Dark Fire chapter 1

Joining the Crew

At nine in the morning, the nanny car headed towards the suburban filming location.

Halfway through his sleep, Ling Zhuo was startled awake by a sudden brake. The driver in the front seat turned around to apologize. Ling Zhuo removed his eye mask and rubbed his eyes. His assistant, Yang Ming, handed him a cup of warm water. “Zhuo ge, you’re awake. Would you like some water?”

Ling Zhuo took a sip, his throat feeling terribly uncomfortable. He had felt unwell since waking up, and now it was getting worse.

Unable to fall back asleep, he decided to take out his phone and play with it.

Yang Ming reminded him that Jing jie had already arrived at the set. Ling Zhuo nodded casually and saw a message from Zhong Yiran on WeChat: “I put the cough syrup in your bag. Remember to take it and drink plenty of warm water. Your throat will feel better.”

Ling Zhuo’s eyes softened with a hint of a smile as he replied, “Okay.”

After half a minute with no response, he hesitated briefly and sent another message: “Have you gone to the company?”

Just before they reached the set, a new message came in: “I just had a meeting with Liu ge and the others to discuss the next phase of work. We might take on a variety show.”

Ling Zhuo replied, “When?”

Zhong Yiran: “End of the month, probably.”

Ling Zhuo: “Am I included?”

Zhong Yiran: “Aren’t you already on set? Just focus on filming.”

Ling Zhuo frowned slightly and asked Yang Ming, “Did Jing Jie ever mention if I’ll still participate in group activities after joining the filming crew?”

Yang Ming was taken aback and said, “I don’t know. Jing Jie only mentioned that you should focus on filming for the next few months.”

Ling Zhuo lowered his eyes and pondered for a couple of seconds, then asked no more questions.

At 9:40, the nanny car stopped at the entrance of the set. Zhang Jing was already waiting there. Before getting out, Yang Ming reminded Ling Zhuo, “Zhuo ge, I think I saw your fan site manager following us when the car entered the set.”

Ling Zhuo put on his sunglasses and a baseball cap before letting Yang Ming open the door.

Zhang Jing walked over briskly, glanced at her watch, and asked Ling Zhuo, “Why are you so late?”

Yang Ming explained, “There was a traffic jam on the way, which caused the delay.”

“Never mind, hurry up and come with me. Let’s greet Director He and the others first,” Zhang Jing reminded.

Ling Zhuo obediently followed her inside. Zhang Jing introduced him to a round of people—director, producer, scriptwriter… Ling Zhuo, who wasn’t good with faces, didn’t remember many but kept greeting people despite his worsening throat pain.

This was his first time filming a TV series. It was all thanks to Zhang Jing’s efforts that he got into this major costume drama production and even landed the role of the second male lead.

That day was the first script reading session, with all the main creators present. Ling Zhuo, new to the scene, felt very uncomfortable.

The chief director of the series, He Jingping, was a short, chubby middle-aged man with a smiling face. Noticing Ling Zhuo’s unease, he comforted him with a smile, “Don’t be nervous. It’s normal to feel out of place on your first shoot. I saw your great performance during the audition.”

Ling Zhuo could only muster a dry laugh. He knew his own limitations and wouldn’t take such courteous words seriously.

After a few words, Zhang Jing asked He Jingping, “Have Mr. Yu and Mr. Lu arrived? I want to introduce Ling Zhuo to them.”

He Jingping replied, “Ah Fei is still busy and will come later. Chixie has arrived. I’ll call him over.”

Just as Zhang Jing was about to say they would go over themselves, He Jingping quickly looked around but didn’t see Lu Chixie’s figure. “Hey, that kid, who knows where he wandered off to. Forget it, let Xiao Ling rest first. Come to the conference room at ten sharp.”

So, Ling Zhuo followed Zhang Jing to his resting room.

Although he was a newcomer in the film and television industry, he was the most popular idol in the crew, the only one besides the main leads with his own resting room. The treatment was indeed good.

