Dark Fire chapter 45
Provocation
A week later, the sixth episode of “Come to My House” was recorded, featuring guest Lu Chixie at his family’s resort.
As usual, the production team arrived two days early for a site visit. The director was shown around the resort by Lu Chixie and finally gave a thumbs up: “When this episode airs, we might need to change the show’s name.”
Lu Chixie: “Change to what?”
The director laughed: “The Life of the Wealthy.”
Lu Chixie: “Director Zhou, you’re joking.”
But the director was serious. The show’s biggest selling point was the private lives of glamorous celebrities, and people were curious about how a second-generation rich star like Lu Chixie lived. Once the episode airs, whether it’s spectators learning something new or those resentful of the rich, it would all generate buzz.
Afterward, Ling Zhuo heard about this from Xiao Qian and laughed for a while, then asked Lu Chixie: “Are you really planning to expose even your family’s resort?”
Lu Chixie waved his hand dismissively, “Don’t worry, there’s premium security, no one can go there.”
Since he said so, Ling Zhuo decided not to worry about it anymore, especially since he wasn’t the focus of this episode.
On the day of recording, it wasn’t the guests arriving on their own; Lu Chixie sent a car to pick them up at the designated location.
There were the usual four regular guests plus three guest stars. Apart from Lu Chixie, another guest star was also a familiar face—Xu Yusen from Jiaxin.
Ling Zhuo hadn’t paid attention to who the guest stars were before arriving, so he felt a bit awkward upon seeing Xu Yusen. Xu Yusen, however, seemed completely at ease and even greeted him warmly in front of the cameras with an enthusiastic hug.
Ling Zhuo just played along; after all, anyone in their line of work had to be good at pretending in front of the cameras.
Moreover, he didn’t have a deep-seated grudge against Xu Yusen. Their relationship had been okay during the competition; it was only after he had won Xu Yusen’s spot in the finals that their fans clashed continuously. Over the years, their teams had also been at odds, but in this industry, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
After exchanging greetings, the car Lu Chixie had sent arrived, and it turned out to be a tourist bus.
Lu Chixie, dressed casually, got off the bus and reminded everyone, “Let’s get on.”
Someone joked, “Are you taking us on a group tour?”
Lu Chixie replied, “We’re going to my resort. It’s a bit far, and with so many people, a bus is more convenient.”
Aside from Ling Zhuo, the others didn’t know they were heading to a resort and were surprised but excited as they boarded the bus, discussing and asking Lu Chixie about what was available at his resort.
Lu Chixie smiled and said, “You’ll find out when you get there.”
Ling Zhuo didn’t join in the conversation and took a seat at the back. Lu Chixie finished talking to others and naturally sat next to him.
Before the bus started moving, Xu Yusen from the front row stood up and, leaning against the seat, asked Ling Zhuo with a smile, “Ling Zhuo, have you been to the place we’re going today? You don’t seem surprised.”
Ling Zhuo didn’t know what Xu Yusen meant but couldn’t avoid answering in front of the cameras, so he casually said, “Teacher Lu mentioned it to me a few days ago.”
He then turned to speak with Lu Chixie, deliberately ignoring Xu Yusen’s earlier question.
He had been there multiple times, so if someone else had asked, he might have answered, but he didn’t want to deal with Xu Yusen.
Xu Yusen didn’t press further, smiled, and sat back down.
An hour later, the bus arrived at the resort. The cameras captured the scenery outside, and the guests on the bus were amazed.
“Is this really your private resort? Is it open to the public? Can we get a membership card?” someone asked.
Lu Chixie replied, “It’s not open to the public. It’s only for hosting guests and friends. If you want to come in the future, just let me know, and you can come by mentioning my name.”
Whether Lu Chixie was being polite or not, everyone seemed pleased.
The bus stopped in front of the small villa where Lu Chixie lived. After getting off, they switched to a special sightseeing bus to tour the entire resort.
Lu Chixie acted as the tour guide, introducing the main buildings of the resort, which were located east of where he lived, and the indoor entertainment facilities were in that area. They toured the area first, then he took everyone to the horse ranch.
They spent about an hour there, riding horses, feeding them, and some even tried milking a mare. Lu Chixie also showed off his equestrian skills in front of the cameras.
Ling Zhuo had been to this place many times and had learned to ride horses quite well. The horse Lu Chixie had given him was quite intelligent and immediately trotted over to him from the meadow when it saw him.
A curious cameraman asked, “Does this horse know you?”
