Chapter 1687: Beiping Old Dreams: Beautiful Actor Overwhelms the Big Shot 02

Xu Nanchun was doing his makeup; as the hottest performer, he had to sing the opening and the closing act today. He had plenty of time but wasn't happy, and even seeing the apprentice fixing his hair behind him felt annoying.

"Go away, what cheap hand, it hurts badly." His scallion-like fingers flicked at the newly applied hairpiece; Xu Nanchun rolled his eyes, rolling them so much that no one could stay angry.

He had a manly appearance yet a feminine aura, delicate and alluring to the core—just the right physique for playing a dan role.

"You, come over and help me with my makeup." Xu Nanchun shouted at the line of people hiding behind the costumes, lazily sleeping, and he gave the order naturally.

Jin Chen opened his eyes, glanced at him, then turned over, saying, "The one waiting on you is right there; what stage are you blind to?"

The Instructor who had hurried over happened to hear this, and immediately whispered a reprimand: "What nonsense are you spouting? Letting you follow Nanchun to learn opera, serving is also part of the job!"

After coaxing the somewhat angry Xu Nanchun, seeing that he was about to go on stage, Xu Nanchun finally let things be, closed his eyes, and allowed the apprentice behind him to continue doing his makeup.

After Xu Nanchun went out to sing the first act, the Instructor then tapped Jin Chen's waist: "Still not getting up! Today is your debut as a new role—aren't you nervous at all?"

Jin Chen rose lazily, using his actions to tell the Instructor whether he was nervous.

"You're also not clever—if you offend Nanchun, you'll have a hard time ahead! If you have ability, you should also find a powerful backer; only then can you truly live without worry."

The Class Monitor still couldn't help but curse a couple of times—who would have thought Jin Chen would nod and say okay?

"Good… good what?"

Jin Chen leaned against the clothing rack, regaining his senses: "Finding a powerful backer is quite good."

Instructor: "…"

Although but, if this guy estimates, it might actually be possible.

Half a month ago, I picked up Jin Chen on the street; though he was young, even with dirt on his face his striking beauty couldn't be hidden, his tall and slender figure was especially eye‑catching, and at first sight I decided to bring him into the troupe to train him well.

Only after washing away the grime with clean water did one know what it meant for a pearl to be covered in dust.

His face was narrow and three‑dimensional, not soft; with dew still on his features, they were strikingly sharp, beneath his arched brows lay naturally amorous peach‑blossom eyes, and his lips were red without any makeup.

Extremely gorgeous, flamboyant, magnificent—beautiful enough to shock the heart and stir the soul.

Even the Instructor, who had seen countless beauties, was stunned—he almost thought this was a missing young master from some family; upon inquiry he learned the boy had come from Shanghai to look for relatives, only to find upon arriving in Beiping that his kin had already died and he had no fixed abode.

When the Instructor said to let Jin Chen learn the dan role, the other young male actors finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What amazed the Class Monitor and the others in the troupe even more was that Jin Chen also possessed outstanding talent—others needed three to five years, sometimes even ten, to learn.

Yet he, having taken up the path halfway, could achieve results in just half a month—no wonder Xu Nanchun felt wary.

Seeing no response for half a day, Jin Chen waved his hand in front of the Instructor's eyes: "What are you standing there for?"

Could it be senility?

"Hey, I'm talking to you—today they specially arranged for you to sing the closing act; give a good performance!" the Instructor said.

"Tch."

Jin Chen snorted, his voice clear and piercing: "If singing the closing act were a good thing, why would nobody want to do it? That's why it's fallen to me."

Whenever the Weiyang Opera House puts up a show, this final closing act is always sung by Xu Nanchun; anyone who performs before him is inevitably compared, and nobody wants to lose face.

Today's closing act appearance is surely deliberately arranged by Xu Nanchun, whose mind is as small as a needle's eye.

The Instructor, momentarily having his thoughts exposed, was somewhat at a loss: "Anyway, for you it's all an opportunity—seizing it is the right thing to do!"

Having said that, he hurried off to check the situation at the front of the stage.

Jin Chen didn't care either—"the closing act is great; after I finish I'll go find my wife."

He hummed the tune, turned sideways to face the mirror, and began to dress up.

"Ah, Host, you look so good! Are you going to use the Handsome Man Plan again?" Ling Gun Gun fully exhibited its inquisitive spirit.

