Chapter 7
They Finally Met
This mentor was Wen Yu. He was an artist and also older in age. The program crew had invited him to be one of the main judges of the show and he was more tolerant than Xi Nancheng of these young people. Meng Fu could be regarded as a major highlight of the show. The program crew knew far more rumors about her than what was spreading on the Internet.
In a talent show, there was actually a trainee who didn’t know how to read music. Nevertheless, Wen Yu’s impression of Meng Fu had changed slightly during the recent round of screening. He felt that she had great potential.
But now…
Wen Yu glanced at the words on the paper. The hand-written words were expressive and unrestrained, done with forceful touches and fine strokes. With only one glance, he could tell that it was written by someone knowledgeable. One’s character could be inferred from one’s hand-writing and this handwriting was extremely beautiful.
Wen Yu was adept at calligraphy and to him, Meng Fu’s handwriting put his to shame. Judging from her handwriting alone, Meng Fu was completely different from the short-sighted and poorly-educated image of her conceived after watching her in the show.
Wen Yu felt strange and puzzled.
“Mentor Wen?” Xi Nancheng’s mind had been occupied with the task of grooming Ye Shuning. It was only after he reached the doorstep that he realized that Wen Yu hadn’t caught up with him.
Wen Yu reluctantly retracted his gaze from the paper. He took two steps forward and said with surprise, “I just found out that Meng Fu’s handwriting is very beautiful. Go and take a look.”
“Handwriting?” Xi Nancheng glanced at the table and laughed. “Mentor Wen, maybe you should take a look at Ye Shuning’s handwriting. She won the second prize in calligraphy but has never mentioned it during the program. You’ll understand after you look at her handwriting.”
The entire show was now focused on boosting Ye Shuning’s popularity and ensuring that she had consistent screen time.
After hearing Xi Nancheng’s words, Wen Yu paused and said, “Nancheng, you are too prejudiced against Meng Fu.”
Xi Nancheng smiled but did not explain. “Mentor Wen, I have to attend to something else.”
Everyone was practicing dancing and she was the only one writing. Xi Nancheng was used to those kinds of cheap tricks in showbiz.
Xi Nancheng had an appointment with the director to discuss getting a personal mentor for Ye Shuning. He thus bid farewell to Wen Yu and left without even glancing at the paper on the table.
**
In the restroom.
Meng Fu leaned against the door. She plugged the earphones into her ears with one hand and turned on the faucet with the other hand to wash away the faint black marks on her hands. “Sister Zhao?”
Zhao Fan was the one who had called her.
“Find some time to come out this evening. Six o’clock.” Zhao Fan spoke very softly. She was seemingly still in the office. “Brother Su is back. Remember, you must not be late.”
Meng Fu leaned on the sink and began to wash her hands slowly. “Is there something important? I still have to rehearse tonight.”
She knew that the Brother Su whom Zhao Fan was referring to was her assistant. To be precise, he was only called “Assistant Yun” by the female journalist and Zhao Fan. Meng Fu had followed the female journalist for a month but had only ever seen him once.
Of course, Meng Fu could not understand why Zhao Fan, a dignified manager, had to address an assistant as “Brother Su.”
“You have been wanting to find a music teacher, right? I spoke to Brother Su a few days ago and requested him to find one for you. He’s back today and I believe he has found you one.” Zhao Fan covered the receiver of the phone and said, “Don’t forget. I’ll come and fetch you at five o’clock in the afternoon.”
Zhao Fan then hung up. Meng Fu took a piece of tissue from the side of the basin and wiped her hands dry. She then went to look for Tang Ze to apply for leave. Although Tang Ze was a little surprised, he did not make things difficult for her.
Meng Fu’s status was a little unique on the show. The rest of the trainees, including Ye Shuning, had never left the program crew during their training period. The only exception was Meng Fu, who would come and go as she wished. She was also rarely present during the past few training sessions. Even the director had silently acquiesced to this behavior.
Tang Ze sometimes suspected that Meng Fu had a powerful backer. At this moment, Xi Nancheng came by and happened to see Meng Fu leaving Tang Ze’s office.
“Why did she look for Mentor Tang?” Xi Nancheng glanced at Meng Fu as she walked away and asked the crew.
The crew member paused for a moment. “It seems like she is applying for leave…”
Xi Nancheng simply raised his hand and said lightly, “Let’s not talk about her.”
**
At the same time. T City.
A restaurant on an old street was filled with the aroma of tea. On the second floor near the window, an old man was sitting in a chair and playing the erhu [1. Erhu is a Chinese two-stringed musical instrument held in the lap and played with a bow.] very elegantly. A girl next to him was singing softly. Together, they created an illusion that they were from another world.
As soon as she reached the second floor, Zhao Fan looked around and inquired with the service staff. After confirming the location of the private room, she knocked on a door. Very soon, the words “come in” were heard from the inside of the room. Zhao Fan cast a hinting glance at Meng Fu and immediately pushed open the door and went in.
The private room was not big. It smelled like burning sandalwood inside. The wisps of sandalwood fragrance calmed Zhao Fan’s nervous heart slightly. Meng Fu kept playing with her phone and she wore a languid expression on her face. Smelling the fragrance of the sandalwood, she could not help but look up. She immediately noticed the man standing by the window.
The man was clad in a clean-cut, white sweater. He had a graceful posture and was very elegant and fresh-looking.
“Brother Su,” Zhao Fan said in a low voice.
Su Cheng turned around and Meng Fu saw that he was holding a teacup in his hand. His chiseled hand seemed to reflect the green teacup he was holding, making his hand appear even more translucent and slender, akin to a piece of cold jade. He put down the teacup, looked up slightly, and his facial profile became blurry under the light. “Please take a seat. The person will arrive soon.”
His voice was calm, akin to that of a continuous flow of a clear stream in a star-studded, cold night.
Meng Fu dragged a chair and sat down, rubbing her ears. His voice was very pleasant-sounding. Just as she sat down, Someone knocked on the door outside.
Zhao Fan stood up immediately, “It must be the teacher!”
She went to open the door immediately.
A middle-aged man was outside the door and he followed Zhao Fan in. “Excuse me, are you the Mr. Su that Old Chen spoke about?”
“Hello.” Su Cheng paused slightly at Meng Fu’s face. He took a brief glance at the middle-aged man and gestured at the service staff to serve a new pot of tea. “Did Old Chen mention why I’m looking for you?”
The middle-aged man nodded. As Su Cheng poured a fresh cup of tea, Zhao Fan tactfully took the initiative to explain Meng Fu’s situation to the middle-aged man.
“Are you talking about her?” The middle-aged man then understood the situation and he turned his gaze towards Meng Fu.
Zhao Fan nodded. “Yes. What do you think, Teacher?”
The middle-aged man frowned. He glanced at Meng Fu and contemplated for a long time. He then shook his head. “Sorry, I just accepted a student this afternoon.”
If this were in the past, he would not easily reject someone introduced by Old Chen.
But things were different this time. Xi Nancheng was the one who introduced him to the student he met this afternoon. When Zhao Fan explained to him, she had also told him that Meng Fu didn’t know much about music theory. He almost suspected that Zhao Fan was trying to create trouble. It was a no-brainer decision to pass over Meng Fu.