Chapter 56
Thus, an unprecedented scene appeared on the filming set of "Dark Night Lantern".
Actress Zhuo Hua, still dressed in a cool and mysterious retro long dress, exuded an extraordinary temperament. Above her left shoulder, amidst her cloud-like black hair, was a small, fluffy, round, snow-white creature.
It squatted there quietly, only its eyes, like pure obsidian, darting around, filled with boundless curiosity about this unfamiliar territory.
It would glance at the huge spotlight, then at the staff running around with reflectors, and then tilt its head to examine the actors in strange costumes, its eyes both innocent and focused, utterly adorable.
"My God... what's that? Is it Teacher Zhuohua's pet?"
"It looks like a little snowball! So cute! And it can stay completely still!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down, don't disturb it and Teacher Zhuohua!"
"It's looking at me! It's looking at me! Oh no, I'm dead!"
The crew members on set, especially the female staff, couldn't help but be drawn to this ethereal and adorable little creature that had suddenly appeared, their suppressed whispers of excitement rising and falling.
Even the usually serious director couldn't help but take a second look before filming began, his lips twitching slightly, but ultimately he said nothing. After all, with Zhuohua's inherent aura, let alone bringing a bird, even if she brought a tiger (as long as she could keep it in check), probably no one would dare to object.
Filming begins. The scene is an antique shop warehouse late at night, dimly lit, with only a few old wall lamps casting a yellowish glow. The air is filled with the smell of dust and old paper.
Zhuo Hua, playing the role of "Lamp," stands before a row of tall bookshelves, her fingertips brushing the spine of a yellowed ancient book, her eyes deep and unfathomable. Lu Xiao, playing the role of "Night Walker" Chen Mo, hides in the shadows of a corner, holding his breath, trying to catch any abnormality in her.
The atmosphere was tense, ready to explode at any moment.
Lu Xiao was completely focused, trying his best to immerse himself in the character's tense, wary, and slightly inquisitive state of mind. He kept a close eye on Zhuo Hua's every move, even holding his breath.
Just then—
"Click!"
The director's booming voice rang out through the loudspeaker across the quiet set, announcing that the take was over and that the lighting needed to be adjusted.
This was a perfectly ordinary instruction on set.
However, just as the word "click" was uttered!
"Chirp—!"
A crisp, loud response, tinged with excitement and pride, rang out unexpectedly from Zhuohua's shoulder!
It's Frostfeather!
It sat there obediently, trying to understand everything happening around it. When it heard that loud "click," a flash of inspiration (or perhaps it was its innate instinct?) struck it: Oh! Is that calling Frostfeather? Just like how its owner sometimes calls "Frostfeather, come here!"
It immediately felt it had been called out and had to give the loudest and most positive response! So, it puffed out its fluffy little chest and, with all its might, let out what it thought was the clearest and loudest "Chirp—!", with a slightly triumphant tremor.
The entire audience: "..."
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
Immediately afterwards—
"Pfft!"
“Hahahahahahaha!”
"Oh my god! This is hilarious!"
"Is it responding to the director? Does it think the director is calling it? Hahaha!"
"Help! How can she be so cute!"
The deathly silence was shattered instantly, and bursts of laughter swept across the entire set like a flood. Even the usually stern-faced cameraman was laughing so hard his hands were shaking, and he almost dropped his camera. The crew members were laughing so hard they were doubled over, tears streaming down their faces.
Lu Xiao was the first to react. He was still immersed in the tense emotions of his character, and the sudden "divine response" and the burst of laughter from the audience made his brain freeze for a moment.
Immediately, a massive wave of laughter crashed over him like a tsunami. He abruptly lowered his head, his shoulders shaking violently. He covered his mouth tightly with one hand and braced himself against the prop box beside him with the other, his face flushed red from trying to suppress his laughter, feeling as if his abs were about to cramp. He dared not look up at Zhuohua's expression, afraid that he would completely burst out laughing.
Zhuohua: "..."
On her perpetually icy face, a rare, extremely fine crack appeared—a crack described as "speechless with emotion." She slightly turned her head, her cool gaze falling on the snowball on her shoulder, still wearing a proud expression that said, "Frostfeather is the best! Frostfeather responded!"
Frostwing sensed its master's gaze and, thinking it was a compliment, proudly rubbed its little head against Zhuohua's cheek and chirped crisply, "Chirp~!" as if to say: Look how clever Frostwing is!
Zhuohua silently raised her hand and gently poked Shuangling's fluffy, warm little belly with her index finger. The gesture carried a hint of barely perceptible helplessness and indulgence. Oh well, why bother arguing with a little divine beast that's just beginning to develop intelligence and still retains the mentality of a cub?
This dramatic scene was clearly recorded on a mobile phone by a young extra secretly slacking off in the corner. From the director yelling "Cut!" to Shuangling's proud response, to the whole audience bursting into laughter, Lu Xiao trying so hard to hold back his laughter, and Zhuohua helplessly poking the adorable pet... in just over ten seconds, cute and funny moments were bombarded one after another.
The extra was so excited his hands were shaking. Almost immediately, he posted the video, along with the title: "[Adorable Creature Appears on the Set of 'Dark Night Lantern'! Director Shouts 'Cut!' and Goddess Zhuohua's 'Snowball' Responds! Actor Lu Xiao Laughs to the Point of Collapse!]" on his small social media account with few followers.
