Chapter 57

After finishing the mango, Shuangling let out a satisfied little burp, then flew back to the tablet and diligently pawed at it. It's now obsessed with watching short videos, especially cute pet and funny ones.

"Hahaha! This dog! Clumsy! Falling down!" It pointed with its little paw at a Corgi that had slipped on the screen, laughing so hard its feathers trembled.

"This bird! Sings! Terrible! Not as nice as Frostfeather's! Chirp!" It clicked on another video of a parrot singing and commented disdainfully.

"Master! Look! This person is doing 'magic tricks'! So weak! Frostfeather can do that too!" Seeing the magic trick of turning a pigeon into a live dove, it immediately perked up, flapping its wings and flying to the center of the living room, puffing out its little chest, "Frostfeather, do something amazing!"

It took a deep breath (though it's unclear how it did it), its belly slightly bulging, and then suddenly opened its mouth and exhaled—

A tiny, extremely faint wisp of white ice mist, no bigger than a fingernail, drifted out and remained in the air for less than a second before disappearing with a "poof".

Shuangling: "..."

Lu Xiao: "..."

Zhuohua: "..."

Shuangling stared blankly as her "masterpiece" dissipated, seemingly a little dazed and frustrated, her little head drooping: "...Spiritual power...not enough...chirp..."

Lu Xiao couldn't help but chuckle and quickly comforted her, "It's alright, it's alright! Shuang Ling is already amazing! She's so young and she can already exhale mist! She's much better than that magician!"

Zhuohua also extended a finger and tapped its little head, sending a gentle divine power over it: "No rush, take your time."

Feeling its master's comfort and strength, Shuangling immediately perked up, flew to Lu Xiao's head, and ruffled his hair with its little paws: "Lu Xiao! Shuangling wants to play 'Jumping Frog' (a casual game)!"

Lu Xiao resignedly picked up the tablet and brought up the game. Shuang Ling immediately perched excitedly on his head, her little paws directing his fingers: "Here! Jump! Jump quickly! Oops, stupid! Died again! Lu Xiao (Lu Xiao) is a big idiot!"

The living room was filled with Shuangling's crisp "commands," Lu Xiao's helpless explanations, and the music of a game's defeat. Zhuohua sat quietly to the side, watching this noisy yet incredibly vibrant scene. The city lights outside the window reflected in her calm eyes, like warm stars falling into them.

The divine realm has been desolate and cold for millennia, yet it cannot compare to the warmth of human life at this moment, a touch of warmth on my shoulder, and a gentle chirping in my ear.

That day, the two accepted a variety show arranged by their company and went to Hunan.

The laughter and applause in the studio receded like waves, the bright lights gradually went out, leaving only a few lonely work lamps casting long shadows on the floor. The recording was over, but the lingering warmth of the excitement still hung in the air.

Zhuohua stretched slowly, her movements carrying a touch of divine languor, as if she hadn't been the one sitting under the spotlight cooperating with those childish games.

She turned her head, her gaze naturally falling on Lu Xiao a few steps away. He was surrounded by several enthusiastic staff members, listening attentively and humbly to what they were saying, nodding occasionally. His handsome profile was sharply defined in the slightly dim light. Even dressed simply in a hoodie and jeans provided by the production team, his focus and upright posture were impossible to ignore.

"Are you tired?" Zhuohua leaned closer gently, her voice low and soft, like a feather brushing against her ear, a stark contrast to the perfectly measured aloofness she displayed in front of the camera just moments before.

She reached out with remarkable ease, her slender, pale fingers carrying a barely perceptible warmth, brushing aside a stray strand of hair stubbornly held in place by hair gel at his temple. Her fingertips casually grazed his temple. A faint, almost imperceptible warmth seeped in, instantly dispelling the fatigue and tension from the recording.

Lu Xiao was slightly taken aback, then a gentle smile appeared in his eyes. He turned his face to let the warmth of her fingers linger on his skin.

"It's alright," he replied softly, his gaze fixed on her face. "Watching you play games is more interesting." Especially when she used her magical abilities to "cheat" with a blank expression, winning every seemingly tricky round with perfect precision, that kind of serious mischief was something only he could see clearly.

Zhuo Hua's lips curved into a tiny smile, tinged with a hint of smugness. At that moment, Liang Hui, the host who had been witty and eloquent on stage, strode over, a professional and enthusiastic smile on his face, but a barely perceptible urgency seemed to lurk deep in his eyes.

"Teacher Zhuohua, Teacher Lu Xiao!" Liang Hui's voice was loud and cheerful as he reached out and shook hands with both of them firmly. "Thank you for your hard work! You worked together wonderfully today! The effect was absolutely amazing!"

"You're too kind, Teacher Liang," Lu Xiao replied politely, his demeanor neither humble nor arrogant.

Zhuohua simply nodded slightly, which was considered a greeting.

Liang Hui's gaze swept quickly across Zhuo Hua's face, his smile widening, tinged with a hint of probing: "Are you two teachers rushing to catch your flight back already? Why not stay another night to experience our local late-night snacks?" He rubbed his hands together, his tone clearly conveying a desire for them to stay.

