Chapter 1682: Yun Boss and Little Cousin Extra (1)

Beijing, Xiangyun Restaurant

It’s the peak dining hour, and the hotel waitstaff are busy shuttling through the corridors, responsible for taking orders and serving dishes. As one waiter sends out an order, they’re immediately stopped by a group of people:

"Hey, is it really Second Master and Fifth Master in there? Didn’t see them in person, are they handsome?"

"Of course, especially handsome! Way better looking in real life than in web photos."

"Who’s the man walking beside them? The one who looks particularly good-looking."

"Don’t know, never seen him. From their conversation, it seems they’re celebrating someone’s discharge from the hospital. That man might be some relative."

"Indeed, good looks are genetic."

...

Meanwhile, inside the private room, after ordering, Jiang Jinsang and others are looking at a person, none other than——

Yun Hezhi!

Sitting around the dining table are the Fan Family members, Jiang Zhenhuan and his wife, Jiang Yanting and Jiang Jinsang.

This whole affair goes back to the time when the Fan Family patriarch suddenly had a stroke. Yun Hezhi came uninvited, waiting by the surgery room for quite a while. To express their gratitude, the Fan Family arranged this meal after the patriarch was discharged.

Jiang Jinsang held his teacup, sizing up Yun Hezhi sitting diagonally across, then glanced at his rather nervous little cousin.

The day Grandfather suddenly had a stroke, these two arrived together, looking peculiar. Surely, everyone would be curious about their relationship.

Today’s meal isn’t just to thank Yun Hezhi; moreover...

Yun Hezhi didn’t help much that day, so it isn’t exactly a service worth thanking.

Frankly, this is an inquiry into their relationship.

"How did you two... meet?" Fan Mingyu asked.

Jiang Jinsang was leisurely drinking his tea. With Grandfather’s safe discharge and Tang Wan expecting the second child, he’s been quite pleased lately. Unexpectedly, Yun Hezhi nearly choked him with a single sentence:

"If we’re talking about first meeting, it was Fifth Master who introduced us."

Fifth Master, that is——

Jiang Jinsang!

Jiang Jinsang, drinking his tea, found himself unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, "I introduced you?"

"Xiaowu... do you need to explain this?" Fan Mingjue, drinking tea, looked at him seriously.

Having worked as a school director for many years, he had an indescribable aura, which made Jiang Jinsang uneasy. How could he possibly have introduced them?

He came today purely to observe and enjoy the drama, so how did he end up in the spotlight?

...

The times Jiang Jinsang and Yun Hezhi met can be counted on one hand. Recalling carefully, it’s not hard to find small clues.

If it involves his cousin, then it likely related to Yun Hezhi’s personal concert many years ago in Beijing. He accompanied their grandmother to support it, and his little cousin insisted on him taking them backstage.

That was probably their first meeting; as for what happened afterward, Jiang Jinsang knows nothing about it.

And what he doesn’t know dates back to a year ago.

**

At the time in Beijing, early autumn, the sky clear and expansive, clouds blocking the sunlight, the autumn breeze bringing bursts of freshness.

Inside the music classroom, orchestral harmonies resonated and then came to a halt, "... That’s it for today’s practice. Thank you all."

"Whew—" Many people sighed in relief, setting down their instruments and flexing their fingers.

"Hey, where are we eating tonight?"

"Eat what? I got scolded several times during practice earlier; I plan to stay and practice. There’s a spot I keep getting wrong; if I make mistakes during the performance, I’m done for," said a female student flipping through her music sheets.

"Just practice a few more times."

...

This is one of the country’s most prestigious orchestras, currently rehearsing for a National Day performance.

The teacher who just spoke gestured to one of the girls, signaling for her to come out with him. She nodded, quickly placing her violin in its case, and left.

The others in the classroom began whispering among themselves.

"When I started learning music, I always thought I was pretty good. Then I met more people and realized how there are always people better than you. Some truly seem born for music."

"It’s just because she’s Fan Mingyu’s niece, having held a few concerts."

"If you’ve got what it takes to hold your own concert, go ahead and try. She relies on her talent; why be envious?"

Those who enter the orchestra have mostly been learning instruments since childhood. Your capability is revealed once you start playing; there’s no faking it.

It’s truly a place to prove oneself with talent!

"The teacher always wanted her to join our orchestra, but unfortunately, she wasn’t willing. This time, she’s specially invited to perform."

"Why would she come?"

"I heard she has taken a liking to our country’s classical instruments in the past two years. Isn’t there a performance this time that combines with Beijing Opera? We’ve contacted several famous Beijing Opera actors, but we still don’t know who will come."

