dognovel Chapter 127 Exploring the Mystery and Unraveling the Suspense
Chapter 127 Exploring the Mystery and Unraveling the Suspense
Explore and unravel the mystery
The night was as dark as ink, and the moonlight cast a silvery glow on the opera troupe's stage.
Su Yunlan stood in the center of the stage, receiving cheers and praise from the audience, but a sense of unease welled up in her heart.
Just then, a mysterious man dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat appeared at the theater entrance. He walked up to Su Yunlan, handed her a letter with gold lettering, and his deep voice was particularly clear in the noisy theater: "Madam Su, my master invites you."
Su Yunlan took the letter, her fingers gently tracing the gold-embossed pattern on the seal, her heart filled with doubt.
She quickly opened the letter, and lines of elegant handwriting came into view: "Madam Su, I cordially invite you to my humble abode for a chat. The location is detailed in the attachment. This is of utmost importance, so please do not refuse."
"What does this mean?" Su Yunlan frowned slightly and handed the letter to Xiao Yuhan beside her.
Xiao Yuhan took the letter and quickly scanned its contents. "The tone of this letter is quite arrogant. I wonder who wrote it. But since it says it's important, we might as well go and find out."
Su Yunlan nodded. Although she was puzzled, she did not resist the mysterious invitation.
She and Xiao Yuhan exchanged a glance, both filled with curiosity and courage.
"Let's go and see what kind of background that master has," Su Yunlan said softly, her tone firm.
Xiao Yuhan nodded, held her hand tightly, and the two left the theater together, embarking on an unknown journey.
Following the address on the letter, they arrived at an unfamiliar theater troupe.
The buildings here are old and simple, but they look somewhat desolate, as if no one has taken care of them for a long time.
Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan entered the opera troupe, only to find that everyone inside was tall and arrogant, seemingly not taking them seriously at all.
"Madam Su, my master is waiting for you in the inner hall." A young man stepped forward, his tone tinged with coldness.
Xiao Yuhan said, "Young Master, please calm down. We came here to find out what's going on. Why get angry over the attitude of some petty people?" Su Yunlan's voice was gentle yet firm, revealing a calm and powerful strength.
Xiao Yuhan took a deep breath, nodded, and followed the man into the inner hall.
Inside the hall, a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes sat in the main seat, his eyes filled with arrogance and disdain as he looked Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan up and down.
"Madam Su, Young Master Xiao, your presence truly honors my humble abode." The man's tone was contemptuous, yet he could not conceal his disdain.
Su Yunlan smiled slightly, her gaze calm as still water.
"You have invited us here, sir. May I ask what brings you here?"
A hint of smugness flashed across the middle-aged man's face as he slowly said, "Madam Su, your recent reforms to the opera troupe have been a great success, truly remarkable. However, I would like to invite you to come and see for yourself what shortcomings our troupe has."
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Yunlan's gaze sharpened. She glanced around and had already made up her mind.
She smiled slightly, took a step forward, and said with an undeniable confidence, "Since you are so kind as to invite me to take a look, then please allow me to point them out one by one."
The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly. He was about to speak when Su Yunlan spoke first. Her voice echoed in the quiet inner hall, full of confidence and determination.
Su Yunlan's clear voice echoed in the inner hall, like a sharp scalpel, precisely dissecting the various flaws of this seemingly glamorous opera troupe.
"The set design is outdated and lacks originality. Audiences are already tired of it, but instead of innovating, they just rely on old ideas." Her slender fingers gently brushed over the props beside her, her tone calm but carrying an undeniable certainty.
"The actors' acting skills are mediocre. They can only imitate their predecessors, have no personal characteristics, and do not know how to resonate with the audience."
Her gaze swept over the previously arrogant members of the opera troupe, whose expressions grew increasingly unpleasant as Su Yunlan commented.
A layer of frost seemed to have solidified in the air, leaving only Su Yunlan's clear voice echoing.
"The script is clichéd, the plot is hollow, it only focuses on piling up fancy words, but ignores the core of the story and the expression of emotions." Su Yunlan's gaze finally fell on the middle-aged man, with a hint of mockery in her eyes.
