The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 32

At 9:30 in the morning, Lin Zhixia received a message from Yan Huaiqing.

“Xiaxia, are you awake?”

“I’m awake, but I haven’t gotten up yet.”

Lin Zhixia replied while lying face down on the bed. She had been scrolling through Weibo hot searches all night, too worried to sleep, and naturally, she couldn’t get up either.

“No need to come to work today. You can sleep a little longer.”

“Okay.” Lin Zhixia really did want to sleep a bit more.

“Let me know when you’re awake,” Yan Huaiqing added.

Why? Why? Why? Why should I tell you when I’m awake?

Lin Zhixia buried her face in the pillow, rubbing it back and forth, muttering under her breath.

There was no way she could guess the reason. A minute later, she replied, “I’m awake.”

The other party was typing.

Also a minute later, Yan Huaiqing replied, “There’s sweet soup by the door. It’s well insulated. Remember to drink it when you get up.”

Lin Zhixia shot out from under the covers and dashed to the door in a small run.

Unfortunately, no one was there. On the delivery shelf by the door, however, sat an exquisite insulated cup.

Fortunately, no one was there. Her hair was a mess, and she wasn’t even wearing shoes.

Holding the insulated cup, she glanced at the elevator. The number displayed the top floor, meaning that after the person who delivered the soup had gone down to the first floor, someone else had gone up.

It seemed the person had left long ago.

So when had she come? How long had she stood by the door? And was she already sitting in the office now?

Holding the insulated cup, she returned to her room. Just as she reached the living room, her phone buzzed with another message, again from Yan Huaiqing.

“You’re welcome.”

The timing was just right.

Lin Zhixia suddenly realized that she was being imagined by Yan Huaiqing. From the moment she sprang up to when she retrieved the sweet soup, she had been running through Yan Huaiqing’s mind.

What does it feel like to be imagined by the very person who is imagining you?

Like being watched by the heavens when you look up at the sky? Like being bathed in moonlight alone on a night road? Like happening to glance at a night-blooming cereus just as it blossoms?

In any case, it was an emotion she had never experienced before in her life indescribably wonderful.

What should she reply? She didn’t want to interrupt this feeling, hesitating as she held her phone.

“No need to reply.”

“Go back to sleep.”

“If it’s convenient, I’ll come see you this afternoon.”

“You have to reply to this one.”

Yan Huaiqing was indeed imagining her not only her actions but also her emotions, piecing it all together seamlessly.

So at this moment, was she sitting in the office, looking at her phone and laughing at her?

As she slowly thought this through, Lin Zhixia’s face flushed. She raised her hand to brush the tip of her nose, feigning composure as she faced her phone.

“I’ll wait for you.”

After replying with these two words, she set down the sweet soup and went back to her room to catch up on sleep.

But how could she possibly sleep?

They say waiting makes people anxious because both the time and the outcome are uncertain.

But waiting with anticipation is different. Knowing the other person will come as promised, from the moment you start waiting, you’re already looking forward to it with joy.

Yesterday was waiting with anxiety; today is waiting with anticipation. The feeling is entirely different.

Today’s Yan Huaiqing was like the cup of sweet soup on the table. It hides in the cup, and you hide under the covers, waiting for each other. You can imagine its sweetness, and you can drink it anytime.

Lin Zhixia started feeling happy from 10 a.m., drank the sweet soup at noon, and by 1 p.m., her happiness had peaked.

Because Yan Huaiqing sent her a message saying she had a meeting at the institute in the afternoon and would come directly over after it ended around 3 p.m.

She always handled things so thoughtfully never disturbing you when you were happy, informing you of her arrival time when you grew slightly impatient, and letting you know she was downstairs just as the agreed time approached.

“Xia Xia, I’m downstairs. Is it convenient for me to come up now?”

“Of course.”

Lin Zhixia opened the apartment door and stood waiting by the elevator, feeling a bit nervous. She retreated back inside, partially closing the door, and stood behind it with her hand on the doorknob.

With a soft ding, the elevator doors slowly opened she had arrived.

Almost simultaneously, Lin Zhixia swung the door open and smiled at her. “Teacher Yan, please come in.”

Slippers were already prepared in the entryway. Yan Huaiqing glanced at them, her smile light and natural.

After changing her shoes, Yan Huaiqing gestured toward Lin Zhixia’s forehead. “Still have a fever?”

“No, it’s gone. My throat was a bit sore when I woke up, but it’s much better after having the sweet soup.”

Growing up with a doctor for a mother, Lin Zhixia had always been adept at reporting her physical condition, which put Yan Huaiqing at ease.

“That’s good.”

Yan Huaiqing smiled at her again.

Lin Zhixia felt a little flustered. “Teacher Yan, please have a seat.”

Tea was already brewed, served in the same cup as last time, placed at exactly the same angle.

Yan Huaiqing naturally scanned the room and noticed that everything from the tissue box and remote control to the sofa cushions and other everyday items was arranged exactly as it had been during her last visit, with no change in position or angle.

“Xia Xia, are you a little robot?” she asked with a laugh.

“What?” The “little robot” paused, not understanding.

Yan Huaiqing chuckled and asked politely, “May I wash my hands first?”

“Of course. The sink is over there you know where it is.” Lin Zhixia gestured sideways.

The laundry detergent and small decorative items on the sink were also in the exact same positions and angles as last time. Yan Huaiqing couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

“Teacher Yan, what did you notice? Why are you laughing? And why call me a robot?” Lin Zhixia followed her closely, asking questions.

