Xie Wang saw Ling Shuangjiang peeling lychees for him, his furrowed brows smoothed out, and he took a bite.
"Frost's Descent, very sweet."
Ling Shuangjiang joked, "The poison test is complete, everyone can eat now."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Lin Xi remembered Ling Shuangjiang, after all, the last few words Xie Wang said to him during the video call with Ling Shuangjiang still made him question his life to this day.
But seeing Xie Wang's effeminate manner today, he felt relieved.
Those who are clean will be clean by themselves.
Gay people are gay.
"During the Frost's Descent period, I'm planning to purchase some well-known but lesser-known oil paintings. Could you give me some advice?" Xiang Ming asked.
Ling Shuangjiang didn't hesitate: "Okay."
Xie Wang asked, "Why buy niche oil paintings?"
"Because niche oil paintings are easier to show off." Lü Xin ruthlessly exposed Xiang Ming's motives.
Xiang Ming rolled his eyes at the group and led Ling Shuangjiang to choose an oil painting.
Xie Wang saw that Ling Shuangjiang was about to leave and was about to follow her, but Lin Xi stopped him.
"Look at you, so pathetic. You follow him everywhere he goes, like a little shadow."
Xie Wang retorted coldly, "What do you know?"
Chen Siqi joined Lin Xi in criticizing Xie Wang: "Little Lin, you don't know your brother Xie. He's currently pursuing Shuangjiang, and he even claims to have officially become her boyfriend. He's happily pursuing her and enjoying it immensely."
Lin Xi exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this just being a simp?"
Xie Wang said speechlessly, "First of all, it's because I feel sorry for Shuangjiang who has been secretly in love with me for so long, and I want to take the initiative to pursue him and make him happy. A relationship like ours, where our souls are in sync, is called a high-quality relationship. Don't just know the word 'simp,' it makes you seem uncultured."
Lin Xi deliberately provoked him: "You're just a simp, don't deny it."
In the living room, the two were still arguing. Ling Shuangjiang and Xiang Ming were focused on selecting oil paintings in the hallway. When he needed to look up some information, he realized he hadn't brought his phone. He told Xiang Ming and prepared to go back to get it.
"I'm a simp? Are you kidding me?"
"Have you ever seen a simp who gets to eat puppy cookies made by Shuangjiang himself?"
"No matter what I say wrong, Shuangjiang is never angry with me and is always very gentle with me."
"Moreover, in order to take care of my feelings, Shuangjiang even granted my unreasonable requests."
"Have you ever seen a simp treated like this?"
After hearing all this, Chen Siqi only had one question: "What unreasonable request did you make to Shuangjiang?"
Facing the gazes of the crowd, Xie Wang crossed his legs, remaining calm and composed: "This involves personal privacy, I have no comment."
"Tch." Lin Xi raised an eyebrow. "So, Shuangjiang actually likes you quite a bit."
“Nonsense, he really likes me.” Xie Wang picked up a cup of coffee, his voice low: “To be honest, I’ve always felt really guilty towards him. He’s so good to me, he loves me so much, but I can’t give him anything in return.”
Lu Xin couldn't stand it anymore, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"You might not know, but I'm going to a blind date arranged by my family recently, around the time of Frost's Descent."
Lin Xi and Chen Siqi asked in unison, "A blind date? You're sending him on a blind date?"
Xie Wang, holding his coffee, revealed a triumphant smile: "You don't need to be afraid. With the extent to which Shuangjiang loves me now, he wouldn't even look at those ordinary mortals."
Hearing Xie Wang's smug tone, Qi Hang asked while cracking sunflower seeds, "Even so, aren't you afraid that the guy might have some feelings for Shuangjiang when you send her on a blind date?"
Chen Siqi teased, "Even if Xie Wang wanted to stop me, he wouldn't have the right. He's just a reserve force now, what right does he have to tell someone to refuse a blind date?"
"Your thinking is narrow-minded."
Xie Wang put down his coffee and analyzed logically: "There are two main reasons why I agreed to go on the blind date with Shuangjiang."
"First of all, as you all know, Shuangjiang loves me very much now. How could he refuse the blind date his mother introduced him to? On the contrary, I generously let him go and meet her. He will only think that I am sensible and understanding, and thus love me even more. And to be honest, how many men these days can compare to me?"
"Secondly, Shuangjiang has feelings for me and will definitely reject that man. After he rejects him, his mother will definitely ask him why he rejected him, and might even put pressure on him and arrange a second blind date. Meanwhile, I am by Shuangjiang's side during this time, taking good care of him. He might be forced by his mother to directly acknowledge me as his son-in-law."
"In that case, we can get our marriage certificate in the next couple of days, right?"
Chen Siqi stroked his chin: "That makes sense. Actually, there's only one problem now. Are you sure Shuangjiang will say no to that blind date, instead of yes?"
Xie Wang raised his eyebrows: "Confirmed."
