Chapter 18
Seeing that she accepted it, Lu Xiao quickly took his own red envelope. It felt heavy in his hand, and his heart raced. He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Director!"
"No need to thank me! It's my pleasure! It's my pleasure!"
Director Zhang grinned from ear to ear, rubbing his hands together as he cautiously looked at Zhuohua. "Um... Master Zhuohua, I wonder... if it would be convenient to add each other on WeChat? In the future... if the crew needs your guidance in any way..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
We absolutely have to cling to this powerful figure!
Zhuohua frowned slightly. WeChat? Troublesome.
She wasn't used to these ordinary people's social media tools. But seeing Director Zhang's eager, fearful look, and remembering that he had indeed been "acting as usual" lately (although he had subtly added a lot of drama), she almost imperceptibly pursed her lips and still took out the old phone with a thin spiderweb-like crack on the screen from her pocket.
The phone's casing was badly worn, with paint chipped off the edges, and the cracks on the screen were particularly noticeable under the light.
When Director Zhang's gaze fell on the phone, the smile on his face froze for a moment, followed by an indescribable feeling of...heartache?!
My God!
This guy is a living god who can save the dead and freeze the film set with a wave of his hand!
How could they... actually use such a crappy phone?!
The screen is cracked into a spiderweb pattern!
This...this is too simple! It's such a disservice to the master!
A powerful feeling of "wasting a precious resource" and "a pearl being tarnished" assaulted Director Zhang's mind! He even felt his heart was bleeding! How could a master use such shabby things?! This was simply a desecration of a master's status!
With trembling hands, he quickly took out his latest top-of-the-line phone and, almost reverently, scanned the QR code displayed on Zhuohua's old, cracked phone.
When the notification sounded that the contact had been successfully added, Director Zhang looked at the extremely simple nickname in his contacts, which only contained the character "Hua," and felt as if he had received a talisman!
"It's...it's been added!" Director Zhang's voice trembled with excitement. "Master! If you ever need anything, just let me know! I'll go through fire and water for you!"
He patted his chest to assure her, then his gaze couldn't help but drift to the glaringly worn-out phone in Zhuohua's hand. He hesitated, then finally couldn't resist and cautiously probed, "Master... about your phone... how about... I have someone replace it for you? The latest iPhone? Or... what kind would you like?"
Zhuohua glanced down at her old but still quite handy phone, then looked up at Director Zhang's pained expression, as if to say, "Master, you've suffered so much." She raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. She casually put the phone back in her pocket, her tone flat: "No need. It's fine."
Director Zhang: "..." He felt his heart ache even more. The realm of a master was indeed beyond the comprehension of a mere mortal like himself! This must be the legendary return to simplicity, right?
The wrap party ended in a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
Lu Xiao clutched the thick red envelope, feeling his steps falter slightly. This was the first truly substantial sum of money he had ever received in his life! He had earned it through his own hard work (and, of course, with the invisible protection of Zhuo Hua)! A tremendous sense of accomplishment and joy filled his chest.
He subconsciously glanced at Zhuohua beside him. She was walking slowly, carrying a small cake that had been packed from the wrap party and was said to be delicious.
"Zhuohua!" Lu Xiao quickly took two steps to stand beside her, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement, his glass-like eyes sparkling. "Let's... let's go get some late-night snacks? My treat! To celebrate wrapping up filming!" He wanted to share this joy with Zhuohua, and even more so... to repay her.
Zhuohua turned her head to look at him, her gaze falling on his cheeks, slightly flushed with excitement, and then sweeping over the red envelope he was clutching tightly. That slightly itchy feeling in her heart quietly resurfaced. She didn't speak, but simply nodded casually.
"Great!" Lu Xiao was so happy he almost jumped up. He immediately led the way, "I know a new barbecue place opened on the back street. I heard it's pretty good! Or... how about we go to Old Zhang's for a bowl of noodles?" He remembered that Zhuo Hua liked the "cleanliness" of that noodle shop.
