Xiao Fangran would mention Old Man Mei, which was expected by Gu Nanqiao, after all, her purpose had always been clear. But thinking that it was a matter for a while, and hearing it was another thing, even if it was a good mental construction, Gu Nanqiao couldn't help frowning.

"Mom, Spring Manyuan has developed very well in the past year or so, and it is no longer what it was back then, and the performance results and influence are there, are you a little too subjective?"

Gu Nanqiao took a deep breath and tried to restrain the displeasure in his tone within the scope of nonchalance.

"As for the priorities, of course I know in my heart, but I am a core member of the Spring Garden, so I have to be responsible for this troupe. Of course, the "Old Dream Project" must be well prepared, but such "preparation" must not harm the interests of the Spring Garden, nor can it be deliberately calculated against the members of the same troupe, as for what to do, you don't have to bother. ”

It seemed that he didn't expect Gu Nanqiao, who had always been stoic and silent, to raise objections at this moment, Xiao Fangran couldn't help but be slightly stunned, and his blurted out words with a pause.

However, this surprise lasted only a few seconds before it was quickly replaced by a disobedient rage.

Ms. Xiao is accustomed to her daughter's well-behaved and sensible, and has never delved into what this sensible represents, at this moment, of course, she will not reflect on what she has done wrong, and after coming back to her senses, she sneered with great disdain.

"What's the matter, you've been running this troupe for a long time, have you forgotten what your original intention was...... I asked you to use the spring garden as a help to earn status and fame in the circle, but I didn't let you be stupid enough to fall into it. What if this troupe develops well, what can it represent, well?—— let me tell you, this is just a platform for you, a springboard you must have, not your end, and it is normal to make trade-offs when necessary. Jojo, you've always reassured me, don't let me down this time, you know?"

Gu Nanqiao's lips touched up and down, and many words tossed between his lips and teeth, and they were swallowed alive.

She has never been a cowardly and unassertive person, and she has a lot of hesitation in the face of Xiao Fangran, but because of many things, she has not completely figured it out herself. The choice is easy to say, but it is the most difficult to do, especially when there are enough interests behind it to make people feel excited, and it is mixed with blood and family morality, which is even more embarrassing.

Gu Nanqiao has been working hard all these years, at first she was unwilling to prove something, and then she wanted to regain something under the spur of Xiao Fangran, but now this kind of emotion has gradually faded, and the reason why she is still working hard is probably just because of the ideal in her heart, because she wants to realize her ambitions.

To put it bluntly, behind the pressure given by Xiao Fangran, there is also a rather tempting side.

- That's the authority of the entire Mei family.

No Peking Opera performer who wants to reach the top can refuse the scenery and glory, whether it is the famous people who respond to the call all over the world, or the scenery on the stage, it is the best proof of ability and strength. Gu Nanqiao disdains to pretend to be reserved, because she has enough talent to support her, and she has the confidence that others can't reach, she has always faced up to her ambitions, and she also thinks that she should reach heights that others can't reach.

But it's hard to decide how far you want to be glorified.

Unlike her unscrupulous ex-boyfriend, Gu Nanqiao's ambition is hidden behind the unique nobility of an art worker, she longs for scenery and glory, and even more for universal recognition, not so much driven by efforts for money, fame and fortune, but rather that she hopes that her things will be seen by more people.

It is best that this kind of influence can break through the limitations of time and give some influence to future generations, even if it is just to throw bricks and stones, but also to leave proof of existence. And then in a few decades or even longer, when it comes to Peking Opera Tsing Yi Hua Dan, everyone can still think of the name "Gu Nanqiao", then all the efforts are meaningful, and she feels willing.

So in a sense, Gu Nanqiao and Shen You are completely different.

Shen You has reached his current height because he can let go of all his personal emotions and abandon everything that should be abandoned in order to achieve his goals. On the other hand, Gu Nanqiao has never been able to make up her mind, especially with the rapid development of her relationship with Su Yiyang, and the rapid development of the Spring Garden jointly managed, she has long been unable to be decisive, and her heart has softened unconsciously.

So at this moment, Gu Nanqiao didn't respond to Xiao Fangran's questioning.

Complex emotions are blocked between indifferent catharsis, there is no need to explain these hesitations to my mother, and I can't understand them at all, and there is only intermittent silence left on the phone. Xiao Fangran seemed to be driving, and when the two of them were not talking, they could hear the whistling wind, which made the breathing sound seem to be far away, with an inexplicable sense of alienation, and everything seemed unreal.

Perhaps feeling the flickering in Gu Nanqiao's attitude, Xiao Fangran's tone also sank: "Where are you, the performance in the spring garden should be over, are you in the old house?"

Gu Nanqiao suppressed the intricacies in his heart, and just responded in a nasal voice: "Hmm." ”

"Okay, put down what you're doing and wait for me at home. Xiao Fangran pondered for a moment, did not ask Gu Nanqiao what he meant, but directly gave a notice, "It's inconvenient to talk about the Mei family's affairs on the phone, I don't tell you a few words, presumably you don't know what you should do—I'll look for you later, I'll be there in about half an hour, you can prepare." ”

Then, before Gu Nanqiao could say anything, Xiao Fangran hung up the phone very simply.

Without the sound of saber-rattling words, the empty room suddenly fell silent, except for the sound of wind entering the hall, only a busy sound echoed in the phone.

