When Spring Burns - Chapter 31

Two days later, He Jianxue’s legs had fully recovered.

Ji Siyi came to see her off and offer a few words of advice. After finishing, her gaze inadvertently swept toward the door. “Is your sister not coming to pick you up today?”

“…” He Jianxue glanced at her wordlessly, then picked up her coat. “I didn’t ask her to come today.”

She had specifically prevented it because of this woman, her sister was only 19.

In the evening, upon returning to the He residence, He Jianxue didn’t see Sheng Tingmian in the reception room. Assuming she might still be at the theater, she headed toward the bedroom.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered, she saw a young girl curled up on the sofa, with Tyrande pressed against her waist, sleeping soundly.

The light, soft dress outlined the girl’s snow-white back. She lay on the sofa, seemingly engrossed in her phone, causing her shoulder blades to protrude slightly. Her crossed legs were raised and gently swaying in the air.

What made He Jianxue’s gaze freeze was that, whether due to the short hemline or her posture, the delicate gauze skirt barely reached her thighs…

There was an elusive, faint allure…

It wasn’t until Sheng Tingmian chuckled softly at her phone that He Jianxue snapped back to reality. Composing herself, she adopted a mature demeanor and reached out to adjust the girl’s skirt, pulling it down to cover her legs.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

Hearing her sister’s voice, Sheng Tingmian quickly sat up. In front of her elegant and dignified sister, she couldn’t afford to be too casual. As she lowered her legs, her movement inadvertently avoided He Jianxue’s touch, and she remained unaware of the gesture.

“Sister, I’m reading fan comments,” Sheng Tingmian replied, recalling the amusing things her fans had said and suppressing a laugh as she shared, “Some fans are so funny, there are even those who say they want to be friends with me and meet me.”

He Jianxue frowned almost imperceptibly and cautioned, “You can never be too careful. Remember, you’re a young blogger with a sizable following now. Be cautious online.”

“I’ll be careful, Sister,” Sheng Tingmian said, standing up and linking her arm with He Jianxue’s cheerfully. “Besides, with you around, I’m not afraid.”

For a moment, He Jianxue’s expression grew distant, reminded of He Xiu. There was a time when He Xiu would cling to her arm just like this, saying she wasn’t afraid as long as her sister was there.

Yet, when He Xiu was truly in danger, her older sister couldn’t save her.

She felt undeserving of such praise.

Sensing the woman’s distraction, Sheng Tingmian called out softly, “Sister?”

He Jianxue turned her gaze toward her, a faint trace of sorrow lingering in her eyes as she looked at Sheng Tingmian’s face. But in the next moment, it vanished, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.

While Sheng Tingmian was still processing this, she was suddenly pulled into an embrace. “Sister?”

“Even with your sister around, you still need to be careful,” He Jianxue said, patting her back before releasing her.

Sheng Tingmian didn’t know what she had been thinking, but she trusted her sister’s advice and nodded. “I will.”

During dinner, Sheng Tingmian suddenly remembered something. “Sister, Auntie told me that our troupe will be participating in a TV station’s Dragon Boat Festival gala competition in a few days. I heard the competition is really fierce, many troupes are sending representatives, but there’s only one spot for traditional opera performances.”

He Jianxue asked, “Which TV station?”

Sheng Tingmian replied, “Yan City Television.”

As Yan City was a municipality directly under the central government, Yan City Television was also the largest station in the province.

He Jianxue inquired, “Which opera are you planning to perform?”

Sheng Tingmian said, “Auntie assigned ‘The Jade Hairpin’ to me and Du Jingya to perform.”

He Jianxue pondered, “That’s a good choice, more engaging than a solo piece.”

Though viewership for TV wasn’t high these days, such a grand occasion still required content that could appeal to both refined and popular tastes. While “The Jade Hairpin” told a love story, the two young performers could bring enough interaction and charm to the stage. Even if the audience didn’t fully grasp the plot, they could still appreciate the artistry of the opera performers.

The Dragon Boat Festival was a nationwide celebration, so obscure or solo performances wouldn’t be quite fitting.

Receiving affirmation, Sheng Tingmian happily agreed, “Sis, you think so too, right?”

Seeing her smile, He Jianxue’s lips curved upward. “I’ll take care of things with the TV station.”

