Not The Sideburns I Know Chapter 7

Ryan entered the card room, followed closely by Ervin. Everyone in the room looked up at them, not understanding how the two talked-about people could get together. Lucas was particularly concerned, his eyes wandered around them twice without revealing a word. The eldest nephew of the Huang family gave Ryan a seat, saying with a smile that he won two decks and lost one. Ryan grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed them into his pocket to thank him, then asked someone to move a chair to the side for Ervin to sit next to. Seeing this, everyone stared at the two of them.

Ryan lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth, saying, "Boss Shang, do you want to play cards?"

Ervin said: "Not really."

Ryan said: "It doesn't matter if you don't know. Just help me pick one at random later."

When it was time to draw the cards, Ervin was still a little afraid. These people spent a lot of money, and the bet on a deck of cards was enough for him to sing for several months. If he drew the wrong card, what would he have to pay for it?

Ryan said: "It's okay. Just pick any one. I've lost so much, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Lucas also laughed and said, "Yes, Rui Ge'er, just pick one and let my brother-in-law die early and be reborn soon."

Ervin hesitated for a while, picked up a card and held it in his hand. Ryan opened his palm and took a look, and his face suddenly showed joy. He took out the card and threw it on the table, laughing: "40,000. Hu!" Then he grabbed Ervin's hand and shook it: "I think my luck is coming!" He hadn't tasted victory for too long, and he was as happy as a child.

Ervin thought to himself that no one dared to order me around when I sat next to you, and you were the only one who ordered me around. However, the cards he drew for Ryan turned out to be a winning hand in every game, even more so than when Chachaer was around. In the end, people at other tables stopped playing and came to see Mr. Cheng, whose luck had turned, and the new LuckStar. The poker players at the same table complained and denounced Ryan's cheating behavior of hiring outside help.

Ryan said with a smile: "Don't talk nonsense, this is the rule when playing cards with me. Otherwise, you can ask someone to draw the cards."

Others laughed and said, "How can we have the luck to have such a noble person to help us? How about Mr. Shang come over and sit down?"

Before Ervin could answer, Ryan pressed his hand firmly on the table: "No one is allowed to move! This is my man!"

This joke caused everyone to laugh, but only Lucas heard a different sign. He looked up at Ryan, and then at Ervin. Ervin met his gaze, and they nodded and smiled. Lucas was a very senior fan, and they were old acquaintances. When they were in Pingyang, Ervin and Nathan and Emily had a quarrel, but Ervin and his enemy Nathan's cousin were still very polite and friendly, which shows how good Lucas was at being a man.

Lucas waved to Ervin and said, "Brother Rui, why do you only help my brother-in-law and not me? We are old friends. Come to me. I will give you a commission."

Ryan looked at Lucas, and without saying anything, he took off his sapphire ring and put it on Ervin's hand to show off. Does it mean that you have money to give him, but I don't? Both he and Ervin are people who don't touch women's water, their fingers are slender and delicate. The ring was originally made for women, and it is just right to wear it on the ring finger. Ryan turned Ervin's hand over to show everyone, and smiled: "Hey? What do you think, does this look like a wedding ring?"

If someone else said this, Ervin would definitely feel frivolous and humiliated, but when Ryan said it, it was so funny. Everyone laughed again. Someone said, "If that's the case, Mr. Cheng has a lot of wives. Which lady here hasn't got Mr. Cheng's ring?"

After hearing this, many female guests secretly touched the rings on their hands.

Ervin sat beside Ryan for half the night, not saying much. He just smiled and listened to whatever they said, but people often came to talk to Ervin on the pretext of something. Although this group of people gossiped about him behind his back, they still treated Ervin like a movie star when they met. Everyone wanted to come and touch him - this rare thing that was popular for a while. They were such a group of boring people who regarded gossiping as a kind of entertainment. In fact, they had no bad intentions to hurt others. Ryan knew that there were also people talking about him behind his back, and it was no less than talking about Ervin. From Shanghai to Beijing, the young man had a lot of love debts, and the topics about him were also very exciting.

Ryan had just won two rounds of cards when Director Zhou of the Police Department came over with a cigarette in his mouth: "Boss Shang was sitting here, I was looking for you." As he spoke, he glanced at Ryan who was occupying the actor's seat, Ryan pretended not to notice. Ervin stood up to give Director Zhou his seat, but Director Zhou held him down, so it was natural for that hand to rest on his shoulder and not move away. Ryan glanced at the hidden romance with a look of disdain, and Director Zhou pretended not to notice. Director Zhou had been a local tyrant for more than ten years, and now he was repeatedly bullied by Commander Cao, the powerful dragon. The two sides failed to mediate and gradually became irreconcilable. Naturally, he was not polite to Commander Cao's brother-in-law.

"The jerk who disturbed your place a few days ago, I had him suffer a little, and he is still locked up. I plan to lock him up until Mr. Shang calms down, what do you think?" Director Zhou secretly used his fingers to knead Ervin's shoulders. Ervin seemed to be unaware, his expression and eyes did not move at all. Hearing this, he exclaimed, "Actually, this is no big deal. We are on stage acting, and we have experienced all kinds of scenes. Please release him quickly!"