**

Outside the classroom at this moment, the teacher looked at the person in front of him.

"We have already contacted Boss Zheng, the opera singer. He’s a famous actor in the Beijing Peach Garden. You should make time to see him tomorrow."

"Beijing’s Peach Garden troupe?" She squinted her eyes.

"Yes, is there a better Peach Garden than theirs in all of Beijing?"

"Doesn’t their family have Yun Hezhi, Boss Yun?" Among the few opera singers she knew, the first that came to mind when mentioning the Peach Garden was Yun Hezhi.

He’s the signature star of the Beijing Peach Garden.

The teacher suddenly smiled, "Fan Zhengyu, what are you thinking? It’s already very difficult for us to contact Boss Zheng for a collaborative performance, let alone Boss Yun..."

"I’m not being pessimistic, but who could successfully invite him?"

"Even our troupe leader personally intervening might not be enough to meet him. Boss Zheng just rose to fame in the past two years, his opera is excellent, and he’s a recent favorite in the Peach Garden."

Fan Zhengyu nodded; she just wanted to have a collision performance with the traditional art highlights.

As for who the counterpart would be, she didn’t really care.

"However, Boss Zheng also mentioned that even though you are invited as the troupe’s chief, he’s not obligated to collaborate with you; he’s quite selective." The teacher fished out a note with a phone number from his pocket and handed it to him, "He has a performance at the Peach Garden tomorrow. It’s best to meet him ahead of time and secure the collaboration."

"Thank you, teacher."

"There’s no need to be formal. You came here for the performance, and we’ve promised you conditions, but we can’t guarantee Boss Zheng will agree to collaborate. That’s up to you."

She nodded in agreement.

Everyone has their own playing style and performance approach, so it’s normal for Boss Zheng to choose the most suitable partner for collaboration.

Fan Zhengyu came for the performance primarily because she heard the troupe would invite famous Beijing Opera actors, resulting in a music collision.

**

Fan Zhengyu took the performance seriously and even bought a ticket to wait in the Peach Garden.

The opera singers often do silent rehearsals for one or two hours before the performance; she didn’t disturb them beforehand, planning to contact Boss Zheng after the show.

But to her surprise, when the performance ended and she entered the backstage, someone blocked her way.

"Sorry, this is the backstage, outsiders are not allowed in."

"I’m looking for Boss Zheng; could you tell him I’m from X Troupe? He should know."

"X Troupe? Didn’t someone from your troupe come before?"

Fan Zhengyu was stunned for a moment, "Who came before?"

"Someone from your troupe; you’re asking me? A girl came before the performance, insisted on bothering Boss Zheng who had just finished makeup and was doing silent rehearsal. He was quite upset, didn’t even see her face before kicking her out, and said he won’t see anyone from your troupe again."

"..."

Fan Zhengyu immediately called the troupe teacher, looking shocked and unaware of who from the troupe had gone over earlier.

Every industry has its dirty secrets; these musicians and instrumentalists, vying for the chief position, sabotage others’ instruments, deliberately snap others’ strings, all sorts of shady stuff are common.

Being smart, she knew Boss Zheng made it clear he didn’t care who was chief, just that they were in sync.

Clearly, someone had found out and tried to undermine her!

The sabotage didn’t succeed, and yet she got embroiled... How could she not be irritated?

"Sir, please tell Boss Zheng again; I just need a few minutes of his time." Fan Zhengyu had waited so long at the Peach Garden, how could she leave just like that?

"But Boss Zheng..." the staff member was put in a difficult position.

Meanwhile, the commotion in the backstage had caught the attention of the Peach Garden manager.

He arrived and seemed surprised to see Fan Zhengyu, "You... Miss Fan?"

Fan Zhengyu had previously accompanied the elderly Madam Jiang to listen to opera here.

The staff probably didn’t remember, but the Peach Garden manager surely intended to remember every opera enthusiast, especially those who come with Madam Jiang.

Fan Zhengyu nodded slightly.

"Is there something you need backstage?"

"She wants to see Boss Zheng. Previously, a girl came and was kicked out by Boss Zheng; they are from the same troupe, so..." The staff was also at a loss.

"Miss Fan, please come with me first to the lounge and sit for a while. I’ll go talk to Boss Zheng." If Fan Zhengyu really intended to use connections, the elderly Madam Jiang, being a senior enthusiast, could easily help introduce a few famous actors. This was her own matter, but she didn’t expect to end up relying on the Madam’s influence.

She could only express her gratitude repeatedly, following the Peach Garden manager into the lounge. However, her request to meet Boss Zheng had already spread backstage.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.