I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 78 The Long-Awaited Figure

As dawn broke, Pei Ju left the Sword Hall.

Finding nothing only added to their confusion.

Perhaps this can't be considered a complete loss.

When he turned around, the morning light fell on him, just like it had been five years ago, because that same light had shone on him when he was fifteen.

The morning sun once shone on the shoulders of a young man.

He walked out of the alley and came to Qianmen Street. This was not a main street, but a row of small restaurants and breakfast and stir-fry stalls. Because they mostly served breakfast, they opened early.

The steam rising from the steamer also carried the steaming heat of various other foods.

Pei Ju stopped at a steamed bun shop at the intersection.

Lao Dao Baozi Shop.

This steamed bun shop not only sells steamed buns, but also spicy soup, which can be eaten together with the steamed buns. The business is very good.

He used to just buy two steamed buns at the door and leave, but today he went inside and ordered a basket of small steamed buns and a bowl of spicy soup.

Perhaps because his attire was somewhat unusual, the proprietress couldn't help but take a few more glances at him. She felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't quite place him. However, she had been selling steamed buns for many years and had seen far too many people.

Under the lamplight, Pei Ju used chopsticks to pick up a steamed bun and ate it with a soup spoon in his other hand. He ate slowly, and the number of people outside gradually increased until he was almost finished eating, when suddenly there were many more students.

One by one, students wearing school uniforms stopped their bicycles at Baozikou.

"Boss, two big steamed buns, put them in two bags."

"I'd like to add another vegetable bun."

"Boss, I'd like three packets of pickled vegetables."

"Boss, three meat buns."

Each high school student is full of youthful vigor, their childishness about to fade.

He sat there, eating silently and watching silently.

Youth always slips away when you least expect it; once you turn around, it's gone without a trace, and you can never get it back.

After he finished eating, he sat there and didn't leave immediately. Instead, he watched until the group of students had all left before getting up, paying, and leaving.

Back in the apartment complex, I took the elevator.

A woman in a white suit with a decorative blue scarf around her neck and brown-tinted glasses walked towards them. She was on the phone as she walked, and as she passed Pei Ju, she suddenly stopped and said into the phone, "I'll call you back later."

"Hello, please wait a moment."

Pei Ju stopped, turned around, and looked at the woman with some doubt. The woman quickly walked up to Pei Ju, tilted her head slightly, and said, "Hello, I'm from Zhongjin Film and Television. We think you are very suitable to be an artist. I wonder if you have considered this?"

Pei Ju shook his head, turned and left. The woman chased after him for a few steps and said, "Uh, let me introduce myself. I am Su Ling, the deputy general manager of Zhongjin Film and Television. I think you are very suitable to become an artist."

Pei Ju didn't stop and went straight into the elevator, and she followed him in.

Pei Ju pressed the elevator button and went upstairs. The other person followed. She took off her glasses and looked carefully at Pei Ju, then at the sword stuck in Pei Ju's back. She quickly assessed in her mind whether Pei Ju might be capable.

"Can we exchange contact information?" Su Ling casually took out her phone.

Pei Ju shook his head and said, "Sorry, I'm not an entertainer."

Su Ling took the opportunity to snap a picture of Pei Ju, catching him off guard and unable to dodge it.

Su Ling raised an eyebrow, seemingly annoyed by Pei Ju's rejection, and thus retaliated in a provocative manner.

Pei Ju turned away, ignoring her. A few seconds later, he arrived home, but she didn't follow him out.

After pressing the number one, she quickly started chatting in a group.

She posted a photo and said, "What do you guys think of this? He's at least 1.85 meters tall, with a well-proportioned figure, a cool and aloof demeanor, and a touch of melancholy. He's carrying a sword, so he seems to be a swordsmanship enthusiast. He's extremely suitable for historical romance dramas."

Does anyone know who he is?

In the agent group of Zhongjin Film and Television, no one answered at first. After a while, after everyone had reviewed the photos, someone said, "They look really good in the photos. They can sign with our company."

"very good."

"Seconded……"

But no one said they knew him.

"I didn't get their contact information," Su Ling said.

"President Su went to great lengths and still couldn't get his contact information? That's outrageous."

Just then, someone sent her a private message saying, "President Su, I found out that this person is supposedly a flute player in a stage play."

"Which drama troupe?" Su Ling asked.

"Lotus Theater, Legends of Heroes in the Martial World!"

"it is good."

……

Pei Ju returned to the house and sat on the balcony. She noticed her neighbor, who was also a theater director, sitting there drinking coffee. Upon seeing Pei Ju, she frowned and said, "Pei Ju, you didn't sleep at home last night. Where did you go?" "Outside."

"Outside? To a bar? Or on a date?" Chen Sheng asked quickly.

