Chapter 252 Discipline

Following the nurse's directions, Nan Zhiyi found the single room on the third floor.

She gently pushed open the door and saw Zhou Anping leaning against the hospital bed, staring blankly out the window.

Hearing the noise, Zhou Anping turned around, pleasantly surprised: "Zhiyi? What brings you here?"

Nan Zhiyi placed the fruit and her handbag on the table to the side, pulled up a chair and sat down on the edge of the bed: "I called your performing arts troupe yesterday, hoping to invite you out for a walk this weekend, but they said you twisted your ankle and were hospitalized. It gave me a fright."

She asked again, "Why are you alone? It's so inconvenient with your injured foot. Where's Qingshan?"

Zhou Anping smiled and said, "He has some work to do at his workplace on Saturdays, so he'll come over later. He comes to keep me company at noon and in the evening, and he brings the meals from the cafeteria. Besides, I can walk by myself."

Hearing that Meng Qingshan's arrangements were quite thoughtful, Nan Zhiyi felt a little relieved. Her gaze fell on Meng Qingshan's legs under the blanket, but she couldn't tell what was going on.

"What did the doctor say? How serious is the foot injury? Will it affect my dancing in the future?"

Zhou Anping's smile faded: "It won't have any impact."

She paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Actually, I moved behind the scenes some time ago. Now I'm officially working in the creative department as an artistic director assistant. I occasionally go to the rehearsal hall to guide the young actors' movements. In the future, I won't have to go on stage anymore, nor will I have to travel around with the troupe."

Nan Zhiyi was taken aback: "When did this happen? You didn't mention it during our last phone call?"

Zhou Anping lowered his eyelashes and looked at the snow-white bed sheet.

"The last time I called you was right after we finalized the deal. I was feeling confused and wanted to talk to you about it, but you were busy at the time, so I didn't say anything."

She looked up and smiled gently, "See, now you know."

Nan Zhiyi grasped her hand, a wave of guilt washing over her: "Anping, you must have been feeling terrible back then, right? Sigh... why didn't I ask you more..."

“Hey, don’t be like that,” Zhou Anping patted her on the shoulder. “You always think of others first. I’m fine.”

"Why did you suddenly switch to backstage? You love the stage so much..." Nan Zhiyi remembered clearly that Zhou Anping's love for the stage was nurtured by sweat in the practice room since childhood. She had been the lead dancer and one of the pillars of the troupe before.

Zhou Anping sighed softly.

"Work keeps me so busy, I'm always traveling for business, so I can't take care of things at home. Qingshan is also busy with work, so one of us has to take care of the family more. My mother-in-law came to me specifically and said, 'The family doesn't need your travel allowance or the glamour on stage. For a woman, stability is the most important thing.'"

She looked at Nan Zhiyi, gently placing her hand on her lower abdomen, a little embarrassed: "The most important thing is that I'm pregnant, I just found out. This sprain isn't serious, but I'm worried about the baby, so I'm staying in the hospital for a couple more days for observation."

Nan Zhiyi was speechless for a moment. She couldn't say she was particularly happy about Zhou Anping's pregnancy.

She knew that the real reason Anping stepped back from the spotlight was simply because she was a woman.

This path, which is "taken for granted," is woven together by family, society, and deeply ingrained rules from thousands of years.

For thousands of years, countless talented and ambitious women have gradually yielded to the words "family" and "children," concealing their brilliance and embedding themselves in the template of a virtuous wife and loving mother.

Men, including a considerate husband like Meng Qingshan, would naturally take this as a woman's duty.

Even more tragically, women themselves, like Zhou Anping at this moment, have long been disciplined by society, internalizing this kind of sacrifice as a kind of "understanding" and "inevitability".

Despite Zhou Anping receiving a higher allowance and despite her artistic career being in its prime, it was ultimately she who had to give way to family "stability."

This is not a predicament unique to Zhou Anping.

The most cruel and powerless thing is that women have taken it for granted for thousands of years.

This realization made Nan Zhiyi feel a tightness in her chest and a sore throat, for Zhou Anping, and for countless others like Zhou Anping.

They are capable, ambitious, and talented. They could have had a better life and a better future, but they were caught up in reality and family responsibilities, ultimately falling into a predicament.

This shouldn't be happening, it shouldn't be like this...

Nan Zhiyi couldn't stop her tears from flowing down her face.

Zhou Anping paused for a moment, then raised his hand and gently wiped her cheek with his fingertips: "Zhiyi? Why are you crying? I'm fine, really."

Nan Zhiyi gently shook her head, took out her handkerchief to wipe away her tears, but she couldn't wipe them away completely.

She sniffled, not uttering the sadness and indignation in her heart.

For Anping, this path was a reality she had to face after much deliberation.

In their performing arts troupe, most of the veteran actresses who were once radiant on stage have followed a similar path, returning to their families.

Anping may have foreseen this day and tried to convince himself that it was inevitable.

For them, that's just reality.

At this moment, if I were to lament Anping's loss of her dream, it would be tantamount to stabbing her in the heart where she has already made her choice. It would be too cruel and too sentimental.

Nan Zhiyi finally wiped away her tears and forced a sincere smile: "Anping, I... I'm just happy for you."

She held Zhou Anping's hand, sniffed, and said, "You're having a child, that's a happy thing. Now you have another person to love and care for you."

This sentence carries a sincere wish.

She couldn't change the vast reality, but at least for now, she hoped Anping could find solace and happiness in her new role.

Zhou Anping stared at her, seemingly seeing through the complex emotions beneath her smile, but he didn't point it out.

"Zhiyi, don't be sad. Even if the lights on the stage go out, life still goes on."

She comforted Nan Zhiyi, saying, "Don't worry, maybe in the future, I can continue to do what I love in other ways, even behind the scenes."

Nan Zhiyi nodded vigorously.

They both understood what the other hadn't said, and they gripped each other's hands even tighter.

After a long while, Nan Zhiyi recovered and asked, "How many months pregnant are you? Did you fall? Are you alright?"

Zhou Anping said, "The doctor said it's been about two months. I fell the day before yesterday and bled a little when I got home... Qingshan brought me to the hospital, and they found out I was pregnant. The doctor said it's nothing serious and I just need to observe for a couple of days."

Since the doctor said so, Nan Zhiyi felt relieved.

To cheer Zhou Anping up, she took a package out of her backpack. "Here, this was sent by Gu Yan from the south, especially for you. Would you like to open it and take a look?"

Zhou Anping became interested: "Great, let's open it and see. It's rare that he still remembers me."