"Shh... let’s not use these superstitious titles anymore."
Qiu Bai shook her head with a wry smile, "Who doesn’t know? It’s self-deception!"
"Okay, hurry and organize the Hope Field rehearsal! The New Year is almost upon us!"
"Alright, I’m aware! Currently, everyone is in place, but the piano performer’s mental quality is too poor. I’m worried they won’t be able to handle the pressure of the performance."
"What should we do then? It’s too late to find someone else now." Yang Wenying became anxious upon hearing this and paced back and forth in the office, finally having a flash of inspiration. "Didn’t you say Liu Yilan is very skilled now? Call her over."
"She won’t agree," Qiu Bai shook her head. She too hoped her niece could overcome her shadows, but her current state was still far from sufficient.
"Let Sheng Ning and the others try! Maybe it will work."
Qiu Bai’s eyes lit up, showing her agreement.
Shen Yu sat sprawled on his chair, a brand-new 25-inch black-and-white television set before him broadcasting political news. To his left, Jiang Shaobo nervously rubbed his hands, eagerly asking as soon as he hung up the phone, "Who were you calling? It was Yang Wenying, wasn’t it?"
"Exactly!" Shen Yu nodded, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the television screen, unmoving for a long time.
"Good job!" Jiang Shaobo exclaimed, waving his hands excitedly. "When did you start taking an interest in other Song and Dance Troupes? You used to only care about Qianjin."
Shen Yu barely moved the corners of his mouth, helplessly replying, "I was scolded by my mother when I went home last time." The only person aware of his affair with Bai Oulan was his mother. A mother knows her son best—he could hide from everyone else but not from her. It was negligence on his part; during Oulan’s last performance, he attended with his mother, and their exchanged glances gave it away.
Thinking of his mother’s scolding, Shen Yu’s eyes showed a trace of sternness, and he felt somewhat dissatisfied with Bai Oulan. The threshold of the Shen Family was not lower than that of the Meng Family, and no one in his family would agree to her joining. He was already bearing all the pressure by agreeing to marry her, yet she still disagreed.
Because of this, Shen Yu hadn’t visited Bai Oulan for a long time. He wanted her to understand that she was just an amusement to him, and she shouldn’t overestimate her own importance.
If it hadn’t been for his intention to retaliate against Meng Fan, he might not have pursued her at all.
"Hey... what are you thinking about?" Jiang Shaobo waved his hand in front of Shen Yu’s eyes continuously.
"Nothing!" Shen Yu suddenly snapped back to reality.
"I’ve noticed you seem preoccupied recently! Is the pressure too much?" Jiang Shaobo asked with concern. "All the people carrying out the mission have returned, why are you still so exhausted?"
Humph! Although the people carrying out the mission had returned, Xu Qigang hadn’t! That’s why the General Union and the authorities above were even more tense. Shen Yu’s eyes were filled with calculating venom. To prevent Jiang Shaobo from noticing, he stood up to pour some water, casually asking, "Which tea would you like?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴo(v)elFɪre.ɴet
"I’ll have the top-grade Da Hong Pao," Jiang Shaobo replied cheerfully. "I always knew you have the best tea here; even the President might not have as much as you."
Shen Yu skillfully took out the Da Hong Pao from the cabinet. "It’s all plundered from the old man. If you’re capable, go plunder some yourself!"
"I don’t have your kind of influence." Everyone knew that Shen Yu was the prospective President.