Chapter 29: 旦角

"Ugh... what a loss."

Chen Ling walked along the mountain path leading home, looking down at his padded coat, which now had two holes shot through it. His eyes were filled with distress. As a reserve during the exams, he received no pay, and there was no compensation for damaged clothes. Considering this, he had lost a coat for nothing during his work shift, which only worsened the financial strain on his already income-deprived family.

However, he hadn't left empty-handed today.

Current Expectation Value: 40

Ever since Qian Fan instructed him to take over Wu Youdong's investigation, the audience's expectation value had been steadily rising. It increased by 5 while he was searching for the enforcer at the teahouse, and shot up by 10 after he fought his way through the tavern. Chen Ling had initially thought that the expectation value would continue to rise when the enforcer returned to the tavern, but it didn't. It seemed that the audience's expectation value only increased when he was personally present and witnessed the events. Chen Ling felt he had vaguely grasped the method for quickly gaining expectation value.

He walked along the mountain path for over two hours before finally arriving back at Frost Street. Before he even stepped inside, he heard a clear, melodious opera tune emanating from the house.

"The little nun, just sixteen,In her prime, had her hair shaved by her master.Daily, she burns incense and changes water in the Buddhist hall,Watching a few disciples playing below the mountain gate.He casts his eyes upon her,She glances back at him.He with her, she with him,Both hearts filled with longing..."

Upon hearing the opera, Chen Ling's eyebrows slightly rose. This segment, "Sifan" (Longing for the Secular World), was a classic opera scene, widely known in his previous life due to the famous film *Farewell My Concubine*. Chen Ling had heard it many times, but he never expected that the opera repertoire in this world would be identical to that of his past life. Even more surprising to Chen Ling was how beautiful Chen Yan's voice was, and how incredibly solid his singing technique. Even renowned performers from theaters in his previous life paled in comparison to him. Logically, without guidance from a famous teacher, it should have been virtually impossible to reach this level...

As Chen Ling thought, he entered the house and saw Chu Muyun still sitting in the living room in the same posture, intently studying a book.

"You haven't been sitting here all day, have you?" Chen Ling couldn't help but ask.

"I moved, yes. I went out for a walk in the morning to get some air."

Chen Ling nodded. "Yan didn't bother you, did he?"

"No, not at all."

"That's good." Chen Ling sat down at the table, his gaze falling on Chen Yan in the bedroom, who was practicing drawing eyebrows in the mirror while doing vocal exercises. He spoke with a complex expression. "Yan has been interested in opera since he was little. Unfortunately, District Three is too small, and there's no one here to teach him... and our family can't afford a teacher."

"Opera... indeed, not many people understand it these days," Chu Muyun said, glancing towards the bedroom. "As far as I know, very few people in Aurora City understand it."

Chen Yan's singing gradually quieted. He seemed to have heard Chen Ling return and immediately scurried into the living room, excitedly asking: "Brother, do you think my makeup looks good?"

Chen Yan blinked, his apricot-red eyeshadow softly blended outwards. His eyes, outlined by thick black eyeliner, lifted at the corners, making them particularly expressive. Chen Ling recognized it as Dan-role makeup, but perhaps because Chen Yan was entirely self-taught, there were still notable differences compared to what he remembered from his previous life. But even so, it was still a flawless, perfectly handsome youthful face.

"It looks great," Chen Ling replied sincerely. "Though some details seem a bit off... If I have time, I can adjust it for you."

"Brother, do you also know opera makeup?"

"Just a little bit."

Chen Yan's eyes gleamed with admiration as he looked at him.

"Brother, do you think I can perform at the New Year's gala when I go back to school?"

"Of course, you can. Yan is the only one in all of District Three who can sing opera. When you put on your costume, apply your makeup, and start singing, your classmates will definitely be astonished," Chen Ling chuckled.

"He's still going to school?" Chu Muyun asked, surprised.

"Yes," Chen Ling nodded. "He just started high school... but he fell ill a few days after enrolling. Now that he's recovered, he should be able to enroll with the next batch of freshmen."

"Brother, what should I sing then?"

"If it's just you singing, 'Sifan' would be quite good..."

"Then I'll go practice more!"

Chen Yan's eyes lit up. He immediately threw on the open, bright red opera robe and scurried back to his bedroom, ready to practice again. After all, Chen Yan was just a fifteen-year-old child, an age when one longs for friends and attention. When Chen Ling was in school, he had also fantasized countless times about taking a guitar to the stage and showing off his skills in front of countless teachers and students. Unfortunately... he couldn't play at all. But for Chen Yan, combining his interest with performing was a very exciting prospect.

"No rush," Chen Ling said with a helpless smile. "Clean up a bit, we'll get ready for dinner soon."

Seeing this, Chen Yan obediently came to help Chen Ling wash vegetables. Just then, his peripheral vision caught sight of the two large holes in the padded coat, and his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Brother, what happened to your clothes?" His tone suddenly became serious.

"It's nothing, just got scratched."

Chu Muyun, who was reading, looked up at the sound, his eyes behind his glasses immediately narrowing...

"You were shot?"

Chen Yan abruptly looked up.

"No, they didn't hit me," Chen Ling explained immediately, feeling Chen Yan's gaze. "Their shots were too slow; I dodged them... I'm not hurt."

Chu Muyun scrutinized him, then nodded slightly. "Indeed, you're not hurt."

"Brother, who shot at you?" Chen Yan asked in a cold voice.

"It was..." Chen Ling was about to say Ice Spring Street, but seeing the chilling glint in Chen Yan's eyes, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Just two hoodlums... The enforcers have already arrested them." He knew Chen Yan was a Fuser, and he also knew that Chen Yan had gone on a rampage on Ice Spring Street that night. If he mentioned "Ice Spring Street" again, he worried Chen Yan might return that very night to wipe out everyone on the street. He knew that the street was most likely already occupied by enforcers, and if Chen Yan went there again, he would very likely encounter an Adjudicator.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan's expression softened. He silently picked up the damaged padded coat. "...I'll go sew it up for you." Chen Yan made his own opera robes, so mending a coat was no difficult task for him.

"They had guns... how did you win?" Chu Muyun watched Chen Ling's eyes, as if trying to see into his mind.

"They had guns, but they didn't know how to use them; even after several shots, they only hit my coat... Why do you ask?" Of course, Chen Ling couldn't reveal that he possessed the Killing Dance, as that would involve the existence of the theater and the "audience."

"...It's nothing." Chu Muyun withdrew his gaze and stared at the book cover, lost in thought.

After dinner, the three of them returned to their rooms. Night blanketed the entire sky, with only the silent, shimmering blue aurora. As Chen Ling fell asleep, his consciousness had already drifted into the theater.

Inside the dark, silent room,A figure slowly approached.It was Chu Muyun.His glasses reflected a pale glimmer under the aurora's light. His cool eyes fixed on the sleeping Chen Ling, and a hint of murderous intent flickered within them. His right hand, clutching a short blade like a cold moon, slowly rose...