Chapter 47

He carefully propped himself up, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, "Hua Hua? Time to get up, we have an early performance today."

The person on the pillow didn't react at all; not even a tremor of their eyelashes.

Lu Xiao leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear: "Hua Hua? If you don't get up soon, the makeup artist will be getting impatient."

Zhuohua's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if annoyed at being disturbed from her peaceful slumber. She subconsciously buried her face deeper into the pillow, letting out a muffled murmur with a heavy nasal tone, like a cat whose peaceful dream had been disturbed.

Lu Xiao's heart melted instantly. He knew this process all too well. He stopped trying to wake her with words and instead reached out, gently brushing aside the stray hairs on her cheek to reveal her small, delicate ear.

Then, he lowered his head, his warm lips, filled with boundless patience and tenderness, gently touching her forehead, her brow, and then down her upturned nose, finally softly covering her slightly pursed lips.

This was a kiss devoid of any lust, purely an awakening kiss, carrying the coolness of the morning and his unique scent.

"Hmm..." Zhuohua finally reacted, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, slowly lifting a slit. In those newly awakened eyes, there was no longer the usual insight and indifference, only a bewildered, watery blankness, like a newborn animal, looking at the person so close to it without any defense.

Lu Xiao's heart skipped a beat, completely struck by her rare, dazed expression. He pressed his forehead against hers, his nose brushing against hers, his voice soft and gentle, as if coaxing a child: "Good girl, wake up, my celestial being. Today you're going to dress up as a beautiful successor of the Taoist sect."

Zhuohua blinked, her gaze gradually focusing as she saw Lu Xiao's smiling face. The slight irritation from waking up vanished like a thin mist dispelled by sunlight.

She gave a lazy hum in response, and finally slowly propped herself up to sit up, her long hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, exuding a languid beauty.

Lu Xiao immediately treated her like an empress dowager, bringing her a thermos of pre-warmed celestial dew (a kind of spiritual liquid that Zhuohua brought down from the divine realm, which he jokingly called "divine Yakult") to her lips. Zhuohua took small sips from his hand, the cool liquid sliding down her throat, bringing a refreshing spiritual energy that dispelled the last trace of sleepiness.

Half an hour later, the two, bundled up in thick down jackets and braving the biting early morning wind, entered the brightly lit dressing room of the "Dark Night Lantern" production crew. Several actors and busy makeup artists were already seated inside, and the air was filled with the unique scent of foundation, hairspray, and various cosmetics.

"Good morning, Brother Xiao! Good morning, Teacher Zhuohua!" Assistant Xiao Chen had arrived ahead of time and immediately came forward to take their coats, his movements swift and efficient.

"Good morning," Lu Xiao replied with a smile, pulling out a chair for Zhuohua.

Zhuohua nodded slightly as a greeting, then sat down quietly, closed her eyes to rest, and let the makeup artist begin to work her magic on her face.

Under the bright makeup lights, her skin appeared flawless and pale, as delicate as the finest mutton fat jade, with barely visible pores.

Lu Xiao sat down next to me, and another makeup artist began applying his makeup. His skin was also in amazing condition, firm and radiant, with only a very faint bluish shadow under his eyes from staying up late last night working on the script.

"Wow, Professor Zhuohua, Professor Lu, your skin is absolutely amazing!"

As Amy, the makeup artist applying Zhuohua's base makeup, gently pressed the skin with a damp makeup sponge, she couldn't help but exclaim for the nth time, "In all my years in the industry, I've never seen skin that withstands the scrutiny of high-definition cameras like this! It's so white, translucent, and firm, without a single dull spot! It's simply enviable!"

She meant it sincerely; doing makeup for these two was effortless, easy, and effective.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao looked at Zhuo Hua, who had her eyes closed, in the mirror, a gentle smile spreading across his face. Only he knew that this "divine skin" was not only due to her natural beauty, but also thanks to Zhuo Hua's occasional "feeding" of her skin.

Those unknown spiritual fruits and the occasional influx of pure spiritual energy were subtly nourishing him, a mere mortal. He didn't say anything, but simply smiled and said to Amy, "Maybe it's because my schedule has been more regular lately."

Amy didn't believe it at all, taking it as just the artist being modest. While carefully drawing the cool and aloof eyebrows that belonged to "Qingwei" on Zhuohua, she continued to exclaim, "Teacher Zhuohua's bone structure is truly a gift from God, she looks good no matter what you draw! Master Qingwei's otherworldly temperament, he doesn't even need to act, he just stands there and it's there!"

Zhuohua kept her eyes closed, her long eyelashes casting small shadows beneath them, as if she hadn't heard the compliments. Lu Xiao, on the other hand, seemed happier listening to others praise his girlfriend than he was praising himself; the corners of his mouth never left his lips in a smile.

