Chapter 6
A strange sense of peace enveloped him. Having experienced a mind-blowing shock, he now sat in this unassuming little noodle shop, eating the simplest yet most comforting food, with a powerful, mysterious girl sitting opposite him, yet willing to share a bowl of plain noodles with him…
He secretly glanced up at Zhuohua across from him. She was looking down, sipping her noodle soup, the warm yellow light dancing on her long eyelashes. Gone was the invisible pressure she exuded on set; now, she was as quiet as a painting.
Thump.
My heart skipped another, untimely but clear beat. It felt different from the previous fright and trembling; there was something else, something indescribable.
He hurriedly lowered his head, pretending to concentrate on eating his noodles, but his ears secretly turned red.
Maybe...maybe being trusted by a "non-human" who can freeze the entire set and alter everyone's memories isn't such a terrible thing?
He slurped up a big mouthful of noodles, the hot soup sliding down his throat and warming him to the core.
The warmth of that bowl of plain noodles from Old Zhang's noodle shop still seemed to soothe his limbs. Lu Xiao, wrapped in the thick blanket from the film crew, followed behind Zhuo Hua, walking unsteadily along the streets of the film city as the lights came on.
A cool evening breeze blew by, and he instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, but his gaze was involuntarily fixed on the slender figure in front of him.
She walked slowly and calmly, as if the storm she had just stirred up on the set was merely a dusting of away.
Lu Xiao's mind was still replaying the blue light that froze everything, the vast will that silently altered his memories, and the words that struck his heart: "I believe in you."
Every scene was enough to overturn his worldview, stirring his emotions like he was being stuffed into a high-speed spinning washing machine. Strangely, however, looking at Zhuohua's calm, almost indifferent back, the immense fear and panic in his heart was strangely replaced by an awkward sense of relief.
"Zhuo...Zhuohua," he mustered his courage, quickened his pace to stand beside her, his voice still a little weak, "At the noodle shop just now...you still haven't told me..."
Zhuohua didn't stop walking, glancing at him sideways. The streetlight cast dappled shadows in her eyes, making her expression unreadable. "What did you say?"
“It’s…those…ices…and…” Lu Xiao gestured, at a loss for words. What should he say? Ask her if she was an alien? Or a powerful figure from a cultivation novel? Either way, it seemed utterly absurd.
“A form of power.” Zhuohua’s answer was as concise as an instruction manual. His gaze swept over a roadside stall selling roasted sweet potatoes, the sweet aroma of which was particularly tempting in the cold air.
“Like… well, you can act, I can do this.” She casually pointed to herself, her tone as flat as if she were saying, “I can use chopsticks.”
Lu Xiao: "..."
How can these be compared?! He has to lie on the ground for ages just to play a dead body, while she can freeze the entire set's pool into an iceberg with a wave of her hand! What's the difference between this explanation and no explanation at all?!
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask more, but Zhuohua suddenly stopped. Unbeknownst to them, they had already walked to a relatively quiet side road on the edge of the film studio.
A black van silently pulled up beside them and stopped. The window rolled down, revealing the director's face, which showed obvious weariness and guilt.
"Lu Xiao! Miss Zhuohua!"
The director jumped out of the car and walked quickly to the two of them. His gaze lingered on Lu Xiao's pale face for a moment, and only after confirming that he was still in good spirits did he breathe a sigh of relief. When he turned to Zhuo Hua, his eyes were filled with lingering fear and undisguised gratitude.
"Finally found you! How are you feeling? Better now? It's all my fault! I didn't take proper safety precautions! It almost caused a disaster!"
He rubbed his hands excitedly, his tone filled with relief at surviving a disaster and admiration for Zhuohua: "Miss Zhuohua, thank you so much today! Your skills were amazing! You're practically a martial arts master! Your reactions were quick, and your movements were even more beautiful! If it weren't for you, Lu Xiao..." He shook his head, not daring to imagine the consequences.
As Lu Xiao listened to the director's "reasonable" description, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and he subconsciously looked at Zhuo Hua. The latter's expression remained unchanged, as if the director was truly praising her skills of "having practiced martial arts for several years," and she even nodded slightly, as if accepting this "reasonable" thanks.
Seeing Zhuohua's lukewarm reaction, the director quickly got to the point, forcing a sincere smile: "Well, Lu Xiao, the production team will definitely take full responsibility for this! You get some rest, and you'll receive your full compensation for lost work time and nutritional expenses! And also..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two men, a hint of probing and compensation in his eyes. "Perfect timing! We have two small roles available in our crew. They don't have many scenes, but they both have a few lines and are quite memorable. One is the female lead's loyal maid, with two action scenes, so she needs to be skilled; the other is the male lead's bodyguard, also with a few important scenes. I think we should give these two roles to you two! Consider it... a small token of appreciation and compensation from the crew!"
