The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 16

Lin Zhixia’s heart floated among the clouds for a month and a half.

The new play rehearsed by Yan Huaiqing’s troupe premiered to a roaring box office and favorable reviews, keeping the entire troupe busy with touring performances.

During this time, Lin Zhixia ran into her a few times backstage, but each encounter was brief nothing more than a quick greeting, with no chance for a proper conversation.

Their WeChat chat window, ever since they added each other, remained frozen on the initial greeting from that day. Yan Huaiqing’s Moments feed had only shared one link the premiere announcement of the new play.

Since she didn’t post anything, Lin Zhixia didn’t either. In a one-sided, tacit understanding, she matched her silence, letting their connection fade amid their respective busy lives.

Yet it felt unfair Lin Zhixia could still get a rough idea of Yan Huaiqing’s schedule. Her identity was public; she had fan communities, super-topics, and even Jiang Jing, her dedicated photographer, occasionally dropping hints.

Even this sense of unfairness was something Lin Zhixia felt on Yan Huaiqing’s behalf.

Their only remaining connection was Several Layers of Mountains. Fortunately, the collaboration progressed swiftly within that month and a half, the contract was officially signed.

According to Li Meng, the troupe respected the author’s wishes. After Lin Zhixia declined to appear in public, they never brought up meeting her again.

Ah.

By the time Lin Zhixia saw Yan Huaiqing privately again, spring was mostly over.

It was an utterly ordinary afternoon. She sat lazily on the carpet, flipping through the materials Li Meng had sent, when her phone buzzed. She didn’t rush to check it. A full twenty-seven minutes later, she finally read the message.

Yan Huaiqing had written: “If you’re free, let’s have a meal together ”

No preamble, no transition, no reason for the invitation just the casual particle “~” that dissolved all of Lin Zhixia’s defenses.

“Ah, ah!” Overwhelmed with pleasant surprise, she clutched her phone and jumped to her feet, pacing in circles before replying: “I’m free, Teacher Yan.”

“Any preferences for time or food? Any dietary restrictions?” The reply came swiftly.

“Anything is fine, Teacher Yan. You decide.”

Just like that, she accepted the invitation without the slightest hesitation though her heart was racing with countless thoughts.

The restaurant was chosen by Yan Huaiqing a time-honored establishment in Ancheng. As for the timing, Lin Zhixia was available, so they settled on lunch the next day.

The following day, Lin Zhixia arrived early a full twenty minutes ahead of schedule.

When the server led her to the private room, Yan Huaiqing was already there. Seated at a tea table in the inner part of the room, she was sipping tea. Compared to Lin Zhixia’s attentiveness and nerves, she appeared relaxed and composed.

“Teacher Yan, you’re already here.” Lin Zhixia spoke first, a little stiffly.

“Mm, I came straight from the theater.” Yan Huaiqing stood to greet her, then poured a cup of tea and gestured for her to sit opposite. “The tea was just brewed when you arrived. Try it.”

“Thank you, Teacher Yan.” Lin Zhixia sat down properly, took a sip of tea, and pressed her lips together.

Unlike a chance encounter, a planned meeting carries a weight of formality and nervousness rehearsed in one’s mind. Because of that, this meeting felt even more distant than their last accidental run-in.

Fortunately, as Lin Zhixia set her teacup down on the table, Yan Huaiqing spoke, leaving no room for awkwardness.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

Yan Huaiqing smiled. “Aren’t you curious why I invited you to dinner?”

Normally, when inviting someone to a meal, one would explain the reason if the other party politely declines. But since Lin Zhixia directly replied with “convenient,” there was no opportunity for that.

“Curious.” Having wondered about it all night, Lin Zhixia smiled and admitted frankly, “I held back from asking.”

Yan Huaiqing lowered her gaze. The beige turtleneck sweater outlined her upper body as slender and graceful, and when she lowered her lashes and chuckled softly, she seemed especially gentle.