Upon entering, Ling Zhuo finally sat down to catch his breath. He took out the cough syrup Zhong Yiran had packed for him, poured a capful, drank it in one gulp, then drank two more gulps of warm water to dilute the taste. His throat felt somewhat better.

Zhang Jing watched his actions and frowned, “Are you sick?”

Ling Zhuo replied, “No, just a sore throat and some coughing. It should be fine by tomorrow.”

“Take care of yourself. Don’t fall ill just after joining the crew.”

Zhang Jing asked Yang Ming to send Ling Zhuo’s luggage to the hotel first. She then closed the door and advised him, “I have some errands to run, so I’ll be leaving soon. Unless something important comes up, I won’t be around much. Focus on your filming, be polite, and maintain good relationships with others.”

Ling Zhuo asked her, “Can’t I participate in group activities anymore?”

Zhang Jing, slightly displeased, said, “There’s nothing important to participate in. Your personal development is the priority.”

Ling Zhuo listened but wasn’t happy, though he didn’t argue.

At fifteen, he joined the company as a trainee and trained with four others. Two years ago, the company sent him to a singing competition show, where he won first place and became an overnight sensation. The company then launched their five-member group, relying on his popularity to boost the whole team. Outsiders often said he suffered losses and that his teammates took advantage of him, but Ling Zhuo didn’t think so. He believed he wouldn’t be where he was without their support. He was happy to lead the team to prosperity and never considered leaving the group for a solo career.

However, Zhang Jing, his personal agent, had always felt that the other members of the group were holding him back. She mentioned several times that not getting him into acting sooner had wasted his time. Ling Zhuo didn’t agree, but since he wasn’t the type to get angry, he didn’t show any dissatisfaction.

Zhang Jing knew what he was thinking, and though she was frustrated, she didn’t press the matter. Instead, she gave him some advice: “I’ve already spoken to Director He. He’ll take care of you during the shoot. Just follow his instructions and do your best. The female lead in this drama is Yu Fei. She’s the queen of viewership ratings, and this drama is her forte—a major historical romance. Your character is well-written, and you have many scenes with her. If you can perform well, this could be a great start for your career in TV dramas. Yu Fei is known to be easy to get along with and is a senior in the industry. Just be respectful and polite to her. As for Lu Chixie…”

Lu Chixie was the male lead in this drama.

Hearing the hesitation in Zhang Jing’s voice, Ling Zhuo, out of rare curiosity, asked, “What’s the matter with Lu Chixie?”

Zhang Jing replied, “You’ve probably heard the rumors about Lu Chixie. Most of them are true. Previously, while filming on another set, a minor actor tried to get his attention, knocking on his door in a bathrobe late at night. The first two times, he ignored it, but the third time he opened the door, pretending to make a phone call while actually live-streaming on Weibo. The minor actor was socially ruined and reportedly left the industry. Lu Chixie was heavily criticized online, but he didn’t care at all.”

“He’s not someone you can afford to offend, so try to stay away from him unless you’re filming.”

Ling Zhuo had indeed heard of Lu Chixie. He was a super-rich second-generation heir, a typical “resourceful actor” in the industry with a notoriously bad temper. No matter who you were, if you upset him, he’d show his displeasure openly. He’d argued with paparazzi, marketing accounts, trolls, gossipers, and even his own fans. He had countless enemies.

But he also had a father known nationwide for his wealth and a face more attractive than his actress mother, famous for her beauty. With professional training, his acting skills were top-notch among his peers. He had as many fans as he did haters, with extreme opinions on both sides. People either loved him or hated him intensely.

Ling Zhuo had seen this incident trending on Weibo and even gossiped about it with his group members. He chuckled and said, “Jing Jie, I’m not interested in him. How could I offend him?”

Zhang Jing cautioned, “Just be careful. You have more fans than most, but here, don’t take yourself too seriously.”

Ling Zhuo nodded and asked casually, “If Lu Chixie is so impressive, why is he playing a supporting role in a female-led drama?”