As time went by, the dressing room gradually filled with more people, greetings, and casual conversation. Everyone was already aware of Lu Xiao and Zhuo Hua's relationship, so they interacted naturally and casually.

Someone joked with Lu Xiao, "Brother Xiao, you'd better be on your best today, don't let your teacher Zhuohua's aura overwhelm you!" Lu Xiao wasn't annoyed and replied with a smile, "Of course, I have to try my best to be worthy of my leader!" This drew a burst of good-natured laughter.

Zhuohua occasionally opened her eyes, glancing indifferently at the people joking around. Her gaze was calm, and she didn't stop them. However, the slightly relaxed corners of her lips betrayed that she didn't reject the lively atmosphere of this everyday life.

When the two finally finished their makeup and walked out of the dressing room side by side, it was already dawn. Zhuohua was dressed in an indigo Taoist robe, with most of her long hair tied up with an ancient wooden hairpin, and a few strands falling over her shoulders. She held a whisk (although she herself thought it was useless), and her temperament was as aloof as the moon in the heavens.

Lu Xiao was dressed in a dark gray lantern-carrying outfit, with a prop lantern hanging from his waist. He stood tall and straight, with the composure of "Mo Yan" and a touch of Jianghu spirit between his brows.

However, just as they reached the perimeter of the film set, a deliberately hushed murmur drifted over.

"They're here! It's Brother Xiao! And Teacher Zhuohua too!"

"My God! Sister Zhuohua looks so ethereal today! That Taoist robe is absolutely stunning!"

"Brother Xiao, look this way! Can I get your autograph?"

"My dear husband Zhuohua! I love you!"

Not far away, a dozen or so young fans, having somehow gotten wind of the situation, were already waiting outside the cordon, holding phones, photos, and autograph books. When they saw them appear, they immediately started screaming excitedly in hushed tones. The screams of the girls were especially loud when they saw Zhuohua, and the cry of "Zhuohua husband" was truly earth-shattering.

Lu Xiao was clearly not fully used to this sudden surge of enthusiasm. Seeing so many people taking pictures of him and calling him "Brother Xiao," he suddenly felt a little embarrassed, his ears turning slightly red. However, he still maintained a gentle smile and waved in the direction of the fans.

"Brother Xiao! Your performance in 'The Long Song' was fantastic! Keep it up, Shen Yan!"

"Teacher Zhuohua! The action scenes in 'The Long Song' are so cool! Sister, look at me!"

"Could the two teachers please take a photo together? Please!"

The fans shouted excitedly, their eyes gleaming. Lu Xiao hesitated, glancing at Zhuohua with a questioning look. After all, Zhuohua was always aloof and didn't seem particularly interested in such worldly excitement.

Unexpectedly, Zhuohua didn't leave immediately or show impatience. She stopped and calmly swept her gaze over the excited yet somewhat cautious faces. These mortals' emotions were so direct and vivid—the adoration, the affection, even that funny "husband," all carried a burning warmth.

She saw a girl with a ponytail who looked very young, clutching a still from the TV series "Chang Ge" tightly in her hand. The girl looked at her with pure, sparkling admiration, as if she were looking at a distant star.

Zhuohua's heart, the ripples that Lu Xiao had been constantly expanding, seemed to stir slightly again. She nodded almost imperceptibly in the direction of the little fan, as a response.

"Ahhh! Sister Zhuohua is looking at me!" The little fan was so excited she almost jumped up.

Seeing Zhuohua's reaction, Lu Xiao felt relieved, and his smile became more natural. He walked to the police line, took the notebooks and pens handed to him by several fans, and carefully signed his name, occasionally responding to their encouragement in a low voice: "Thank you for liking Chen Yan, I will continue to work hard." "And please support 'Dark Night Lantern' as well."

His gentle and polite demeanor, devoid of any arrogance typical of newly popular celebrities, won him even more favor from fans. Between signing autographs, he would occasionally glance back at Zhuohua, his eyes filled with inquiry and a subtle, almost imperceptible, dependence.

Zhuohua stood still, not used to such close contact and autographs. But when several bold female fans excitedly shouted at her through the staff, "Sister Zhuohua is so beautiful!" "Sister's action scenes are divine!" "Sister, marry me!" her cold face remained expressionless, but the ice deep in her eyes seemed to melt slightly.

Especially when the tall, short-haired girl who called out "Zhuohua's husband" jumped up excitedly and waved again, Zhuohua's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and then, extremely slightly, almost imperceptibly... he raised an eyebrow.

Lu Xiao returned after signing his autograph and caught the subtle change in her expression. He couldn't help but chuckle, leaned close to her ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Your divine charm is boundless, captivating both men and women."

Zhuohua glanced at him indifferently, said nothing, but lightly poked his side with the handle of her whisk (although it was a prop).

Lu Xiao let out an exaggerated "Ouch!" but his face broke into a wide smile. He knew this was his esteemed master's unique "frustration and anger."