Chapter 20: The Stage Reappears, a Slap in the Face
Lu Ping, who was leading the child, happened to come over and immediately froze on the spot upon hearing this.
She looked at Tu Yao with a hint of panic in her eyes.
"Wh...what?"
Tu Yao pointed her finger and said, "Everyone wants to hear Teacher Gu sing opera, but Teacher Gu doesn't want to embarrass herself. Aunt Lu can sing too, can't she?"
"Then let Auntie sing, bro! What do you say?"
Tu Chaoxi: ...
Tu Chaoxi couldn't help but laugh and covered her eyes.
This silly boy always manages to be incredibly adorable.
He was pleased to see Gu Feihong humiliated, and immediately smiled at Lu Ping: "I haven't heard of Ms. Lu's performance yet, I wonder if I have the honor."
Lu Ping's lips trembled uncontrollably as she forced a smile: "I... I didn't sing well..."
She glanced instinctively at her husband across from her and murmured, "How can I do this..."
He verbally refused, but an impulsive and eager look inevitably flashed in his eyes.
Tu Yao: "Why not!"
She grabbed Lu Ping and pulled her over.
"hiss--"
A slight groan of pain escaped her lips, and Tu Yao immediately loosened her grip.
Lu Ping pursed her pale lips, regaining her gentle and tender demeanor.
Tu Yao frowned seriously, then pushed the person in front of the camera.
"Look! Everyone wants to hear you sing!"
Lu Ping subconsciously glanced at the screen beside her; the comments had already shifted direction.
I saw Tu Chaoxi's performance yesterday, and I can only say the adaptation was absolutely amazing! Even I, someone who doesn't like traditional opera, am starting to love Peking Opera.
I was just about to search for Aunt Lu's performance, but I forgot because I was busy!
Sing along, I want to hear it too!
Even the staff gathered around.
Lu Ping felt a lump in her throat for a moment, and her eyes filled with a layer of moist tears.
Gu Feihong never expected that the world would change so drastically in just a few seconds.
He forced a smile, "Thank you all for your kindness, but my wife has been retired from the entertainment industry for over thirty years. If she makes a fool of herself..."
As he spoke, he glanced at his son across from him.
The boy, still pinching the flower in his hand, immediately shouted upon hearing this, "I want to hear Daddy sing! I want to hear Daddy sing!"
"Mom's singing is terrible!"
While yelling and shouting, he plopped down and started rolling around.
Gu Feihong revealed a satisfied smile.
The crew members looked at each other, their expressions somewhat awkward.
The viewers in the live stream were also stunned.
【Oh no... what's going on?】
[Since my son said so, could it be that his singing skills have really deteriorated?]
[Maybe. Didn't you hear Gu Feihong say he retired from the entertainment industry thirty years ago?]
Lu Ping's face turned pale instantly, and she forced a smile: "...I think I'd better not sing."
As she was about to squat down to comfort her son, a hand grabbed her and stopped her!
Everyone's gaze shifted upwards to Tu Yao, who remained expressionless.
Tu Yao slowly bent down, her face fierce and menacing, and said to the boy who was being unreasonable, word by word:
"Your dad's singing is terrible!"
The boy's fake crying stopped abruptly, and he instantly shouted angrily, "You're talking nonsense! My dad sings the best!"
Tu Yao snorted: "I don't believe you. What do you know, you little brat!"
"You can't even read many words, you can't speak clearly, and you lie on the ground and go crazy all the time. Our Da Pang knew how to carry a manure scoop to water the flowers when he was three years old, and what about you!"
Gu Jun was stunned by the scolding. He glared angrily at the remaining half of the flower in his hand, which had been pinched into pieces, and instinctively hid behind his back.
Oh no! He's already eight years and ten months old!
Tu Yao concluded: "So you have to listen to me! Let Aunt Lu sing!"
"puff--"
Some staff members couldn't help but laugh.
No problem, my sister is eighteen, and that kid looks only seven or eight. Of course, we'll listen to our sister.
Gu Feihong's expression changed slightly, and he couldn't help but look at Tu Chaoxi: "Teacher Tu, your fan is quite eloquent."
Tu Chaoxi smiled slightly: "You're already fifty years old, while our Xiao Mao is only eighteen. Don't bother with her."
[No problem, the younger sister is only eighteen, while Gu Feihong is already fifty. Be more understanding.]
Gu Feihong: ...
Tu Yao pushed the dazed Lu Ping back in front of the camera, then, as if remembering something, immediately ran back.
"Wait two minutes! I'll be right back!"
Two minutes later, she ran back carrying a brightly colored outfit and, panting, shoved it into Lu Ping's hands.
Lu Ping's eyes welled up with tears again: "It's...a costume..."
If she had hesitated a moment ago, the instant she saw the costume, it was as if time had stopped and then reversed, taking her back thirty or forty years...
The passage of time rushed through her mind, eventually coalescing into a firm force that slowly flowed into her body.
She took a deep breath, then looked up, a strange light flashing in her eyes.
She then deftly tossed the costume forward, the movement smoothly covering her slender figure.
Wow! That look, that movement, so beautiful!
Upon seeing this, Tu Chaoxi suddenly walked offstage and spoke a few words to the equipment team.
