Dark Fire chapter 26
Jealousy
Noon.
Ling Zhuo finished filming a scene, sat under a sunshade, and took a sip of water.
Yang Ming went to get him lunch. That day, Lu Chixie and Yu Fei were shooting on location and wouldn’t be back at noon, so he had a rare moment of peace.
Absent-mindedly picking at his meal, he saw a group of sparrows foraging at his feet. Ling Zhuo casually tossed down a chopstick of white rice, and four or five sparrows quickly gathered and pecked it clean.
He watched with interest for a moment, then threw down another chopstick of rice, attracting even more sparrows.
Finding it amusing, he took a photo and posted it on Weibo.
After only a few minutes of leisure, someone suddenly appeared beside him. A foot stretched out, and nudged the sparrows that were busy eating. The sparrows were startled and quickly flew away.
Ling Zhuo frowned and looked up to see Lu Chixie’s mischievous smile.
Ling Zhuo: “What’s your problem? What did these sparrows ever do to you? Do you have to tease even sparrows?”
Lu Chixie looked at him: “Why aren’t you happy to see me back?”
Ling Zhuo couldn’t be bothered with him. They met every day, day and night; what was there to be happy about?
He changed the subject: “Weren’t you shooting on location all day? Why are you back?”
Lu Chixie: “The location wasn’t set up properly, and there were some coordination issues, so the afternoon scenes were postponed.”
After speaking, he sat down next to Ling Zhuo, glanced at his meal: “Not hungry? Why are you feeding the sparrows?”
Ling Zhuo: “Have you eaten?”
Lu Chixie: “I ate in the car on the way back.”
He reached out and tidied Ling Zhuo’s long hair that was draped over his shoulder. Ling Zhuo quickly said: “I’ll do it myself.”
Lu Chixie chuckled: “So nervous? Afraid someone will see? There’s no one here.”
There might be no one around, but who knew which corner a super-fan or paparazzi might be hiding in.
Ling Zhuo: “Teacher Lu.”
Lu Chixie: “What?”
He sighed: “In public, can you be a bit more restrained?”
Lu Chixie clicked his tongue, stopped teasing him, saw the few remaining bites of rice, took the chopsticks, and threw some more rice on the ground. The sparrows that had just scattered quickly gathered again.
Ling Zhuo was already feeling drowsy. He drank a few sips of water, yawned, and signaled to Lu Chixie: “Scooch over, I want to sleep.”
He then lay down directly on the reclining chair, curled up, and closed his eyes.
Lu Chixie leaned sideways next to him, lowered his head, and played with his eyelashes, whispering: “Not going back to the lounge to sleep?”
Ling Zhuo mumbled with his eyes closed: “No, it takes more than ten minutes to walk there and back, and we only have half an hour before the afternoon scenes start. Let me nap for a bit here.”
Lu Chixie laughed softly: “Not afraid of being photographed now?”
Ling Zhuo still didn’t open his eyes: “Then stay away from me, it’s too hot.”
Lu Chixie: “No.”
Ling Zhuo stopped talking; it was pointless anyway.
Seeing that he was really asleep, Lu Chixie didn’t disturb him further, but he didn’t leave either. He took a small electric fan and directed it towards him, leaning against the recliner and playing on his phone.
In the evening, Lu Chixie had to shoot a night scene, so Ling Zhuo returned to the hotel first. On the way, Yang Ming reminded him that the gift he bought for Lu Chixie had just arrived.
It was a set of handmade horse tack that Ling Zhuo ordered online, shipped directly from abroad, costing nearly two hundred thousand. After unboxing, he inspected each item. They looked impressive; he wasn’t familiar with such things, so he bought the best he could find, hoping the young master would be pleased.
He took a photo and sent it to Lu Chixie, who didn’t reply, probably still filming. Ling Zhuo didn’t think much of it, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and played on his phone, casually opening Weibo.
Lu Chixie had liked his previous Weibo post about feeding sparrows. Ling Zhuo checked his profile and saw that most of his few likes were related to him. He felt a bit helpless, but this had always been Lu Chixie’s style. He didn’t let it bother him too much.
Bored, he scrolled through his Weibo comments. The top comments were all fan declarations and meaningless screams. A few pages in, someone mentioned that the fan site “DarkFire” had posted some amazing pictures again. Ling Zhuo hesitated, then searched for the site.
There were two pictures: one of the two of them bending over the recliner watching sparrows fight for food, and one of him sleeping on the recliner with Lu Chixie beside him talking.
The comments section was like a frenzy, even turning vulgar. Ling Zhuo looked at it for a moment, then closed it, feeling speechless. He stared at the two pictures for a while, feeling something was off, then decided to follow the account quietly.
Around nine, Lu Chixie returned and knocked on his door first.
