Chapter 202: Good Night, Xie Xiangxue
The soft patter of rain fell endlessly outside. For those indoors, it was the perfect kind of white noise to lull one to sleep.
Recently, Gu Qinghuan had been living a very full life. She listened attentively in class, dealt with Wei Xiao after class, occasionally checked on Lin Zhulu and Yu Yuan, and after school either practiced sanda with Song Yi or went to Su Lin for tutoring.
She had even dragged the system into being her “secretary,” reminding her what she needed to do each day.
Being this busy naturally brought results. Her academic performance and physical fitness had both improved significantly—though she was also quite tired.
On days when she didn’t have to deal with Wei Xiao, she would rush to her office after lunch, curl up in her “dog nest,” wrap herself in a small blanket, and fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes.
Today, Wei Xiao wasn’t around. Yu Xin and Jiang Chuchu had also come over. While Gu Qinghuan slept soundly, the two of them couldn’t sleep and instead huddled together, whispering.
“Qinghuan’s been way too busy lately,” Yu Xin said softly. “I feel like she’s gotten thinner.”
“Rather than thinner, I’d say more toned,” Jiang Chuchu replied. Gu Qinghuan never mistreated her own stomach. Lately, her snacks were things like skinless chicken legs, beef jerky, soft-boiled marinated eggs, and chickpeas.
Yu Xin thought for a moment and nodded. “Mm, toned—with muscles.” Yu Yuan was the same recently. After practicing sanda, even her steps had become steadier.
“But she really is too busy,” Jiang Chuchu ground her teeth. “All because of that cockroach.”
At the mention of Wei Xiao, both Yu Xin and Jiang Chuchu were filled with shared resentment.
“How about we go somewhere this weekend? Just to relax,” Yu Xin suggested.
Jiang Chuchu glanced at the weather outside. “It’s been raining lately… maybe somewhere indoors?”
Before they could reach a conclusion, the next morning Gu Qinghuan made a suggestion herself:
“This Sunday morning, Xie Xiangxue is participating in a dance competition. Do you want to go watch?”
“A dance competition?” Jiang Chuchu was surprised. She hadn’t expected Gu Qinghuan to be interested in that.
“Yeah, remember before the New Year’s gala, Xiangxue said she’d rather focus on preparing for this competition?” Gu Qinghuan said. “I checked the time—it’s this Sunday.”
“Can we even go watch something like that?” Yu Xin was interested, but unsure if they could enter.
“She said she can bring a few friends in, so I thought I’d invite you two. Everyone’s been working hard lately—it’s a good chance to relax.”
Jiang Chuchu wasn’t particularly interested in dance competitions, but since Gu Qinghuan wanted to go—and they had been planning to find a way for her to unwind anyway—she agreed.
To maintain her condition, Xie Xiangxue arrived in a neighboring city on Saturday afternoon, checked into a hotel, visited the venue, and made final preparations.
Meanwhile, Gu Qinghuan and the others went out shopping, returning to the hotel stuffed full of food.
Xie Xiangxue nearly broke down. “Ahhh! I’m here nervously preparing, and you guys went to eat delicious food?!”
“To keep your condition stable, you shouldn’t eat those today,” Gu Qinghuan said seriously. “What if you get a stomachache? We’ve already tested everything for you—what’s good and what’s not. After your competition tomorrow, we’ll go eat together.”
Xie Xiangxue was speechless. “Wipe the sesame off the corner of your mouth before saying that.”
Gu Qinghuan licked her lips, caught the sesame, and chewed it.
Xie Xiangxue laughed, then turned to Jiang Chuchu and Yu Xin. “How much did she eat?”
Yu Xin let out a small burp. “Candied hawthorn, roujiamo, fried chicken strips, plum blossom cakes, grilled cold noodles, takoyaki, starch sausages… and a cup of fresh orange pear juice.”
Xie Xiangxue collapsed backward onto the bed, flailing. “I want to eat too!”
Her mother, Li Zhiying, stood nearby, smiling warmly as she watched them.
