Chapter 282: 107 Xu En Meets Director Chen (Part Two)_1
 

“Xinjie…” Yan Lu looked through the car window at the large characters on the school gate.

The gate was very quaint, its archway having been renovated several times, yet the weight of history was still visible, topped by six gilded characters—

[Jiangjing Music Academy]

The best music academy in the country and even Asia.

But it was very strict in admitting students, and every year it would select students to go to the Royal Music Hall, with many nationally renowned teachers performing there.

In the entertainment industry, two celebrities who graduated from Jiangjing Music Academy had already attracted onlookers even before their debut.

The bright lights at the gate reflected a cold shine in Yan Lu’s eyes.

The lights were too glaring, making Yan Lu feel somewhat unreal in her daze.

The driver’s side window rolled down, and the boy picking them up greeted the gatekeeper with familiarity, “Yes, I’m from Dean Jian’s office, mmhmm, bye Uncle.”

The gate opened.

The boy drove the car in.

Finally, it stopped in front of an office building, and the rear door opened automatically.

Yan Lu and Xinjie stepped onto the ground, feeling light as if stepping on a cloud of cotton, the experience quite surreal.

This was Jiangjing Music Academy, a place they could not enter even in their next lifetime.

“Miss Yan Lu, I’ll take you to the recording studio,” the boy said with a smile to Yan Lu and the other, pressing the elevator button to take them to the third floor.

It was almost six o’clock.

The recording studio on the third floor had the lights on, with several people inside communicating.

From a distance, the boy saw Jian Zhongyou, who had his back to them, “Dean Jian! They have arrived!”

Jian Zhongyou was instructing the recording of drumbeats and a section of pipa and flute music. As for the sound of the guzheng, he recorded it himself. Hearing the voice, he turned his head to look at Yan Lu and the other, “Hello, I’m Jian Zhongyou.”

After briefly introducing himself, he directly said to Yan Lu, “You listen first, we’ll start recording in half an hour.”

He handed a recorder and a pair of headphones to Yan Lu.

Then he picked up his phone and sent a message to Bai Lian—

[They have arrived]

Coming back to her senses, Yan Lu put on the headphones and started to listen intently.

Xinjie stepped to the side, as Jiangjing Music Academy was too different from her circle, and she didn’t know Jian Zhongyou. She let out a breath and said to the boy who had picked them up, “I thought you were going to take us to Crown Recording Studio.”

Yes, once she knew the boy was a student at the Music Academy, she addressed him with respect.

“Crown Recording Studio?” The boy was stunned and then remembered, “Oh, Dean Jian has high requirements; that place’s equipment can’t keep up.”

“Who is Dean Jian?” Xinjie asked humbly.

“It’s Dean Jian…,” the boy glanced at Xinjie, surprised that the person Dean Jian asked him to pick up didn’t know him, “Dean Jian Zhongyou, if you go to our school’s official website, you’ll know.”

Xinjie wouldn’t dare to search Jiangjing Music Academy on normal days.

The school was the “Jiangjing University” of the art students. Pulling out her phone and searching for the school’s name, she clicked into the official website and saw the caption floating on top—

[Dean Jian Zhongyou’s Disciple Acceptance Ceremony Comes to a Close…]

She scrolled downwards.

Then she looked up blankly, her gaze falling on Yan Lu, who was interacting with a group of staff.

A suspicion quietly formed in her heart, this time…

Yan Lu might really become famous with just one song!

**

When Bai Lian received a message from Dean Jian, she was in the yard giving acupuncture to Lance.

“Oh, it’s truly miraculous!” Lance exclaimed with a head full of silver needles while talking to Bai Lian, “I didn’t wear glasses today, but I can see so much clearer than before.”

Bai Lian put away the extra silver needles.

Looking up at him, she spoke unhurriedly, “You would recover even faster if you didn’t talk.”

What?

Lance’s eyes widened; he had tremendous respect for Chinese medicine and didn’t doubt Bai Lian’s words. He even looked at her accusingly, as she had not told him these things earlier.

Ji Heng’s embroidery frame was still placed in the yard.

He himself was in the kitchen. Bai Lian went in to help him wash some vegetables, “Grandpa, have you considered setting up a stall in the east side of the city?”

Ji Heng would often set up a small stall, patronized by residents of Purest Street.

“East side of the city?” Ji Heng asked in surprise.

“They opened up a bus line there,” Bai Lian had a tentative idea, “In the future, there will be heavy foot traffic, and more people will see your embroidery work.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Heng fell silent, “I’ll think about it.”

Since the east side of the city was still under construction and large-scale malls along with the foundations for hotels in Yongfu Residential Area were just beginning, Bai Lian was not in a hurry.

She glanced at Ji Heng, feeling that he had deeper concerns.

But…

She couldn’t figure out what Ji Heng was worried about.

Bai Lian looked toward the warehouse in the yard, which stored a collection of exquisite fabrics.

Unable to understand, she returned to her room.

She hadn’t practiced her test papers today; instead, she turned on the light and carefully looked at the image Dean Jian had sent her again.

Jian Zhongyou had sent her an old, yellowed score with missing parts, some only half recorded. She plucked the strings of the guzheng, trying to fill in what was missing.

After completing the task, she wrote a new copy and sent it to Jian Zhongyou.

