Dark Fire chapter 50
Christmas Eve
The day before Christmas, Ling Zhuo went to a dance studio near the company for a rehearsal for the concert.
All of Zhang Xun’s previous dance routines needed to be re-choreographed, which was time-consuming. Starting at this point was already late, but there was no other choice. Deng Lanluo had rejoined the group, and both Ling Zhuo and Zhong Yiran had personal work, so everyone’s schedules never quite matched up.
Moreover, the new manager, who had other artists under their care, wasn’t very attentive to their group, so all the concert-related matters were handled by Zhong Yiran, the team captain.
It had been a while since they all met. At the beginning of the month, everyone had moved out of the dormitory. Zhong Yiran rented another apartment, and Qi Liangyu had moved back to the school dormitory to focus on his classes and prepare for final exams.
When they met today, Ling Zhuo felt the changes were quite significant, not in appearance, but in the unspoken distance that everyone was aware of.
Lu Chixie accompanied him. While Ling Zhuo practiced dancing, Lu Chixie sat beside him, watching. The others could only pretend he wasn’t there.
After practicing for over an hour, they took a ten-minute break.
Ling Zhuo walked back to Lu Chixie. Lu Chixie was lazily leaning against the wall, sitting on the floor, wearing earphones and playing on his phone. He took off one earphone and tossed a bottle of mineral water to him. Ling Zhuo unscrewed the cap, drank half of it, and sat down beside him. “If you’re bored, you can go back first.”
Lu Chixie said, “I’ll wait for you.”
His words meant he wasn’t going to leave first, and Ling Zhuo couldn’t persuade him otherwise, so he continued drinking water.
“You’re much better than the others,” Lu Chixie commented.
Ling Zhuo smiled, “Ge, you don’t need to flatter me.”
Lu Chixie said, “It’s the truth.”
Zhong Yiran and Qi Liangyu were the main dancers, especially Zhong Yiran, who had specialized in this field. In terms of skill, they were indeed better than Ling Zhuo. However, Lu Chixie thought Ling Zhuo danced more beautifully. From a pure audience perspective, Ling Zhuo’s movements were much more charming, which was why he was the most popular member of their group.
Lu Chixie nodded and confirmed, “Really.”
Ling Zhuo’s smile was radiant as he said softly, “Okay.”
Later, Qi Liangyu approached, seemingly wanting to say something to Ling Zhuo. He squatted down, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Zhuo Ge, are you going to leave the group too?”
Ling Zhuo didn’t answer immediately, surprised by the sudden question from Qi Liangyu.
Qi Liangyu lowered his head, frustrated, “Now that Liu Ge isn’t managing us anymore, the company hasn’t made a clear statement on whether the concert will go on as planned. When our group contracts expire around the same time next year, you probably won’t renew, right?”
Ling Zhuo asked him back, “What about you? What are your thoughts?”
Qi Liangyu didn’t know what to say. He never imagined that their group would come to the brink of disbandment in just three years. But today, he had to face this reality.
Qi Liangyu said, “…My parents told me to focus on studying and not pursue this anymore.”
Ling Zhuo knew about Qi Liangyu’s family situation. His parents had always disapproved of him being in this industry. His family was well-off and didn’t need him to earn money, and his academic performance was good, with a major unrelated to this field. If he quit, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for him.
Ling Zhuo said, “Your own thoughts are more important. Don’t regret it later.”
Qi Liangyu said, “I’m not sure. I’m not interested in acting. If the group disbands, singing and dancing alone seems meaningless. Ge, have you really decided to leave the group?”
Lu Chixie, who had been ignored, interjected, “Why don’t you talk to your team captain about this?”
Qi Liangyu ignored him and was too embarrassed to continue talking to Ling Zhuo.
He did have the thought of wanting Ling Zhuo to stay, believing that if Ling Zhuo didn’t leave, Zhong Yiran and Deng Lanluo wouldn’t leave either, and their group might continue in a four-member format. But Qi Liangyu knew that they had always been dragging Ling Zhuo down, so he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Qi Liangyu mumbled and walked away. Ling Zhuo helplessly pinched Lu Chixie’s arm, “Do you find it hard not to speak?”
Lu Chixie: “Next time someone asks, just say you’re leaving the group. Got it?”
Ling Zhuo stood up, kicked him, and went back to rehearsing.
For lunch, they had takeout in the studio. The backup dancers, all from the dance studio, found their own places to eat and rest. The four of them, plus Lu Chixie, stayed in the dance practice room, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
The source of the awkwardness was naturally Lu Chixie, who had a very strong presence, but he seemed completely unconcerned about being there. The others couldn’t really say anything.