“I was just thinking that even a well-trained spy from a movie would leave traces if they visited your home,” Yan Huaiqing said with a serious tone.

Thinking she was referring to something important, Lin Zhixia asked earnestly, “Really?”

“Of course,” Yan Huaiqing replied, gazing into the patterns of her eyes. “Do you have a ruler in your eyes? You put everything back in its original place so precisely, as if not a millimeter is off.”

She even gestured to indicate a millimeter.

Lin Zhixia hadn’t expected this side of her. Looking at her hand, she smiled proudly. “Oh, that? I just put things back casually. Maybe it’s just a habit.”

“Teacher Yan, please sit.”

Lin Zhixia motioned for her to sit and then glanced at the sweet soup cup. “By the way, what time did you bring the sweet soup this morning?”

“At a quarter past nine, when I arrived downstairs,” Yan Huaiqing replied without hesitation.

A quarter past nine?

Going upstairs, coming back down, sending the message.

Lin Zhixia’s mind raced through the sequence of events. “And when did you send the message?”

“Right downstairs, from my car.” Yan Huaiqing glanced toward the balcony, a hint of undiscovered pride in her smile.

Lin Zhixia was utterly astonished, wishing she could rush to the window immediately to see where Yan Huaiqing had parked.

So, in the same moment, in a space no more than five meters apart, she had imagined her every move.

And now, with just a glance and a tone of voice, she effortlessly brought back the emotions of that moment for her.

Taking it a step further.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Lin Zhixia’s voice was laden with endless, lingering emotions as she asked.

“I planned to,” Yan Huaiqing picked up her cup to take a sip of water, “when you asked.”

“What if I never asked?” Lin Zhixia couldn’t help but press further.

Yan Huaiqing set down her cup, thought for a moment, and said, “I’d find a way to make you ask.”

When emotions surge to an extreme, one truly freezes. Lin Zhixia stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide and unblinking, staring blankly at the person before her.

“Aren’t you going to sit?” Yan Huaiqing looked back at her, as if she were the host.

Lin Zhixia shuffled over to the sofa and sat down. The turmoil inside her was still raging. She hugged a cushion to muffle it, to keep it from becoming too overwhelming.

Yet, this woman before her had the power to drive even the most composed girl in the world to madness for her.

“Xiaxia, there’s one more thing. It might be presumptuous, but I think it’s necessary.” Yan Huaiqing tilted her head slightly, looking troubled.

“What is it?” Lin Zhixia had already given up resisting. Her tone rose, sounding exaggeratedly surprised.

“I…” Yan Huaiqing glanced at the figurines and dolls arranged nearby, her tone still hesitant, “booked an appointment for a formaldehyde test for you.”

When? Why? Was there some reason behind it?

Lin Zhixia’s mouth fell slightly open, her stunned expression conveying her unspoken questions.

“He Zhe, she has a lot of figurines and props at home too. You know the doctor’s diagnosis she suspects it might be because…” Yan Huaiqing raised her hand, tracing a small circle in the air above her shoulder, leaving the sentence unfinished.

“So, Teacher Yan thought of me?” Lin Zhixia blinked, her mind racing through countless thoughts in an instant.

“Mhm.” Yan Huaiqing hesitated before asking, “Does it offend you?”

Lin Zhixia’s eyes darted a few times before settling on her. “Did Teacher Yan book an appointment for He Zhe too?”

“I did.” Yan Huaiqing grew nervous. She knew this child well enough if others had something, she wouldn’t want it.

“Then,” Lin Zhixia blinked twice, sniffed, and asked again, “Did Teacher Yan make sweet soup for He Zhe?”

“No.” Yan Huaiqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Zhixia wrinkled her nose and smiled, then crawled over to her side like a puppy. “Thank you, Teacher Yan. When is the test?”

Will you come then? She held back from asking this, only letting her eyes convey the anticipation.

“If you’re comfortable with it, I can have them come at four o’clock.” Yan Huaiqing spoke softly.

Lin Zhixia glanced up at the wall clock. It was a quarter to four.

If she agreed, they would come up. If she objected, they would leave. Either way, the payment was already made, so no one would be making a wasted trip.

Was this Yan Huaiqing?

This was Yan Huaiqing!

Boss Yan. Captain Yan. Yan Huaiqing. Lin Zhixia mentally recited each title, one after another, but still couldn’t resist asking, “Then, Teacher Yan, why did you come here this time…”

“To make sure you weren’t alone and uncomfortable.” Her voice was light, her gaze gentle. Like a master of her craft, she effortlessly disarmed others with her soft words.

The little figure in Lin Zhixia’s heart curled up and rolled on the ground in surrender. She didn’t feel offended in the slightest in fact, she was deeply moved.

So moved that words failed her, so moved that she didn’t know what to say. She just stared at her with wide, longing eyes, wishing she had a tail to wag.

“There’s one more thing, and it might be quite presumptuous.” Yan Huaiqing spoke again, but her tone was less restrained than before, a little flighty.

“What is it?” Lin Zhixia’s tone was even more airy, imagining her audacity, anticipating her boldness.

“I bought groceries and had them delivered to your place.” This time, Yan Huaiqing didn’t ask for her permission.

“Are you going to cook for me, Teacher Yan?” Lin Zhixia felt as if she were floating.

“Or I could assist you.” Yan Huaiqing winked at her.

It was fine, of course, but Lin Zhixia suddenly felt troubled and furrowed her brows. “There’s no alcohol left at home.”