“Are you kidding? Am I really singing badly?” Xia Yiwei was looking at a music chart, where her duet version with Qi Shejiang was dropping in rank.
In its place, fan-edited versions of Zhang and Qi’s duet rocketed upward, unstoppable.
As the original singer and another vocalist’s mother, Xia Yiwei felt very dissatisfied.
Qi Shejiang leaned over to look at her screen, asking seriously, “What’s this?”
“You’ve been training lately; you probably don’t know, someone edited your duet of “He Bi Xiang” with Zhang Yue together, and many people went to listen because of it,” Li Jing said, “Now it’s this segment of the ‘zidi shu’ singing that’s receiving quite a few good reviews.”
Qi Shejiang was unaware of this development, and surprisingly asked, “Are they listening for Zhang Yue or ‘zidi shu’?”
Li Jing explained, “Mainly for ‘zidi shu’, and then they like the whole song.”
People are quite curious about this genre that was lost and then resurfaced, perhaps also because you inherited it…”
He didn’t mention any mutual rebuttals or face-slapping dramas.
Qi Shejiang was extremely delighted. Opening the comment section, many comments mentioning “zidi shu” were noted, ranging from having never heard of “zidi shu” to finding it surprisingly good, expressing hopes for more and longer segments.
Great… Qi Shejiang watched for a long time until Xia Yiwei pulled her phone back. “Your dad is coming back. I told him to let you take a break, but he said not to disturb you. We’ll go watch you together later.”
Qi Dad was busy with an important project and hadn’t been home for over half a year.
He replied, and ideally, as a son, he should go greet him. But recently, he really had been very busy, training and preparing for his performance in the variety show.
After thinking it through, Qi Shejiang suddenly realized that he had naturally considered things from the perspective of “being a son.”
Qi Shejiang was sitting on the floor, massaging his legs. He had always known that his master’s disciple, Luo Xia, was sitting opposite him, and during their break, they chatted idly.
“Teacher Qi, you know everyone on the set is saying it’s interesting that you, with your skills in crosstalk and disciple’s book, are actually acting as a Bianxi performer,” Luo Xia’s disciple said with a smile.
This was a hot topic lately, and for the crew, such positive news was more beneficial than harmful. Mentioning Qi Shejiang would also highlight that he was currently in the “Yuan Yang Kou” crew.
Qi Shejiang chuckled lightly, “I guess it is a bit interesting. They all say that I’m a crosstalk performer, and now I’m playing Xiao Yinyue.”
Luo Xia’s disciple asked, “Aren’t you unhappy about it?”
Qi Shejiang replied, “Why should I be unhappy? This means they recognize me as a crosstalk performer.”
The other person burst into laughter. “Honestly, I truly admire you. Even we opera performers rarely practice the skill of ‘qiaogong’ nowadays; after all, times have changed, and this training is too painful for actors. Regardless of how those Lin Yang and others talk about you, you truly possess artistic integrity,” she said, showing Qi Shejiang a heart sign.
Qi Shejiang was confused—what does this mean? It must be a good thing, right? Staying on set, new knowledge was coming at him every day, and he couldn’t absorb it quickly enough!
He pretended to understand, modestly said, “Thank you, I’ll continue.”
When Xia Yiwei and Qi Shejiang’s father, Qi Guangling, arrived, they saw Qi Shejiang practicing on the stilts. From the window, they could clearly see Qi Shejiang covered in sweat, wearing just a long-sleeve shirt that was soaked through on the back.
Xia Yiwei knew that Qi Shejiang was practicing fundamental skills here, but in her mind, she imagined ordinary things, like standing still or doing somersaults; how could she know he was doing such a difficult project? Qi Shejiang didn’t tell her because he didn’t want to worry her.
“I said he walks so lightly, and he claimed it was because he was practicing stances,” Xia Yiwei clutched her husband’s sleeve, feeling very upset.
Qi Guangling felt both proud and heartbroken, “Stubborn since childhood.”
“Excuse me, are you looking for Teacher Jesse?” A voice came from nearby.
They turned around to see two young people in long robes.
Who would have thought that upon turning around, they would see Qi Shejiang’s parents? Qi Guangling did not know them, but Xia Yiwei recognized them.
Since Xia Yiwei was with Qi Guangling, his identity was clear.
Both of them panicked and quickly bowed, “Uh… uh…”
In an instant, they couldn’t find the right title to address them!
Qi Guangling smiled slightly and joked, “You call him Teacher Jesse? Shouldn’t you refer to us as your grandmasters?”
Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang were sweating profusely. “Well, Teacher Jesse has taught us a lot. We treat him with the respect of disciples… but we wouldn’t dare to call you grandmasters.”
Qi Guangling was originally joking, but he didn’t expect that their reference to “teacher” was indeed somewhat sincere.
At that moment, Qi Shejiang also noticed the commotion outside, walked out, greeted his parents first, “Dad, Mom, you’re here,” then nodded at the two young men.
“We should come back later, Teacher Jesse,” Mo Sheng said honestly.
“It’s alright; you’re his half-students. We just came to see Jesse. If you have anything to say, please do,” Xia Yiwei appeared very approachable, completely different from the image of a big star they had imagined, thinking it must be partly because of Teacher Jesse’s influence.
Qi Guangling glanced at the two young men’s reactions and said, “Yes, they are half-students; who knows, they might become full students in the future. Since we’re all friends, there’s no harm in chatting first.”
Qi Guangling casually said, “Oh, is that so?”
Looking again at Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang, their faces were flushed.
Qi Shejiang was taken aback and unexpectedly said, “You guys… wouldn’t…”
Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang exchanged glances and said, “Teacher Jesse, we’ve learned a lot from you in these past few days. We just want to say thank you very much. We truly admire you… and regard you as our teacher…”
By the end, they were somewhat incoherent.
Qi Shejiang could see their genuine feelings and pondered for a moment before saying, “No need to belittle yourselves; actually, you both have quite a bit of talent.”
What a twist! Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang had no intention of seeking out a teacher; they simply thought they should say something from the heart. Qi Shejiang’s attitude, however, surprised them with joy.
Mo Sheng felt like kneeling right there!
“But don’t rush.” Qi Shejiang raised his hand to stop the excited duo.
Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang were so stunned they looked as if they’d been hit by a pie, nodding their heads vigorously. “We’re willing, we’re willing!”
Qi Guangling and Xia Yiwei were surprised that they would witness the birth of the third generation while visiting their son. Xia Yiwei said, “Should we prepare a cup of tea then? Apprentices in the oral tradition should drink tea when they pay their respects to their master, right?”
Qi Guangling casually tossed out an unopened bottle of mineral water, saying, “Keep it simple!”
Mo Sheng caught the mineral water, “…………”
He truly was Teacher Jessie’s father, so carefree.
In that hallway, they exchanged glances and performed a deep bow, presenting the mineral water.
Qi Shejiang didn’t quibble, took the mineral water, opened it, and took a sip, laughing, “So sweet.”
Until they saw off their newly minted grandmaster, Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang were still in a daze, as if they were in a dream.
They became apprentices, really?
They actually have Teacher Jessie as their master!
