Chapter 70: Getting Close to Another Man Right in Front of Him

Troupe Leader Hao hurriedly set aside the matters at hand, rushed to the VIP private room, and knocked to enter.

Sure enough, he saw Sheng Yu in the main seat, with the young masters of the Yuan and Qi families and the daughter of the Dong family by his side.

Troupe Leader Hao, who had never experienced such a lineup at the theater, secretly broke into a cold sweat.

A fawning smile immediately spread across his face, "Young Master Yu, Young Master Yuan, Young Master Qi, Miss Dong."

Yuan Fengye was playing on his phone; suddenly hearing someone call him, he turned his head to look, saw a striking head of hair appear beside him, gave a hum, and put his phone away.

"I heard the second young lady of the Ning family has joined your troupe?" Dong Shu asked.

Troupe Leader Hao nodded and glanced at Sheng Yu, who was drinking tea, "Second Miss Ning is currently rehearsing a new play, which will premiere next month."

Dong Shu sneered, "Is she capable?"

Troupe Leader Hao dared not say whether she was capable or not, and could only say, "Miss Ning is very talented."

"Then how does she compare to Zhu Yuan?" Yuan Fengye asked.

They were all connected by blood or marriage; since Zhan Ge was dead, he had to show some occasional concern.

"Both are quite good." Troupe Leader Hao activated his master-level balancing act.

He dared not compare who was better in front of Sheng Yu.

After all, Sheng Yu had previously met with Xiao Fengzheng alone; he had thought Xiao Fengzheng was with him, but then a scandal with the Second Master of the Pei Family broke out, and he only realized later that Xiao Fengzheng was originally the fiancée of the Lu Family Eldest Young Master.

Thinking about it this way, Sheng Yu meeting Xiao Fengzheng alone must have been for the sake of Lu Huaizhan.

By comparison, that Second Miss Ning had a stronger backing.

Because it was said that two years ago, her sister was a friend in Sheng Yu's circle, only to be sent abroad for some unknown reason and forbidden from returning to the country.

But over these years, Sheng Yu had been quite caring toward the Ning Family.

Dong Shu set down her teacup and calmly sized up Sheng Yu's expression, "Since Second Miss Ning is rehearsing, why don't we go take a look? What do you think, Yu Ge?"

The man said indifferently, "Whatever."

The director called for a break.

Zhu Yuan sat on the side with the script, reading it while rubbing her sprained ankle.

Although it was mostly healed, it still hurt a bit after walking too much, so she took this time to massage it.

"Tired?"

A bottle of water was handed in front of her.

Zhu Yuan was startled and looked up.

Standing before her was the male lead of this play, Du Chenming.

Zhu Yuan had worked with him on a Republican-era play once, and there was a scene with a faked kiss that Sheng Yu had seen, leading him to call her into the car and fiercely wipe her mouth with a wet wipe.

Zhu Yuan pulled her thoughts back in time, reached out generously, and said with a smile, "Thank you."

Du Chenming loosened the cap before handing it to her and took the opportunity to sit beside her, "I was also very angry that the troupe leader canceled the casting; this spot should have been yours."

"There is no 'should' or 'shouldn't'; this role is also very good, and it will still shine if played well," Zhu Yuan said with great confidence.

"You're right, you can handle any role well." Du Chenming showed a look of regret, "But I still think it's a pity; Ning Chu isn't suitable for this role, and I hope the troupe leader and director realize it soon."

Zhu Yuan said nothing; after drinking the water, she set the bottle aside and continued reading the script.

"Then I won't disturb you anymore, keep it up!"

Du Chenming gently patted her shoulder.

In an instant, Zhu Yuan sensed a cold, sharp gaze landing on her.

She instinctively looked up.

The tall, upright man was standing at the entrance outside the rehearsal hall, surrounded by several people.

When the man was silent, he exuded a coldness that kept strangers at a distance; he was noble, aloof, and high above.