Pei Ju ignored him, simply sitting there, leaning back on the sofa, looking upwards.

When Chen Sheng saw Pei Ju's appearance, he seemed very tired, and she felt a little angry.

“Pei Ju, I know there are many temptations in this industry, but you must keep yourself clean. Your future is bright, and you absolutely cannot leave any stain on your life, understand? If you become famous one day, everything about you will be exposed, and it will take a lot of effort to clean it up.”

She talked for a while, but Pei Ju didn't answer. He silently got up, took a shower, and brushed his teeth. Pei Ju brushed his teeth while showering, dried himself off, put on his underwear, and went to bed.

On the balcony next door, Chen Sheng sat there, drinking coffee in large gulps. She felt that her breasts had grown larger and were bloated.

Pei Ju's performance videos and photos circulated in some circles.

In some groups, in some sharing forums.

Especially when several videos of him wearing a brass mask, with his hair down, playing the flute are put together, and the last beam of light shines on him, the desolate figure that seems to have stepped out of a martial arts story is amazing.

"This person has such a great presence and charisma."

"Ahhh, does anyone have a photo of him without a mask?"

"No, I want it like this. What if it doesn't look good with the mask on? Wouldn't that ruin it?"

"Tell the person upstairs, he's still very handsome even without the mask on; he has the natural face of an ancient costume drama actor."

His video of playing the flute went viral on major portal websites, which also made the play he played a hit.

Liu Yijia is currently filming a drama. She films during the day and night scenes. It's a drama in which she plays the female lead. In the drama, she plays a naive young lady who, after her family is destroyed, wanders the world and eventually becomes a female knight-errant.

Therefore, she was under a lot of pressure. It wasn't until yesterday, when filming wrapped up, that she had time to check her phone, read the news, and chat with friends.

She only has one friend outside the entertainment industry; almost all her other friends are from within it. However, she can't share everything with her friends in the industry, and there are some things she can only keep to herself.

For example, when people in the industry ask her who Pei Ju is, she never goes into details.

"Jiajia, you've finished filming. Let's go see a really popular play." This was a message from her friend Shi Nanfeng, who is not in the entertainment industry.

He was also her junior high school classmate. The two of them used to live nearby and often played together when they were young. After growing up, Liu Yijia entered the entertainment industry.

She entered another circle, or as she herself put it, she had one foot in the extraordinary world.

"A play? But I'm so tired, I'd better not watch it. I want to sleep for a few days first." Liu Yijia is still at the company. Although she is not very old, she already has junior sisters. At this moment, she is sitting there as the senior sister and role model, while several younger girls are being scolded in front of her.

As she looked at her phone, Shi Nanfeng sent her a video, and she put on her headphones.

"Take a look at this video. The sound of the xiao (vertical flute) is really beautiful, and the atmosphere is absolutely amazing."

Liu Yijia was sleepy, but she still clicked on it.

The moment I tapped it, darkness engulfed the phone screen, followed by a soaring melody of a flute.

Only the sound of a flute could be heard, but no one was seen. Only the curtains on the second floor were fluttering, occasionally letting in a ray of light, letting those watching the video know that the video contained content.

Liu Yijia's drowsiness immediately dissipated. In just a moment, she felt the sorrow in the sound of the flute, a sorrow that contained a stubbornness, a struggle against an unjust fate.

It's as if a person is struggling and fighting hard amidst a raging storm.

After that, the sound of the flute became low and melodious, like weeping and lamenting.

It's as if many people have died in their fate, and the living are grieving for them, speaking out against the injustices, remembering them, and sighing.

Then, in the final part, that sense of nostalgia, sigh, and sorrow suddenly transformed into a grand narrative. The sound of the flute became vast and distant, as if the flute player had suddenly realized that a hundred years of life is inherently lonely, just like the ocean and the desert, boundless, beautiful and vast, yet still lonely.

As Liu Yijia looked at the last person illuminated by the beam of light, her mind went blank, as if she had been electrocuted.

Some people, even if you haven't seen them for many years, can still be recognized at a glance if they appear in a crowd.

Even after many years, even without seeing their faces or seeing them wearing masks, you can still feel a long-lost sense of familiarity with some people.

Two tears suddenly streamed down her face, as if she were moved by the sound of the flute. Without wiping them away, she immediately replied to the message, "Do you have a ticket?"

"Yes, I have."

Which day?

"Tomorrow."

"where is it?"

"You want to go see the Lotus Theater?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you say you wanted to rest? Why do you suddenly want to go see it again?"

"The flute music is beautiful. I'd like to hear it live." After typing, Liu Yijia looked up and saw a row of people in front of her staring at her in surprise.

Her eyes were blurry with tears, yet she still managed a beautiful smile.

That was a genuine laugh.

(End of this chapter)