“A theatrical troupe that loses innovation and vitality is like a walking corpse and will be eliminated by the times sooner or later.”
The middle-aged man's face turned ashen. He had originally thought that with his years of experience and connections, he would be able to suppress this young woman.
But to his utter surprise, Su Yunlan was so sharp, pointing out all the problems in their opera troupe.
Those famous actors he had hired at great expense also lowered their heads, their faces filled with shame and unease.
Standing beside Su Yunlan, Xiao Yuhan looked at her confident demeanor and felt a surge of pride.
He quietly clenched his fist, suppressing his inner excitement.
He knew that his Lan'er was so outstanding that she could shine brightly wherever she went.
Su Yunlan felt Xiao Yuhan's gaze, turned her head and smiled slightly at him.
Xiao Yuhan felt a warmth in his heart and unconsciously put his arm around her shoulder, giving her a solid and warm sense of support.
Su Yunlan leaned towards him; in this unfamiliar environment, only Xiao Yuhan's company made her feel safe and secure.
Seeing the two's intimate actions, the middle-aged man took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and forced a smile, saying, "Madam Su is indeed worthy of her reputation, her insights are unique and admirable. However, talk is cheap, so I wonder if Madam Su would do us the honor of giving our opera troupe some pointers, so that we can also witness Madam Su's true skills?"
Su Yunlan smiled slightly.
"If that's the case, then I'd rather be respectful than obey."
No sooner had the words been spoken than an old and gloomy voice came from behind the screen in the inner room: "Wait a moment. I wonder if Madam Su would be interested in making a deal with this old man?"
A hunched old man slowly emerged from behind the screen, leaning on a dragon-headed cane. His eyes were sinister, staring intently at Su Yunlan like a venomous snake.
He was the mastermind behind the opera troupe, known as "Mr. Ghost Hand".
“Madam Su, your opera troupe is currently enjoying great success, so I won’t beat around the bush. I want you to abandon your novel gimmicks and instead serve my troupe, helping me to revive its former glory.” Mr. Ghost Hand’s voice was hoarse and deep, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
Su Yunlan chuckled lightly, "Mr. Ghost Hand, you've got quite the cunning plan. My opera troupe is thriving now, why would I give up my career to come to your stagnant place?"
"Decrepit and listless?" Mr. Ghost Hand laughed angrily. "How dare you, a mere young girl, criticize my old opera troupe like that? Do you know that my troupe was once the most popular in the capital? Countless high-ranking officials and nobles have come to support us!"
Su Yunlan remained unmoved, her tone still calm.
"The past is the past, and the present is the present. Times are changing, and opera must change with them. If you cling to the glory of the past, you will only make yourself fall further and further behind." She pointed to the lifeless sets and props in the opera troupe, "Look at your opera troupe, with its outdated sets, outdated scripts, and uninnovative performances. How can you attract audiences? Audiences are discerning. They crave fresh, interesting, and relatable opera, not the same old tunes."
Mr. Ghost Hand's face grew increasingly grim. He hadn't expected Su Yunlan to be so disrespectful, exposing all the shortcomings of his opera troupe in front of so many people.
Su Yunlan continued, "You say you want to revive your former glory, but have you considered that your so-called glory has long been eliminated by the times? Instead of clinging to the past, you should look to the future and embrace new changes."
Xiao Yuhan stood silently beside Su Yunlan, watching her speak eloquently. He gently patted the back of Su Yunlan's hand, giving her silent encouragement.
Feeling Xiao Yuhan's support, Su Yunlan's resolve strengthened.
She turned to Mr. Ghost Hand and said, “Mr. Ghost Hand, I appreciate your kindness, but I will not give up my troupe. If you really want to revitalize your troupe, you might as well reflect on my words and perhaps find a new way out.”
After saying that, Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan turned and left, leaving Mr. Ghost Hand and his men standing there, their faces ashen.
Stepping out of the opera troupe, Su Yunlan took a deep breath, her heart filled with the joy of victory.
She linked arms with Xiao Yuhan, and the two walked side by side on their way home.
As night deepened, the surrounding streets gradually quieted down.
Suddenly, Su Yunlan sensed something was amiss. She stopped and whispered to Xiao Yuhan, "Wait..."