At this moment, the man was staring at her.

To be precise, those eyes were looking at the shoulder that had just been patted by Du Chenming.

Zhu Yuan's gaze turned cold in an instant.

Yet in the next second, she turned back to smile at Du Chenming and gave his arm a hard pat, "Thanks!"

Du Chenming gasped; the brat had quite a bit of strength!

Troupe Leader Hao turned slightly to introduce, "Young Master Yu, this is our rehearsal..."

Upon seeing the man's face, which had turned as cold as frost in an instant, Troupe Leader Hao felt a shiver run through his entire body.

"Alright, everyone, rest up and then we'll run through the next scene," the director shouted from the stage.

Ning Chu saw Sheng Yu and the others from afar, covered her mouth in surprise, and then happily stood on tiptoe to wave at them.

Dong Shu sneered, Qi Jing nodded slightly, Yuan Fengye raised his hand to respond to her, but only Sheng Yu kept a cold face.

Ning Chu was not annoyed in the slightest; she was secretly delighted—Yu Ge had come specifically to see her!

Feeling the envious gazes cast at her by those around, Ning Chu hummed softly and curled her lips upward.

Troupe Leader Hao served the few masters as they took their seats one by one.

Dong Shu looked at the stage and couldn't help but frown, "Didn't Second Miss Ning just join your troupe? You're letting her play the lead?"

"Yes."

"Buying her way into the cast, are we?"

Dong Shu just couldn't stand Ning Chu's behavior; what a piece of work!

Troupe Leader Hao gave Sheng Yu a meaningful look.

Yuan Fengye and the others understood tacitly; so it was for the sake of Yu Ge.

Dong Shu, however, was blunt, "Then do you know that Zhu Yuan is still Lu Huaizhan's fiancée? You should at least let them compete fairly, shouldn't you?"

A man's cold, detached voice suddenly came from the side.

"The person is already dead, what kind of fiancée is that."

The man's tone was even colder than usual.

Dong Shu realized that what she had just said was a slap in the face to Sheng Yu in front of him; who didn't know that the Ning Family was under Sheng Yu's protection?

"Yu Ge, I didn't mean..."

Beside her, Yuan Fengye gave her a look, signaling her to stop talking, as saying more would be useless.

Dong Shu shut her mouth and looked at Ning Chu, who was dancing on stage with movements that were not yet proficient, a flash of coldness crossing her eyes.

On stage, Ning Chu was injured while dancing in the scene and was being supported by the character played by Zhu Yuan, but because Zhu Yuan was playing the villain, she had drugged the water Ning Chu was drinking.

According to the script, the drugging was supposed to be discovered by Ning Chu, who would then knock the glass of water over.

But Ning Chu knocked the entire glass of water onto Zhu Yuan instead.

The whole glass of water splashed onto Zhu Yuan's pant leg, instantly soaking a large area.

Once the somewhat thin fabric was soaked through, it outlined the shapely and sexy lines of her thigh, gradually spreading upward...

Offstage, the man narrowed his eyes, his hand holding the lighter pausing.

"Oh my, Senior, I'm sorry, I misread the script, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." Ning Chu said the words of apology, but there wasn't a hint of remorse on her face.

How could Zhu Yuan not understand her little schemes? She said indifferently, "It's fine, I'll go change my pants. I've delayed everyone's time, I'll be back soon."

Zhu Yuan went to change her pants, so the rehearsal had to be paused for a moment.

Ning Chu hopped off the stage excitedly and went over to Sheng Yu and the others, showing a sweet, well-behaved smile.

"Yu Ge, Brother Yuan, Brother Qi, Sister Dong."

After greeting them one by one, she looked at Sheng Yu with a shy expression, "Yu Ge, did you see me dancing just now?"

"What dance?" Sheng Yu toyed with his lighter, his eyelids lifting slightly, "The 'two-hundred' dance?"