"How can it be no big deal? The people below said it looked like a blood gourd when it was delivered. It was bleeding! What a disaster if we don't treat it!"

Ervin smiled and said, "That's it. How can we lock up the injured person again?"

Director Zhou stared at the top of Ryan's head and sneered, "Anyway, one of them has to be locked up. We can't lock up the one who beat others, so we can only lock up the one who got beaten." Ryan calmly touched a card and pretended not to hear. He thought that Ervin's reputation was probably ruined in this way. There were too many people who protected and praised him. Once he was offended in the slightest, those who were trying to please him would make a big deal out of it. But if such things were spread in the future, it would definitely be Ervin's fault for not being able to tolerate opinions and bullying others by taking advantage of his power. It's really hard to be a famous actor.

Ervin was not in a position to argue with Director Zhou, so he sat there silently without saying anything. Director Zhou rubbed him for a while and then walked away. Almost everyone present knew that Ervin had been splashed with boiling water two days ago, but they were too embarrassed to mention it in person, fearing that he would be embarrassed. Lucas knew that he was honest and simple, so he smiled and said, "Brother Rui, what is the reason this time? Is the tone not right? Or is the word wrong?"

Ervin thought for a long time: "There must be no problem with the tone. You have heard the tone I installed. It's probably the lyrics..."

"Who wrote the lyrics?"

Ervin said slowly: "Ah, that, I filled it out myself..."

Lucas choked and said, "Why not use Lei Xiaohai and the others?"

"They are not as good as Du Qi."

Lucas thought to himself that no matter how bad they are, they are still better than you. Ervin can't even recognize seven or eight characters. Isn't it nonsense for him to change the lines of the play? Being splashed with boiling water is still a good thing. Even if it is splashed with nitric acid, it is not unfair. In the minds of drama fans, "drama" is such a sacred and noble existence!

"I remember when you first came to Peking, you performed The Flower of the Imperial c0ncubine with Henry. The lyrics were written by Du Qi. They were so beautiful that I can still recite several lines by heart."

Someone else interrupted and said, "Why haven't you heard of this play?"

Lucas said with a smile: "Rui Ge'er and Henry created it, and it was only performed once in the Qi Wang Mansion in the past." He suggested to Ervin: "Rui Ge'er, why not invite Du Qi to come again to ensure that your lyrics are foolproof."

Someone asked: "Who is this Du Qi? Is he so amazing?"

Everyone laughed at him for not even recognizing Du Qi. Ryan listened for a long time and thought to himself, "I don't even know Du Qi. How can a person be so powerful that it would be a sin not to recognize him?" He asked Lucas, "Who is he?"

Lucas explained: "Speaking of Du Qi, he is quite a character. He is the nephew of Du Tanhua, Du Mingchong. Du Mingchong was ordered by the Empress Dowager Cixi to write new lyrics for the Southern Palace Opera Troupe. He drank two bottles of Zhuangyuan Red Wine, a 28-episode book, and wrote it in one stroke, which won the heart of the Empress Dowager! The Empress Dowager praised Du Tanhua as 'a song on the stage, a true artist', and comparable to Guan Hanqing! Du Qi is the nephew of Du Mingchong, who was taught by him with all his knowledge, so I won't talk about his ability! Rui Ge'er - I haven't seen the Seventh Master for a long time."

Ervin tilted his head and listened. He and Du Qi were very close friends, but he didn't know the details of what Lucas said: "Du Qi fell in love with a girl who sang opera and followed her to France."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone became excited.

"What nonsense! His family will definitely not agree!"

"When did it happen? We don't know!"

"What's the origin of that girl? Why did an opera singer go to France to do something?"

The people around him pushed Ervin anxiously to urge him to speak quickly, and Ervin leaned against Ryan. Ryan smelled the cold fragrance of the red plum on his lapel and smiled.

"One day Du Qi came to my house early in the morning and told me that he suddenly found Fan Aling's voice very beautiful and could be my supporting actress. He wanted to go to France to learn from her... I don't know much about the rest."

Everyone was still wondering when there was a female opera singer named Fan Aling with a beautiful voice in Peking. Ryan was the first to react. He said an English word to Ervin with a smile and asked him, "Is this what Du Qi said he was looking for?"

Ervin nodded: "Yes."

Then Lucas burst into laughter, and all the modern men and women present burst into laughter. Ervin guessed that he had said something wrong and was embarrassed, and blushed with shame. He whispered to Ryan: "What are you laughing at? What's wrong with Miss Fan?"

Ryan continued to laugh: "That's probably not a girl."

"What is it?"

Ryan thought about it, not knowing how to tell him. Ervin only had drama in his eyes and mind, and his mind had never returned to some dynasty. He was too behind the times, and he had never heard of those new and interesting things in the West.

"That..." Ryan suddenly had an idea and gestured, "That is a foreigner's huqin, but it is clamped around the neck and played."

"What kind of sound?"

"The music they played while dancing in the garden just now was played by Fan Aling."

Ervin recalled it, shook his head and said, "That's not good. The strings are too heavy, not bright at all, and can't support the voice." He sighed, "Du Qi made a wasted trip."