He never expected that this video would be like a nuclear bomb dropped into a calm lake.
At first, the message circulated only within a small group of enthusiasts: "Look! Goddess Zhuohua's pet has come to life!"
"Hahaha, I could laugh at Lu Xiao's expression for a year!"
"What is that little thing? It's so cute! It looks like a moving mochi!"
"Zhuohua poked its belly! Ah, I'm done for! The goddess actually has such a gentle side!"
Then, marketing accounts with a keen sense of smell quickly moved in, reposting the content and adding more eye-catching headlines:
Zhuohua brings her adorable pets to work on set
The director yelled "Cut!" and the mythical beast responded?
Lu Xiao laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall on set, and the reason was...
Let's take a closer look at the mysterious snowball on the actress's shoulder.
Overnight, the topic skyrocketed, soaring to the top of the trending search list! It was even followed by a bright red "Explosive" sign!
【Zhuohua's Mysterious Snowball】Views: 820 million; Discussions: 1.523 million
[Director's "Cut!" and the Adorable Pet's Response] Views: 570 million; Discussions: 981,000
[Lu Xiao laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall] Views: 410 million; Discussions: 654,000
The comment section was completely flooded with comments:
"Ahhhhh, that little white dumpling is so incredibly beautiful! So fluffy and soft! I want to pet it!"
"The way it tilted its head to look at the camera! I'm totally blown away! I need a high-resolution photo!"
"The goddess Zhuohua poked its belly! My ice queen actually has such a gentle and doting side! Her persona has collapsed (in a good way)!"
"Lu Xiao's suppressed laughter is just like me when I get called out by the teacher for sneaking snacks in class! My image as a movie star is completely shattered, hahaha!"
"Am I the only one curious about what kind of creature it is? It looks like a bird but isn't quite a bird, it's so lively! Like a little elf!"
"Where can I buy the same 'Snow Mochi'? I'd sell my entire fortune to get one!"
"One person wrote a petition in blood, begging Goddess Zhuohua to open a pet account! I want to cuddle cute little dumplings every day!"
Xingyao Media's PR department was instantly inundated with calls. Looking at the skyrocketing data and overwhelmingly positive comments, Sister Wang couldn't stop smiling. She immediately contacted Zhuohua and Lu Xiao's teams to discuss a gentle, interactive promotional campaign.
At home, Shuangling was lying in front of the latest tablet computer that Lu Xiao had bought for it. Its little paws were still not very nimble, but with the guidance of a trace of Zhuohua's divine power, it could already clumsily swipe the screen.
Lu Xiao opened the trending search page for it, and it was flooded with screenshots of its round figure and "heroic" responses.
"Master, Master! Look! It's Shuangling!" The little guy excitedly patted the screen with his little paws, pointing to his own photo. "Shuangling! She's trending! Chu chu chu!"
It clicked on a popular comment praising it as "as cute as a glutinous rice ball," "an ethereal little elf," and "wanting to steal the dumpling," and read it with great interest, its obsidian-like eyes filled with smug little stars.
"They complimented Shuangling's beauty!"
It flapped its wings and took flight, circling happily around the living room, its fluffy feathers bursting open like an excited white dandelion. "Frostfeather is amazing! Even more popular than Lu Xiao! Chirp!"
Lu Xiao walked over with a fruit platter, and upon hearing this, deliberately put on a stern face: "Hey, you heartless little thing, who buys you dried fish every day? Who sews you a mat? Who uses your tablet for you? You're kicking me after you've served your purpose!"
Shuangling immediately flew back to Zhuohua's side, landed on her lap, rubbed her little head against Zhuohua's hand, and complained, "Master! Lu Xiao (Lu Xiao) was mean to Shuangling!"
Zhuohua was feeding it a newly formed vermilion fruit from the space, imbued with gentle spiritual energy. Upon hearing this, she raised her eyes and glanced indifferently at Lu Xiao.
Lu Xiao immediately raised his hands in surrender, his face plastered with a fawning smile: "No, no! Shuangling is the best! Come on, try this freshly cut mango, your favorite 'yellow' one!"
Shuangling then gave a satisfied "humph," proudly raised her little head, flew to the fruit plate, and pecked at the sweet mango chunks, muttering indistinctly, "Luckily, Lu Xiao (Lu Xiao) knows what's good for him! Chirp!"
Looking at this spoiled little darling, Lu Xiao shook his head helplessly, but his eyes were full of doting affection. He sat down next to Zhuo Hua, watching Shuang Ling eat happily, and chuckled softly, "This little guy is really popular all over the internet now. Sister Chen said that more than a dozen pet supply and children's brands want to hire him as their spokesperson."
Zhuohua gently combed the smooth feathers on Shuangling's back with her fingertips, feeling the increasingly abundant and active spiritual power within the little guy (although it was still far from its peak), and said calmly, "Let it be happy."
To her, Shuangling's happiness and recovery were a million times more important than any empty fame. Watching the little guy roll around happily over a few online compliments, and squint with satisfaction at a delicious bite, this pure and simple joy was a warmth she had never experienced in her long divine life.
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