This sudden phone call completely disturbed Gu Nanqiao's thoughts, and she began to think of many things uncontrollably. The things that were buried because he didn't contact his mother for a while became clear, along with the inside story of Xiao Fangran's departure from the old troupe and all the entanglements with the Mei family, were also re-entrenched in Gu Nanqiao's heart.

When she was a child, Xiao Fangran's sudden departure has always been Gu Nanqiao's heart disease, how many days and nights, she will feel unacceptable when she thinks of her mother's goodbye, but when she grows up, she realizes how naïve her thoughts are.

What is really difficult to accept is not Ms. Xiao's departure.

It was that she suddenly came back after many years and spread out the bloody facts in front of Gu Nanqiao, no matter what her daughter thought, she forced her to take the set path.

Equal communication or rational resistance is meaningless, and in the face of fate, many things are unreasonable.

***********

Gu Nanqiao still remembers the day she saw Xiao Fangran again, it was the day she finished the final exam of her freshman year of high school.

The winter of Xinguang City came surprisingly early that year, and the weather was much colder than before, only at the end of October it showed that there was no cold air in previous years, and the dead branches and fallen leaves made the whole city especially depressed, and the seasonal north wind seemed to have not stopped, and such a low temperature hardly showed any signs of warming, and it was cold until December, which was a few heavy snowfalls.

The day before Gu Nanqiao's final exam ended, he was catching up with a snow overnight.

The next day the whole city was covered in snow, the roads were a little muddy, and coarse salt foam that had been deliberately sprinkled to keep from obstructing traffic could be seen at the edges. Pure white snowflakes are stacked on the ground in layers, and when you step on them, they will not reach the soles of your shoes, and when the wheels of the car run over, they will sink into a shallow few centimeters, and then they will be stained with dust under repeated tossing and turning, and the snow will be dull and muddy, and it will be carried by the speeding wheels for a long distance.

Gu Nanqiao carried his schoolbag and sat in the last row of the bus.

The position by the window is the least crowded place in the whole car, the window opened a small gap, and the wind blew in, recalling now, she only remembers the thick layer of frost condensed on the window of the bus, the gray and white crystal clear with frost flowers, covering the city street scene outside the window hazy, as if everything has become less real, and even with the sense of hearing is more inexplicable trance.

Whether it is the shouting of street vendors or the chatting in the carriage, all of them come and go after staggering, and when they reach her ears, they become the background sound of the Peking Opera singing section played in her headphones. The sound of virtual and real conversation formed a certain chemical reaction, making Gu Nanqiao feel like he was in a full audience under the stage, and in the midst of the noise of people, the beautiful and tactful Tsing Yi singing voice was even more moving, and every word was tender and sweet.

That was when Gu Nanqiao was young, Xiao Fangran took her to practice the most "West Chamber".

There is still about half a stop from the station to the family building of the old troupe, although it is not very far, but it is difficult to cope in winter when the north wind is howling. Gu Nanqiao wrapped her hand around the collar, the tip of her nose was slightly red from the cold, and the cotton uniform on the outside of the school uniform was obviously not wind-resistant, and her slender figure was a little thin, as if she was going to melt in the vast snow.

The snowflakes that were rolled up by the wind fell on her eyelashes, and quickly turned into a thin layer of water vapor, and the howling north wind drilled along the collar towards the inside of the placket, Gu Nanqiao could only press the neckline with the palm of her hand, trying to resist the cold air seeping into the cracks of the bones, but this kind of heating method obviously had little effect, but it froze her little hands without gloves red.

Another cold wind blew, and a few snowflakes drifted by, but Gu Nanqiao didn't feel the expected cold air to his bones, but there was suddenly a trace of warmth around his neck.

It was a warm cashmere scarf, a low-key and elegant dark red, thick and delicate. The faint smell of perfume emanating from the scarf spreads in the wind, and the perfume with floral notes is sexy and charming, but it does not make people feel overly sweet, but inexplicably cold.

Looking down at the scarf that was obviously valuable, Gu Nanqiao was slightly stunned.

She said in her heart, not to mention that no one would come to pick her up on this road, this is the time when the spring is full of performances, Fan Lingchu is still too busy with the affairs of the opera troupe, how can he deliberately come out for a trip? Take 10,000 steps back, even if it is really Fan Lingchu who feels sorry for his little apprentice, and can't help but come out to greet her when the weather is cold, or the uncles and uncles of the family building of the old troupe happen to pass by and cover the little girl in the neighborhood with their hands, they will definitely not have such a scarf.

After all, although this object is small, the taste is obviously much higher than the consumption level nearby.

Gu Nanqiao felt a little surprised, and subconsciously wanted to see who this sudden kind-hearted person was, but before she could turn around, the other party took the first step to speak.

"On such a cold day, I don't know how to wear more, what to do if I catch a cold...... As a Peking Opera actor, the most important thing is to protect your throat, you can't smoke or drink, and cough and inflammation hurt your vocal cords the most - why, Master Zu rewarded you with this mouthful of food, but you don't know how to cherish it?"

The voice was cold and clear, tactful and moving, but there was an indissoluble alienation in between.

It's like she cares about Gu Nanqiao on the surface of her words, but there is no concern in her tone, but it seems to be preaching from above.

But....... None of these are the most important things.

Gu Nanqiao narrowed her eyes slightly, her attention was completely attracted by this voice.