The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 24

Lin Zhixia didn’t receive the fan she had been longing for, but she ended up wearing Yan Huaiqing’s coat. That woman, worried she might be cold, had personally helped her into it.

In the southern climate, nothing felt as bitingly cold as the lingering chill of early spring. This season didn’t call for a fan anyway, especially with the drizzling rain outside. Wrapped in the coat, she felt warm and comforted.

Satisfied, Lin Zhixia went to work with her.

Yan Huaiqing’s style of dressing was easy to summarize: soft, form-fitting inner layers, relaxed and effortless, paired with sharply tailored outerwear that demanded a certain presence to carry off. The contrast between the two accentuated her aura of standing apart from the world.

The coat was slightly loose on Lin Zhixia, but since their heights were similar, it still fit reasonably well. Yet, no matter how you looked at it, she seemed like a child who had sneakily put on her mother’s clothes.

Every time Yan Huaiqing glanced at her, she couldn’t help but smile faintly, though the smile was so subtle it went unnoticed.

Lin Zhixia settled into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and absentmindedly tugged at it, pulling it out and letting it snap back, then repeating the motion completely at ease.

“Ms. Yan, have any other colleagues ridden with you to or from work?”

While checking the rearview mirror, Yan Huaiqing glanced at her and couldn’t suppress another smile. After a brief pause, she replied, “Not to work.”

So, there had been after work?

Lin Zhixia tugged at the seatbelt and looked at her.

“Sometimes after a performance, we’d go out for a meal, and I’d drop off one or two people on the way,” Yan Huaiqing unexpectedly explained.

Lin Zhixia nodded, pleased with herself. This was her first day at work, and she was already riding in Yan Huaiqing’s car. She might even ride back with her after work how could she not be happy?

Yan Huaiqing humored her little thoughts and teased, “What, now that this car has carried you, does that mean it can’t carry anyone else?”

“I never said that,” Lin Zhixia replied, turning to look out the window with a slight smile and muttering, “But it would be best if it didn’t carry anyone else.”

“Have you always been this possessive?”

As the car merged into the main road, Yan Huaiqing kept her focus on the traffic. Her tone was casual, not really expecting an answer.

“I’m not possessive at all. I was just asking casually, joking around.”

Yan Huaiqing didn’t respond and drove in silence for a while.

Outside, the rain had lightened considerably. The rhythm of the windshield wipers matched the pace of human breathing, and in that gentle back-and-forth, the atmosphere grew subtly charged.

“Xia Xia,” Yan Huaiqing suddenly spoke up, “there’s something I need to confirm with you in advance.”

Xia Xia? No one had ever called her that before. It sounded so lovely.

Lin Zhixia’s breath hitched. She turned to face her and asked, “Ms. Yan, why are you suddenly calling me that?”

“Xiaoman is your childhood nickname, right? It might not be appropriate to use it in a work setting, and calling you by your full name seems too formal,” Yan Huaiqing glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “So, I thought about it and decided this might work.”

“Is that okay?”

“No.”

Lin Zhixia shook her head as she refused. Yan Huaiqing caught the motion clearly out of the corner of her eye and smiled. “What, is this nickname already reserved for someone else?”

She had hit the mark. Xia Xia was indeed reserved for someone else.

To be precise, it was a name she only wanted Yan Huaiqing to use.

“You can call me that in private, Teacher Yan. Just call me Xiao Lin during work hours.” She thought for a moment and corrected herself, “Or A-Lin.” After saying it, she felt a bit embarrassed.

“A-Lin.” Yan Huaiqing asked slowly, “Is that to match the ‘A-Yan’ that Teacher Su calls me?”

Uh She’d been found out.

Lin Zhixia turned her face away in embarrassment again, muttering quietly as she looked at Yan Huaiqing’s blurred and distant reflection in the rearview mirror, “See through it, but don’t say it out loud.”

Yan Huaiqing turned on the turn signal and made a U-turn. “A-Lin, regarding your identity should we announce it directly, or keep it just between us?”

She’d forgotten about that. Yan Huaiqing was really thoughtful.

Lin Zhixia turned to face her again. “It’s fine if Teacher Yan knows. I don’t want to draw too much attention.”

“Alright, then I won’t introduce you to the others later.”

“Mm, okay.”

