Dark Fire chapter 66

Extra 10 – A Lifetime’s Greatest Love

The day before New Year’s Eve, Lu Chixie took three days off from his film crew to return to Beijing for a New Year’s Eve event on a major TV network.

Ling Zhuo accompanied him, marking the first time they appeared together in public after the coming-out incident.

Early in the morning, countless fans gathered at the Hengcheng Airport to see them off. When they arrived in Beijing, the number of fans greeting them at the airport was so overwhelming that it blocked the entire place, creating a sea of people.

The airport staff suggested they use the VIP exit, but Ling Zhuo thought about it and decided against it. He suggested to Lu Chixie, “Since it’s already like this, let’s just be generous and go out together. It’ll also be a way to address our fans.”

Lu Chixie didn’t mind either way, so he agreed with whatever Ling Zhuo said.

However, Ling Zhuo underestimated the size of the crowd. Although he had been at the top for several years, and fans had gotten more opportunities to see him, usually, there wouldn’t be this many people greeting him at the airport when he returned to Beijing. This time, it felt like a flashback to seven years ago. The crowd was so large that he even wondered if some other newly popular star had coincidentally landed at the same time.

But all these people were there for them, shouting their names, “Ling Zhuo, Lu Chixie, Lingchi,” over and over again.

Ling Zhuo paused for a moment. He had always thought that this couple’s name wasn’t very auspicious, but since the fans had accepted it so well, it was too late to change it now.

Lu Chixie, standing behind him, lowered his head and whispered in his ear with a smile, his sunglasses on.

This small gesture caused another round of screams from the surrounding fans.

Lu Chixie didn’t pay it much mind and reminded the still-stunned Ling Zhuo, “Let’s move forward.”

The crowd was so dense that even with dozens of security guards clearing the way, progress was slow. Lu Chixie stepped forward to shield Ling Zhuo behind him, leading him slowly forward.

A fan close by shouted, “Lingchi must stay together forever!”

The screams around them grew even louder.

Ling Zhuo smiled and nodded towards the crowd, while Lu Chixie reached back, grabbed his hand, and didn’t let go.

After about ten minutes, they finally squeezed out of the airport and got into the van that had come to pick them up, driven by Zhang Jing.

They were both scheduled to attend the same TV station’s New Year’s Eve event that night, so after lunch, they had to head out for rehearsal.

“The event organizers asked if they could mention your relationship. They probably want to use it for promotion, but I turned them down,” Zhang Jing said as they left the airport.

Lu Chixie leaned back in his seat, drinking water at a leisurely pace. His manager had mentioned this to him yesterday, and he had also refused.

Ling Zhuo turned to ask him, “You knew about this?”

Lu Chixie: “Yeah, I heard about it. I’ve already told them not to bring it up.”

Ling Zhuo nodded.

This topic was still quite sensitive in China. The live broadcast of their coming out had caused a huge stir, and although they hadn’t planned on making such a bold statement, they had to keep a low profile afterward. Honestly, it was because both of them had established enough in their careers that they could afford to do this, and with Lu Chixie’s strong backing, they didn’t have to worry too much. Otherwise, they might have had to wait until they retired from the industry to publicly come out.

Lu Chixie squeezed his hand, “Don’t worry too much. Let’s just keep a low profile for now. Once things calm down, everything will go back to normal, and no one will pay us any more attention.”

Ling Zhuo looked at him with a smile, “I know. With you around, what do I have to worry about?”

Zhang Jing cleared her throat, “Be mindful of your surroundings. There are others in the car, you know. Don’t act like no one else exists.”

Ling Zhuo laughed and leaned against Lu Chixie.

After lunch and a shower, they headed to the TV station for rehearsal at 2 PM.

It was Lu Chixie’s first time participating in a New Year’s Eve event. He had always declined invitations before, but this year, on a whim, he decided to attend and even planned to sing a song on stage.

