Dark Fire chapter 51
Quibbling
For the next week, Ling Zhuo had only a few scattered appointments, and on the 31st, he was scheduled for the second rehearsal for the concert.
Lu Chixie drove him to the location. This time, he didn’t go inside. On the way, he received a call from his brother, asking him to visit their parents.
“I’ll pick you up later,” Lu Chixie said after parking.
Ling Zhuo nodded, about to open the car door, but then turned back and gave Lu Chixie a kiss on the cheek.
Lu Chixie pinched his earlobe: “See you tonight.”
Ling Zhuo got out of the car and, raising his eyes, saw Zhong Yiran, who had also just gotten out of the car, looking at him.
He felt a bit awkward, unsure if Zhong Yiran had seen his gesture. It wasn’t that he had any issues with Zhong Yiran, but it was a bit uncomfortable to be seen being affectionate with Lu Chixie by outsiders.
“Ling Zhuo,” Lu Chixie called out from the car window.
Ling Zhuo turned around. Lu Chixie got out of the car, walked around the front, and helped him adjust his scarf.
Finally, he hugged him and whispered in his ear: “Behave yourself while I’m not around.”
Ling Zhuo: “When have I ever been out of line?”
Lu Chixie: “You know what I mean.”
Ling Zhuo smiled and turned to go inside.
Zhong Yiran had already entered the elevator and was holding the door open, waiting for him. Ling Zhuo thanked him as he entered.
As the elevator ascended, Zhong Yiran seemed hesitant to speak, but seeing Ling Zhuo focused on his phone and smiling, the words remained unspoken.
Lu Chixie sent a WeChat message, reminding Ling Zhuo to be well-behaved today.
Ling Zhuo replied: “You can’t keep an eye on me, so you won’t know what I’m doing. Just focus on driving.”
At 8:30, everyone had arrived.
Without Lu Chixie’s intense supervision, everyone relaxed.
The rehearsal went smoothly, and by noon, they ordered takeout as usual.
While eating, Ling Zhuo snapped a photo of his meal and sent it to Lu Chixie. He quickly received a reply: “Eat more. Don’t be hungry while dancing this afternoon. I’ll pick you up around 5:30.”
Ling Zhuo replied: “Okay.”
Qi Liangyu noticed Lu Chixie’s name in his WeChat dialog box and couldn’t help but complain, “The young master didn’t come today. Does he not have to work? Why is he always following you around?”
Ling Zhuo: “…He’s just bored, tagging along with me to kill time, nothing else. He won’t disturb you guys, right?”
Qi Liangli was about to retort but held back with a few murmurs.
Zhong Yiran silently focused on his food, while Deng Lanluo glanced at him and then asked Ling Zhuo, “I’m a bit curious, are you two really together?”
Ling Zhuo nodded without denying it. It was obvious to anyone that he and Lu Chixie were in a relationship, denying it would be pointless.
Qi Liangli’s eyes widened: “You’re really together? Zhuo-ge, what do you like about him? I thought he was forcing you.”
Ling Zhuo couldn’t help but laugh: “What do you mean forcing me?”
Qi Liangli: “More like deceived by his looks.”
He wouldn’t suspect that Ling Zhuo was with Lu Chixie because of his background or status. In Qi Liangli’s eyes, Ling Zhuo wasn’t that kind of person.
Ling Zhuo: “He’s actually quite nice, it’s probably your bias against him.”
Qi Liangli, feeling a bit overwhelmed, rubbed the goosebumps on his arm: “Nice? Love is truly blind and terrifying.”
Deng Lanluo chuckled: “I didn’t expect it either. With your personality, you ended up with someone like Lu Chixie. I remember when we didn’t know him, we talked about him. What did you say back then? That you would avoid someone like him.”
Ling Zhuo, feeling a bit embarrassed, explained: “That was prejudice. I didn’t know him back then.”
Qi Liangli: “Zhuo-ge, you just shot a movie with him for a few months, and you got together? No wonder they say it’s easy to mix up reality with acting. Wait, weren’t you two playing rivals?”
Ling Zhuo: “It’s just fate.”
He himself didn’t expect that within a few short months, someone could replace the shadow he had harbored in his heart for seven years. Lu Chixie once said he would wait till he fell in love with him “willingly”, and back then he scoffed at it. Now he truly believed Lu Chixie had that confidence, and indeed he did it.
“Let’s eat, stop talking about irrelevant stuff,” Zhong Yiran interrupted them.
