He pondered for a moment before saying, “When I was living in country Y, I learned from an elderly Chinese gentleman I met by chance. The teacher’s family had been in country Y for several generations, had no children, and has now passed away. He taught me almost the entire Xicheng style, and I can perform about a hundred pieces.”

Henry Carter is half Y-national, and often goes to stay there for a while. Samuel Parker was also taken back and forth since childhood. With this explanation, separated by an ocean, it’s hard to verify. If pressed for more details, he could just say he doesn’t know much. Not only with Benjamin Reed, but also with Henry Carter, the story would hold up.

As expected, Benjamin Reed only sighed with emotion: “So that’s how it is. Everyone thought the disciple books were lost, but who would have thought there were still hidden gems overseas!”

……

They had only exchanged a few words here when Henry Carter also came down from the stage. She was different from Samuel Parker; Benjamin Reed’s face was a regular sight backstage at major galas, so she recognized him immediately.

Henry Carter was also surprised to see Benjamin Reed here, but when she saw the old man chatting with her son, she hurried forward and said anxiously, “Hello, Master Liu. Jesse, did you find Master Liu? Do you really want to do crosstalk?”

Samuel Parker looked completely baffled. He didn’t even know Benjamin Reed; it was only when Henry Carter said this that he realized Benjamin Reed must be in the same profession.

Now it was Benjamin Reed’s turn to be surprised. He had come for the disciple books, but who would have thought Henry Carter would bring up crosstalk? This young man actually wanted to perform crosstalk?

“How rare! Young people these days hardly even listen to crosstalk, and someone as handsome as you actually wants to learn it?” Benjamin Reed looked at Samuel Parker, chuckling.

His grandson Little Reed couldn’t hold back either. “Him doing crosstalk—isn’t that a joke? No, I don’t mean you’re a joke, I mean, isn’t this like a comedy sketch?”

Knowing that Samuel Parker had real skills, Little Reed’s attitude naturally changed, with a bit of embarrassment from being proven wrong.

Samuel Parker said honestly, “Not learning, performing. My teacher was skilled in two arts, and also taught me crosstalk, but I never formally became a disciple. My teacher’s thinking was different from those in China, and I don’t even know his generation ranking.”

“Two arts” and “formal disciple” are insider terms; the former means learning more than one art, the latter refers to formally apprenticing. Once he said this, it was clear he was in the business.

A formal apprenticeship requires stating your lineage and generation. But he had entered the field eighty years ago; at Benjamin Reed’s age, he’d probably be a generation or two below him. He couldn’t make up a story—unlike the disciple books, which are mostly lost, crosstalk lineages are still traceable, and any fabrication would be exposed.

So, Samuel Parker simply played dumb, preferring to be seen as someone without a formal background—if he distanced himself too much, it might arouse suspicion, but as long as he didn’t reveal anything, it was fine.

Henry Carter didn’t understand any of this jargon and was completely confused, only catching that her son’s skills were learned while living in country Y.

But Benjamin Reed was well aware. There are plenty of informal practitioners in the crosstalk world, but someone as muddled as Samuel Parker, who couldn’t even state his generation, was rare.

Indeed, Samuel Parker was being too evasive—even unable to name his master’s generation. If it were someone else, Benjamin Reed would definitely be suspicious. But Samuel Parker’s mastery of the long-lost disciple books was clear as day. Maybe his teacher had some unspeakable story, like being expelled from the crosstalk community?

In the end, Benjamin Reed cherished talent. After thinking for a while, he said, “Jie... Jesse, right? My second apprentice has a crosstalk theater. When you have time, why not come over and perform a piece for me?”

He didn’t know any foreign languages, so Jesse pronounced his name for him, clear and precise.

He said this out of genuine curiosity, wanting to test Samuel Parker’s abilities in crosstalk. Besides, each school has its own style—if he could hear Samuel Parker perform, maybe he could pick up on something.

“Sure!” Samuel Parker agreed immediately. Henry Carter was already a famous star, but had nothing to do with crosstalk. If he could get to know Benjamin Reed, he’d finally have a guide in the crosstalk world of this era. Not to mention, he didn’t even have a partner yet and had no idea where to find one.

But Henry Carter’s eyes widened. “Wait, Jesse, Master Liu, our Jesse…”

She was almost incoherent. How did she get left out of the decision? She had come here to warn her son, but ended up connecting him with a mentor instead?

At this moment, the manager came running over and quietly reported to Mr. Harris, who had been watching the commotion for a while.

Mr. Harris slapped his forehead. “What’s going on tonight? One weird thing after another, and now someone else is asking for leave.”

There was supposed to be another act, but the performer had a family emergency and couldn’t go on.

Benjamin Reed and Samuel Parker exchanged a glance and suddenly reached an understanding. Benjamin Reed smiled and said, “Well, what a coincidence! Mr. Harris, why not take this opportunity and let young Jesse take the stage and perform a piece for you?”

Mr. Harris was tempted, but he looked at Henry Carter.

Henry Carter was stunned.

After a long while, she finally spoke: “Alright, then go up and give it a try. See if you can save the show.”

Thinking it over, with her son’s personality, the more she tried to stop him, the more rebellious he’d get. Otherwise, why bring him backstage to experience the hardships? If she gave him a chance to go on stage, maybe reality would teach him a lesson.

Performing crosstalk is nothing like singing opera, after all.