Xie Xiangxue had originally been too nervous to sit still. But with her friends here, all her anxiety disappeared.
The next morning, after entering the venue, her nervousness returned.
Gu Qinghuan didn’t say much. She simply stood beside her, looking at Xie Xiangxue’s heavily made-up reflection in the mirror, then suddenly said:
“Comfort me.”
Xie Xiangxue blinked. “Comfort… you?”
“Yes,” Gu Qinghuan said confidently. “I’m about to do something very important, but I don’t know if I’ll succeed. I’m really nervous.”
Xie Xiangxue held it in for a few seconds before snapping, “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to say?!”
“There’s someone,” Gu Qinghuan continued, still looking at the mirror, “who has suffered terribly and is in great pain. I’ve thought of many ways—how to help her find relief.”
“Should she see the person who hurt her receive retribution? No… I don’t know how deep her hatred is, or whether that retribution would be enough.”
“More importantly, even if she sees it, she has already lost everything.”
“I hope she can find peace… and have the most beautiful dream of her life.”
Xie Xiangxue didn’t fully understand, but the last sentence resonated with her.
A staff member called out at the door, asking the next performers to prepare. Xie Xiangxue’s name was among them.
She stood up, reached out—taking advantage of her height—and ruffled Gu Qinghuan’s hair.
“The most beautiful dream, right? Just wait—I’ll show you.”
…It was a phoenix.
Xie Xiangxue’s consciousness was hazy, but perhaps the phoenix was too dazzling—it gave her a trace of strength.
She uncontrollably reached out her only movable right hand toward it.
At that moment, the silent phoenix moved.
Like lightning splitting open a long-clouded mind, her thoughts suddenly became clear.
That wasn’t a phoenix.
It was a person.
The bird’s head was a raised palm, the slender neck a fluid arm, the golden-red skirt transformed into wings.
She stood there, living on stage in the form of a phoenix.
Beneath the vivid makeup was a face she knew all too well—
Her own.
She stared, almost mesmerized. Even as rain poured into her eyes, she refused to blink.
So beautiful.
Every peck of the phoenix was nimble and elegant, every flap of its wings seemed ready to soar into the sky.
After all, it was a phoenix.
How could it crawl on the ground? It was meant to fly.
As the dance ended and the lights shifted, the phoenix became human again, bowing gracefully and receiving thunderous applause.
The rain in her eyes flowed together with her tears.
Through the blurred veil, she saw herself running toward her mother, smiling so brightly.
She suddenly remembered—
So this was what she used to be like.
Her once-blurred memories were gently washed clear.
She remembered her love for dance, the sweat left in the studio, the flashes of inspiration that once filled her mind.
After being imprisoned by Yan Zhengqing, her world had collapsed, losing all color.
Her heart felt hollow. Time had no meaning. She lived like a puppet, controlled day after day.
What was the point of living?
She no longer knew.
Even meeting her family each month gradually stopped stirring her emotions.
She only wore a fake smile, repeating, “I’m fine,” “You should be well too,” to reassure them.
When Yan Zhengqing threw her out and she fell off the cliff after being hit by a car, she had even felt a sense of relief.
Finally… she didn’t have to live anymore.
But in the end, what remained was—
Fear.
Dying wasn’t good, was it? She shouldn’t die, right? Her family would be sad…
Would they think it unfair—that she had finally escaped and was about to begin anew, only to die like this?
But what meaning did living have?
She couldn’t find it. She couldn’t remember.
Like someone about to set off on a journey, only to realize their luggage was gone.
Even facing death, she was helpless.
Until this moment—
The phoenix ignited her soul.
Lying at the bottom of the cliff, Xie Xiangxue looked at the cloudy sky, laughing as tears streamed down her face.
She remembered.
There was no need to fear.
No need to panic.
She could finally face death calmly.
She had found herself.
Holding onto the dream of the phoenix, she finally found peace.
[Personal reward delivered.]
[Good night, Xie Xiangxue.]