Lin Zhixia took a small breath and glanced toward the door. “Haven’t the others arrived yet?”

“There are no others, only you.” Yan Huaiqing shifted her gaze back to Lin Zhixia’s eyes.

Wow, she only invited me.

Lin Zhixia raised her brows and lashes slightly, unable to hold back her curiosity. “Then, Teacher Yan, can you tell me now why you invited me to dinner?”

“To thank you for the suggestions you wrote.” Yan Huaiqing continued to look directly at her, speaking at a measured pace with pauses that invited imagination.

The reason seemed plausible on the surface, but coming from her, it felt perfectly natural.

Lin Zhixia lowered her head to look at the tea in front of her and joked self-deprecatingly, “Good thing I didn’t ask. If I had, I’d be too embarrassed to let Teacher Yan treat me to a meal over such a small matter.”

So, she wanted Teacher Yan to treat her to a meal just her.

Yan Huaiqing, with a hint of amusement in her voice, offered her an out: “It would’ve been fine if you asked. I would’ve had other reasons ready.”

“Then what other reasons would Teacher Yan have used?” To invite me? Lin Zhixia felt that Yan Huaiqing really wanted to treat her to a meal.

“Let’s order first.” Yan Huaiqing glanced at her with a faint smile. “You can also try to guess.”

Having met only a few times, she couldn’t think of any reason.

Could it be that she had charmed Editor Sun into giving her the author information for Several Layers of Mountains?

Absolutely impossible!

In this matter, Editor Sun had to be cautious of Zhao Jinchu. Unless she no longer wanted to handle the business of the two major departments of Literature and History at Jiang University.

After thinking it over, Lin Zhixia concluded that Yan Huaiqing was just being polite. She probably hadn’t expected Lin Zhixia to accept so readily without any hesitation.

As a guest, she deferred to the host’s arrangements. She ordered two recommended dishes according to her own taste and left the rest to Yan Huaiqing.

While waiting for the food, Yan Huaiqing asked with a smile, “Have you guessed?”

“I guess,” Lin Zhixia paused, her eyes shifting playfully, “I guess Teacher Yan really just wanted to thank me for the suggestions I wrote.”

“You really are clever.” Yan Huaiqing suddenly praised her.

“In what way?” Lin Zhixia didn’t shy away from the compliment but instead grew even more curious.

“You resemble Director Lin quite a bit.” Yan Huaiqing thought for a moment and then asked, “Are you also close with Professor Zhao?”

The relationship between Zhao Jinchu and Director Lin was not public. No matter how intimate they were at home, to the outside world, they were merely neighbors and friends.

So Lin Zhixia only mentioned what everyone could see: “Auntie lives across from us. Since I was little, my mom has always been very busy with work and often traveled for surgeries. I’ve spent more time with Auntie than with my own mom. I grew up eating her cooking, so Auntie Zhao feels more like my mother.”

“No wonder you resemble both Director Lin and Professor Zhao,” Yan Huaiqing remarked again.

Director Lin was usually aloof and unapproachable, while Professor Zhao was unrestrained and easygoing. Lin Zhixia resembled both, yet neither. When she was cold, she was even colder; when she was well-behaved, she was even more so. Beneath her polite and refined demeanor, there seemed to be something hidden.

When Yan Huaiqing praised her intelligence, she was referring to the worldly kind the sort that navigates social interactions with ease. Though Lin Zhixia appeared shy and reserved, she was never timid or hesitant. It was clear she disliked small talk, yet she always managed to handle it gracefully.

In the adult world, avoiding awkward or passive situations is a mark of intelligence.

“Don’t I have any strengths of my own?” Lin Zhixia murmured dejectedly.

“You do.”

“What?”

“Your teeth are very white.”

Red lips and pearly teeth.

Or rather, Yan Huaiqing had never seen teeth as small, neat, and flawlessly white as Lin Zhixia’s. Each tooth had a soft, rounded curve, only peeking out slightly when she smiled or spoke, making her lips appear even redder like roses dusted with snow, utterly…

“Hah ”

A soft exhalation scattered Yan Huaiqing’s thoughts.

