Chapter 566: Singing a Solo

**Chapter 567: Staging a Performance**

Author: Sannomiya OnyokuWord Count: 1343

Kong Baosheng's face flushed with anger as he watched Li Hanxiang confidently stride onto the stage.

"That old geezer, is he really just pulling rank?"

"Sir, he's just upset you stole his thunder and came here to use his seniority to suppress you! His singing wasn't even good when he was young; he only made a comeback by resorting to those tactics. Now that he's old and his looks are fading, with no one to stir up scandals with him, he's started looking for attention everywhere!"

Kong Baosheng genuinely respected Chen Ling from the bottom of his heart. Although he had never heard Chen Ling sing opera and didn't know how well he performed, the mere fact that Chen Ling was willing to spend 200,000 to buy the opera house and continue promoting opera culture made him a million times better than Li Hanxiang, that old geezer who resorted to crooked ways and forgot his roots.

It wasn't just Kong Baosheng; in the crowd not far away, Huang Suyue, who had been observing the scene, also frowned deeply.

She coldly watched Li Hanxiang on the stage and whispered in a low voice:

"This Li Hanxiang really doesn't know what's good for him..."

Uncle Quan sensed Huang Suyue's anger and tentatively asked, "Miss, what do you plan to do?"

"The Special Emissary has a broad perspective and presumably won't take this old geezer seriously. However, since we've witnessed this, we cannot stand idly by," Huang Suyue said calmly. "Dig deep for any dirt on this Li Hanxiang. Contact all the media outlets we cooperate with, and as soon as the birthday banquet ends, release everything about him... He's already old; if he had just quietly enjoyed his later years, that would be one thing. But since he dared to provoke the Special Emissary, I'll make sure he's utterly disgraced."

"Yes, Miss."

At this moment, Li Hanxiang had no idea how much trouble he had stirred up.

After taking his position on the stage, the melodious opera accompaniment began. He overlooked the numerous guests in the venue, as well as the audience still listening outside the distant manor, and sang loudly:

"I urge Your Majesty, refrain from speaking of death; your old minister will speak to you from the beginning. Liu Bei is originally a descendant of Prince Jing, a branch of the Han Emperor's great-grandson's lineage..."

The moment Li Hanxiang opened his mouth, Chen Ling knew he was singing from *Ganlu Temple*. This was a classic solo segment for *lao sheng* (old male role) in Peking Opera, and Chen Ling often heard this very piece in the theater during his previous life.

However, Li Hanxiang's singing skills were clearly lacking. Not to mention compared to the four senior disciples of the Ancient Opera Arts, even the veteran artists who performed in theaters in his previous life could almost all overwhelmingly outperform him. It was only at this moment that Chen Ling realized Kong Baosheng's description of him as "mediocre back then" was already quite a polite understatement.

This veteran opera star, Li Hanxiang, was truly overrated.

Of course, most of the guests present weren't particularly knowledgeable about opera. They didn't listen to it normally, and without other skilled opera stars to compare him to, they didn't think Li Hanxiang's singing was bad. They simply thought that perhaps opera was meant to be sung this way. In an era where opera was already in decline, the overrated Li Hanxiang had already become one of the industry's benchmarks.

The guests listened symbolically for a few lines, then completely lost interest. Some began chatting and networking below the stage, while others seized the opportunity to use the restroom. The crowd outside the manor, who had originally been enthusiastically cheering, also dispiritedly sat down where they were and began an intermission.

"If an army were to rise in conflict, who in Eastern Wu would dare to step forward? I will turn and report to the Empress Dowager and turn their scheme to our advantage, forming a marital alliance..."

Li Hanxiang, seeing this scene on stage, seemed to have long been accustomed to it. When a few drops of rain occasionally drifted down from the sky, he frowned. An assistant, who had been waiting nearby, immediately opened an umbrella and quickly walked onto the stage to shield him from the gradually falling light rain.

