The Night is Called Gentle - Chapter 42

It was Lin Zhixia’s first time ever applying eyebrow makeup for someone else. She was nervous, yet she approached it with a sense of ceremony.

Her left hand was clenched into a fist on her lap, while her right hand held the brush as if it were a feather so lightly that she hardly dared to exert any pressure.

Yan Huaiqing’s face was right before her eyes. She could even see the fine hairs on her skin. The delicate, rosy complexion, bathed in the soft glow of the vanity lights, made the rouge at the corners of her eyes resemble cinnabar gradually blooming on rice paper.

“Teacher Yan, I, I’ve never done opera makeup before.”

Lin Zhixia’s throat tightened. The tip of the brush hovered above the arch of the eyebrow, hesitating to make contact. The faint scent of grass and wood, mingled with the warm fragrance of cosmetics, inexplicably soothed her yet made her heart race.

Yan Huaiqing suddenly lifted her eyelids, her pupils holding fragmented light as she looked at her. “Don’t be afraid. Just follow the curve of the brow bone.”

Lin Zhixia swallowed, took a deep breath, and finally let the brush tip gently touch the space between her brows.

Yan Huaiqing lowered her gaze, resting it on Lin Zhixia’s tightly clenched fist. Her voice was so soft only Lin Zhixia could hear it. “It’s fine. You can press a little harder.”

“Okay.” Holding her breath, Lin Zhixia began tracing along the already outlined shape of the eyebrow.

Su Wangyue kept glancing at them through the mirror, watching the two as if they were performing a scene.

“Oh”

As if she had discovered something extraordinary, she leaned back to take a closer look and couldn’t help but exclaim, “As expected of Director Lin’s daughter. The way you hold that brush is just like holding a scalpel.”

Yan Huaiqing lifted her eyes at her words and then smiled, her warm breath brushing against Lin Zhixia’s wrist, sending a ticklish sensation.

“Am I holding it wrong?” Startled, Lin Zhixia withdrew her hand, no longer daring to continue.

Su Wangyue glanced left and right at her reflection in the mirror. Seeing that her own makeup was nearly done, she stood up and walked over to the two of them, eager to play the teacher. “See? This is how you hold the brush.” She raised her hand to demonstrate.

Lin Zhixia adjusted her grip according to Su Wangyue’s instructions but still hesitated to resume.

Standing to the side, Su Wangyue egged her on, “What are you afraid of? Have you seen Painted Skin? Just treat her face like human leather. Draw however you want it’s no big deal.”

If nothing else, Lin Zhixia’s imagination far surpassed that of the average person. Instantly, a series of eerie images flashed through her mind. Her expression gradually twisted, and her hand trembled slightly.

Seeing her trick had worked, Su Wangyue raised an eyebrow, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

Yan Huaiqing suddenly raised her hand and tapped twice on the wrist above her head, right on Lin Zhixia’s pulsating vein. “Don’t fall for her tricks.”

Lin Zhixia was instantly brought back to her senses.

Su Wangyue was like a balloon the more you responded, the more she inflated. If you ignored her, she would gradually deflate and pose no threat.

Once she understood this, Lin Zhixia gradually calmed down. She raised the brush again and began lightly tracing between the brows.

Su Wangyue leaned in between them to observe, but when she realized Lin Zhixia was treating her like air, she felt she was making a fool of herself and went off to find someone else to play eyebrow makeup with.

Lin Zhixia gradually became absorbed in the task, unconsciously studying the features before her.

The brows arched delicately, the eyes gentle and captivating utterly beautiful.

Without realizing it, she raised her left hand, resting the back of it against Yan Huaiqing’s chin, as if to draw her closer and examine her more carefully.

Her breathing was light, her lowered eyelashes occasionally fluttering. Her faint, subtle breaths brushed against Lin Zhixia’s wrist, sending a ticklish sensation.

Lin Zhixia felt that Yan Huaiqing at this moment resembled an exquisite figurine utterly adorable, giving her the illusion that she could hold her in the palm of her hand and arrange her however she pleased.

She pressed her lips together, a faint smile curling at the corners.

The eyebrow pencil continued to trace, emitting a soft, rustling sound.

In truth, many people have tiny moles hidden between their brows some deeply concealed, others faintly visible when their eyebrows shift.

Lin Zhixia had once described such a mole in a book as a footnote secretly tucked away by the soul, a mark gently pressed by fate.