Ling Zhuo had just finished showering, wrapped in a bathrobe, holding the front tightly as he slowly opened the door, revealing half his face: “You’re back?”
Lu Chixie, seeing his ridiculous action, asked with amusement: “Are you a maiden? Why are you holding your bathrobe like that? Afraid I’ll strip you?”
Ling Zhuo coughed lightly, let go, and muttered: “You never know, how would I know if you would.”
Lu Chixie’s eyes paused. Ling Zhuo quickly said: “Come in, I’ll get your stuff.”
As Lu Chixie entered, he closed the door and pushed Ling Zhuo against the wall. Ling Zhuo raised a hand to block his face awkwardly: “Someone’s here.”
Lu Chixie casually pulled his hand away and turned his gaze to Yang Ming, who was still in the room.
Feeling Lu Chixie’s stare, Yang Ming immediately said, “Uh, Zhuo ge, I’ll head downstairs now.”
Ling Zhuo couldn’t say no, and Yang Ming slipped away faster than a rabbit.
After sending Yang Ming off, Lu Chixie hooked a finger under the front of Ling Zhuo’s bathrobe. Ling Zhuo quickly slapped his hand away, “Teacher Lu, behave yourself.”
“Why should I pretend to be proper in front of my own boyfriend?” Lu Chixie asked with a half-smile.
Ling Zhuo felt embarrassed and walked into the living room first.
Lu Chixie followed.
The set of horse tack had been reboxed. Ling Zhuo gestured for Lu Chixie to open it himself. “As I mentioned before, it’s a gift for you.”
Lu Chixie said, “The photo you sent me was this, as a gift for me?”
Ling Zhuo nodded, “I wasn’t sure if you would like it. Last time, I saw you mentioned in a magazine that you like horseback riding, so I thought of buying this for you. Have a look.”
Lu Chixie glanced at him, then squatted down and swiftly unpacked the box.
Ling Zhuo squatted down to watch him, asking, “Do you like it?”
Lu Chixie looked through the items and nodded casually, “It’s nice.”
Ling Zhuo didn’t quite believe him. He didn’t seem particularly excited. “Do you really like it?”
“What else could I say?” Lu Chixie tilted his head. “Do you want me to say I love it because you gave it to me?”
Ling Zhuo sighed. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Ling Zhuo,” Lu Chixie called his name, staring into his eyes, suddenly serious, “I particularly love it.”
Ling Zhuo was stunned for a moment and said softly, “This is to thank you for saving my life.”
Lu Chixie: “No need to be so polite with me from now on.”
Ling Zhuo felt a bit uneasy, nodding lightly, “Okay.”
Lu Chixie picked up a saddle and felt it, then smiled, “This set isn’t cheap, how much did it cost?”
Ling Zhuo: “Less than 200,000 yuan. I have money, though not as much as you, Teacher Lu. I can still afford this.”
Lu Chixie: “Have you ever bought such an expensive gift for someone else?”
Ling Zhuo honestly said, “No.”
Lu Chixie: “But you’ve certainly put more thought into other gifts. Ling, have you ever given any special gifts to your team captain?”
Ling Zhuo didn’t expect him to suddenly bring up Zhong Yiran and felt a bit awkward, turning his eyes away, not wanting to talk about it.
Lu Chixie didn’t let it go, “Don’t want to say?”
Ling Zhuo: “Stop asking.”
Lu Chixie: “Why can’t I ask? Am I not your boyfriend?”
Ling Zhuo was a bit annoyed, “Even if you’re my… boyfriend now, you don’t have the right to investigate my past relationships, right?”
“Past relationships? What kind of relationship is it if it’s one-sided?” Lu Chixie sneered.
Ling Zhuo felt even more frustrated, ignoring him.
Lu Chixie grabbed him, pulling him down to sit together on the floor. Ling Zhuo struggled twice but couldn’t break free, frowning, “What are you trying to do?”
Lu Chixie: “What do you think?”
Their eyes met, and after a moment of tension, Ling Zhuo kicked him lightly, “You look ugly when you’re jealous.”
“It won’t do you any good to be jealous,” Ling Zhuo said resignedly. “I liked him for seven years. Every year, I carefully prepared gifts for his birthday and other holidays. I put a lot of thought into them. They weren’t as expensive as this, but I thought he’d like them. So go ahead, be jealous all you want.”
Lu Chixie’s face darkened, and Ling Zhuo felt uncomfortable, holding back his frustration, trying to stand up, only to be pulled down again by Lu Chixie. Lu Chixie leaned over, pushing him down onto the cashmere carpet in front of the coffee table.
Lowering his head, he bit Ling Zhuo’s lip.
Ling Zhuo struggled to push him away, but Lu Chixie pinned him down, deepening the kiss. The sound of their lips and tongues mingling was continuous.
