After all, relationships are a two-way street; if one party isn't interested, forcing it won't help.
Having thought everything through, Xie Wang's brain could no longer hold up, and he fell into a deep sleep.
At this moment, Ling Shuangjiang quietly opened her eyes.
He covered Xie Wang with a quilt, checked his temperature and breathing, and only sat up after confirming that everything was normal.
With six hours until dawn, he decided to stay and watch over Xie Wang a little longer, as sitting would prevent him from dozing off.
Xie Wang's sleeping face was gentler than his usual demeanor. Especially after spending more time with him, Ling Shuangjiang could no longer associate Xie Wang with the word "aloof".
Although the doctor said that Xie Wang didn't need to wear an oxygen mask while sleeping and that his heart rate should be closely monitored, Ling Shuangjiang was still a little worried.
In the middle of the night, Xie Wang suddenly cried out that he was thirsty.
Ling Shuangjiang quickly got off the ground and poured him a glass of water.
In his haste, he forgot to wear slippers and ran barefoot on the floor.
After Xie Wang finished drinking the water, he glanced at him, mumbled something, and then hugged him and continued sleeping.
Ling Shuangjiang covered Xie Wang with the blanket, gently patted his shoulder, and coaxed him to sleep.
—
As dawn broke, Ling Shuangjiang had not slept all night.
He rubbed his swollen eyes, straightened the blankets, and went to the doctor's office to arrange for a doctor to examine Xie Wang.
Several more results came back, all of which were normal.
As Ling Shuangjiang was serving millet porridge, Xie Wang was looking at the test results. "The test report that might have problems hasn't come out yet. Let's wait a little longer."
Ling Shuang chuckled softly, let the millet porridge cool down, and handed it to Xie Wang: "No rush, just treat it as a vacation and get some rest."
Xie Wang held the bowl and took two sips: "With you by my side, I'm not afraid of anything."
At this moment, Xie Lin came in carrying fruit.
Xie Wang felt a heart attack upon seeing Xie Lin, and nervously watched Ling Shuangjiang, fearing that Xie Lin might do something inappropriate to her.
"Brother, I just asked the doctor, and he said you're fine. If you don't want to be hospitalized, you can leave today."
Xie Wang ignored this: "I still want to eat grapes."
Ling Shuangjiang got up and went to the suite's small kitchen to wash the grapes for him.
Xie Lin glanced at Ling Shuangjiang, then sat down in his chair with his legs crossed: "Brother, stop pretending. Pretending to be sick over something like this is so childish."
Xie Wang gave him a cold glance: "Who are you talking to?"
Xie Lin stuck out his tongue: "That's right. He's my childhood sweetheart. Just because you like him doesn't mean you can take him away from me."
"He's not an object, he has no ownership. He can be with whoever he likes."
Xie Wang slammed the bowl down on the table in frustration, his voice low and deep: "If you two liked each other, that would be one thing, but you've only known him for a few days? Besides, you're only interested in his looks."
Xie Lin said with a grin, "I may be superficial, but no matter what, he is still my childhood sweetheart, not yours."
Xie Wang didn't speak this time, his jawline tightened, and he stared straight ahead.
Ling Shuangjiang had already washed the fruit and came over. Seeing the strange atmosphere between the two of them and their silence, she handed the fruit to Xie Wang: "The grapes are clean."
Xie Wang said thank you, and peeled one for Ling Shuangjiang first, "Ajiang, you eat it."
Ling Shuangjiang bent down and took a bite: "It's very sweet."
Xie Wang smiled, wanting to tidy up the stray hairs around Xie Lin's ears, but with Xie Lin present, he couldn't disregard the situation.
Ling Shuangjiang looked at Xie Lin: "Come out with me for a moment."
Seeing this, Xie Wang stared nervously at Ling Shuangjiang and asked him what he planned to do.
Ling Shuangjiang patted his hand, signaling him to relax.
After closing the ward door, the two walked down the corridor to the hospital's back garden, where it was quiet.
Unexpectedly, they encountered Xiang Ming and his group along the way.
Last night, Xiang Ming called Xie Wang, but Xie Lin answered. Only then did Xiang Ming learn that Xie Wang had gotten into trouble.
"My brother is the only one in the ward. You should go find him."
Upon arriving at the hospital's back garden, Xie Lin stated bluntly, "My brother is faking illness to gain your sympathy."
Ling Shuangjiang opened her mouth in surprise: "It shouldn't be. He looked like he was in a lot of pain in the ambulance yesterday."
Xie Lin scoffed, "He was probably scared by the two of us."
"Let's end it." Ling Shuangjiang looked at him quietly: "No matter what, it's better to end this arranged marriage."
Xie Lin muttered, "See, my elder brother's self-inflicted injury trick really worked. You really did soften your heart."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and shook her head: "Fate is indeed a very strange thing. Last night I was thinking that if he hadn't switched places with you, he would never have had the chance to meet me. So, if things had gone according to plan, even if it had been me and Xie Wang on the blind date, we might not have ended up together."
"That's true," Xie Lin agreed.
Ling Shuangjiang: "Everything happens for a reason. Let nature take its course."
