Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Soon, the two arrived at a grand hall.

This hall was incredibly retro, instantly transporting one back to the last century. Dark red wall paneling, polished solid wood handrails gleaming with age, fist-sized crystal beads on old-fashioned chandeliers clinging to specks of dust, and an overall soft, yellowish interior light that was a far cry from the glaring brightness of a modern, high-tech theater, instead offering a quiet sense of ritual.

Even the ceiling bore early Western-style relief patterns, their corners slightly mottled, yet only adding to the sense of history.

In the very center of the hall, rows of neatly arranged crimson velvet seats stretched forward. The stage ahead was wide and square, with heavy curtains draping down. On either side of the curtains, staff members hurried past clutching scripts and costumes. The vast space hummed with the occasional murmur of voices, but it wasn’t chaotic.

”This is our largest performance hall here.”

Yang Heng pointed to the seats in front of him, a rare hint of pride on his face. ”This hall has hosted hundreds of top national leaders, welcomed diplomatic delegations, art troupes, and heads of state from nearly a hundred countries, and held several hundred major national performances. It’s our most historic venue, an artistic hall imbued with countless years and deep national sentiment...”

He then led Xiao He further in, finally pointing to the very center seat at the front. Turning his head, he said, ”That leader and his wife once sat right there to watch my master perform. They personally presented my master with an honorary certificate! And my master was also among the first batch of First-Class Actors after the title reform.”

Xiao He’s eyes widened. There was an unreal feeling to being this close to the legendary deeds of the past. For a moment, they felt so near, yet so far.

And yet, in a daze, he could almost hear the thunderous applause around him and the vibrant, spirited music unique to that era, as if at that very moment, he was standing in that time, becoming one of those who received honors and carried history...

In an instant, a surge of heroic passion and ambition swelled in his chest.No wonder they said people should visit places like this more often; perhaps they could gain some sort of insight. Though Xiao He didn’t feel any substantial increase in his abilities, after walking around with Yang Heng, his mindset seemed to improve, and his horizons broadened.

He even started to wonder if Emperor Chen, should fate ever allow him to see this prosperous age, would feel a similarly complex mix of emotions—was this what ”finding enlightenment at the theater” meant?

Wow! There was some logic to it. He felt like he’d been elevated somehow.

But the next moment, another voice rang out—

”Hey, sorry, but there’s a performance in this hall soon. You can’t visit today.”

Xiao He and Yang Heng both turned their heads and saw Li Jian, whom they’d encountered earlier.

It turned out Li Jian was planning to bring his students in for a tour, but the staff had stopped him.

To their surprise, as they turned, their gazes crossed the hall again.

Li Jian hadn’t really minded not being able to go in, just disappointed he couldn’t show his students around and recount the glorious stories he and his master had experienced there.

But that disappointment instantly turned into indignation when he saw Xiao He and Yang Heng.

”Then what are they doing inside?”

He asked in a very unpleasant tone.

The staff member didn’t yet know who Li Jian was referring to and turned around in confusion, only to meet Yang Heng’s gaze.

”Huh? Chief Yang is naturally different.”

Even though this staff member hadn’t been working here long, he still recognized Yang Heng. And Xiao He, beside him, was even more extraordinary—a huge celebrity! A chief performer and his celebrity friend touring this hall, as long as it didn’t disrupt their work, was something they could easily turn a blind eye to.

But what the staff member didn’t know was that his words seemed to jab Li Jian right in the lungs. Li Jian’s voice shot up, his anger flaring. ”So a chief performer is different? A chief performer gets privileges? And that big star beside him gets the same privilege, huh? So us ordinary students aren’t worthy of visiting this place?”

His voice was loud, echoing conspicuously in the vast hall. Even others bustling about in the front area kept glancing back, trying to figure out what was happening.

Li Jian’s words also stirred murmurs among the students behind him:

”Is it really okay to say that? There’s only two of them. If all of us go in, it’ll definitely be inconvenient...”

”Something feels off about this.”

”Teacher Li is acting really weird...”

”Shh, maybe Teacher Li is just trying to fight for our rights! We shouldn’t talk about him like that.”

”Yeah, yeah, since we’re here anyway, and they got to go in, why can’t we? Is having privileges that big a deal?”

The students didn’t yet understand that Li Jian was using their ”rights” to vent his own emotions. Yang Heng, who saw right through it all, grew irritated. He crossed his arms and snorted softly, ”Tsk. A fool creating his own trouble.”

Xiao He, feeling embarrassed to stay inside any longer, suggested to Yang Heng, ”Maybe we should just head out? If Teacher Li keeps making a scene at the door, it’ll disrupt the preparations up front.”

”You’re right.” Yang Heng swept a glance at the front, let out a soft sigh, and apologized quietly to Xiao He, ”Sorry, I really didn’t expect to run into him today.”

This place held special significance. Teachers from nearby academies often brought students here for visits, so Yang Heng normally wouldn’t have paid them any mind.

But dealing with a senior brother who had always harbored jealousy toward him and now vented his frustration onto Xiao He as well, Yang Heng found it truly exasperating. He had originally hoped to build a good rapport with Xiao He and casually show him around the theater, never imagining it would stir up such a mess.

”Alright, stop arguing here.”

Yang Heng walked to the door with clear impatience and said, ”Xiao He and I came in just the two of us, with no intention of staying long and without causing any disturbance. You bringing a whole group of students in is naturally less convenient.”

”And we never said this place couldn’t be visited. It’s just that their troupe has taken over the hall today, so work comes first. If you want to visit, you can come in another time.”

”Also, if you have a problem with me bringing people in directly, feel free to file a complaint against me, or go tattle to the teacher.”

Li Jian was left choking on Yang Heng’s words, unable to retort.

Xiao He stayed quiet, simply enjoying the show. He knew he’d been caught in the crossfire this time because of Yang Heng. But that was fine—he enjoyed watching people like this stew in their own frustration.

Yet the next moment, he was called out again.

”I’m very sorry that this visit had an unexpected hitch and I couldn’t finish showing everyone around the National Theater...”

Li Jian said, then turned to look at Xiao He. ”How about this—many of our students are fans of Teacher Xiao. Would it be possible to invite Teacher Xiao and Chief Yang to the practice room next door to give my students a lecture? It doesn’t need to be long, just half an hour. You could share some performance tips and insights. Would that be possible?”

”Huh? A lecture?”

Xiao He was surprised. He hadn’t expected Li Jian to make such an invitation.

Come on, do you have any idea how expensive my appearance fee is now?!

But looking at the students who had been punished with writing self-criticisms because of him, Xiao He paused for a moment. He didn’t outright refuse. Instead, he turned to Yang Heng, a questioning look on his face.

Yang Heng let out another impatient, soft grunt.