Only when Ling Zhuo completely gave up resisting did Lu Chixie pull back from his mouth, breathing unsteady. He looked down at the person beneath him for a moment, then lowered his head, biting Ling Zhuo’s chin. The kisses trailed down Ling Zhuo’s neck, licking and sucking over his Adam’s apple, finally biting the collarbone half-hidden by the robe.
Ling Zhuo let out a muffled groan, starting to push him away again, his voice hoarse, “Stop it…”
Lu Chixie sucked a deep red mark on his collarbone before propping himself up and letting go of him.
Ling Zhuo lay on the floor, unable to recover, seemingly angry, refusing to look at Lu Chixie, turning his face away.
Lu Chixie raised his hand to touch his face, his voice hoarse, “Are you really angry?”
Ling Zhuo’s eyes were red, not saying a word.
Lu Chixie pulled him up to sit, looking at him, “Are you reacting this way because I mentioned that person? If I didn’t mention him, would you keep deceiving yourself? Ling Zhuo, I’m not that kind-hearted. The more you want to avoid it, the more I’ll bring it up in front of you. I want you to be immune to that name and to realize that I’m the one you should be thinking about.”
Ling Zhuo angrily said, “You’re too overbearing.”
Lu Chixie: “Is this the first day you realized I’m overbearing?”
Ling Zhuo was too angry to speak.
He deserved it. He brought it on himself. From the beginning, he underestimated this person’s wicked nature.
Seeing Ling Zhuo lower his head, Lu Chixie reached out and touched his face again, “Alright, don’t be mad. I was just joking with you. If you’re really upset, I’ll let you bite me back.”
Ling Zhuo: “…How can you be so shameless?”
Lu Chixie indifferently asked, “Do you want to bite me back?”
Ling Zhuo grumbled, “No.”
Lu Chixie looked slightly disappointed, then called his name again, “Ling Zhuo, look at me.”
Reluctantly, Ling Zhuo lifted his head.
Lu Chixie: “Do you admit that I’m your boyfriend?”
Ling Zhuo: “…Yes, I do. I haven’t denied it.”
Lu Chixie: “Then don’t I have the right to be jealous?”
Ling Zhuo: “You can’t just get jealous over everything. Why dwell on the past?”
Lu Chixie looked at him. “Is it really in the past?”
Ling Zhuo was at a loss for words. After a while, he awkwardly said, “Be reasonable. You have to give me some time. I’m not a robot that can erase everything with one click. I’m already trying.”
Lu Chixie: “So I wasn’t wrong, was I? Until it’s truly in the past, why can’t I be jealous?”
Ling Zhuo felt he couldn’t argue with him and gave up. “Fine, if you want to be jealous, go ahead. I can’t out-talk you.”
Lu Chixie: “So you’re letting me be jealous. As my boyfriend, shouldn’t you comfort me?”
Ling Zhuo was almost impressed by Lu Chixie’s logic. How did it end up being his fault?
“Why should I comfort you?” Ling Zhuo frowned, extremely reluctant.
Lu Chixie seriously said, “I’m teaching you how to be in a relationship. If you want to be a qualified boyfriend, you should comfort me.”
Ling Zhuo: “… Teacher Lu, your vast experience is impressive.”
“You misunderstand me again,” Lu Chixie reminded him. “I told you before, but you just don’t believe me.”
Ling Zhuo fell silent.
Lu Chixie reached out, straightening Ling Zhuo’s disheveled robe and lowered his voice. “Ling, do you need me to teach you how to comfort someone?”
They were so close that their breaths intertwined. Ling Zhuo looked at him without saying a word.
Lu Chixie: “Do you want me to?”
Ling Zhuo, slightly embarrassed, quickly kissed him on the cheek. “Is that enough?”
He didn’t dare look at Lu Chixie’s expression and then heard Lu Chixie’s soft laugh in his ear. “It seems you understand quite well and don’t need me to teach this, huh?”
Ling Zhuo: “… What are you so proud of?”
After laughing, Lu Chixie finally let him go, picked up the script, and got to work.
Since they started dating, Lu Chixie would come over every night to help Ling Zhuo with his scenes and even gave him acting lessons. In this regard, dating Lu Chixie was definitely a gain for Ling Zhuo.
“Focus, don’t let your mind wander,” Lu Chixie reminded the slightly absent-minded Ling Zhuo.
Ling Zhuo came back to his senses and responded with an “Oh.”
At 10:30, the lesson ended.
Ling Zhuo, already sleepy, saw Lu Chixie to the door and told him to have his assistant Xiao Qian come for the stuff tomorrow. After saying “Good night,” he was about to close the door when Lu Chixie stopped him.
Seeing Ling Zhuo’s puzzled look, Lu Chixie turned his head and quickly kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, sweet dreams, and dream only of me.”