Chapter 50

Zhuohua had opened her eyes at some point and was quietly watching him busily distributing milk tea. Her gaze was calm, but Lu Xiao keenly caught a faint, almost imperceptible tenderness in her eyes. This instantly dispelled the slight pang of heartache in his heart, leaving only boundless energy and sweetness.

"Hua Hua, here you go." Lu Xiao finally walked up to Zhuo Hua, took out a individually packaged cup of milk tea from the bottom of the insulated box, and emphasized, "Sugar-free, pure tea with fresh milk, warm." He knew that Zhuo Hua didn't like sweet things.

Zhuohua looked at his slightly red nose and bright eyes, then reached out and took the cup. The warmth from the cup soothed her slightly cool fingertips. She didn't say anything, but simply held the cup and took a small sip. The warm aroma of milk and tea filled her mouth, indeed more pleasing than ordinary drinks.

"Teacher Lu, thank you for the milk tea! It's so heartwarming!" A clear and lively voice rang out.

The two turned around and saw Su Wanwan, the actress who played the lively, cute, and kind-hearted junior sister "Aruan" in the drama, walking over. She was wearing a pink fluffy coat, holding a cup of red bean milk tea, and smiling with her eyes crinkling.

Although Su Wanwan has been acting for several years and has become a familiar face to the audience with some minor fame, she has an excellent personality, is well-liked on set, and is very approachable, like a little sun.

"Sister Wanwan, you're too kind. It's nothing," Lu Xiao replied with a smile.

Su Wanwan sidled up to Zhuohua and winked familiarly, "Sister Zhuohua, this Taoist robe makes you look even more amazing! When you act opposite Zhao Ce later, you'll definitely crush him!" Her tone was filled with undisguised admiration for Zhuohua and a hint of disdain for Zhao Ce.

Zhuohua nodded to her as a greeting. She had a fair impression of Su Wanwan; the girl was pure-hearted and had innocent eyes.

Time ticked by, and the scheduled start time for filming drew ever closer. The director, holding the walkie-talkie, frowned slightly: "Where's Zhao Ce? Not ready for makeup yet? Hurry up!"

The assistant director quickly picked up the phone, his face somewhat grim, and went to urge them on.

Twenty minutes later, the entire set was ready, with lighting, camera work, and sound recording all in place, and the extras all in their positions.

Zhuohua had already put down her milk tea and stood in the staged morgue. The prop corpse, covered with a white sheet, lay on the cold stone platform, creating a sinister and grim atmosphere. Lu Xiao had also changed into his lantern-bearer costume and was waiting on the sidelines.

The director's face darkened completely. The assistant director jogged over, leaned close to the director's ear, and whispered a few words. The director's brows furrowed, and he muttered something under his breath.

"What's going on?" Lu Xiao walked over to the assistant director and asked in a low voice. He sensed that something was wrong.

The assistant director looked helpless and angry: "Zhao Ce... said there's a traffic jam on the road, and we have to... we have to wait another half hour! And... it seems he brought a few friends to visit the set, and they're in the lounge..."

"What?!" Lu Xiao was also shocked. Traffic jam? Bringing a friend to visit the set? Making the entire crew of dozens of people, especially the lead actor Zhuo Hua who was already in place, wait for him in the cold winter for half an hour? That's so unprofessional!

A surge of anger welled up inside him. When Lu Xiao was an extra, he hated actors who were unpunctual and acted like divas, wasting everyone's time and effort. Besides, today he was waiting for Zhuo Hua! His esteemed master's time was precious; how could he allow it to be wasted like this?

He subconsciously looked at Zhuohua in the center of the scene.

Zhuohua stood there quietly, his indigo Taoist robe appearing particularly aloof and cold in the deliberately cast dark blue overhead light.

Her face was expressionless, showing neither anger nor anxiety, as calm as a deep, ancient well. But Lu Xiao, who knew her well, keenly sensed an invisible, extremely oppressive atmosphere slowly spreading from her.

That was no longer the aura of the actor "Qingwei," but rather the aura of the God of War "Zhuohua"—a cold displeasure at being offended by an ant.

The air around them seemed to freeze. The staff, who had been whispering amongst themselves, felt this invisible pressure and instinctively fell silent, even their breathing becoming softer. An eerie silence descended upon the entire set, broken only by the monotonous rustling of the wind machines blowing the white banners.

The director felt the pressure, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He knew Zhuohua had a mysterious background, even Lin Shao treated them with utmost respect; Zhao Ce had practically walked into a trap! He steeled himself, picked up the walkie-talkie, and his voice was filled with suppressed anger: "Keep pushing! Tell him if he doesn't finish in five minutes, this scene is off! He'll face the consequences!"

The assistant director scrambled to make another urgent phone call.

Time ticked by, each second feeling incredibly long. The five-minute deadline was fast approaching.

"Sister Zhuohua, calm down, don't lower yourself to that kind of person's level." Su Wanwan had somehow gotten close to Zhuohua and whispered words of comfort, offering her a beautifully wrapped chocolate. "Want something sweet?"

