flstandardbreds Chapter 124 Inviting a New Star to Start a New Journey
Chapter 124 Inviting a New Star to Start a New Journey
Inviting new talents to start a new journey
As night fell, the opera troupe's celebration banquet gradually came to an end.
As Su Yunlan watched the departing figures, her eyes sparkled with excitement. She tugged at Xiao Yuhan beside her and whispered, "Yuhan, the reform of our opera troupe has only just begun. I plan to invite more famous actors to join us."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuhan raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of worry appearing in his deep eyes: "My wife, those famous actors are all proud and arrogant, I'm afraid they won't easily join our little opera troupe."
Su Yunlan smiled confidently, her tone firm, "I have my own way. There is no fortress that cannot be breached in this world. As long as the method is appropriate, I will definitely be able to make them willingly join us." Her eyes gleamed with a determined light, as if all difficulties would be easily solved in front of her.
The next morning, as the sun rose, Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan set off for the residence of a famous actor in the city.
This actor, named Zhao Yun, was renowned for his superb skills and proud temperament.
Outside the mansion, the vermilion gate was tightly shut, and the ferocious beast heads on the door knockers exuded the owner's authority and indifference.
Su Yunlan stepped forward and gently knocked on the door knocker. The crisp sound of the knocking was particularly jarring in the quiet of the morning.
The door was opened by a servant dressed in plain clothes. He looked the two of them up and down, his tone slightly impatient, "Who are you? What brings you here?"
"We are from an opera troupe, here to pay our respects to Mr. Zhao Yun," Su Yunlan said, neither humble nor arrogant.
Upon hearing this, the servant sneered, "My master doesn't meet just anyone. You'll have to wait here." With that, he left the two of them standing outside the door.
The wait felt exceptionally long, with the blazing sun making the two of them feel slightly hot.
Finally, just as they were about to lose patience, the servants arrived late and led them to the living room.
Zhao Yunduan sat in the armchair, his face cold and stern. He glanced at Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan and asked indifferently, "I heard you want to invite me to join the opera troupe?"
Su Yunlan nodded, about to speak, but Zhao Yun spoke first: "I, Zhao Yun, don't go to just any opera troupe. If you want to hire me, you must agree to three conditions." He held up three fingers.
"First, the opera troupe must treat me with the best treatment, and I must not neglect my food, clothing and other necessities; second, I must choose the plays for the troupe, and you must perform whatever I sing; third, everyone in the opera troupe must listen to me and must not have any objections."
With each condition Zhao Yun stated, his tone grew increasingly cold, as if he were issuing an order rather than making a request.
Xiao Yuhan frowned upon hearing these harsh conditions. He was about to object when Su Yunlan stopped him with a gesture.
His eyes burned with anger, but seeing Su Yunlan's calm gaze, he held back.
Su Yunlan smiled slightly, breaking the tense atmosphere in the hall. "Mr. Zhao's conditions are indeed somewhat special, but they are not unnecessarily negotiable. However..." She paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over Zhao Yun with interest, her tone gentle yet carrying a hint of inscrutable meaning, "I'm just curious, why does Mr. Zhao value these conditions so much?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun's face showed a hint of unease, and his eyes became somewhat evasive. He did not answer directly, but simply snorted coldly.
Su Yunlan met his gaze. She could feel the arrogance and defensiveness emanating from him, but she also vaguely sensed the weakness beneath his facade.
A slight smile played on her lips as a bold plan began to take shape in her mind: she would make the arrogant Zhao Yun willingly join her opera troupe.
Seeing that Zhao Yun remained silent, Su Yunlan continued, "Mr. Zhao, I heard that you were once a famous performer with superb skills, but now..." She paused, a hint of regret in her eyes, "you can only live in seclusion here. Don't you want to return to the stage and regain your former glory?"
Zhao Yun's expression changed; Su Yunlan's words struck at his deepest sore spot.
He longed to return to the stage, but the harsh reality forced him to bow his head.
Seeing that he was moved, Su Yunlan seized the opportunity to vividly describe the success of the troupe's new play and the enthusiastic response from the audience.
She emphasized the new atmosphere after the reform of the opera troupe, as well as the importance and respect given to the actors.
