Chapter 58

Guangdong Provincial Cultural Arts Center.

After escorting the two girls into the waiting room, Gu Zhao and Zhang Hang waited outside, continuing their discussion about which car to buy.

During the wait, candidates finished their interviews and exited one by one, while others arrived for their own interviews; most were women, all elaborately made-up and very beautiful.

The Guangdong Provincial Ethnic Music Ensemble, Dance Troupe, Singing Troupe, Cantonese Opera Troupe, Opera and Drama Troupe, and others were all housed together, and many recent graduates' interviews were scheduled in these few days, so the crowd wasn't just from music departments but from other art majors too.

Singers, dancers, instrumentalists, opera performers, actors—all gathered in one place, and those waiting outside weren't just Gu Zhao and Zhang Hang, but also the interviewees' boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, and family members.

"No wonder those old guys love hanging out at art colleges—girls who do art are truly beautiful," Zhang Hang commented.

"True," Gu Zhao nodded in agreement.

"But the real key is makeup—the Four Great Evils live up to their reputation," Zhang Hang continued.

"Yes," Gu Zhao agreed.

"But most of them probably look worse without makeup than your two girls," Zhang Hang concluded.

"Exactly," Gu Zhao nodded in approval.

Zhang Hang pointed at Gu Zhao, feigning shock. "Hey! You just admitted they're both your girls!"

"Childish," Gu Zhao moved Zhang Hang's finger away.

Zhang Hang slung an arm around Gu Zhao. "Bro, we're family—no need for formalities. When the time comes, get those two to introduce me to some reliable girls. My happiness for the rest of my life depends on you!"

…

A moment later, Jiang Shishi emerged, backpack slung over her shoulders, and together with Xiao Ya, they carried a heavy case; several boys nearby tried to help, but both women politely declined.

"We're done!" Jiang Shishi tilted her chin toward Gu Zhao. "Come lend a hand!"

Gu Zhao and Zhang Hang walked over and took the guzheng from them. "How did it go?"

"Should be fine," Xiao Ya smiled gently. "We used our own instruments—the results were good, and the interviewers seemed satisfied."

Jiang Shishi patted Gu Zhao's arm. "Let's eat. Afternoon, you're coming with us to look at apartments."

Gu Zhao couldn't help asking, "Don't we wait for the results?"

Jiang Shishi raised an eyebrow. "Do you have no faith in two top students who've won scholarships from Yanjing Music College every year?"

Gu Zhao quickly shook his head. "No way, no way—my apologies!"

"Exactly! Besides, Yangcheng's entertainment industry is rich, and the competition isn't as fierce as Yanjing's—even if you don't get into the ethnic music ensemble, finding a job is still easy," Jiang Shishi said carelessly.

"Exactly," Zhang Hang added. "Now it's trendy to play modern music on classical instruments—it's insane. Even the suona was featured at Walker's concert."

Mentioning music and instruments woke Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya up—they became more alert than ever.

"That suona PhD blew 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' at the Vienna concert without taking a single breath, and the musicians were stunned—he got applause three times mid-performance."

"And the pipa and erhu—one crisp and bright, the other delicate and lingering—aren't inferior to Western instruments."

Zhang Hang looked at the guzheng in his hands. "I've seen tons of videos where they play the guzheng standing up—how do they even lift them?"

"Guzhengs vary in weight because of different woods and thicknesses," Xiao Ya explained. "Those online videos of people lifting them vertically? Most are made of ordinary rosewood, weighing less than twenty jin."

Zhang Hang looked down. "What about yours?"

Something under twenty jin, he could lift with one hand—but this guzheng, he knew he'd struggle to lift even with both.

Xiao Ya blushed slightly. "It's made of rosewood sandalwood—about sixty jin."

Gu Zhao asked instinctively, "Small-leaf rosewood sandalwood?"

Xiao Ya stuck out her tongue. "I couldn't afford small-leaf rosewood sandalwood—I used rosewood sandalwood. It's not as precious as small-leaf, but the tone isn't much different."

Gu Zhao said, "So you could use small-leaf rosewood sandalwood?"

"Any instrument can be made from small-leaf rosewood sandalwood," Jiang Shishi smiled, shrugging. "Like my pipa—if a master made it from small-leaf rosewood sandalwood, it could sell for over a million."

"Holy cow—that's about the price of a Wangwang Eight," Zhang Hang looked at the guzheng. "Then this guzheng must be even more expensive?"

Jiang Shishi nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course—it's heavier!"

The group left the arts center, returned to the hotel first, then went to eat. In the afternoon, they accompanied the two girls around the area and rented a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment in a mid-range residential complex—the whole day passed.

…

"Hello? Mom?"

In the hotel room, Xiao Ya received a call from her mother, Su Lei, and felt a pang of guilt.

After all, she had lied to her mother—and planned to stay in Yangcheng permanently. She'd never done anything so rebellious before, especially since she and Gu Zhao hadn't even gotten to first base.

But Su Lei's voice was unusually gentle. "How are you and Shishi doing?"

"Fine. What's up?" Xiao Ya asked.

"Still mad at Mom?" Su Lei misinterpreted Xiao Ya's flat tone. "You're too naive—I just worried you'd get tricked."

Xiao Ya couldn't help saying, "I saw it with my own eyes."

"Even seeing with your own eyes doesn't mean it's true," Su Lei habitually lectured, then immediately added, "But this time, the guy really isn't a scammer."

"Huh?" Xiao Ya froze.

"And your grandfather's health improved—thanks entirely to your friend," Su Lei said over the phone.

"How do you know that?" Xiao Ya probed.

"Yi Guan Daochang and Master Yihong Daochang came to visit your grandfather. I only just learned that Daoist true qi and spiritual talismans and artifacts actually exist," Su Lei still sounded incredulous.

Since Master Yihong Daochang was friends with Xiao Yanhua and had seen Daoist spiritual talismans, he gave them a brief explanation of Daoist cultivation theory and let them experience the sensation of magic power flowing through the body.

After actually experiencing it, Su Lei had no choice but to believe.

"Oh!" Xiao Ya exhaled in relief. She'd thought her mother had connections in the Yangcheng Ethnic Music Ensemble and had found out she was interviewing here, planning to trick her back home.

"If you really like that young man, I won't oppose you two getting closer."

Su Lei wasn't foolish. Their family wasn't short on money; though not politically powerful, Xiao Yanhua was a calligrapher and she was a musician—both respected professions. Above all, family health mattered most.

A blessed protective talisman? That was something countless wealthy and powerful people couldn't obtain—even Master Yihong Daochang rarely made them, and never gave them out lightly.

If everyone in our family could wear one…

But Su Lei still couldn't resist playing it cool. "Of course, the premise is that he comes to develop in Yan Du."

Hearing Su Lei's words, Xiao Ya's heart stirred.

She wasn't foolish, so she immediately seized the opportunity. "Mom..."