Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Liking a man is the beginning of bad luck...
A film and television city hundreds of kilometers away from "Flash Revolution".
It was already night, but the lights on the set were still on. While adjusting the scenery, the production manager ran to a nanny car to apologize, rubbing his hands and laughing awkwardly.
"I'm so sorry, Brother Lu, this night scene is expected to shoot until the early morning, please wait a moment."
This is Lu Yanxi's car.
Lu Yanxi's schedule was very tight. She flew to this crew to film the next day after recording "Flash Revolution", which was an almost seamless transition.
From being a special guest on the talent show to joining the crew, the break in between was no more than three or four hours, but when he was dressed up and appeared in front of the crew in a suit and tie, he had already become the elite and cold-blooded lawyer character in the play, seamlessly and without any flaws.
Even though I know he has the best temper, I still can't help but be frightened when I see him immersed in the role.
Lu Yanxi took off the silver-rimmed glasses she used for her styling, looking less stern. She said gently to the production manager:
"It's okay. There are a lot of extras today, and we're all suffering together."
Then he turned to the car and said, "Pan Pan, look for a 24-hour sweet soup shop. It's hot out, I want to treat everyone to some sweet soup."
"Okay!"
Panpan is his assistant, a girl in her twenties who responds actively and quickly.
The stage manager's eyes lit up and he quickly thanked everyone on their behalf.
When he returned to work, he was still sighing. Everyone said that working in Lu Yanxi's team was the most comfortable, and it turned out to be true.
However, as soon as he left, the scene in the nanny car was completely different.
"What a lousy crew," Pan Pan complained angrily, "I told them the itinerary long ago, but they still scheduled it until midnight. What's going on?"
From Panpan's perspective, Lu Yanxi was kept overnight by "Flash Revolution" to shoot various materials. She came back early in the morning and was busy catching a plane to the crew.
I couldn’t get a good rest on the plane, and as soon as I landed, I was on the hot search again!
Brother Lu is a very decent person. When he saw that the actor was a co-star with him before, he immediately stopped the company from going to the public relations department, saying that he would help the actor to the end and would not lose any weight even if he was rubbed.
Alas, he is simply a living Bodhisattva in the circle, giving people free things.
"After filming this talent show, we've finally repaid the favor. Brother Lu, you're just too good-tempered—"
The chief producer of "Flash Revolution" recommended a role to Lu Yanxi in his early years. That was his first opportunity to appear on the screen.
Pan Pan asked with concern, "Brother Lu, why don't you get some sleep first? I'll help you keep an eye on the messages on your phone."
Except on the plane, she noticed that Lu Yanxi always kept her phone with her, opening it every few seconds to check, as if she was afraid of missing someone's message, so she mentioned this.
Look at him, his eyes are all red from staying up all night. It’s a sin.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yanxi refused and even held the phone tighter, as if she was afraid that Panpan would snatch it away.
He even reminded: "When the filming starts, you see the message and tell me immediately. It's okay to just pause the filming."
What you say will come true.
Before he finished speaking, the black screen of the phone suddenly lit up.
Panpan held his breath.
She saw that Lu Yanxi's breathing was a little rapid, her hands were shaking, facial recognition failed, and she entered the password incorrectly several times before it opened.
She wisely lowered her head and avoided him, then shut up and stopped talking.
Lu Yanxi stared at the screen.
The new message is a text message from an unknown contact.
[Unknown Contact]:
"Thank you for helping me cover up what happened last night. Yan Pei must be in a lot of trouble. I owe you one."
However, he spent a long time reading just two lines of words, wishing he could break the characters apart and engrave all the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal characters in his mind. He opened the input keyboard, hurriedly typed in a few pinyin characters, and then deleted them.
indeed.
He received several calls from Yan Pei today, and the conversation was indirect and subtle.
As for human feelings.
Lu Yanxi's eyes flickered and she finally replied.
[So are you willing to see me now?]
