Dark Fire chapter 27
Birthday
The day before Ling Zhuo’s birthday, fans were allowed to visit the set.
His fan club, along with several major fan sites, organized a birthday support event for him on set. All the crew members enjoyed good food and drinks and received gifts.
During a break from filming, Ling Zhuo went out to meet and take pictures with the visiting fans. He received a mountain of gifts and letters, which took three trips in the nanny van to bring back to the hotel.
After a busy day of filming and celebrating with fans, he finally had a moment to catch his breath in the evening and went to the lounge for dinner. Later, he had to do an online live stream so that fans who couldn’t be there could see him.
To save time, Yang Ming had already set up the live streaming equipment. Ling Zhuo turned it on and chatted with his fans while eating.
“I have a night shoot later, so I’m taking this time to grab a few bites. Have you all had dinner?”
“The crew is pretty generous. The director even said he’ll give me a day off tomorrow for my birthday.”
“What do you want to see? What’s so interesting about what I’m eating…”
After a few words, seeing fans spamming the chat asking about his meal, Ling Zhuo had no choice but to adjust the camera to show the dining table. There were four dishes and a soup, all very exquisite. Even though it was just him and Yang Ming eating, it was quite lavish.
Immediately, fans on the screen asked if it was a crew meal and why it looked so good. Ling Zhuo hesitated for a moment before telling the truth, “No, it’s from Teacher Lu’s personal chef. I’m just joining him for meals.”
Actually, it was a free meal for him, but if he even mentioned paying Lu Chixie, Lu Chixie would surely flip out.
As soon as he spoke, the screen filled with screams from fans shipping “LingChixie” (Ling Zhuo and Lu Chixie). However, these shippers were few and soon drowned out by Ling Zhuo’s solo fans.
When asked what he planned to do with his day off tomorrow, Ling Zhuo thought for a moment and said, “Nothing much, just rest, read scripts, and memorize lines.”
Some fans asked if he would meet up with other team members, mostly shippers of him and Zhong Yiran, or group fans. Ling Zhuo replied, “Everyone’s pretty busy with work lately. They might not have time to meet up. We’ll see.”
He then skipped over all questions about his teammates.
The comments were coming in fast, and Ling Zhuo picked some to answer.
“I already had birthday cake this afternoon. What wish did I make? That’s a secret. If I tell, it won’t come true.”
“This drama will probably wrap up filming by the end of next month. After that, we’ll release a new album. The new album will have a bit of a breakthrough in style. I won’t say too much, you’ll see when it’s out.”
“I’ll keep acting. Recently, I’ve found acting quite interesting and want to try different roles. Of course, I’ll keep singing too, so don’t worry about that.”
Ling Zhuo’s live streams were always like this, chatting leisurely with fans. His fans were used to it and started spamming the chat, urging him to eat and not just talk.
Ling Zhuo smiled. “Isn’t it boring watching me eat?”
And then, a neat row of “Not boring” filled the screen. For these fans, watching Ling Zhuo eat on a live stream for an entire day wouldn’t be boring.
Ling Zhuo checked the time. He really needed to eat quickly as he had to shoot later.
Yang Ming finished eating first and went outside to the nanny van to get something. When Lu Chixie came in, Ling Zhuo was alone. Lu Chixie sat opposite him and asked, “Want to go for a late-night snack later?”
Ling Zhuo cleared his throat lightly and reminded, “Teacher Lu, I’m live streaming.”
Lu Chixie raised an eyebrow, noticing the laptop in front of Ling Zhuo. He stood up and bent over, his enlarged face suddenly appearing on the screen, smiling as he greeted Ling Zhuo’s fans. The screen was filled with his name, and Lu Chixie read out a comment, “Teacher Lu, are you and our Xiao Zhuo close?”
He smiled at Ling Zhuo, “Xiao Zhuo?”
Ling Zhuo kept his gaze steady, and Lu Chixie laughed again, answering the fan’s question, “I think we’re quite close. Why don’t you ask your ‘Xiao Zhuo’ how he feels about it?”
Ling Zhuo felt slightly uncomfortable and nodded, “…We are good friends.”
Lu Chixie moved out of the camera’s view and silently mouthed, “Boyfriend.”
Ling Zhuo pretended not to see it.
After finishing his meal and interacting with the fans for a bit longer, he mentioned that he had to go shoot a scene and ended the live stream.
Lu Chixie asked him again, “Want to go for a late-night snack tonight?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “Whatever.”
Lu Chixie said, “Then let’s go.”
After shooting two night scenes, around nine o’clock, Lu Chixie drove Ling Zhuo away from the set.
While waiting at a traffic light, Ling Zhuo leaned in and sniffed near Lu Chixie’s arm, “Are you wearing perfume?”