But Yan Huaiqing had none.

Lin Zhixia carefully combed through every strand of her eyebrows and found nothing.

She felt a twinge of disappointment, yet also thought it only natural she was, after all, as flawless as a piece of unblemished jade.

Moreover, the older generation often said that those with moles between their eyebrows would face tumultuous love lives. Yan Huaiqing’s brows were as pristine as freshly fallen snow, without even the slightest flaw surely, she would never suffer the pangs of heartbreak.

That was good.

Lin Zhixia smiled again.

“Xiaxia, are you looking for something?” Yan Huaiqing asked softly, her eyelashes fluttering, her voice like delicate silk gently wrapping around her.

“Miss Yan, you don’t have a mole between your brows,” Lin Zhixia replied truthfully.

No mole?

Was she disappointed?

Yan Huaiqing chuckled softly, “Do you have one?”

“I’ve never checked, but I probably don’t either.” Lin Zhixia rubbed the tail of her own eyebrow with her fingertip.

Yan Huaiqing smiled again, “Are you done?”

“It still seems a little crooked.” Lin Zhixia murmured, her voice almost dissolving into the air.

Yan Huaiqing opened her eyes and looked at her chin with a faint smile, “Which side is crooked?”

Lin Zhixia gently tapped the tail of her left eyebrow, “Right here, it seems a little higher.”

Suddenly, Yan Huaiqing raised her hand, grasped Lin Zhixia’s wrist, and pulled her hand still holding the pencil down.

The grip wasn’t forceful, yet Lin Zhixia felt her entire arm go numb for a moment.

“What’s wrong, Miss Yan?”

Yan Huaiqing lifted her head, meeting her gaze with eyes as calm as water, “Let me check.”

“Check what?” Lin Zhixia was momentarily confused.

Yan Huaiqing had already turned aside, her fingers gliding over the makeup table until she picked up a slightly lighter shade of eyebrow pencil. Facing Lin Zhixia, she answered nonchalantly,

“A mole between the brows.”

Huh?

Lin Zhixia froze, “Aren’t you going to finish your eyebrows?”

“I am.”

Yan Huaiqing adjusted the height of the makeup stool, leaned in, lifted her hand to gently grasp Lin Zhixia’s chin, and pressed the tip of the eyebrow pencil lightly between her brows.

The entire sequence of movements flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and flowing water.

Lin Zhixia’s heart thumped, as if all the blood in her body had rushed away from her heart.

She froze in place like a little puppet, pinned within the small space by the warm, woody fragrance, unable to move.

The fingertip beneath her chin was warm, the pressure light; the pencil tip between her brows was cool, rustling softly.

It felt as if tiny electric currents were spreading from the pencil tip, making her blink uncontrollably, her eyelashes fluttering incessantly.

“Don’t move.” Yan Huaiqing tightened her grip on Lin Zhixia’s chin slightly.

Lin Zhixia quickly closed her eyes and held her breath.

She waited quietly.

Only when Yan Huaiqing started on the other eyebrow did she dare to look up her gaze subtle, the corners of her lips slightly upturned, wearing an expression of playful condescension.

Lin Zhixia suddenly realized that Yan Huaiqing was getting revenge for being treated like a figurine to be toyed with.

How terrifying.

She had only thought about it.

But Yan Huaiqing had turned her imagination into reality and imposed it upon her.

Just like when she taught her to write, and now, like this.

She was the one who resembled a little figurine that could be arranged at will, meticulously shaped into the form her master desired.

It’s terrifying.

Even more terrifying she didn’t resist.

“Yan Huaiqing, you’ve hidden it well.”

Su Wangyue had somehow wandered back, bringing Jiang Jing along with her.

The sound of a camera shutter clicked.

Lin Zhixia wanted to turn her head, but her chin was firmly held in place by Yan Huaiqing.

“Almost done.” Her gaze was calm, her expression unchanged, her hands steady and unaffected, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

Even though nothing had really happened, Lin Zhixia felt a pang of guilt. She glanced sideways out of the corner of her eye and saw Su Wangyue shaking her head, clicking her tongue disapprovingly several times before turning to Jiang Jing. “Ah Jing, hurry up and take the picture. This is all evidence evidence that Yan is cheating on me.”

“If Wangyan Yuchuan ever breaks up, with this, I can get a bigger share of the assets.”

