The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 28

Arriving now was still not too late.

Yan Huaiqing had drunk an entire bottle of red wine and was feeling pleasantly tipsy.

Lin Zhixia playfully swirled her wine glass a few times in imitation and was also slightly intoxicated.

After dinner, they opened another bottle of wine and let it breathe by the carpet.

The two women, one hugging a plush doll and the other swirling her wine glass, leaned against the sofa, talking about another woman.

Sheng Yanqiu.

The woman who had cursed Yan Huaiqing for ten years was named Sheng Yanqiu.

She was Yan Huaiqing’s senior fellow apprentice, the first disciple of their mentor, the most influential successor in their school, and, ten years ago, the lead female performer and troupe leader of the Jiangsu Yue Opera Theater.

She excelled in both literary and martial roles, reaching the peak of her fame.

Sheng Yanqiu, just like her name, blazed as fiercely as flames in the deep autumn when all other flowers had withered.

Yet no one could have predicted that she would wither and fade in the sudden onset of winter.

Ten years ago, Sheng Yanqiu was thirty-five, the most brilliant age for a female performer, when her experience, stage presence, maturity, and even physical condition were at their peak, radiant and dazzling.

That year was also her year to compete for the Plum Blossom Award.

“Did something happen?” Lin Zhixia asked, resting her head on the plush doll. Just the scent of the wine had already flushed her cheeks.

Yan Huaiqing set down her glass, spread her palm in front of her, and examined it as she spoke slowly, “That winter was particularly gloomy and cold. It rained every day, and my hands were so frozen I could barely stretch them. My body felt heavy and damp. The rehearsal room wasn’t as well-equipped as it is now no matter how high we turned up the heating, it never felt warm. I hid by a small heater to slack off and ended up scorching my costume.”

“A huge patch, this big, all burnt,” she gestured with her hands, forming a circle the size of a pancake.

“And then?” Lin Zhixia asked, staring at her elegant hands.

“Then my teacher found out and struck my palm with a horsewhip, five times in total. My whole hand burned with pain,” she unconsciously curled her hand, as if the pain still lingered.

“Did you cry?” Lin Zhixia asked curiously, gazing into her eyes.

Yan Huaiqing shook her head with a smile. “I couldn’t cry. If I cried, the teacher would scold me even more harshly. I only dared to let my eyes redden slightly in secret.”

Lin Zhixia stared dazedly at her eyes. They were so beautiful would they look even more captivating if they were red from crying?

Yan Huaiqing continued to smile as she reminisced, her gaze falling on another plush doll by her leg. Despite having drunk over a bottle of red wine, her complexion remained pale, with only a faint hint of pink barely visible on her cheeks.

Truly beautiful.

“And what about your senior apprentice sister?” Lin Zhixia murmured softly.

Her way of saying “senior apprentice sister” was like a dreamy whisper, carrying an innocent, affectionate intimacy, as if there were no grievances between them. Yan Huaiqing was momentarily lost in thought.

“Senior apprentice sister, How many years has it been since I called anyone that?” She let out a long, wine-scented sigh and smiled.

“Every time the teacher scolded me, my senior apprentice sister would comfort me. That day was no exception. She ran across the street to buy me roasted sweet potatoes, candied chestnuts, and a stick of candied hawthorn.”

“On her way back, she sprained her ankle.”

After a long silence, she finally spoke, “Perhaps everyone’s fate was altered at that very moment.”

“Was it a serious sprain?” Lin Zhixia asked, furrowing her brows.

“Perhaps it was. No one knew. She said it was nothing. She had awards to win and performances to give. After resting for only three days, she returned to the rehearsal room, practicing during the day and performing at night, working nonstop around the clock.”

“Did something happen?” Lin Zhixia’s heart leaped to her throat.

“Yes. During rehearsal, her legs suddenly gave way. She missed her footing and fell from the practice platform, fracturing several bones.” Yan Huaiqing’s body trembled slightly.

