Chapter 175: Weeds
Qingchuan University Drama Club performance backstage.
“Sister Hong, this… Xiaozhi doesn’t seem to be very suitable for this role, right?”
Tang Xin stood below the stage and watched the male and female leads on stage rehearse half a scene of dialogue with their scripts. Both of their performances were still a bit raw, but the girl’s gaze never met the boy’s, as if she were avoiding him, and her lines were also delivered haltingly.
“An Zhi is very pretty. With a little makeup, she’ll definitely look good on stage. But… if this is the only stage effect, my script is a bit of a waste. Xiaozhi… is still a bit too innocent and clueless. There’s a role in the play next door that’s quite suitable for her. And also…”
Tang Xin paused, observing Nie Hong’s expression. “Xiaozhi seems to be absent-minded. She’s made a lot of mistakes with her lines. Is she not very willing to play this role?”
Nie Hong listened to Tang Xin’s suggestion in silence. She sighed, a little unwilling. “An Zhi might be a little slow to get into character. Let her try again. There are only a few people in the association who are usually active. I can’t find anyone suitable for a while. An Zhi’s foundation is so good. It would be a pity not to use her.”
“Alright then. Since you insist, Sister Hong…” Tang Xin nodded, twirling a pen between her fingers, her eyes sparkling. “Hey, I suddenly thought of someone suitable.”
“Who?”
“Do you know Xia Qiange, Sister Hong?”
“Xia Qiange? I have an impression.” Nie Hong quickly admitted. She did have a deep impression of the girl named Xia Qiange. It might be because she was pretty, or because of something else. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it for a moment. “An Zhi’s good best friend, the girl from the student union?”
“Yes. Don’t you think she’s very suitable, Sister Hong?”
Nie Hong hesitated. Now that she thought about it… the girl named Xia Qiange was indeed not bad. And on second thought… she couldn’t even find a better example.
The costumes, which had been rented for a lot of money, were on their way. Nie Hong had seen the rough sketches. She couldn’t help but imagine the red dress on the girl’s body.
It would probably be a stunning sight, with her skirt swaying, her eyes full of sorrow, a single glance overthrowing a city. She was more suitable for this role than An Zhi. But rather than saying she was suitable, it was more like the script was written for her.
Nie Hong was a little tempted. She really wanted to win the trophy that the association had not won last year and put it in the display case. But if An Zhi really liked this role…
“But… she’s not in the Youth Association. She might not be willing. An Zhi and Su Yu are quite close. They can cooperate better.”
“Who will know when she’s on stage under the name of the Youth Association? Xia Qiange and Su Yu are high school classmates.” The smile on Tang Xin’s face brightened a little. She seemed to have known about Nie Hong’s doubts all along.
“Although the visual effect is more important, wouldn’t it be better if the acting is also brilliant? If you want, Sister Hong… I can go and test the waters.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble you. Let them rest for a while. They’re all tired. I’ll go and ask An Zhi…”
“Alright then. I’ll be happy if this script can be performed well. It’s a win-win.”
Tang Xin smiled and shouted “cut” to the people on stage.
…
“Did you not rest well yesterday?”
Su Yu looked at An Zhi’s absent-minded appearance. The girl’s usually smiling lips were now tightly pursed, and there were faint dark circles under her dark yellow eyelids, as if she were sick.
“No… it’s nothing. I keep making mistakes with my lines. Maybe I’m not very suitable for this role.”
An Zhi shook her head repeatedly, her smile a little forced. Her gaze had not met Su Yu’s since the rehearsal began.
She felt that these past few days had been a mess. She didn’t want this. If there was a machine that could go back in time, she would definitely jump in without hesitation.
She wanted to know, when did it start? The calm and comfortable little pond was suddenly hit by a storm. Her thoughts were like broken and flying waterweeds, and she couldn’t find a moment of peace.
She was trapped. She wanted to escape… but she couldn’t find an exit.
“An Zhi, come down for a while. I have something to say to you.”
Nie Hong beckoned to An Zhi from below the stage. As an outsider, she saw the strange atmosphere between Su Yu and An Zhi and vaguely found the answer.
“Mm-hmm, I’m coming, Sister Hong.”
An Zhi took one last look at Su Yu and turned to leave. The corner of the script in her hand was soaked with cold sweat and wrinkled.
…
“An Zhi, tell me. I know you’re soft-hearted. You never refuse what I ask you to do. But if you really don’t like it, there’s no need to force yourself.”
“I… I…”
“Because of Su Yu? Is your relationship with him…”
“No!”
An Zhi’s thoughts were suddenly exposed. Her fingers were twisted together. Besides a flustered and loud denial, she couldn’t find any other reason. She was slowly changing in a subtle way. The psychological suggestion with no source was accumulating in her heart… suppressed, but she could only accept it helplessly.
Her body and mind suddenly withered like a flower that was lying on the side of the road, dying. The flower stem was broken, and the bright petals were scattered on the ground. Her smile was filled with fatigue and weakness. “I’m just a little tired.”
“Then… you can go and rest for a while. You can skip the rehearsal this afternoon.”
Nie Hong looked at the girl’s haggard expression, her lips parting. She patted An Zhi’s shoulder and didn’t say anything.
“Thank you… then I’ll go back first.”
An Zhi sighed in relief. She actually didn’t want to stand on that stage at all. She really disliked the script in her hand. The lines were completely opposite to her current state of mind. She was clearly hesitant about her feelings, but she still had to say those lines of deep love on stage according to the script.
She was already hesitant and undecided. She was afraid that she would get too into the role and that in the end, the fake would become real.
This script was a poison, a shackle. Her brain seemed to be tightly locked, and even a little bit of thinking would cause a sharp pain in her head.
An Zhi quickened her pace and left the backstage of the rehearsal room. She pushed open the door, and the sunlight outside was dazzling. She squinted her eyes and looked at the bright sky. The dazzling sunlight made her pupils turn a deep brown… extending to a dark red.
A beam of light shone through the dense forest of overgrown weeds. An Zhi’s heart brightened for a moment, and she vaguely felt that she had grasped something.
Hesitation would only lead to baseless worries. Why didn’t she just ask the boy herself… ask him how he felt.
“An Zhi?”
A graceful voice brushed past her ear. An Zhi looked down and saw Xia Qiange standing in front of her. She was overjoyed, as if she had found a source of courage. She needed a little more encouragement.
“Why are you here, sister?”
“Tang Xin asked me to come. She said she needed help.” Xia Qiange smiled and walked up to her. She reached out and touched An Zhi’s cheek, her fingertips brushing over the corners of the girl’s eyes. She frowned and asked with pity, “Why do you look so pale? You should get some rest.”
“I see. Sister… I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I… I want to ask Su Yu. I want to know what he thinks.”
“Is that so? I support you, sister.”
Xia Qiange’s fingertips slid over the girl’s delicate, porcelain-white skin, outlining a beautiful contour.
“Really? If you say so, sister, then I…” An Zhi was surprised, and the courage in her heart suddenly grew a lot.
“But… if you say some things too clearly, maybe… you won’t even be able to be friends anymore. You should think it over carefully, Xiaozhi.”
A bolt of lightning suddenly struck, and the world turned pale for a moment.
The smile on An Zhi’s face stopped, and the weeds in her heart grew wildly again. The little bit of sunlight that had just penetrated deep into the leaves of the grass was mercilessly extinguished, and the world was once again plunged into a deep darkness.