She also replied to Xinjie’s message.

Xinjie said that Yan Lu’s recording went very smoothly.

After dealing with all that, Bai Lian went out unhurriedly to remove the needles from Lance.

After taking them out, she sterilized the silver needles again.

Lance waited for Bai Lian to remove the silver needles from his head before complaining to Ji Heng, “She didn’t even tell me… Oops, wrong, I was supposed to drink this tea…”

**

The next day.

Early in the morning.

Xu En’s car arrived at the entrance of Purest Street.

“Is this the place?” The assistant looked at the intersection and then at the address on the file, “Mr. Xu, we’ve arrived.”

Xu En got out of the car holding a gift box.

Purest Street was rather old and although it had been renovated in several places recently, the environment still wasn’t great.

The assistant, visiting such a place for the first time, thought to himself that it was no wonder Ji Mulan had always made excuses not to come here.

“Mr. Xu, let me carry it.” The assistant parked the car and hurried forward to take the gift box from Xu En’s hand.

It contained tonics and tobacco that Xu En had brought over from Jiangjing.

“No need,” Xu En avoided his hand and looked up at an alley, “Is it here?”

The assistant wasn’t sure either, “Should we call the missus?”

Ji Mulan had a maintenance appointment today and would arrive later. Xu En knew that Bai Lian wouldn’t be at home in the morning, as she was going to the library to read and do homework, so he deliberately came over early in the morning.

For his first visit, how could Xu En not see Bai Lian?

Xu En, worried about not being able to see Bai Lian later, called Ji Mulan to ask.

After confirming it was this alley, he walked inside.

After some twists and turns, he finally reached Ji Heng’s house.

Checking the house number shown on his phone against the yard, and hearing the sound of a guzheng from inside, the assistant nodded and confirmed to Xu En, “Mr. Xu, this is the place.”

Knocking on the door, of course, was not something the assistant could take upon himself.

Xu En reached out to knock on the door.

The door was opened by Ji Heng, who looked groggy and was holding a towel. Seeing Xu En, he was very surprised.

“I came especially to see you today,” Xu En handed over the gift box, “With the wedding date approaching, I wanted to talk about the details of the wedding ceremony…”

Xu En said with a smile.

He and Ji Mulan were planning to get married at the end of the year, and that date was drawing close.

The wedding would be held in Jiangjing, and he wondered if Bai Lian would attend.

Ji Heng stepped aside to let him in, “We can discuss it slowly, no rush.”

After escorting Xu En inside, Assistant Xu En left, as he didn’t dare to involve himself in the boss’s family matters.

“Alian.” As Xu En entered with Ji Heng, he greeted Bai Lian.

Bai Lian was cleaning her guzheng with gauze. Hearing the voice, she turned her head slightly and lazily greeted back, “Morning.”

She showed no curiosity as to why he had come so early.

Ji Heng went to the bathroom to wash his face and gestured for Bai Lian to make tea for Xu En.

Bai Lian put down the gauze and brewed a cup of tea for Xu En.

Xu En hadn’t expected that Bai Lian would make tea for him. He quickly took it and remembered the matter at hand, “Will you come to Jiangjing at the end of the year? When I marry your mother.”

“The end of the year?” Bai Lian picked up the gauze again, remembering Jiang Fulai had mentioned a special training camp at the end of the year, and she said unhurriedly, “I might not have the time.”

Hearing her say that, Xu En was somewhat disappointed, “Okay.”

Bai Lian finished wiping down the guzheng and took it back to her room.

Xu En watched Bai Lian’s retreating figure and sighed, when his phone rang.

It was a call from Ren Qian.

Xu En picked up, quite surprised, “Mr. Ren?”

“Mr. Xu,” on the other end, Ren Qian chuckled, “Do you have time today?”

“No.” Xu En sat down on a stone bench under the banyan tree, lowered his head to gently blow on the tea in his cup and took a light sip.

Ren Qian wasn’t surprised and laughed like a sly fox, “That’s unfortunate, we’ve just welcomed Miss Yu. Are you sure you can’t make some time?”

Miss Yu?

Xu En was startled.

Someone from the Yu Family?

He knew Yu Hongyi had come to Xiangcheng, but Yu Hongyi and Mr. Chen were not the same; she wasn’t in charge of Xiangcheng’s affairs but was supposed to be responsible for Backter Street.

How had Ren Qian and his people managed to invite her?

If it were any other time, Xu En would certainly attend, but today he was there to see Ji Heng.

“Not in the morning,” Xu En pondered for a moment, “I might have time in the afternoon.”

Ren Qian had thought that by saying so, Xu En would surely come, but the latter still said he had no time.

Xu En hung up the phone, surprised and also quite taken aback.

Then, he felt regretful. Why did it have to be today?

As he was thinking.

The door that had been closed was knocked on again, “Uncle Ji, Uncle Ji!”

Who would visit so early?

Xu En just had a sip of tea and now put down his cup again to go and open the door.

Xu En opened the door casually.

Since the person outside had called for “Uncle Ji,” he thought it might be a neighbor of Ji Heng’s.

Until he opened the door.

Outside stood a middle-aged man in a black casual jacket, holding a fishing rod and a fish basket, with a beaming smile on his face.

Xu En was somewhat stunned: “Chen, Mr. Chen?”