“How could the fall be so severe?” Lin Zhixia instinctively leaned forward, worried she might collapse too.

Yan Huaiqing propped herself up with a cotton doll beside her leg, her lowered eyelashes veiling the emotions in her eyes.

“That award-contending play was half-civil, half-martial. The costume, along with the cape and headdress, weighed over twenty pounds. She injured her neck too damaged her cervical spine. It was serious. She spent half a year in the hospital before being discharged, but ever since, the left side of her body hasn’t been the same.”

Lin Zhixia felt a sharp pang in her chest, an acute pain. She had always been highly empathetic, and she couldn’t help but lower her head in sorrow for Sheng Yanqiu, her heart aching for her.

To fall from the pinnacle of success, losing everything within reach, only to spend the rest of one’s life trapped in a broken body, shackled by unfulfilled ambitions and desires.

No one could truly understand. Just stopping to listen felt unbearable how could one go on living?

How did Sheng Yanqiu manage to live?

“But why does she hate you?” Lin Zhixia’s tone was sorrowful, no longer tinged with the earlier indignation.

“I was the one who helped move the platform. And I was the one who took over her role in that play.” Yan Huaiqing’s gaze fell into her wine glass before she downed it in one go.

Lin Zhixia opened her mouth but said nothing. She picked up the decanter and poured Yan Huaiqing one glass after another, and Yan Huaiqing drank them all, one by one.

“In terms of seniority, there were three or four people ahead of me. By rights, it shouldn’t have been my turn.”

“But after the accident, I saw a glimmer of hope. My family pulled some strings, my teacher hoped I would step in, and I wanted to perform too.”

“The lead role in a grand production I dreamed of playing it.”

Yan Huaiqing spoke without reservation.

“I went to visit my senior at the hospital, but she refused to see me. So I trained day and night, and in the end, I was really chosen.” Her tone was flat, devoid of any emotion.

“What happened after?” Lin Zhixia tilted her head and asked.

Yan Huaiqing leaned back against the pillow, her voice slowing considerably.

“I was still too young and inexperienced to win the Plum Blossom Award, but that play made me an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, after my senior recovered, she never got another chance to perform.”

“Still, that doesn’t mean she should.” Lin Zhixia still couldn’t make sense of it.

“She wasn’t satisfied with the compensation the theater offered. She came to me, hoping I could help prove that the prop had been tampered with.”

“I hadn’t inspected the platform carefully. I didn’t know if it was due to wear and tear, improper placement, or if someone had indeed tampered with it.”

“I didn’t agree to help her.”

Yan Huaiqing lowered her head, shaking it slightly as if still grappling with the memory.

“Because of the compensation, she and her family caused several scenes at the theater. It was humiliating. Later, when the theater allocated housing, she was left out. They made more scenes, offending almost every leader in the theater. In the end, she lost even the chance to work behind the scenes.”

“She became paranoid, almost delusional, often losing control. She believed I had tampered with the platform, that I had intentionally harmed her, which was why I didn’t dare to testify. Her fans joined her in protesting, writing joint petitions to the theater association every year.”

“Didn’t the theater do anything about it?” Lin Zhixia frowned.

“The institute claimed the props were managed by dedicated personnel and there shouldn’t have been any issues. As for whether someone had tampered with them, they said they would investigate but then there was no follow-up.”

After saying this, Yan Huaiqing didn’t continue. She turned her gaze toward the pitch-black window, her eyes empty.

Since the institute hadn’t explicitly denied it was her, everyone assumed it was.

The more the institute praised her, the more Sheng Yanqiu resented her.

Because she was the cause, she was part of the process, and in the end, she was the result.

She had replaced Sheng Yanqiu, becoming the youngest leading actress in the institute, shining even more brilliantly.

An elder sister is like a mother Sheng Yanqiu had once been the person who cared for Yan Huaiqing the most in the world, for ten whole years.

Now, turned against each other, Sheng Yanqiu only hated Yan Huaiqing hated her for standing so high, hated her for living the life she should have had, hated her for never falling to her feet.