She spoke as if it were a serious matter.

“I’ll be your witness,” Jiang Jing chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she gathered evidence.

Lin Zhixia wanted to crawl into a hole again.

“Done.” Yan Huaiqing studied her for a moment, released her chin, placed the eyebrow pencil back into its case, and then turned to the mirror to continue adjusting her eyebrow shape.

She ignored everyone else.

Lin Zhixia unconsciously raised the back of her hand to touch her chin, not daring to make any sudden moves. Sitting on the stool, she stole a glance at her reflection in the mirror.

“Such a beautiful eyebrow shape,” Su Wangyue leaned in close, examining her brows carefully.

“Teacher Yan did a good job,” Lin Zhixia replied softly.

Su Wangyue clicked her tongue again, seemingly unconvinced. She circled around to Yan Huaiqing’s side, propping her hands on the dressing table, and sneered at the reflection in the mirror. “After knowing you for so many years, I never realized you were this kind of person.”

“What kind of person?” Yan Huaiqing picked up an eyebrow brush and lightly swept it across her brows, not even looking at her.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Jiang Jing nudged Lin Zhixia’s shoulder, her eyes flickering as she whispered, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, she just did my eyebrows,” Lin Zhixia replied, raising her hand to block the interaction.

Jiang Jing didn’t dare gossip openly in front of Yan Huaiqing, so she stood to the side, observing the situation with Lin Zhixia.

“They say opera is all about conveying emotions through the eyes and brows, but I never knew it was used like this. I’ve learned something new today.”

Su Wangyue shifted her body, leaning closer to Yan Huaiqing, and tapped her cheek with a finger, scrutinizing her as she asked, “You seduced Sister Lin, got caught red-handed, and you’re not even blushing?”

Seduced? What’s going on?

Lin Zhixia hadn’t expected to hear gossip about herself firsthand and felt a wave of panic.

Jiang Jing nudged her shoulder again.

Lin Zhixia discreetly glanced at Yan Huaiqing’s reaction.

She had finished shaping her brows and was leisurely putting away the eyebrow brush and pencil on the table, her expression calm and unreadable, showing no particular emotion.

Meanwhile, Su Wangyue grew even more relentless. Placing her hands on her hips, she pondered for a moment before asking, “Wait, you’re a dan actress why are you seducing Sister Lin?”

“What’s wrong with being a dan actress, Teacher Su? That mindset is problematic,” Jiang Jing interjected from the side.

“Exactly,” Lin Zhixia echoed in agreement.

Finally, Yan Huaiqing spoke.

“There’s a scene on stage later where you have to slap someone, right?”

Su Wangyue was taken aback, frozen in place.

Yan Huaiqing stood up and walked over to her, slowly raising her hand to hook her chin, then tapped her right cheek twice with her fingertip. Her tone was light, tinged with a hint of disdain.

“Put more powder on this side. If your makeup gets slapped off later, it won’t look good.”

The electrifying interaction and the intensity in their eyes!

Such a suggestive training pose!

This overwhelming sense of retaliation!

Jiang Jing wanted to take a photo but didn’t dare.

Lin Zhixia wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.

The air seemed to have been sucked away for a moment.

Su Wangyue finally realized something. Her eyelids lifted slightly, and a flicker of anger ignited in her eyes.

“I knew it! I just knew it!”

She took half a step back, gesturing wildly.

“I always wondered why your slaps during this scene varied in intensity sometimes so hard that my face was still red after removing the makeup.”

“I always thought it was because the stage movements were rushed, and you couldn’t control your strength in the heat of the moment.”

“Sacrificing for art, I never complained about it.”

“But it turns out you’ve been controlling the force of your slaps based entirely on your mood, haven’t you?”

After finishing, Su Wangyue glared at her, waiting for an explanation.

“So, how do you think I’m feeling today?” Yan Huaiqing didn’t explain but instead countered with a question of her own.

“Are you even human?” Su Wangyue snapped angrily.

“I’m not.”

Yan Huaiqing raised an eyebrow, extending her right hand in front of her as if to display it—

“I’m an emotionless face-slapping machine.”

“Scared now?”

She swiftly clenched her fingers into a fist, turned around, and went to change her clothes.

Oh, heavens!

Is this really Yan Huaiqing?

She’s so cheeky!

I love it!

Jiang Jing loved it.

Lin Zhixia loved it too.