Dark Fire chapter 58
Extra 2: New Year’s Eve (Part 2)
On the night before the Lunar New Year, after dinner at home, Ling Zhuo dragged Lu Chixie out, saying they should go for a walk.
Their down jackets had woolen hats pressed down over their eyebrows, and they wore masks, revealing only their eyes. This disguise made it almost impossible for anyone to recognize them.
Not far from home, in a commercial district, there was a famous temple that held temple fairs starting from the night before the Lunar New Year until the Lantern Festival. They strolled along with the crowd.
Lu Chixie simply took Ling Zhuo’s hand and put it in his coat pocket. Ling Zhuo’s palms were sweating; strolling in a crowded place was already thrilling, let alone holding hands with Lu Chixie on the street. But he didn’t want to let go.
“The last time I came here to join the fun was years ago, before I debuted. Back then, I didn’t have to wrap myself up from head to toe when going out.” Ling Zhuo commented casually and then added, “I’ve heard the scale of the temple fair gets bigger every year, and indeed, there are many more people now.”
Lu Chixie asked, “Do you want to eat something?”
Ling Zhuo hesitated and said, “No, we just had dinner.” Besides, eating would mean taking off the mask, and he didn’t want to end up being watched without even getting to eat.
Lu Chixie didn’t mind, “What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.”
Ling Zhuo hesitated, “No need.”
Lu Chixie insisted, “Tell me.”
Ling Zhuo changed his mind, “Brown sugar glutinous rice cakes. I saw a stall selling them just now.”
“If you wanted them, you should have said so earlier. Wait here.” With that, Lu Chixie turned and squeezed back into the crowd.
Ling Zhuo stood under the eaves of an ancient-style building on the street corner, his gaze following Lu Chixie’s back, then lowered his head to look at his own shadow stretched out under the streetlight, smiling silently.
Five minutes later, Lu Chixie returned with freshly made brown sugar glutinous rice cakes.
They moved a few steps to the side, standing behind a streetlight. Lu Chixie turned to shield Ling Zhuo’s body, allowing him to take off one side of his mask and eat from his hand.
“Aren’t you eating?” Ling Zhuo asked.
Lu Chixie replied, “You first.”
Ling Zhuo tried a few pieces, finding them quite tasty. He pulled Lu Chixie’s mask down to his chin and fed him two pieces, smiling as he asked, “Good?”
Lu Chixie licked the sugar off his lips, “It’s okay.”
Watching him, Ling Zhuo’s eyes paused, then he looked down and continued eating.
They finished the food one bite at a time, put their masks back on, and continued holding hands as they walked.
The temple was at the intersection at the end of the street, brightly lit and bustling with people. After a round inside, Ling Zhuo bought three peace charms, stuffing one into Lu Chixie’s inner coat pocket, keeping the other two for himself.
Lu Chixie asked, “Why buy so many?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “These two are for my parents.”
Lu Chixie looked at him, “Does this really work?”
Ling Zhuo said, “It’s the sincerity that counts.”
Lu Chixie asked, “So, I’m as important as your parents?”
Ling Zhuo patted his chest, “You know it.”
Lu Chixie pulled his hand down, smiling, “Let’s go.”
After wandering the temple fair again, they walked to the city moat, which was much quieter than the temple fair. It was too cold and the night before the Lunar New Year, so there were hardly any people out for a walk.
Ling Zhuo leaned on the railing, looking down. The river water shimmered under the night lights, reflecting the stars in the sky.
“What are you looking at?” the person beside him asked.
Ling Zhuo smiled, “I used to come here to swim with my dad when I was young. Back then, there were no railings like these. Later, they banned swimming here.”
Lu Chixie said, “Aren’t you afraid of water?”
Ling Zhuo sighed, “Yes, once I came secretly with my cousins and almost drowned. Since then, I’ve had a psychological shadow.”
He looked up at Lu Chixie, still laughing, “If that had happened, wouldn’t my life have been wasted? Luckily, I was lucky.”
Lu Chixie asked, “Is that funny?”
Ling Zhuo was stunned. He had intended to joke further, but Lu Chixie didn’t play along and was unusually serious.
Ling Zhuo said, “Why are you angry?”
Lu Chixie replied, “Be more careful in the future.”
Ling Zhuo said, “…Okay.”
Lu Chixie pulled him back, “Don’t lean on the railing. You might fall.”
Not leaning was fine. Ling Zhuo leaned against Lu Chixie, holding his hand, “If I fell, you’d jump in to save me.”
Lu Chixie replied, “You wish.”
Lu Chixie turned to walk away, and Ling Zhuo followed, “Are you really angry? Why are you so easily angered? I was just joking.”
Lu Chixie stopped, pinching Ling Zhuo’s face hard, “Don’t joke about that again.”
Ling Zhuo said helplessly, “Fine, I won’t.”
Lu Chixie dragged him forward, and Ling Zhuo tried to find something to talk about, “Actually, I thought before that if I couldn’t make it big, I’d come back home and be a music teacher.”
“Would you really do that?” Lu Chixie asked, glancing at him.
Ling Zhuo knew what he meant and fell silent for a moment before replying, “I never really thought I could be with him. Maybe I always felt that way subconsciously.”
Lu Chixie laughed meaningfully.
“Really,” Ling Zhuo continued, “But you’re different. You’re too strong. The feeling you give me is the opposite of his.”