Jin Chen's eye twitched slightly; he still couldn't quite get used to it.

God only knows how horrified he was the first time he looked in the mirror.

The second‑floor boxes, with curtains drawn, gave a full view of the downstairs stage, yet the chatter of the bustling crowd could not be heard in.

Members of the merchants' association came and went several times to toast Pei Yinnian; Pei Yinnian showed no sign of drunkenness, while Yun Cunxuan, who was shielding him from drink, had a face flushed red.

"These people really—when they sent you to Jiangnan, everyone thought you might not be able to secure the shipping business, trailing behind the Xiao family like a barking dog."

"Now that you're back, you're wagging your tail to curry favor again," Yun Cunxuan complained.

Pei Yinnian took a sip of tea, then said calmly: "Who put together today's game?"

"Who else could it be? Vice President Sun—that old guy knows how to read the situation better than anyone."

Yun Cunxuan was intoxicated listening to the opening act sung by Xu Nanchun; the melodious tune lingered, excited spectators clapped and cheered, and the venue heated up.

But no matter how hot it got, the heat was only on the first floor.

The second‑floor balcony was silent, and in the private boxes nobody dared to shout praise.

How could the merchants' association members dare to applaud the actor promoted by Xiao Bofeng? That would be sending a loss of face to the person in the Number One Box.

Xu Nanchun was used to hearing the roaring applause; today he couldn't help noticing something off, thinking that those people upstairs were all from the Pei Family, and he couldn't help feeling nervous.

Who let it be that Xiao Bofeng wasn't in Beiping these days? If he were here, perhaps I wouldn't have to go on stage today.

This nervousness tightened his throat quite a bit, and instead he threw his own formation into disarray.

Xu Nanchun realized that a layer of cold sweat had already formed on his back.

"That's all." Pei Yinnian set down his teacup, his tone unruffled.

Yun Cunxuan felt puzzled: "Indeed, today the top star's performance has been unstable."

One side finished singing and another appeared; downstairs, glasses clinked, teapots were refilled again and again, and many cigarette butts littered the floor.

When the closing act arrived, the audience only then became excited again, began to anticipate Xu Nanchun's final performance, but were drawn away by this bright, ringing tone that captured all attention.

Another dan role took the stage; every frown and smile stirred hearts, the audience was stunned, none able to look away.

Though it was said to be the newcomer's first appearance, he was this good—yet another fine seedling the Instructor had found; his singing was peerless, his figure and looks transcending the mundane.

Yet unlike Xu Nanchun's man‑woman appearance, at a glance you could tell he was cross‑dressing, but it felt natural, only astonishing.

"Detected villain in this world, Blackening Value triggered, currently Blackening Value: 80!"

"Mission requirement: clear the Blackening Value, change the villain's tragic ending."

Jin Chen seemed to sense something, glanced upstairs, and for a moment his eyes flickered; a smile flitted across the corner of his eyes without leaving a trace, yet it was caught by someone attentive.

Pei Yinnian's fiddling with the prayer beads paused slightly, and his gaze then seemed to gain substance, not as cold as before.

He set down the prayer beads, lifted his teacup and took a sip, his eyes never leaving the stage below.

"Oh? You like listening to this person sing opera?" Yun Cunxuan, who knew his friend well, immediately understood what was going on, "But he really sings well, looks like… tsk, he's also a stunning beauty."

He thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I heard that if this newcomer receives flower baskets on his debut, he'll get more chances to appear later. You… you can't let the actor supported by Xiao Bo Feng on your own stage win the prize."

Pei Yinnian's gaze fell on the person below, and he didn't refuse either, "Then let's send them."

Got it, sir.

The maid who quickly got the news refilled the flower baskets beside the stage; seeing the tally on the cloth written in brush script, the audience gasped and looked up to the second floor.

Mr. Pei sent a hundred flower baskets to this newcomer! Thirty blue more than Xu Nanchun, who performed the leading role today! Even at the height of Xu Nanchun's fame, he never received so many flower baskets at once.

These flower baskets sent by the nobles aren't just flowers; inside they're filled with gleaming silver coins and banknotes!

Backstage, Xu Nanchun, about to go on stage, angrily smashed his throat-soothing tea, his wariness of Jin Chen growing stronger.

Wanting to climb high like him, without even considering whether they're worthy—just how easy do they think it is to curry favor with Pei Yinnian!