Chapter 21: Theater

Thursday was a rare day without rain, though the sky remained overcast, with no sign of the sun.

At eight o'clock, Yin Mengxi emerged from her room, ready to leave. As she turned into the living room, she saw Min Rui sitting on the couch, painting her nails. On the coffee table were two servings of breakfast.

"Up so early?" Yin Mengxi was surprised. "Did you make breakfast?"

"Who else but me?" Min Rui focused intently on her nails, not looking up. "I couldn’t sleep all night, so I got up and made you breakfast."

After finishing one nail, she finally looked up, smiling and gesturing for Yin Mengxi to come over. "Come try it."

Yin Mengxi smiled and glanced at the spread—it looked quite hearty: scrambled eggs, millet porridge, and fried sausages.

"I can't eat now; I have to go to the station," Yin Mengxi said with some regret. "You eat it."

"What? You’re leaving already at eight?" Min Rui sighed. "Didn’t you transfer out of the program center? Are they still exploiting you like this?"

She sounded indignant on Yin Mengxi’s behalf.

"No, it’s special today," Yin Mengxi replied softly, touched by her friend's concern. "I have an assignment at ten, and I need to drop off a file at the station by eight-thirty."

"Alright, your station has always been interesting," Min Rui said, rolling her eyes. "They work people to death and don’t pay fairly."

As she spoke, she set down her nail polish and picked up a spoon to start eating her porridge. After a pause, she asked, "What kind of assignment is it? When will the program air?"

Yin Mengxi paused while packing her bag at the door, unsure whether she should tell Min Rui about running into Xiao Zhi again. With time running short, she decided to wait until she returned that evening to explain in detail. For now, she simply said, "Probably late May for the final cut, and it’ll air in June."

Min Rui responded with an "Oh," clearly not very interested. She asked if Yin Mengxi would return in time for dinner, and after getting a positive response, happily continued eating her porridge and eggs, watching Yin Mengxi head out to work.

It was exactly eight-thirty when Yin Mengxi arrived at the station.

She dropped off the next quarter’s project schedule on Luo Hua’s desk—though she wasn’t sure if the slacker boss would even bother to look at it. Then she grabbed two bottles of coffee from the fridge in the break room, planning to give them to the two young interns when she met them in the underground garage.

Taking the elevator down to the second basement level, she heard voices as soon as she stepped out. A man and a woman were talking. The man’s voice was unfamiliar, but the woman’s was unmistakable—it was Yao Anqi.

"How’s it going over at the Humanities Documentary department? Feeling stifled?" the man teased, his tone laced with mockery. "Starting your career already feeling like retirement? Is the money enough to cover rent?"

His words made Yin Mengxi frown slightly.

"Our department has a great atmosphere," Yao Anqi tried to defend herself. "The project we’re working on now is high-profile—no worse than what you’re doing…"

"Atmosphere? Profile?" The man snorted. "What good are those things? Does anyone even watch what you produce? It’s just self-entertainment—you were the top student in our graduating class, and now you’re wasting your time in that dump."

"I’m telling you, stop being stubborn. Find someone to pull some strings and get transferred somewhere else. Otherwise, you’ll have plenty of time to cry later."

"Take your department’s Teacher Yin, for example. She used to be in the Program Center, but what happened? Even if you can’t get along with the higher-ups, you’re nothing. In this line of work, if you’re not well-connected, you’re done…"

He went on and on.

"Stop saying nonsense!" Yao Anqi sounded irritated, rushing to defend her teacher. "Teacher Yin is incredibly capable. Whatever she does, she achieves results. Just wait a little longer, and she’ll definitely—"

"Xiao Yao."

Yin Mengxi appeared from around the corner, her expression and tone calm, as if she hadn’t heard their conversation.

"Teacher Yin…"

Yao Anqi immediately ran to her side. The young man, likely a new director in his early twenties, looked embarrassed upon realizing he had been caught gossiping behind her back.

"Teacher Yin…" he stammered, trying to greet her.

Yin Mengxi didn’t make things difficult for him. Remembering her nominal title as a “teacher,” she felt a rare urge to lecture. Turning to the young man, she said, "You’ve made some good points. Yes, connections matter in this industry. But think about this: there are many people at our station who rely on connections to get ahead, yet very few actually succeed. And among those who do, even fewer can maintain their position. Why do you think that is?"

With that, she nodded politely and led Yao Anqi away to find their car.

On the way to University A, Yin Mengxi’s phone lit up. Glancing down, she saw a message from Sun Jianbin.

The text was brief: Xiao Yin, how are you adjusting to the Humanities Channel?

It was followed by a classic, middle-aged-man-style smiley face.

