Dark Fire chapter 64
Extra 8 – Live Stream Accident and Public Announcement
The next day, Lu Chixie had an afternoon shoot, so Ling Zhuo accompanied him to the set.
Before leaving, Lu Chixie asked, “There will be a lot of people during the day. Are you sure you want to go?”
Ling Zhuo replied, “Sure, anyway, I have nothing to do here.”
Not only did he go, but he also made no effort to disguise himself, freely coming and going with Lu Chixie, allowing fans who were waiting at the hotel and film set to take photos.
Within half an hour, news of his visit to Lu Chixie’s set spread online and even made it to the Weibo hot searches. It wasn’t bought; it was all thanks to marketing accounts and fans who generated the buzz.
When he entered the set, he saw Yu Shu again. Yu Shu looked a bit grim, and didn’t even greet Lu Chixie, probably too afraid to provoke him again. It’s no surprise—getting slapped in the face like that by Lu Chixie would be hard for anyone to handle.
But Lu Chixie was Lu Chixie. His temper had improved a lot over the years, giving people the illusion that this young master had changed his ways. After last night’s incident, everyone probably knew that he was fundamentally unchangeable. Hopefully, people like Yu Shu who tried to scheme against him would be more subdued in the future.
As for Ling Zhuo, he was a bit surprised when he saw Lu Chixie’s Weibo post from last night early in the morning. He found it quite satisfying and decided to be a bit willful, giving it a like. No matter what others thought, he felt good about it.
After entering the lounge, Lu Chixie started getting his makeup done, while Ling Zhuo sat on the sofa and messaged Zhang Jing.
Ling Zhuo: “Jing Jie, how do you think my development has been over the past few years?”
Zhang Jing: “Not bad, what are you trying to say?”
Ling Zhuo: “I’ve won several music awards, all quite prestigious. I’ve also had quite a few hit songs, including those I wrote for others and my own. In terms of film and television, I’ve done seven or eight projects now, with decent results and recognized acting skills. Overall, my transition from just having fans to becoming a successful artist seems to be going well, right?”
Zhang Jing: “Get to the point.”
Ling Zhuo: “If my fanbase were to shrink to just one-tenth or even less, would I still be able to stay in this industry?”
Zhang Jing: “… Is that really what you want to ask me?”
Ling Zhuo: “Yes, I’m serious.”
Zhang Jing: “You were quite bold going in and out of the set with Lu Chixie and letting people take photos. Was yesterday’s incident the reason for this?”
Ling Zhuo: “Jing Jie, don’t divert the topic.”
Zhang Jing: “I’m not diverting it. You’ve been setting the stage for this for years. If I say no, will it make a difference? Given your efforts over the years, you can do what you want. At worst, you have the young master to back you up. But wait for a more suitable time and let me prepare the PR side first.”
Ling Zhuo felt a huge weight lift from his heart: “Thank you, Jing Jie!”
Seeing his beaming face in the mirror, Lu Chixie called out to him, “Ling Zhuo, come here.”
Ling Zhuo got up and walked over. The makeup artist had already finished Lu Chixie’s makeup and left. Ling Zhuo bent over, resting his head on Lu Chixie’s, and kissed him on the cheek.
Lu Chixie asked, “What are you so happy about?”
Ling Zhuo whispered in his ear, “Jing Jie agreed to make our relationship public.”
Lu Chixie: “Really?”
Ling Zhuo: “Yes, she said she would prepare the PR side first.”
Lu Chixie smiled in satisfaction: “Good.”
With Zhang Jing’s approval, Ling Zhuo had no more worries. Since he had no more schedules for the next half month, he changed his flight and stayed at the set for a whole week.
On Christmas Eve, Zhang Jing called to remind him about a live stream that evening, just to give fans some benefits.
It was just to give benefits, no need for any promotion. Ling Zhuo was too lazy to even put on makeup. After dinner, while Lu Chixie was shooting at night and not back yet, Ling Zhuo opened his computer in the hotel living room and started the live stream.
He greeted his fans, and the live stream chat exploded with excitement. Even without makeup or filters, his face was very attractive. Since his fanbase was mostly made up of fans who loved good looks, just a smile from him made countless people go crazy.
Casually chatting with fans, Ling Zhuo was very relaxed and answered almost every question. When someone noticed the background of his live stream and asked if he was in a hotel room, Ling Zhuo smiled and said, “Yes, I’m on vacation these days and came to visit Teacher Lu.”
His demeanor and tone were so casual that no one could pick any fault. Besides, his fans had long accepted the “good friends” relationship setting between him and Lu Chixie, so they were fine with whatever.
Then someone asked how long he planned to stay there, how he was spending his time while Lu Chixie was filming, and if Lu Chixie was around to say a few words.
Ling Zhuo answered one by one: “I’ll probably stay for another week, then go back to attend the New Year’s Eve gala. Teacher Lu will return with me. I usually go to the set to watch his filming during the day. It’s quite fun to watch others film. He’s filming at night tonight and hasn’t returned yet.”
Someone also asked about the incident from yesterday and why he liked the post. Ling Zhuo blinked and laughed, “Accidental tap.”
