Translator: Google Translate

Editor: Sai Hiroto

Hearing the inquiry from the two Yao brothers, Cheng Lang cupped his hands with a very humble attitude, "It's time to laugh and show off in front of the master."

"That's hard to say for sure." Yao Liangjing said enthusiastically, "Whether it's just a one-of-a-kind show or whether it's surprising people, we have to watch the show before we decide."

"I have great confidence in you." Yao Liangsheng also said, "You are smart, articulate, and clever, and you are even more clever when you are playing tricks. The two of us are incomparable in this regard."

The two of them praised Cheng Lang and then invited him, "My master is sitting at another table right now. Do you want us to introduce him to you?"

"That's such an honor." Cheng Lang smiled brightly, changed the subject, and said, "But Master Yao will be performing on stage soon, right? It seems a bit rash for me to bother him at this time."

This is true.

The two Yao brothers looked at each other, smiled, also clasped their hands, and said, "It's because our senior brothers didn't think carefully. Let's wait until the performance is over."

After sending away the two Yao brothers, Assistant Hu said to Cheng Lang, "I don't know how the Qin family arranged it. If they put your program behind Master Yao, that would be ‘Lu Ban is holding a big axe in front of the door.’*”

[*Sai: "Showing off one's skills in front of Lu Ban" is a proverb, which means showing off one's skills in front of an expert.]

Cheng Lang smiled and said nothing.

Assistant Hu continued, "No matter what the arrangements were earlier, you have just offended the Qin family. If I were Qin Mi, I would definitely change the order of the performances to embarrass you."

As he spoke, the banquet suddenly became quiet. Master Yao and his old partner Xu Rujun appeared on the stage wearing a long coat.

As soon as Master Yao opened his mouth, there was a colorful birthday congratulatory poem. The words are sonorous, and the rhythm is steady. The two of them stood on the stage, talking to each other, singing, and harmonizing with great skill and proficiency. The jokes were also novel and interesting and quoted from classics, which made people couldn't help but marvel. He truly deserves to be a master-level figure.

After a crosstalk, the audience applauded. The old man clapped his hands with great satisfaction and praised, "Two masters have worked hard."

Master Yao is also very humble, "Being able to say cross-talk to the old man to wish him a happy birthday is because we are blessed by the old man. We are blessed with abundant blessings, and bless us with smooth sailing and success in the coming year."

This sounds nice to say. Old Man Qin suddenly smiled and became even happier.

"Master Yao is worthy of being a cross-talk talker. He speaks in a colorful manner, which makes people happy." Seeing this, Qin Mi couldn't wait to stand up. He first said a few good words to support the two masters. Then the conversation changed, and he looked at Qin Mu, who was sitting aside, "I heard that the eldest brother also brought White Jade Capital's pillars here today, saying that he wanted to do a cross-talk for Grandpa to celebrate his birthday. It's better to invite people in together. It doesn't matter if you say it well or not. The key is that the eldest brother's filial piety is rare.”

"Oh?" After hearing Qin Mi's words, Old Master Qin looked at Qin Mu and asked with interest, "Don't you think White Jade Capital's main actors always sing and dance? Have you changed it to cross talk?"

Before Qin Mu could reply, Mr. Zhao, who was sitting at another table, said with a smile, "This kid is special. Not only can he sing and dance, but he also talks interestingly."

Old Master Qin looked at Mr. Zhao and asked curiously, "Mr. Zhao also knows?"

"I am now a loyal fan of Cheng Lang." Mr. Zhao said, "But what Cheng Lang said is not an orthodox cross talk. It is just interesting, and everyone likes to listen."

"Are you good or not? If it's orthodox or not, Master Yao and Master Xu are right here. Let them listen and find out." Qin Mi looked at Mr. Zhao and asked with a half-smile, "Mr. Zhao cares so much; is it possible that this Cheng Lang is still your favorite?"

Mr. Zhao smiled when he heard this and said without any fuss, "Don't dare. Cheng Lang has great ambitions in White Jade Capital and wants to earn 100 million. I am a small profiteer, not as wealthy as the Qin family. I can’t afford such a role.”