Lu Chixie casually replied, “Your fans gave it as a support gift, so I tried it.”
Ling Zhuo said, “Oh.”
His fans had come to the set that day for a birthday support event and gave gifts to all the main cast members. Since he had just been announced as the spokesperson for T&G perfume, his fans had given each person a bottle. The scent Lu Chixie received was quite pleasant.
This endorsement deal was also thanks to Lu Chixie.
Thinking of what Lu Chixie had said earlier, Ling Zhuo asked, “Does your mom… know about us? You promised not to tell anyone.”
Lu Chixie glanced at him, “Even my mom?”
Ling Zhuo said, “Wouldn’t it be weirder to tell your mom?”
Lu Chixie asked, “Do you care about my mom’s opinion?”
Ling Zhuo honestly said, “She’s my idol.”
Lu Chixie was surprised, “Idol?”
Ling Zhuo confirmed, “Yeah, can you ask her to give me an autograph?”
Lu Chixie was initially surprised, then laughed out loud.
Ling Zhuo blushed, “Is that okay?”
Lu Chixie ignored him as the light turned green and continued driving, “You can ask her yourself when you meet her someday.”
Without getting his idol’s autograph, Ling Zhuo pouted slightly but let it go. Watching Lu Chixie drive back into the city, he asked, “Where are we going for the late-night snack?”
Lu Chixie replied, “You’ll know when we get there.”
The car drove into the bustling commercial area of the city center. The restaurant was on the top floor of a skyscraper, and Lu Chixie had booked the entire place, with no other customers around.
Although they called it a late-night snack, it felt more like a formal dinner.
Ling Zhuo had been busy with the live stream earlier and hadn’t eaten much. Feeling a bit hungry now, he didn’t mind the formality and just said, “You really know how to make a grand gesture, Young master.”
Lu Chixie said, “We can go somewhere else if you don’t mind people knowing I took you out for your birthday. I don’t mind.”
Ling Zhuo fell silent.
Dishes were brought out one after another, and Lu Chixie poured red wine for him, asking, “How did you spend your birthday last year?”
Ling Zhuo thought for a moment. Last year, he spent his birthday with his teammates, had an online concert, then went out for a meal, and later chatted alone with Zhong Yiran on the balcony all night.
It was just a year ago, but it felt like a lifetime away.
He didn’t answer and took a sip of the wine instead.
Lu Chixie looked at him and smirked, “Don’t want to talk about it? Fine, since your birthday is coming up, I won’t hold it against you.”
Ling Zhuo lowered his head to eat.
Lu Chixie asked, “Did you just say my mom is your idol?”
Ling Zhuo admitted shyly, “Yeah, I’ve liked her since I was a kid.”
Lu Chixie asked, “What do you like about her?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “Her acting skills are great, and she’s also very beautiful.”
Lu Chixie said, “Really? My acting skills are pretty good too, and people say I look like my mom. Why don’t you like me?”
Ling Zhuo responded, “…That’s not the same thing.”
Lu Chixie said, “So you admit you don’t like me.”
Ling Zhuo sighed helplessly, “You’re twisting my words. Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t hold it against me because it’s my birthday?”
Lu Chixie chuckled softly.
“Teacher Lu,” Ling Zhuo lowered his voice, “Are you really going to give me a hard time on my birthday?”
Lu Chixie looked at him, then reached out and pinched his cheek hard.
Ling Zhuo swatted his hand away.
The late-night snack lasted almost two hours. Near midnight, Lu Chixie signaled Ling Zhuo to look outside.
Ling Zhuo turned his head in confusion. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the city skyline was dim, with only a few scattered lights. He didn’t understand what Lu Chixie wanted him to see.
Lu Chixie glanced at his watch, “Half a minute left.”
As midnight struck, the nearly asleep city suddenly came alive. All the skyscrapers in the distance lit up simultaneously.
The lights were a dazzling flame red, constantly changing patterns on the buildings, like fireworks exploding, reflecting in Ling Zhuo’s surprised eyes.
The light show lasted for a full half-hour. When it ended, Ling Zhuo was nearly speechless. As he came back to his senses, thinking he should say something, his phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, his stirred emotions quickly calmed down. He answered, “Captain…”
Zhong Yiran had called to wish him a happy birthday. They hadn’t had any private contact since last year’s Qixi Festival, and Ling Zhuo felt a moment of strange unfamiliarity. He thanked Zhong Yiran.
Zhong Yiran: “I bought you a birthday gift. I’ll send it to your hotel.”
Ling Zhuo: “Give it to me next time we meet. No need to go through the trouble of sending it.”
Zhong Yiran: “I’ve sent it. You’ll receive it during the day.”
Ling Zhuo: “… Thank you.”
Then there was silence.
