"Alas... This is a huge loss."
Chen Yifei walked along the mountain path leading home, looking down at his cotton jacket with two holes punched in it, his eyes filled with pain.
There was no salary during the preparatory period for the exams, and naturally, there was no allowance for damaged clothing. So, in effect, he had lost a piece of clothing for no reason during his part-time job... This only added to the hardships of a family that already had no source of income.
Of course, he had gained something today.
[Current Expectation Value: 40%]
Since being instructed by Qian Fan to replace Wu Youdong in conducting the investigation, the audience's expectation value had been steadily increasing. It rose by 5% during his visit to the teahouse to find the enforcer and shot up by 10% in one go after the tavern incident.
Originally, Chen Yifei thought that the enforcer's return to the tavern would also yield expectation values, but in fact, it did not. It seemed that only by personally witnessing the events could the audience's expectation value increase.
Chen Yifei felt that he had vaguely discovered a way to quickly gain expectation values.
He walked along the mountain path for over two hours and finally returned to Hanshuang Street. Before even entering the door, he heard a clear and melodious singing voice emanating from the house.
"The young nun is just sixteen,
In the prime of her youth, her hair was shaved off by her master.
Each day, she burns incense and changes the water in the Buddhist hall,
Seeing a few disciples playing at the foot of the mountain.
He looks at me with his eyes,
And I peek at him with mine.
He and I, I and he,
Both of us deeply concerned..."
Upon hearing this opera excerpt, Chen Yifei's eyebrows slightly raised.
This "Si Fan" was a classic segment in opera, known to the world in the previous life because of the famous film "Farewell My Concubine". Chen Yifei had heard it many times, but he didn't expect that the opera repertoire in this world would be the same as in his previous life.
What surprised Chen Yifei even more was that Chen Muyu's voice was so beautiful, and his singing skills were extremely solid. Even the renowned performers in the theater in his previous life were inferior to him.
Logically, without the guidance of a renowned teacher, it would be almost impossible to reach this level...
As Chen Yifei thought this, he entered the house and saw Chu Muyun sitting in the living room, earnestly holding a book and studying it.
"You haven't moved from this spot for the whole day, have you?" Chen Yifei couldn't help asking.
"I did move. I went out for a walk in the morning to get some fresh air."
Chen Yifei nodded. "Did Muyu disturb you?"
"No."
"That's good." Chen Yifei sat down at the table and looked into the bedroom. Chen Muyu was practicing his eyebrow makeup while singing to warm up his voice. Chen Yifei spoke with a complex expression,
"Muyu has been interested in opera since he was little. Unfortunately, District Three is too small, and there's no one to teach him... Our family can't afford a teacher either."
"Opera... Indeed, there aren't many people who understand it these days." Chu Muyun glanced into the bedroom,
"To my knowledge, there aren't many people in Aurora City who understand it."
Chen Muyu's singing gradually softened. He seemed to have heard Chen Yifei return and immediately ran to the living room, excitedly asking,
"Brother, do you think I look good in my makeup?"
Chen Muyu blinked his eyes. The apricot-colored eyeshadow spread out to the sides, giving a subtle and gentle look, and his eyes, outlined with thick black eyeliner, were lifted, making them look particularly vivid.
Chen Yifei recognized this as the makeup for a "female role," but perhaps because Chen Muyu had learned everything on his own, there were still quite a few differences compared to the traditional style.
Even so, this was still an absolutely flawless, perfectly beautiful young face.
"It looks good," Chen Yifei replied sincerely, "but some of the details seem a bit off... When I have time, I'll help you fix it up."
"Brother, do you also understand theatrical makeup?"
"Just a little bit."
Chen Muyu's eyes were filled with admiration when he looked at him.
"Brother, do you think I can perform at the New Year's Eve party when I go back to school?"
"Of course, you're the only one in the entire third district who sings opera. When you wear the costume, put on the makeup, and start singing, your classmates will definitely be shocked," Chen Yifei chuckled.
"Does he still have to go to school?" Chu Muyun asked in surprise.
"Yeah." Chen Yifei nodded. "He just started high school... But he got sick after only a few days of school. Now that he's recovered, he should be able to enroll with the next batch of new students."
"Brother, what should I sing then?"
"If you're singing alone, 'Thinking of Becoming a Buddhist Nun' would be good..."
"Then I'll go practice some more!"
Chen Muyu's eyes lit up, and he immediately ran back to his bedroom, wearing the open red robe, ready to start practicing again.
Ultimately, Chen Muyu was just a fifteen-year-old kid, an age where he longed for friends and attention... When Chen Yifei was in school, he had also fantasized countless times about picking up a guitar and performing on stage for countless teachers and students.
Unfortunately... he didn't know how to play at all.
But for Chen Muyu, being able to combine his interest with performance was a very exciting thing.
"No need to rush," Chen Yifei smiled helplessly. "Let's get ready to eat."
Seeing this, Chen Muyu obediently came to help Chen Yifei wash the vegetables. At this moment, he glanced at the two large holes in the cotton jacket, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Brother, what happened to your clothes?" His tone suddenly became serious.
"It's nothing, just got caught on something."
Chu Muyun, who was reading a book, looked up at the sound and his eyes behind the glasses narrowed...
"Were you shot?"
Chen Muyu looked up sharply.
"No, they didn't hit me." Chen Yifei felt Chen Muyu's gaze and immediately explained, "They were too slow, and I dodged it... I'm not hurt."
Chu Muyun looked him over and nodded slightly, "You're indeed not hurt."
"Brother, who shot you?" Chen Muyu asked coldly.
"It was..."
Chen Yifei was about to say Bingquan Street, but seeing the chill in Chen Muyu's eyes, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Just two hooligans... They've already been caught by the law enforcement."
He knew that Chen Muyu was a Fusionist, and he also knew that on that night, Chen Muyu had wreaked havoc on Bingquan Street... If he mentioned Bingquan Street again, he was worried that Chen Muyu would go and slaughter the entire street tonight.
He knew that the street was probably already occupied by law enforcement, and if Chen Muyu went there again, he might encounter a judge.
Upon hearing this, Chen Muyu's expression relaxed, and he silently picked up the holed cotton jacket,
"...I'll sew it up for you."
Chen Muyu made his own theatrical robes, so sewing up a piece of clothing was not a difficult task for him.
"They had guns... How did you win?" Chu Muyun looked into Chen Yifei's eyes, as if trying to see through his mind.
"They had guns, but they didn't know how to use them. They shot several times and only hit my clothes... Why are you asking this?"
Chen Yifei naturally couldn't say that he had the 'Dance of Killing', as it involved the existence of the theater and the 'audience'.
"...Nothing."
Chu Muyun withdrew his gaze and stared at the book cover, lost in thought.
After the three of them finished dinner, they each returned to their rooms. The night sky enveloped the entire heavens, with only the blue aurora silently floating and sinking.
Chen Yifei, who had fallen into a deep sleep, was already conscious in the theater,
In the silent, dark room,
A figure slowly approached.
It was Chu Muyun.
His glasses reflected a pale glimmer under the aurora, and his cold eyes looked at the sleeping Chen Yifei, with a hint of murderous intent in them.
His right hand, holding a short knife like a cold moon, slowly rose...