The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 26

Lin Zhixia woke up unusually early, saying she had to go to work.

Director Lin and Zhao Jinchu, on the other hand, slept in much later than usual. By the time breakfast was ready, Lin Zhixia had already folded Yan Huaiqing’s clothes for the fourth time while hiding in her bedroom.

At the breakfast table, Zhao Jinchu clicked her tongue dismissively a few times and said, “Are you in love or something? Is going to work really such a big deal?”

“You always jump to conclusions about romance how shallow.” Lin Zhixia quickly swallowed a mouthful of milk and retorted in Zhao Jinchu’s usual tone, her fingertips tapping lightly on the table.

Director Lin glanced at her restless hand and said leisurely, “At your age, you should start liking something that breathes. Playing with dolls and figurines all day while having a hobby isn’t a bad thing it’s better for people to like something alive.”

She rarely spoke with such earnestness, making Lin Zhixia want to throw herself into her arms.

Zhao Jinchu cleared her throat and spoke hesitantly, “Your mom and I both have the next couple of days off, and with the weekend, that makes five days. We’re heading to Nan City in a bit to enjoy some sunshine. You take care of yourself, eat and drink well, and don’t worry about us. Call if anything comes up.”

“What?” Lin Zhixia froze, then slowly asked, “So, you’re not taking me, is that it? My dear mothers?”

“Aren’t you going to work?” Zhao Jinchu replied, sounding slightly guilty.

“If I remember correctly, I just told you I was going to work.” Lin Zhixia held her chopsticks in mid-air as she scrutinized the two. “Don’t tell me the flights and hotels booked themselves?”

Director Lin shot her an unfazed glance before her gaze fell on the chopsticks.

“Got it, chopsticks shouldn’t be pointed at people.” Lin Zhixia obediently lowered her hand but still couldn’t understand. “But you’re really being disrespectful. At least give me a heads-up. It’s not like I’d insist on going with you. If I hadn’t come back yesterday, were you planning to tell me only after you arrived?”

“Just send whatever gifts you want in the group chat. We’ll bring back whatever fits,” Zhao Jinchu said, opting to solve the problem with money instead of explanations. “We’ll mail back anything that doesn’t fit. Remember to check for packages.”

“That’s more like it. Hope you have a great trip, my dear mothers.” Lin Zhixia was a well-behaved and adaptable child. After finishing her meal, she headed to work, carrying the neatly folded clothes as square as a block of tofu.

Coincidentally, Yan Huaiqing also brought a bag containing her coat, which he placed on the small shelf beside the office door.

Lin Zhixia spotted it as soon as she entered. Greeting him, she walked over and, with unspoken understanding, placed her bag right next to his.

“Good morning, Teacher Yan.”

“Good morning, Teacher Lin.”

Xiao Hua, overhearing their perfectly synchronized greetings and noticing the two bags placed side by side, was practically bursting with curiosity, her eyes sparkling with gossip.

“Good morning, Sister Hua,” Lin Zhixia greeted her as well.

“Good morning, Teacher Lin ” Xiao Hua could only follow her boss’s lead in addressing her, though her drawn-out tone sounded a bit abrupt.

“Sister Hua, you can just call me Xiao Lin,” Lin Zhixia said modestly and politely.

“Ah, is that appropriate?” Xiao Hua glanced uncertainly at her boss, looking confused.

“A-Lin, you should thank Sister Hua. She arranged your workspace very comfortably for you.”

Yan Huaiqing subtly indicated the appropriate form of address and gestured toward Lin Zhixia’s designated workspace a clean, open area beside her own desk with an excellent view.

Lin Zhixia wasn’t particularly surprised, as she had already been given the key the day before.

Xiao Hua, however, was visibly unsettled. Raising an eyebrow in sudden realization, she thought to herself, So the boss had me, her long-time assistant, tidy up for half the day just to make space for this new assistant?

Who exactly is this person? Wearing the boss’s clothes, sharing an office with her how reliable is Jiang Jing’s information anyway?

“Thank you, Sister Xiao Hua,” Lin Zhixia said as she walked over to inspect the spot. “It’s really comfortable. You went through a lot of trouble.”

“No need to be polite, it’s my job. You two carry on I’ll be in the next office if you need anything. Feel free to drop by and hang out sometime.” The last remark was clearly directed at Lin Zhixia, and even as Xiao Hua left, she kept shooting meaningful glances her way.

Once the door closed, Lin Zhixia belatedly felt a wave of awkwardness and began fidgeting nervously.

“Teacher Yan, what work should I be doing?”

“Nothing for now. Go hang out with Xiao Hua.”

Her tone didn’t sound like a joke. Though Lin Zhixia didn’t quite understand, she respected the instruction and hesitantly asked, “We can hang out during work hours?”

“Of course. She knows all the gossip. Spend a couple of days with her, and the insights you gain will be worth half a year of work.” Yan Huaiqing spoke with complete seriousness.

“Teacher Yan, are you really such an open-minded boss?” Lin Zhixia couldn’t help but marvel.

“Oh? What kind of boss did you think I was?” Yan Huaiqing looked up at her.

Lin Zhixia shook her head, indicating she’d rather not know too much.

“Go on. I’ve already spoken to her she knows how to guide you.”

Yan Huaiqing then casually handed over a thermos the same one Lin Zhixia had used when she stayed over at her place before. “Here, take this. Since you’ve already used it, I figured you might as well keep using it.”

“Thank you, Teacher Yan.” Lin Zhixia stood up to take it and realized the cup was full.

“Sweet soup,” Yan Huaiqing reminded her with a hint of amusement. “No alcohol added.”

