Chapter 33: First Meeting with Wang Danyue

"Come, this is the 'God of Cooking' I mentioned. Today, we're here to challenge the house, haha." The Big Leader, looking quite familiar with the place, waved his hand to signal that the two people who had stood up needn't be so formal, and sat down himself.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, their gazes simultaneously turning toward the somewhat hesitant He Yuzhu.

"Come, comrade, please sit down. How should I address you?" Wang, sitting behind the desk, smiled and directed Liang's father to bring over a chair.

He Yuzhu steadied himself, casting a strange look at Liang's father.

Having been treated so miserably by him in his past life, he hadn't expected to meet him here today. He nodded, sat down politely, then straightened his chest and head, placed his hands on his knees, and looking straight ahead, answered in a clear voice: "Leader, just call me He Yuzhu."

"Good, very good. You have a soldier's bearing. Today, it's all up to you, haha." Wang nodded, expressing his satisfaction.

"It's not just that. At noon, I'll let you feast your eyes and have a good meal. His Cooking, tsk tsk, you'll know in a moment—it's authentic!" The Big Leader took the opportunity to praise him.

"Oh? I've heard you mention it so many times; finally, I get to taste it this time. Comrade He Yuzhu, please, go to some trouble to cook a bit more at noon. We have quite a few young girls in our department, and I hear you're still single. Let them have a taste too; it's a chance for you to show off."

"You, are you trying to work him to death? So you're saying I brought him here just to stir-fry a big pot of food for you, right?"

"Haha, let's go, let's go meet our comrades from the art performance troupe." Wang didn't take the Big Leader's bait; he walked out from behind the desk with a grin, holding the Big Leader's arm with an air of intimacy—it was unclear exactly what their relationship was.

He Yuzhu hurriedly stood up, applied the skill points he had previously obtained to his Art skill, nodded at Liang's father, and followed silently behind.

The group swaggered into a small performance room, where a dozen or so people were busily rehearsing *Sparks in the Reed Marsh*. He Yuzhu revealed a faint smile.

The group didn't interrupt, waiting until they finished a short segment before stopping them.

"Come, today I've brought everyone a new friend. It's said he has a deep understanding of *Sparks in the Reed Marsh*. You all should cooperate and test his mettle, haha. Don't spare our feelings!" Wang led the group to sit in the audience section, leaving only He Yuzhu standing off-stage, not knowing whether to sit or stand.

The girls on stage looked at the dazed He Yuzhu standing there and immediately covered their mouths and giggled.

"Zhuzi, go up and show them what you've got," the Big Leader instructed with a beaming smile.

"Right, okay." He Yuzhu agreed, looking at the girls who were boldly sizing him up, as well as the few male actors who were somewhat hostile, and returned their gazes one by one in a relaxed manner.

To those who looked at him with goodwill, He Yuzhu nodded and smiled; those who were hostile, he simply glanced over.

"Shall we begin then?" After exchanging notes on their specialties, the team leader Wang Danyue smoothed her hair and asked in a crisp voice.

He Yuzhu nodded with a smile, unable to help but sigh inwardly: this girl is truly beautiful.

Without musical accompaniment, only Wang Danyue, He Yuzhu, and Zhao Lidong remained on stage.

He Yuzhu played Hu Chuankui, Zhao Lidong played Diao Deyi, and Wang Danyue played A Qingsao. The three stood in their positions and began to sing.

He Yuzhu: "Thinking back to when my team first started, we had only a dozen people and seven or eight guns in total..."

Once an expert makes a move, you know if they're the real deal. Whether it was the singing, the posture, or the movements, everything made the people in the audience light up.

You must know that He Yuzhu's Art skill was now at the Intermediate Upper Grade.

What does Intermediate Upper Grade represent?

Aside from those old artists who can reach the Advanced level, there are very few in the world who can reach this level, unless they spend their whole lives immersed in this trade.

Any skill related to Art, such as singing or painting, as long as He Yuzhu learned it, he could quickly master it and reach the upper limit of his skill.

Wang Danyue felt a bit excited, but her professionalism as an actor allowed her to continue singing as planned.

As He Yuzhu sang, he recalled Xiao Qin, Houzi... for a moment, he was somewhat entranced.

In the audience, Wang nodded, quietly nudged the Big Leader's arm, and without speaking, gave a thumbs up.

The Big Leader pursed his lips, nodded, gestured toward He Yuzhu with his chin, and then shook his head. Wang understood instantly.

Liang's father, meanwhile, was intoxicatedly tapping out the rhythm with his hand, humming along.

The song finished.

"Good!" Wang was the first to stand up, clapping incessantly.

"Not bad, not bad. Next, let's witness Comrade He Yuzhu's Cooking."

He Yuzhu nodded and silently recited "Check-in" in his heart.

"Congratulations on your successful check-in! You have received Violin x1, Piano x1, Erhu x1!"

He Yuzhu, who was walking off the stage, suddenly stumbled and nearly fell, giving everyone a fright.

"Are you alright?" Wang Danyue stepped forward quickly and supported the unsteady He Yuzhu.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, thank you." Looking at the beautiful face so close by and Liang's father smiling in the audience, He Yuzhu felt strange inside for a moment; that feeling of being caught by a future father-in-law just wouldn't go away.

"It's okay. Oh my, why are your ears so red?" Wang Danyue smiled and suddenly asked.

"Haha." Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Only Zhao Lidong, with a gloomy face, snorted and left the stage, flicking his sleeves. You must know, he had regarded Wang Danyue as his own, and despite pursuing her for a long time, she had never agreed, only ignoring him. How could he accept this?

"This?" The Big Leader looked at Zhao Lidong, who didn't give anyone face, and looked at Wang with a puzzled expression.

"Cough, cough, it's nothing. He's just like that, he's a young man, after all."

The Big Leader understood immediately and nodded—a connection hire.

He Yuzhu exchanged a few more pleasantries with everyone, then excused himself and followed Liang's father to the kitchen.

"Comrade He Yuzhu, how old are you this year? I heard you don't have a partner yet?" Liang's father stood to the side, helping to organize the ingredients, and asked casually.

"Oh, right, hehe, I haven't found one yet." He Yuzhu suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, answered casually, and put on an apron.

"Then you must come often. I see that our team flower, Wang Danyue, has a good impression of you. You must seize the opportunity, haha. I'm a dozen years older than you, but my eldest and second sons are already in middle school, and my little daughter Liang Lu is already six or seven. You'd better hurry up."

"Cough, cough, definitely, definitely." He Yuzhu wiped the sweat from his face, his muscles tensing up.

"Then you go ahead and get busy. I'll trouble you with lunch; I'm going to the front to take a look." Patting He Yuzhu on the shoulder, Liang's father walked out with a smile. He could sense the discomfort he was causing He Yuzhu, but he didn't know why. He couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.

"Whew." He Yuzhu let out a long breath. What kind of situation is this? His mental fortitude still needed more training.