Ling Zhuo was stunned for a moment, his phone snatched from his hand by the person beside him. Lu Chixie didn’t say a word, directly ending the call for him and shutting off the phone.
Ling Zhuo frowned. “What are you doing?”
Lu Chixie sneered. “Ling, isn’t it inappropriate to talk to another man on the phone in front of your boyfriend?”
Ling Zhuo wanted to explain but couldn’t find the words, feeling stifled.
He didn’t know if he was angry that Lu Chixie had hung up the phone or something else.
Lu Chixie tossed the phone back to him. Ling Zhuo didn’t turn it on again and asked, “Did you arrange this light show outside?”
Lu Chixie: “Do you like it?”
Ling Zhuo nodded. “Yes.”
The waiter had already brought the cake over. Lu Chixie lit the candles. The lights in the restaurant went out, and he reminded Ling Zhuo, “Make a wish.”
Ling Zhuo remained silent for a moment and said, “I don’t want to make a wish.”
Lu Chixie: “Why not?”
Ling Zhuo: “It’s meaningless. I’m not a child anymore. It’s all a lie.”
He hadn’t told the truth to his fans in the live broadcast and didn’t make a wish when his fans celebrated his birthday in the afternoon.
For the past seven years, on this day every year, he made the same wish: for the person he liked to like him back. But in the end, it was all in vain. He no longer believed in it.
Lu Chixie: “Whether wishes come true isn’t up to heaven but to us.”
Ling Zhuo was stunned, and Lu Chixie looked at him. “Since you don’t want to make a wish, let me make one for you. Let’s see if it can come true next year.”
Ling Zhuo nodded.
Lu Chixie stared into his eyes. “Then let’s wish that you’ll also like the person that likes you.”
Ling Zhuo was completely speechless.
Forget it, let it be.
He took a deep breath and blew out the candles.
In the darkness, Lu Chixie took one of his hands and put a watch on his wrist.
“Happy birthday.”
The lights above them came back on. Ling Zhuo looked down and saw a couple’s watch, identical to the one Lu Chixie was wearing.
He didn’t refuse. “Thank you.”
At one in the morning, Lu Chixie drove Ling Zhuo away in the opposite direction to their hotel rooms.
Ling Zhuo had some drinks and felt a bit dizzy. He leaned against the seat without saying a word, not asking Lu Chixie where he was taking him.
He couldn’t sleep even with his eyes closed, so he turned his phone back on.
Zhong Yiran called him twice afterward and sent him a WeChat message asking what was wrong. Ling Zhuo felt uncomfortable and replied, “Just ran out of battery.” The other side quickly replied, reminding him to rest early. He didn’t respond again.
Other people in the quiet group of five who had been quiet for a long time also sent him birthday wishes. Ling Zhuo replied with a thank you and a smiley face, then exited WeChat.
He opened Weibo out of boredom. As soon as he refreshed it, he saw a new post from a user named DarkFire. Ling Zhuo hesitated for two seconds before remembering that he had quietly followed this CP site for him and Lu Chixie.
After reading the content of the post, he was suddenly shocked, and the drunkenness and drowsiness instantly disappeared.
This site claimed to be responsible for the birthday light show at midnight.
Comments and reposts were all screaming that this site was not only good at business but also super wealthy. Indeed, activating a light show for hundreds of buildings in the busiest commercial center during off-peak hours, lasting half an hour, must have cost a lot of money.
Someone joked in the comments, “Isn’t this site owned by the young master Lu himself?”
That hit the nail on the head.
Ling Zhuo turned his head to look at the person driving beside him attentively. “Teacher Lu, did you open this DarkFire site?”
Lu Chixie: “How could that be? I don’t have that kind of energy.”
Ling Zhuo didn’t believe it. “Then it must be someone around you, right? Is it Xiao Qian, or someone else?”
Lu Chixie: “Hmm.”
Ling Zhuo: “…”
Ling Zhuo: “Teacher Lu, you’re really weird.”
Lu Chixie looked at him.
Ling Zhuo said so, but he wasn’t angry; instead, he smiled.
“Running your own CP site, isn’t that weird? Okay, let me change the word. You’re really childish.”
Lu Chixie reached out and pinched his cheek again.
Ling Zhuo blocked it, smiling as he asked, “So what are you going to do on your own birthday? Will you make such an exaggerated light show for yourself as DarkFire? It’s so embarrassing, but if you don’t, people will criticize you for being ungenerous, right? Don’t expect me to do it for you. Even if I have money, I don’t plan to spend it like that.”
Lu Chixie: “Ling, don’t worry about it.”
Ling Zhuo: “Okay, but thank you.”
Lu Chixie glanced at him. Ling Zhuo’s eyes were sincere, with a hint of embarrassment.
Lu Chixie nodded. “Hmm.”