Chapter 568: Lock Lin Pouch

"Who is singing opera?"

"I thought the newspaper mentioned only one renowned opera performer was invited. How come there's another opera performance now?"

"You know... this person's voice is beautiful, utterly unlike the old man's from before."

"This is a world of difference, isn't it?"

"To achieve this level with pure a cappella, without any accompaniment... probably few people in the main city can do that, right?"

"Damn it, why can't we see inside? I really want to know what kind of person can sing like that... I bet he's not very old."

The opera music drifting from within the manor made the people who were about to leave involuntarily stop. They gazed at the mist-shrouded manor, seemingly forgetting for a moment that they were still standing in the rain.

In that moment, it felt as if only the melodious opera singing existed in the world.

"Brother Lin... and you said you couldn't sing opera?"

In the shadows of the corridor, Li Qingshan watched the red figure on the stage, his eyes filled with shock. Even Li Qingshan, who had been exposed to opera since childhood, was now shaken by Chen Ling's singing. He had listened to countless operas and was almost certain that no living performer of the 'Dan' (female role) could sing better than Chen Ling!

"If only Brother Zhou and the others were here... hearing Brother Lin's performance would surely restore their faith in the art of opera, wouldn't it?" Li Qingshan thought of the several opera performers who had shared his hardships, still suffocated by Beidou Financial Group's contracts. He sighed deeply.

He quietly bowed his head and prayed, hoping that everything would unfold as Chen Ling wished, that the unfair treaties would be destroyed, and freedom restored to everyone.

On the stage, Chen Ling's peripheral vision caught Li Qingshan's figure as he continued to sing melodiously in the rain:

"Not all in this world are wealthy and grand.Some suffer from hunger and sorrow,Some weep bitterly in despair.The one in the sedan chair sings a different tune,Surely holding a secret in their heart..."

Creak—creak...

Crisp sounds emanated from the blood-red cocoon. In the silent office, Zhong Qi stared intently at the cocoon enveloping Mu Chunsheng, so tense he could barely breathe.

In front of the cocoon, the black-robed Six-Claw and Feijia simultaneously curved their lips into a smile.

"It's a success..."

Click!

With the final soft sound, a pair of pristine, flawless white arms burst from the blood-red cocoon!

Immediately after, those hands grabbed the sides of the cocoon and tore it open with force. Blood-colored fragments fluttered down across the office, and a brand new body slowly emerged...

Barefooted and blood-stained, he strode over the skeletal remains, then stopped, still unclothed, before the closed curtains, looking down at his youthful hands, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips.

"I'm well... I'm truly well... Hahaha... Hahahahahahaha!!!!"

The long-suffering man cast aside the crutches that had supported him for half his life, gaining a new life from his own remains... His maniacal laughter was ceaseless, his desire like a prairie fire, burning everlastingly.

Rain pattered against the window, and faint opera singing drifted from outside:

"Hearing the tragic cries, my heart is pounded,Why does this person weep so bitterly?Is it that her husband is ugly, mismatched with her beauty?Or is it a forced marriage, a crow occupying a phoenix's nest..."

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."

"I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved!"

"When those two spies approached me, I should have refused outright! Kicked them out... Now look, I helped them connect with my uncle, and now I'm in deep trouble myself!!"

"As soon as those two arrived, 'Fleeting Life' arrived, and Mu Haowen died... How long do I have left to live?"

In the adjacent room, Li Ruohong paced frantically like an ant on a hot griddle, wishing he could slap himself right then and there.

The faint opera singing reverberating outside made Li Ruohong even more agitated. He violently pushed open the window and cursed loudly:

"Sing, sing, sing, what the hell are you singing?? These opera performers are so annoying..."

The opera singing outside grew louder, as if chuckling, or perhaps with a hint of mockery:

"A fool's questions are too hasty,Suspicion inevitably arises.You shouldn't show off in front of others,Nor waste words endlessly..."

At the edge of the crowd, the Director's nerves were completely taut, his gaze ceaselessly searching the surroundings.

His brows furrowed, he muttered: "Damn it, Heart 6... where on earth did he go?"

"No, this guy can change his appearance; he might have already assumed a new identity and blended into the crowd..."

The Director's gaze swept over the guests like a scythe, as if trying to find even the slightest incongruity in them... His gaze fell on the red figure on the stage several times, then he instinctively looked away, resuming his desperate search through the crowd.

If there was one person in this venue who absolutely could not be Heart 6, it could only be 'Lin Yan,' the opera performer from Jinghong Tower... Therefore, the target must be hiding offstage!

On the rain-soaked stage, a red sleeve gently swayed,

Chen Ling smiled faintly, watching the Director pacing back and forth below, his voice melodious and graceful, like celestial music:

"...This is how life is unpredictable~Unbeknownst to us, we reunite today.Looking back, prosperity is like a fleeting dream,The last thread of life entrusted to turbulent waves."

This piece, 'The Unicorn Bag,' tells the story of a wealthy young lady who, upon her marriage, gave a poor woman a 'unicorn bag' filled with jewels. Years later, an accident befell the young lady, and she was rescued by that very same poor woman. It reflects on the mysterious and unpredictable nature of human destiny, as if some unseen force is orchestrating everything.

Chen Ling chose this piece on a whim. Although the lyrics tell a story, they seemed to resonate with everything currently unfolding, so he sang it.

The heavy rain drenched Chen Ling's figure, clear droplets rolling down his black hair. His already soaked opera robe danced on the stage, like a fluttering red butterfly, captivating all eyes.

From the audience, the red-robed figure was within the play.

From the stage, weren't all beings amidst this rain also part of a play?

As his water sleeves rose and fell, the threads of destiny were woven into the red-clad figure's dance. In the reflection within his wet eyes on stage, the curtain of a grand drama slowly began to rise, even as his own performance drew to a close.

The opera singing had ceased, but the crowd had not yet recovered from the breathtaking performance. The world was quiet, save for the soft patter of rain on umbrella eaves and the lingering echo of the final opera melody in the sky.

"The performance is over."

On stage, the red-robed opera performer's lips curved into a slight smile. His soaked opera robe slowly opened, his arms outstretched as if to embrace the sky.

A whisper, audible only to him, simultaneously resounded:

"The show... begins."

Inside the magnificent and exquisite gift box.

On the surface of the bomb, dormant in the darkness, a handwritten note fluttered as if by an unseen breeze.

—The performer bows, a grand firework display.