When Spring Burns - Chapter 49

Sheng Tingmian cried herself to sleep in He Jianxue’s arms, and the next day, she still didn’t dare to go online.

It wasn’t until Du Jingya called her and said the public opinion had reversed that she quietly logged in to take a look. The comments section was completely devoid of the malicious remarks from the day before, replaced instead by encouraging words from others.

[Mianmian, let me tell you, my grandparents love watching you perform opera. Here are the tickets from last time and the time before!! And we took a photo together, remember? /image]

[You earned that trophy with your skills, take it back!!]

[Don’t worry about what others think, just be yourself /hug]

[Don’t be sad, you still have us]

…

She couldn’t help but cover her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

The turmoil finally passed, and it took Sheng Tingmian a full day and night of rest at home to recover.

Not only had public opinion about Sheng Tingmian reversed, but He Jianxue’s reputation had also turned around. The previously criticized case of “sacrificing family for justice” was scrutinized by netizens, who uncovered that her cousin, Duan Ziheng, had suffered heavy losses in the failed Nanzhang trade deal. Duan’s father had even arranged for He Jianxue’s aunt and cousin to join the group in key positions. Everyone began to speculate that He Jianxue had sacrificed her family to protect her mother’s family business.

Just as netizens went from calling her by her full name to addressing her as “Sister He,” He Jianxue announced the acquisition of a new script, Bird Carrying a Flower, and almost all the attention shifted to discussing this new Kunqu opera script.

Bystander: [Bird Carrying a Flower? What kind of Kunqu opera is this?]

Bystander: [The name is quite interesting. What’s it about? Does anyone know?]

Bystander: [Am I the only one curious about how much it cost? Haha]

[Curious +1, who’s the talent behind the script?]

[I heard it was between 1 to 5 million, enough to buy an apartment and skip 20 years of hard work. So envious.]

[They actually went through with it? I thought it was just a gimmick.]

Fan: [Not sure if my grandparents will like it, but I’ll go check out the new script to show support for the preservation of Kunqu opera.]

Fan: [So excited, so excited! With a new script, Sister He will probably let our Mianbao perform it first, right?]

[Not necessarily. The Liqing Troupe has many members, and several others are quite good too. Not sure who Sister He will choose.]

[Ah… Sister He is Mian’s only sister! Can’t Mian take advantage of being close to her?]

[Will the makeup and costumes for the new Kunqu opera be redesigned?]

[Praying for our Mian, Sister He, our Mian is like your little sister. She supported you through all the online criticism yesterday. Please let her perform the new script first! I really want to see Mian in new opera makeup, please!]

Fans from various entertainment circles watching the drama:

[Sister He knows how to market. In just one day, public opinion reversed, and now everyone’s focused on her new script Bird Carrying a Flower. She even saved a ton on promotion costs, and the stock price soared higher than before. Her PR skills are top-notch.]

[Who would’ve thought the once-dying Kunqu opera circle would have this much hype now? Tsk tsk.]

[What businesses does Sister He’s group have? They’re even creating opportunities for the Kunqu opera circle.]

“After seeing so much these past couple of days, it’s clear that Sister He genuinely invests real money and resources when she wants to promote someone. She can even negotiate prime time slots with TV stations, leaving ordinary advertisers in the dust. I really hope Sister He will enter the film and television industry, become a major investor, sign artists, and create big opportunities. I wish the agency my favorite is signed to was Sister He’s company.”

“Give it up. If Sister He wanted to enter the film and television industry, she would have done so long ago. She’s clearly a businesswoman who only focuses on making money. I suspect she’s promoting the Kunqu opera circle for her sister’s sake.”

“I also think she’s going to such great lengths with innovations and scripts for her sister. Otherwise, spending millions on a single script would be a total loss, leaving her with nothing but her underwear.”

“Suddenly, I feel like their sisterly bond is almost too good. But they don’t even share the same surname. Could it be that Sheng Tingmian once saved Sister He’s life?”

…

Amid the swirling online discussions, Sheng Tingmian returned to the theater to perform, and public attention shifted entirely to the new script “Bird Carrying Flowers,” with many asking her what the story was about.

Sheng Tingmian admitted she didn’t know either, her sister hadn’t shown it to her. After everyone left, she grew curious. As soon as her shift ended and she returned to the He residence, the butler mentioned that her sister was in the study. Sheng Tingmian’s mind whirred into action, and she quietly made her way over.

Coincidentally, the study door was slightly ajar. Holding a small plate of fruit, Sheng Tingmian slipped inside like a cat, planning to try and coax some details about “Bird Carrying Flowers” from her sister.

She knew she probably wouldn’t get to see the actual lines, but it would be even better if she could.

She wondered if her sister would tell her.

Passing by the screen, she saw the familiar figure seated at the desk. Just as Sheng Tingmian was about to speak, she froze, staring in confusion.

The object in her sister’s hand looked so familiar…

Sheng Tingmian strained to identify the white, round beads strung together and wrapped around her sister’s slender fingers, they resembled pearls. In a flash, it hit her!

Wasn’t that the tassel from their commonly used headdresses?

But the texture wasn’t the usual plastic bead tassel; it had the luster of real pearls. This immediately reminded Sheng Tingmian of the “Liangzhou Diqi” costume she had worn before and the kingfisher-feather-and-pearl headdress.

This seemed to be the very pearl tassel she had lost while performing “Liangzhou Diqi”…

But why was her sister holding it and examining it?

Just as Sheng Tingmian was puzzling over why the pearl tassel was in He Jianxue’s hand, the woman not far away suddenly moved her arm, bringing the pearl tassel to her lips. A faint smile curled at the corner of her mouth as she gently kissed it.

This…!

Half of Sheng Tingmian’s body was hidden behind the screen. Witnessing this, her pupils slightly dilated, and her slender hands gripping the fruit plate tightened unconsciously.

A mix of surprise, bewilderment, and a hint of delight she hadn’t even noticed herself stirred within her.