"No, Ms. Liang," Lu Xiao declined with a smile, "I have some other arrangements at the company."

"Oh, I see..." A hint of disappointment flashed across Liang Hui's face, but he quickly put on a smile again, turning his gaze to Zhuo Hua with a deeper, almost pleading, meaning.

"Well... Professor Zhuohua, could I possibly take two minutes of your time? Just two minutes! There's something... uh... special that I'd like to ask you about privately." He deliberately emphasized the word "special," and the anxiety in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

Lu Xiao keenly noticed the unusual seriousness and pleading signal in Liang Hui's eyes when he looked at Zhuo Hua, and understood immediately.

He subtly shifted to the side, effectively blocking the curious gazes of several staff members peeking in from the backstage entrance, creating a relatively private space for Zhuohua.

Zhuohua raised her eyebrows slightly, the soft warmth on her face that she only showed when facing Lu Xiao quickly disappeared, and she returned to a calm and indifferent demeanor like a clear spring reflecting the moon. She only let out a soft "hmm" from her nose as a sign of agreement.

Liang Hui felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He immediately lowered his voice and spoke faster: "It's like this, Director Su Qing mentioned to me... that you, Teacher Zhuohua... are extremely capable of solving some 'difficult problems.' Recently, something strange has happened at our station... quite eerie. We've invited several experts to take a look, but none of them have been able to fix it properly; in fact, it's getting worse. We're really at our wits' end, so we dared to ask you... for some guidance." As he spoke, he nervously observed Zhuohua's expression.

Zhuohua's expression remained completely calm, as if the other person was merely discussing tomorrow's weather. She waited quietly for Liang Hui to finish speaking before replying, her voice clear and emotionless: "Specifically?"

Liang Hui swallowed hard. "It's...it's an old warehouse at the station where they store props. Recently, the security guards on the night shift have been hearing...a woman's crying inside for several days in a row, it's really pitiful, but when they go in to check, they find nothing. Also, props have mysteriously moved around, and the surveillance cameras have captured blurry white shadows...the weirdest thing is,"

He lowered his voice even further, tinged with fear, “Yesterday, a prop master went in to take inventory and suddenly fainted inside. When he woke up, he insisted that he saw a faceless woman in red rushing towards him… Now everyone is panicking, and no one dares to even approach that building. The station's higher-ups have given a strict order that this issue must be completely resolved after today's episode, otherwise… the impact will be too great.” Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Oh." Zhuohua responded with just one word, her tone as calm as if she were saying "I understand."

Liang Hui was a little confused by her reaction, and the more complaints and pleas he had prepared got stuck in his throat. He looked to Lu Xiao beside him for help.

Lu Xiao received the signal, gently touched Zhuo Hua's hand, and said in a gentle voice, "Hua Hua, you see... Teacher Liang and the others are indeed quite anxious."

He knew Zhuohua's abilities, and he also knew that she actually had little interest in these kinds of "mundane matters," and that she only stayed because of him.

Zhuohua then raised her eyelids, her gaze lingering on Liang Hui's anxious face for a second before turning to Lu Xiao. Instantly, her coldness melted away, turning into a hint of helplessness and indulgence.

"Do you want me to go?" she asked, her tone softer than ever before.

"Yes." Lu Xiao nodded, his eyes filled with complete trust. "With you taking action, there will definitely be no problem." He never doubted her abilities; she was someone who could carve through even the battlefield of gods and demons.

"Alright." Zhuohua agreed reluctantly, as if she were agreeing to something insignificant. She looked at Liang Hui again, still with that aloof and unyielding demeanor: "Send the address to my assistant. Tomorrow night."

Liang Hui could hardly believe how smoothly things had gone. He was so excited that he bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you! Thank you so much, Teacher Zhuohua! I'll send you the address and contact person right away! Don't worry about the payment; the station will definitely make you satisfied!"

"remuneration?"

Zhuohua seemed to have heard something new, and the corners of her lips curved upwards very subtly, a cold and languid arc that carried a hint of smug control. Her gaze swept over Liang Hui, finally settling on Lu Xiao, her eyes instantly becoming focused and bright, as if she were looking at a rare treasure.

Her fingertips lightly tapped Lu Xiao's sleeve. Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the backstage noise, carrying an undeniable, almost willful declaration:

“I want him,” she paused, then clearly uttered the last three words, “the male lead.”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Liang Hui's excited smile froze, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment. He looked at Zhuo Hua, then at Lu Xiao, seemingly processing this astonishing statement. The surrounding noise also seemed to quiet down for a brief instant.

Lu Xiao was completely taken aback by Zhuo Hua's offer of such a condition. His heart skipped a beat, and a surge of heat rushed from his chest to his cheeks and ears.

He wanted to say something, like, "Hua Hua, you don't need to do this," or "I can rely on myself," but when he met Zhuo Hua's incredibly bright eyes, which seemed to say, "My people deserve the best," all the words stuck in his throat. He could only feel the skin beneath the small patch of fabric where her fingertips had touched, burning intensely.