He didn't wait for Cen Xue on the rooftop last night, but he still admitted it despite Yan Pei's questioning.
[There are some things I want to explain in person... Today's trending search was not caused by me.]
That was just a despicable act of his to win over Yan Pei.
As if by saying this, he could accept this precious favor without any hesitation.
Lu Yanxi had the script at hand, and had just turned to the page where she would be acting opposite other characters tonight.
It says that the elite lawyer scoffed at other people's comments: First love? I've never had such a thing.
*
Seven years ago in the summer, S City, No. 3 Municipal Middle School.
The sitcom "Adolescence" rented an empty senior high school classroom at the Municipal No. 3 Middle School as the filming location for the main characters' scenes at school.
There are a lot of things going on at school during the day, so we finish work early these days.
However, Lu Fengjun was a strict person who paid the most attention to his reputation. He always asked Lu Yanxi to stay until all the staff on the set had finished their work before they could go back.
"...Dad," Lu Yanxi whispered on the way back home at 7 o'clock that day, "I forgot my phone in the classroom."
The agent immediately said, "Then I'll get out of the car and help Yan Xi get it."
"Let him go alone! Let him learn his lesson."
Lu Fengjun frowned, "He's so careless and always causes trouble for others. I think it's because you, Zhang Yan, have spoiled him too much. Sooner or later, he'll make a bigger mistake."
Zhang Yan glanced at Lu Yanxi and shut his mouth.
She had been working for Lu Fengjun for over a decade, and had watched Lu Yanxi grow up. She could be considered the first important female elder in his life. With Lu Yanxi's debut, she also took over his related affairs.
But Lu Fengjun is the boss and he has the upper hand after all.
At the next intersection, Lu Yanxi silently opened the door and got out of the car, trying to find a way back.
He took a taxi back to the No. 3 Municipal Middle School.
Today is the weekend, and there is almost no one in the school after the crew left. However, in order to facilitate filming, the crew all have access cards and have unimpeded access.
Walking alone on the deserted tree-lined path on campus, the only sounds in my ears were my own footsteps and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
'You know, the school is haunted at night.'
"It seems that in the classroom where we were filming, someone saw the lights inside turn on by themselves at night."
"But doesn't the crew lock the door every day?"
"Hey! So it's a ghost!"
For some reason, Lu Yanxi's mind suddenly flashed back to the conversation of the extras she heard during the day. The heat immediately dissipated a little, and the wind blowing on her body seemed to penetrate into her bones, making her feel cold.
He blinked, and caught a glimpse of red from the corner of his eye. His breathing slowed immediately, and he turned around suddenly, as if he had a premonition.
Nothing.
…It turned out to be the fiery clouds of the sunset.
The days are long in summer, and the sky is still not dark at all. A huge sunset cloud stretches from the distance to the front, following closely behind him, and it is unknown how long it has been.
He seemed to be the center of the dividing line, and the world behind him was dyed a very deep color by the sunset.
Lu Yanxi quickened his pace.
The teaching building for senior high school is separate from the first and second grades. It is the quietest and located in the deepest part of the school.
He lowered his head and walked quickly forward, as if he was being chased by those red spots, and in the end he actually started running.
...Are you scared because of what I said during the day? That's not right.
He just felt a little breathless for some reason.
Desperately wanting to end my solitude.
Lu Yanxi walked up the stairs and easily pushed open the classroom door that should have been locked.
He looked up and found that an incandescent lamp in the middle of the classroom was turned on.
The white light reflected below contrasted with the surrounding brightness, as if it was fate's instruction for him to notice this place at first sight.
Under the light, the man's figure was outlined with a holy contour.
But today's fiery clouds seemed to be fixed on Lu Yanxi, following her like a shadow.
The moment the man heard the sound and turned his head, red clouds invaded through the window. The boy's pure black eyes seemed to be illuminated by fire, and his hair was stained with the afterglow of the sunset.
