Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Thunderous applause continued without pause around her, showing no sign of fading.

Onstage, the heavy curtains drew together until they closed completely. They shut out the audience’s fervent stares – and cut off what, to Xie Qingling, was the overpowering scent of blood.

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Xie Qingling’s mind.

The situation was too bizarre. Accustomed to dealing with ghosts and monsters every day, Xie Qingling’s first thought was that she had stumbled into yet another supernatural attack.

Yet the voice in her mind had not spoken. That made little sense.

The voice in her head was like a passively triggered radar. If an awakened, wandering ghost appeared anywhere Xie Qingling went, it would invariably emerge to offer a lengthy opinion.

Could it truly have been a stage effect?

No. That did not make sense either.

Judging solely by Xia Ke’er’s thin costume, where could she possibly have concealed that much stage blood?

Xie Qingling was extremely sensitive to the scent of blood. After a blessing had strengthened her body, in particular, her sense of smell had become a hundred times sharper than an ordinary human’s, making her exceptionally alert to unusual odors.

As for whether that rusty odor in the air was true blood or something else… Whether during her days working with corpses in the laboratory or after joining the department and dealing with ghosts and monsters every day, Xie Qingling was no stranger to blood. She could say with certainty that it had been real. There was no mistaking such an overpowering reek of blood!

Then where had the blood come from?

Wearing such a thin costume while dancing with heavy bags of stage blood made no sense. Xie Qingling’s thoughts veered toward another, rather deranged possibility, but she quickly rejected it herself.

Judging by the amount Xia Ke’er had “bled,” turning an entire costume red would have required well over four hundred milliliters of blood. Blood loss above that amount should have caused dizziness and weakness, perhaps even shock, unconsciousness, and mortal danger.

Yet Xia Ke’er had still brought the performance to a flawless conclusion.

So far, every one of Xie Qingling’s theories left something unexplained. Everything about this felt eerie and wrong.

The performance was not truly over yet. The entire troupe would come out for curtain calls shortly. Xie Qingling could not simply charge onto the stage to inspect the situation. With so many people present, doing so would very likely cause a panic.

She had to check backstage.

Whether a ghost was causing trouble or a human had committed murder, now that she had seen it, she could not sit by and do nothing.

Xie Qingling stood and ran toward the door beside the curtain that led backstage.

The sharp clatter of her footsteps was especially jarring in the quiet auditorium. Audience members still immersed in the dance drama’s spell rolled their eyes at her one after another.

She ran all the way to the backstage dressing room and called, “Xia Ke’er? Is Xia Ke’er here?”

The staff members sitting together and chatting backstage turned to Xie Qingling, astonishment and disbelief filling their eyes.

Xie Qingling was an unfamiliar face. She was neither a makeup artist, stylist, or other crew member nor one of the troupe’s dancers, so they immediately decided what she was:

One of Xia Ke’er’s stalker fans.

And a deranged one who ignored every rule and had barged straight backstage.

Several staff members rolled their eyes furiously, their faces full of impatience.

No one paid Xie Qingling any attention.

Xie Qingling scanned backstage too. There were not many people there, only a few staff members handling logistics, odd jobs, makeup, and styling.

There was no sign of Xia Ke’er.

At the same time, backstage was not in the chaos Xie Qingling had imagined.

Everything seemed to be proceeding in perfect order.

Deafening applause came from the auditorium. The curtain call was still under way.

Who was taking the curtain call?

Xia Ke’er?

She could still take a curtain call?

Had Xie Qingling been too tense and imagined the whole thing?

As Xie Qingling pondered, a middle-aged man emerged and glared at her. “Unauthorized personnel are forbidden backstage. How did you get in here? Get out!” he barked sternly.

“I’m looking for Xia Ke’er.” Fortunately, Xie Qingling had brought not only her weapons but also the little credential booklet Ling Fang had issued her.

She took it out and flashed it before the middle-aged man. “I need to ask her about something. Where is she?”

“I’m investigating a case. Don’t waste my time.” Despite her youthful face, Xie Qingling’s expression was cold and her bearing carried considerable authority, making her look thoroughly unapproachable.