But once posted, it couldn’t be undone, and everyone who understood got the message.
The chat was filled with laughter, and since the main person was so straightforward, they were also happy, laughing and being content.
Ling Zhuo didn’t want to talk about it much and quickly changed the topic to something else.
After chatting happily with fans for an hour, he received a message from Lu Chixie on WeChat saying he had returned to the hotel and was in the elevator. Ling Zhuo looked at the time and thought it was about time, so he told his fans, “Bye, let’s chat next time,” and ended the live stream.
Two minutes later, Lu Chixie swiped his card to enter the room, went straight to the living room, threw his coat on the sofa, and asked him, “Did you finish the live stream?”
Ling Zhuo slumped back onto the sofa: “Just finished.”
Lu Chixie looked at him: “Tired?”
Ling Zhuo raised his hand towards Lu Chixie, who smiled, reached out to take it, and lightly pinched his palm. Ling Zhuo asked with a smile, “Did you buy any late-night snacks?”
Lu Chixie: “From a restaurant outside.”
Ling Zhuo stood up, and Lu Chixie pulled him forward, causing him to fall into his embrace. Lu Chixie wrapped his arms around his waist and teased him, “Acting spoiled, huh?”
Ling Zhuo followed along, “Yes, acting spoiled.”
They tumbled back onto the sofa, Ling Zhuo’s body pressed against the back of the sofa, while Lu Chixie sat beside him, leaning in to kiss him.
Ling Zhuo: “I want late-night snacks…”
Lu Chixie: “Kiss me some more first.”
After kissing for a while, Ling Zhuo seemed to hear his phone ringing. He gently pushed Lu Chixie away, “I need to take the call.”
Reluctantly, Lu Chixie let him go. Ling Zhuo looked down and found his phone, eventually retrieving it from behind a pillow. The screen showed several missed calls from Zhang Jing and Yang Ming. His phone was set to vibration mode and had been muffled by the pillow, so he hadn’t heard it.
He was a bit puzzled, “Jing Jie and Yang Ming called me several times. Is something wrong?”
Just as he was about to call back, Yang Ming’s call came in again. Ling Zhuo answered it, and Yang Ming’s panicked voice came through, “Zhuo Ge! Your live stream is still on!”
Ling Zhuo’s expression at that moment was quite dramatic. Lu Chixie, who was right next to him, heard Yang Ming’s voice and remained calm. He looked at the laptop on the coffee table, and the screen was black.
Lu Chixie leaned over, touched the keyboard, and the screen lit up again, still showing the live stream interface.
The chat was already going crazy, with comments flooding in so fast that it was hard to read. Lu Chixie, uninterested, spoke directly to the camera, saying “It’s really over,” and finally ended the live stream.
He shut the laptop with a snap.
Ling Zhuo finally came back to his senses and fell against Lu Chixie’s back with a groan.
He wanted to go public, but not in such a mortifying way! Was there still time for them to switch to a new life on another planet?
Ling Zhuo: “I thought I had ended the live stream. What happened?!”
Lu Chixie patted his arm to comfort him: “What’s done is done.”
Ling Zhuo: “… I don’t want to live anymore.”
But there was no escaping it. Zhang Jing’s call had already come in. Ling Zhuo answered with a resigned tone, “I really didn’t do it on purpose. I thought I had ended the stream. I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
Zhang Jing took a deep breath, resisting the urge to curse: “Does it matter now if it was intentional or not?”
Ling Zhuo: “… So what do we do now?”
Zhang Jing: “Forget it. My PR side is almost ready. Let’s have Lu Chixie cooperate as well.”
Ling Zhuo was still in great distress, and Lu Chixie took his phone and said to Zhang Jing, “Let’s post a Weibo ourselves. You handle the rest.”
Zhang Jing: “Okay, keep it short and simple.”
Lu Chixie opened Weibo. In just over ten minutes, Weibo was overwhelmed, with the top three trending topics in bright red: #LingZhuoLuChixieLiveStreamKiss#, #LingZhuoLuChixieComingOut#, #LingChiCPReal#. There were also a bunch of related trending topics, almost overwhelming the platform.
Seeing Lu Chixie starting to write a post, Ling Zhuo suddenly pressed his hand down.
Lu Chixie looked up at him: “Afraid?”
Ling Zhuo: “Let me do it. You can retweet mine.”
His voice trembled a bit but was firm: “I’ll post it. You retweet.”
Lu Chixie: “Are you sure?”
Ling Zhuo repeated, “I’ll post it.”
Lu Chixie had no intention of arguing with him. He didn’t care much either way; if Ling Zhuo was afraid, he wouldn’t force him. After all, if things went wrong, he would be the one to face the repercussions of it.
But Ling Zhuo insisted, “I’ll do it.”
Ling Zhuo’s heartbeat gradually calmed down, and he finally composed himself: “I’m not afraid. I just felt a bit embarrassed. I don’t want to always hide behind you. Let me handle it this time.”
Lu Chixie smiled: “As you wish.”
Ling Zhuo nodded.
Since he had made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. He picked up his phone, scrolled through Weibo, and after a simple edit, he posted two words: “It’s true.”
Lu Chixie retweeted it: “Yeah.”