As soon as the director said that, Lu Xiao's eyes lit up instantly!
A character with lines!
For a struggling extra who couldn't even play a corpse properly, this was like a windfall! And it was a supporting role with some weight!
This means his salary will double, it means his name will have a chance to appear near the top of the cast list, it means... he seems to be taking a small step closer to his dream!
The overwhelming surprise instantly overshadowed the bizarre and fantastical images in his mind. His cheeks flushed with excitement, and his voice rose sharply: "Really...really, Director? Thank you! Thank you so much!"
He subconsciously looked at Zhuohua, wanting to share this joy, but found that Zhuohua's expression... was completely unmoved.
She even pulled out her old phone with a cracked screen from her pocket, swiping it casually with her fingertips, as if checking the time or playing some simple single-player game.
The director's words about roles, pay, and opportunities seemed to attract her attention less than the pixels bobbing on her phone screen.
"Miss Zhuohua?"
The director also looked at Zhuohua, a little cautiously, "What do you think of... that little maid role? It requires a lot of skill, which is perfect for you! The action scenes have a martial arts choreographer, so just follow along, and you'll definitely shine!"
Zhuohua finally looked up from her phone screen, her gaze sweeping lightly over the director's eager face before settling on Lu Xiao beside her, whose eyes were shining with excitement. Those glassy eyes were now brimming with pure, undisguised longing and excitement, like a sky full of stars.
She paused almost imperceptibly. Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, money, status, fame... these things were no different from roadside pebbles in her eyes, and she had no interest in even playing with them.
The "junk" piled up in the corner of her space, if any piece were thrown into an auction house in this world, would probably cause a huge uproar.
Money? Enough to buy Old Zhang's kind of noodles with pure spiritual energy, and occasionally a roasted sweet potato, that's enough. Acting? Even less interest. Watching ordinary people fight tooth and nail over a few lines and a few shots is less interesting than watching ants carrying food.
but……
When Lu Xiao saw her looking over, his eyes became even more expectant, even carrying a hint of cautious pleading, like a little animal eagerly waiting to be fed.
He swiftly and subtly extended his finger, and under the blanket, gently tugged at the hem of Zhuohua's faded T-shirt. The movement was so fast it seemed like a hallucination, carrying a childlike dependence and tentativeness.
Zhuohua tapped lightly on the cold screen of her phone. In the lake of her heart, the small pebble that had been thrown in seemed to ripple gently once more.
Tsk.
trouble.
"Alright." She looked away and turned back to the director, her tone as indifferent as if she were agreeing to go downstairs to pick up a package, "Just keep him company."
The director was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "Great! That's wonderful! It's settled then! Tomorrow! Tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, Studio 3, Group A, report to Assistant Director Zhang! I'll have him give you the script!"
As if afraid that Zhuohua would change her mind, he quickly finalized the deal, told Lu Xiao to get some rest, and then hurriedly got into his car and left.
The taillights of the nanny van disappeared around the street corner.
Lu Xiao was still immersed in immense joy, his cheeks flushed and his eyes shining brightly, completely forgetting his earlier weakness and lingering fear. "Zhuohua! Did you hear that? We have roles! We have lines!"
He looked at Zhuohua excitedly, like a child receiving candy for the first time.
Zhuohua put her phone back in her pocket. Seeing his excited expression, the impatience caused by being tugged at her clothes inexplicably dissipated.
She hummed in response.
"That maid role would be perfect for you! You're so talented!"
Lu Xiao was still excitedly fantasizing, "The action choreography must be a piece of cake for you! Maybe you can even show off your skills and open their eyes..." As he spoke, his voice gradually faded. He remembered that Zhuo Hua's skills were beyond what could be explained by "good skills," so he quickly shut up, leaving only the gleam in his eyes.
Zhuohua didn't reply, her gaze fixed on the brightly lit core area of the film studio in the distance. A night breeze carried a faint murmur of noise.
The next morning, Studio 3, Group A.
A magnificent palace set was erected in front of a huge green screen, with people coming and going and machines roaring. Zhuohua and Lu Xiao changed into their costumes and stood in a corner.
Lu Xiao plays the shadow guard named "Yu Ying" who serves the male lead. He wears a black guard's uniform, the fabric of which is ordinary but the tailoring is neat, making his already handsome face appear even more youthful, yet the tenacity between his brows remains. He tightly clutches a few thin pages of the script in his hand, silently muttering to himself, tense and focused.
Zhuohua wore a bright green dress that accentuated her slender yet upright figure. Her long hair was neatly tied back, revealing her smooth, full forehead and her cool-featured jawline.
She crossed her arms and leaned against a prop pillar, closing her eyes to rest, her relaxed posture completely out of place with the busy and tense atmosphere around her.
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