Dark Fire chapter 12
Limited Patience
A week later, Ling Zhuo took two and a half days off from the film crew to fly out for the variety show recording.
After filming the last scene of the day at noon, he hurried to the airport. Zhong Yiran and the others had flown out that morning. On the way to the airport, Ling Zhuo received a WeChat message from Zhong Yiran, saying they’d wait for him at the hotel for dinner.
Ling Zhuo happily replied, “Okay.”
The flight was at 1:40 PM. Just five minutes after boarding, he saw a familiar tall figure. The person, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, walked closer. Ling Zhuo instinctively took another look. The person removed his sunglasses and greeted him with a smile, “Ling, what a coincidence.”
Ling Zhuo: “…Teacher Lu, what are you doing here?”
Lu Chixie replied, “Wherever you go, I go.”
Lu Chixie sat down next to him, and Ling Zhuo belatedly realized, “You’re also going to record ‘North and South’?”
Lu Chixie: “Mmh.”
Ling Zhuo had nothing to say to that. Fine.
Ling Zhuo had no intention of talking to him. After takeoff, he put on an eye mask and earplugs and went straight to sleep until the flight attendants woke him up two and a half hours later as the plane was preparing to land.
“Ling, are you really that tired? Didn’t sleep well last night?” The person next to him asked.
Ling Zhuo removed his eye mask, sat up straight, and moved his sore neck. Lu Chixie raised his hand to help massage his shoulder. Ling Zhuo said “Thanks,” then added, “That’s enough.”
Lu Chixie withdrew his hand and smiled.
There were a lot of fans waiting to pick them up at the airport. Many of these people had arrived in the morning to greet Ling Zhuo’s teammates and hadn’t left yet, staying to wait for Ling Zhuo. Others had come in the afternoon. Lu Chixie also had many fans. The crowd filled the small city’s airport arrival hall, but the order was decent, with people maintaining a respectful distance.
After the last incident, Zhang Jing had arranged for someone to guide the fans’ behavior in Ling Zhuo’s fan circle. Major fans spoke out against the unruly behavior of some minor fans. Since Ling Zhuo had been injured last time, his fans were particularly concerned. This time, when they saw him, they organized a human wall to prevent anyone from rushing at him.
Not to mention, Lu Chixie was watching like a hawk. Lu Chixie’s fans didn’t dare to push close to him, knowing that angering this “young master” wouldn’t end well. Even his own fans knew he wouldn’t show mercy.
But surprisingly, Lu Chixie was in a good mood that day, even cooperating for fan photos.
Those familiar with Lu Chixie couldn’t help but wonder if he had really changed. Not only was he participating in a reality show, but he was also willingly posing for fan photos?
The car sent by the show crew was waiting outside the airport. They arrived at the hotel at 5:30. As soon as Ling Zhuo entered his room and put down his luggage, Zhong Yiran and the others arrived.
Ling Zhuo hadn’t seen his teammates, except for Zhong Yiran, since joining the filming crew. They gathered around him, chatting and checking on his previously injured leg. Once Ling Zhuo finished unpacking, they went out for dinner.
Ling Zhuo’s room door was left open, and when they heard a knock, they all turned to see Lu Chixie standing at the door. He ignored everyone else and looked at Ling Zhuo, who was sitting on the sofa, and asked, “Ling, want to have dinner?”
Ling Zhuo awkwardly replied, “No, Teacher Lu, you go ahead.”
Lu Chixie: “Not eating or eating with someone else?”
Ling Zhuo pointed to the others, “I’m eating with my teammates. We have work to discuss.”
Lu Chixie seemed to notice the others in the room for the first time. He glanced around, smirked, and left without saying anything.
Deng Lanluo closed the door, and Qi Liangli started complaining, “Who does he think he is, ignoring us like that? Acting all high and mighty? It’s perfectly normal for you to eat with us, what’s his problem!”
Zhang Xun also asked, “Why does he act like that? Has he always been like this?”
Ling Zhuo helplessly said, “That’s just how he is. No one dares to offend him. Just ignore him.”
Deng Lanluo looked at Zhong Yiran, who interrupted, “Let’s go eat.”
Their manager, Liu Tao, joined them for dinner. For the next few days, while they filmed the variety show, Liu Tao would be with them.
Ling Zhuo felt much more at ease with his teammates, speaking more freely.
At the dinner table, Qi Liangli complained about Lu Chixie again and casually asked Liu Tao, “Liu ge, weren’t we supposed to be the only guest stars this episode? How come that young master was added?”
Liu Tao: “Not sure, it must have been a last-minute addition.”
Qi Liangli snorted.
At 8 PM, the show crew gathered all the guests in the hotel conference room to confirm the general schedule for the next two days of filming.
“North and South” was an outdoor reality show filmed in different cities across the country, with each episode based on the local customs and cultural features. The regular cast consisted of six well-known industry veterans. This was Ling Zhuo and his group’s first time on the show, and despite their current popularity, they were very respectful, arriving twenty minutes early to wait.
At five minutes to eight, Lu Chixie arrived with the other regular guests.