With Yu Fei, the queen of viewership, leading a major romance IP adaptation, and a high-investment S+ level project from a streaming site, it was undoubtedly attractive. But any actor with a background would fight for the lead role. Yet this drama was clearly centered on the female lead. Would someone like Lu Chixie be willing to play a secondary role?

“I’m not sure,” Zhang Jing said. “But I heard that he picks his own scripts. No one can force him.”

Ling Zhuo thought for a moment and said, “Maybe he just likes the character.”

Zhang Jing asked, “Likes the character?”

Ling Zhuo took out the script he had received earlier and pointed at it casually, “I’ve read the script, and actually, Jing Jie, you were wrong. My character is pretty standard, the typical lovesick second male lead. The male lead character is much more interesting, a paranoid and neurotic villain. If he can pull it off, it will definitely attract a lot of attention. So I think Lu Chixie might have found the role challenging.”

Zhang Jing raised an eyebrow, “You understand all this?”

Ling Zhuo modestly replied, “You asked me to act, so I had to do some homework.”

Outside on the terrace, Lu Chixie was smoking.

The terrace outside several rest rooms was connected, but evidently, the two talking inside hadn’t noticed, so they didn’t know the person they were discussing was just outside, accidentally eavesdropping.

Hearing Ling Zhuo say, “Maybe Lu Chixie finds the role challenging,” Lu Chixie casually put out his cigarette, pulled out his phone, and searched for “Ling Zhuo” in the browser.

The first result was a smiling, animated photo of Ling Zhuo, alongside his profile.

Ling Zhuo, twenty-two years old, idol singer, lead vocalist and visual of the boy band SparkleBomb.

Lu Chixie squinted slightly, staring at Ling Zhuo’s photo for a moment, then extinguished his cigarette and returned to the rest room.

After sitting for a dozen minutes, Zhang Jing reminded Ling Zhuo that the official Weibo account for the drama had just posted his costume photo and he should share it. His studio’s PR had already sent over the draft text. Ling Zhuo copied it, opened Weibo, pasted the text, and shared the post, then forwarded the official announcement to their group’s five-person WeChat group.

The group chat exploded with praise, everyone taking turns complimenting him.

Finally, Zhong Yiran replied, “Very handsome.”

Ling Zhuo smiled softly.

At five to ten, Ling Zhuo got up to go to the main conference room. Before leaving, Zhang Jing reminded him to greet all the other actors, regardless of their status. Ling Zhuo nodded, indicating he understood.

As he reached the conference room door, he saw Lu Chixie, who was leaning against the wall, talking to Director He Jingping.

Even though Ling Zhuo was bad with faces, he recognized Lu Chixie at a glance. Lu Chixie resembled his mother, the actress An Xin, by seventy percent. Ling Zhuo had been a fan of An Xin since childhood.

Adjusting his demeanor, he approached. Director He introduced him to Lu Chixie, jokingly adding, “Though you are enemies in the drama, remember to get along off-screen.”

Ling Zhuo extended his hand, “Hello, Mr. Lu. I’m Ling Zhuo, playing Lin Lanyu in the drama.”

He looked directly into Lu Chixie’s eyes, his manner gentle.

Lu Chixie’s lips seemed to hold a smile as his dark eyes fixed on Ling Zhuo.

In front of him was a person with apricot-shaped eyes, a high nose, and red lips. The lips were round and full, with a glossy shine, making them very alluring.

Ling Zhuo was somewhat bewildered by his stare when He Jingping helplessly reminded Lu Chixie, “Chixie, give him some face. Xiao Ling has greeted you, don’t tease him.”

Only then did Lu Chixie leisurely extend his hand, his long fingers grasping Ling Zhuo’s.

“Ling, nice to meet you.”

When withdrawing his hand, Lu Chixie subconsciously squeezed his palm. It seemed as though he did it on purpose, pressing hard on his palm while maintaining his seemingly harmless, slightly smiling expression.

This person… indeed difficult to get along with.