The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 38

Faced with Lin Zhixia’s questioning, Yan Huaiqing believed she had underestimated her opponent.

From the moment she first laid eyes on her in Nan City, she should have realized it.

Indeed, she had underestimated her.

Lin Zhixia was no delicate little flower to be twisted between her fingers.

Even when it came to laying cards on the table or tearing off all pretenses, she could still resemble a lustrous butterfly ranunculus, chasing the wind and playing with a puppy in the courtyard.

Even when breaching contracts or taking risks, she could flaunt her food before a wagging-tailed puppy, then eat it bite by bite herself.

During their chance encounter on the stone steps, she hadn’t shown a trace of surprise or shock from the very first glance. Moreover, she had known all along that Yan Huaiqing had come looking for her.

In this battle between two sides, where the situation remained unclear, she was willing to communicate and converse.

She could speak with profound sincerity and unreserved emotion about her compassion, love, and hatred, yet also calmly and methodically analyze the positions and choices of all parties involved.

Even when discussing the consequences of breaching the contract, there was no hint of heaviness in her tone.

Now, she leaned forward, bending down to look directly at her, questioning her.

In her eyes, Yan Huaiqing could detect no panic or unease of someone trapped in a predicament. Instead, she faintly sensed a confidence and control emanating from her.

She gave the impression of someone who had already seen the ending in advance as if everything was under her control.

Such self-assurance and confidence were something Yan Huaiqing lacked.

As for the questions Lin Zhixia posed Why? What was she after? Yan Huaiqing hadn’t even considered them.

Only when retracing her steps and pondering along the lines of her questioning did Yan Huaiqing realize that she truly had nothing to gain. She was simply being partial to her.

As for when it had started, she didn’t know.

She just found herself inclined to shield her, favor her, and plan from her perspective like an awakened maternal instinct, utterly without reason, even at the cost of self-sacrifice.

For an adult, this was extremely dangerous and required vigilance.

Moreover, she suddenly realized that she was the immature one, trapped in rigid assumptions.

She had arrogantly defined and concluded someone’s character, subconsciously believing the other was too naive, unable to handle pressure, prone to anger and impulsiveness.

And likely to mess things up.

So, she had rushed over in a panic to stop her, afraid she would be the first to tear off the facade.

The result? She had underestimated her opponent.

Lin Zhixia had taught her another lesson.

“So, I took the bait, didn’t I?” Yan Huaiqing asked, looking into her eyes.

Lin Zhixia leaned in close, studying her, her eyes curving into crescents. “I’m curious, whose hook did Teacher Yan bite? And what was the bait?”

Yan Huaiqing laughed softly, lowered her head, and shook it twice in self-mocking resignation.

“I underestimated you. I was afraid you wouldn’t keep your composure and would be the first to break ties with the institute. After all, once that statement was released, the situation would spiral out of control.”

Lin Zhixia blinked, her gaze still fixed on her.

Yan Huaiqing continued, “And I underestimated you in another way, I was afraid you’d see me as a villain, driven by your hatred of evil, and never interact with me again.”

That social media post had indeed been a declaration of war. The one ready to tear off the facade was her. The bait had been cast by her, and naturally, it was her hook that was bitten.

Lin Zhixia was utterly pleased. She nodded, twisted around to sit beside her, and rested her cheek against Yan Huaiqing’s shoulder, sighing with a hint of regret. “Then Teacher Yan really was too impulsive. In a few days, I would have obediently returned.”

Yan Huaiqing turned her face away with a soft laugh.

As dusk approached, the lake surface shimmered in hues of orange and red. The setting sun cast the passersby on the road as silhouettes, weaving the sky and earth into a painting.

“Speak,” said the voice outside the painting, its owner turning her face back, her faint breath brushing against the tip of the other’s nose.

“What more is there to say?” Lin Zhixia lifted her head to look at her but quickly withdrew her gaze.

“Haven’t I already passed your test?” Yan Huaiqing glanced at the distance between them close, no longer treating her as an adversary.

