Dark Fire chapter 41
Love Letter
At ten o’clock in the morning, the nanny’s car stopped outside the villa.
When Lu Chixie got out of the car, he was momentarily dazzled. This villa area, located outside the Fifth Ring Road, had a pretty good environment, though it was a bit far from the city center, resulting in a low occupancy rate.
“You guys have made quite a bit of money for Haitian these past few years, haven’t you? Why live in a place like this?”
Ling Zhuo awkwardly explained, “The rent here isn’t cheap either. We’ve moved twice to avoid stalkers. Being in a remote place has its advantages.”
Lu Chixie scoffed, “Being an idol is such a hassle.”
Ling Zhuo remained silent. It wasn’t as if actors with high traffic didn’t have stalkers, but generally, people didn’t dare to mess with Lu Chixie. If they did, he’d probably send them straight to the police station.
Inside the villa, only Zhong Yiran and Qi Liangli were there; Zhang Xun had already moved out, and Deng Lanluo had left early for work.
Yesterday, when Ling Zhuo finished filming, Zhong Yiran had specifically sent a WeChat message to ask about him. At the time, Ling Zhuo had replied that he would come over this morning but hadn’t specified the exact time. On the way there, Zhong Yiran had sent another message, to which Ling Zhuo only responded that he would arrive soon.
Qi Liangli was playing games in the living room. Hearing the door open, he turned around to see Ling Zhuo and Yang Ming entering. Just as he was about to greet them, he saw Lu Chixie following them in and stopped mid-sentence.
Zhong Yiran came downstairs, briefly furrowing his brow at the sight of Lu Chixie, but quickly resumed his usual expression and nodded at Ling Zhuo, “You’re back.”
Ling Zhuo calmly said, “Captain, I’m here to move my things. I probably won’t be staying here anymore.”
Qi Liangli jumped up, “Zhuo ge, you’re moving out too?”
Zhong Yiran looked at Ling Zhuo and asked, “Are you moving out now?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “Yeah, I have to start recording a new variety show next week. Staying here will be inconvenient. Also, the lease here ends at the end of the year, and the company won’t renew it. So, I might as well move early.”
Zhong Yiran didn’t ask further. He already knew Ling Zhuo was moving, but he didn’t expect him to start the day after leaving the crew.
As Ling Zhuo and his group went upstairs, passing by Zhong Yiran who was still on the stairs, Ling Zhuo didn’t stop. Lu Chixie, however, glanced at him and smirked.
Ling Zhuo’s room was on the second floor, directly across from Zhong Yiran’s. Their names were clearly marked on their doors.
Inside, Yang Ming and Xiao Qian helped Ling Zhuo pack. Ling Zhuo also started to pack his belongings, while Lu Chixie hovered around, chatting intermittently, “Didn’t they know you were moving today?”
Ling Zhuo, tidying up his personal items, replied, “I didn’t mention it before.”
Lu Chixie wandered over to the computer desk and glanced at the photos on the wall. They were group photos of Ling Zhuo with his teammates, ranging from five people to just two. The only two-person photo was with Zhong Yiran, a selfie they took on stage.
Lu Chixie squinted, staring at the photo for a moment, then asked Ling Zhuo, “You put these photos up just for this one, didn’t you?”
Ling Zhuo looked up, seeing Lu Chixie pointing at the photo with Zhong Yiran. It was a selfie from their debut year during a New Year’s Eve event.
Ling Zhuo hesitated, having almost forgotten the emotions from when the photo was taken. “Why do you say that?”
Lu Chixie replied, “Ling, with your little schemes, even in your wrap-up essay, you highlighted the photo in the middle, the one with me.”
Ling Zhuo blushed. “You’re talking nonsense.”
Lu Chixie asked, “Are you taking these photos?”
Ling Zhuo looked over each photo. After some hesitation, he said, “Forget it, I’ll leave them here.”
Leaving behind memories that couldn’t be taken seemed better.
Lu Chixie, seemingly neither satisfied nor unsatisfied, moved on from the topic.
Ling Zhuo continued organizing his desk. When he opened the bottom drawer and saw something, he quickly slammed it shut.
The loud bang caught Lu Chixie’s attention.
Ling Zhuo didn’t touch that drawer again and moved on to the others. Lu Chixie squatted down and reached for the drawer, only for Ling Zhuo to nervously hold his hand down, smiling awkwardly, “What are you doing?”
Lu Chixie looked at him, and Ling Zhuo refused to let go.
“Let go,” Lu Chixie said.
Ling Zhuo protested, “This is my privacy. Don’t look through it.”
Lu Chixie insisted, “What are you hiding?”