Zhuohua didn't take it, but only glanced at Su Wanwan with a calm and unwavering gaze, which silenced Su Wanwan's subsequent words, and she awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Just as the director was about to lose his temper and the assistant director was about to cry, a commotion finally came from the direction of the dressing room.

Zhao Ce strolled over, accompanied by a stylishly dressed male and female internet celebrities who appeared to be live-streaming on their phones. He wore exquisite makeup and a luxurious brocade theatrical costume, and appeared relaxed, even a little impatient at being disturbed.

"Why are you rushing me? It's only a little bit late. The traffic was terrible, what could I do?"

Zhao Ce walked up to the director, speaking casually, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to the aloof figure in the center of the set, carrying a hint of barely perceptible amazement and... a subtle, unspoken desire to outdo the other.

"Zhao Ce! The whole crew is waiting for you! And you still bring..." The director's voice trembled with anger.

However, before the director could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a clear, cold voice, like ice beads falling onto a jade plate.

"You think you're worthy to waste my time?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated the entire film set, carrying an undeniable authority and a cold, penetrating power that instantly silenced all other noise.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Zhuohua had turned around at some point and was staring at Zhao Ce expressionlessly. Her eyes were calm, yet they seemed to contain the coldness of millennia. When her gaze fell on Zhao Ce, he instantly felt as if he had been pierced by an invisible icicle, a chill running from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!

"I..." Zhao Ce felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze, and the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat. The two internet celebrities next to him, who were live-streaming on their phones, were also stunned, and their cameras instinctively pointed at Zhuo Hua.

Just as Zhao Ce was feeling suffocated by that gaze and instinctively wanted to back away—

"ah--!"

A piercing scream rang out without warning!

Suddenly, Zhao Ce seemed to step on something extremely slippery, and he fell backward in a ridiculously comical and clumsy manner, crashing heavily to the ground with a "plop"! To make matters worse, the spot where he fell was right next to a small patch of black, viscous liquid that the props team had spilled earlier and hadn't had time to clean up, simulating sewage!

The expensive brocade costume was instantly stained with filth, the carefully styled hair was messed up, and black mud smeared on his face. He sat in the sewage in a disheveled state, wincing in pain.

"Brother Xiang!" The two internet celebrities screamed in fright and hurriedly tried to help him up.

The set fell silent. Everyone stared in disbelief at the sudden turn of events. The director's mouth gaped open, the assistant director forgot to breathe, and the crew and extras exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with astonishment and... a hint of barely perceptible schadenfreude? Su Wanwan covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Only Lu Xiao, after his initial surprise, instantly fixed his gaze on Zhuo Hua, who was still standing there as if she hadn't done anything. He clearly saw that, in the instant she looked away, a barely perceptible glint of silver light flashed at her fingertips.

His heart trembled, followed by a surge of immense relief and warmth. His divine being... was avenging him and the entire group! Although the methods... well, they were rather simple and direct (and incredibly effective).

Zhuohua didn't even lift her eyelids, as if she had just brushed away a speck of dust. She looked at the director, who was equally shocked, and her voice returned to its usual coldness, but with an undeniable power: "Director, can we begin? My time is very precious."

"Huh? Oh! Start! Start right away!"

The director snapped out of his daze, glancing at Zhao Ce, who was still struggling and disheveled on the ground, and then at Zhuo Hua, who exuded an aura of authority and seemed completely unaffected. He decisively chose to ignore the former, picked up the walkie-talkie, and roared, "Settler! Quick! Take Teacher Zhao to clean up! Everyone else, get ready! Lights and camera in position! Action—!"

The subsequent filming was both extremely eerie and highly efficient.

Zhao Ce changed into a spare costume and did a quick haircut, but his face was extremely pale and his eyes were darting around. Especially when he looked at Zhuo Hua, his eyes were filled with fear and lingering dread. He stammered his lines and had no imposing presence at all.

Zhuo Hua's portrayal of Master Qingwei exudes an aura of power; every glance and every line carries a penetrating power and a chilling sense of oppression, completely overwhelming the opponent.

What should have been a thrilling, evenly matched contest was instead turned into a one-sided, overwhelming display of power and intelligence by Zhuohua. Watching Zhuohua's impeccable performance and Zhao Ce's completely out-of-place embarrassment on the monitor, the director felt a mixture of regret and secret satisfaction.

After filming a scene, Zhao Ce practically fled in panic, without even saying goodbye, and slunk away with his two terrified internet celebrity friends.

By the time we finished work, it was completely dark, and the cold wind was even stronger.

Lu Xiao carefully helped Zhuohua wrap herself in her down jacket and put a thick scarf around her neck. Su Wanwan skipped over, still shaken but full of admiration: "Sister Zhuohua, you were so cool just now! That Zhao Ce deserved it! Let's see if he dares to act like a big shot again!"