On the way there, Ling Zhuo asked him what he planned to sing that night. Lu Chixie replied, “I’ll sing ‘The One I Love the Most'”

Ling Zhuo was taken aback, seeing the teasing smile in Lu Chixie’s eyes. He helplessly said, “Is that funny to you?”

He hadn’t intended to sing that song a second time. After performing it at his concert years ago, he had released it as a special single on Valentine’s Day and had never performed it in public again. It was his unique confession to Lu Chixie, and it was enough that Lu Chixie had heard it.

Lu Chixie: “Not that one. As for what I’ll sing, you’ll find out tonight.”

He was keeping it a secret.

Since Lu Chixie didn’t want to reveal it, Ling Zhuo didn’t press further.

After arriving at the TV station, Ling Zhuo headed to the studio for rehearsal. He was scheduled to sing two songs from his recently released album, and there was a dance routine involved.

Lu Chixie waited in the dressing room, doing a live stream in the meantime.

The coming-out storm had not yet blown over, and Lu Chixie was actually reluctant to do this, but his manager insisted he take advantage of his birthday to say something.

Lu Chixie hadn’t planned to say much, so he just answered some fans’ questions, mostly about his work, and avoided personal questions, not wanting to feed people’s curiosity.

But just before ending the stream, he noticed someone asking if the person he mentioned in a past magazine interview—the one who made his heart skip—was Ling Zhuo. Lu Chixie’s gaze paused, and he picked this question to answer: “It’s him. I’ve known him for a long time.”

Then, without waiting to see the barrage of comments, he said, “That’s all for today. Bye-bye,” and ended the live stream.

Ling Zhuo had just finished his rehearsal. As he walked off the stage, he bumped into Deng Lanluo, who had just arrived. They exchanged greetings.

Deng Lanluo congratulated him, “Congratulations! You two have finally taken this step.”

Ling Zhuo smiled brightly, “Thank you.”

Deng Lanluo had been doing very well in the past two years. After leaving Haitian Entertainment, he signed with a new team with excellent resources and transitioned into acting. Last year, he skyrocketed to fame with a BL adaptation, reaching new heights in popularity. He had always been ambitious, and although Ling Zhuo had dismissed his earlier challenge as a joke, Deng Lanluo had taken it seriously. While his current popularity couldn’t quite match Ling Zhuo’s peak, and his achievements weren’t as impressive, his future looked promising.

Ling Zhuo didn’t mind at all. When he had wished everyone well, it had been a sincere sentiment. His open-heartedness had allowed him to maintain good relationships with others, even when there was competition. It was always a healthy rivalry, with everyone advancing together.

As they passed each other, Deng Lanluo added, “Let’s get together for dinner before the end of the year. It’s been a while since we all caught up. Our team captain just won an international street dance competition. Let’s celebrate. Xiao Qi also mentioned he’d be back before the New Year.”

Ling Zhuo was pleased to hear this, “Sure, let’s arrange it in the group chat.”

He hadn’t been in touch with Zhong Yiran for a while. After the group disbanded, Zhong Yiran and Deng Lanluo had become closer. Zhong Yiran had continued pursuing music and dance and had even left Haitian to start a company with some partners, focusing on nurturing new talent. He was doing well. As for the other two, Zhang Xun hadn’t made much of a name for himself in acting yet. He had joined two web variety shows as a regular cast member, and because he wasn’t afraid to be silly, he had gained some fame as a comedian. Qi Liangli, on the other hand, had ultimately decided to leave the entertainment industry after much deliberation. He finished his university studies and was now pursuing a graduate degree abroad.

Each of them had their own paths to follow. The dreams they had once hoped for in their teens, and later grew confused about, had simply evolved. They were still young, with long futures ahead, and new hopes to look forward to.

Returning to the dressing room, Lu Chixie had just finished his live stream and was playing on his phone.

Seeing Ling Zhuo return, he grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit beside him, “Finished rehearsing?”

Ling Zhuo: “Yeah, when’s your turn?”

Lu Chixie: “In a while.”

