This position of his, able to stay faithful to his wife without leaving her, it seems he is still a passionate person.
Chen Changrui said to Li Banfeng: "Bureau Chief Li, regarding the song just now, can I listen to it one more time?"
Does everyone like this piece so much?
It's fine to play it again, Li Banfeng particularly likes this piece as well.
Li Banfeng placed the needle back on the record, and after Chen Changrui listened, he asked: "Who is the singer of this song?"
"When I bought the record, the shopowner told me it was sung by the Singing Empress Jiang Mengting," Li Banfeng casually replied.
Chen Changrui remained silent for a long time, shaking his head slightly: "I worked in Puluo State for a while, at that time Ma Junyang was still Fifth Young Master Ma Family, just starting his business at Xiaoyao Lodge, and Jiang Mengting was among the first batch of star singers he promoted.
Jiang Mengting's voice is not like this, nor is her singing style. If the full score is one hundred, back then Jiang Mengting in my opinion could only get sixty points.
Just recently, I went to Greenwater City, and now Jiang Mengting should have joined the Sound Cultivator, her skills barely getting ninety points, certainly this is not her singing."
Chen Changrui is a Peeping Cultivation, not an Observer, he entered Peeping Cultivation in Puluo State, it sure is not easy to deceive him on this matter.
"This record was given to me by a friend, he said it was Jiang Mengting's, but it doesn't sound like her to me," Li Banfeng changed the subject: "What score do you think this record can get?"
Chen Changrui shook his head: "This can't be measured by scores, if I say five hundred points, it's still underselling it. This singing style, these singing skills, I heard only once in Puluo State."
"You heard it?" Li Banfeng frowned, mentally raising his guard.
Chen Changrui nodded and said: "When I was working in Greenwater City, I was introduced by Liao Zihui to meet a businesswoman named Cheng Xueying.
This person is an opera enthusiast, and I also like listening to opera, over time we became friends, we often went to Play Garden together, Bureau Chief Li, let me make it clear to you, we just enjoy listening to opera, and have no other relations."
Li Banfeng nodded: "I didn't say you had other relations, continue on."
Chen Changrui continued: "One day, she invited me to her place to listen to records, listening to records was quite fashionable in Puluo State at the time, but frankly, I wasn't fond of it.
We have lots of things to enjoy opera here, television, mobile phones, which have better sound quality than phonographs? Moreover, it's inappropriate for me as a man to go to a woman's place, we really didn't have any other relations."
"Who said you had relations?" Li Banfeng frowned, "Hurry up and continue."
"But Cheng Xueying kept insisting, it was hard for me to refuse, so I agreed. When I got to her place, I listened to 'Mu Guiying Takes Command,' and was stunned.
How could there be someone singing so well in this world? I listened once, and felt my half-life was lived in vain, I asked Cheng Xueying who sang it, she told me it was Yin Ling."
Li Banfeng asked: "Who is Yin Ling?"
"Yin Ling is a legend in Puluo State. It's said there was once a famous actor named Huang Yuxian, who debuted at the age of eight and became famous overnight in Puluo State, and stayed famous for twelve years.
By the age of twenty, mentioning actors in Puluo State was to speak of Huang Yuxian, only saying that the talents of actors nationwide combined couldn't match Yu Xian's craftsmanship.
Yet at the peak of her fame, Huang Yuxian suddenly vanished. Some say the opera lovers couldn't bear her being exposed and killed her, others say fellow performers envied her and harmed her. Various rumors, convincingly said, claimed Huang Yuxian was already dead.
A few years later, several records of Huang Yuxian emerged, all containing songs she never performed back when. It's strange, how could she release new plays having been dead for years?
At first people thought these records were fake, not sung by Huang Yuxian, but many who heard Huang Yuxian perform back then were still alive, and claimed these were indeed her singing sections, impossible for others to replicate.
Thus began the tales of Yin Ling, saying Huang Yuxian died with resentment, transformed into Yin Ling and continued singing in Puluo State. Those who truly understand opera, by chance, could hear her singing and receive her records.
Receiving the records, they must cherish them, as Yin Ling can protect them, but if not cherished, or even damaged, will face Yin Ling's wrath, ranging from illness to ruin."
Li Banfeng sat on the chair, speechless for a while.
Is it just a legend?
Simply because this person named Huang Yuxian's voice somewhat resembles his wife's?
Li Banfeng hadn't heard of the person named Cheng Xueying, he asked Chen Changrui: "Do you still have contact with this friend?"
Chen Changrui shook his head, sighed: "This issue, my fault, I truly liked that record too much. Proposed to Cheng Xueying to buy it at a high price, she refused, saying no money would make her sell it.
Then suggested if I could duplicate a copy, but Cheng Xueying still disagreed. I got mad, hadn't seen her for months.
After some time, I wanted to listen to the record again, even if she wouldn't give it, just another listen would be good. But with our relationship strained, I was thinking of how to mend it, yet an order came from above transferring me to Dark Star Bureau.
Arriving in Yuezhou, I still thought of that record, meanwhile inquiring about Cheng Xueying's news, a few years ago heard she climbed up to Lu Family, her business flourishing. I was genuinely happy for her and felt guilty for what happened then."