Ling Zhuo quietly lowered his head and ate, while Qi Liangli and Deng Lanluo also fell silent.
After eating, they rested for an hour before continuing their rehearsal until the evening.
During a break, Ling Zhuo stepped out into the hallway to take a call from Lu Chixie, who asked how much longer he would be. Ling Zhuo glanced at his watch and replied, “Almost done, probably another half hour. Wait for me downstairs.”
After hanging up, he went to the restroom and then overheard Deng Lanluo and Zhong Yiran talking in the hallway, instinctively stopping in his tracks.
Deng Lanluo was asking Zhong Yiran, “Did Liu-ge tell you he wants to take you on?”
Zhong Yiran: “Yes, he said if our group really disbands, he wants to take me on solo, told me to consider it.”
Deng Lanluo: “That’s not bad. Liu-ge is quite capable. You’re not planning to leave the company, right?”
Zhong Yiran: “No, I don’t want to bother with the hassle.”
“Actually, there’s something I’ve been thinking about and feel I should tell you,” Deng Lanluo hesitated before continuing, “Previously, when we went to shoot the ad for CL perfume, I overheard some brand reps mentioning that the endorsement was intentionally given to our group, and they mentioned Shangxun. I didn’t get it at the time, but a few days ago, Zhang Xun told me he thought Xingyao signed him because they liked him. But then he found out Shangxun had asked for him by name.”
“Zhang Xun was thrilled, thinking Shangxun favored him. But don’t you find it odd? Your variety show, my drama—all are Shangxun’s resources. There are rumors that the new shareholder backing our company also has Shangxun’s capital. Liu-ge decided not to take our group on only after the new shareholder came. It all seems connected to Shangxun.”
“Thinking about it, it’s probably related to that young master by Ling Zhuo’s side. Though it seems exaggerated that he would invest in the company and arrange resources just to break up our group, it’s not impossible. Seeing how he clings to Ling Zhuo, he likely knows Ling Zhuo likes you and that you like Ling Zhuo, using these extreme measures to separate you two.”
Deng Lanluo seemed frustrated: “He seems to have figured us out. People like him are scary. Captain, do you regret it? When Liu-ge told you the new shareholder was dissatisfied with Ling Zhuo and planned to drop him, you didn’t dare meet Ling Zhuo. If all this was arranged by that young master, won’t you regret it?”
“…I wasn’t going to tell you, but I felt uneasy, especially after Ling Zhuo talked about his relationship with him at lunch today. Seeing you upset, I thought I should tell you. Whether to tell Ling Zhuo, you decide.”
Zhong Yiran was silent for a long time before saying, “Let’s go back inside.”
Deng Lanluo sighed: “Alright.”
They turned and saw Ling Zhuo standing at the hallway corner.
Ling Zhuo seemed a bit stunned. Deng Lanluo hadn’t expected Ling Zhuo to overhear and looked embarrassed. Zhong Yiran frowned but before they could speak, Ling Zhuo snapped back, saying, “Rehearsal is about to start, let’s hurry inside.”
He turned and walked quickly into the dance studio.
During the rehearsal, he was obviously distracted and unfocused.
Twenty minutes later, Zhong Yiran ended the rehearsal early. Ling Zhuo went to get his things as Lu Chixie called, saying he was downstairs in the parking lot, ready to pick him up.
Ling Zhuo hung up without a word.
“I’m leaving.”
He put on his jacket, grabbed his bag, nodded at the others, and left.
Qi Liangli was puzzled: “What’s wrong with Zhuo-ge? Why is he acting strange?”
Seeing Zhong Yiran with a tense face, Deng Lanluo shook his head and suggested, “Nothing much, it’s New Year’s Eve tonight. How about we all go out for dinner? Let’s invite Zhang Xun too.”
Qi Liangli pouted, “Then why not invite Zhuo-ge?”
Deng Lanluo smiled, “Sure, why don’t you give him a call and see if he’s willing to come?”
Lu Chixie’s car was parked in the basement parking lot. He looked at his phone screen showing the call had ended and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Five minutes later, the passenger seat door was yanked open, and Ling Zhuo got in, slamming the door forcefully.
Lu Chixie turned his head and reached out to touch his face, but Ling Zhuo dodged.
“Upset?” Lu Chixie withdrew his hand, his gaze roaming over Ling Zhuo’s face.
Ling Zhuo’s expression was indifferent as he asked, “Did you have something to do with CL Perfume changing my individual endorsement to a group endorsement?”