During the meal, Deng Lanluo asked how many more rehearsals Zhong Yiran needed. Zhong Yiran asked if he could come at least two days a week before the concert starts. Deng Lanluo hesitated: “I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee.”
Zhong Yiran asked the other two. Qi Liangyu needed to take leave from school, and Ling Zhuo actually had the most free time. Besides recording a few more episodes of a variety, his schedule was mostly free and wouldn’t take up much time.
Deng Lanluo asked Zhong Yiran: “Are you the one managing the concert arrangements now? Are you sure the concert will go on as planned?”
Zhong Yiran answered honestly: “Not sure. I can only try my best.”
“If you’re not sure if it can go on and you still call everyone in for rehearsals, working hard only to end up with nothing, isn’t that all for nothing?” Lu Chixie interjected, casually voicing the shared frustration.
Zhong Yiran glanced at him and said, “The company hasn’t officially canceled, so I will continue to push forward. If we wait idly, this tour might have no chance of happening.”
Lu Chixie gave a slight smirk and didn’t respond further. He picked up some food with his chopsticks and put it into Ling Zhuo’s bowl: “Eat. You have to dance all afternoon. Don’t think you can just eat a few bites and leave it.”
Ling Zhuo: “You eat it yourself. Stop filling up my bowl.”
Lu Chixie: “Do you want me to feed you?”
Ling Zhuo quickly ate the food Lu Chixie put in his bowl, which seemed to satisfy Lu Chixie, who continued to serve him.
Zhong Yiran watched their interaction with a slightly darkened expression and turned his gaze away.
Deng Lanluo asked Ling Zhuo: “After your contract with the group expires, are you not planning to renew it?”
He asked the same question Qi Liangyu had earlier. Zhong Yiran frowned, and Qi Liangyu looked at Ling Zhuo eagerly, still wanting to hear his answer.
Before Ling Zhuo could respond, Deng Lanluo continued: “I ask this because, frankly, people outside are saying we might disband. Since everyone’s contracts are about to expire, it’s better to clear things up now so that everyone can make decisions without worries later.”
Ling Zhuo: “I don’t plan to renew.”
After his statement, Qi Liangyu showed disappointment, and Zhong Yiran remained silent.
Ling Zhuo sighed with relief. Over the years, he felt he hadn’t let anyone down, nor had he betrayed his original dreams. It just seemed pointless to force it any longer. It was painful for him, for those around him, and for his fans, so he had to make this choice.
Deng Lanluo nodded: “Alright, now we understand.”
Lu Chixie: “Understand what? Why did Ling Zhuo have to speak first? Do you think after hearing his answer, you can all feel justified in doing the same without any guilt? Are you going to say it was Ling Zhuo’s decision if anyone asks, so you’d have to disband?”
Lu Chixie’s blunt remarks left Deng Lanluo a bit embarrassed, and he apologized to Ling Zhuo: “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that you’re the one who gets the most attention in the group, so I wanted to ask you first.”
Ling Zhuo nodded: “I understand, it’s fine.”
Deng Lanluo: “I’m not planning to renew either. I might go to another company, but I’m still in talks and haven’t decided yet.”
Qi Liangyu awkwardly said: “…Since you’re not renewing, my decision doesn’t seem important anymore. It can’t be just me and Ran Ge staying, right?”
Zhong Yiran ultimately said nothing.
At 7 PM, after rehearsals ended, Ling Zhuo said goodbye to everyone and left with Lu Chixie.
Lu Chixie had stayed with him in the dance studio all day, and Ling Zhuo actually felt quite embarrassed, even though Lu Chixie was happy to do so.
As the car drove through the bustling city streets under the night sky, it was Christmas Eve, and traffic was heavy.
Lu Chixie asked him what he wanted to eat. Ling Zhuo thought for a moment and replied: “I’m tired. Let’s go home and eat hot pot.”
Lu Chixie: “I’ll have someone prepare it in advance.”
He sent a quick message, and Ling Zhuo settled back in his seat, quietly looking out the window. Lu Chixie reached over and gently touched his cheek: “What are you thinking about?”
Ling Zhuo turned his head: “Lu Ge, Merry Christmas Eve.”
Lu Chixie smiled.
Their car was still waiting in a long line for the traffic lights. Ling Zhuo’s gaze returned to the window, and seeing a flower shop on the street, he said to Lu Chixie: “I’m going to buy something.”
Lu Chixie: “What are you buying?”
Ling Zhuo didn’t answer, pulled up his down jacket’s hood tightly, put on a mask, and got out of the car.
