Chapter 43
Lu Xiao blinked in confusion.
"Think of 'the only one'." Zhuohua's voice was soft, but every word was clear, like a stone thrown into a deep pool. "When heaven and earth collapse and all laws crumble, the person before you is your only light, the only one you can grasp and the only one you are willing to sacrifice everything to protect."
She paused, her gaze seemingly piercing through Lu Xiao, looking towards a distant and intense past, "When Mo Yan uttered these words, there should have been a resolute determination to burn everything away, and also... a willing ashes."
Lu Xiao was stunned. He stared blankly at Zhuo Hua, as if seeing the person before him for the first time. Deep within those usually calm and unwavering eyes, an emotion he had never seen before surged, an emotion so intense it bordered on pathos. It wasn't acting; it was a burning, desolate passion, tinged with the stench of blood, emanating from the deepest recesses of the soul.
“The only light… willing ashes…” he murmured, his eyes gradually brightening, like a ship in the fog finally seeing a lighthouse.
He suddenly lowered his head, grabbed the script, and with trembling fingers found the line. His lips moved silently, over and over again, trying to infuse the feeling of burning everything yet finding it sweet.
Zhuohua remained silent, picking up the ancient book again, but unable to concentrate on a single word. The rough texture of the pages lingered on her fingertips, and the throbbing in her heart, a strange warmth, lingered for a long time. She lowered her gaze slightly, looking at her slender, pale fingers—hands that had once wielded divine weapons and been stained with the blood of gods and demons, now trembled slightly at the sound of a few words of love from a mortal.
In the dead of night, all was quiet. Only the humidifier emitted a very faint, continuous hum, creating a moist white mist in the room.
Lu Xiao finally exhausted his last bit of energy after repeatedly pondering and whispering. He slumped into the sofa, his head resting on the armrest, his hand still tightly clutching the well-worn script, his brow furrowed even in his sleep. His breathing gradually became even and long.
Zhuohua rose silently, her bare feet making no sound on the soft carpet. She walked to the sofa and gazed down at Lu Xiao's peaceful sleeping face. Moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow on his face, outlining his handsome nose and slightly weary features. Even in his dream, his lips seemed to be moving silently, murmuring the words, "For you, a thousand times over."
She bent down and gently took the script from his hand, placing it aside. Her fingertips inadvertently touched the back of his hand, feeling a distinct chill.
A barely perceptible glimmer of silver light, like leaping stardust, quietly spilled from her fingertips and silently seeped into the soft, plush hand warmer that Lu Xiao had casually placed beside him. Almost instantly, the hand warmer, which had previously cooled down, was once again filled with a perfect, continuous warmth.
Just as Zhuohua was about to gently place the hand warmer into Lu Xiao's arms, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a warm hand!
Lu Xiao had opened his eyes at some point. His still-sleepy eyes shone brightly in the dim moonlight, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he stared intently at her. His voice, low and hoarse from just waking up, was incredibly clear: "My lord..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, his thumb gently stroking the inside of her slender wrist, feeling the slightly cool skin. "Abusing your divine power in the dead of night... just to warm my hands?"
A smile curved his lips, dazzling in the moonlight. "Is this... a privilege of the gods? Hmm?"
Zhuohua's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. The embarrassment of being caught only lasted for a very brief moment before being overwhelmed by another, more turbulent emotion.
His sleepy, teasing tone, the warm touch of his fingertips, his undisguised, slightly smug intimacy... were like a sudden, warm tide that instantly eroded all the dams that had kept her calm.
A faint blush, uncontrollably creeping up her usually cool and aloof earlobe. She could even clearly feel the heat spreading. For hundreds of thousands of years, no one had ever dared to be so "offensive," nor had there ever been a moment when she felt so... helpless yet her heart was burning.
She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but her fingertips twitched slightly before she gave up. Her gaze avoided his smiling, probing eyes, landing on the lapel of his pajamas. Her voice held a barely perceptible tension, yet she tried to maintain a calm facade: "...Enough with the nonsense. Here you go."
She forcefully shoved the hand warmer, which emitted a constant warmth, into his arms, then pulled her hand away and turned to leave.
"Hua Hua." Lu Xiao called softly from behind her, the laughter in his voice fading, leaving only a gentle, almost sighing tenderness. Zhuo Hua stopped in her tracks.
He held the hand warmer in his arms, its warmth soothing his heart and flowing through his veins to every part of his body. Looking at Zhuohua's somewhat thin and stiff figure in the moonlight, he whispered, "Thank you."
It's not about thanking this hand warmer, but thanking you for being willing to step down from your pedestal for me, for using your "privileges" for me, and for letting me... see the tips of your ears turn red.
