ling, but her aura of "who else but me" is far beyond Xue Ling's reach.

Yu Chen got excited and took out the audition script. It was about Yun Qiyi's decision to go north to study drama. She abandoned her existing reputation and started all over again for the sake of art. Yu Chen saw Chu Meibo's desperate spirit and her passionate pursuit of art.

Now, Yu Chen was also entangled.

He originally wanted to give this position to his friend's little daughter, but Chu Meibo's performance was too good, so he couldn't help but hesitate.

Mr. Xue seemed to see through his thoughts and said seriously, "You don't have to worry about me. Just use whoever is good."

Xue Ling happened to come in after taking off her makeup. When she heard what he said, her eyes reddened again: "Dad."

Seeing that Mr. Xue was not being polite, Yu Chen nodded: "Mr. Xue, I'm sorry." After

he finished speaking, he called his assistant: "Notify the girl from the troupe that she doesn't need to come for the audition."

He stretched out his hand and said to Chu Meibo: "Congratulations. I hope you can perform so well in the future. Don't let me down."

Chu Meibo gently held her hand and smiled: "I will live up to your expectations."

Mr. Xue also said to Chu Meibo seriously: "You are very talented, and I can see that you have some skills. It's a pity that you haven't practiced for many years, so you are a little rusty."

These words made Chu Meibo a little embarrassed. She really hadn't 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 originally angry. Hearing what Mr. Xue said, she was anxious: "Dad!"

Mr. Xue patted the back of her hand and said to Chu Meibo sincerely: "Your acting skills are very good. I believe that in time, you will become a very good actor. I believe you also like Peking Opera. If possible, I hope you can promote Peking Opera. I thank you on behalf of the opera people."

As he said this, he actually stood up and bowed to Chu Meibo seriously.

Several people around were shocked. Chu Meibo and Shen Huai quickly helped him up.

Chu Meibo felt a little sad. She had personally witnessed the decline of Peking Opera from its heyday to its current state. She felt very uncomfortable with the change of things and people.

She also earnestly assured Mr. Xue: "Don't worry, I will definitely work hard for this."

Mr. Xue smiled with relief.

Yu Chen was also very emotional. He was not the kind of director who only pursued fame and fortune. He still had some feelings in his heart. He was willing to take over such a variety show because he hoped to see that the traditional culture and history of the Chinese nation could be accepted by today's young people again, so that they could understand history, know the rise and fall, and understand honor and disgrace. However, he did

not want to see the atmosphere become so solemn, so he and Shi Ren sang the same tune and made a joke to make the atmosphere relaxed again.

Afterwards, he told Chu Meibo the time of filming, and asked his assistant to contact Shen Huai at that time, and then everyone parted.

Although Xue Ling had accepted the reality, he was full of resentment, but he was not as skilled as others and had to admit defeat.

When Chu Meibo left, she looked at him with hatred and said, "If you dare to act badly, I will never let you go."

Chu Meibo: "..."

She said that she had a grudge against everyone and everything related to Yun Qiyi.