Witnessing this scene, the disdain in Chen Ling's eyes grew even deeper.

After Li Hanxiang finished singing his last segment, seemingly to himself, he swept his sleeves and walked off the stage. Scattered applause rose from the audience.

As he walked, he adopted the posture of someone unappreciated for their talents and theatrically sighed:

"The art of opera, it truly has fallen into decline."

Below the stage, Kong Baosheng couldn't help but roll his eyes.

After walking off the stage, Li Hanxiang walked directly up to Chen Ling. Stroking his beard, he slowly began:

"Young man, if you truly wish to pursue this path, you must always have a mentor. I pity you; why not join my tutelage? I will impart my skills to you, and in the future, that will be enough for you to establish yourself in the main city."

Upon hearing this, many people nearby turned to look, their eyes showing surprise.

Chen Ling didn't even bother to glance at him and replied indifferently, "No need, I have a master."

Li Hanxiang's smile instantly froze on his face. In terms of seniority and status, he was in the first tier in the main city. Countless aspiring youngsters longed to join his tutelage but never had the chance. Yet an unknown minor opera performer who had just arrived in the city had actually publicly rejected his invitation?

Li Hanxiang heard faint laughter from the surroundings, and his face immediately turned extremely ugly. He glared fiercely at Chen Ling, "You don't know what's good for you... Hmph."

After Li Hanxiang, the final headlining female star also walked onto the stage. The extinguished enthusiasm of the audience was reignited. As her melodious voice filled the air, the area outside the manor instantly erupted, with cheers and shouts of support rising and falling!

Chen Ling didn't recognize the female star. To be honest, in his opinion, she was inferior to Liu Qingyan in both appearance and singing and dancing. However, judging by the audience's reaction, she was undoubtedly the top star in the entire Mortal World domain.

It had been half a year since they last met. He wondered where Liu Qingyan had gone and what she was doing.

After three consecutive songs, the warm-up performances for the birthday banquet were drawing to a close. As the enthusiastic atmosphere among the crowd gradually faded, a light rain began to fall again from the sky. Dark clouds hung low, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The guests looked at the empty and silent stage, feeling a momentary sense of bewilderment.

"The performances are over, but why hasn't the Chairman arrived yet?"

"Indeed... it's his birthday; he should have been here by now."

"Now what? Is it just going to be awkwardly quiet like this?"

"We probably have to wait for Chairman Mu to arrive, right... We still don't know what's happening."

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, the host's forehead began to nervously bead with sweat. According to the original plan, Mu Chunsheng should have come on stage to greet everyone before the performances. But now the performances were over, and there was still no sign of him.

Mu Chunsheng was the main character today. If he didn't appear, the remaining segments couldn't proceed at all. Were the guests just supposed to wait awkwardly below?

Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, the host's mind raced. He smiled and spoke, "Today is Chairman Mu's birthday banquet. If any of you present would like to come on stage to wish the Chairman a happy birthday, say a few congratulatory remarks, or perform a show, you are most welcome to come up at any time!"

The guests exchanged glances.

No one present had anticipated this segment. After a brief silence, a few directors from second-tier financial groups with close business ties to the Big Dipper Conglomerate still came up on stage one after another to offer congratulatory remarks, hoping to curry favor with Chairman Mu.

But soon, the atmosphere cooled down again, leaving the host standing alone on stage, at a loss.

Drip-drop—drip-drop—

Ink-like clouds gathered above the manor, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere, along with a subtle, unsettling sense of foreboding, as if a storm was about to sweep through.

Dense raindrops began to fall from the sky. The many transparent umbrellas inside the venue were opened once more. Raindrops drummed dully on the umbrella rims. The guests stood in the silent rain, all feeling as if something was about to happen.

Just then, Li Hanxiang's voice suddenly rang out from the crowd:

"Lin Yan, isn't it? Since you've come today to wish Chairman Mu a happy birthday... why don't you go up and put on a performance for everyone?"