Dark Fire chapter 40
Things Change, People Change
Ling Zhuo was still a bit drunk and didn’t immediately grasp Lu Chixie’s meaning. “What?”
Lu Chixie didn’t say anything more, kissing down his ear and along the back of his neck.
Sensitive areas were licked and bitten, and Ling Zhuo quickly couldn’t bear it, muttering, “Stop…”
“Let’s take a bath,” Lu Chixie proposed again.
Ling Zhuo breathed heavily. “You take a bath first.”
Lu Chixie sucked hard on his neck and shoulder, causing Ling Zhuo to cry out in pain, and Lu Chixie forcefully pressed him against the floor-to-ceiling window glass. Now he finally understood Lu Chixie’s intentions, subconsciously struggling. Lu Chixie unbuttoned his shirt, and one hand slowly roamed his chest, breathing heavily in his ear.
Ling Zhuo’s body tensed, and he felt like he was being bitten by a wild animal. The last bit of drunkenness also disappeared. “…Let go of me. You said you wouldn’t force me.”
“I’ve said it several times. I have limited patience,” Lu Chixie’s voice was hoarse.
“Then hold it in yourself!”
Ling Zhuo struggled to turn around, his back against the window glass, unable to move, his hands held by Lu Chixie. Lu Chixie looked at him, his eyes deep and bottomless, making Ling Zhuo’s heart race. He vaguely regretted coming back with him tonight.
“You—”
Before he could speak, his lips were covered by Lu Chixie’s tongue, more aggressive than before. Ling Zhuo couldn’t resist and felt like he was being swallowed whole. From stinging to numbness, he felt like he wasn’t himself anymore. He wanted to breathe fresh air but he was forced to swallow down their mingled saliva.
His legs were so weak he could barely stand. His body kept slipping down, and Lu Chixie grabbed his waist and pulled him up again, one leg wedged between his legs to support him.
Ling Zhuo felt desperate and seized the opportunity to bite Lu Chixie’s tongue fiercely. Using all his strength, Lu Chixie finally loosened his grip on Ling Zhuo’s wrist. Ling Zhuo immediately pulled his hand back and slapped Lu Chixie hard.
After hitting him, he suddenly woke up and regretted it. He withdrew his hand and clenched his fist. Lu Chixie sneered and licked his lips, looking down at him. “You have such a temper, you like hitting people, huh?”
Ling Zhuo heard his tone and got angry again. “Do you even understand respect?”
“We’re in a relationship, I want to sleep with you. Is that disrespectful?”
Ling Zhuo retorted, “So does it mean you can force me to comply whether I want to or not?”
Lu Chixie immediately asked, “So do you want to?”
Ling Zhuo choked up.
Since they were living together, it seemed inevitable, a matter of sooner or later.
But he did have some hesitation. His relationship with Lu Chixie had progressed too quickly, and he wasn’t entirely sure. He wasn’t a casual person, almost an anomaly in this circle. For years, he had been focused on loving Zhong Yiran alone, until Lu Chixie forcefully entered his life. His emotional world was no longer stagnant water; those intense fluctuations were all because of Lu Chixie. He wasn’t sure if it was just a momentary novelty and impulse.
He wanted a long-lasting relationship and hoped that person would be Lu Chixie, because of this he wanted to be more cautious, unwilling to simply indulge in physical pleasure.
He hoped Lu Chixie could understand him.
Ling Zhuo turned his face to the side, half of his face illuminated by the flashing neon lights outside the window. He lightly closed his eyes.
Lu Chixie stroked his cheek. “What are you thinking?”
Ling Zhuo lowered his voice. “You brought me back just for this? Do you really want to keep me here so you can do whatever you want with me?”
Ling Zhuo didn’t look into Lu Chixie’s eyes as he spoke, so he didn’t see the thoughtful expression on Lu Chixie’s face.
After a moment of silence, Lu Chixie chuckled above his head. “You’re right, that’s exactly what I want.”
Ling Zhuo opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
Lu Chixie hugged him, a rare gentle gesture that left Ling Zhuo stunned, and he didn’t move.
Lu Chixie turned his head and lightly kissed the scattered hair behind his ear, then said, “Forget it…”
If Ling Zhuo had resisted like before, Lu Chixie might have used force, but seeing him now, he couldn’t even bring himself to bully him.
“Are you really serious about us?” Lu Chixie asked softly.
Ling Zhuo exhaled lightly and relaxed, raising his hand to hug Lu Chixie’s waist. “Aren’t you serious?”
Lu Chixie said, “How much longer do I have to wait?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “…You keep trying, and so will I.”
Lu Chixie said, “Ling.”
