Soon, the two arrived at a large hall.

This hall is very retro, making you feel like you've stepped back into the last century.

The dark red walls, the polished solid wood handrails, and the fist-sized crystal beads on the old-fashioned chandeliers with a little dust on them—the overall interior lighting is soft and dim, unlike the glaringly bright lighting of a new theater filled with high-tech modern style. Instead, it has a quiet sense of ceremony.

Even the ceiling still retains early Western-style relief patterns, and although the edges are somewhat mottled, it only adds to its cultural heritage.

In the very center of the hall, there were rows of neatly arranged dark red velvet chairs. The stage in front of it was wide and square, with a heavy curtain hanging down. On both sides of the curtain, staff members were constantly walking by with scripts and costumes. The large space was filled with the occasional whispers of people, but it did not feel chaotic.

"This is our largest performance hall."

Yang Heng pointed to the spot in front of him, a rare hint of pride on his face: "This place has hosted hundreds of high-ranking national leaders, welcomed diplomatic missions, art delegations, and heads of state from nearly a hundred countries around the world, and has hosted hundreds of important national performances. It is our oldest art palace, carrying countless years of history and national sentiments..."

He then led Xiao He forward, finally pointing to the very center of the room and saying, “That leader and his wife once sat here to watch my master’s performance and personally presented him with an honorary certificate! My master was also among the first batch of first-class actors after the professional title reform.”

Xiao He opened his eyes wide, feeling a rare sense of unreality at being so close to the deeds of a great man of the past.

At that moment, they were so close, yet so far apart.

Yet, in a daze, he could still hear the thunderous applause around him and the vibrant music unique to that era, as if he were also there, becoming one of those receiving honors and bearing witness to history...

In an instant, a surge of heroic spirit and lofty ambition can well up in one's heart.

No wonder people say that you should visit these places more often; you might just gain some insight into something.

Although Xiao He did not feel that his abilities had increased in any substantial way, after going around with Yang Heng, his mindset seemed to be better and his horizons broadened.

Even Xiao He was pondering whether the future Emperor Chen would have a different kind of complex feeling if he were to witness this prosperous era—could this be the “enlightenment in the theater”?

Goodness, that makes a lot of sense; he felt as if he had undergone a spiritual transformation.

However, the next moment, another voice came—

"Oh, I'm sorry, there's a performance in the lobby later, so you can't visit today."

Xiao He and Yang Heng turned their heads at the same time and saw Li Jian, whom they had just encountered.

It turned out that Li Jian was preparing to bring his students in for a visit, but they were stopped by the staff here.

Unexpectedly, when they turned their heads, their eyes met again from a distance.

Li Jian didn't mind coming in and out, but he regretted not bringing his students in to take a look and tell them about the glorious things that had happened here with his teachers.

But those regrets instantly turned into resentment after seeing Xiao He and Yang Heng.

"Then how did they get inside?"

He asked in a very unpleasant tone.

The staff, not knowing who Li Jian was referring to, turned around in confusion and met Yang Heng's gaze.

"Eh? Chief Yang is naturally different."

Although this staff member hadn't been working here long, he still recognized Yang Heng, and Xiao He, who was next to Yang Heng, was even more remarkable—he was a big star!

It's perfectly acceptable for the CEO and ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) his celebrity friends to come and stroll through this lobby, as long as it doesn't interfere with their work.

But the staff member didn't realize that his words were like a direct hit to Li Jian's lungs. Li Jian instantly raised his voice, his anger flaring up: "Is the chief different? Does the chief have special privileges? Does that mean the big star next to him also enjoys such privileges? So we ordinary students are not worthy of entering here for a visit?"

His voice was loud, making it particularly noticeable in the spacious hall. Even the other staff members at the front desk, who were busy moving around, kept looking back, wanting to know what was going on.

Li Jian's words also caused the students behind him to whisper among themselves:

"Is it really okay to say that? There are only two of them. It's not good for so many of us to go in..."

"Something feels off."

"Teacher Li is so strange..."

"Shh, maybe Teacher Li is just trying to fight for our rights! We can't say that about him."

"Yeah, yeah, they've already come all this way, and they've all gone in to visit, so why can't we? Does having special privileges make you superior?"

The students didn't understand that Li Jian was using their "rights" to vent his emotions. Only Yang Heng, who saw through everything, was annoyed and scoffed with his arms crossed: "Tsk, worrying about nothing."

Xiao He felt embarrassed to stay any longer, so he suggested to Yang Heng, "Why don't we go out first? If this Teacher Li continues to argue at the door, it will only affect the preparations ahead."

“That’s true.” Yang Heng glanced at the person in front of him, sighed softly, and then apologized to Xiao He in a low voice: “I’m sorry, I really didn’t expect to run into him today.”

This place holds special significance, and teachers from several nearby colleges often bring students here for visits, so Yang Heng naturally doesn't take them seriously.

Yang Heng felt somewhat helpless about his senior brother, who was always jealous of him and vented his resentment on Xiao He.

Today, I originally wanted to befriend Xiao He and take a short stroll around the theater, but I never expected such a mess to happen.

"Alright, stop arguing here."

Yang Heng walked impatiently to the door and said, "Xiao He and I came in without any intention of staying long or causing any trouble. It's not convenient for you to bring a group of students in."

"Besides, we didn't say that this place couldn't be visited. It's just that their group occupied the hall first today, so naturally we have to prioritize their work. If you want to visit, you can come in next time."

"Also, if you have any objections to me bringing people in directly, you can file a complaint against me or tell the teacher."

Li Jian was immediately rendered speechless by Yang Heng's words.

Xiao He didn't say anything, but just watched the commotion from the sidelines.

He knew that he had been implicated by Yang Heng this time.

But it doesn't matter, he's happy to see people like that frustrated.

But the next moment, he was called out again.

"I'm sorry, there were some unexpected issues during this tour, and we weren't able to take you all on a complete tour of the National Theatre..."

As Li Jian spoke, he looked at Xiao He and said, "How about this? Many of our students are fans of Teacher Xiao. I wonder if we could invite Teacher Xiao and Chief Yang to the practice room next door to give our students a lesson? It won't take too long, just half an hour. We can share some of your acting tips and insights with them. Is that alright?"

"Huh? Giving a lecture?"

Xiao He was somewhat surprised, not expecting Li Jian to extend an invitation to him.

Please, do you know how expensive my appearance fee is these days?!

However, seeing the students who were punished and made to write self-criticisms because of him, Xiao He hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse. Instead, he looked at Yang Heng with a questioning expression.

Yang Heng clicked his tongue impatiently again.