Ling Zhuo gave him a gentle push and stood up again, “Then you rest here for a bit. I need to get my hair and makeup done.”

He headed to change clothes, and Lu Chixie followed him into the changing room, leaning against the door frame, “Are you just wearing that for your dance performance later?”

Ling Zhuo had changed into a silk floral shirt that perfectly highlighted his waistline, a new spring/summer collection from T&G.

Because of coming out, his business endorsements had been somewhat affected. Fortunately, the timing of their public announcement wasn’t too bad. Most of his business endorsements had either expired or were about to expire. Even if he had to pay penalties, it wasn’t a sky-high number. T&G and W Watches, two long-time luxury brand endorsements, had the least impact due to prior discussions.

Ling Zhuo, “Mm.”

Lu Chixie stepped forward and pinned a diamond brooch to his chest, and Ling Zhuo looked down, “What’s this?”

Lu Chixie, “I’m wearing the same thing.”

Ling Zhuo laughed, “Is this your idea of low-key?”

Lu Chixie, “Low-key means not constantly hyping our relationship in the public eye, but we are a couple, so isn’t wearing matching accessories the right thing to do?”

Ling Zhuo was persuaded by him, looked at himself in the mirror behind, and was quite satisfied, “It looks good.”

Later, Lu Chixie went for the rehearsal. Since he was keeping it a secret, Ling Zhuo didn’t follow and waited in the dressing room.

At 7:30 PM, the New Year’s Eve gala officially began.

They both went to the front stage to watch. Since they had specifically asked not to hype their relationship, the organizers didn’t even arrange their seats together.

That was fine. When Ling Zhuo sat down, he glanced at the fan seats behind. His light boards were not fewer than in previous years, but according to the feedback from Zhang Jing, the impact of coming out on his fan base was still significant. Though it was an exaggeration to say it was only one-tenth of what it used to be, over the past week, active fan numbers had dropped by about 30%. Zhang Jing advised him to brace himself, as this was just the beginning and the number of fans leaving might increase.

Ling Zhuo didn’t think too much about it. Gains and losses are inevitable; he had long anticipated this.

His performance was scheduled in the middle segment, with two songs in total. The first was a dance track, and the second was a more gentle and lyrical song.

His stage presence was his biggest advantage for staying popular for so many years, and it was the same today. The fans who came to support him were still cheering and screaming for him with great enthusiasm, and he reciprocated with the most passion.

During the interaction with the host, he talked about his work plans for the first half of the next year and gave New Year’s blessings, without mentioning his private feelings.

After the performance, he relaxed completely and sat back, scrolling through his phone.

His performance was spectacular, topping Weibo’s trending searches. Fans were thrilled, crazy about sharing videos and photos, and the previous gloom was swept away.

The CP fans who were waiting for a sweet moment weren’t disappointed. Lu Chixie’s birthday live stream in the afternoon had already given them a big treat. Ling Zhuo then learned what Lu Chixie had said and laughed after his initial surprise.

Half an hour later, it was finally Lu Chixie’s turn to perform.

He wore a light gray casual suit and a diamond brooch on his chest, matching Ling Zhuo’s. He walked onto the stage confidently.

When the music started, Ling Zhuo was taken aback for a moment and suddenly realized that the song Lu Chixie was singing was the one he had sung at the bar when they first met years ago.

No need for an explanation of its deeper meaning; Ling Zhuo understood naturally.

Lu Chixie’s singing didn’t have any fancy techniques, but his deep, magnetic voice struck his heart.

Lu Chixie was both his beginning and end.

Ling Zhuo always knew.

Their gazes met in a smile, overlapping with that concert from four years ago.

The person on stage was the love of his life.

And he had always known that too.

Author note: 

This is the end of this story. Thanks for your support. Please save the author’s column~ Lu Chixie’s brother’s story will be written in the future. 

TN:

If you are interested in Lu Chixie’s brother’s story you can check it out. I translated it not too long ago. Search for ‘Deep Desire’ on NU