She had been to the theater many times, but this was her first time coming as an employee. Lin Zhixia felt both excited and a little nervous. Unconsciously, she fell half a step behind, following Yan Huaiqing.

“Boss, you’re here! Is this the new colleague you mentioned?” A young woman hurried out of an office as they passed by, holding a stack of papers.

Lin Zhixia had seen her before. Once, when Jiang Jing drove her car to the theater and was stopped by security, it was this woman who came out to smooth things over and let them through. Her name seemed to be Sister Xiaohua.

As Lin Zhixia recalled this and looked at the woman, the other also glanced at her with a flickering gaze.

The air froze for a second.

“Yes, she’s the new colleague.” Yan Huaiqing looked between them. “What, do you know each other?”

Lin Zhixia said, “We’ve met.”

The woman said in unison, “We don’t know each other.”

How awkward.

“Is the contract ready?” Yan Huaiqing looked at the woman, then turned back to Lin Zhixia. “This is my assistant, Xiao Hua.”

Xiao Hua, Xiaohua. This workplace sure had interesting nicknames.

Lin Zhixia greeted her politely. “Hello, I’m Lin Zhixia.”

“Hello, just call me Xiaohua.” Xiao Hua’s gaze still flickered as she looked at her, then handed the contract to Yan Huaiqing. “The legal department sent it over this morning. The employee badge is also ready and has been activated. I tested it just now it works fine.”

Yan Huaiqing took the contract and badge and led Lin Zhixia to the office.

Once the door was closed, Lin Zhixia quickly spoke up. “Teacher Yan, is this badge for me?”

“Yes. You don’t need to wear it normally, but you should have it with you during performances for easier access.” Yan Huaiqing placed the contract and badge on the outer edge of the desk and went to fetch a pen from the pen holder.

“You made the badge before I even signed the contract. Weren’t you afraid I might back out?”

“With this badge, you can watch any performance at the theater for free and come and go as you please. Even shows at the institute are accessible. Don’t you want it?”

“I do. Of course, I’ll take it if you’re giving it to me.”

The badge was neatly designed, with only her ID number and name no photo required. It looked stylish and was made of high-quality material. Lin Zhixia casually slipped it into her pocket.

“Take a seat. Look over the contract and see if there’s anything you’d like to change.” Yan Huaiqing placed the pen on top of the contract and went to attend to other matters.

Lin Zhixia opened the first page of the contract, then suddenly tilted her head and remarked, “Teacher Yan, your office window faces a wild mountain, no wonder it was pitch black outside last time I came not a single city light in sight.”

Yan Huaiqing followed her gaze and said, “Yes, the other side of the mountain is a scenic area, but this side hasn’t been developed. When we built this place, I specifically asked the designer to preserve its original appearance.”

In the hazy drizzle, the window framed a lush, misty, and fuzzy expanse of green, as if the wild vines and plants of the mountain were growing rampantly before her eyes. Paired with the irregularly pieced dark green carpet in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, it felt incredibly cool.

Was this Yan Huaiqing’s aesthetic? It was nothing short of breathtaking.

Lin Zhixia stared out the window, her thoughts swirling.

Yan Huaiqing didn’t interrupt her reverie, sitting quietly and waiting.

“Teacher Yan, have you ever seen any squirrels here?” Lin Zhixia suddenly asked.

“I see them often, but they only come out when the weather is nice. There are quite a few of them.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Lin Zhixia withdrew her gaze, flipped through the contract beside her, and signed it without hesitation.

“Aren’t you going to read it carefully?”

“I’ve already read it.” Before the words even finished, her signature was already on the paper.

Yan Huaiqing sighed helplessly.

Just then, Xiao Hua knocked and entered. “Boss, HR is asking where to assign the new colleague’s workstation. Do we need to register a vehicle? Oh, and we’ll need a copy of their ID card, graduation certificate, and pre-employment physical exam as soon as possible.”

“Got it. No rush.” With one sentence, Yan Huaiqing dismissed him.

Lin Zhixia turned back, about to speak, but was met with another “No rush.” Yan Huaiqing looked toward the window and asked, “How about placing a desk here by the window for you to work?”

“No,” Lin Zhixia retorted, following her gaze.

Once again, the answer was unexpected. Yan Huaiqing glanced back at her, searching for an explanation.

