Dark Fire chapter 22
Hangover
Ling Zhuo granted Yang Ming a day off and went out for dinner alone with Zhong Yiran.
They found a discreet and intimate restaurant, where they could chat without interruption in a private room. They ate and chatted, and by the time dinner was over, it was already 8 PM.
The restaurant was behind the famous city lake. When they were leaving, Ling Zhuo casually suggested going for a walk by the lake, and Zhong Yiran had no objections: “Sure.”
The stretch of lakeside they walked along was far from the park, with few people and relatively quiet. They walked side by side, looking at the speckled lights and shadows cast by the city lights on the lake surface in the black night. Ling Zhuo suddenly laughed and asked the person beside him, “Captain, do you remember when we first joined the company, and the company hadn’t moved yet, and we used to come to this lake often at night?”
Zhong Yiran: “I remember.”
It was usually late at night when they came out of the dance studio, had supper, and walked along the lake to release excess energy. Sometimes it was just the two of them, sometimes five people together.
The light and shadow reflected in Ling Zhuo’s eyes, gradually sinking into the depths. He said, “Yeah, it was pretty good back then.”
Zhong Yiran stopped in his tracks, calling his name softly, “Ling Zhuo.”
Ling Zhuo turned to look at him.
Zhong Yiran: “Will you feel sad?”
Ling Zhuo seemed to not understand for a moment, “What?”
Zhong Yiran hesitated, “About the things in the group, if they disappoint you, will you feel sad?”
Ling Zhuo also stopped, silent for a while. He whispered, “It would be false to say I’m not disappointed at all, but, Captain, I don’t have the right to demand that they sacrifice personal interests for the sake of the group. Everyone has their own choices, nothing is permanent, and besides, the one who has been moving faster all along is myself, isn’t it?”
Zhong Yiran frowned, “Don’t say that. Those things are what you deserve, and don’t take Zhang Xun’s words to heart. He and Qi Liangyi just argue recklessly. We all know that without you, this group wouldn’t have made it.”
Ling Zhuo shook his head, “I’m just a bit luckier than you guys, Captain. Don’t be so naive in the future. Don’t let opportunities come knocking and then push them away. You should try things before deciding if you like them or not. If others say something can be balanced, you surely can do it too.”
Zhong Yiran looked at him, and Ling Zhuo continued, “Really, it’s a pity.”
“…,” Zhong Yiran didn’t say anything more, “Let’s keep going.”
Half an hour later, they sat down on a bench by the lake, the night growing darker.
Zhong Yiran went to a nearby convenience store and bought a dozen beers, casually opening one and handing it to Ling Zhuo. Ling Zhuo brought it to his lips and took a sip. The beer was still cold, the refreshing taste sliding down his throat.
“The taste of this beer is still the same as before,” Ling Zhuo licked the foam off his lips and sighed softly.
Zhong Yiran bought a beer from a small southern brand that was rarely sold here. They used to drink it together often, but then he attended various banquets and gatherings, and no one appreciated this kind of beer anymore. It had been a long time since he had drunk it.
Zhong Yiran lightly tapped his fingers on the aluminum can, listening to the crisp sound, “You can always buy it if you want to drink it.”
Ling Zhuo smiled, “Is that so?”
Zhong Yiran: “Yeah.”
Ling Zhuo asked him, “Captain, have you thought about the future? What do you plan to do?”
They had talked about this topic repeatedly several years ago. At that time, they thought about the future together, about debuting together, walking into the spotlight together, and enjoying the flowers and applause together. But those things turned out to be just fleeting.
Zhong Yiran lowered his gaze for a moment, saying, “Take it step by step, steadily.”
Ling Zhuo: “That’s also good.”
He didn’t ask further, his gaze falling on the water birds occasionally passing over the lake in the dark night, and continued pouring the beer into his mouth.
One can after another, they drank, chatting idly.
When the empty cans littered the ground, Zhong Yiran bent down to pick them up and put them back into the plastic bag. Ling Zhuo was getting a bit drunk, catching sight of a leaflet in the plastic bag. He picked it up and asked Zhong Yiran, “What’s this?”
Zhong Yiran: “I don’t know. The boss stuffed it in when I bought the beer at the convenience store.”
Ling Zhuo stared at the leaflet with blurred eyes, illuminated by a distant streetlight. In a few days, it would be the Qixi Festival, and the Beishan Park outside the city would have a night session with fireworks celebration.
The slogan read, “Watch the stars and fireworks with the one you love side by side.” Ling Zhuo was stunned for a few seconds, folding the leaflet and holding it in his hand.
Zhong Yiran watched his movements, his gaze pausing briefly. Ling Zhuo looked up at him with a smile, asking, “Do you remember the year we went to the amusement park at Beishan Park together? You won a prize in the shooting game, it was an electronic watch, and you gave it to me.”
Zhong Yiran: “Yeah.”
Ling Zhuo regretfully said, “Unfortunately, that watch disappeared later, I don’t know where it went.”
Zhong Yiran: “It wasn’t worth much, just forget about it if it’s lost.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t worth much,” Ling Zhuo murmured, then said in a daze, “Let’s go back, it’s late, and I have to shoot tomorrow.”
Zhong Yiran: “Okay.”
He hailed a cab for Ling Zhuo. Before getting in the car, Ling Zhuo turned to look at him, wanting to say something but hesitating. Zhong Yiran reminded him, “Go back and get some sleep, or you’ll have a headache tomorrow during filming.”
