Chapter 169: Time Never Heals Everything

After Aunt Mo walked out of the backstage area, members of the other troupes began to murmur among themselves.

"In my opinion, there really was no need for Huangmei Opera to take the stage at all."

"Indeed. After developing for so many years, it's still living off its past glory and can't even produce a single classic repertoire."

"True. If you think about it carefully, does Huangmei Opera even have any classic representative works?"

Hearing these conversations, Peach Baby felt indignant, yet she was powerless to refute them.

Because what they were saying was the truth.

Shen Xian gently spoke up, "Stay true to yourself, don't be swayed by others, and vindicate Huangmei Opera. I believe you can do it."

"No matter how others slander or look down upon you, at least there is still me believing in you."

Shen Xian felt full of positive energy, having successfully encouraged a lost young girl once again.

For Peach Baby, however, this wave of emotional value was off the charts.

Peach Baby nodded heavily, looking at Shen Xian with a tenderness filling her almond-shaped eyes: "Shen Xian, you're so kind."

On the second floor of the hotel, Aunt Mo took out her phone and made a call: "Where are you? Come to the second floor."

Within just a few minutes, a handsome and dashing middle-aged man walked up to the second floor.

It turned out to be Zhou Xingjian!

"Alright, just stand by the door," Aunt Mo said indifferently. "Any closer and it won't look appropriate."

Zhou Xingjian looked at Mo Wei and slowly said, "Long time no see."

Mo Wei said, "Our performance was cut. Personally, I don't mind, but the rest of the troupe practiced so hard and traveled thousands of miles to the capital. Over a dozen days of effort have gone down the drain. As the troupe leader, I need to take responsibility."

Zhou Xingjian replied, "I just heard about this matter and was actually planning to look for you."

"All these years, I've never asked you for anything. Let this be the first condition I raise: this performance cannot be cut." Mo Wei looked into Zhou Xingjian's eyes.

This was the man who had cost her half her life.

For this man, she had suffered countless sleepless nights of internal conflict. Later, to heal from the wounds inflicted by this romance, she went to teach in various remote areas.

Now, seeing his face once again, the obsession in her heart had long since faded.

Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps for other indescribable reasons, Zhou Xingjian nodded: "Alright, leave this to me!"

"Thank you." With that, Mo Wei turned to head down the stairs.

Zhou Xingjian suddenly called out, "Have you been well all these years?"

Mo Wei looked back and cast a sarcastic glance at Zhou Xingjian: "Mr. Zhou, don't you think asking that shows a complete lack of boundaries? You have a family and a household, yet now you're showing concern for an outsider. What is that supposed to mean?"

All the words Zhou Xingjian had prepared instantly stuck in his throat.

Scenes from the past surfaced in his mind.

"Have you... let it go?" Zhou Xingjian asked.

"Time never heals everything, but it does make the things you once cared about most no longer important," Mo Wei said faintly, walking past Zhou Xingjian.

The morning sun fell upon them, illuminating Mo Wei's face and Zhou Xingjian's back.

The light sliced across the two of them, dividing them into two parallel lines that would never intersect.

"Tell Elder Zhou that this performance will definitely be eye-catching. I believe in the young people in our troupe," Mo Wei said.

Zhou Xingjian nodded: "Alright."

"Thank you." Mo Wei said "thank you" once more, turned around, and disappeared at the top of the stairwell.

Zhou Xingjian watched the direction of her departure, his eyes flickering. Finally, he took out his phone and first called his wife: "Honey, let me tell you something. Mo Wei just looked for me and talked about the performance."

"Mhm, I heard. Handle it however you see fit; I trust you." When Zhou Wan's mother received the call, her heart was remarkably calm.

Although Zhou Xingjian had been full of romantic idealism in his youth, after marriage he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to his family.

She could understand Zhou Xingjian.

To Zhou Xingjian, Mo Wei was the white moonlight, the ultimate regret, and the ideal of his youth.

As for herself, she represented the mundane and the reality of life.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xingjian went to find Zhou Yanshi.

Zhou Yanshi lifted his eyelids and looked at Zhou Xingjian: "I know what you want to say, but there's not enough time."

Zhou Xingjian said, "Then compress the performance time of each troupe by a minute and a half, and reallocate it to Huangmei Opera."

"What if the Huangmei Opera performance isn't good?" Zhou Yanshi asked.

Zhou Xingjian replied, "Good or not, let this be the final opportunity for the Huangmei Opera Troupe, and also... my compensation."

Zhou Yanshi remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh: "Alright."

He had also been quite fond of Mo Wei.

However, Mo Wei lacked a prestigious family background; she had simply walked out of the deep mountains.

In contrast, Zhou Wan's mother came from a scholarly family.

Without the help of Zhou Wan's mother, Zhou Xingjian would never have reached his current position.

Romanticism, solemn vows, and sweet words would eventually be ground into dust by the wheels of reality.

"I'll go talk to Ning Zheng," Zhou Xingjian said.

Zhou Yanshi closed his eyes and nodded: "Make sure the other troupes are pacified as well."

Zhou Xingjian first sought out Ning Zheng and explained the situation.

Ning Zheng said, "No need to say more. Decide for yourself; I trust you."

This was the tacit understanding between good friends who had grown up together.

"You certainly wronged Mo Wei, so I understand you stepping up." Ning Zheng patted Zhou Xingjian on the shoulder.

In terms of rank, the two of them were equal.

Yet in terms of actual authority, there was a vast chasm between their positions.

The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles fell entirely under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture.

Zhou Xingjian breathed a sigh of relief and then walked toward the backstage area.

Seeing Zhou Xingjian enter, everyone stood up and greeted him politely.

Mo Wei was talking with Shen Xian, and seeing Zhou Xingjian approach, she stood up as well.

From this, it was evident that she had indeed let go of Zhou Xingjian; her attitude toward him was no different from her attitude toward anyone else, showing no special treatment.

"I'd like to inform everyone that due to the temporary addition of a stage play, the performance time for each troupe will be shortened by a minute and a half—that's ninety seconds. I know this will disrupt everyone's rhythm, but I hope for your understanding." After saying this, Zhou Xingjian's gaze fell on Mo Wei, and then shifted to Shen Xian and Peach Baby.

Mo Wei probably wanted to promote these two young people, right?

As soon as Zhou Xingjian spoke, the expressions of quite a few people changed.

The duration of each performance was strictly regulated. Cutting ninety seconds from their time meant they would either have to speed up their delivery or even cut out a small portion of the plot.

This would ruin the rhythm of the script!

Yet no one dared to dispute Zhou Xingjian's words, and everyone had no choice but to swallow their resentment and accept it.

After Zhou Xingjian left, everyone glared angrily at Shen Xian and his group.

"What the hell? They were clearly cut already, yet they used their past ties with Mr. Zhou to forcibly demand a slot, cutting our time instead. Have they no shame?"

"Huangmei Opera is at the very bottom anyway, and whether you take the stage or not makes no difference. Why cut our time?!"

"If you ask me, taking the fifteen thousand yuan hardship allowance and going back to sleep would have been better. Why make such a fuss over nothing?!"

"I'd like to see what kind of miracles you can actually sing!"

No one dared to vent their anger on Zhou Xingjian, but they certainly dared to direct it at Shen Xian and Peach Baby.