Ryan didn't understand the jargon he was talking about. He smiled at him and thought that this was really a fun and amusing little actor, and he was a little silly and dull. Ervin sat there for a long time with nothing to do. He watched Ryan playing cards and hummed and moaned like a cat in spring. Ryan listened carefully and found that he was singing an opera. He couldn't stop singing the songs. He also found that his hands were still making flower gestures under the table, just like the gesture that Yang Yuhuan picked flowers and sniffed when the imperial c0ncubine was drunk. It was only half an evening, and Ryan felt that Ervin was not as reserved and distant as before. Look at him now, he is sitting next to him and singing an opera happily!

Ryan picked up a card and was about to play it when Ervin suddenly shouted.

"Don't hit this!"

Ryan said: "Ah?"

Ervin said: "Don't hit this, hit that."

Ryan was skeptical and asked, "Boss Shang knows how to play cards?"

"I've been sitting here for half a day, so I'll watch it for a while."

"Can you learn it just by watching?"

Ervin heard that Ryan was doubting his judgment, and felt very embarrassed for a moment. In fact, he would never talk too much with others unless he was familiar with them. But somehow, he was so casual with Ryan after only meeting him twice, which was really embarrassing. Ervin mumbled a "yes", without explaining or distinguishing, smiling tenderly and speechless. Ryan looked at him and said, "It's better to listen to Boss Shang." Then he played the cards according to what Ervin said, and after a while, he won naturally.

"Boss Shang is really smart."

Ervin smiled at him.

Ryan played more than ten rounds in total, and had a belly full of cigarettes and tea. This time he really got up to relieve himself. As soon as he left, Ervin put down the play he was thinking about and hurried to follow. Lucas's eyes were always fixed on the two of them.

In the corridor, Ervin caught up with Ryan and walked beside him with his head down. Ryan smiled and thought: I asked him to follow me and he really didn't leave. This little actor is really obedient.

"Boss Shang, it's cold outside, please go in. I'll be back soon." After saying that, he went into the inner room to relieve himself.

Although Ryan promised to "come back soon", he was not in a hurry. After peeing, he joked with the little maid inside and smoked a cigarette before coming out. When he came out, Ervin was still waiting for him under the eaves! It was already early in the morning, and the weather was really cold. Under the shadow of the moon, Ervin looked like a layer of frost all over his body. The petals of the plum blossoms on the hairpin on his collar were red, hard and crisp, and really looked like a gem brooch.

Ryan sighed, "You are too honest! Didn't you tell me to go back and wait?" He pulled his arm and led him into the house.

Ervin said hesitantly: "Master Cheng, there is something that we should talk about alone."

Ryan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then tell me quickly. It's really cool in Beijing in autumn."

"It was the same day."

"Which day?"

"It was the day when the boiling water was poured on him... I know that man offended the Second Master, but he has been beaten and imprisoned, so let him go!"

Ryan, the person involved in the fight, didn't take it to heart, but unexpectedly Ervin still cared about it.

"Don't you mean to say that it depends on whether Boss Shang has calmed down?"

Ervin said helplessly: "I'm not angry! I've been singing for more than ten years, and I've encountered all kinds of things. Some people even threw bricks on the stage! There's no such rule to imprison someone for this."

Ryan said: "Even so, Boss Shang should go to discuss with Director Zhou. It is not my business whether to release him or not."

Ervin wanted to say that if Director Zhou started to fight, who would have a say? He smiled and said, "Director Zhou and I don't have much friendship, so he may not pay attention to me."

When Ryan heard this, it seemed as if Ervin and he were very close friends. But then he thought, no way, Director Zhou rubbed you so hard just now, so they must be close friends.

"Second Master, is it possible?"

Ryan thought for a while and said with a smile: "Okay. I'll ask someone to take care of it. It's not difficult."

Ervin thanked him and was about to leave, but Ryan stopped him: "Hey, Boss Shang, is this how you thank me?"

Ervin didn't know how to thank him. Ryan came forward, took off the plum blossom on his collar, and pinned it in the flower eye of the left collar of his suit. He looked into his eyes seriously and smiled, "This is how you thank me. Come in quickly!"

"Look at you --- because my brother-in-law is handsome --- look at the little red flower he is wearing."

Ryan was quite proud of himself.

The party ended at 1:30 in the morning. Mr. Huang was still in good spirits. He stood at the gate and watched the guests enter the car one by one. Ryan smelled the fragrance of plum blossoms and kept thinking about seeing Ervin off, but he couldn't find him in the blink of an eye. He asked Lucas, but Lucas tilted his head towards the gate without saying much. Ryan looked at Mr. Huang, who was smiling happily, and recalled Ervin's previous words that he would accompany him to the end. When the two sides connected, he felt a little surprised.

"Ervin... is he also doing this business? He is so famous, is there anything he cannot help himself? Is he short of money?"

Lucas said: "This has nothing to do with money. They are used to living like this - this is what actors do!"

Ryan had nothing to say. He took a deep sniff of the fragrance of the plum blossoms and then sighed deeply.