Outside the door, Ling Shuangjiang crossed her arms and tapped her arms lightly with her fingertips.
"Not necessarily."
Author's Note:
I need a nutrient solution.
Chapter 52 Heart Abnormalities
As Xiang Ming was considering the placement of "Water Lilies," Ling Shuangjiang returned.
"Didn't you bring your phone?"
Ling Shuangjiang explained, "I was looking for information but realized it wasn't on this phone, so I came back. On the way, I saw a lotus flower on your terrace that was growing very well, which made me a little late."
Xiang Ming smiled at him: "If you like, I'll give you a jar."
Ling Shuangjiang said gently, "Thank you, but I will be filming in other places frequently in the future, so I may not have time to take care of it."
Xiang Ming said in a joking tone, "It's okay, let Xie Wang take care of them for you. He's good at growing flowers. He takes very good care of those two peonies, treating them like treasures every day."
Ling Shuangjiang thought for a moment, chuckled softly, and remained silent.
When they returned to the living room, Xie Wang turned around and walked towards him: "Have you finished discussing it?"
Ling Shuangjiang nodded: "Yes, that's about right."
Xie Wang followed him, took out a handkerchief and handed it to him: "What kind of work are you doing? You're all sweaty on your forehead."
Seeing Xie Wang's protective manner, Xiang Ming rolled his eyes at him: "We moved the picture frame."
Xie Wang complained, "So you made us do all the work for you during the Frost's Descent period? Were you paid for our labor?"
Xiang Ming casually tossed a cushion at Xie Wang's head: "Shady businessman."
When it was time to eat, everyone moved to the restaurant to have their meal.
Xiang Ming is 27 years old this year, ranking second among these good friends, while Xie Wang is the oldest.
A giant fondant cake was placed in the center, and Xiang Ming made a wish: "I hope my assets will reach 100 billion before I turn 30."
The group laughed in unison, and Chen Siqi teased, "I thought you wanted to wish that you could get married before you turn 30."
Xiang Ming said lazily, "Marriage isn't a necessity for me; money is."
Seeing this, Xie Wang quietly said to Ling Shuangjiang, "For me, marriage is..."
"Bullshit." Lin Xi noticed their whispered conversation and bluntly exposed Xie Wang's true colors: "I don't know which brother is it, but he's been a staunch non-marriage advocate, thinking that dating is meaningless and boring."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and looked at Xie Wang: "Is that so?"
The people inside all looked on with amusement. Xie Wang explained in a serious tone, "Before I met you, my heart was like a stone, but now it has turned into bread."
"Hahaha, you're such a fool."
Ignoring the ridicule of others, Xie Wang looked serious and tentatively touched the back of Ling Shuangjiang's hand.
Ling Shuangjiang was successfully amused by him.
The dinner was very enjoyable; the group got along very well, joking around and teasing each other.
In a daze, Ling Shuangjiang thought of the immature high school boys in her class.
—
After the birthday party ended, Ling Shuangjiang was taken home by Xie Wang.
After saying goodbye, he received a call from Xie Lin in the elevator.
He hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button.
"Hello, is this Frostfall?" Xie Lin's voice was very gentle, as if afraid of startling Ling Frostfall.
Ling Shuangjiang: "Yes, I am Shuangjiang."
Xie Lin gripped his phone, his heart pounding. Sure enough, the person lived up to their name; their voice was clean and gentle, reminiscent of the delicate, ethereal sound of snow-covered pines during the Frost's Descent season.
"I'm sorry to call you so suddenly. I'm at the restaurant choosing the dishes for the day we meet. Alba white truffles and red pine matsutake mushrooms need to be ordered in advance from Italy. I'm not sure if you're allergic to these."
Ling Shuangjiang: "I have no allergies, so I'll leave the dishes to you."
Xie Lin smiled brightly: "Okay, I'll make the arrangements. I'll pick you up from your house next Monday night."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Okay, thank you for your hard work."
After hanging up the phone, Ling Shuangjiang logged into Weibo, ready to post a new update.
Li Man told him that he needed to actively manage his Weibo account in order to increase fan engagement.
Currently, he has over ten million followers on Weibo, and his private message inbox is overflowing every day, mostly with messages of encouragement and well wishes from his fans.
Occasionally, there would be some comments from haters, which were quite rude, but Ling Shuangjiang just took them as a joke and didn't care.
Five minutes later, @凌霜降 posted: It's Sunday today, the dog biscuits are delicious~ [pink bunny emoji]
The fans responded very enthusiastically, commenting almost instantly.
[Were the dog biscuits homemade by Shuangjiang? I want some too.]
[Hey, honey, kiss me.]
[After seeing the photos of Mr. Xie playing games with his wife, I'm so touched! They look so good together.]
[She looks so good in the photo, even without makeup. I really want to pinch her cheeks.]
[@XieWang, come see your wife, sob sob.]
[@Xie Wang, come here quickly, isn't your wife pretty?]