The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 14

A Lin Mei Mei Falls from the Sky.

Lin Zhixia had embarrassed herself in front of Yan Huaiqing.

Caught between the two, she felt trapped unable to move left or right, advance or retreat. Her gaze slowly drifted downward to the camera clutched tightly in her hands, and she took a soft breath.

A pleasant chuckle sounded in her left ear, while a bold, teasing laugh came from her right. Yan Huaiqing and Jiang Jing laughed in perfect unison, as if sharing a private joke.

The feeling of being toyed with grew stronger, and Lin Zhixia felt a rush of heat to her chest, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Yan Huaiqing patted her arm gently, a silent gesture of reassurance.

Lin Zhixia’s heart skipped a beat, and she responded with a faint, closed-lipped smile.

Jiang Jing slapped her playfully on her crossed leg. “So easily flustered? Your face is all red.”

Lin Zhixia shot her a sidelong glance and tossed the camera heavily into her lap. Had she known its price, she probably wouldn’t have thrown it so carelessly.

“You’ve boarded the pirate ship now,” Jiang Jing remarked calmly as she discreetly tucked the camera into its case. “Everyone who frequents the theater troupe gets teased. Teacher Su hasn’t even arrived yet this is just the beginning.”

Lin Zhixia ignored her.

“Are you afraid?” Yan Huaiqing asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Afraid? Was she implying… asking whether she dared to stay on this “pirate ship”?

Lin Zhixia curved her eyes into a smile and looked directly at her. “No, I’m not afraid.”

Yan Huaiqing’s smile widened.

She looked truly beautiful.

It was the first time Lin Zhixia had seen her smile so unreservedly, and her heart thumped once more.

By then, Jiang Jing had already packed the camera away and moved to sit beside Yan Huaiqing, laptop in hand. The two began discussing newly edited photos on the screen.

With nothing else to do, Lin Zhixia rested her chin in her hands and admired Yan Huaiqing’s profile.

Her eyelids were half-lowered, her brows slightly arched, and her long eyelashes curled delicately at the tips. Her nose was exquisitely shaped, as if meticulously sculpted.

If one focused only on the upper half of her face, she appeared serene and gentle. Yet her sharply defined jawline lent her entire countenance a touch of cool, detached elegance.

Lin Zhixia wondered how she would describe such a face in words.

Should she quote poetry from books? Or employ every rhetorical device she knew?

Compare her to the moon in the sky? Or the snow on a plum branch?

Was she the blue of Klein? Or the gray of Monet?

None seemed sufficient.

She recalled a painter once saying that to paint a person is to capture the torrent of their life.

And to write about a person? A beautiful woman?

At that moment, as a writer, Lin Zhixia believed that beauty could only be imagined through words never fully described.

People tend to grow alert and uneasy when stared at.

Lin Zhixia had been watching Yan Huaiqing for over ten minutes before she snapped back to reality, acutely aware that the other woman had noticed her gaze.

Yet Yan Huaiqing showed no reaction. Even the small mole behind her ear remained hidden beneath stray strands of hair, nearly imperceptible.

Was she allowing her to observe?

The music came to a stop. The actors in the room finished their training and gradually dispersed, leaving the once-bustling rehearsal hall nearly empty and somewhat desolate.

Lin Zhixia assumed the rehearsal had ended, but soon a few musicians carrying instruments filed in. Su Wangyue arrived as well, dressed in simple black athletic wear and a baseball cap, looking both casual and spirited.

She was even taller than Yan Huaiqing and also had the figure of a model. Seeing Yan Huaiqing discussing photos with Jiang Jing, she plopped down beside Lin Zhixia.

“I’ve seen you before Director Lin’s daughter, right? See how good my memory is?”

“Yes, Teacher Su. I’m Lin Zhixia. I’ve taken a photo with you before,” Lin Zhixia quickly straightened up.

Su Wangyue looked her over with a smile and exclaimed exaggeratedly, “Oh my, a true Sister Lin!”

Before Lin Zhixia could even feel shy, Su Wangyue suddenly began to sing, “A Sister Lin descends from the heavens, like a wisp of cloud newly emerged from the mountain.”

Her voice was high-pitched and melodious, blending strength and softness.