Ling Zhuo responded, “Hmm?”
“You’re really taking my affection for granted,” Lu Chixie said with a slight smile.
Ling Zhuo didn’t deny it. After a moment’s thought, he said, “You like me, that’s why I have the confidence.”
Lu Chixie held him and kissed him passionately.
Finally, he said, “Let’s take a bath, and nothing else.”
Lu Chixie said this, and Ling Zhuo didn’t refuse again.
Lying in the bathtub, looking at the city night scene outside was indeed enjoyable. Ling Zhuo’s mind completely relaxed, and the dizziness he had suppressed earlier returned slightly. He half-closed his eyes and lay there motionless.
Lu Chixie approached from behind, their fingers interlocked.
Half asleep, Ling Zhuo turned his head and kissed Lu Chixie’s lips. Lu Chixie’s laughter sounded in his ear, clearly teasing: “Can we do something else?”
Ling Zhuo asked, “…What else?”
Lu Chixie said, “Remember the hotel swimming pool last time?”
Ling Zhuo certainly remembered. After that, they were busy filming, and he deliberately avoided it, but he still remembered.
Licking his lips, he hesitated, but Lu Chixie held him tighter. Ling Zhuo made a muffled sound and couldn’t make any other sound except intermittent breathing.
The wall clock had already passed midnight. Ling Zhuo lay in bed, half-covered with the blanket over his head, feeling a bit embarrassed to look at Lu Chixie sitting beside him.
Lu Chixie turned on a night light, sitting at the bedside, watching Ling Zhuo curl up under the covers. He poked his face with a finger. “So shy?”
Ling Zhuo couldn’t say anything.
Last time, Lu Chixie had helped him while he was still dazed and hadn’t recovered. This time…
It felt as if his touch still lingered in his palm, and his mind was filled with Lu Chixie’s gaze from earlier, full of passionate desire and longing. He almost surrendered.
Ling Zhuo asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep? What are you sitting there for?”
Lu Chixie laughed softly, lay down, and pulled Ling Zhuo into his arms.
“Don’t hide,” Lu Chixie reminded softly, “be obedient, or I might change my mind.”
Ling Zhuo was already sleepy, turned over and patted him, quiet and closed his eyes.
Lu Chixie kissed the back of his neck and held him close.
A good night’s sleep.
Ling Zhuo slept until eight in the morning, turned over, and opened his eyes.
During this period of filming, he had gotten used to waking up early, and this time was considered late. Sitting up, he stared blankly at the unfamiliar room for a moment before remembering it was Lu Chixie’s home. He rubbed his face, woke up, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
Walking into the dining room, Lu Chixie was brewing coffee, and a simple Western-style breakfast was already prepared on the table.
Ling Zhuo asked in surprise, “Did you make this?”
Lu Chixie casually nodded. “Just something simple for breakfast. I usually make it myself.”
Ling Zhuo found it strange. The young master could actually do this.
Lu Chixie shook his head and briefly explained his daily habits. If he returned home for a meal, his assistant would notify the chef to come and prepare in advance. Someone would come to clean the house every two days, usually when he wasn’t home. When he had no work, he rarely stayed at home, either going back to his parents’ house or going out with friends. Most of the time, he spent at the resort horse farm they had visited last time.
Ling Zhuo commented, “So your life isn’t that complicated.”
Lu Chixie smiled and asked, “Why do you think it is complicated?”
Ling Zhuo couldn’t answer. He had indeed had some bias against rich second-generation like Lu Chixie before, having seen quite a few wealthy people in this circle, most of whom were not easy to get along with. Rich young masters tended to indulge in all kinds of vices, but Lu Chixie wasn’t like that.
Lu Chixie probably guessed what he was thinking and said, “Those young masters you’ve seen, they usually aren’t very capable themselves, which is why they focus on indulgence. Those who are actually groomed by their families, like my siblings, don’t have time for such things.”
Ling Zhuo asked, “And what about you? Are you capable or not?”
Lu Chixie looked at him and asked, “What do you think?”
Ling Zhuo thought for a moment and said, “You’re an actor, you can do your job well, so yes, you are capable.”
Lu Chixie replied, “Thank you for the compliment.”
Ling Zhuo lowered his head and ate quietly. “…I just don’t want to seem like I have bad taste.”
Lu Chixie chuckled, “You’ve definitely improved a lot compared to before.”
Ling Zhuo didn’t respond further.
After breakfast, Ling Zhuo toured around the house, having not paid much attention the night before due to being drunk. Today, upon closer inspection, he found the house even more impressive.