The regular guests sat on one side, and the guest stars on the other. Ling Zhuo originally sat at the far left, but Lu Chixie walked over and sat next to him. Zhong Yiran, sitting to Ling Zhuo’s right, turned and locked eyes with Lu Chixie, who looked indifferent and didn’t even glance at him.
After the introductions, the director explained the recording plan for the next two days. Ling Zhuo listened attentively, but his phone screen lit up briefly with a WeChat message from Lu Chixie: “What did you have for dinner?”
Ling Zhuo: “…”
He didn’t want to respond and put his phone in his pocket.
An hour later, the director smiled and reminded everyone to get a good night’s rest to prepare for the next day. The meeting ended.
Ling Zhuo and his teammates went to Zhong Yiran’s room to play games. A few minutes later, Lu Chixie sent another message: “When are you coming back?”
Ling Zhuo frowned and ignored it.
Zhong Yiran noticed his reaction and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Ling Zhuo relaxed his expression and smiled, “Let’s play.”
At ten, everyone returned to their rooms. Ling Zhuo’s room was on a different floor from his teammates because he arrived late. He took the elevator alone and was walking to his room, looking at his phone, not paying much attention to his surroundings.
Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm. Startled, he looked up to see Lu Chixie pulling him into a room and slamming the door shut.
“What are you doing…” Ling Zhuo began to ask, but Lu Chixie covered his mouth and pressed him against the wall. The room was dark, only the neon lights from outside casting a faint glow. Lu Chixie’s eyes shone with a harsh, fierce light, making Ling Zhuo extremely uncomfortable.
Ling Zhuo tried to struggle, but Lu Chixie pressed closer, wedging a leg between his to immobilize him. Lu Chixie released his mouth and whispered in his ear, “Why didn’t you reply to my WeChat, Ling?”
Ling Zhuo tried to push him away, but he couldn’t.
Both were men, and Lu Chixie was only half a head taller than him, but every time Lu Chixie pinned him down, Ling Zhuo found it difficult to break free. This feeling of complete powerlessness made him particularly frustrated. He turned his face away and said irritably, “Let go of me.”
Lu Chixie asked again, “Why didn’t you reply to my WeChat?”
Seeing Ling Zhuo turning his face away, refusing to respond, Lu Chixie raised his hand and gently stroked his cheek. “Talk to me.”
Ling Zhuo said, “I have nothing to say to you.”
Lu Chixie replied, “Is being with your teammates so much fun that you won’t even talk to me? Ling, you’re really biased.”
Even though his words made no sense, Lu Chixie spoke without the slightest embarrassment, as if it were completely natural. Ling Zhuo deeply felt that he had nothing to say to him, so he stopped talking and simply closed his eyes.
Lu Chixie’s hand stayed on his cheek, occasionally touching him. Ling Zhuo didn’t make a sound but turned his head away, closing his eyes tightly, his trembling eyelashes showing his disgust.
“Do you really hate me that much?” Lu Chixie asked in a lowered voice.
After a moment of silence, Ling Zhuo relaxed his tense body and asked, “Why do you have to do this, Teacher Lu? You’re rich and powerful, with plenty of people pursuing you. I’m nothing special. Why do you have to make things difficult for me?”
Lu Chixie responded, “Do you think so little of yourself, Ling? Do you think you’re not special? If you’re not special, why do so many passionate fans like you?”
Ling Zhuo mocked himself, “Those who say they like me today will like someone else tomorrow. What’s so special about that?”
Lu Chixie’s eyes slowly roved over his face, dark emotions lurking in his gaze.
He had actually seen Ling Zhuo a few years ago when he was still a student at the conservatory, not yet debuted, singing in a bar near their school. At that time, Lu Chixie was drinking there with some friends. He remembered the boy, outstanding in appearance, with a clean aura, singing songs that were out of place in the noisy bar but making everyone quiet down to listen.
In the midst of the smoky chaos, Lu Chixie’s originally stifled mood gradually relaxed. He had taken an interest then, but the boy left after finishing his song, and despite returning to the bar several times, Lu Chixie never saw him again.
Over the years, he occasionally thought of that moment of heart-throbbing. He had a hundred ways to find someone if he really wanted to but didn’t think it necessary.
He had heard the name Ling Zhuo several times in the past two years, but since they weren’t in the same circle, it was just a name. Until that day on the terrace outside the restroom lounge, he entered Ling Zhuo’s name into his phone and saw the photos pop up on the screen, the smiling eyes in the pictures overlapping with his memory.
Some things seemed dispensable until they appeared before him, making him realize how much he wanted them.
The same was true for people.
Lu Chixie reached out and turned on the light.
The sudden brightness made Ling Zhuo uncomfortable. He closed his eyes and then opened them again, seeing Lu Chixie still staring at him.
“Ling, the thing I asked you that day. Have you made up your mind?” Lu Chixie had stepped back to a safe distance, but his tone was unpredictable.
Ling Zhuo frowned, having never considered Lu Chixie’s proposal. “No…”
Lu Chixie interrupted him, “Don’t be in a hurry to say no. Think about it some more. But my patience is limited; I can’t wait too long.”
Ling Zhuo asked, “What do you mean?”
Lu Chixie smirked, “Think about it, Ling.”