Chapter 146 Caught in the Act Again

Pouring a glass of water for Chu Luoxi, he stopped teasing her. Knowing that the next scene would be extremely physically demanding, Xiao Jingxuan kept his words brief and let her rest. After all, he hadn’t come to be a distraction.

Some people noticed the great superstar Xiao, but since he was still wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses that he hadn't removed, they weren't entirely sure and kept casting curious, lingering glances his way.

The cameras rolled again, and the action started immediately. This was the first fight scene in *Blood Phoenix*. Although Fan Li and the others had seen the auditions and knew Chu Luoxi had impressive martial arts skills, they still hadn't expected that facing a group of military academy boys, she could actually take on a whole squad single-handedly. Good grief, what kind of rhythm was this?

They had seen people who could fight, but never anyone who could fight *this* well. Look at this—if the extra actors hadn't been slacking off a bit, they probably wouldn't even have needed the martial arts director.

Once again, Fan Li felt thoroughly satisfied and immensely proud of the precious gem he had picked up. A schedule originally planned for a month was now on track to be wrapped up in half a month. And with Chu Luoxi being this capable in a fight? That was going to save him so much worry!

Gradually, the group of boys started getting fired up with genuine frustration. To be suppressed by a woman—was this really turning out just like the script? Yet anger was anger; it couldn't be eaten as a meal. Besides, due to the camera angles, the flushed-and-frenzied crowd couldn't swarm her all at once. They could only tackle her two or three at a time, four at the absolute most, and Chu Luoxi could still handle that.

After fighting for over twenty minutes, Chu Luoxi ran out of stamina. A woman's physical strength ultimately could not compare to a man's; reality and television truly had their differences.

After Director Fan Li shouted cut, he told the sweat-drenched Chu Luoxi to take a quick rest. Twenty-something minutes of raw footage was already enough to edit down into this action-packed scene of less than a minute. It was going to be thrilling and exhilarating—the charm of cinematic storytelling depended heavily on the editing technique.

"I asked Director Fan; today's tasks are done, and we can knock off. Keep me company for dinner tonight!" Shortly after Chu Luoxi sat down, Xiao Jingxuan strolled over leisurely from a distance. After all that time, it turned out he had gone over to cozy up to Director Fan.

Chu Luoxi rolled her eyes feebly. She had known that the great god's appearance wouldn't be that simple. Could she refuse? Could she possibly refuse? She couldn't even imagine what kind of reaction Xiao Jingxuan would have if she said no. Fortunately, she had no interest in testing that theory.

Perhaps lowering his guard, Xiao Jingxuan actually took off his sunglasses so they wouldn't obstruct his view. The consequence was entirely predictable: the people who had already noticed him instantly recognized him. Who knows who yelled out, "It really is King Xiao! It's King Xiao!"

"Swish!" Everyone turned their heads in unison. Then, quite a few people recognized him, followed by a flurry of scrambling through bags and pockets. In a single second, they swarmed him collectively, holding out pieces of white paper and pens as they clamored for autographs.

Xiao Jingxuan was well-used to this kind of spectacle, but he still took a few steps back to avoid encroaching on Chu Luoxi's resting space. Thus, once the crowd gathered around, Chu Luoxi calmly remained seated just outside the bustling circle.

"Want some milk tea?" Ding Ju asked calmly, holding a vacuum flask in one hand and a cup in the other. She saw the great superstar Xiao all the time; nominally, she was even his assistant, so chasing after autographs and the like wasn't anything novel to her.

"Yes, please, pour me a little. I'm about to drop dead from exhaustion." Milk tea was high in calories, making it a great choice for someone who had expended a massive amount of physical energy.

Taking a sip of her favorite strawberry flavor, Chu Luoxi turned her head to look at the densely packed crowd surrounding the superstar, and sighed admiringly, "Senior Xiao's popularity is so high. He's truly everywhere." Moreover, the caliber of Xiao Jingxuan's fans was widely acknowledged. Although they were all industry insiders now and slightly lower in enthusiasm, there were also plenty of student extras from the military academy among them.

