Chapter 158 Going Home to Sleep

Interrupted by Zhu Xue-shuang's seemingly casual yet deliberate diversion, Bai Lingxiao failed to get the answer she desired, and instantly looked a little deflated.

There were still many things within this circle that Bai Lingxiao did not understand. Even without overthinking it, Chu Luoxi felt that Bai Lingxiao was the very last person who should find out, for fear that a single slip of the tongue would let the whole world know.

Chu Luoxi cast a grateful glance at Zhu Xue-shuang, while simultaneously shooting a rather peculiar look at Bai Lingxiao. Could this girl have a crush on the Great God Xiao? Otherwise, why would she be so eager to know what kind of relationship she had with him?

In fact, it was hardly Chu Luoxi's fault that her first thought revolved around the Great God Xiao rather than herself. Considering the countless men and women across the entire country, if one were to truly count them, how many love rivals did she have? She could hardly avoid such associations.

Once the production crew arrived in Yunnan, they immediately plunged into a normal work rhythm. When filming on location, every wasted day meant piles of money burning away. Therefore, the staff members, who had recently received quite a few perks, consciously focused on their duties, striving to shorten the shooting schedule.

Originally, the daily tasks were relatively relaxed, but the sudden onset of intense pressure—filming through day and night—soon caused some people to reach their breaking points. Minor ailments began to crop up here and there. For a time, someone was always complaining about this or that. Fortunately, most of the minor issues did not affect the filming; it was just that people looked rather listless behind the scenes.

In response, Chu Luoxi, despite being the lead actress and thus the most exhausted of all, seemed entirely unfazed. This prompted a large group of people to cry unfair, driving her to chuckle slyly: "You lot simply lack pressure. Once you get used to being tired, you'll naturally be fine." She was speaking the absolute truth. In her previous life, she had lived every single day surrounded by pressure; from a mental standpoint, she was already accustomed to this high-intensity pace.

Human potential was limitless; with a little squeezing, it would always emerge. After this bizarre, sickly atmosphere persisted for a full week, it truly and decisively vanished. It was as if they had crossed some invisible threshold, and suddenly everyone felt relaxed.

Not only were Chu Luoxi's scenes affected, but everyone else also performed as if aided by the divine, exhibiting extraordinary states of mind. Difficulties that were once thought insurmountable were inexplicably overcome, leaving Fan Li smiling all day long, completely devoid of his dragon-like tyrannical state from the previous few days.

Thus, smoothly progressing to the end of November, "Blood Phoenix," which had spanned nearly five months of filming, finally wrapped up. Chu Luoxi heaved a sigh of relief, hurried back to her apartment without pausing for breath, and fell into a deep, heavy sleep.

Rushing as she did didn't mean she wasn't tired; it was simply that she knew how to regulate herself. After the wrap, she naturally needed to rest until all the accumulated fatigue was gone, otherwise, her body simply wouldn't be able to bear it.

Not knowing how long she had slept, Chu Luoxi was woken up by hunger. With a somewhat wry smile and a head of messy hair, she wandered out of the bedroom, intending to forage for something to fill her stomach.

Hearing the bedroom door open, Xiao Jingxuan turned his head with a hint of delight, only to see Chu Luoxi walking lightly into the kitchen with her eyes barely open. She accurately located the refrigerator, opened it, and began rummaging through it.

After observing Chu Luoxi's bizarre state for a rare moment, Xiao Jingxuan ultimately couldn't help asking, "What are you looking for?"

Making sure that Chu Luoxi was merely half-asleep and not sleepwalking, Xiao Jingxuan finally spoke up, keeping his voice lowered to a murmur for fear of startling her.

"Ah? Food, so hungry..." Chu Luoxi gave a serious reply, muttering indistinctly while her hands continued their frantic search.

Twenty seconds later, having failed to find anything to eat, Chu Luoxi finally snapped to her senses. Since when did her home gain an extra person? And why was he talking to her? In an instant, her drowsiness scattered by seventy or eighty percent, waking her up quite a bit.

"Awake?" Xiao Jingxuan chuckled softly. It was his first time seeing Chu Luoxi in such a half-sleepwalking state, and he found her so endearing that he almost couldn't resist pulling her straight into his arms and petting her. Unfortunately, just as he hesitated, Chu Luoxi's eyes regained their clarity.

"Senior Brother? Why are you here?" Chu Luoxi asked in a dazed tone. Although she had dropped his surname in daily address long ago, she was still too used to calling him that, so actual names or nicknames might as well just float away like clouds!

"Weren't you off doing promotional tours with the movie's crew?" Chu Luoxi belatedly remembered this fact, her half-asleep brain genuinely a bit sluggish.

Xiao Jingxuan's debut film was scheduled to premiere on Christmas Eve, right on the eve of the holiday. Naturally, he had been running around promoting it everywhere during this period, and as the male lead, the Great God Xiao could not shirk his duty!

During this time, Chu Luoxi hadn't had a moment to answer calls, but Xiao Jingxuan had sent her text messages from time to time. It seemed that every day's text came from a different place—one day he was in this province, the next he had run off to that city. Clearly, the promotional tour was exceptionally busy.

"I came back yesterday. It's the middle of the night, where would I go to promote a movie?" Xiao Jingxuan pulled her up and led her over to sit on the sofa. "You haven't been home in two months, how could there possibly be anything left in the fridge? Wait a moment, I'll order some takeout for you. I genuinely didn't know you were fast asleep without having eaten anything."

Had he known, he would have prepared something in advance. Although he had raw ingredients at home, ordering takeout was much faster, so he dismissed the idea of cooking right then.

"Mm-hmm!" Chu Luoxi rubbed her stomach, which was growling with hunger, and nodded somewhat sheepishly.

Once fast asleep, who would ever think to wake up on time to eat? Unless, of course, they were starving like this...

Although she was frantic with hunger, Chu Luoxi had always liked to chew her food slowly and carefully, making it impossible for her to speed up. Instead, she could only watch wide-eyed as a certain Great God gracefully and rapidly snatched half of it away into his own stomach.

"Are you hungry too?" Then why didn't he order two portions? Chu Luoxi stared in astonishment as Xiao Jingxuan raided her bowl, the contents vanishing by half in plain sight.

Wiping his mouth with a look of lingering satisfaction, Xiao Jingxuan rested his arm on the back of the sofa, stretched his entire body out, and picked up the remote control with his other hand to change the channel. Every inch of him radiated contentment: "You've been hungry for too long, don't eat too much. What's left is enough, be careful of getting a stomachache..."

Hearing this, Chu Luoxi covered her face, tears streaming down her heart. Fine, this reason was remarkably solid; she conceded defeat...

Nursing her grievances after eating only to a fifty-percent fullness, Chu Luoxi dragged herself back to the big bed to resume her sleep. The next day, she was coaxed awake by a wave of rich aroma. Rolling over fully rested, she discovered that the bedroom door hadn't been closed at all—no wonder she could smell the scent coming from the kitchen.

Pondering hard to recall, did she leave the door open when she went in to sleep last night? That should be impossible!

Failing to remember in the end, Chu Luoxi simply gave up, got up to take a shower in the bathroom, and walked over to the dining room only to find a table full of mouth-watering delicacies. Their captivating color, aroma, and taste were proof of the Great God Xiao's superb culinary skills. Most importantly, they were all dishes she loved to eat. Just looking at them made her heart pound with excitement and her appetite flare up instantly.

Suppressing her suddenly erupted appetite, Chu Luoxi obediently sat down at the table, her eyes rolling and following the figure moving busily about in the kitchen. The Great God Xiao was actually still here? Surely he hadn't skipped out on his original schedule again!