How incredibly thoughtful.

If she had said one more word, Lin Zhixia might have fallen for her on the spot. She quickly hugged the thermos and hurried off to find Xiao Hua.

Over the next few days, Lin Zhixia tagged along with Xiao Hua, exploring the theater, touring the opera troupe, and meeting many of the performers.

She learned a great deal and, true to Yan Huaiqing’s words, heard plenty of gossip tales of tangled relationships and drama within the theater, the troupe, and the institution.

Yan Huaiqing’s theater operated on a semi-commercial basis, but the opera troupe itself was a state-affiliated institution. Its members were stable, departments numerous, and traditions ran deep, complete with master-disciple lineages and long-standing grudges like a miniature society unto itself.

The opera house, in particular, felt like a living museum, with stories tucked into every fold of its history.

Who hadn’t spoken to whom for decades, who never sat next to whom during meetings, who was whose first disciple, who held a grudge against whom and why…

Here, they had their own rules.

The tea ceremony for acknowledging a master was more important than an employment contract.

Personal bonds and rivalries mattered more than staff regulations.

The lead huqin player’s bow carried more weight than a judge’s gavel.

Who turned to bow first during the curtain call was more significant than who received thanks first.

Xiao Hua even mentioned that every master’s final disciple was more precious than life itself.

Perhaps the portraits of past masters lining the corridor walls were not only watching over the legacy passed down through generations of opera artists they were also keeping a close eye on everyone, reminding them that learning to be a good person came before learning to perform. Character mattered more than skill.

Lin Zhixia quietly processed everything she had seen and heard, trying to understand Yan Huaiqing’s situation and perspective from her point of view.

Gradually, she began to understand.

In a system that values seniority, the younger you are, the more powerless you feel swept along by people and circumstances, unable to change anything until you’ve gained enough distance and climbed high enough to have the ability and authority to make a difference.

Another new day arrived, and the weather had warmed. Lin Zhixia spent the morning touring the theater with Xiao Hua and didn’t return to the studio until evening.

Yan Huaiqing had just finished a meeting and was pouring herself a glass of water at the tea station.

“Thank you, Teacher Yan,” Lin Zhixia said abruptly, without any context.

“What for?” Yan Huaiqing hadn’t even looked up yet.

“For your coat.” Though several days had passed, Lin Zhixia answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“The weather’s already warmed up, and only now do you think to thank me for the coat?” Yan Huaiqing held her teacup and gazed out the window.

Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns across the floor-to-ceiling window. The grass and hills outside looked greener than before.

Lin Zhixia walked over, took a sip from her thermos, smiled, and answered honestly, “I just figured it out. Is it too late to thank you now?”

“Not too late. But how could a simple coat take you so many days to figure out?” Yan Huaiqing walked over and sat at Lin Zhixia’s workstation, trying to see things from her perspective.

Lin Zhixia swallowed a mouthful of water, pressed her lips together, and smiled at her. “Because there was a hidden agenda in that coat.”

“Aren’t you going to admit it?” she pressed.

Yan Huaiqing nodded, offering no excuses or explanations. She turned her gaze back to the window. “The weather’s lovely. You must have gotten quite a bit of sun while touring the theater today.”

Her tone was casual, her expression unchanged everything seemed perfectly normal.

That’s just how the workplace is. Some things can’t be spoken aloud; the more they’re concealed, the more intriguing they become.

Yan Huaiqing’s wardrobe did, in fact, contain many unworn coats that would have suited Lin Zhixia better. Yet, she had deliberately chosen one she had recently worn to a formal occasion.

She had indeed set a subtle trap.

Lin Zhixia’s identity as an author wasn’t public. No matter what position she was assigned, on paper, she was just an ordinary employee. But she didn’t have fixed office hours, which could easily put her in an awkward position at work.

Those who enjoy privileges are either excessively ostracized or excessively flattered.

Yan Huaiqing didn’t doubt Lin Zhixia’s ability to navigate delicate workplace dynamics. She simply didn’t want her to face such awkwardness from the start.

So, she used the coat to send a message to everyone: Lin Zhixia was under her protection. She was not to be ordered around, offended, or approached too closely.

Soon, everyone tacitly understood the subtlety of the situation.

In the few days since Lin Zhixia started working, everyone had treated her with polite respect neither too distant nor overly familiar. No one pried into her affairs, and she blended in so naturally that she might as well have been a seasoned employee who had been there for half a year.

But such normalcy was, in itself, abnormal.

It took Lin Zhixia several days to grasp the underlying meaning.

Yan Huaiqing had used a coat to orchestrate a subtle maneuver, creating just the right amount of ease for a workplace novice like her.

“The weather is lovely indeed, Teacher Yan. Let me treat you to a meal.”

Playing along with the unspoken understanding, Lin Zhixia didn’t break the delicate balance. Instead, she chose to thank Yan Huaiqing directly.

For someone so young to know when to hold back words she was a clever and sensible girl. Yan Huaiqing appreciated that. She turned back and asked, “Sure, what are we eating, and where shall we go?”

“I’m treating, so of course I should ask first what Teacher Yan would like to eat.”

“Anything is fine, Teacher Lin, you decide.”

Clearly, Yan Huaiqing was using the exact same reply that Lin Zhixia had given her earlier.

Lin Zhixia felt a bit teased and was quite troubled. She couldn’t decide on a place right away, but the words slipped out of her mouth before she could think: “It’s a pity I don’t know how to cook, or we could have eaten at my place.”

Yan Huaiqing’s gaze drifted slightly as she looked at her and praised, “Not bad using the process of elimination.”