chapter 11

Many years later, I settled down in Spain.

My daughter was five years old, and I had become a somewhat well-known playwright.

My debut work, adapted from the Kunqu Opera “Companion of Fragrance” into a stage play, was performed at the local grand theater.

On the day of its premiere, I went to the venue, and unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance.

It was Teacher Lu from the College of Liberal Arts at A University. He had helped me a lot during my university days and was essentially the first guide who led me onto this path.

After the performance, I invited Teacher Lu to my home for a visit.

While sipping tea, he casually asked, “Where’s your daughter?”

I replied, “My partner will bring her back soon.”

“Hmm. I still don’t know what your husband is like. Is he Spanish?”

I smiled, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

After a few casual exchanges, Teacher Lu brought up the past.

He said, “If I had known you would become Li Wenzhou’s mistress, I would never have introduced you to him. Honestly, I’ve always found it hard to believe you were the kind of child who would do anything to get ahead, so calculating and opportunistic.

“Back then, you were diligent and earnest, studied hard, and always came to my office with questions. There aren’t many students as steadfast and talented as you. I admired you, which is why I asked Li Wenzhou to teach you, hoping you would have a better future. Who would have thought your path would go astray.”

I sighed, then smiled, “But I’ve always been on the right path.”

“True, but… sigh.” Teacher Lu hesitated, then simply changed the topic, “What made you think of adapting ‘Companion of Fragrance’?”

I thought for a moment and said, “Traditional Chinese opera is still obscure and hard to understand for foreigners. Adapting it into a stage play lowers the barrier, and the audience abroad is much broader. It’s also a way to spread Chinese culture. Kunqu Opera works like ‘The Peony Pavilion’ and ‘The Peach Blossom Fan’ have also been adapted into plays.”

Teacher Lu said, “I was wondering, why choose ‘Companion of Fragrance’? This play tells the story of a romance between two women in ancient times, which is rather niche.”

“Well,” I replied, “it’s naturally because the relationship between Cui Jianyun and Cao Yuhua moved me. In such a feudal ancient society, the fact that men could accept the love between two women allowed such an excellent work to be passed down.”

I took a sip of tea and continued, “Even today, centuries later, there are still people who can’t tolerate it. Isn’t that rather lamentable?”

He seemed thoughtful and said nothing.

At that moment, someone opened the door and came in, leading a five-year-old girl.

Teacher Lu looked up and was startled, “Why is it you?”

She still bore the scars from burns suffered years ago, but her smile was confident and beautiful.

He Shuyu laughed, “I was the one acting in the play just now. Didn’t you recognize me while watching?”

Teacher Lu looked at her, then at me, “I’m really confused. What on earth is going on?”

To be honest, it was indeed a bit complicated.

In fact, up to this point, most of the personal experiences I recounted earlier were false.

They were all part of a script I wrote to deal with the police in the end.

So what is the truth?

Actually, from the very beginning, my teacher was not Li Wenzhou, but He Shuyu.

The one locked in the Secret Room was not He Shuyu, but Li Wenzhou.