The price of flowers on Christmas Eve had skyrocketed, but Ling Zhuo didn’t mind the cost for once. He bought a large bouquet of red roses and happily brought it back to the car, handing the flowers to Lu Chixie: “For you.”
Lu Chixie raised an eyebrow: “You’re giving me flowers?”
Ling Zhuo: “Yeah, for you.”
Lu Chixie took the flowers: “Why are you giving me flowers?”
Ling Zhuo: “No special reason. Just wanted to give them.”
He hadn’t thought too much about it; he simply saw couples holding hands and carrying flowers and felt like buying a bouquet for the person next to him.
Lu Chixie smiled, placed the large bouquet in the back seat, then squeezed Ling Zhuo’s hand and started the car again.
With heavy traffic, they didn’t get home until after 8:30 PM. While eating, Ling Zhuo turned on the dining room’s projector to watch the sixth episode of the variety show.
The scene just aired, showing their group visiting the horse ranch. The production team has a knack for capturing what the audience loved, and that night’s episode had set new online popularity records, with countless onlookers drawn to the lives of top-tier rich second-generation individuals.
“I must be inexperienced—how do you even calculate the property prices here?”
“So the last place was really LZ’s home, right? Or maybe we’ve just never seen such things and were disrespectful.”
“Not necessarily. They did say it’s a vacation resort, and this place looks pretty far from the city. Who would live here every day for no reason?”
Ling Zhuo couldn’t help but smile a bit: “Ge, you’ve become even more famous now.”
Lu Chixie: “Hurry up and eat. Stop playing with your phone.”
Ling Zhuo clicked his tongue: “So many people are tagging your mom asking if she needs a daughter-in-law. People these days are really bold.”
Lu Chixie: “If you want, you can tag her too. She’d be very happy to hear ‘Mom.'”
Ling Zhuo tossed a fish ball into his bowl: “You should shut up and eat too.”
As the episode progressed, it became a celebration for Ling Chi CP fans. Ling Zhuo couldn’t bear to watch himself; was he really that obvious on the show?
“Damn, I knew the selfie from LZ’s birthday was special. Turns out he really was with the young master that night [shh]”
“The young master even changed his Weibo avatar that day. It was taken here, right? So showy. I bet the photographer was LZ~~”
“Last time it was Teacher Lu, now he’s called Ge? The young master is so good at courting people. LZ must often act spoiled with the young master.”
These were still the more restrained comments. The more uninhibited ones had already started fantasizing about him being ‘fucked’ by Lu Chixie, with several explicit fanfics already circulating. Ling Zhuo was too embarrassed to open them. He quickly scrolled past the content, and before exiting Weibo, he refreshed the homepage one last time. Lu Chixie had posted a photo of the roses he gave, with the caption: “Merry Christmas Eve.”
Ling Zhuo: “…”
“Why did you post this?”
Such a photo practically invited people to imagine all sorts of things.
Lu Chixie: “Can’t I post it?”
It’s not that he couldn’t, Ling Zhuo even wanted to like it but restrained himself after much hesitation, not wanting to trouble Zhang Jing with overtime.
He also posted a selfie on Weibo, wishing his fans a Merry Christmas Eve.
In the photo, part of a table was visible, and a fan commented asking if he was having hot pot at home. Ling Zhuo, in a rare good mood, replied: “With friends [wink]”
“Are you so happy today?” Lu Chixie asked.
Ling Zhuo put down his phone and casually said, “Yeah, I’m quite happy. It feels like all my troubles are gone.”
After deciding to leave the group, he indeed felt much lighter. If Lu Chixie hadn’t helped him make the decision, he might have hesitated and struggled for much longer.
“Lu Chixie, Lu Ge, Teacher Lu…” Ling Zhuo called out his name, not intending to say anything in particular, just wanting to call him.
Lu Chixie laughed: “You’re just like they say online.”
Ling Zhuo: “What?”
Lu Chixie: “A spoiled brat.”
Ling Zhuo shook his head: “I’m not like this with others.”
Lu Chixie: “Really not?”
Ling Zhuo: “Not at all.”
He wasn’t lying. He rarely acted this way even with his fans on camera.
Even when he had a secret crush on Zhong Yiran for seven years, he rarely felt this relaxed with him. Only in front of Lu Chixie did he not need to hide anything because Lu Chixie could always see through him at a glance and was still willing to like him.
Under Lu Chixie’s gaze, Ling Zhuo picked up a can of beer, smiling as he clinked it lightly with Lu Chixie’s: “Cheers.”