“Uh…” Sheng Tingmian hadn’t expected her sister to say that and immediately wondered if she’d misspoken, giving the wrong impression. “Sis, that’s not what I meant.”

“You don’t need to pull strings. I know you know a lot of people, but this is… a competition.”

Sheng Tingmian looked at her seriously. Unlike the introductions and referrals for the intangible cultural heritage festival performances, which relied on connections for opportunities and aimed to increase exposure for opera, this was a program selection competition. Other troupes were participating fairly, and if they took shortcuts to win easily, wouldn’t that undermine fairness?

He Jianxue asked, “You want to compete fairly with others?”

Sheng Tingmian nodded, biting her lip. “I appreciate your kindness, sis…”

He Jianxue sensed her polite refusal but didn’t mind. “Alright, I respect your choice. Focus on the competition and aim to win.”

Sheng Tingmian breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes crinkling. “I’ll do my best.”

As they continued their meal, He Jianxue thought of Ji Siyi and couldn’t help recalling her saying she wanted to pursue Tingmian. Hesitating for a moment, she asked, “What do you think of Ji Siyi?”

Sheng Tingmian looked up, blinking innocently. “Sis, you mean Sister Siyi?”

He Jianxue: “Mm.”

Sheng Tingmian thought for a moment. “I think she’s really nice and takes good care of me.”

“Hasn’t your sister taken care of you too?”

The words slipped out, and He Jianxue froze, sensing something off. She lowered her gaze, subtly observing the girl’s expression across from her.

Sheng Tingmian remained unaware, picking up a corn kernel to eat. “Of course, sis, you take care of me too.”

Otherwise, her sister wouldn’t have offered to help her earlier.

He Jianxue stirred the soup in her bowl but didn’t eat, casually asking, “What do you think of her personality? How do you get along?”

“…I think Sister Siyi seems a bit distant at first, but she’s actually very warm when you spend time with her.”

Sheng Tingmian answered truthfully, assuming her sister was worried she might be bullied by Ji Siyi in private. She felt touched by how much her sister cared. “Sis, you don’t need to worry about her bullying me. If she did, I’d definitely tell you.”

She wouldn’t let herself be mistreated.

Just then, Sheng Tingmian noticed a message from Ji Siyi pop up on her phone, inviting her out.

He Jianxue asked, “Who messaged you?”

Sheng Tingmian unlocked her screen. “It’s Sister Siyi. She invited me to watch a play, she bought tickets.”

He Jianxue’s eyes darkened. “When are you going?”

Sheng Tingmian: “Hmm… tomorrow morning.”

“Turn it down. You still have training.”

Sheng Tingmian hesitated. “But I don’t have training tomorrow morning, sis.”

He Jianxue asked, “Do you want to go?”

Sheng Tingmian glanced down at her phone screen again. Ji Siyi’s message was still waiting for her reply. “I kind of want to watch it. This is the play Sister Siyi mentioned before that she said was really good, and the tickets are hard to get.”

He Jianxue studied her for a long moment, recalling Ji Siyi’s words about pursuing her sister. “What if she said she wants to pursue you?”

“!!!”

Sheng Tingmian stared in shock. “Sis?”

He Jianxue took in her astonished expression, it wasn’t delight, which confirmed her suspicion that her sister hadn’t developed romantic feelings for that woman yet. Calm and composed, as if discussing something ordinary, she said, “No need to be surprised. She’s been studying abroad for a long time and is a lesbian. She has an ex-girlfriend she broke up with. She came back to date you, to marry you.”

“!!!”

Sheng Tingmian’s eyes widened, clearly startled. So that was why Sister Siyi had been so nice to her? “Is… is this true?”

“Of course.” He Jianxue picked up her bowl, stirred it gently, and elegantly took a sip of soup. “She told me herself. She wants to pursue you. At the hospital, she asked for my support, but…” She paused, then continued, “Even if she’s my closest friend, I can’t disregard your happiness and casually act as her advocate. After all, Mianmian, you’re my sister. We’re family.”

Sheng Tingmian was instantly overwhelmed with emotion. She hadn’t expected her sister to be so considerate of her, not siding with Ji Siyi just because they were friends or trying to play matchmaker. Her sister was on her side.

“Sis…”

He Jianxue noted her gratitude, a faint smile curling her red lips as she calmly asked, “So, what do you plan to do?”