Chapter 13
The overwhelming amount of information and the fear of the unknown nearly overwhelmed him. He suddenly recalled the "collective hallucination" of the pool on set instantly freezing, the altered memories of everyone, and the words that struck him like a hammer blow: "I believe you"...
At this moment, all the fragments were forcibly pieced together by that fleeting glimpse of eerie blue light, forming an even more bizarre and terrifying outline!
"Who...who exactly are you?"
Lu Xiao's voice carried a sob he himself was unaware of, his body trembled slightly uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with fear and deep confusion.
He trusted Zhuohua, relied on Zhuohua, and even... a secret affection had long since sprouted deep within his heart. But what he saw before him completely shattered all his preconceived notions!
Zhuohua looked into his eyes, where fear, confusion, and a barely perceptible hint of hurt mingled. A slight itch stirred within her, as if a tiny thorn had gently pricked her heart. She frowned almost imperceptibly. Explain? Too much trouble. Besides, in the mortal world, knowing too much wasn't always a good thing.
"To protect you." She finally spoke, her voice as calm as ever, yet carrying an undeniable certainty. She didn't explain the blue light, nor why she had appeared; she simply stated a fact.
Protect?
Lu Xiao was stunned. This word was like a faint ray of light, instantly piercing through the fog of fear. He remembered the life-or-death situation by the pool on set, the magical energizing spray before the audition, the comforting embrace when he was unconscious... Everything seemed to point in one direction—she was protecting him.
But that bizarre scene just now... that blue light... that chilling aura... and Zhou Yuchen's venomous gaze during the day...
A terrifying thought suddenly flashed into Lu Xiao's mind! His face instantly turned even paler, and his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Is...is it Zhou Yuchen? He...did he do something to me?!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Zhuohua's eyes. This kid's reaction wasn't slow. She didn't deny it, but simply gave a faint "hmm," which was taken as acknowledgment.
boom--!
A tremendous chill instantly swept over Lu Xiao! Even more intense than when he saw the blue light earlier! Zhou Yuchen?! He actually… actually used such methods?!
He'd heard of the cutthroat competition in the entertainment industry, but he'd never imagined it could be so vicious, so...inhuman! If it weren't for Zhuohua...if it weren't for her showing up here in the middle of the night...
A wave of lingering fear washed over him like an icy tide! He shivered violently, instinctively pulling the thin blanket around himself tighter, his body trembling even more violently. This time, it wasn't fear of Zhuohua, but rather the horror of that unknown malice and his own insignificance.
He looked at Zhuohua, who stood by the bed, his figure appearing somewhat thin yet incredibly tall in the dim light. His fear and confusion were gradually replaced by a more surging emotion, a mixture of gratitude, lingering fear, and an indescribable, bittersweet, and burning feeling.
She had always protected him. In a way he couldn't understand, and even feared. In a corner unseen by everyone, in the dead of night while he slept, she shielded him from the sharp blades of darkness.
Zhuohua watched the dramatic shifts in his emotions, from shock to lingering fear, and now to a complex and unreadable tremor. She said nothing more, only extending her hand.
Lu Xiao instinctively flinched.
However, Zhuohua's hand did not land on him, but instead precisely pressed the switch for the bedside lamp.
Snap.
The dim light went out, plunging the bedroom back into darkness. Only the faint glow of the streetlights outside the window outlined her slender figure as she turned and walked towards the bedroom door.
"Sleep." Her voice rang out in the darkness, still flat, yet carrying a strange, reassuring power, "I'm here."
The footsteps were very light, and the door was gently closed.
Lu Xiao sat stiffly in the darkness, wrapped in a blanket, listening to his still frantic heartbeat. A faint, lingering scent of herbs and trees, seemingly belonging to Zhuo Hua, remained in the room, along with… the fleeting, chilling aura brought on by the icy blue light.
He slowly, very slowly, lay down and burrowed into the blankets. The fear hadn't completely dissipated, but another, heavier emotion, like vines coiling around his heart, quietly took root and quickly overshadowed the fear.
In the darkness, his eyes were open, his glassy pupils shimmering slightly in the night.
I'm here.
Those three words, like a magical spell, cast a calming stone into the turbulent lake of his heart.
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