Ling Zhuo nodded, hesitated for a moment, then asked him, “Captain, are you free the day after tomorrow?”
The day after tomorrow was the Qixi Festival.
Zhong Yiran looked at him, “Yes.”
Ling Zhuo smiled and said, “Good,” waved goodbye to him, and got into the car.
As the city night scene gradually receded, Ling Zhuo leaned back in the seat with his eyes closed, still tightly holding the leaflet in his hand.
It was as if he had had a beautiful dream, spending the night watching fireworks under the stars with the person he loved.
When he returned to the hotel, it was past eleven at night, and he seemed even more intoxicated. Standing at the door, searching for his room card, Ling Zhuo felt a bit confused, wondering if he had lost it. Just as he was lost in thought, the door diagonally across from him opened.
Lu Chixie appeared at the door, looking at him intently, as if assessing something.
Ling Zhuo glanced back at him, muttering vaguely, “Teacher Lu,” then turned back to continue searching for his room card in his bag.
Lu Chixie walked over, casually flicking, and picked up the room card from the side pocket of his backpack.
Ling Zhuo exclaimed, “Huh? How did you know it was here?”
“Every time you stuff it here yourself.” Lu Chixie’s voice was low as he reached out to help him push open the door.
Ling Zhuo muttered something and went in.
Lu Chixie followed, but Ling Zhuo didn’t pay attention to him. He was still not sober, busy with this and that, sometimes making coffee, sometimes rummaging through cabinets for things, holding onto a piece of paper tightly and refusing to let go, completely not awake.
After a moment, Lu Chixie walked over, grabbed him and pressed him onto the sofa. “Are you drunk?”
Ling Zhuo’s face was flushed, still smelling of alcohol. He hesitated for two seconds before saying, “I’m not.”
“What’s this?” Lu Chixie’s gaze fell on the leaflet in his hand.
Ling Zhuo instinctively didn’t want to show him, stuffing the leaflet into the drawer of the coffee table. Lu Chixie glanced at him and opened the drawer.
Ling Zhuo reached out to push him away. “What are you doing? Don’t look at my stuff.”
Lu Chixie had already taken out the leaflet, read the contents clearly, and his expression paused for a moment, thoughtful.
Ling Zhuo snatched the leaflet back angrily. “Why are you so nosy, rummaging through other people’s things at will?”
Lu Chixie looked at him, and he started mumbling again, clearly drunk.
“Ling Zhuo,” Lu Chixie called.
Ling Zhuo’s muttering stopped, and he looked at him. “What?”
Lu Chixie reached out and pinched his face. “Do you still recognize who I am?”
Ling Zhuo stared at him blankly, and Lu Chixie leaned in, staring into his eyes. “Are you really drunk?”
Ling Zhuo turned his face aside. “Not really.”
Lu Chixie found Ling Zhuo’s drunken reactions quite amusing, smiled and said, “If you’re drunk, why not admit it?”
Ling Zhuo didn’t want to talk to him, and started rummaging through cabinets again.
Lu Chixie asked him, “What are you looking for?”
Ignoring him again, Ling Zhuo searched through the drawers of the coffee table, then went to search through the TV cabinet on the opposite side.
Lu Chixie followed, sat on the TV cabinet, and looked down at him. “What are you looking for?”
Once again, Ling Zhuo pushed him away. “Move aside, you’re blocking me from finding things.”
Lu Chixie persisted, “What exactly are you looking for? Let me help you find it.”
Ling Zhuo searched through several drawers again, then sighed and said dishearteningly, “Looking for a watch, can’t find it.”
“What watch?” Lu Chixie asked.
“An electronic watch, a prize from the amusement park, given to me by the captain,” Ling Zhuo replied.
“Prize from the amusement park, worth a few dollars, and you’re still worried about it?” Lu Chixie said.
Lu Chixie stood up and pulled him up from the floor.
Ling Zhuo was still dazed, and the person in front of him gripped his wrist tightly, staring at him with a dim expression. Ling Zhuo’s hand hurt from his grip, and he frowned, saying, “Let go of me.”
Lu Chixie lowered his head, seized his lips.
Ling Zhuo’s eyes widened suddenly, and he sobered up instantly, struggling fiercely.
Lu Chixie bit his lips, kissed his lip beads, then stepped back, releasing him.
Ling Zhuo endured his anger and said, “What are you doing again?”
“Are you sober now?” Lu Chixie asked.
Ling Zhuo clenched his fist tightly, and ordered, “Teacher Lu, please leave.”
Lu Chixie reached out and pressed his lips again, Ling Zhuo evaded irritably, and Lu Chixie laughed, “I won’t tease you anymore, go take a shower and go to bed early.”
As the door closed, Ling Zhuo turned back to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.
With cold water splashing on his face, he finally sobered up completely, leaning on the sink for a while, then chuckled bitterly.
After showering and sitting back on the bed, he picked up his phone again. Zhong Yiran sent a message asking if he had arrived, reminding him to sleep early.
Ling Zhuo replied, hesitated for a moment, then sent another message: “Captain, the day after tomorrow night, would you like to go to Beishan Park to watch fireworks?”
He thought, if Zhong Yiran agreed to go, then on that night, no matter what, he wanted to confess to him and give it a try.
A few minutes later, Zhong Yiran replied, “Don’t you have a night shoot? If there’s no night shoot, I’ll just take a leave and join you, okay?”
Ling Zhuo: “Okay, see you then.”