Every word and every sentence, though they may seem casual, are actually filled with skill.

Solo crosstalk especially values the performer’s ability to tell stories and create characters; if the story isn’t told well, the punchlines won’t land. The story needs to be funny and ridiculous, but also acceptable to the audience.

This performance is exactly to show them his solid, skillful foundation!

Of course, because the style is old-fashioned, it’s hard to tell at first glance who his mentor is—one can only vaguely feel he’s similar to a few old masters.

—Actually, Benjamin Reed was overthinking it. It’s simply that Samuel Parker doesn’t know this era well enough; he can’t even use a smartphone, so how could he possibly keep up with current trends?

Henry Carter, sitting to the side, remained silent. She had laughed along just now, immersed in the story, but after laughing, she fell into deep thought.

Jesse is very successful, but… does she really want to let Jesse go into that line of work?

“Ms. Carter, you don’t quite agree with your child doing crosstalk?” Benjamin Reed asked.

Henry Carter snapped out of it and nodded blankly, “Not exactly, it’s just…”

Benjamin Reed smiled faintly, “It’s just that, compared to acting or singing, you feel it doesn’t seem as promising. Right?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Henry Carter said quickly, “Mr. Reed, I just want what’s best for my child, I mean no offense, but your profession is tough. I brought him here today just to let him see what goes on backstage.”

“I understand, all parents in the world are the same.” Benjamin Reed sighed, “But Jesse really is cut out for this—he’s already got the knack for it, you can tell at a glance. And he’s the last inheritor of the ‘descendant’s storytelling’ tradition. This isn’t just our crosstalk circle’s business, but I do care. I still hope you’ll give him a chance, at least let him try. If nothing else, he could be, say, a triple-threat: film, music, and crosstalk. A triple-threat artist—what do you think?”

Henry Carter was amused and burst out laughing, “Mr. Reed, you’re right.”

In the end, she was convinced by Samuel Parker’s performance, and even more reluctant to hold her child back.

.

.

That night, Benjamin Reed and Samuel Parker exchanged contact information. He greatly admired Samuel Parker, and having such a mentor was also very important for Samuel Parker.

As for the performance at the teahouse, since all the performers there rely on ticket sales to make a living, recording was not allowed.

After Henry Carter and Samuel Parker took the stage, the response was enthusiastic and couldn’t be contained. Some audience members still managed to snap a few photos and short videos, which ended up online.

But when Samuel Parker was doing his solo crosstalk, the venue had already quieted down. Once he had everyone’s attention, no one was in the mood to sneak photos or videos.

Some audience members who were there that night complained: Samuel Parker only performed once, and he didn’t even finish the story—where were they supposed to find the ending? Not even the almighty internet could help.

But just saying so isn’t enough. Given Samuel Parker’s previous reputation, who would believe he could tell a story so captivating? It’d be more believable to say he won over the audience with his good looks!

It didn’t cause much of a stir at all.

Instead, this time Samuel Parker also played the sanxian. As for how good he was, most people didn’t really understand the instrument, so they just had a random discussion and quickly went off-topic.

—Judging by this, could it be that Samuel Parker is going to become a singer next? Following in his mother’s footsteps, singing with his looks?

Some people even tagged Edward Bolton, asking him to give his opinion, since the earliest catchphrases about Samuel Parker came from him.

Edward Bolton was bored at the time, and when he checked Weibo and saw he’d been tagged, he immediately remembered meeting Samuel Parker in person at Pineapple Media.

He’d been quite surprised then—the person he’d mocked actually came up to talk to him.

Edward Bolton was hesitant at heart, but Samuel Parker smiled at him with such sincerity—and such a good-looking smile—that it dazzled him, making it hard to keep up his aloof, sharp-tongued persona.

Who would have thought that after he finally made up his mind to respond to Samuel Parker, Samuel Parker would turn around and play a trick on him!

Petty Edward Bolton immediately reposted the Weibo, saying: “Haven’t listened yet. Really good-looking.”

The comments were full of laughter: they knew Edward Bolton wouldn’t let them down.

Edward Bolton hadn’t heard the live performance version before, so he casually clicked on the video. Based on past experience, he could find plenty to criticize even with his eyes closed.

It started with a sanxian solo, which made Edward Bolton pause. He didn’t know much about the sanxian, but music is universal—he could tell good from bad. And in the middle, Samuel Parker even used the instrument to imitate the call of wild geese! At this level, it was way better than his piano playing!

Then, Samuel Parker even sang a piece of traditional music—the resonance, the breath control…

Edward Bolton: “???”

No, this isn’t the Samuel Parker he knows!

Edward Bolton dragged the progress bar back and listened to “Why Bother with the West Chamber” again, and again, and again… No fake playing, no lip-syncing—this live performance, maybe Henry Carter made some mistakes, but Samuel Parker didn’t make a single one!

Damn, he actually sang really well.

Is this Samuel Parker cursed or something? How can there be such a big difference between his singing and his traditional performance? With this kind of skill, why not perform on a show?

Now look, his Weibo is going to be so awkward!

Speaking of Weibo, Edward Bolton noticed a user certified as a sanxian player from a provincial traditional arts troupe, “Old Bai Not Bai,” had left a passionate comment: “Words can’t express my feelings! Great sanxian! The adaptation is excellent too! The skillful string techniques in the chorus are masterful, conveying emotion through sound!”

Edward Bolton: “…………”