Qin Mi sneered when he heard this, "I think he is crazy. He is not as good as an actor, but he still wants to earn 100 million—"

"Whether he can earn it or not depends on himself and whether I give him this opportunity." Qin Mu interrupted Qin Mi and said calmly, "It is a good thing for young people to have ideals and abilities and know how to make progress."

"That's right." Chu Suiyi said, "It's better than some people who pay for whatever they do and who only have a sigh of relief without raising their ambitions."

Qin Mi's expression changed, "Who are you talking about—"

"Okay." Old Master Qin interrupted Qin Mi and said with a kind smile, "Since he is the young man invited by Amu, let him say a few paragraphs. Whether it is good or not is one thing. If you are willing to join in, it’s fun; it’s all about my heart.”

Because of this sentence, Cheng Lang was invited to the stage.

Everyone was a little surprised when they saw Cheng Lang. They originally thought that since Cheng Lang was invited to talk about cross-talk, he must dress up like a cross-talk actor. As a result, an extremely handsome boy wearing a black suit walked in from outside. Looking in high spirits, he smiled before saying anything, looking at everyone with a bit of cynical affection.

For such a person to stand on stage and talk about cross talk, the contrast is quite big. Everyone immediately cheered up and prepared to hear what Cheng Lang had to say.

Cheng Lang stood on the stage and looked around. Everyone was looking at him.

Cheng Lang's face turned red, "I didn't expect that I would be arranged to talk cross-talk behind Master Yao and Master Xu."

Everyone looked at Cheng Lang with interest. They thought that Cheng Lang would humbly say a few words about "exercising his skills" and the like to show his modesty. Cheng Lang sighed and said resentfully, "I actually envy the two masters very much. When I saw the two masters talking about cross-talk on the stage, I reflected on myself down there."

Yao Qixian and Xu Rujun looked at each other and felt keenly that this boy was going to kill them both.

As expected, Cheng Lang touched his face in self-pity, "I thought at that time, these two old gentlemen are so old, but they are still in love when they stand on the stage. I am young and fall behind. To the point of being so alone, I don’t even have a single compliment.”

"Hey!" The audience heard this and subconsciously cheered.

Yao Qixian and Xu Rujun's eyes also lit up. This opening was a good one. Although there is no precious burden in it, the key is to adapt to the situation. Invisibly, the awkward atmosphere of comparing the two programs was resolved.

In fact, when it comes to the art of cross-talk, whether it is good or not is one thing. The key is to have an aura. What if Cheng Lang showed weakness when he first came up and admitted that he was not as good as others? Although it is reasonable, the aura has weakened. You can't be the first to overwhelm others. No matter how good the following is, it will make people unmotivated.

After all, those who love to listen to cross-talk tend to have a bit of a leverage mentality. If you admit defeat before you even try, then what's the point of your strength?

That's why the two masters said that Cheng Lang's opening was wonderful. It directly aroused people's interest.

Qin Mi naturally noticed the atmosphere at the banquet. He glanced at President Qin and sneered, "Your White Jade Capital's pillars are not very professional. Since you are here to celebrate the old man's birthday, why didn't you even prepare your partner in advance? Okay? Is this how you fooled the old man?"

Although Qin Mi was talking to Cheng Lang, he kept staring at Qin Mu from the corner of his eye. Every word contains insinuations, and everyone knows who they are targeting.

Qin Mu frowned, but before he spoke, Cheng Lang smiled shyly and said, "Before coming, our manager actually asked me if I had this need. I thought, if I find a temporary partner, let alone whether there is a tacit understanding, I will share half of the appearance fee with him. We don’t have much money in total, so I really can’t bear to part with it. So after much thought, I decided to do it alone.”

"Then just to save these two dollars, you listened to an unprofessional cross-talk for my grandpa?" Qin Mi sneered, "You are indeed the pillar raised by Qin Mu. He only recognizes money and not people!"

Cheng Lang looked at Qin Mi with a smile, "It's hard to say whether my cross-talk is professional or not. But you as a ‘grandson’ is..."