The next second, a familiar background music started playing.
Lu Ping's eyes hardened, and she opened her lips, uttering a long, melodious sound.
Everyone's eyes lit up – it was "The Locked Sachet"!
And it seems to be a clip used in Tu Chaoxi's stage performance back then!
"The Locked Sachet" is a Peking Opera of the Cheng School. It tells the story of a wealthy merchant's daughter who meets a married woman by chance and, out of pity for her loneliness, gives her a locked sachet. Later, the wealthy merchant's daughter falls on hard times and ends up in the married woman's home, where they recognize each other again through the locked sachet.
Lu Ping is singing a scene of Zhao Shouzhen, a woman who is getting married, feeling sorry for herself in her sedan chair.
Her pronunciation was clear, her rhythm was brisk, and her breath control was effortless. Even without accompaniment or costume, her every cry and laugh instantly drew people into the scene.
The lyrics quickly move to the second half, where Zhao Shouzhen's weeping attracts Xue Xiangling, a wealthy merchant's daughter, and the two engage in a back-and-forth dialogue.
Even without a partner, Lu Ping sang with ease, pausing as she sang, her expressions changing with the lyrics.
Upon seeing this, several staff members couldn't help but take out their phones to search.
Tu Chaoxi glanced around casually; the screen was almost entirely filled with clips of Lu Ping's past performances.
At this moment, the live stream chat was flooded with comments.
【!! I just searched for Ms. Lu's stage performances, and guess what!】
[I searched it up too! I'm impressed. There was no background music and no co-star, yet the pauses between her lines were exactly the same as the original!]
[His expression is perfect, exactly the same as back then, even more fluid and graceful!]
If we say that when she first appeared on stage as a young and inexperienced actress, she brought the character to life with her singing talent and outstanding acting skills.
Now, every gesture she makes seems to be one with the character!
Most importantly, even a layman can see that she has been diligently practicing her skills all these years and has never slacked off.
That's why she can control the rhythm of the dialogue perfectly! And her singing is melodious and moving!
Tu Chaoxi glanced at Gu Feihong, whose face was already looking unbearably pale, but fortunately, everyone around him was so engrossed in the performance that no one noticed him.
The lyrics were nearing their end, and Lu Ping was subtly suggesting that the song was about to conclude.
Tu Chaoxi raised an eyebrow, then suddenly turned around and asked the equipment team for a few cups.
...
Lu Ping understood that no matter how reluctant she was, the song would eventually come to an end, especially since she had already taken up too much time.
She waved her sleeve, preparing to stop.
But the next second, a crisp and clear melody suddenly rang out.
She paused slightly, glancing at Tu Chaoxi out of the corner of her eye...
Next to the equipment group's speakers, he had lined up a row of cups and was skillfully tapping them with chopsticks.
Each strike produced a crisp note, which, amplified by the sound, flowed into everyone's eardrums...
The staff members, barely containing their excitement, immediately went to adjust the camera without the director's prompting.
Netizens only realized after seeing this that Tu Chaoxi had actually made a simplified musical scale using a few cups and a bottle of water!
And what he's playing now...
[Isn't this the original segment from that adaptation show from two years ago?!]
As Tu Chaoxi tapped, her eyes swept around the room. Next to the equipment group were Jiang Ye and Wen Yu, who had been barely noticeable throughout.
The two of them were still as if they were under a curse, avoiding speaking as much as possible.
Whenever there were no camera shots, Wen Yu would sit on the sidelines memorizing her lines and preparing for the auditions her agent gave her.
Jiang Ye, unusually, was watching his performance, his fingers moving slightly to keep time.
Jiang Ye was slightly taken aback when he met Tu Chaoxi's gaze.
Then he saw Tu Chaoxi raise her chin towards the guitar next to him.
Jiang Ye has been in the entertainment industry for many years. He has a withdrawn personality, is used to being alone, and is not good at communicating with others.
But he can quickly receive signals from music.
The next second, with a blank expression, he immediately picked up the guitar, slew it smoothly, and notes flowed out.
I caught up with Tu Chaoxi's pace.
At the same time, Lu Ping smiled knowingly, then adjusted her voice and continued singing.
The melodious opera singing, the deep guitar, and the clear percussion blended and collided in an instant, giving the audience a strange and harmonious auditory experience that burst forth from their hearts!
The comments section is going crazy.
[OMG!!! This is the original arrangement from that stage adaptation two years ago!]
Tu Chaoxi has actually recreated the adaptation from back then!
[No, I remember he used a set of chime bells, a guqin, and a guitar in that performance...]
[Doesn't this make him even more awesome? The amazing one is Tu Chaoxi himself; give him a cup and he can make it bloom like a flower!]
Who's playing the guitar? That's amazing, they caught up so quickly!
[It seems to be Jiang Ye; he's been relatively unknown for many years.]
This novel performance ended after five minutes.
As soon as it ended, everyone applauded in awe, and the applause lasted for a long time.
Except for Gu Feihong, who remained motionless with a green face.
It is no longer the gentle creature it once was.
For the audience, it was a strange audio-visual feast, but for him, it was a slap in the face from Tu Chaoxi and his wife!
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