With just that one glance, he recognized Ling Shuangjiang at a glance, based on the eyes she revealed.
Seeing that Lin Yili was staring at Ling Shuangjiang, Xie Wang felt annoyed. He took Lin Yili's hand and put his arm around him, saying, "If you like cranes, I'll take you to my friend's shop to pick one out."
Ling Shuangjiang nodded gently: "Okay."
Seeing the two about to leave, Lin Yili hesitated and called out, "Shuangjiang, is that you?"
Ling Shuangjiang stopped in her tracks, turned around, and said calmly, "Long time no see."
Xie Wang tightened his grip on Ling Shuangjiang's hand, making him re-evaluate the person in front of him.
Lin Yili has an elegant and handsome appearance, about 187 cm tall, and his amber eyes are gentle and warm when he smiles.
He instinctively put his arm around Ling Shuangjiang's shoulder, bringing him closer to him.
When he looked at Lin Yili again, his dark eyes held a hint of inquiry and aggression.
"It really is you. I didn't expect you to be in Bintan too."
Lin Yili's voice was deep, as calm and gentle as his appearance. From beginning to end, his eyes were fixed on Ling Shuangjiang.
"If you like it, this jade piece is for you."
"Thank you, but no need." Ling Shuangjiang's gaze remained cold as she looked at him. "It's getting late, my boyfriend and I are leaving now."
Lin Yili then slowly looked at Xie Wang.
He nodded slightly: "Lin Yili, senior from Shuangjiang."
Xie Wang's voice was indifferent: "Xie Wang."
After saying that, he took Ling Shuangjiang's hand and prepared to leave.
"Frostfall." Lin Yili called out to Ling Shuangjiang again, quickly catching up. "Since you like it, I'll give you this jade piece. Anyway, I don't really need it."
Ling Shuangjiang raised her eyes: "No—"
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Wang interrupted Ling Shuangjiang.
“If Mr. Lin wishes to give it as a gift, that’s fine.” Xie Wang took the black card out of his wallet and handed it to the sales assistant. “But to express my gratitude for Mr. Lin’s kindness, I must also give him a jade item worth twice as much as I would like to do so.”
Looking at the sales guide, Xie Wang said coldly, "The budget is ten times that of this 'Pine and Crane Longevity' piece. You two accompany Mr. Lin to choose."
The sales assistants exchanged glances privately, but hesitated to accept the card.
Lin Yili smiled and said, "Alright, since Shuangjiang doesn't need it, I'll take it home."
“Take it back,” Ling Shuangjiang said with a smile. “Perhaps Shang Qi will like it.”
This time, Lin Yili's smile gradually faded.
Ling Shuangjiang stopped looking at him, took Xie Wang's arm, and patted his palm: "Let's go."
The atmosphere inside the car was quiet.
Xie Wang was clearly distracted, his lips pressed tightly together, his face expressionless.
Ling Shuangjiang just mentioned Shang Qi.
Xie Wang remembered this person; a month ago, he sent someone to England to investigate Shang Qi's background, and there should be news about him recently.
As for the relationship between Lin Yili and Shang Qi, it goes without saying.
Lin Yili must be the boyfriend Shang Qi mentioned that day.
A strong sense of unease welled up in Xie Wang's heart, and his brows furrowed slightly. He didn't know how to ask Ling Shuangjiang.
He was afraid that Ling Shuangjiang would think he was jealous and find him annoying.
“He is Shang Qi’s boyfriend, the president of the art club, and my senior,” Ling Shuangjiang said softly. “He pursued me, but I didn’t agree.”
Upon hearing the explanation, Xie Wang turned the steering wheel, and the car quickly pulled over to the side of the road.
He slowly looked at Ling Shuangjiang, then suddenly leaned over and hugged him: "I knew you didn't like people like them."
Ling Shuangjiang patted Xie Wang on the back and curled her lips: "Those kinds of people? Which one does he belong to?"
Xie Wang: "He probably has a refined and gentle demeanor, and speaks in a pretentious manner."
"I know you like my type."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and said, "It seems you know yourself very well."
"Hmm." Xie Wang's voice was a little muffled: "I know you fell in love with me at first sight."
"Oh? You know?" Ling Shuangjiang patted his head: "Good to know, so you won't overthink it."
This is not a place to park. Xie Wang released Ling Shuangjiang, restarted the car, and expressed his dissatisfaction with Lin Yili.
“He already has a boyfriend, yet he still comes to mess with you. You can’t pay any more attention to someone like him who flirts with everyone.”
Ling Shuangjiang nodded in agreement: "Shang Qi should still be seeing him. What he did today was really overstepping his bounds. Maybe I misjudged him. I thought he was a nice person at first glance."
Xie Wang, hearing this, said with a hint of jealousy, "From what you're saying, you almost ended up with him, didn't you?"
"No, I just thought he was a kind senior when I first met him. I knew his true colors when Shang Qi contacted me."
Xie Wang raised an eyebrow: "These guys are all unreliable. I must say you have excellent taste. The only one you've taken a liking to, me, is devoted, handsome, and has a great physique. Aren't I much better than them?"
Ling Shuangjiang nodded thoughtfully: "Indeed, much stronger."
Xie Wang smiled with satisfaction and drove him to another jade shop to choose a piece called "Crane Celebrating Longevity".