Ling Zhuo combed the horse’s mane and smiled without speaking.
Xu Yusen came over, attempting to touch the horse, but the horse swished its tail and moved away in disdain.
“Hey, this horse is picky?”
Ling Zhuo was a bit annoyed. This person was as bothersome as a fly.
He tried not to show his irritation but couldn’t help saying, “This is my horse.”
Xu Yusen raised an eyebrow, “Your horse?”
Ling Zhuo didn’t explain; it could be understood as the horse he picked, but he didn’t want to talk to Xu Yusen. Just then, Lu Chixie came over and called him, so he quickly led his horse away.
After leaving the horse ranch, the sightseeing bus continued forward to a large flower field. They stayed there for half an hour, taking plenty of photos before continuing up the mountain. There was a helicopter pad at the top, and they passed by a golf course and a ski resort before descending from the other side and returning to Lu Chixie’s residence. It was already noon.
Lu Chixie hosted a barbecue by the lake behind the small villa. Several grills were steaming with the aroma of grilled meat.
As the host, Lu Chixie even took part in cooking.
“You can actually do this? Don’t burn it,” a guest joked, seeming not to trust the rich young master’s cooking skills.
Lu Chixie smiled and didn’t say anything. He quickly prepared the first batch and handed a skewer to Ling Zhuo, who was watching eagerly, “Try this.”
Immediately, someone protested, “Hey, there are several girls here, show some gentlemanly manners.”
Ling Zhuo was caught between eating and not eating the skewer. Lu Chixie ignored the others and once again urged him, “Try it.”
Under Lu Chixie’s watchful eye, Ling Zhuo finally ate the skewer and gave a thumbs up, “Delicious.”
The taste was indeed quite good, and he wasn’t lying. He had already noticed that Lu Chixie was skilled in cooking. The young master’s self-care abilities were much better than his. They had lived together for so long, and it was always Lu Chixie taking care of him.
Lu Chixie smiled and finally distributed the skewers, first to the female guests, then to others, silencing the crowd.
Afterwards, others took turns grilling, and Ling Zhuo knew his own abilities, so he stayed out of the cooking and simply sat to eat. Lu Chixie occasionally brought him food and drinks, doing it all very naturally.
Ling Zhuo felt a bit embarrassed and reminded him, “Teacher Lu, you should eat too.”
Lu Chixie nodded casually, “Mm.”
“A place like this has such a nice view; I really didn’t expect there to be such a spot in the suburbs,” one of the female guests exclaimed.
The others laughed and agreed, “If it weren’t for this show, I wouldn’t have known about it. Today has been an eye-opener.”
Xu Yusen raised his hand and took a photo of the opposite shore of the lake. Suddenly, he turned to Ling Zhuo and said, “I kept feeling that this place looked familiar. Now that I look closely, it dawned on me—Ling Zhuo, isn’t this the background of a selfie you posted on Weibo before?”
Ling Zhuo: “…”
That photo was taken on his birthday night; he had forgotten about it until now.
Who remembers someone’s photo from months ago so clearly? What’s wrong with this person?
Seeing Ling Zhuo didn’t deny it, Xu Yusen understood, “So you really have been here before?”
Ling Zhuo: “Yes, I’ve been here. Lu Ge is a good friend of mine; he brought me here.”
Since he’d been caught, he might as well admit it openly. Xu Yusen wanted to make things difficult for him, but he wouldn’t let him have his way. Lu Chixie smiled but said nothing, nor did he remind Ling Zhuo about what he had just called him on camera.
Xu Yusen glanced at Lu Chixie and curved his lips slightly but said no more, continuing to take photos with his phone.
In the afternoon, the guests chose their own activities, indoor or outdoor, and went off to enjoy themselves.
However, Lu Chixie couldn’t sit still and was frequently called to help by others. Ling Zhuo was reluctant to move; the rare warm winter afternoon sunlight made him sit down in a lakeside lounge chair. Ignoring whether the cameras were still recording, he intended to take a nap.
He woke up more than an hour later, finding only Xu Yusen, who was fishing, nearby. The others were gone, and he couldn’t even see the camera crew.
Ling Zhuo frowned, sat up, and looked at his phone. Half an hour ago, Lu Chixie had sent a message asking him to come to the ski resort where everyone was.
Hearing the noise, Xu Yusen turned and smiled at him, “Awake? You’re pretty carefree, being able to sleep while the cameras are still rolling.”
