The old man pointed at Meng Jingyuan, “Grandson, hurry up, I’m serious.” “Grandpa, you can’t handle going up to perform!” Meng Jingyuan said, torn between laughter and tears. The old man said mysteriously, “I’ve asked the doctor. For a heavy sketch, I can still manage as the supporting role.” However, being a supporting role requires full concentration; otherwise, if the timing is off, the leading role’s lines would end up dropping. Seeing that the old man wasn’t joking, Meng Jingyuan stammered, “So… did you ask Jesse to measure your role… which program are you planning to perform…” He couldn’t understand why the old man would have such an idea. After all these years, even though he, as a grandson, had important performances, the old man never mentioned going on stage to support. “Why are you panicking? I told you I asked the doctor. Can I get too excited about going on stage? I’ve thought through all the roles.” Meng Jingyuan looked at Qi Shejiang and said, “Jesse, I’ll perform with you, do you welcome it?” Qi Shejiang was still a bit confused; he never expected he would be able to collaborate with his junior again.
Three parts of humor and seven parts of support, seniors supported juniors, and the skilled supported the less skilled. Now the roles would be reversed. “If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as you agree,” the old man said with a serious demeanor. “You can promote it as ‘this artist might say goodbye to the stage at any moment, don’t miss this limited spectacular viewing.’” Meng Jingyuan was about to cry, “Old man, can you please stop trying to be funny at this time?”
Chapter 38 The first solo performance by Qi Shejiang and Xu Siyu is about to open in the capital city, and they even invited the veteran of the crosstalk world, Old Man Meng, to perform alongside them. Once the performance information was made public, it immediately caused an uproar. Old Man Meng’s name is known by many Chinese people; he has left many classic works since his debut. He hasn’t appeared on stage for almost twenty years. His long-time partner has long passed away, and he himself is getting old and not in great health, leaving everyone to reminisce about his early recordings. Now, how big must Qi Shejiang’s or rather, his mentor’s reputation be, to actually invite the old man to perform? Even Old Man Meng joked about it; while he wouldn’t really be saying goodbye to the stage, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it “rare.”
It’s unlikely anyone else will have the face to have Old Man Meng on stage again in the future. Tickets for this show have skyrocketed in price among scalpers, leading them to think of many ways to curb ticket reselling. Whether it’s Qi Shejiang’s solo performance or Old Man Meng’s guest appearance, their intention was never to allow ticket prices to soar like this, making it so many of their fans wouldn’t be able to buy tickets and see the show. Old Man Meng is a genuine surprise; besides him, names like Mo Sheng, Qi Leyang, and Zhang Yue are all names people would expect. Since it’s his solo performance, some acquaintances in the industry also want to come to show support. Li Jing has reserved tickets for these friends and family, as this time the tickets are in high demand. As for the peers in the crosstalk community who want to attend, they are all coming for Old Man Meng. These arrangements will be done backstage, and they don’t need tickets.
Xia Yiwei took great pride in this; every day she could hear her chatting with people on WeChat about how her son’s tickets were selling, how big the venue was. Her first concert didn’t even have such a big venue. Xia Yiwei: “Let me tell you, my son is definitely going to be on the Spring Festival Gala every year, on overseas visits… What? You say foreigners might not understand crosstalk? My son can speak it in English!” After saying that, she turned to Qi Shejiang, “You can translate the sketches, right?” “…How can this be translated? Can you translate supporting and leading roles?” Qi Shejiang said helplessly. Never mind, it’s already been declared. Xia Yiwei just took it for granted. “I’m telling you, son, this little Zhang…” Qi Guangling, sitting beside her, who had been focused on his phone, suddenly spoke up, “Why does he ask me how I am on WeChat every day? Isn’t that too courteous? Are you that close?” Qi Shejiang: “……” Zhang Yue’s frequent greetings were overly warm, comparable to a salesperson, and finally even Qi Guangling found it strange. Xia Yiwei, being perceptive, immediately noticed something was off from his expression.
Her son had always been reserved; when had he ever shown such an expression? She quickly changed from her position curled up on the sofa to sitting up straight. Qi Shejiang: “Actually, during our time researching music together, we developed a deep bond…” Xia Yiwei, Qi Guangling: “?” Both of them were a bit dazed, seemingly unable to understand the deeper meaning of his words for a moment. Qi Shejiang calmly said, “It’s that kind of bond.” Qi Guangling stood up and said, “Finally! Finally! Son, you’re already this age, with so many people pursuing you, yet you haven’t been in a relationship. If you don’t say it now, I might suspect you’re asexual!”
He held Qi Shejiang’s hand and revealed his feelings, “I’m afraid your mom will think too much, so I don’t dare to say anything in front of her. A boy is just a boy; I think Xiao Zhang is a good person! I also trust your judgment!” Qi Shejiang was momentarily stunned at the sudden approval. At this time, it was Qi Shejiang who, feeling like he was in the entertainment industry and having grown up abroad, found the more open-minded Xia Yiwei stagger for a moment, saying, “No wonder he has been so attentive!
This kid has recently been sending me WeChat voice messages, singing for me and saying he wants my guidance; he’s clearly humiliating me! If he becomes part of our family, how will I ever get along with him?! Xia Yiwei waved her hands repeatedly. Upon careful consideration, it seemed that she had no objection to Qi Shejiang finding a male partner, but she had issues with Zhang Yue’s character… Qi Shejiang helplessly said, “Mom, Zhang Yue doesn’t mean that; it’s probably because you have preconceived notions, so whatever he says feels a bit sarcastic to you.” “No, no, no! Zhang Yue calls me Auntie, even Mom?” Xia Yiwei sat down, leaning back on the sofa, supporting her forehead, and said, “I still can’t accept it; this matter is too much of a blow for me… Why is it Zhang Yue…” Qi Shejiang: “…” Qi Guangling mouthed to Qi Shejiang: “Let your mom calm down.”
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the performance, which was a weekend. Most were young people who came to chat with fellow fans and see if they could catch a glimpse of Qi Shejiang entering. Qi Shejiang arrived at noon and had a final rehearsal with his partners in the backstage area. In preparation for the performance, Qi Shejiang had been getting ready for half a month, organizing the script and rehearsing.
On the crosstalk stage, it seemed lively and casual, but it required meticulous design and precise execution by the actors. Today, Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang would open for them, with Liu Qing and Liu Qing’s comedic partner performing in between. The headliners were the masters Meng Jingyuan and Zeng Wen.
Qi Shejiang and Xu Siyu had two performances lined up: the traditional crosstalk “Wang Qing Yu” and their newly created program “Selection of a Concubine,” themed around Qi Shejiang finding a partner. The two acts were set at the beginning and the end, while an old piece was scheduled in the middle, where the old master would replace Xu Siyu to pace the act for Qi Shejiang.