After the two finished their meal, Xie Wang took him home.
In the evening, Ling Shuangjiang took a shower and video chatted with Lin Yinci.
When asked about his upcoming attendance at Mr. Xie's birthday banquet, Lin Yinci inquired, "Have you prepared a gift?"
Ling Shuangjiang showed the "Crane Celebrating Longevity" painting she had bought to Lin Yinci: "Thank you for your 80th birthday, buying this has a good meaning."
Lin Yinci asked, "It's nice, but isn't it a bit meager as an 80th birthday gift? The birthday painting is of average quality and probably not very expensive."
"It's almost the most expensive one in the store; I couldn't find one in better condition," Ling Shuangjiang sighed softly.
Finding a high-quality antique requires not only money but also luck; it's not something you can acquire in a day or two.
Lin Yinci smiled and said, "Don't worry, baby. I'll send someone to deliver a painting of two cranes celebrating a birthday to you. It's your first time meeting his elders, so you should show your appreciation."
"You're not thinking of sending me that kesi painting, are you?"
Ling Shuangjiang knows almost all of the Ling family's antique treasures. It's no exaggeration to say that he grew up in an antique room and has played with every single one of them.
It contains not only kesi (silk tapestry) handicrafts, but also many antique paintings.
His maternal grandfather was a famous painter, and his maternal grandmother was a famous calligrapher.
So relatives often say that the Ling family's antique room is like a small museum.
In his memory, there was a very precious kesi (silk tapestry) painting called "Two Cranes Celebrating Longevity". That painting was completed by Lin Yinci and his grandmother thirty years ago. At that time, a collector offered a seven-figure sum to buy it, but Lin Yinci refused.
Now, that painting would be worth at least eight figures.
Lin Yinci smiled and said, "Yes, I'll have Xiao Wang deliver it right now, so it won't take up your time."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and said, "Thank you, Mom."
The two chatted about Ling Shuangjiang's visit to the hospital for an immunization checkup, and Lin Yinci laughed heartily: "Xiao Xie is such a clever kid, what was he thinking? He actually threw a birthday party at the hospital."
Ling Shuangjiang laughed along with her.
"But Xiao Xie is a really good kid, he takes better care of you than your mother does. I'll feel at ease if you stay with him in the future."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Yes, we'll be fine."
Life on set continued as usual, and filming went smoothly for Ling Shuangjiang, whose health was improving day by day.
The meals for the lead actors are all custom-made by the production team, the same as what the director and producer eat, except for the different dishes.
When Li Man first heard that Ling Shuangjiang and his assistant had canceled their meals, she was puzzled, but after seeing that he had his own boxed lunch every day, she was so envious that she cried.
She was especially envious and jealous after tasting a Michelin three-star level boxed meal.
Sure enough, those are the evil capitalists.
It's good to be rich.
Although Chen Xingxi complained about the food on set, the actors' irregular filming schedules meant they couldn't always order meals, and since they were in the middle of nowhere, they couldn't find anything good to order. So they had to make do.
Every day, seeing his personal staff carrying insulated boxes board Ling Shuangjiang's RV, Chen Xingxi would mutter to himself, complaining to his assistant and agent.
Sometimes his voice was so loud that his assistant would remind him to watch his volume, but Chen Xingxi always ignored him and continued to envy Ling Shuangjiang for being able to sacrifice his dignity to rise to the top.
Gradually, these rumors spread throughout the film crew.
With Ling Shuangjiang having her meals delivered by a dedicated person, everyone became even more convinced of the rumors.
Li Man naturally received the news as well. When she told Ling Shuangjiang about it, Ling Shuangjiang just treated it as a joke and laughed it off.
When he announced it to Xie Wang, these rumors naturally fell apart on their own.
Before we knew it, it was Mr. Xie's birthday.
Early in the morning, Xie Wang, undeterred by the long journey, personally visited the Xie family's old residence.
Xie Wang's mother, Ye Wangshu, was discussing the birthday banquet arrangements with the housekeeper. Seeing Xie Wang return so early, she exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you say you were coming at noon?"
She turned back to look at Xie Wang's empty back and asked, "Where is Shuangjiang?"
Xie Wang replied, "I haven't gone to pick him up yet."
Ye Wangshu smiled strangely: "So you came here because of something urgent?"
Xie Wang stood in front of her: "Mom, Shuangjiang is gentle and timid. I brought him to see you today, so please speak to him gently."
"Good heavens, so you were telling me to come beforehand?" Ye Wangshu glared at him. "Do you think I'm some kind of monster? You're almost thirty, and now that someone finally wants you, I'm practically worshipping him."
Xie Wang frowned: "Is your son really that bad?"
"You can't beat Xie Lin in sweet talk. You have a terrible temper, no sense of romance, low emotional intelligence, and no gentleness..."
Xie Wang's head was throbbing from her words: "Since you know what's good for you, I won't say any more. I'll go up and give Grandpa some instructions."
Ye Wangshu got angry at his worthless attitude: "Go away."
Watching Xie Wang's retreating figure, she complained to Xie's father, "Your son was afraid we would bully Shuangjiang, so he drove two hours to the old house early this morning just to personally tell Dad and me to treat Shuangjiang gently. This son is hopeless."
Mr. Xie, who was rushing back from the airport, said with a smile, "Just like me when I was young."