Dark Fire chapter 11

Sensitivity

For the following week, Ling Zhuo’s scenes were all concentrated in Group B, from early morning till night.

Though it was indeed exhausting, once he adapted to the rhythm of the crew, everything became smoother.

In the evening, when Lu Chixie came over to group B, Ling Zhuo was just getting ready to go up on the wire.

Lu Chixie approached, his gaze sweeping over Ling Zhuo. Ling Zhuo had changed into a new costume, and the white color suited him well.

Seeing Lu Chixie, Ling Zhuo was slightly surprised, “Teacher Lu, why are you here?”

Lu Chixie replied, “I have a scene in this shoot. Didn’t you see the call sheet?”

Ling Zhuo responded with an “oh.” He really hadn’t noticed.

Lu Chixie and Yu Fei filmed ninety percent of their scenes with Group A, and only occasionally came over here. This week, since he was filming with Group B, it was rare to run into Lu Chixie on set.

Ling Zhuo started filming first. He had to be suspended in mid-air, flying over the forest. Lu Chixie glanced at the height and frowned, asking the director in charge of this shoot, “Why not use a green screen at such a height?”

The director replied, “A green screen can’t compare to the realism of on-location shooting. Xiao Ling said it was fine, we just need a few shots.”

Ling Zhuo was a bit nervous; it was his first time being suspended so high above the ground. To say he wasn’t anxious would be a lie.

He took a deep breath as the wires slowly lifted him.

At the appropriate height, Ling Zhuo adjusted his posture. The director, holding a megaphone, called for action, and he flew forward. His body couldn’t be stiff; he had to appear ethereal and graceful like an immortal. Fortunately, he had a dance background, so his posture was always impeccable.

Lu Chixie watched him intently.

In the script, Lin Lanyu flies over the forest, releases a burst of spiritual power at the end to separate the battling people below, and then gracefully lands. Ling Zhuo performed the first part well, and the director didn’t call cut. However, there was a problem during the landing.

The wire on Ling Zhuo’s left shoulder loosened, causing him to lose control and tilt to one side. His left leg scraped against a large branch during the fall.

Lu Chixie reacted faster than anyone else and rushed over.

Though Ling Zhuo landed awkwardly, he was safe. His left leg hurt badly, the costume was torn, and there was blood seeping through.

Staff immediately came over to help remove the wires and treat his wound. Luckily, it was only a superficial injury, but the scrape was extensive, covering almost his entire leg with blood marks.

Ling Zhuo took a couple of deep breaths to endure the pain and looked up to meet Lu Chixie’s eyes. Lu Chixie stood behind the staff, his expression unpleasant.

The director came over to ask if they could continue filming, but before Ling Zhuo could speak, Lu Chixie said, “No more filming. I’ll take him back.”

Ling Zhuo protested, “No need…”

Lu Chixie insisted, “That’s final.”

The director, awkwardly, agreed, “Alright, let’s call it a day. Xiao Ling, you should rest.”

Lu Chixie firmly escorted Ling Zhuo to his nanny van.

Ling Zhuo said, “I have my own car…”

Lu Chixie replied, “Just stay put.”

Yang Ming and Xiao Qian were left behind, with Lu Chixie sending them to Ling Zhuo’s car. Ling Zhuo, too tired to argue, leaned back into the seat.

As the car drove off, Lu Chixie sternly reminded him, “Don’t overexert yourself next time.”

Ling Zhuo replied, “It was an accident.”

Lu Chixie turned to look at him, and Ling Zhuo said resignedly, “Teacher Lu, you’re a professional actor. Would you have said no to the shoot?”

After a brief silence, Lu Chixie reached over and pinched his face hard.

Ling Zhuo was stunned.

Lu Chixie retracted his hand and leaned back leisurely, “Don’t let it happen again.”

Ling Zhuo ignored him.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the hotel lobby entrance. Lu Chixie got out first, followed by Ling Zhuo.

