Chapter 10
"I heard it's the third male lead, 'Chen Yan'?"
"Yes, the competition is quite fierce; several well-known people have come."
"Lu Xiao? That minor extra? He dares to audition for the third male lead?"
"Who knows? I heard the director thinks highly of him..."
"Lucky you, huh? Got a powerful backer? Look at that guy who knows martial arts..."
The whispers around her, like annoying gnats, intermittently reached Zhuohua's ears. She didn't pause her sunflower seed-eating at all, nor did she even lift her eyelids.
Why bother listening to the gossip of ants? She merely sent out a wisp of extremely weak divine consciousness, like an invisible thread, silently piercing through the tightly closed doors of the audition studio.
The scene inside was clearly reflected in her "eyes".
The atmosphere was heavy in the small space. The director, producer, and screenwriter sat behind a long table. Lu Xiao stood in the center of the room, performing a monologue filled with intense emotion.
"...Why?!" He suddenly looked up and roared, his voice hoarse and torn by extreme pain and anger. His young and handsome face was contorted, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot, tears mixed with despair swirling wildly in his eyes, yet stubbornly refusing to fall.
His body was tense, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, as if he were about to collapse at any moment, yet held back by a deep-seated hatred and a last shred of reason. He exuded a contradictory beauty, both on the verge of breaking and strangely resilient. The overwhelming sense of despair and power almost seemed to break free of the constraints of space!
The people behind the long table, including the usually picky director, held their breath, their eyes filled with shock and admiration! The producer even unconsciously opened his mouth and forgot to close it.
Zhuohua "looked" into Lu Xiao's eyes, those azure eyes burning with fierce flames, as if they could incinerate the entire world. Those eyes held all his heart and soul, all his understanding, all his life energy. For the first time, she paused in her act of cracking sunflower seeds.
The slight itch in my heart seemed to be ignited by this blazing fire of life. It was no longer a subtle scratch, but a clear, warm, swelling sensation, as if something was quietly sprouting.
She withdrew her divine sense and unconsciously rubbed her fingertips against the bag of sunflower seeds.
After an unknown amount of time, the door to the audition studio creaked open.
Lu Xiao came out.
His steps were unsteady, his face was pale from exhaustion, and his hair was soaked with sweat, clinging to his full forehead. But his glassy eyes were astonishingly bright at that moment, like the night sky after a storm, clear, weary, yet burning with the light of embers that were almost completely burned out.
He leaned against the door frame, his eyes searching anxiously through the crowd.
When he saw Zhuohua in the corner, he grinned, revealing an extremely tired yet incredibly radiant smile, like the sun breaking through the clouds.
That smile was pure and bright, carrying a tremendous joy like someone who had survived a catastrophe, and... complete trust and reliance.
He didn't need to say anything. His smile said it all.
Zhuohua looked at him, at his swaying posture, as if he were about to collapse at any moment, yet he stubbornly kept his spine straight. She casually tossed the unfinished sunflower seeds back into her pocket, stood up, and walked towards him.
As Lu Xiao watched her approach, his smile widened, tinged with a childlike boastfulness. He wanted to say something, but overwhelming exhaustion and a sudden mental relaxation washed over him like a tidal wave. His vision went black, and his body slumped forward uncontrollably.
The expected cold, hard ground did not materialize.
He fell into a warm, yet exceptionally comforting embrace, carrying a faint scent of grass and trees.
Zhuohua caught him steadily. Her movements were as practiced as if she had rehearsed them a thousand times.
Lu Xiao's last conscious thought was of the reassuring, cool aura emanating from Zhuo Hua, and a very soft sigh, tinged with helplessness yet indulgent, that reached his ears:
"Tsk. Troublesome."
He completely relaxed and fell into a deep sleep. A bright smile still lingered on his lips.
Zhuohua looked down at the young man in her arms, whose profile, though still showing signs of fatigue, was content even in his sleep. She raised her hand, her fingertips gently stroking his forehead.
A wisp of spiritual energy, imperceptible to the naked eye and extremely gentle, like the finest warm jade, silently seeped into his brow, gently soothing his over-consumed mental energy and nourishing his exhausted body.
All eyes turned to them again, filled with a mix of complex emotions.
Zhuohua seemed oblivious. She simply adjusted her position to make Lu Xiao more comfortable, then hugged him like a child holding a favorite toy, and walked towards the rest area as if no one else was around.
Sunlight streamed through the tall studio roof, casting long shadows behind her. That slender figure, at that moment, seemed to hold up a small, silent, and peaceful sky, belonging only to Lu Xiao.
The clamor outside the audition studio receded like the tide the moment Lu Xiao fell into a deep sleep, leaving only a strange, vacuum-like tranquility.