After finishing, she leaned forward and looked at Yan Huaiqing. “Ah Yan, how was my two lines in the Xu school style?”

Su Wangyue was originally a Yin school male lead singer, so suddenly belting out a Xu school passage made her eager to show off.

Yan Huaiqing and Jiang Jing had already paused their work. Jiang Jing applauded with a smile, while Yan Huaiqing chuckled softly and seamlessly responded, “I thought her frivolous and shallow, but it turns out her spirit is pure and extraordinary.”

Her tone was gentle and graceful, her singing full of emotion.

With Yan Huaiqing on her left and Su Wangyue on her right, Lin Zhixia was experiencing the tacit understanding and charm of “Wangyan Yuchuan” up close for the first time.

Though she had initially felt a bit embarrassed at being called “Sister Lin,” she now subtly leaned back, holding her breath as she listened to their duet.

“Sister Lin~” a heavenly recitation followed. “Tell us, which of us sang better?”

Su Wangyue’s gaze, which had been fixed on Yan Huaiqing, suddenly shifted to Lin Zhixia. Soon after, Yan Huaiqing’s eyes followed, along with Jiang Jing’s.

Lin Zhixia had been thoroughly engrossed in the performance when she was suddenly put on the spot, freezing in place.

She couldn’t even distinguish between the Yin and Xu schools how could she possibly critique the singing of two masters?

“A life-or-death question?” Jiang Jing muttered, clearly enjoying the drama.

Who said it was a life-or-death question? No big deal. Just as Lin Zhixia was about to speak, Su Wangyue added, “You can’t say both were good.”

Now it really was a life-or-death question.

The word “awkward” was written all over Lin Zhixia’s face. She could almost hear a sheep bleating twice above her left ear, followed by a crow cawing as it flew from left to right, leaving a trail of black lines above her head.

She even began to wonder if she and this troupe were somehow incompatible. Why did every visit involve at least one mortifying moment?

She blinked once, then twice, took a deep breath, and finally spoke.

“Se… serene.” After a few attempts, she finally sang in a barely audible voice, “Serene as a flower reflected in water, graceful as the willow swaying in the breeze.” It sounded more like singing than recitation.

After finishing, she answered with a flushed face, “I sang the worst.”

She had practiced this passage at home for over ten days. Now, using it to sing alongside two masters, she felt a sense of triumphant relief, as if she had accomplished her mission.

Yan Huaiqing’s eyes brightened slightly as she looked at her. This was already the third time Lin Zhixia had surprised her.

She had initially thought the girl was reserved and shy, never expecting her to have such an uninhibited side.

Having come this far in her career, Yan Huaiqing had met all kinds of people and rarely took an interest in anyone. But now, she found herself somewhat intrigued.

What secrets is this Sister Lin hiding before me? And what might she reveal if we became closer?

She pondered lightly.

Su Wangyue had always enjoyed teasing people, often flustering young actresses and opera fans until they blushed. She hadn’t expected Lin Zhixia to step in and help her out of a tight spot like this, so she nodded with a hint of admiration.

“Not bad, there’s a bit of our Yin School style to it. Come, let me teach you.” She pulled Lin Zhixia’s arm, ready to instruct her.

Are you scared? Yan Huaiqing’s question still echoed in her ears. Lin Zhixia suddenly felt as though she were on a pilgrimage to obtain sacred texts, facing eighty-one trials, one hardship after another.

Jiang Jing, standing nearby, watched the scene with unbridled amusement, her gaze fixed intently on Lin Zhixia. Yan Huaiqing also watched with keen interest.

Lin Zhixia had no choice but to brace herself and follow Su Wangyue’s lead, learning a few lines as a fine layer of sweat formed on her forehead.

“A Sister Lin descends from the heavens, like a wisp of cloud newly emerged from the mountain.”

“Serene as a flower reflected in water, graceful as the willow swaying in the breeze.”

Su Wangyue taught her line by line, tone by tone.

Gradually, Lin Zhixia found her rhythm and began to relax as she learned.

“Alright, let’s begin!” Just as the teaching was in full swing, the musician across the room called out.

The formal rehearsal finally began, and both Yan Huaiqing and Su Wangyue were called to the center of the rehearsal hall.