The middle-aged man’s bluster instantly vanished. Looking fearful and uneasy, he asked in a low voice, “Wh-what’s going on? The Rainbow Raiment Dance Troupe has always obeyed every law and regulation. Why are you suddenly investigating our star performer? Could there be some misunderstanding?”
Although the middle-aged man had lowered his voice, the staff members around him still heard. Whispers instantly broke out.

“…I’m Xia Ke’er’s manager,” the middle-aged man said. “Whatever this is, let’s discuss it later. Later, all right? This isn’t good for Ke’er’s image. She is a public figure, after all!”

“I need to see Xia Ke’er now. I’ll ask a few questions and leave.” If Xie Qingling did not confirm the situation with her own eyes, she might not be able to sleep tonight.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. “Who wants to see me?”

Xie Qingling looked up toward the voice and saw Xia Ke’er, still dressed in red, returning backstage.

Behind Xia Ke’er, the dancers who had participated in the curtain call filed backstage as well.

The curtain call was over.

The performance had truly ended.

In person, Xia Ke’er looked even more radiant than she had in the production still.

She wore heavy stage makeup. In theory, makeup this thick and exaggerated should have looked unattractive up close, its riot of dark, vivid pigments turning her face into a palette. Yet as Xie Qingling looked at Xia Ke’er from such close range, she could only think that the woman’s face was a perfectly composed painting.

Every color had found its proper place upon her face, then miraculously blended into a harmonious, beautiful whole, full of possibilities that stirred the imagination.

Every word that described beauty could find its expression in her.

Most crucially, Xia Ke’er’s steps were steady and her complexion normal. She showed no sign of discomfort whatsoever.

Xie Qingling’s gaze discreetly swept over her red costume. She sniffed faintly, but the air before her nose was fresh and clean, without the slightest trace of blood.

Following Xie Qingling’s gaze, Xia Ke’er held up her skirts with both hands and swayed them lightly. “This is a performance costume custom-made for our troupe. Certain techniques allow it to change from one color to another. What did you think? The effect was impressive, wasn’t it?”

“Shh… It’s a trade secret. We don’t tell outsiders.” Xia Ke’er smiled, her bright eyes curving gently. Her beauty was mesmerizing, with a seductive quality that made people surrender to it before they realized what was happening. “But since an officer is investigating a case, of course we’ll tell you everything we know and cooperate fully.”

Xie Qingling’s eyes still had not left Xia Ke’er.

In fact, every gaze backstage was fixed on Xia Ke’er.

Some people were curious, others openly delighted by her possible misfortune, and still others had reactions of their own.

Xia Ke’er had long since grown used to such attention, as though she were accustomed to being the center of every crowd.

“Everyone, clear out! Clear out!” The manager, however, was deeply impatient. He raised his voice. “What are you all staring at? There’s nothing to see! This is just routine business! Today’s performance is over. Everyone, hurry up and go home!”

The manager was still working hard to protect Xia Ke’er’s public image. Terrified that wild rumors might spread and cause a misunderstanding, he quickly dismissed the others. In the blink of an eye, only Xie Qingling, Xia Ke’er, and the manager remained backstage.

Once everyone left, the previously crowded room instantly felt much more spacious.

The air began to circulate, dispersing the jumble of scents in the room. Certain things became much easier to discern.

When the makeup artists took their supplies away, Xie Qingling’s nose became more sensitive. She caught a faint fragrance drifting from Xia Ke’er.

The scent of incense offerings.

Xie Qingling narrowed her eyes slightly, and her fingers moved of their own accord.

Xie Qingling went up to the third floor to burn incense in worship every day. Of course she knew that the fragrance clinging to Xia Ke’er came from the incense used for offerings.

There was something strange about Xia Ke’er.

She was still smiling, perfectly and flawlessly. Xie Qingling’s sudden visit had not unsettled her in the slightest. Or perhaps she simply feared nothing.

Xie Qingling could not decide. For the moment, she could not tell whether Xia Ke’er was human or something else.

Having learned from the incident with Chai Yuhu, Xie Qingling decided to probe indirectly. “Have you visited any strange places recently?”

“That could include abandoned historical buildings or streets, unusual temples, cemeteries, burial grounds, or anything similar.”

At last, Xia Ke’er’s expression changed.

But after looking thoughtful for a moment, she quickly shook her head. “No. I haven’t gone anywhere.”

The manager immediately said, “That’s right. Ke’er’s schedule is packed every day. How could she have time to go anywhere else? And there’s no chance she would ever do anything illegal!”

