Half a month passed in a flash.
Su Yu received a package.
Opening it, he found a ticket from the Opera Association.
The seating on the ticket indicated seat number 7, likely in the front row.
It was said that this Opera Festival would not only be broadcast by the official television channel but also live-streamed across all online platforms.
China had recently been rectifying issues with traffic stars and fan culture chaos.
Therefore, traditional culture like opera and ancient styles began to be promoted.
The resources allocated were naturally much more than before.
However, this was only compared to the past; the true impact would only be known after the live broadcast.
...
Recently, the occupants of Dorm 408 had completely turned over a new leaf.
They didn't even rest on weekends.
Zhang Yang rushed to his vocal training class early in the morning to practice his singing techniques.
Zhao De and Zhou Tao found a disco for the elderly and became resident performers there.
They went every evening.
They also went during the day on weekends.
It was said that in just over ten days, they had become friends with the middle-aged and elderly crowd.
Only Su Yu had nothing to do and was bored to death.
It seemed the company had some matters to attend to, as Zhao Yuan hadn't taken any new orders for him.
Regarding releasing songs, the song "Love That Will Never Be Out of Reach" was prepared for Zhang Yang to test the waters.
As for "Late Marriage," Su Yu hadn't found a suitable opportunity to release it.
He suddenly missed Gong Ju Ren.
When he was around, Su Yu never seemed to be bored.
However, Gong Ju Ren was currently participating in a program and wouldn't be back for a while.
"Director Zhao, are you free today?"
"Yes."
"I'll treat you to a meal."
"Okay, what are we eating?"
"Gong Shixiong's Hot Pot. Can you find our school's branch?"
"Mm."
After making the call, Su Yu walked out of the dorm.
The reason for choosing Gong Ju Ren's family's hot pot restaurant was simply because it was genuinely delicious.
It wasn't because he had accidentally won the koi lottery and received a year of free meals the last time he dined there.
As soon as Su Yu arrived at the hot pot restaurant's entrance,
Zhao Yuan's car pulled up.
"Let's go." Zhao Yuan parked her car and got out.
She looked a bit tired.
The two walked into the restaurant side by side.
The staff and the manager of the restaurant all gathered around.
"It's Brother Yu! Please come in!" The manager, a young girl with two adorable canine teeth, was very enthusiastic.
"Mm-hmm." Su Yu nodded.
The two followed the manager into a small private room.
This was a separate section of the hot pot restaurant, named the "Koi Seat."
It didn't require waiting in line and was a seat reserved only for those who had won the year of free meals as a koi.
And the koi, naturally, was Su Yu.
After ordering, the server left.
Seeing Zhao Yuan's slightly unwell expression, Su Yu asked, "Director Zhao, has the company been very busy lately?"
Zhao Yuan nodded, "A bit. Because something major happened at the company recently."
"What happened?"
"A company from Kyoto is planning to acquire Xinghui, so we've been having frequent meetings with the senior management," Zhao Yuan said, rubbing her temples.
"Acquire Xinghui? Who is it?"
"I don't know. I'm just preparing the meeting materials. Only the senior management knows the specifics."
"Then you won't be affected?"
Su Yu was a little worried.
He had willingly stayed at Xinghui precisely because he got along well with Zhao Yuan and she had taken very good care of him.
If Zhao Yuan left, then staying in the company would be meaningless for him.
"Probably not. I heard this is just an acquisition of senior management shares, and it won't affect the company's personnel."
"Essentially, we'll still be the same people, but the company will become a branch of the Kyoto-based entity. Chen Yong should be quite upset. Previously, he had good relations with the board of directors, allowing him to issue commands directly. His power now is significantly reduced. However, this is a good thing for me. When he disagrees with my proposals, I can report to the head office."
Zhao Yuan frowned when she mentioned Chen Yong, seemingly still angry with him.
Having worked together for so many years, she felt Chen Yong had lost his human touch. Although he was a capitalist, Zhao Yuan didn't like him.
"Given your personality, Chen Yong probably won't have an easy time..." Su Yu said with a smile, shaking his head.
"As long as he doesn't act up..."
They were talking when the hot pot was ready.
However, Zhao Yuan seemed preoccupied and didn't have much appetite.
They ate a little, and then left the hot pot restaurant.
As they were leaving, Su Yu's table, being the 132nd table of the day, won two cups of milk tea.
It was Su Yu's favorite matcha flavor.
Not bad, another energetic day.
...
At 7:30 PM.
Homes were lit up with lights.
The Opera Festival arrived as scheduled.
The vast venue was only half-full.
Most of the attendees were elderly people, and their eyes showed anticipation for the performances.
There were also some parents bringing their children to watch the excitement. Among them, some genuinely loved opera, while others were there because of school assignments that required children to learn about traditional culture.
There were also some young couples, but most of them were engrossed in each other. They were merely tired from shopping and looking for a place to rest. The ticket prices for the Opera Festival were not expensive, and it also provided an opportunity to show affection on social media, which was why they bought tickets to attend.
At the far end of the venue was a huge stage, adorned with four ancient-style round pillars, exuding a classic aura.
The stage was decorated with lanterns and red silk, adding a rich atmosphere to the scene.
However, compared to the sparse audience in front of the stage, the richly decorated stage appeared somewhat incongruous, giving a sense of desolation.
...
In a family home in the city center of Shuangqing.
A family was sitting on the sofa watching television after finishing dinner.
On the television, a talent show was being broadcast.
A group of young men were dancing to the music.
"Ling Ling, please change the channel for Grandpa. The Opera Festival is about to begin."
An elderly man with graying temples called out to his granddaughter, who was sitting beside him.
"No! Today is 'Dancing Feather,' and I want to watch Brother Zhu Yu dance!" The girl hugged the remote control.
"Ling Ling, listen to Grandpa," her father, sitting beside her, reprimanded.
"No, I've waited a whole week just to see Brother Zhu Yu!" The girl shook her head repeatedly.
As her father was about to scold her, the mother, sitting next to the girl, suddenly spoke, "Dad, why are you arguing with a child over the TV? You've listened to opera your whole life; missing one show won't hurt you."
After speaking, she also turned her gaze to the program on the television and watched with great interest.
The old man opened his mouth but finally shook his head and said nothing.
The girl's father also looked helpless. He got up and went into the bedroom. A moment later, he came out with a tablet computer.
"Dad, please watch this."
...
College dorm.
A group of students were gathered together, intensely playing a multiplayer game on their phones.
Finally, amidst cheers, they won the match.
"You guys play on, I'm not joining. The Opera Festival has started."
The slender young man returned to his bed after speaking.
"Keep going, just one more game to reach Star Diamond!"
"Quick, one more game!"
"What's so good about singing opera?"
His roommates expressed their dissatisfaction.
However, he smiled, didn't explain, and clicked on the live streaming platform.