“Such a beautiful atmosphere don’t ruin it.” Her tone was soft, but her words carried an air of authority.

“Let’s go, then.” Yan Huaiqing suddenly stood up.

“Where to?” Lin Zhixia looked up at her.

“To find you a workstation.”

“Didn’t you say I don’t need to work in the office, Teacher Yan?”

“You don’t, but whenever you come, you’ll need a place to settle, right?”

“Then how about right there?” Lin Zhixia suddenly pointed to the carpet by the window.

“Fine.” Yan Huaiqing sat back down.

Well.

Before the awkwardness could set in, Yan Huaiqing’s phone rang. She answered, and the voice on the other end seemed particularly noisy. Frowning, she turned down the volume before holding it to her ear.

“I’ll be there.” After the other person finally quieted down, she spoke just two words and hung up.

“Do you have something else to attend to, Teacher Yan?” Lin Zhixia asked softly, unsure of her mood.

“A few students are participating in a competition. I need to go and guide them. Come on, let’s go together.” Her tone was as gentle as a spring breeze.

“Alright.” Lin Zhixia, intrigued, stood up first.

The rehearsal hall was on the first floor, diagonally across. Along the way, they passed many offices, meeting rooms, and prop storage areas, encountering quite a few people. Without exception, everyone greeted them with flickering, curious glances.

How strange.

When they pushed open the door to the rehearsal room, it was crowded with musicians and actors. One actor was practicing with water sleeves the kind that stretched several meters long and everyone was watching her.

“I sent you over a dozen messages, and you didn’t reply. You didn’t even answer my calls. Did you block me? What’s going on? After all these years, are you tired of me? Or have you found someone new.”

Su Wangyue had been muttering nonstop since she saw Yan Huaiqing enter. Everyone was used to it and paid no attention, but her sudden loud wail startled them all.

She eyed Lin Zhixia as she approached and let out an exaggerated gasp, asking, “Sister Lin, why are you wearing A-Yan’s clothes? When did you two get so close?”

Without exaggeration, every pair of eyes in the rehearsal room turned toward them, each gleaming with curiosity.

It was only then that Lin Zhixia realized what felt off and finally understood why everyone had been looking at her with such knowing expressions.

She had studied the rehearsal room floor before there wasn’t a single crack to slip into. So, there was no escape from this social embarrassment. Might as well accept it.

“None of your business,” Yan Huaiqing cut in without offering an explanation and didn’t allow Lin Zhixia to explain either. She simply pulled her toward the inner part of the rehearsal hall and introduced her to everyone.

“This is Lin Zhixia, my newly hired assistant. She’ll be working with us on the choreography for Several Layers of Mountains. Please take good care of her from now on.”

Bracing through the awkwardness, Lin Zhixia nodded and greeted everyone.

Su Wangyue seemed about to say something but was silenced by a sharp look from Yan Huaiqing.

“How far along are we? Let me see,” Yan Huaiqing walked over to the dancers practicing with water sleeves and asked gently.

This seemed to be Yan Huaiqing’s superpower she could influence everyone around her with her presence. Soon, everyone was back to their tasks, fully immersed in their work.

Lin Zhixia sat on the floor, watching everyone bustle about, her mind in turmoil.

Yan Huaiqing’s walk-in closet was quite spacious, and when she picked out a coat for Lin Zhixia, it was clear she had chosen it carefully.

But why had she chosen one that everyone would recognize?

Was she scheming against her again?

It was truly baffling.

At one point, Su Wangyue quietly slipped over and, behind Yan Huaiqing’s back, asked why she was wearing A-Yan’s clothes.

Lin Zhixia, feeling a bit mischievous, simply said it was because the temperature had dropped.

Without any context or follow-up, Su Wangyue couldn’t press further and was practically bursting with curiosity.

Xiao Hua also came by to bring her some water, saying Yan Huaiqing had asked her to. She, too, leaned in and quietly asked what her relationship with her boss was. Lin Zhixia told her she was just a new fan of her performances.

A faint look of bewilderment crossed Xiao Hua’s face as well.

Oh well, if everyone was going to be confused, they might as well all be confused together.

It wasn’t until several days later that Lin Zhixia realized Yan Huaiqing hadn’t been scheming against her with the clothes.

Because the one she was scheming against was everyone else.