She had hated her for ten years.

During those ten years, the institute gave Yan Huaiqing opportunities to rise, but at the same time, used her as a shield.

Isn’t that just the art of controlling people? Creating enemies everywhere to bind you tighter.

Moreover, everyone loves to watch the drama of siblings turning on each other, colleagues fighting, and relationships tearing apart. The audience, with their comments and gossip, only fueled the flames.

Sheng Yanqiu’s screams and curses were like a mirror, reflecting the ugliest side of this profession.

Perhaps Yan Huaiqing silently allowed her madness.

Each outburst reminded everyone: you may not have had her past glory, but you might not escape her present disgrace.

“Ms. Yan, I believe in you.” Lin Zhixia moved closer, supporting her with her shoulder.

“You believe I’m a good person?” Yan Huaiqing’s smile carried the bitterness of alcohol.

“At the very least, I believe you’re not a foolish villain.” Lin Zhixia replied after a moment of thought.

“Hmm?” Yan Huaiqing gently nudged her shoulder, always caught off guard.

Lin Zhixia smiled faintly, tilting her head as she speculated, “If Ms. Yan were truly a villain, why would she help move the props? Wouldn’t it be easier to stay hidden and do nothing? Besides, after ten years, Boss Yan surely has ways to make her stop causing trouble, yet I still see her outbursts.”

“Right?” Lin Zhixia nudged her shoulder back.

Yan Huaiqing laughed softly, tilting her head back, but didn’t open her eyes to respond.

Lin Zhixia turned to look at her at the rise and fall of her chest, her slender neck, her defined jawline, her elegant profile, and finally, her closed eyes.

“Ms. Yan, I also believe that you can achieve it.”

Yan Huaiqing’s eyelids twitched, but she didn’t open them. “Do you know what I want to do?”

She said it for the third time, asked it for the third time.

Of course, she knew.

Naturally, she knew.

Now, she knew.

Lin Zhixia didn’t answer, but she truly understood what Yan Huaiqing wanted to do.

She wanted to climb desperately upward only by standing firm could she earn the right to change things.

She wanted to invest behind the scenes that was her long-term safety net.

She wanted to build a theater only with her own foundation could she do what she truly desired.

Sheng Yanqiu constantly reminded her that glory would eventually fade. What she needed wasn’t to exit quietly but to leave behind what she wanted to leave, then bow out gracefully.

Now, the team she had gathered was united, achieving small successes. The new theater was nearly complete, soon to become her new foothold. The plays she wanted to produce were also in preparation.

She had achieved half of it.

Lin Zhixia’s arrival now was not too late.

Naturally, she would lend a helping hand.

“Ms. Yan, would you like to lean on my shoulder?” she asked softly.

Yan Huaiqing lifted his eyelids and slowly leaned closer to her. When he was near, he suddenly raised his hand and patted her shoulder.

“Can those little shoulders of yours handle it?”

“Whether they can or not, we’ll only know by trying,” Lin Zhixia replied, patting her own shoulder as well.

There was only one last glass of wine left. Yan Huaiqing poured it out completely, took a sip, swirled it in his hand, and then slowly moved closer to Lin Zhixia to study her.

Her breath was soft, the warmth of the wine lingered, and a faint trace of red wine still clung to the seam of her lips.

Do you remember the first time you wanted to kiss someone? It had nothing to do with love or affection it was a pure awakening of consciousness, a curiosity about what it would feel like to press your lips against hers.

It was a fleeting thought, but Lin Zhixia lingered on it twice once looking at her lips, and once at the wine staining them.

Unconsciously, she swallowed.

Yan Huaiqing chuckled and asked her, “Xiaxia, if you don’t drink, why would you have such fine wine stored at home?”

Her curiosity interrupted, Lin Zhixia snapped back to reality.

Yesterday after work, she had made a special trip home to sneak this bottle from Zhao Jin’s wine cabinet.

When inviting someone to a meal, it’s only natural to have wine ready she had planned ahead.