"you……"
Lu Yanxi was stunned and subconsciously took a step forward.
"Who are you--"
The boy stood up hastily.
He moved quickly, like a cat. He stepped onto the table next to him, jumped to the wall in a few steps, pushed open the window, and climbed over the wall easily.
Lu Yanxi realized it later and caught up with him, but was blocked by tables and chairs. In the end, she could only cling to the window and chase his back as he disappeared around the corner.
It was his fault for alarming that person.
Lu Yanxi raised her eyes and saw the sky outside the corridor.
I don't know when the fiery clouds had burned out, the red faded, and the sky was covered with the cold color that should be in the night.
When he came to his senses, Lu Yanxi only remembered those misty eyes. Even the light favored him, sliding and dancing on his eyelashes.
Sitting down with his hands on the table, he grabbed the collar of his shirt, and a tingling sensation spreading from his heart spread throughout his body. A chaotic muffled sound lingered in his ears, and it took him a while to realize that it was his own disordered heartbeat.
Until sanity returns.
He finally remembered the boy's name.
*
"Xu Lin, from now on you will sit diagonally in front of the protagonist."
The crew is arranging seats for extras in the classroom.
The main characters are of course the ones in front, behind and the classmates, but for the sake of harmony in the picture, the extras nearby also have to be selected from some clean and good-looking children, and Xu Lin is one of them.
But it was not until the unexpected encounter just now that Lu Yanxi had a concrete image of this name.
When I inadvertently glanced up during the filming, the back of the old-fashioned sports school uniform held up at an angle in front of me, and the scattered hair on the neck also became clear.
Lu Yanxi was looking forward to the meeting the next day.
But he came to the crew with injuries all over his body, and because his injuries were too obvious, the entire morning's filming was disrupted.
…
When they met again, Lu Yanxi didn't even have time to think carefully about the relationship between Cen Xue and Xu Lin.
He was completely stunned just by seeing that face which was the same as it was seven years ago, but even more delicate and mature.
He stared intently, following the tiny halo in Cen Xue's eyes.
Who came up with this idea?
Catch those star-like things to decorate his fascinating eyes.
Lu Yanxi lowered her head and tried hard to suppress the sour feeling that rose to the tip of her nose.
After the throbbing emotions were awakened, the instinctive joy and the unsure happiness overlapped.
At this moment, he finally confirmed his feelings on that evening when the clouds were burning.
But it was too late.
*
Pan Pan followed Lu Yanxi's instructions and held the phone in his hand without letting go.
It was not until the filming was finished in the middle of the night that Lu Yanxi returned to the nanny car exhausted, and the screen lit up as if by magic.
"Brother Lu, here you go!" Pan Pan closed his eyes and didn't even look at the words in the notification preview.
It’s not that she wasn’t curious, she was just afraid that she would see something she shouldn’t see. If she let it slip in front of Mr. Zhang—Zhang Yan, she would be in trouble.
And based on her experience in various fan circles, generally speaking, when a star inexplicably starts playing with his mobile phone for a long time, it is certain that he has a sister-in-law.
Oh my God, if this was discovered by fans—Pan Pan took a deep breath.
Suddenly, my mind was filled with only two words: protect!
She turned on the lights of the nanny car and carefully looked at Lu Yanxi's expression.
Less than half a minute after receiving the new information, Lu Yanxi's exhaustion was swept away and he felt refreshed.
Sure enough, Panpan covered her mouth with her girlish heart, which shows that she is truly happy.
Lu Yanxi repeatedly scrolled through the chat history which contained only a few lines.
[Unknown Contact] Latest:
[Sure, I have something to ask you. But isn't it convenient to do it on the show?]
Lu Yanxi:
[I'll wait for you to finish recording.]
[Do you want to debut? I don't know much about it, but I'll help you.]
[Unknown Contact]: [Please have some sense of contract.]
Lu Yanxi slid down to her knees quickly: [I'm sorry, I'm too utilitarian.]