When Cheng Lang said this, he gave Qin Mi a thumbs up and said sincerely, "You are so professional."

The audience burst into laughter. Then he realized something was wrong, and his laughter stopped abruptly.

Qin Mi's face turned red with anger, and he roared at Cheng Lang, "What did you say?"

"You are filial." Cheng Lang clapped his hands and explained sincerely, "I praise you!"

"Are you praising someone?" Qin Mi was furious. Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Old Master Qin, "Let him speak."

Old Master Qin smiled and said, "I've never heard of this paragraph before. It's quite new."

When Old Master Qin spoke, Qin Mi would not dare not listen, even if he was angry. He could only look at Cheng Lang with an angry look, wishing he could skin Cheng Lang alive.

Cheng Lang still had that playful smile on his face, and he cupped his hands towards Old Master Qin and said, "Let me first introduce myself to the birthday boy. My name is Cheng Lang, and I am the new pillar of White Jade Capital. Everyone knows where our White Jade Capital is a famous entertainment venue in X city. Those who come in and out are all people with status and background. Therefore, we also welcome the rich people here. If you have time, you can visit our White Jade Capital more often. Just mention my name; if nothing else, I will give you a 20% discount on your drinks—”

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Zhao couldn't help but utter another question, "A 20% increase?"

"Ang!" Cheng Lang responded and said confidently, "I am White Jade Capital's pillar. When you order a pillar to drink and sing at the bar, you are not allowed to leave a tip!"

Everyone suddenly realized that the price of co-authorship increased by 20%. It makes sense.

Qin Mi sneered, "It seems that you, the mainstay, are not doing well. You even went to my grandfather's birthday banquet to buy and sell, and you are not afraid of embarrassing your White Jade Capital."

When the guests heard this, they frowned in unison. They all felt that Qin Mi’s anger was a bit heavy. On a happy day, why bother with someone who talks about cross-talk?

Cheng Lang glanced at Qin Mi, shook his head, and sighed, "This rich man's ideas are different from those of a rich man's grandson."

Qin Mi's expression changed, "Are you swearing again?"

Cheng Lang looked innocent, "How can this be called a curse? This is a sentiment from the bottom of my heart. I just think that this young master Qin has an upright temperament and a simple mind. His thoughts are also very simple."

Everyone looked at each other and smiled. It’s not that you are simple-minded! They were all so simple that Sima Zhao's heart was known to everyone on the road.

Old Master Qin frowned and said, "Go on. I see that your child is very articulate. I think you can say something different."

Cheng Lang responded and got back to the topic, "It was a dark and stormy night. Our leader at White Jade Capital came to me and gave me a very important task. It was said that a highly respected old man was going to celebrate his eightieth birthday. The old birthday boy loves listening to cross talk the most, and he wanted me to say something to him to express my feelings. "

"I was very surprised at the time. Because everyone knows that I, a pillar of White Jade Capital, usually make money by singing and chatting."

"Hey!" The guests in the audience started to cheer again.

Cheng Lang glanced casually, "What are you thinking about? Our White Jade Capital is a formal business place, and I am also a very simple pillar! I just drink and sing, nothing else!"

"Well, it doesn't work simply!" A voice echoed from the crowd, presumably another old customer of White Jade Capital.

Guests who didn't understand the joke started asking around. After they figured it out, they couldn't help but smile.

Cheng Lang continued, "I was reluctant to take this job from the beginning. But our manager said that I must take this job. Because this respected old birthday boy is the grandfather of our big boss."

When Cheng Lang said this, he glanced at Qin Mu and said with emotion, "Rich people are willful."

“People who don’t have money have to accept their fate.”

So Cheng Lang accepted his fate and came over to talk about cross talk.

"Before I came here, our boss specially made me such a set of clothes. He drove his Rolls-Royce Phantom to pick me up at the school gate. To be honest, this is the first time in my life that I have enjoyed this kind of treatment." Cheng Lang gestured, "The car drove out of X city and onto the winding mountain road. I sat in the car, watching the scenery outside as it went up and down the winding mountain road, and my mood was very up and down."

