Page 153

"Alright." Madam Zhou rummaged through her small purse to pay, then suddenly pulled out two theater tickets and exclaimed in surprise. She smiled at Chu Yuening and said, "Do you enjoy watching plays? A friend gave me so many tickets that I can't possibly use them all. If you like, take them so they don't go to waste. The seats are excellent."

Chu Yuening hesitated for only a second.

Madam Zhou had already pressed the tickets into her hand, leaving no room for refusal. "A former star actress from a renowned troupe is retiring; you should go watch. It would be a shame to let these go to waste."

Holding the small play tickets, Chu Yuening suddenly thought of Guo Fengdan and decided to accept them. "Alright, I'll go see it."

Before leaving, Madam Zhou left her landline number, suggesting they meet again for tea since they seemed to hit it off. Chu Yuening didn't decline and exchanged numbers before parting ways.

Following the address on the ticket, Chu Yuening found the theater.

From afar, she saw a long queue of people gathered at the entrance.

Shi Boren waved his tiny ticket around and sighed dramatically at the sight of the line. "Why on earth would anyone choose not to come to the theater on a weekend?"

Gan Yizu hushed him and glanced at the man standing nearby. "Brother Xu said it's to support culture!"

"What culture? Just the sound of opera gives me a headache," Shi Boren grumbled.

Opposite the theater stands a gym, frequented by many shapely beauties.

Shi Boren's gaze was glued to these women, his heart eager to sprout wings and fly straight across to join them in their workout sessions.

"They're all relics from the past," he grumbled.

The lengthy queue was filled with elderly folks with gray hair. Upon hearing Shi Boren's complaint, they all turned their sharp gazes upon him.

An eighty-year-old grandmother, with a gap-toothed smile, retorted, "Who's the relic? I can still carry water to water my vegetables."

"You young ones just don't understand. I won't blame you," another grandpa said sternly. "Cantonese opera is a precious cultural gem of China, far more sophisticated than your beloved Western musicals."

"Y-yes, yes, sorry," Shi Boren felt uncomfortable under their scrutiny and quickly changed his tune, making a gesture near his temple as he bowed apologetically with a smile. "I'm the one who's outdated."

The grandpas and grandmas collectively harrumphed.

Zhou Fengxu held the theater tickets between his long fingers. As the line started moving, he watched Shi Boren glance around and warned, "Please be quiet when we go in. Otherwise, I'm afraid the grandpas and grandmas might throw us out."

"I got it," Shi Boren replied, fanning himself with the ticket and sighing.

"Other wealthy scions are either into horse racing or golf, but your interest is rather peculiar, wanting to watch an opera," the speaker remarked.

As soon as those words left his lips, Shi Boren caught sight of Chu Yuening and promptly waved at her, "Ning Ning, over here!"

Chu Yuening approached them, surprised to see them, "You two are watching an opera?"

"Yes," Zhou Fengxu noticed that she was also holding a ticket and offered his own, "The same show?"

Chu Yuening leaned in for a closer look and compared their tickets meticulously, "Ah, it's indeed the same show. I just bumped into a lady who gave me this."

Zhou Fengxu's lips curled into a smile, "I should have known you'd be willing to watch. I should have invited you to come along."

"I thought the performance would be quite long, and I was worried you might find it dull and boring, so I didn't call you," Chu Yuening explained.

Looking at the majority of the crowd already having passed the ticket check, she lifted her ticket cheerfully, "Let's hurry in then."

The flow of people gradually entered the theater, and the camera zoomed in on them.

A large billboard beside the theater entrance displayed a poster of a Dan role, announcing the play's title — The Imperial Princess Flower.

Special Performance: Liang Xiaodui.

Chapter 56

The stage stood tall.

Rows of tightly packed seats sprawled below.

As Chu Yuening entered with two tickets in hand, she was startled by the seat numbers indicated on them. "They're adjacent seats?"

Hers was number 27, while Zhou Fengxu's was 28.

What a coincidence?

Shi Boren leaned over for a look and, upon realizing they were indeed next to each other, his mouth gaped in surprise. "Well, isn't that something? To randomly end up sitting together without prior arrangement, what kind of bizarre luck is this?"

Finishing his remark.

Chu Yuening and Zhou Fengxu both turned to look at him.

Chu Yuening tilted her head. "Friend, would you mind correcting your choice of words?"

Realizing his slip of tongue, Shi Boren quickly covered his mouth. "Sorry, sorry."

"Don't sweat the small stuff."

With a mischievous grin, Shi Boren stretched out his hand to hook it around Gan Yizu's neck, strolling nonchalantly towards the seats at the back. "Enjoy the show at your leisure, Yizu and I don't mind sitting at the back."

Gan Yizu patted Shi Boren's arm, hesitant. "Actually, I do mind a bit. The Peony Pavilion is quite famous, I'd like to ask if we could switch seats with someone in front."

As Gan Yizu leaned forward, his head was pulled back.

"Switch what seats!" Shi Boren insisted, nudging Gan Yizu down onto the seat and winking playfully. "The view is much better here."

"What view? All I see are heads," Gan Yizu remarked, puzzled.

Only when Shi Boren frantically blinked at the silhouettes of a man and a woman in front did Gan Yizu understand.

"Yes... Yes! No need to change! The view here is even more beautiful." Gan Yizu quickly nodded in agreement.

Chu Yuening pointed to the seats in front, "Shall we go then?"

"Go ahead," Shi Boren waved, waiting for them to leave before he suddenly pushed down on Gan Yizu's head, "Do you know what Brother Xu is called at the police station?"

Gan Yizu shook his head.

"He's a 'Lover's Assassin'," Shi Boren exaggerated with a gesture of a knife, "Leaves no trace behind when it comes to the opposite sex, none can cling onto him."

"Since he's finally willing to watch a movie with a girl, be a bit more observant."

Gan Yizu made an 'OK' sign, "So... Should we sneak out after the movie?"

"A smart lad indeed," Shi Boren returned the 'OK' gesture.

The two took their seats.

Zhou Fengxu chose a seat towards the inside, considerately leaving the aisle seat for someone else.

The surroundings were dim, with only a spotlight illuminating the stage.