[Unknown Contact]:
[No, I mean, I signed a first-round contract.]
[But besides this, don’t you have anything else to apologize for?]
[If you want to see me, is it just to prove your innocence in the trending search?]
Lu Yanxi froze.
He opened his mouth, and suddenly he felt a phantom pain in his back, and he couldn't help but straighten his back.
Frowning and enduring the pain, Lu Yanxi hesitantly typed the word "I'm sorry" into the chat box, but before he could send it out——
[Unknown Contact]: [Never mind.]
Lu Yanxi deleted these three words.
It was an undisguised sigh, yet it contained a hint of hope of escape. Pan Pan's eyebrows twitched, not daring to move too obviously, and he secretly looked at Lu Yanxi with a sly look in his eyes.
Oh my god... She has seen the darkness of the soul in life.
Is this the power of love? One second it can give birth to someone, the next it can kill them. How terrifying!
*
[Lu Yanxi]:
[Yan Pei will not be here this week. He is going to participate in the recording of another music program.]
Cen Xue saw the message and didn't plan to reply.
Hiding his phone in the inside pocket of his clothes, he walked out of the bathroom.
At this time, the lights in the dormitory were off, and there was no electricity except in the sockets. It was said that someone brought ten flashlights to distribute to other trainees. Chen Xiaohe borrowed one for Cen Xue, and those who wanted to interact with Cen Xue were finally able to exchange a few words.
Chen Xiaohe was curious: "Brother, Brother Cen, what were you two recording? Why did you take so long to come back?"
"Re-recording the first stage," Cen Xue said with a perfunctory smile, "Just call me by my name. We're all classmates now."
There was a knock, and a beam of light shot out from the flashlight obtained from Chen Xiaohe.
Cen Xue swept the light across Fu Ruoyun's face on the upper bunk. "What are you thinking about now that you're still awake?"
In less than two seconds, Fu Rouyun opened his eyes guiltily: "Brother, how did you find out?"
Cen Xue sat down on the lower bunk. "Maybe it's because no one would smile with their teeth bared while sleeping."
The night was so quiet that even the slightest movement seemed to stand out. When Fu Rouyun came down from the ladder, he made a creaking sound. Cen Xue had already gone through the scene of the pioneer percussion music in her mind.
"Brother," Fu Rouyun sat down beside him, "Are you really saying I'm so great?"
Fu Rouyun's supplementary recording was based on the interaction from Cen Xue's cue.
Ever since he knew Cen Xue's impression and evaluation of him, he has been feeling elated.
Cen Xue: "This is already the fifth time you've asked this question after the re-recording. I allow you to ask something else."
Fu Rouyun: "Then how did you get the role in that episode?"
Cen Xue: "..."
Might as well ask the previous one.
However, he still felt very touched by Fu Rouyun's unconditional protection of him before.
Even though he didn't know about Cen Xue's past, he still firmly protected his wishes and privacy at the first moment.
But it has already happened, and there is no point in covering your mouth.
It's better to make a bigger fuss. After all, what could be more suffocating than escaping death and being exposed?
Cen Xue said, "I don't think I've ever mentioned anything about my family."
Fu Rouyun nodded: "I only know that my brother's emergency contact person in the contract is my mother."
"...Oh," Cen Xue shone the flashlight at him as if interrogating a criminal, "You flipped through my contract."
The voice was deliberately lowered, soft in the silent night, but it penetrated into Fu Rouyun's ears.
Oh no! He hid his hands behind his back, resisting the urge to touch Cen Xue. The blurriness in the dim environment tempted him to subconsciously confirm Cen Xue's outline.
The only light on Cen Xue's body was the moonlight shining into the room from behind and the reflection of the flashlight, which was a layer of dark blue mist.
He finally had the chance to uncover some of the mystery and learn about the other party's past.
"It's just to understand the basic qualities of the employees," Fu Rouyun swallowed, "Brother, is this considered changing the subject?"