Zhuohua held him as if he were a fragile and precious piece of porcelain, and walked through the astonished, inquisitive, envious, jealous and hateful gazes towards the old sofa in the corner of the rest area where she often sat.
His movements were practiced and he seemed oblivious to his surroundings.
"Oh dear, this..." A stagehand was about to say something when someone next to him suddenly tugged at his arm and gave him a wink. The man awkwardly shut his mouth and, like the others, watched the slender figure in black, carrying the unconscious young man, disappear behind the curtain of the temporarily separated rest area.
The curtain fell, creating a small, secluded space.
Zhuohua gently placed Lu Xiao on the old sofa covered with a thin blanket. He was fast asleep, his brows still slightly furrowed, as if he were still experiencing Chen Yan's painful struggle in his dream. The excessive mental and physical exertion made his breathing long and heavy.
Zhuohua stood beside the sofa, looking down at his pale, tired profile. In his slumber, Lu Xiao had lost the resilience and brilliance he possessed when awake, revealing an almost fragile softness. Sweat still dampened his forehead, and a few strands of hair clung to his skin. She moved her fingertips, as if wanting to brush away those strands of hair, but stopped halfway.
Troublesome. She muttered to herself again. This mortal body is so troublesome and fragile.
But looking at his unguarded sleeping face, that feeling of trouble was overshadowed by a more unfamiliar emotion, something akin to "responsibility." She sighed almost imperceptibly, her fingertips gently stroking his forehead through the air.
A wisp of spiritual energy, purer and gentler than before, like the softest warm breeze of early spring, silently seeped into Lu Xiao's brow. This energy was extremely subtle, yet it carried the most primal life-nourishing essence, carefully smoothing out the chaotic mental energy he had overdrawn due to the audition, like the most skillful weaver mending the subtle damage. At the same time, that energy split off into an even finer stream, like a trickle, slowly seeping into his tired limbs and bones, nourishing his tense muscles and excessively depleted blood and energy.
As Lu Xiao slept, his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his heavy breathing became even and calm. The alarming pallor on his cheeks faded, replaced by a healthy flush. Even his lips appeared less pale. It was a serene peace emanating from within, a peace nurtured by a powerful force.
Zhuohua withdrew her hand, a trace of warm spiritual energy lingering on her fingertips. She didn't look at him again, turned around and walked to the only relatively intact chair in the corner of the rest area and sat down.
She remained in that languid posture, arms crossed, eyes closed, seemingly drifting into a light sleep. However, her divine sense, like the most sophisticated radar, always subtly enveloped the young man on the sofa, ensuring that no noise or unexpected event could disturb his deep sleep.
Time flowed slowly in the quiet corner of the rest area. The noise from outside the film set drifted through the gaps in the curtains, as if separated by a thick layer of glass.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Xiao's eyelashes fluttered a few times on the sofa, like butterfly wings gently flapping. He slowly opened his eyes, his glassy pupils still carrying the confusion and bewilderment of someone just waking up, his gaze unfocused as it fell on the slightly worn ceiling above him.
Consciousness, like a beach after the tide has receded, slowly gathers back together.
The audition… Shen Yan… the emotional outburst… the directors' shocked looks… and then… walking out the door… seeing Zhuo Hua… and then…
The fragments of memory were suddenly pieced together completely!
Lu Xiao sat up abruptly! The movement was so sudden that his vision went black again. He instinctively held his forehead, but felt an unusual... lightness in his body?
There was no splitting headache or body aches as I had expected. Instead, it felt like I had a very good, high-quality sleep. I was full of energy and even my thinking was exceptionally clear!
He turned his head sharply, his gaze sweeping urgently toward the corner.
Zhuohua remained seated in the old chair with her eyes closed. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on her face. Her long eyelashes cast deep shadows beneath her eyes, making her appear as still as a jade sculpture.
Lu Xiao's heart skipped a beat, then began to pound rapidly. He looked down at the thin blanket covering him, then at the incredible ease he felt in his body. It was Zhuohua…it must be her! That energizing spray, and…
He recalled the fragrant embrace he had fallen into before losing consciousness, and his cheeks began to burn uncontrollably, his ears turning bright red.
He actually... he actually fell asleep on set? And... and she even carried him? This... this is so embarrassing! Isn't he heavy? Won't she find it troublesome?
Countless thoughts raced through Lu Xiao's mind, making him restless and unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.
Just then, Zhuohua opened her closed eyes. There was no grogginess of waking, only a clear and calm stillness, as if she had never slept. Her gaze fell lightly on him, carrying a hint of inquiry.
"I...I'm awake!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com