"That should be called anxiety." Xu Rujun listened with rapt attention and couldn't help but compliment Cheng Lang.

"What anxiety?" Cheng Lang looked at Xu Rujun with a blank expression.

Xu Rujun said, "Anxiety refers to a person's nervousness. A state of uncertainty and extreme uneasiness. You just said that your mood rises and falls with the scenery outside the winding mountain road. You should use the word "uneasy" to describe it."

"I'm not anxious!" Cheng Lang blinked, "I know what anxiety means. You have to take it to heart, go up and down several times, and be reluctant to let it go. That’s called anxiety. Take, for example, the behavior of Young Master Qin just now. It was uneasy. There is nothing that I can take to heart and think about over and over again. It's not enough to be described as uneasy. I just wanted to follow the scenery outside, casually walking up and down to take in the scenery.”

"Okay!" The guests in the audience couldn't help but applaud. This cleverness is full of burdens. Qin Mi's face became even more ugly. Qin Mu lowered his head and took a sip of tea, with an undetectable smile in his dark eyes.

Old Master Qin still had the kind and kind look on his face, and he grabbed a handful of peanuts with relish and ate them while listening.

Cheng Lang continued, "After arriving at the Qin Family Villa, my eyes were opened. I have never seen such a luxurious villa in my life. When I arrived at the door, there were so many people waiting to receive guests—"

Seeing this, Xu Rujun couldn't help but praise him again, "That's called welcoming guests."

"They almost all mean the same thing." Cheng Lang said, "This host is very enthusiastic. As soon as we met, he praised me for being young and promising. As long as I am obedient, work hard, and know what it means to suffer a loss, I will have a good future. "

"I'm very happy." Cheng Lang said with a smile, "I have always said this to fortune tellers I met before. Usually, at this time, I habitually take out two hundred yuan. But there is no need for it today because the person who said this today is the son of a rich man. The son of a rich man is also a rich man, so he must not be talking about my money. People really mean that. I feel that I will become a great person in the future.”

Third Uncle Qin's doughy face suddenly elongated, and he glanced at Cheng Lang calmly.

Cheng Lang smiled and cupped his hands, "Then I accept your good advice!"

Old Master Qin glanced at Third Uncle Qin and said with a smile, "It seems that my grandson here is not well-spoken. Did he make the young gentleman angry?"

"Old birthday boy, you are serious." Cheng Lang raised his hand to Old Master Qin again, "You are a man of high moral character and high prestige. As soon as I saw you, I felt very kind and close to you. To tell you the truth, I have been an orphan since I was a child. I had no father and no mother, so I grew up in an orphanage, so in my young mind, my imaginary father was like you."

Old Master Qin smiled when he heard this, "Oh? It seems that we two are quite destined?"

Cheng Lang said shamelessly, "If you, old man, are willing, you can actually cultivate fate."

Old Master Qin was amused. He had seen strong winds and waves in his life, and he could be said to have read countless people. But this is the first person like Cheng Lang who is so straightforward and shameless.

"How do you want to cultivate the fate between us?" Old Master Qin asked, "Do you recognize me as your father?"

"If the birthday boy has this intention, I won't spoil your interest on this special day." Cheng Lang said shamelessly, pretending to be shy, "It's up to you whether you want to be recognized as a father or not. I mainly want to experience what it's like to be a filial son and grandson to a rich man.”

These words were so cruel that Third Uncle Qin and Qin Mi exploded at the same time, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Third Uncle Qin knew that he couldn't talk to Cheng Lang, so he immediately attacked Qin Mu, "Is this how you wish the old man on his eightieth birthday?"

Qin Mu glanced at Cheng Lang with a deep look and immediately asked, "Do you want to be a filial son or a virtuous grandson?"

Cheng Lang looked at Qin Mu and suddenly realized that he almost lost it.

Being a father to a big boss is not something you can be sure of, so don't try it easily. Cheng Lang touched the non-existent cold sweat on his forehead, looked at Old Master Qin, and said very obediently, "It depends on what the old man thinks."

The author has something to say: 

Old Master Qin: I think you want to hang me because you think my life is too long!