"I don't know what's so interesting about it."
Cen Xue supported his chin and shook the flashlight again and again, but he still fulfilled Fu Rouyun's wish.
"You know I went there to earn a living, right? Actually, there was another reason at that time."
"I secretly applied to a university far away from my dad, but he found out. He was angry and wanted to beat me, so I just hid from him. The crew pays me daily and provides meals, so I can stay home and wait until the end of the filming—"
The crew would lock the classroom doors but always forget the windows.
Cen Xue took advantage of everyone leaving and climbed through the window back into the classroom.
How could he pass the time alone? He first read all the books in the crew's reading corner, then, feeling bored, he started working on the papers he hadn't finished before the college entrance exam.
I didn't go back until late at night, after everyone at home had gone to bed.
Although not meeting each other would ease his father's anger, not returning home at night would trigger a second outburst. No matter what, it would at least reduce the probability of conflict.
"At the time, there were rumors of a haunted crew. It was said that every night, the lights in the locked classrooms would automatically turn on... What do you think the truth is?"
Fu Rouyun's train of thought had completely followed Cen Xue's: "What is it?"
"yes--"
Cen Xue suddenly shone the flashlight from her chin upwards, "Me!"
Fu Rouyun's breathing stagnated: "......!!!"
He covered his rapidly beating heart with his hand, a mask of pain on his face.
Cen Xue suppressed her laughter and patted his shoulder: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
I originally thought that the summer vacation before college would pass relatively peacefully like this.
"Lu Yanxi found out," he lowered his eyes. "I thought he was going to expose me, so I ran away in a panic and went home very early that night."
When he got home, his father Xu Zhongqiang was drunk.
A basket of miscellaneous items was thrown at his head, but he didn't react in time and caught it firmly.
There happened to be a pair of scissors inside, and the semi-blunt tips made a big cut from the side of the face to below the ear.
He didn't feel any pain at first, but was worried about tomorrow's filming, and in his excitement the fight turned into a brawl.
Cen Xue felt a little embarrassed when she recalled her youthful impulsiveness. "It's quite surprising, isn't it? It's very different from who I am now."
"Actually...Brother, you were quite like before just now."
"Really? What do you think I look like now?"
Everything seems so dull, as if nothing really matters - and there are no expectations whatsoever.
On the contrary, this makes people more unpredictable and cautious.
Fu Rouyun didn't dare say it. He treasured the little bit of energy and spirit Cen Xue had shown when she teased him, and turned to ask about another matter that concerned him.
"Brother, what that person is saying now——"
"He, he's dead."
They all knew who was talking about it.
Cen Xue recalled something and added, "He died before I went to college."
Fu Rouyun sat close to him.
Due to limited vision and miscalculated distance, the shoulders of the two people crossed with this movement, and the material of their pajamas rubbed against each other. Through the thin layer, their body temperatures pressed against each other, and finally the one with slightly lower temperature lost, receiving the endless flow of heat transmitted from them.
Cen Xue felt the warm breath Fu Rouyun inadvertently exhaled brushing against her neck as he spoke.
"That's... a good thing, right?" he asked.
Cen Xue was stunned for a moment, then revealed a helpless smile after a long while: "Well, it's a good thing."
As luck would have it, this was the first time Cen Xue told others about her past.
So this was also the first time he looked back at his chaotic and miserable past as a bystander.
It was precisely because of Fu Rouyun, a considerate listener, that he took on half of the complex emotions of the memories and was able to pull Cen Xue out of it in time.
"The next day I went to the set and was severely scolded."
"At this time, Lu Yanxi stepped forward and asked his agent to negotiate with the crew to give me a role in an episode that had not yet been decided."
That character happened to be injured, so it didn't affect the filming.
Cen Xue raised her head and looked at the ceiling.
At that time, he felt that Lu Yanxi was also a very good person.
Now thinking about it, it was just the beginning of bad luck.
First love? Might as well have never had that.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com