Lu Chixie was initially surprised but quickly understood. He didn’t look flustered as he turned off the car, “You found out?”
Ling Zhuo: “Was it also you who made Zhang Xun join Xingyao, and arranged Zhong Yiran and Deng Lanluo’s individual schedules to coincide with the concert dates?”
Lu Chixie replied nonchalantly, “Yes.”
Ling Zhuo: “And you acquired shares of Haitian, preventing Liu Ge from managing us at this critical juncture just to stop our concert?”
Lu Chixie: “You know everything, so why ask?”
Ling Zhuo raised his voice, seemingly angry but trying hard to hold back, “What else have you done? Was it you who exposed those matters on Weibo’s hot search, hired marketing accounts and trolls to stir up our fans against each other?”
Lu Chixie admitted frankly, “Yes.”
Ling Zhuo felt even more choked up by his straightforwardness, “Do you find this amusing? What’s with your attitude now? Do you think you did the right thing?”
Lu Chixie: “Did I do something wrong? If I didn’t do these things, when would you realize this group isn’t right for you? Besides, I told you before about my personality. I warned you to be mentally prepared. I won’t change.”
Ling Zhuo: “You think saying you won’t change gives you the right to do whatever you want?”
Lu Chixie: “So what if I do? What harm have I done to your teammates? Didn’t they all benefit from it?”
Ling Zhuo: “You’re just being unreasonable! What gives you the right to control everything, to meddle in my affairs and arrange the people around me? What do you take me for?”
Lu Chixie lowered his voice, “Are you very angry?”
Ling Zhuo: “Shouldn’t I be angry? You don’t respect me at all! From beginning to end, you only care about achieving your goals by any means necessary. If I hadn’t found out today, were you planning to keep it from me forever?”
“You’re angry because of this?” Lu Chixie sneered, “You’re actually angry because I ruined your first love of seven years, aren’t you?”
Ling Zhuo was stunned.
He clenched his fist tightly, “Was that your goal?”
Lu Chixie: “Yes, I didn’t like him, so I kicked him out of your life. I haven’t done anything drastic yet, but if he keeps bothering you, I’ll make his life miserable.”
“Stop threatening me with him,” Ling Zhuo was furious, “You’re sick, really sick. I must have been blind to fall for you!”
Lu Chixie suddenly grabbed his wrist, his face darkening, “You’re still thinking about him?”
Ling Zhuo: “What’s it to you?”
Actually, it wasn’t. If Lu Chixie hadn’t reminded him, he would only now realize that Deng Lanluo had mentioned Zhong Yiran liked him, and that Zhong Yiran didn’t come to see him on Valentine’s Day because Lu Chixie had interfered. So, that’s how it was.
Lu Chixie stared at him, gradually increasing the pressure on his wrist, causing Ling Zhuo pain. In the midst of the standoff, the phone rang abruptly.
He glanced at the screen; it was Qi Liangli calling. He answered, and Qi Liangli hesitantly asked on the other end, “Zhuo-ge, we’re having a gathering tonight, and Zhang Xun will be there too. Are you coming?”
Ling Zhuo: “Sure, I haven’t left yet. Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
After hanging up, Lu Chixie asked coldly, “Where are you going?”
Ling Zhuo: “I’m going to have dinner with my teammates. Do I need to report to you?”
Lu Chixie tightened his grip, “You can’t go.”
Ling Zhuo bent down and bit his hand hard. When Lu Chixie loosened his grip slightly, Ling Zhuo pushed him away, opened the door, and got out of the car.
Lu Chixie drove ahead, blocking his way. Ling Zhuo didn’t avoid him, standing in front of the car, silently staring at him through the windshield.
His phone rang, and he answered. Inside the car, Lu Chixie held his phone, staring at him, “Do you have to go?”
Ling Zhuo: “I have to go.”
After a silent standoff, Lu Chixie lowered his voice, “When will you be back?”
Ling Zhuo was taken aback. He had even prepared to fight with Lu Chixie, but now Lu Chixie was giving in?
Ling Zhuo: “We’ll see after dinner.”
The next day was Lu Chixie’s birthday; he wouldn’t forget that.
After another moment of silence, Lu Chixie hung up the phone. The car reversed a bit, then drove forward, bypassing Ling Zhuo, heading for the parking lot exit.
Ling Zhuo turned back and saw Lu Chixie’s car leaving the underground parking lot.