Xie Lin said enviously, "My brother was able to meet you, probably because God saw how pitiful he was all alone and traded 28 years of being single for it."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled faintly: "I'm very lucky to have met your brother."
After they finished talking, the two walked slowly down the corridor.
The sunlight was lovely today, shining brightly on the clean tiles and exuding the warmth of early winter.
Ling Shuangjiang felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders, eagerly anticipating Xie Wang's expression when he learned that his childhood betrothal to Xie Lin had come to an end.
Upon arriving at the ward door, the laughter inside made them both stop in their tracks.
“You’re usually as healthy as a polar bear, why are you suddenly so weak today? What’s wrong with you? Your brother said it might be a heart problem?”
Xiang Ming, biting into an apple, joked, "Xie Wang seems to be full of energy right now."
Chen Siqi asked, "So, what exactly is your illness? Have you found out?"
Xie Wang narrowed his eyes: "A mental illness."
Xiang Ming scoffed, "Pretending to be something you're not."
Xie Wang didn't tell them about the arranged marriage, warning them, "Don't talk nonsense, Shuangjiang should be back soon."
Xiang Ming mocked, "You wouldn't be pretending to be sick here just because you're taking advantage of the gentle care your family gives you for a few days during the Frost's Descent festival, would you?"
"Superficial." Xie Wang lazily stared at the hospital ceiling. "I can earn millions of US dollars a day. Why would I deliberately pretend to be sick here for such a small matter? Besides, I'm not sick, and Shuangjiang has been very kind to me."
Chen Siqi was even more puzzled: "So you?"
Xie Wang: "Before I was brought here, my heart did hurt for a few seconds, but I was fine afterwards."
Xiang Ming: "Then don't stay here. There's no place as comfortable as home. Get discharged as soon as possible."
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.” Xie Wang prepared to lie down. “Shuangjiang should be back soon. Let’s leave this matter here.”
Xiang Ming glanced at him speechlessly and continued to eat the red grapes in the fruit basket.
Outside the door, Xie Linchao said to Ling Shuangjiang, "I told you, he was faking illness."
Ling Shuangjiang gently adjusted her cuffs, her tone calm: "Pretending to be sick is better than being really sick, so I'm relieved."
Xie Lin chuckled: "I've noticed you really have a good temper; you don't even get angry about this."
Looking at Xie Wang chatting and laughing inside, Ling Shuangjiang took a deep breath: "From childhood to adulthood, I've only ever taken my dad to the operating room. But... that day my dad never came out again. So I think nothing is more important than health."
Xie Lin patted him on the shoulder: "Please accept my condolences."
Ling Shuangjiang turned around gracefully: "You take care of him, I'm leaving."
Xie Lin: "Going to work?"
Ling Shuangjiang turned around and smiled: "No, I'll just give him the cold shoulder for a few days."
Xie Lin gave a thumbs up: "Beautiful!"
Back in his ward alone, Xie Lin leaned against the doorframe and lazily whistled.
Xie Wang glanced at him and looked back: "It's Frost's Descent."
Xie Lin smiled: "My Shuangjiang has run away."
—
After returning home from the hospital, Ling Shuangjiang took out her pre-packed luggage, said goodbye to Li Man, bought a plane ticket, and boarded a flight to her hometown.
The first stop for filming the variety show was at his home, so he planned to go back a few days early to spend time with Lin Yinci.
When Ling Shuangjiang returned home, Lin Yinci was teaching her apprentices to paint.
She was very happy to see that Ling Shuangjiang arrived three days earlier than expected. She prepared to cook for him herself to welcome him home.
Ling Shuangjiang is now quite popular. When the neighbors heard that he was back, they all rushed over to see him. Many of the grandfathers and uncles who watched him grow up brought him a lot of authentic local snacks.
In the living room, Ling Shuangjiang chatted with everyone for a long time, answering each question raised by the elders earnestly without showing any impatience.
"I got this ink a couple of days ago. It's of very good quality. Since you like painting landscapes, I'm giving it to you."
After seeing off the enthusiastic neighbors, Ling Shuangjiang went to the kitchen to help Lin Yinci.
"Ah Jiang, how did your blind date with the Xie family go?" Lin Yinci noticed that Ling Shuangjiang was not happy and asked in a gentle voice.
Ling Shuangjiang: "His younger brother is named Xie Lin, and he's a very nice person."
Lin Yinci nodded: "You like your brother, right?"
“Hmm.” Ling Shuangjiang: “The two of them switched the betrothal, so the younger brother came to stand in for his older brother and go on a blind date with me.”
"I remember you mentioned this." Lin Yinci put a lot of food on Ling Shuangjiang's plate. "Then, if your brother knew, would he be extremely worried?"
Ling Shuangjiang smoothed her hair and chuckled softly, "You're quite anxious, you've even resorted to faking illness."
Lin Yinci smiled, pursing her lips: "Why are you acting like a child?"
“He’s just a child at heart.” Ling Shuangjiang drank a glass of liquor and wiped her mouth. “Mom, the liquor’s cold. I’ll go heat it up.”
Lin Yinci: "Okay, be careful not to burn your hands."
No sooner had Ling Shuangjiang left than there was a knock on the wooden door of the house. At this hour, logically speaking, no one should be coming.