Chapter 140: Meeting Peach Baby

Meng Yanzhou was already sitting in the theater with someone else when he saw the message from Chen Rumeng, and a flicker of light crossed his eyes.

His first move was to inquire about who Shen Xian was. Upon learning that Shen Xian was close to Zhou Wan and that Zhou Wan was very likely interested in him, his mind immediately began to race.

"Is there any way to ensure Ning Cai never discovers the existence of these documents?" Meng Yanzhou asked.

Chen Rumeng was momentarily stunned. "But this concerns the survival of Ye Yuning’s career."

"The plan will proceed," Meng Yanzhou replied, "but what I mean is, I want to be the one to implement it myself."

Chen Rumeng was shocked.

"Rumeng, I have always felt you have a bright future. If you can manage this, I can recommend you for a position in the capital," Meng Yanzhou said. "Or, you could work as my assistant; the annual salary would certainly be higher than what you earn with Ning Cai."

Chen Rumeng suppressed the excitement in her heart. What did Brother Meng mean by this? Does he like me? It must be so; otherwise, why would he ask me to be his assistant?

Thinking of this, Chen Rumeng said, "There is a way. I can replace the documents with something irrelevant. Given Cai Cai’s personality, she won't bother to check them anyway."

"Thank you, Rumeng. You are a very likable person," Meng Yanzhou said.

Upon hearing this, Chen Rumeng stared at the words repeatedly, feeling her heart race. Taking advantage of the empty office, she swapped the files for a set of inconsequential documents.

In the theater, the Anhui Youth Opera Troupe was performing. Huangmei Opera, historically known as Huangmei Melody or Tea-Picking Opera, is one of the five major traditional Chinese opera forms, alongside Peking Opera, Yue Opera, Ping Opera, and Yu Opera. Known for its simple, fluid melodies and lyrical, expressive nature, Huangmei Opera is a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage.

The performances are characterized by a seamless blend of song and dance—unadorned, meticulous, vivid, and deeply rooted in everyday life. It is celebrated for its emotional depth and its fresh, natural, and graceful artistic style. This world possesses many well-known classic repertoires, such as "Cutting Grass for Pig Feed."

However, like all traditional operatic forms, its popularity is waning. Regional troupes, especially those at the county level, struggle to survive, relying heavily on social support and government subsidies. The primary issue is a shrinking audience; young people rarely watch, leaving the demographic mostly to the elderly. Furthermore, promotion has been ineffective—or perhaps, given the lack of appropriate opportunities, it has been impossible to promote effectively at all. At the grassroots level, the most common form of outreach is bringing the theater to the countryside, yet even there, audiences are sparse. At the municipal level, performances are held in grand theaters, but the high ticket prices—often costing several hundred yuan—deter many potential patrons.

Shen Xian had no interest in Huangmei Opera itself. However, he was deeply intrigued by a hybrid musical genre: Operatic Pop. As he had discovered after scouring the world's music, while there were plenty of national-style, pop, sentimental, jazz, and rap tracks, there were absolutely no songs incorporating traditional operatic singing techniques. His purpose in coming to the theater today was to observe the performances and find an opera actor to help popularize this style.

Operatic pop songs in this world required a professional to sing them. Among the singers Shen Xian currently knew, not one possessed the skill or foundation to master these techniques.

"Teacher Postman, have you arrived? I am the Huadan (the female lead role). I am on first, and I will come to find you as soon as I finish," Taozi Baobao said.

The Huadan role typically portrays lively, affectionate young women and requires equal mastery of singing and acting. The spoken parts use "Xiao Bai" (Anqing dialect), with a crisp, sweet tone. Performers often use props like silk handkerchiefs or fans, executing simple, graceful movements. The performance style did not differ from that of Earth, though the repertoire was different. Classics like "Birds on the Tree Form a Pair" or "The Female Imperial Son-in-Law" did not exist in this world, despite being masterpieces.

"Understood, I am already in the box," Shen Xian replied.

The theater featured private boxes located high up with excellent views. There were about thirty in total, though they were expensive and required advance booking. There were very few young people in the audience, mostly middle-aged and elderly individuals. Meng Yanzhou and his companions were there only due to the influence of their elders; the five major opera forms were popular in the capital, and people of Ning Zheng’s generation loved them. The elderly Mr. Zhou Yanshi was particularly obsessed.

Soon, the First Opera Troupe took the stage. The performance was the classic "Cutting Grass for Pig Feed," which tells the story of a rural boy and girl who have a conflict over damaged crops but resolve their misunderstanding through a singing contest. The acting was superb, but compared to the version on Earth, the singing contest lacked a certain spark.

Taozi Baobao finished her performance quickly. Because of the distance and her heavy stage makeup, Shen Xian could not see what she really looked like.

Before long, there was a knock at the door. Shen Xian went to open it and saw a tall woman with fair skin standing there. "Po... Postman-laoshi, hello... I am Taozi..."

The moment she saw Shen Xian, her face flushed crimson, and she lowered her head, too shy to speak. Shen Xian was truly surprised: an opera actress, and yet this timid?