Ling Zhuo responded, “What do I have to hide?”
Lu Chixie challenged, “If you’re not hiding anything, why can’t I look?”
Yang Ming and Xiao Qian had already taken the packed items downstairs, leaving the room with just Lu Chixie and Ling Zhuo.
Under Lu Chixie’s persistent gaze, Ling Zhuo finally gave in, letting go of his hand and saying in defeat, “Look all you want. I’m not hiding anything.”
Lu Chixie, however, withdrew his hand, “Forget it. I don’t want you to say I don’t respect your privacy later on.”
Ling Zhuo, frustrated, said, “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
He forcefully pulled open the drawer. “Look all you want.”
There wasn’t much in the drawer except for a few expensive and hard-to-find music theory books and a letter at the bottom, which fell at Lu Chixie’s feet due to Ling Zhuo’s movements.
Lu Chixie looked at the letter and then at Ling Zhuo, “What’s this?”
Ling Zhuo picked up the letter and held it in front of Lu Chixie, “Look closely, it’s a love letter I wrote to the captain. Jealous?”
With Ling Zhuo’s angry face in front of him, Lu Chixie glanced at the letter, noticing it was hastily written, with messy handwriting and incoherent words, like something scribbled when drunk.
Ling Zhuo slapped the letter onto Lu Chixie, “Take a good look.”
Lu Chixie mockingly remarked, “Incoherent sentences, lots of typos, and messy handwriting. Is this all the sincerity your love letter has?”
Ling Zhuo retorted, “It’s not written for you. What does it matter to you?”
Lu Chixie responded, “Am I wrong?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “No matter how bad it is, it’s my writing. Who are you to criticize? Your jealous face is ugly.”
Lu Chixie asked, “When did you write this?”
Ling Zhuo fell silent instantly.
It was likely written during a drunken attempt to confess to Zhong Yiran but was never sent. Embarrassed by his own writing, he had shoved it into the drawer, almost forgetting about it until today.
Lu Chixie folded the letter and put it back into Ling Zhuo’s pocket, “If you know I’d get jealous, hide it better so I don’t find it.”
Ling Zhuo was surprised by Lu Chixie’s reaction. Instead of freaking out, he returned the letter.
After a moment of silence, Ling Zhuo pulled the letter out and tore it up in front of Lu Chixie.
“I’ll never write something like this again,” he said, frustrated by the mockery and the embarrassment of his poor writing.
Lu Chixie softened, “It’s not that bad. If you were willing to write one for me, I’d accept it even if it was worse.”
Ling Zhuo glared at him.
Lu Chixie smiled, “How about I write one for you?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “…You’d write me one?”
Lu Chixie helped clean up the trash, “I’ll think about it.”
Standing up, he stopped teasing Ling Zhuo, “Hurry up and pack.”
Ling Zhuo instinctively reached out to pull him back.
One squatting and the other standing, their hands met. Lu Chixie looked down and smiled, “Do you want me to pull you up?”
Ling Zhuo snapped back to reality and withdrew his hand, his heart beating a bit fast. He turned around and continued packing.
Later, Yang Ming and Xiao Qian moved several loads up and down, and then Qi Liangli came up, wanting to talk to Ling Zhuo alone. However, Lu Chixie, who could read the situation but pretended not to, just wouldn’t leave.
Qi Liangli held back his frustration and directly asked, “Zhuo-ge, do you really have to move out so quickly?”
Ling Zhuo nodded, “It’s more convenient to live outside, and it’s also my agent’s suggestion.”
Qi Liangli: “…Where are you moving to?”
Ling Zhuo: “Living alone.”
Lu Chixie glanced at him but didn’t expose him. Instead, he said to Qi Liangli, “Kid, are you still breastfeeding? Do you expect to live with your teammates forever?”
Qi Liangli retorted, “What does it have to do with you?”
Lu Chixie: “I think you have potential, at least better than that Zhang Xun, and not worse than the other two. You should focus more on your future. It’s not worth falling behind them.”
Qi Liangli felt that this person was sowing discord among the teammates and disliked him even more. He frowned, forcibly restrained himself, said a few more trivial things to Ling Zhuo, and grumbled his way downstairs.
Ling Zhuo felt helpless, “Why do you always have to tease everyone? Xiao Qi didn’t offend you, did he?”
Lu Chixie: “Among your teammates, he’s the only decent one.”
Ling Zhuo shook his head, not wanting to say more.
After the last load was moved, Yang Ming and Xiao Qian went downstairs to wait in the car. Only then did Ling Zhuo stand up, look at the now empty room, and said to Lu Chixie without lingering, “Let’s go.”
