Chapter 69
"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!" (Master, this is the tenth time! Lu Xiao is just filming a movie, not filling in the Demon Abyss Rift!)
Zhuohua took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of clear but listless eyes. She glanced at Shuangling and said, "You little ingrate, you don't understand. In this mundane world, without his constant chatter, life is as bland as chewing wax."
With a casual flick of her finger, a barely perceptible breeze swept by, and a banana leaf in the distance, wilted by the sun, instantly perked up, becoming glossy green.
Shuangling instinctively covered her eyes with her little wings, unable to bear the sight. The greatest use of her master's immense power was now watering the flowers and plants downstairs to refresh him.
When Xingyao Media threw that slow-paced variety show invitation at us, Shuangling practically flapped its wings and pressed the "agree" button for its master—if it stayed home idly by the flowers and plants, it was afraid its master would get so bored that he would go through all the laws of nature again!
Thus, Zhuohua, bearing the dual labels of "Lu Xiao's girlfriend" and "newcomer," was driven by the production team all the way to Lukang, a small coastal town in southern China.
A salty, humid sea breeze swept over us, carrying the heat typical of midsummer. The meeting point chosen by the production team was at the entrance of a charming seaside courtyard with a fishing village feel, featuring white walls, gray tiles, and bougainvillea blooming vibrantly.
Zhuohua slowly strolled to the meeting point, dragging her seemingly ordinary but actually ingeniously designed rattan suitcase. She wore a simple white linen shirt and wide-leg pants, her long hair casually tied up, revealing her beautifully shaped neck. Her face was bare of makeup, yet dazzlingly clean.
Compared to the other guests who were dressed in exquisite makeup and fashionable clothes, she was like a mountain breeze that had wandered into the world of fame and fortune, out of place yet impossible to look away from.
"Chirp!" (Look! That's actress Chen Yue! Next to her is top singer and dancer Lin Chen! And that's Su Yan, the rising star of ancient costume dramas!) In order not to expose Shuang Ling's abnormality, Shuang Ling disguised herself as an extremely realistic plush bird doll, sitting steadily on the top of Zhuo Hua's suitcase handle, her little head turning excitedly, chirping in a divine sense that only Zhuo Hua could hear.
Zhuohua glanced listlessly at the handsome men and beautiful women who smiled politely in front of the camera, their eyes gleaming with unspoken rivalry. She felt nothing. On the battlefield of gods and demons, she had slain countless monsters far more beautiful than these, so she felt no awe whatsoever. She only hoped to quickly finish allocating the apartments so she could find a place to lie down and enjoy the sea breeze.
Just then, a gust of wind swirled by, and precisely lifted the fluffy tail feathers of the "doll bird" at the top of Zhuohua's suitcase handle. For realism, Shuangling's feathers were made of real wood.
"Oh my! Alive!" a sweet exclamation rang out. Meng Yuqing, the rising star standing next to Zhuohua, pointed at Shuangling and cried out in surprise, instinctively taking a step back and almost bumping into the photographer behind her.
Instantly, the eyes of several cameras and the surrounding guests all focused on Shuang Ling. Actress Chen Yue, who had been maintaining a perfect smile, froze. Lin Chen raised an eyebrow curiously, while Su Yan looked at Zhuo Hua with a slightly inquisitive gaze.
Zhuohua didn't even lift his eyelids. He reached out and gently pressed his hand on Shuangling's little head, a barely perceptible glint of light flashing from his fingertips. The divine power surging within Shuangling was instantly suppressed, leaving her as stiff as an ordinary plush toy.
“It’s fake.” Zhuohua’s tone was as calm as if she were stating, “The weather is nice today.” “It’s just made to look more realistic. The production team allows us to bring some personal items to pass the time, right?” She looked at the on-set director, who was also a little confused.
The director snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded, "Huh? Oh, okay, okay! As long as it's not a live pet!" He wiped the sweat from his brow, thinking to himself that this newcomer was really composed, not at all intimidated by so many big names and cameras.
After the little incident, the director immediately got down to business, grabbing a megaphone to announce the first "baptism of fire": "Welcome everyone to 'Leisure Time'! Let's start with a warm-up game—'Beanbag Assault and Defense'! The winning team gets to choose our seaside courtyard first!"
The rules are simple and straightforward: the guests are divided into two teams, stand in a designated circle and throw soft sandbags at each other. Those who are hit are eliminated, and the team with more people remaining in the circle at the end wins.
To ensure "fairness," the production team specifically grouped Zhuo Hua, Chen Yue, Su Yan, and Lin Chen into one team to compete against another team consisting of Meng Yuqing and two other male guests. Clearly, this combination of talented performers and top-tier celebrities was highly anticipated.
As soon as the whistle blew, the small area erupted into chaos. Soft beanbags flew through the air, accompanied by genuine or feigned exclamations and laughter from the guests.
Actress Chen Yue was clearly not very good at this kind of strenuous activity, and her movements were somewhat clumsy. Top star Lin Chen was agile, dodging and trying to counterattack at the same time, but his accuracy was lacking. Su Yan, on the other hand, seemed a bit too concerned about his image, and his movements were slightly stiff.