Lu Chixie asked, “What is it?”
Ling Zhuo hesitated, “…Can’t escape.”
Lu Chixie said, “I make you feel you can’t escape?”
Ling Zhuo nodded, “Yes.”
Lu Chixie squeezed his hand hard, “Do you want to escape?”
Ling Zhuo pleaded softly, “Lu-ge, Chixie-Gege, I’m all yours, why are you still holding onto this?”
Lu Chixie chuckled, “You’re getting better at sweet-talking.”
They laughed and joked, then walked back the way they came.
Passing the temple again, Lu Chixie told Ling Zhuo to wait at the entrance while he went in again. A few minutes later, he came out with another peace charm and put it in Ling Zhuo’s pocket.
Ling Zhuo asked with a smile, “Why didn’t you buy it earlier?”
Lu Chixie replied, “I didn’t think it was useful at first.”
Ling Zhuo asked, “Did you change your mind?”
Lu Chixie said, “Better safe than sorry. Let’s go.”
Leaving the temple street, Lu Chixie saw Ling Zhuo was tired and suggested taking a taxi back. Just then, they passed a bus stop where a bus had just pulled in. There were few people on the bus, and Ling Zhuo pulled Lu Chixie onto it.
They sat in the last row by the window. Ling Zhuo checked his watch and told Lu Chixie, “Three stops and we’ll be there.”
Lu Chixie glanced out the window, “Interesting.”
Ling Zhuo asked, “Have you never taken a bus?”
Lu Chixie replied, “No.”
Ling Zhuo laughed, “Then today, I’m bringing the young master down to earth.”
Lu Chixie smiled and looked out the window, enjoying the city’s night view.
Ling Zhuo leaned on his shoulder, bored and scrolling through his phone. He opened the camera, took a selfie, and posted it on his WeChat Moments.
Five minutes later, Qi Liangyi tagged him in the group chat, “Zhuo-ge, did you bring the young master home to meet your parents?”
Ling Zhuo responded, “?”
Ling Zhuo: “How did you know?”
Qi Liangli: “Check the trending topics on Weibo. Wasn’t it you and him who got photographed?”
Ling Zhuo opened Weibo and looked at the trending topics from top to bottom. He didn’t see his name or Lu Chixie’s name. What was Qi Liangli talking about?
In the group chat, Qi Liangli sent another message, reminding him:
“#MostCompatibleBoysOnLittleNewYear’sEve#.
The trending topic was in the thirties. Ling Zhuo clicked on it. The top post was from a popular internet celebrity who posted it more than an hour ago. The blogger went to a temple fair in their hometown and took a photo of two boys holding hands, thinking they looked quite compatible, and posted it for everyone to see.
The video was less than ten seconds long. The background was the bustling scene of the temple fair. A tall boy was holding hands with another as they walked forward. The background music chosen by the blogger matched the scene perfectly.
It was indeed him and Lu Chixie.
Ling Zhuo: “…”
In the comments, most people were all excited, asking for frontal shots. The blogger replied that they didn’t get any.
“Both of them look to be over 180 cm tall, with good figures. I wonder what their faces look like. No matter, I’ll just enjoy this for now.”
“I didn’t expect to see this when I clicked on the trending topic. They really do look compatible. Blogger, why didn’t you follow them to see their faces? What a pity!”
“Boys nowadays are really open, holding hands on the street without any hesitation.”
“For some reason, these two look familiar. Is the blogger from N City? I have a bold idea.”
“I understand what you’re saying. It’s a pity the video is a bit dark, and the clothes aren’t very clear. I have a bold idea too.”
“Alright, enough. Some people really show up everywhere and just bring trouble for their idols.”
“The people didn’t even say who it was. How do you know? Are you just assuming? Hahaha.”
As Ling Zhuo scrolled through the comments, Lu Chixie’s voice came closer: “We got photographed?”
Ling Zhuo coughed uncomfortably.
Lu Chixie chuckled softly: “It’s a good photo.”
Ling Zhuo ignored him and opened Moments again, intending to delete the photo. Lu Chixie leaned in and bit his ear, saying, “Feeling guilty?”
Ling Zhuo: “…Stop messing around.”
His finger paused, but he decided to leave it. It was private anyway.
He put away his phone, leaned back on Lu Chixie’s shoulder, and asked quietly: “You’re going home for New Year’s Eve, right?”
Lu Chixie: “The day before New Year’s Eve.”
Ling Zhuo: “Alright.”
Lu Chixie: “Will you miss me?”
Ling Zhuo pursed his lips: “Even if I miss you, you have to go home and spend New Year’s with your family.”
Lu Chixie: “Then come back early.”
Ling Zhuo played with his fingers and said slowly: “I’ll come back on the fourth day. My parents are going on a road trip then, so I’ll come back.”
Lu Chixie: “Alright.”
It was already past ten when they got home. Before going upstairs, they went to the convenience store outside the community to buy some necessities. The house was dark; Ling Zhuo’s parents had gone to bed. They quietly entered and went straight to their room.
After closing the door, Ling Zhuo jumped onto Lu Chixie, who caught him with both hands, and they stumbled onto the carpet by the bed.
Ling Zhuo wrapped his legs around Lu Chixie’s waist, responding to his passionate kiss.
Ling Zhuo gasped softly, “I want you.”
Lu Chixie held him tightly, continuing to kiss him.