As they were leaving, Lu Chixie tore down the name tag on his room door, folded it casually, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Ling Zhuo watched his actions but said nothing.
Downstairs, Qi Liangli was nowhere to be seen. Zhong Yiran was alone in the living room, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing their footsteps, he stood up and looked at them.
Ling Zhuo thought of saying something, but Zhong Yiran spoke first, “Ling Zhuo, can I talk to you alone for a moment?”
Ling Zhuo nodded, then turned to Lu Chixie and said, “Please wait for me in the car.”
Lu Chixie didn’t move.
Ling Zhuo, feeling helpless, reached out and pinched his palm.
Only then did Lu Chixie lazily walk out after saying, “Hurry up.”
Ling Zhuo stood still, “Captain, what do you want to say?”
Zhong Yiran’s expression was complicated, his gaze falling on the wristwatch that matched the one on Lu Chixie’s wrist.
Suppressing his emotions, Zhong Yiran asked hoarsely, “Ling Zhuo, where are you moving to?”
He asked the same question as Qi Liangli. Ling Zhuo thought for a moment and told the truth, “I’m living with Teacher Lu.”
Zhong Yiran clenched his fist tightly, “You and him…”
Ling Zhuo: “I’m dating him.”
Zhong Yiran: “Seriously?”
Ling Zhuo: “Seriously.”
Zhong Yiran: “…Do you like him?”
Ling Zhuo: “I do.”
He wasn’t lying. He truly liked Zhong Yiran for seven years, and now he genuinely had feelings for Lu Chixie. Telling Zhong Yiran face-to-face today marked the end of his seven-year affection.
Though Zhong Yiran’s reaction surprised him a bit, he seemed particularly sad. But why? Zhong Yiran was the one who rejected him first, right? However, this thought only lasted a moment. When he saw Lu Chixie talking to Xiao Qian not far from the open door, all other thoughts faded, and he no longer had the desire to delve into that bit of confusion.
Zhong Yiran saw his reaction, especially when Ling Zhuo looked at Lu Chixie outside the door. The look that used to be exclusively for him now belonged to someone else. It was he who had pushed Ling Zhuo away.
The words he wanted to say were swallowed back, and he lowered his voice dejectedly, “Take care of yourself.”
Ling Zhuo nodded again, “I know, thank you.”
Lu Chixie didn’t get into the car after going out. Instead, he stood by the bushes, playing with a stray cat that had wandered in.
Xiao Qian got out of the car to talk to him. Lu Chixie casually asked, “Before his contract expires, besides a new album release and promotion and a concert tour, are there any other group activities?”
Xiao Qian: “Originally, there was a group variety show, but it’s on hold now. There’s nothing else for the time being. However, their manager might still get them other work. Liu Tao has been managing them for years and has deep feelings for the group. He’s been handling the concert arrangements as well.”
“Liu Tao,” Lu Chixie repeated the name, “I’ve heard he’s quite capable. He’s been with Haitian for a long time and should be promoted. No need for him to handle a group that’s about to disband. Let someone else do it.”
Xiao Qian: “The incident with Zhang Xun leaving the group caused a stir among their fans. Many are dissatisfied with the concert. Additionally, the schedules of the other two members clash with the concert. If Liu Tao doesn’t manage them, the concert might not proceed smoothly and could even get canceled.”
Lu Chixie didn’t care, “That would be great. Ling Zhuo will have plenty of opportunities to hold concerts in the future. There’s no need to drag the whole group along.”
Xiao Qian nodded.
Haitian’s largest shareholder was now one of their own people. Whatever they wanted to do was just a word from Lu Chixie.
“Lu Ge, since Ling Zhuo has already moved out, do we still need to do all this?” Xiao Qian hesitated but still tried to advise Lu Chixie.
Lu Chixie gave a mysterious smile and continued playing with the cat at his feet.
Ling Zhuo didn’t need to share his success and dreams with anyone else. Having him was enough. He would pave a broad path for Ling Zhuo, fulfilling all his desires.
No one could stand beside Ling Zhuo except him.
When Ling Zhuo came out, the stray cat, frightened by Lu Chixie, had already run away.
Ling Zhuo was speechless, “How could you even scare a cat away?”
Lu Chixie glanced at the person inside the villa, “Done talking?”
Ling Zhuo: “Hmm.”
Lu Chixie: “Let’s go.”
Ling Zhuo originally thought Lu Chixie would ask what they talked about, but surprisingly, he didn’t.
Lu Chixie took the lead, and Ling Zhuo followed. Just as he reached Lu Chixie’s side, Lu Chixie grabbed his wrist, and Ling Zhuo didn’t resist. They got in the car together.