Zhuohua stood at the edge of the circle, watching the chaotic and mundane scene inside, finding it incredibly noisy. A sandbag flew crookedly toward her face; its speed might not seem slow to ordinary people, but to her, it was like a scene in slow motion.
She didn't even bother to dodge significantly; she merely tilted her head slightly, and the sandbag grazed her hair as it flew past.
Too slow. She felt nothing; in fact, she even felt a slight urge to yawn.
However, the opposing team seemed to have identified her as an easy target, and another sandbag came hurtling towards her, followed by a second and a third! The angles were tricky, practically blocking her escape route. Clearly, they wanted to eliminate this seemingly weakest newcomer first.
The off-screen director's eyes lit up; the moment of conflict had arrived! The camera immediately zoomed in on Zhuohua's face, capturing her possible panic.
Zhuohua frowned almost imperceptibly. Annoying. She just wanted to end this boring game as soon as possible. In a flash, she casually raised her hand, grabbed a sandbag flying towards her, and without even looking at the three opponents (Meng Yuqing and the other two male guests) who were "focusing their fire" on her and were full of excitement, she flicked her wrist very casually.
The soft sandbag slipped from my hand, tracing an unremarkable path through the air.
However, something strange happened!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
With three soft thuds, as if precisely calculated, the flying sandbag struck three moving team members in succession! Meng Yuqing was hit on the shoulder and stumbled; another male guest was hit in the back and fell forward; the third was hit in the calf by the bouncing sandbag.
The three of them froze simultaneously, as if struck by a spell. Their excited smiles instantly vanished, replaced by astonishment and confusion. Then, an invisible force gently pushed them forward—
"Splash!" "Ouch!" "Ouch!"
As if by prior arrangement, the three of them simultaneously and at the same angle tumbled out of the circle marked by the white line, landing awkwardly on the beach outside the circle, kicking up specks of fine sand. For a moment, the only sounds were the waves and the cries of seagulls.
Inside the circle, Zhuohua remained standing in the same spot, her expression indifferent, as if she were merely dusting off non-existent dust from her sleeves. She had even caught another flying sandbag in her hand, idly twirling it between her fingers.
The entire room fell silent.
The photographer forgot to push the camera in, the director forgot to yell "cut" with his mouth agape, actress Chen Yue forgot to maintain her elegance, and top star Lin Chen and heartthrob Su Yan completely lost control of their expressions, staring dumbfounded at Zhuo Hua, and then at the three people outside the circle who were tumbling together like a human pyramid.
"This...this..." The on-set director pointed at the playback monitor, his tongue seemingly tied in knots, his face alternating between red and white. The lightning-fast scene had been captured clearly by the high-speed camera, and the slow-motion replay, frame by frame, revealed an eerie atmosphere in every detail.
The sandbag's flight path was unremarkable, and its speed was not fast. But just as it was about to pass by Meng Yuqing, her foot seemed to trip over something, her movement was distorted, and she ended up with her shoulder landing right under the sandbag!
After hitting Meng Yuqing, the sandbag should have landed, but defying the laws of physics, it bounced up at an impossible acute angle at high speed, accurately hitting the second male guest in the back, and then strangely changed direction again, sweeping the third person's calf! The way the three of them fell was so synchronized, it looked like they had rehearsed it countless times!
"Newton's turning in his grave...?" a young camera assistant murmured, his voice unusually clear in the deathly silence of the scene.
Zhuohua seemed oblivious to the gasps and whispers around her, the sandbag spinning smoothly between her fingers. She looked up, her gaze sweeping over the stunned production team, her tone remaining calm and even: "Director, did we win? Can we choose our houses now?"
The director jolted awake, as if from a dream. Looking into Zhuohua's clear, all-seeing eyes, a chill inexplicably ran up his spine. He coughed twice, forcing himself to remain calm: "Ahem! Ah... right! Zhuohua's team wins! Congratulations! Now, the winning team can choose their preferred accommodations first!"
Zhuohua nodded in satisfaction and casually tossed the sandbag that was spinning on her fingertips. The sandbag traced a perfect parabola and landed squarely in the center of a plastic basket containing sandbags a few meters away with a "thud".
The entire directing team: "..."
The next segment, "Grabbing Ingredients," took place at a bustling seaside fish market. A dazzling array of seafood, fruits, and vegetables were on display, and the shouts of vendors filled the air, creating a vibrant, lively atmosphere. The rules were that the guests would use a limited number of "fishing coins" provided by the production team to purchase ingredients within a set time, then cook their own dinner at home.
Zhuohua, carrying a bamboo basket provided by the production team, strolled leisurely through the bustling market, seemingly oblivious to her fellow guests who were racing against time, haggling, and even nearly coming to blows over the last fresh fish. For a dignified deity like her to compete with mortals for vegetables? It was simply beneath her dignity.
"Chirp chirp!" (Master! Over there! That grouper! Absolutely fresh! And that basket of freshly picked lychees!) Frostfeather, disguised as a doll, perched on Zhuohua's shoulder, its tiny green eyes darting around anxiously, more impatient than anyone else. It knew its master's "culinary skills" all too well—they were absolutely capable of causing the annihilation of a small space! The quality of the ingredients had to be controlled from the very beginning!
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