Most of the fans outside the hotel were there for Ling Zhuo. Seeing him get out of Lu Chixie’s car, they hesitated for a moment before swarming around. One fan, a male, loudly called Ling Zhuo’s name and reached out to grab him, only for Lu Chixie to forcefully push him away. Lu Chixie’s bodyguard stepped in, firmly blocking the fan.

The fan went berserk, pushing against the bodyguard and trying to get closer. Ling Zhuo frowned and moved aside, his injured leg making it difficult to stand. Lu Chixie reached out to steady him, pointing at the aggressive fan and shouting, “Get lost.”

The crowd was in an uproar.

Ling Zhuo hadn’t expected Lu Chixie to curse, so he quickly tugged on his clothes and whispered, “Teacher Lu, let’s go inside.”

Lu Chixie gave him a long look but said nothing more, guiding him inside.

Upstairs, Lu Chixie took him straight into his room, “Eat.”

Ling Zhuo, sensing Lu Chixie’s bad mood, didn’t dare provoke him further, so he agreed to eat.

With Yang Ming and Xiao Qian joining them later, the four of them sat at the table in silence. Ling Zhuo didn’t want to talk, the other two didn’t dare to, sensing Lu Chixie’s low spirits, and Lu Chixie kept his eyes on Ling Zhuo, his expression unreadable.

After the meal, Ling Zhuo thanked Lu Chixie and said he would go back.

Lu Chixie stared at him without moving, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Ling Zhuo nodded and left with Yang Ming.

Back in his room, he took a shower. Just as he finished, there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was Yang Ming who had forgotten his key, he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and opened the door, only to find Lu Chixie standing there.

Ling Zhuo was slightly embarrassed, “Teacher Lu, you came over so soon.”

Lu Chixie frowned, “Why did you shower with an injury?”

Ling Zhuo explained, “I was sweaty. It’s uncomfortable not to shower. I avoided the wound.”

Lu Chixie’s gaze fell on his neck, where droplets of water from his wet hair trickled down into the bathrobe. Ling Zhuo, feeling uneasy under his stare, said, “I’ll go change,” and turned to leave, only for Lu Chixie to grab his arm and pull him back.

Lu Chixie shut the door and pressed him against the wall, moving in closer.

Ling Zhuo’s nerves were on edge. He raised his hand to push against Lu Chixie’s shoulder, his voice trembling, “What are you doing?”

Lu Chixie leaned in and sniffed near his neck, asking softly, “What kind of shower gel do you use?”

Ling Zhuo replied, “Do you have to be so annoying?”

Lu Chixie asked, “Annoying?”

Ling Zhuo turned his face away. “It’s enough that you know.”

Lu Chixie chuckled and let him off.

Ling Zhuo still wanted to go back to his bedroom to change clothes, but Lu Chixie stopped him. “Don’t bother. Let me help you apply the medicine.”

Ling Zhuo was pushed into the living room and sat on the sofa. When Lu Chixie grabbed his injured left leg, he didn’t dare move.

From his calf to his thigh, there were scratches everywhere, and there were also some on his arms. Under the light, they looked even clearer, causing Lu Chixie to furrow his brow tightly. Ling Zhuo quickly said, “I’ll do it myself. I can manage.”

Lu Chixie pinched his ankle. “Don’t move.”

Ling Zhuo felt helpless. “Teacher Lu, I can really do it myself. You don’t need to trouble yourself.”

Lu Chixie looked up. “You can manage? You almost tripped at the hotel entrance just now. You only dare to be rude to me.”

Ling Zhuo: “…Why are you so angry? That was my fan. You told them to get lost right away, causing trouble for both yourself and me.”

Lu Chixie’s face darkened.

Ling Zhuo’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly changed his tone. “But thank you for helping me out today.”

Lu Chixie looked at him coldly and pinched his ankle again before silently applying iodine to his wounds with a cotton swab.

