Chapter 29: Dan Role

"Sigh... what a loss."

Chen Ling walked along the mountain road home, looking down at his cotton coat with two holes in it, his eyes full of heartache.

Reserve members during the exam period didn't get paid, and naturally, there was no subsidy for torn clothes. Calculating it this way, he had lost a piece of clothing for nothing during his work... This made his family, which already had no source of income, even worse off.

Of course, he still had gains today.

[Current Expectation: 40%]

Ever since he was ordered by Qian Fan to replace Wu Youdong for the investigation, the audience expectation had been growing steadily. It rose by 5% while he was at the teahouse looking for enforcers, and by 10% in one go after he smashed through the tavern.

Chen Ling originally thought he could also gain expectation when the enforcers returned to the tavern, but in fact, he didn't. It seems that audience expectation only grows when he is personally present to witness it.

Chen Ling felt that he had vaguely found a way to quickly acquire expectation.

He walked along the mountain road for more than two hours and finally returned to Frost Street. Before he even entered the door, he heard a clear and melodious opera tune coming from the house.

"The little nun is twenty-eight,

In the prime of youth, her hair shorn by the master.

Every day, burning incense and changing water in the Buddha hall,

Seeing several young men playing under the mountain gate.

He casts his eyes toward us,

We cast our eyes toward him.

He and us, we and him,

Both sides full of longing..."

Hearing this opera, Chen Ling's brows raised slightly.

This "Si Fan" (Longing for the Secular World) was a classic segment in opera, known to the world in his past life because of the famous movie "Farewell My Concubine." Chen Ling had heard it many times, but what he didn't expect was that the opera repertoire in this world was the same as in his past life.

What surprised Chen Ling even more was that Chen Yan's voice was so beautiful, and his singing skills were extremely solid. Even the famous actors who performed in theaters in his past life were inferior to him.

Logically speaking, without the guidance of a famous teacher, it would be basically impossible to reach this level...

Chen Ling thought as he entered the house, only to see Chu Muyun sitting in the living room in the same posture, seriously reading a book.

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

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

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

"No."

"That's good." Chen Ling sat down at the table, looking toward the bedroom where Chen Yan was practicing drawing his eyebrows in the mirror while practicing his voice. He said with a complex expression,

"Yan has been interested in opera since he was a child. Unfortunately, District 3 is too small, and no one can teach him... Our family can't afford a teacher either."

"Opera... indeed, not many people understand it these days." Chu Muyun glanced into the bedroom.

"As far as I know, not many people in Aurora City understand it either."

Chen Yan's singing voice gradually became quieter. He seemed to have heard Chen Ling return, and immediately ran to the living room, asking excitedly:

"Brother, do you think my makeup looks good?"

Chen Yan blinked his eyes. The apricot-red eyeshadow was smudged to both sides, elegant and soft. His eyes were lifted and elongated by the thick black eyeliner, making them look exceptionally spirited.

Chen Ling recognized this as the makeup of a "Dan role," but perhaps because Chen Yan was purely self-taught, there were still many differences compared to his past life.

But even so, this was still a perfect, flawless face of a beautiful young boy.

"It looks good." Chen Ling answered sincerely. "But some details don't seem quite right... When I have time, I'll fix them for you."

"Brother, do you also understand opera makeup?"

"A little bit."

The eyes Chen Yan looked at him with were full of admiration.

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

"Of course you can. In the entire District 3, only our Yan knows how to sing opera. When the time comes, you put on the costume, do your makeup, and start singing; the classmates will definitely be shocked." Chen Ling smiled lightly.

"He still has to go to school?" Chu Muyun asked in surprise.

"Yes." Chen Ling nodded. "He just started his first year of high school... but he got sick not long after enrolling. Now that his illness is gone, he should be able to enroll with the next batch of freshmen."

"Brother, what should I sing then?"

"If it's just you singing, 'Si Fan' is quite good..."

"Then I'll go practice some more!"

Chen Yan's eyes lit up. He immediately draped the open bright red opera robe over himself and ran back to the bedroom, ready to start practicing again.

In the end, Chen Yan was just a fifteen-year-old child. This age is exactly when one craves friends and attention... When Chen Ling was in school, he had also fantasized countless times about walking onto the stage with a guitar and showing off in front of countless teachers and students.

Unfortunately... he couldn't play at all.

But for Chen Yan, being able to combine his interests with performance was a very exciting thing.

"No rush." Chen Ling smiled helplessly. "Clean up, get ready to eat in a while."

Seeing this, Chen Yan obediently came to help Chen Ling wash the vegetables. Just then, he caught a glimpse of the two large holes in the cotton coat, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

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

"It's nothing, just got snagged."

Chu Muyun, who was reading, looked over at the sound, his eyes narrowing behind his lenses...

"Were you shot?"

Chen Yan suddenly lifted his head.

"No, it didn't hit me." Chen Ling felt Chen Yan's gaze and explained immediately, "They were too slow to shoot, and I dodged it... I wasn't injured."

Chu Muyun looked him over and nodded slightly. "Indeed, not injured."

"Brother, who shot at you?" Chen Yan asked coldly.

"It was..."

Chen Ling was about to say Ice Spring Street, but seeing Chen Yan's eyes flashing with bone-chilling coldness, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Just two little thugs... they've already been caught by the enforcers."

He knew Chen Yan was a Fusionist, and he knew that on that night, Chen Yan had gone on a killing spree on Ice Spring Street... If he said the words "Ice Spring Street" again, he was worried that Chen Yan would go back and slaughter the whole street tonight.

One must know that the street had likely been occupied by enforcers by now. Once Chen Yan went back, he might encounter an Inquisitor.

Hearing this, Chen Yan's expression softened. He silently picked up the torn cotton coat.

"...I'll go sew it for you."

Chen Yan made his own opera robes, so sewing a piece of clothing was no difficult task for him.

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

"They had guns, but didn't know how to use them. They fired several shots and all hit my clothes... Why do you ask?"

Chen Ling naturally couldn't say he possessed [Killing Waltz]; that involved the existence of the theater and the "audience."

"...Nothing."

Chu Muyun withdrew his gaze and stared at the book cover, wondering what he was thinking.

The three of them finished dinner and returned to their rooms. Night covered the entire sky, with only the blue aurora floating silently.

Chen Ling, who had fallen into a dream, had his consciousness already drifting into the theater.

In the deathly silent, dim room,

A figure walked over slowly.

It was Chu Muyun.

His lenses reflected a pale glimmer under the aurora. Those cold eyes stared at the sleeping Chen Ling, a hint of murderous intent emerging in the depths of his eyes.

His right hand, clutching a short blade like a cold moon, slowly lifted...