…How dare he contact her?

Why?

A leader wouldn’t kick someone while they’re down—so this was fake concern?

And then what? Pretend to be generous, only to lure her into bed?

A cold laugh flickered in her eyes as she turned off her phone. When she looked up, she met Yao Anqi’s timid gaze. The girl must have sensed her anger and assumed it was because of the earlier conversation, turning pale with fear.

Yin Mengxi took a deep breath, her heart softened by this young girl. What fault was it of hers? It was Yin Mengxi’s failure—if she were more influential, this hardworking child wouldn’t have been mocked and ridiculed.

"It’s fine."

She smiled at Yao Anqi and patted her shoulder from the backseat.

"We just need to focus on our own work."

When they arrived at the university, they first headed to the College of Literature’s administration building.

Their appointment with Xiao Zhi was at two in the afternoon, but they had to interview a female professor of comparative literature and world literature in the morning. Professor Zhang, in her forties, was warm and approachable. Though not particularly striking in appearance, she exuded a quiet beauty—the kind that comes from being well-read.

"There’s an event at the library today, so it’s unavailable," Professor Zhang explained kindly. "Professor Chen suggested using the student theater at Xiaohongding. Would that be convenient for you?"

Yin Mengxi had known about the library issue from her call with Xiao Zhi a couple of days ago, but she hadn’t expected the college to arrange Xiaohongding as the new venue. Caught off guard, she hesitated for a moment.

"Is there a problem?" Professor Zhang looked concerned. "Does Xiaohongding not meet your filming requirements?"

Of course not.

Yin Mengxi snapped out of her thoughts and quickly replied, "No, it’s perfect."

So they boarded the university’s sightseeing cart and headed to Xiaohongding.

“Xiaohongding” was a nickname for the building, officially called the "Student Art Education Center." A two-story structure built in the 1950s or 60s, its red-brick roof had earned it the affectionate moniker from generations of students.

Last year, the building had undergone renovations. Though its exterior retained a vintage charm, the interior was brand-new, featuring practice rooms, activity spaces, and a small theater spanning both floors that could seat about 300 people—comparable to a professional theater.

"Wow…"

Yao Anqi’s eyes lit up as soon as she entered the theater. She wandered up and down the tiered seating, explored the stage, and peeked backstage at the dazzling makeup and prop rooms.

"A University is amazing…" the young girl marveled. "Even a student activity space is this high-end? It’s almost on par with some of our station’s studios…"

Indeed.

The university placed great emphasis on art education, with substantial funding from the Ministry of Education and alumni donations. Both hardware and software were top-notch.

Professor Zhang chatted warmly about the school’s arts education philosophy, clearly proud and satisfied with the university’s development. Her eyes glowed with peace and contentment.

How wonderful.

How many people, adrift in society, could enjoy such blessings?

The interview ended two and a half hours later, at twelve-thirty.

After Professor Zhang left, Administrative Teacher Chen from the College of Literature kindly arranged lunch for them, personally delivering it and chatting for a while. "Teacher Xiao has a thesis defense to attend this afternoon, so he might be a bit late for the two o’clock meeting—probably no more than half an hour. Please bear with us."

This was no problem—they had kept him waiting for half an hour last time, so it was fair. Yin Mengxi nodded her agreement, and Teacher Chen expressed his gratitude before suggesting, "If you’re interested, feel free to explore the campus. Let me know if you need anything."

Exploring the campus wasn’t necessary, but there was still plenty to see inside Xiaohongding.

After lunch, Yao Anqi enthusiastically began exploring the building. Initially, Yin Mengxi didn’t plan to join her, but if she stayed in the theater, Wei Chi would keep trying to strike up conversations. This kid was inexplicably persistent, bouncing back to her despite being rejected yesterday. To avoid another awkward encounter, Yin Mengxi reluctantly joined Yao Anqi in wandering around.

The grand staircase between the first and second floors was particularly artistic, with a large wall covered in photos of past student events held at Xiaohongding—drama performances, concerts, instrumental showcases—all vivid and vibrant. Yao Anqi was fascinated, examining each photo closely. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Hey, isn’t this handsome guy Teacher Xiao? He’s so good-looking… Why didn’t any talent scouts discover him back then?"

Wei Chi, who had been trailing behind Yin Mengxi nonchalantly, sneered when Yao Anqi mentioned Xiao Zhi, clearly uninterested. But moments later, Yao Anqi hesitantly added, pointing to another figure, "And this girl on the far side… Teacher Yin, is that you?"

Author's Note:

I’ll be offline for a bit due to real-life commitments, so here’s a batch update for the next few days. See you again on Tuesday!