Feeling uncomfortable all over, Ling Zhuo was saved by a timely phone call from Zhang Jing. He quickly answered it.

Zhang Jing was calling to ask about his injury. Ling Zhuo explained that it was nothing serious. Zhang Jing gave him a few reminders and then changed the subject. “Did Lu Chixie have a conflict with your fan at the hotel entrance? I saw the video.”

Ling Zhuo instinctively glanced at the person in front of him. Lu Chixie, eyes lowered, was still focused on applying the medicine. Ling Zhuo responded vaguely, “Yes,” and Zhang Jing pressed, “What exactly happened?”

Ling Zhuo gave a brief explanation. “He was helping me. That person almost bumped into me.”

Zhang Jing said, “It’s already causing a stir online. Never mind, I’ll have someone guide the public opinion. But you should keep your distance from him. Even if he was helping you, he has no filter. He doesn’t care about his image, but you can’t afford to be like him.”

Ling Zhuo felt increasingly awkward. “I understand.”

Zhang Jing nagged a bit more, then finally said, “I’ll contact the company. Next week, you should go to the recording of ‘North and South’. The show invited you for your popularity. There’s no reason for them to push you aside after inviting you.”

Ling Zhuo sighed. “Liu ge didn’t mean it like that. He even had the captain ask if I wanted to go.”

Zhang Jing snorted, reminded him to request leave from the film crew, and hung up.

Ling Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Chixie asked, “You’re going to participate in the recording of ‘North and South’?”

Ling Zhuo: “You heard?”

Lu Chixie: “Your agent’s voice is so loud, it’s hard not to hear.”

Ling Zhuo casually complained, “It’s a prime-time variety show. She thinks it’s a loss if I don’t go. But she doesn’t let me participate in the company’s group variety show, saying it’s a waste of time.”

He then shut up abruptly… Why was he telling this to Lu Chixie?

Lu Chixie raised an eyebrow. “She makes sense, doesn’t she?”

Ling Zhuo really didn’t want to talk to him anymore.

Lu Chixie asked, “Are you love-struck or something? Knowing you’re being shortchanged in the group, you still won’t leave?”

Detecting the mockery in his tone, Ling Zhuo retorted unhappily, “Don’t assume you know everything. You don’t understand anything.”

Lu Chixie sneered.

Feeling uneasy, Ling Zhuo heard Lu Chixie continue, “But don’t listen to your agent entirely. Keeping your distance from me is not an option.”

Ling Zhuo threw his own words back at him, “Doesn’t she make sense?”

Before Lu Chixie could respond, Ling Zhuo’s phone rang again. This time it was Zhong Yiran.

Ling Zhuo hesitated for a moment before answering in front of Lu Chixie.

Zhong Yiran also called to check on his injury. Ling Zhuo said, “It’s nothing, just got scratched by some branches.”

As Ling Zhuo talked to Zhong Yiran, Lu Chixie’s hand moved from his ankle to his calf, giving it a light squeeze. Ling Zhuo let out a small “tsk” and glared at him. Lu Chixie, with a faint smile, continued to knead.

Ling Zhuo hadn’t realized this part of him was so sensitive. With Lu Chixie’s touch, his leg went weak. Zhong Yiran sensed something off in his voice, “Ling Zhuo?”

Ling Zhuo quickly said, “It’s nothing, no problem.”

It was the first time he spoke so distractedly to Zhong Yiran. After a few more words, he hung up.

He tried to kick Lu Chixie, but his leg was held down. Lu Chixie leaned closer, smiling playfully, “So Ling, you are this sensitive?”

Ling Zhuo’s face turned red, his attempt at cursing lacked conviction, “You’re a pervert.”

Lu Chixie stared at him, amused, and Ling Zhuo looked away.

Just then, Yang Ming returned, swiping his card to enter. Lu Chixie finally let go, picked up the script on the coffee table, and said, “Let’s get to work.”