Lin Zhixia pressed her lips together, hiding her teeth completely. Her tongue swept across the inside of her teeth as she let out a breath through her nose.

She wasn’t satisfied with that compliment.

Yan Huaiqing watched her, eyes lighting up before pausing, then chuckled softly with a breathy laugh.

After breaking the ice, the atmosphere during the meal became much less formal. They occasionally commented on the dishes and chatted casually about their tastes and preferences, keeping the conversation light and everyday.

Sharing a meal really does help you understand someone. Yan Huaiqing wasn’t as distant or mysterious as she’d imagined, and Lin Zhixia wasn’t as demure or shy as she appeared on the surface.

As the meal drew to a close, Yan Huaiqing slowly raised her teacup. “Well, let’s toast.”

Her tone, gaze, and the height at which she held her cup carried a hint of formality.

“Cheers.” Lin Zhixia picked up her teacup and clinked it against Yan Huaiqing’s, matching her solemnity.

“Thank you,” Yan Huaiqing said in a pleasant tone, her words tinged with a touch of earnestness.

“Thank you, Teacher Yan.” Lin Zhixia continued to play along with her “seriousness.”

“Any plans after the meal?” Yan Huaiqing withdrew her gaze, leaving room for the other to respond freely.

“None.” A hint of pride suddenly surfaced in Lin Zhixia’s voice as she rubbed the rim of her cup and asked, “Do you have plans for me, Teacher Yan?”

A soft, deliberate reply drifted out: “Yes.”

Yan Huaiqing turned her gaze back to her. “There’s a children’s play at the theater this afternoon, and a Dunhuang art exhibition across the street at the art center. Which would you prefer?”

A children’s play? Was she treating her like a child?

Lin Zhixia’s tone carried a lazy, post-meal drowsiness. “Either is fine.”

Yan Huaiqing curved her lips into a smile and leaned in conspiratorially, whispering, “A friend of mine runs a teahouse by the lake. They have pingtan performances, and you can lie back in a rocking chair and listen through a gauze curtain.”

Wow

How relaxing.

Lin Zhixia perked up instantly, her eyes sparkling as she nodded eagerly.

After settling the bill and stepping out of the restaurant, Yan Huaiqing asked, “How did you get here? Did you drive?”

“I took a taxi,” Lin Zhixia replied.

Yan Huaiqing looked surprised. “I heard from Jiang Jing that your luxury car is really cool.”

“I was afraid I might need to drink, so I didn’t drive,” Lin Zhixia explained modestly and matter-of-factly.

Yan Huaiqing formed a silent “oh” with her lips and replied apologetically, “That was thoughtless of me. I invited you to dinner but didn’t prepare any wine.”

She had hosted many dinners, but this was the first time she’d made a guest feel inadequately entertained. She had underestimated the situation.

“No, Teacher Yan, you’ve been very considerate. I can’t drink,” Lin Zhixia explained seriously.

“But you were prepared to drink.” Isn’t that contradictory?

“I feel that having a meal with Teacher Yan makes it acceptable to take a sip,” Lin Zhixia said shyly with a smile, the post-meal lethargy making her appear even more endearing.

The bashfulness and artless sincerity of youth can conquer any territory of the human heart.

Though she had spent decades listening to Su Wangyue’s playful recitations of every romantic line under the sun, and though she had been loved countless times sometimes subtly, sometimes passionately by her fans, Yan Huaiqing still felt that in this moment, her immunity to romance had developed a crack.

A breeze brushed past, carrying the spring-exclusive scent of grass and trees along with a rustling sound.

Yan Huaiqing glanced back. Just above the private room where they were dining, in a larger room, there had once been an inexperienced girl who, for the first time, cast aside all her disdain for worldly conventions and shyly yet proactively raised a glass to approach someone.

Later, that person led her forward, and then, personally handed her over to Yue Opera.