Yet even while surrounding Xiao Jingxuan, they weren't shoving or elbowing each other. They seemed remarkably orderly, taking turns without deliberately fighting for position.

Hearing this, the corners of Ding Ju's mouth twitched slightly. Why on earth did she detect a hint of schadenfreude in Chu Luoxi's tone? What kind of situation was this?

Seeing that the great superstar Xiao was extremely busy and unavailable, Chu Luoxi had a word with Ding Ju and then headed back to her dorm to take a shower. She was going out for dinner later; she certainly couldn't go out still wearing a set of sweat-soaked military fatigues!

Short hair was much easier to manage. A simple rub with shampoo and it was clean. After enjoying a refreshing shower, Chu Luoxi walked out feeling completely refreshed, but she had only taken two steps when she almost let out a shriek. Looking up, her gaze locked directly onto Xiao Jingxuan’s pair of glittering black eyes. A rush of blood instantly surged to her head, choking the scream back in her throat. Ultimately, she turned around in a daze, retreated back into the bathroom, closed the door, pressed her back against it, and finally let out the pent-up breath she had been holding, her inner meltdown reaching its absolute peak.

What was going on, what was going on, what was going on? Why did Ding Ju let someone in again without making a sound? The moment she came back, she went straight to take a shower; she hadn't brought her clothes into the bathroom at all!

"Cough, cough..." Xiao Jingxuan touched his itchy nose, feeling a rare trace of awkwardness, though deep down inside he was already feeling impossibly pleased. Fortunately, fortunately, he hadn't had a direct nosebleed.

If the previous unintentional encounter had still left Chu Luoxi wrapped securely in a bath towel, this time she had truly appeared completely bare. At most, she was holding a towel to cover the most critical parts, but the porcelain-smooth expanse of her back the moment she turned around sent blood rushing straight to a person's head.

It wasn't that he lacked gentlemanly conduct or didn't know how to avert his gaze; rather, suddenly encountering such an eye-pleasing sight, he had been completely caught off guard. Before he even had time to react, Chu Luoxi had already turned around and retreated.

Hearing Xiao Jingxuan's cough, Chu Luoxi was a complete mess in the wind. She was far from calm; the blood rushed to her head, turning her cheeks beet red. Biting her lip, she didn't know what to say anymore. Heavens and gods, what on earth was wrong with her? Why did she keep running into this kind of thing? To be seen completely naked just like that—should she go smash her head against a wall, or should she beat the floor in despair?

After lingering in a daze for a good while, Xiao Jingxuan finally regained his composure and took two steps toward the bathroom. "I thought you knew I came in. Do you want me to help you get your clothes?" Guessing that Chu Luoxi probably hadn't brought her change of clothes in with her, he could only offer this explanation and change the subject.

Chu Luoxi was still mortified, having entirely failed to react with outrage—truly an unbelievable feat. "No need, Senior Xiao. Um, would you mind stepping outside for a moment, please?"

Get her clothes? Are you kidding me? All her undergarments and everything were piled together. What kind of chaotic situation was this supposed to be?

"Alright, I'll step out first." Xiao Jingxuan chuckled lightly. Though it carried no special meaning, it only made Chu Luoxi's face flush even more intensely.

Indignantly picking out two pieces of clothing, she put them on at lightning speed. Chu Luoxi was tangled up in endless vexation. What kind of nonsense was this? Why was she always the one getting the short end of the stick? Right—that girl Ding Ju definitely needed some strict disciplining. Since when was the dorm a place where anyone could just let people walk in at will?

After finally getting herself sorted out, Chu Luoxi felt her face still radiating heat. She reached out to pat her cheeks, feeling profoundly depressed. She had taken a massive loss—a truly colossal loss—having inexplicably been seen completely bare twice...