"Old Zhang." Zhuohua chose the latter without hesitation.
"Alright!" Lu Xiao walked briskly, like a child who had finally received a reward.
The two walked side by side down the street late at night, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights. The boisterous wrap party seemed to have been left behind in another world; only the rustling of the leaves in the evening breeze and the steady breathing of the person beside them could be heard.
Lu Xiao secretly gazed at Zhuo Hua's cool profile, outlined by the streetlight, and his heart burned with desire. He clutched the red envelope in his pocket, and a thought crystal clear surfaced in his mind:
He wanted to buy Zhuohua a new phone! The best one! She deserved the best! Although... although her current cracked screen phone seemed to be working quite well... Lu Xiao just felt sorry for her, just like Director Zhang felt that she shouldn't be using such an old thing.
Lost in his own thoughts, his cheeks flushed slightly, he didn't notice that Zhuohua's steps paused almost imperceptibly.
Zhuohua's gaze, like the sharpest radar, instantly locked onto the direction of "Old Zhang's Noodle Shop" deep in the alley ahead.
At this moment, in her powerful divine sense, the originally peaceful and pure spiritual energy field around the noodle shop showed an extremely subtle, yet unusually abrupt, chaotic fluctuation.
The fluctuation was extremely faint, imperceptible to mortals, even more concealed than the aura of Xiaoyue, the "drama fanatic" from last time. But it carried a completely different, cold and sticky texture, like ink dripped into clear water; though only a trace, it exuded an uncomfortable sense of filth.
It is not a ghost.
It's more like a... malicious "mark" left intentionally?
A cold, sharp glint flashed deep within Zhuohua's eyes. She calmly withdrew her gaze, her steps returning to normal, as if nothing had happened.
Tsk.
It's only been two days since I had any peace and quiet.
Trouble has come knocking again?
The streets were empty and quiet late at night, with only the streetlights casting dim yellow light that stretched and shortened the shadows of the two people.
Lu Xiao was still immersed in the joy of wrapping up filming and the excitement of treating Zhuo Hua to noodles. His steps were light, and his cheeks were slightly flushed from the night breeze and excitement. He was planning to pack a few side dishes and thinking about getting Zhuo Hua a new phone, completely unaware of the almost imperceptible pause Zhuo Hua made beside him for a moment.
Zhuohua's divine sense, like an invisible net, had already firmly locked onto "Old Zhang's Noodle Shop" deep in the alley ahead.
That abrupt, cold, sticky stain, like ink dripped into pure water, was exceptionally glaring to her powerful senses.
Troublesome. She muttered to herself again, but remained outwardly calm.
The two turned into the alley leading to the noodle shop. Even from dozens of meters away, a foul stench, imperceptible to ordinary people, could be faintly smelled, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and fishy scent.
Lu Xiao, oblivious to everything, was still enthusiastically saying, "Zhuohua, shall we order some cold beef salad later? Grandpa Zhang's beef is especially good..." His words came to an abrupt halt.
Because Zhuohua stopped walking without warning.
She stood at the edge of a streetlamp's glow, her shadow stretched long. Instead of looking at the noodle shop, she turned to face Lu Xiao.
"What's wrong?" Lu Xiao was puzzled. Looking at her calm and expressionless face, his heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.
Zhuohua didn't speak, but simply extended a finger. In the shadow of the streetlight, a faint, icy blue halo seemed to flash across her fingertip, so fast it was almost an illusion. She casually drew a circle in the air, centered on where Lu Xiao was standing.
There was no sound, and no lighting or special effects.
But Lu Xiao clearly felt that an indescribable, gentle yet absolutely solid force, like an invisible barrier, instantly gathered around his body!
The air seemed to thicken and solidify, trapping him firmly in a space about two meters in diameter! He instinctively tried to lift his foot, but it felt as if he were stuck in invisible glue, making his movements extremely sluggish!
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