“Just a humble assistant like me wouldn’t dare test Boss Yan.” Lin Zhixia straightened her posture slightly, her hands resting on the stool beside her legs, though her shoulders still leaned slightly toward Yan Huaiqing.

“No test? Just a moment ago, you insisted on sitting apart from me.” Yan Huaiqing gestured with her eyes toward their shoulders.

Lin Zhixia followed her gaze and patted her own shoulder, murmuring in protest, “It was Teacher Yan who complained my shoulders were too small to bear any weight.”

“Xia Xia.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you really this vindictive?”

“Not at all.”

“You’ve held onto a drunken remark until now, yet you claim you’re not vindictive.”

“Teacher Yan remembers it too, which proves it wasn’t just a drunken remark.”

Yan Huaiqing shook her head, once again caught in Lin Zhixia’s circular logic.

“Teacher Yan,” Lin Zhixia called out suddenly, her head lowered as she hesitated. “If victory is certain, would you consider promoting it in advance?”

“What do you mean?” Yan Huaiqing looked at her, her brow slightly furrowed in thought.

“The institute made a misstep, but Director Yan turned the tide. Promote the new play, and promote yourself along with it.” Only after speaking did Lin Zhixia lift her head to meet Yan Huaiqing’s eyes.

“I don’t mind promoting myself,” Yan Huaiqing replied without hesitation, her gaze still fixed intently on Lin Zhixia. “But if a play can be presented to the audience in a pure and beautiful form, I don’t want it tainted by filth.”

“Isn’t it because of me?” Lin Zhixia pressed her lips together, waiting for a response.

A soft laugh drifted into the twilight.

Yan Huaiqing’s brow relaxed as she answered gently, “Yes, and I don’t want to drag you into it either.”

Lin Zhixia would feel smug when praised, and her smug expression was actually quite charming she would suppress a smile at the corners of her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents that sparkled as she blinked at you.

Yan Huaiqing leaned back, narrowing her eyes to study her. She wasn’t just admiring her proud expression; she was searching, inch by inch, for everything Lin Zhixia had hidden away from view.

“Teacher Yan, what are you looking at?” Lin Zhixia grew guarded again under her scrutiny.

“I’m curious, and I’ve been wondering how do you know we’ll definitely win?” Yan Huaiqing asked.

Though her words were framed as a hypothetical, Yan Huaiqing could hear and see the certainty in the other’s tone that she would undoubtedly win.

To be precise, the certainty that they would win together.

From the moment they met that day, every word and action of Lin Zhixia had conveyed this message.

Yan Huaiqing couldn’t help but wonder what backup plan she had in store.

Lin Zhixia was a mimic, but she only imitated Yan Huaiqing. She too leaned back, tilting her head to observe the night and the person within it.

“Teacher Yan.”

“I’ve read another book, and it said if it is grace, then it has nothing to do with deeds; otherwise, it would not be grace.”

“Teacher Yan.”

“Your persistence, your dedication, your endurance everything you’ve relentlessly pursued in the past will eventually find its answer. When the time comes for that answer to be fulfilled, all the people and circumstances around you will push you forward. With noble assistance and favorable winds, almost without realizing it, everything will fall into place, and you will have achieved it.”

“Teacher Yan.”

“Actually, you don’t need to question why, nor should you carry any psychological burden it’s what you deserve.”

“You were always meant to win.”

Lin Zhixia finished speaking these words slowly, as if trying to console her, yet it seemed more like she was consoling herself.

Night descended like ink spreading, growing increasingly indistinct.

Yan Huaiqing looked up at the sky and asked with a laugh, “Teacher Lin, have you switched to studying metaphysics?”

Lin Zhixia giggled softly for a moment before boldly declaring, “Who knows? Perhaps I really am Teacher Yan’s fate.”

Another light chuckle melted into the night.

Yan Huaiqing tilted her head, gazing at the sky and then at her, and asked quietly, “Does fate still not answer?”