Zhuohua didn't turn around. She stood with her back to him in the moonlight in the center of the room, like a silent jade sculpture. Several seconds later, her soft, almost inaudible voice came: "...Go to sleep."
Lu Xiao hugged the warm "evidence" and closed his eyes again with satisfaction, a smile on his lips. Soon his breathing became even and long again.
Zhuohua slowly turned around. Moonlight, like quicksilver, flowed across Lu Xiao's peaceful sleeping face. The faint blush he had touched still lingered stubbornly on her earlobe, still warm with life. She walked to the sofa, silently squatted down, and carefully traced his sleeping features with her gaze—his slightly furrowed brows, his lips relaxed by the warmth of the touch.
The cold memories of the divine conquests, the iron-blooded loneliness etched into the divine bones, the ruthlessness belonging to the "God of War," enough to freeze the galaxy... at this moment, seemed to be melted away little by little, silently, by the quiet moonlight, by the unguarded sleeping face of the mortal before him, by his smiling words about "divine privileges."
A gentle weariness she had never experienced before, mixed with a strange sense of peace, quietly enveloped her.
She leaned slightly forward, her movements as gentle as if afraid to disturb a fragile dream, and placed a cool, feather-like kiss between her brows, furrowed from overwork. It was a mark bearing divine blessing, and also the clumsy yet sincere sentiment of a mortal woman.
The moonlight shifted subtly, elongating her silhouette. Deep within her icy spirit, something seemed to be quietly reviving and flowing, carrying a warm pulse belonging to the human world.
The hustle and bustle on the set of "Dark Night Lantern" seemed to be shut out by an invisible barrier. Zhuohua still sat in that large folding chair, her indigo Taoist robe making her look aloof and otherworldly, completely out of place with the busy work of moving props and adjusting equipment around her.
She twirled an old copper coin used as a prop on the film set between her fingers. The coin danced and leaped between her fingers, tracing smooth silver arcs with a nonchalant yet mysterious rhythm.
Lu Xiao was discussing the next move with the martial arts instructor not far away, occasionally stealing a glance at her, his eyes filled with undisguised pride and joy.
He still had the clip of Zhuo Hua's amazing fight scene from last night's hit drama "The Long Ballad" saved on his phone—a clip he had secretly recorded and watched countless times.
However, Zhuohua herself seemed detached from the situation. Last night's broadcast of the third and fourth episodes of "The Long Ballad" completely ignited public opinion. The trigger was not the plot, but her—the maid "Qingci," who had few scenes and was initially unknown.
Without the aid of wires, she performed a thrilling somersault, light as a swallow, her skirt fluttering like a butterfly, landing silently; facing attacks from several people, her dodges and blocks were so precise as if calculated a thousand times, every movement carrying the ultimate balance of strength and beauty.
As her robes fluttered, her exquisitely beautiful profile was caught in a fleeting glimpse amidst the flashing swords. Her eyes were as calm as a deep, ancient well, yet contained a power that seemed to see through everything. In just over a minute of action, she managed to convey the courage and grace of taking the head of a general amidst a thousand troops.
It was this astonishing minute or so that completely ignited the discussion forum for "Chang Ge".
Celadon action scenes become legendary
Who is Zhuohua?
The director of "The Long Song" owes the audience an apology.
The hashtags such as "the strongest maid in history" shot to the top of the trending searches at lightning speed, each followed by a bright red "hot" sign.
Netizens' comments have gone completely mad:
[Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Is this a maid?! Or is she the hidden leader of the martial arts world?!]
[One minute! She stole the show in just one minute! My sister is killing me!]
[Director, come out and take your punishment! How could you cast such a gifted actress as a maid?! Are her eyes just decorations?!]
[That face! That aura! That skill! She's more than capable of playing the female lead! Were the entire production team blind?]
[I desperately need all the information about Miss Qingci! I need everything about her within one minute!]
[Director: Stop yelling! Stop yelling! I'm already crying my eyes out in the bathroom! Who knew there was a genius hiding among the extras! (crying.jpg)]
The director of "The Long Song" was indeed nearly fainting in the bathroom, but not from crying; he was laughing so hard he almost fainted. Holding his phone, watching his comment section being flooded with comments like "blind director," "burying talent," and "misjudging people," he chuckled heartily. He proudly called Wang Li, the current agent for Zhuo Hua and Lu Xiao, and said, "Wasn't I right for recognizing their talent? These two future superstars will make you feel like you can walk with your head held high from now on. Hahaha."
On set, the assistant director, holding his phone, approached Zhuohua excitedly and cautiously, his voice trembling: "Teacher Zhuohua! You...you have to look! You're famous! The whole internet is talking about you! Your name is all over the trending topics!" He held the phone screen up to Zhuohua's eyes, showing the boiling Weibo trending topics list.
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