“Mr. Zhao, although our opera troupe is not large, we have passion, dreams, and, more importantly, strength. We believe that as long as we work together, we can definitely restore the troupe to its former glory and allow you to shine again.” Su Yunlan’s tone was sincere, and her eyes were firm, as if she possessed a kind of magic that made Zhao Yun involuntarily attracted to her.
As Zhao Yun listened to Su Yunlan's words, his defenses gradually crumbled.
Looking at the confident and energetic woman in front of him, he seemed to see a reflection of his younger self.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "I can consider your conditions, but you must also agree to my request."
Su Yunlan smiled slightly, "Of course, we can discuss it." She knew that Zhao Yun had begun to waver, and the scales of victory were tipping in her favor.
Xiao Yuhan looked at Su Yunlan with admiration in his eyes.
He never expected that Su Yunlan could persuade Zhao Yun in such a clever way.
He reached out and gently brushed the dust from her hair.
Su Yunlan felt Xiao Yuhan's tenderness, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.
On the way back home, the setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them.
Xiao Yuhan held Su Yunlan's hand, their fingers intertwined, and the ambiguous atmosphere between them gradually heated up.
"My wife, you are so clever," Xiao Yuhan exclaimed sincerely.
Su Yunlan's lips curled up slightly, secretly pleased.
She knew that the victory in this negotiation lay not only in her wisdom, but also in her love for opera and her dedication to her dream.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar and stopped in front of the two.
The man on horseback dismounted, strode up to Su Yunlan, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Su, the owner of the opera troupe?"
Su Yunlan nodded slightly, "It is indeed me." The visitor was another famous actor, Qin Feng, who cupped his hands and said, "I have long admired Mr. Su's name and have come to pay my respects today, hoping to join your troupe." Upon hearing this, Su Yunlan was overjoyed and quickly welcomed Qin Feng into the mansion.
When the members of the opera troupe heard that another famous actor had volunteered to join, they cheered and spread the news.
Although Master Li still had doubts, he had to admit Su Yunlan's abilities.
The following day, Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan visited Zhao Yun again.
After some discussion, Zhao Yun finally agreed to join the opera troupe.
When the news reached the opera troupe, everyone was even more excited.
Standing in the center of the opera troupe, Su Yunlan felt the admiration of the crowd and was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
As the sun sets, golden sunlight spills into the courtyard of the opera troupe, bathing everyone's face in a warm glow.
Su Yunlan looked around at the hopeful smiling faces and felt a surge of ambition in her heart.
Two days later, Zhao Yun and Qin Feng officially joined the opera troupe.
Inside the opera troupe's rehearsal hall, gongs and drums resounded, and the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.
Zhao Yun, dressed in a magnificent theatrical costume, exuded the demeanor of a famous actor with every gesture.
His clear voice resonated throughout the rehearsal hall, every note filled with power and emotion.
Qin Feng was equally impressive, delivering a nuanced and expressive performance that vividly portrayed the character's inner world.
Su Yunlan stood aside, watching the two famous actors' wonderful performance, a satisfied smile on her face.
She knew that the reform of the opera troupe had only just begun, but with the addition of these outstanding actors, the troupe's future would surely be even more glorious.
However, just as everyone was immersed in joy, Su Yunlan keenly sensed something amiss.
She noticed that there seemed to be something amiss between Zhao Yun and Liu Ruyan, the original leading lady of the opera troupe.
When their eyes met, there was always a hint of hostility and wariness between them.
After the rehearsal, Su Yunlan went to Liu Ruyan's side and asked with concern, "Ruyan, you seem a little absent-minded today. Is something on your mind?"
Liu Ruyan forced a smile. "No, Boss Su, I'm fine."
Seeing her evasive gaze, Su Yunlan became even more certain of her guess.
Just as she was about to press further, she heard Zhao Yun's voice from behind her: "Miss Liu, you need to practice your movements more. In that scene just now, your movements weren't smooth enough, and your emotional expression wasn't quite right."
Liu Ruyan's expression changed, and she replied in an icy tone, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Zhao. I will try my best to improve."
Zhao Yun smiled dismissively, "I hope so."
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, Su Yunlan's heart sank.
She realized that the internal conflicts within the opera troupe were more complex than she had imagined.
“Mr. Zhao,” Su Yunlan stepped forward and said calmly, “I would like to speak with you alone.”