“Teacher Yan’s fate naturally has to be seen by Teacher Yan herself. What’s the rush?” Lin Zhixia grew even bolder, her tone tinged with unmistakable pride.

“Then let’s go. I’ll treat my fate to a meal and try to win some favor.” Yan Huaiqing straightened up and extended the invitation.

Lin Zhixia quickly sat up straighter and asked, “What are we eating?”

“How about mushroom hotpot?” Yan Huaiqing suggested.

“Not the ‘Lin Embraces Mushrooms’ kind, is it?” Lin Zhixia swallowed, her eyes gleaming.

“Teacher Lin, have you already tried it?” Yan Huaiqing looked toward the two small points of light in the darkness.

“No,” Lin Zhixia swallowed again. “I came alone. I was afraid that if I got poisoned, no one would save me, so I didn’t dare eat it. I’ve been holding back for days.”

Hmm, not bad.

Her true nature is deeply hidden, she’s cautious and hard to coax, holds grudges, and values her life dearly.

Yan Huaiqing found this person utterly amusing and couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Then let’s go. Time to test the poison for my fate.”

She stood up and was about to reach out to pull the other person when Lin Zhixia picked up a straw hat and handed it to her, explaining earnestly, “Teacher Yan, I didn’t mean for you to test the poison. I could test it for you too.”

Yan Huaiqing looked at the hat, then at the person.

Hmm, very good.

The sun had set, so the hat was no longer needed. Finding it cumbersome, she handed it back.

Excellent.

She reached out to take the hat, feeling somewhat helpless, and laughed again.

“We should go to that place early, or we’ll have to wait in line.”

Eager to eat the mushrooms, Lin Zhixia jumped forward a couple of steps, one hand waving behind her, urging her to hurry.

Yan Huaiqing’s gaze fell on her hand. For some reason, she suddenly felt the urge to hold it, to feel what kind of stubbornness and freedom flowed within that body.

The breeze brushed past, the brim of the hat brushed past, and the night brushed past.

She lowered her head, her gaze alone brushing past, then picked up the straw hat and walked toward her fate.

On the way back to the guesthouse after dinner, Yan Huaiqing received a phone call from Dean Han.

Tonight, Editor-in-Chief Sun had unexpectedly invited her to dinner. Clearly, the moment the meal ended, the call came.

The outcome was beyond her expectations, yet within the hints someone had given.

Yan Huaiqing glanced at Lin Zhixia waiting for her in the distance and felt a sense of dizziness and unreality.

Fate had answered, telling her that the one standing in the night was her noble assistance, her favorable wind, her grace, her destiny.

Lin Zhixia was certainly no delicate flower to be toyed with she was more like a young wolf cub that had strayed from its pack. With just a symbolic growl to assert her identity, she sent her adversaries retreating.

There was a rumor at Jiangda Affiliated Hospital: Director Lin came from a prominent, distinguished family, yet she never spoke of them, and no one had ever met her relatives.

From her very first day at the hospital, the leadership never referred to her by her given name, only as “Dr. Lin.” Even now, everyone had grown accustomed to addressing her by her title.

She never married. While studying abroad in England, she gave birth to Lin Zhixia. In an era when such circumstances could have held her back, she not only became a doctor but also completed her Ph.D. and rose to the position of chief physician.

She never faced slander or injustice and it likely wasn’t just her surgical skills that shielded her.

For women, the world has always been a deadlock, with only one key to break it: power.

The poise and confidence exuded by Lin Zhixia and Director Lin were cultivated in an environment rich with privilege, wealth, and happiness unhurried, unyielding, and utterly fearless.

Yan Huaiqing felt a sense of trepidation, wary of everything she couldn’t see or control in the darkness.

She also felt a pang of frustration. After all her careful planning, she had been outmatched by the young wolf’s simple growl.

Yet, she had taken the bait again.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, there was only one kind of bait she would ever bite.

And as it happened, Lin Zhixia had it.