The largest room was Lu Chixie’s bedroom, with an adjacent dressing room. The master bedroom already had a dressing room, but due to Lu Chixie’s special profession and the excessive number of clothes and accessories, they had made an extra room to store these items, which now also accommodated Ling Zhuo’s clothing.
In the main bedroom’s hallway opposite, there was a large study. Ling Zhuo was curious and went in for a look, casually exclaiming, “So Teacher Lu is also a cultured person.”
He casually took a book from one side of the bookshelf. It turned out to be a book on classical literature. He asked Lu Chixie, “Do you still read these?”
Lu Chixie took the book from him and put it back, saying, “Occasionally. These books belonged to my grandfather. When I was young, he often made me study with him, hoping to cultivate me into a cultured person. Unfortunately, I disappointed him. However, after he passed away, I kept these books for him.”
Ling Zhuo was a fan of Lu Chixie’s mother, so he knew that their home was full of scholarly atmosphere. He became even more curious, “Then how did you end up becoming an actor?”
“Well,” Lu Chixie casually replied, “When I was young, my grandfather wanted me to study with him, my father wanted to groom me as the heir to the family business like my elder brother or sister, and my mother, seeing my talent for acting, often took me to film sets. They argued a lot about what I should do. Before I turned sixteen, to fulfill all their wishes, I tried to split myself into three and learn everything. Eventually, unable to bear it, I ran away to study high school abroad, finally freeing myself. In the end, I chose to follow the path of an actor like my mother.”
Listening, Ling Zhuo tilted his head slightly, without comment.
It seemed that from Lu Chixie’s casual words, he had glimpsed his past. It turned out that someone like Lu Chixie didn’t always have things go smoothly; he had his uncomfortable and unhappy times as well.
It was hard to imagine that Lu Chixie, with his current dominant personality, had once forced himself to do things he didn’t want to do just to comply with his family. Could it be a case of going to extremes? Was it because of his past experiences that he developed such a willful personality now?
Thinking about this, Ling Zhuo wasn’t sure if Lu Chixie’s current state was good or bad.
Beyond the hallway outside the main bedroom were the living room, dining room, and three rooms on this side, which were used as a gym, entertainment room, and guest bedroom, respectively. Ling Zhuo glanced casually and didn’t find anything particularly novel. He walked out onto the terrace connected to the living room and only then noticed that outside was the lake they often visited in the past.
Ling Zhuo was slightly stunned. He remembered one time when the five of them had finished dancing and eating supper late at night, walking around the lake. Qi Liangli pointed to the upscale residential area by the lake and asked them to guess how much the houses there cost. At that time, they were all just poor students in their teens, and houses costing tens of millions to hundreds of millions were like a fantasy to them. However, they still fantasized about it. One day, when they became famous and earned money, the five of them would pool their money to buy a house like this and experience what it felt like to look at the lake from inside such a house.
But now, there was nothing particularly special. The lake was still the same lake, but the people were no longer the same as they used to be.
Actually, now, he didn’t need the five of them to pool their money. He could afford a house here by himself, but it would still be a few years before he could qualify to buy one.
But everything changes.
Lu Chixie brought over a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him. “What are you thinking about?”
Ling Zhuo took it and smiled slightly, shaking his head. “The lake view from here is quite beautiful. I used to envy the rich people who could stand here and look down from high places. Now I can see it for myself.”
Without saying a word, Lu Chixie’s gaze drifted forward. “Don’t always dwell on the past.”
Ling Zhuo was slightly speechless, wondering if Lu Chixie could read minds.
“In a while, Yang Ming and Xiao Qian will come over,” Lu Chixie reminded him, “to help you move. I’ll go too.”
Ling Zhuo hesitated for a moment, then remembered that he had come straight from the set last night with only the luggage he had taken there. Most of his things were still in the dormitory.
“I can go by myself…” Ling Zhuo began.
“I’ll go too,” Lu Chixie interrupted him. “What? Don’t want your teammates to know you’re moving in with me?”
Ling Zhuo stopped the words that were about to come out of his mouth. “No, you can come.”
“Okay,” Lu Chixie said with a grunt, pulling his hand and putting the watch on him. “We agreed to wear it from now on.”
Ling Zhuo didn’t refuse. “Did you rummage through my bag?”
“You took it out yourself last night and tossed it on the couch,” Lu Chixie said. Ling Zhuo was completely speechless.
Lu Chixie let go of his hand and turned around. Ling Zhuo suddenly reached out and pulled him, then leaned in and hugged his waist from behind.
Lu Chixie raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. “Acting cute?”
Ling Zhuo buried his head on his back for a moment, then let go, smiling up at him.
Lu Chixie smirked, heading into the living room.