Ling Zhuo ignored him, glanced around, and Xu Yusen said, “Don’t look around. I told the camera crew to take a break; they’re resting inside.”
Ling Zhuo had already seen them; several crew members were indeed resting and eating in the living room on the first floor of the small villa behind him.
Ling Zhuo got up and was about to leave when Xu Yusen stopped him, “Hey, are you really seeing that Young Master, or is it just fooling around?”
Ling Zhuo: “… What does it have to do with you?”
Oh, it did have something to do with him. It was his team that fabricated the gossip about him, almost exposing him and Lu Chixie.
Xu Yusen smiled and sighed, “It seems to be true then. Ling Zhuo, I owe you an apology for the previous matters. I won’t claim innocence, but the company had to do what it did, and I’ve been unlucky, losing several opportunities. It was probably that Young Master who caused it. Let’s call it even, shall we? I’ve already changed managers, so I won’t target you intentionally in the future. You’re a big person; don’t hold grudges.”
Ling Zhuo thought there was no need to even things out; they didn’t have any real connection anyway.
He couldn’t stand the pretense of this person, “Lu Chixie must have really made things hard for you before you decided to talk to me? Would you have apologized if I weren’t connected to Lu Chixie?”
Xu Yusen was well aware. He was another well-connected rich second-generation, and similar tactics had been used against several competitors during the competition. If Ling Zhuo hadn’t been so clean and attracted a storm of fans in a short time, he might have been trampled by this person long ago. Now Xu Yusen, unusually apologizing, was merely encountering a bigger mountain and had to bow his head in front of Lu Chixie’s iron wall.
Unperturbed by the exposure, Xu Yusen asked, “Ling Zhuo, are you serious with him, or just playing around?”
Ling Zhuo shook his head, not wanting to talk to him anymore. He turned to leave, but Xu Yusen called him back, “I know many people from similar backgrounds. They’re born with everything, but their interests are fleeting. Wasn’t he studying abroad before? Many of my friends are like him, going abroad as teenagers, living recklessly with no one to control them, changing partners frequently. When they’re fresh and new, they’re generous, but once they’re bored, they discard them and end up following their family’s arrangements to find a suitable match, while still enjoying themselves outside.”
Ling Zhuo impatiently interrupted, “Are you talking about yourself?”
Xu Yusen: “Don’t you believe it?”
Ling Zhuo: “Why should I believe you?”
It was absurd.
Xu Yusen laughed, “Tsk, you’re not so naive as to think Lu Chixie is an exception among these people, are you?”
Ling Zhuo: “Does it matter whether he is or not? Just mind your own business. Why are you trying to sow discord between me and him?”
Xu Yusen: “Ling Zhuo, I actually have a good impression of you. I don’t want you to be bullied and regret it later.”
Ling Zhuo felt a chill; this person’s way of showing concern was truly peculiar.
“Ling Zhuo.”
A voice came from behind, and Ling Zhuo turned around to see Lu Chixie approaching, “Why are you still here? Didn’t you see my message?”
Ling Zhuo: “Oh, I was about to look for you.”
Lu Chixie shot Xu Yusen a cold glance, his eyes clearly warning him.
Xu Yusen snorted and turned back to his fishing.
“Let’s go,” Lu Chixie reminded Ling Zhuo.
He turned and walked ahead. Ling Zhuo quickly followed, and the cameraman, carrying the camera, chased after them. Ling Zhuo had to hold back what he was going to say.
On the tour bus, Lu Chixie nonchalantly looked out at the scenery and ignored Ling Zhuo.
Ling Zhuo thought that he must have heard Xu Yusen’s earlier comments. He felt helpless and typed a message to him: “Why are you angry with me for what others say about you?”
Half a minute later, Lu Chixie replied, “He said you could leave. You stood there listening to his nonsense for so long; you really had nothing better to do.”
Ling Zhuo: “It hadn’t even been that long, and I was planning to leave before you arrived anyway.”
“Ling Zhuo.”
Suddenly, Lu Chixie called his name.
Ling Zhuo turned around in confusion, only to see Lu Chixie lifting his hand and giving his face a pinch in front of the camera.
Then, calmly withdrawing his hand, he put on his headphones.
Ling Zhuo rubbed his pinched, reddened face, thinking, this person…
Two minutes later, Lu Chixie sent a new message on WeChat: “After the filming tonight, stay at the resort with me. My mom is coming, and I’ll introduce you to her.”
Ling Zhuo’s eyes widened in surprise.