“If you don’t believe us, check the daily performance schedule on our official website. Ke’er performs almost every day. She’s worked herself thin. There’s no way she could have gone to any of those places.”
That much was true.

Before coming to see the performance, Xie Qingling had done a little research and learned how popular the production was.

Xia Ke’er’s schedule truly was packed without the slightest gap.

The voice in Xie Qingling’s mind still had not spoken. She studied Xia Ke’er for several long moments, then wrote her address, name, and contact information on a blank sheet of paper.

“If anything happens later, contact me,” Xie Qingling said. “I might be able to help you.”

Xia Ke’er accepted the slip of paper and smiled. “Then may I ask if there’s anything else?”

“No. Your performance was wonderful.” Xie Qingling added, “If it isn’t too much trouble, could I have your autograph?”

“Of course.”

The two women exchanged pieces of paper, bringing their confrontation to an end.

After Xie Qingling left backstage, the more the manager thought about it, the more something felt wrong. He asked Xia Ke’er, “Ke’er, what was that about? Why did she come looking for you? Have you… been anywhere these past few days?”

“Of course not.” Without even looking at the information Xie Qingling had left, Xia Ke’er tore the paper up and tossed it into the trash. “Didn’t she ask me for an autograph? Maybe she was only chasing a celebrity.”

“What?!” The manager came back to his senses and recalled the little booklet he had barely glanced at. He instantly decided he had been tricked. “What a devious stalker fan! She actually dared to fool me! She has no respect for the law whatsoever!”

Xia Ke’er said nothing. Beneath her heavy makeup, her expression grew increasingly ugly.

* * *

Xie Qingling left the backstage area and returned to the opera house’s front entrance. Dong Jia was already waiting there.

As Xie Qingling approached, Dong Jia waved frantically. “Qingling, where did you go? You didn’t answer my messages! I thought I’d lost you!”

Dong Jia had been watching so intently and had become so immersed that she had no idea when Xie Qingling left.

Xie Qingling handed her Xia Ke’er’s autograph. “Here. This is for you.”

“Ah!!! Aaaah!” Dong Jia stared at it, then danced with joy. “Xia Ke’er disappeared right after the curtain call and didn’t interact with the audience at all. I thought I’d never get her autograph!”

“How did you do it? You’re amazing, Qingling! I love you, aaaaah!”

Xie Qingling smiled. “As long as you’re happy.”

Dong Jia beamed like a flower. Then, in the middle of smiling, she suddenly burst into tears.

“I’m just so happy,” she said. “After watching Xia Ke’er perform today, I realized I still have such a long way to go before I can be as good as she is. Maybe I’ll never reach her level in my entire life.”

“My technique isn’t that good, and I can’t convey emotion with the same vitality. All I can do is… all I can do is train over and over, forcing myself through splits and backbends and drilling the fundamentals just to reproduce the tiniest fraction of the effect she achieves. The gap between us wasn’t this huge in the beginning. She’s improved far too quickly! I even wonder if I just don’t have enough talent. Waaah…”

Dong Jia cried and laughed at the same time, looking both comical and pitiful.

Today’s performance had been so effective, the live experience so overwhelming, that it had given Dong Jia a feast for the senses. But the insurmountable gulf between them had also planted an uncrossable mountain in her heart, making her question her own talent and ability.

Xie Qingling was silent for a moment before saying, “All that hard work won’t go to waste. She’s excellent, but there may be things behind that excellence you can’t see.”

Dong Jia sniffled. “That’s true. Back when she was still an unknown, she trained hard too. I’ll just have to keep trying.”

“All right, I’m heading back to school now. Bye. Let’s hang out again when we’re free.”

“Sure, we’ll make plans next time. Be careful on the way back.”

After watching Dong Jia leave, Xie Qingling took out her phone and searched online for reviews of the dance drama *The Butterfly Lovers*.

The production was incredibly popular. If something was truly wrong, she could not be the only person who had noticed anything unusual.

Xie Qingling searched for a long time. The comments on ticketing apps were overwhelmingly glowing reviews and breathless recommendations, with barely any criticism. She went through several pages without finding a single comment that was not praise. Then she found a film and television rating site and searched for ages, only to discover the same situation there.

In the end, however, Xie Qingling found a few dissenting voices.