Lin Zhixia let out a long sigh of relief, her frantically beating heart slowly calming down.

Jiang Jing took the opportunity to lean closer, her eyes sparkling. “Wow, you’ve got some nerve, daring to sing opposite a master like that.”

Lin Zhixia, still tense, stretched her legs out and leaned against the mirror behind her. “What else could I do? It’s not like there was a crack in the ground to hide in.”

“You handled it well, with real guts. No wonder you drive a G-Class.” Jiang Jing gave her a thumbs-up.

“You didn’t help me out, and now you’re just enjoying the show.” Lin Zhixia shot her a helpless look.

Jiang Jing let out a soft “heh” and smiled wryly. “We’ve all been through it. I was even worse off than you back then Teacher Su made me do backbends and splits. Even now, just thinking about it makes the tendons in my legs ache.”

She unconsciously rubbed her thighs.

Yan Huaiqing and the others were rehearsing a scene from an opera. Since they hadn’t performed this particular scene in a long time, they ran through it many times.

Once Lin Zhixia had calmed down, she initially planned to take a few more photos with Jiang Jing’s camera but gave up the idea after recalling the earlier teasing.

After sitting for a while longer, she thought it might be nice to buy a camera and learn photography herself. It would be fun to snap a few pictures when she came to hang out or listen to opera, especially since Yan Huaiqing always looked photogenic no matter how she was captured.

“Hey, could you send me the link to your camera? It’s really nice. I’d like to buy one too and learn photography from you.”

At that moment, Lin Zhixia was thinking carefully

Cameras were high-end products. Professional, expensive ones were surely heavy and bulky, which she didn’t need.

The one Jiang Jing had brought today was compact and stylish, likely for everyday use. It probably wasn’t too expensive, but since a photographer like Jiang Jing had chosen it, it couldn’t be bad.

So, she decided to buy the same model.

Jiang Jing was visibly taken aback, unsure whether the other girl genuinely knew nothing about cameras or was subtly flaunting her wealth. After all, when she had bought this camera, it had pained her financially for over half a year.

Seeing her hesitation, Lin Zhixia added, “Well, when I used your camera earlier, it felt really good. I just want to pick it up as a hobby and learn the basics from you.”

She felt she had been quite cautious and humble this time.

But Jiang Jing on the other side was clearly growing restless, her delicate features slightly scrunched. “Of course, of course, certainly. Please wait a moment.”

After saying this, she took out her phone and began scrolling through it with her head lowered.

It would be impolite to lean in and look at someone else’s phone, so Lin Zhixia quietly sat and waited.

Buzz, Her phone vibrated, and she received a photo.

Only after opening it did she realize it wasn’t a product image from Taobao but a screenshot from a camera website. There was a long list of specifications she couldn’t understand, so she first glanced at the price.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands…

Uh,

She gasped sharply, her scalp tingling. She counted again, and her entire body went numb.

How presumptuous, how impolite! This was not going to end well. Today was not a good day to go out!

Meanwhile, after sending the screenshot, Jiang Jing had been resting her chin in her hand, observing Lin Zhixia’s reaction. She saw Lin Zhixia’s eyes dart around a few times, then her brows furrowed as she narrowed her eyes.

“Boss Lin, what do you think? Does this recommendation meet your esteemed standards?” she asked in a teasing tone.

This…

Lin Zhixia glanced subtly at the camera by her leg. It wasn’t gold-plated or studded with diamonds truly, one shouldn’t judge a camera by its appearance.

“Hehehe How presumptuous of me I think using a phone to take photos is just fine, hehe ”

She feigned composure, letting her gaze wander until it settled on the floor.

The theater floor was really well laid truly, not a single gap to be seen.

“From our interactions lately, I didn’t think you were foolish. What’s going on today? You seem a bit off,” Jiang Jing inquired with concern.

“Ah, is it that obvious?”

Ever since learning that her book was going to be adapted by the theater troupe, Lin Zhixia’s mind had been floating among the clouds. It seemed her words and actions had indeed been a bit thoughtless.

She reflected for a moment, then glanced toward Yan Huaiqing, only to meet Su Wangyue’s smiling eyes.

The real show was yet to come.