Ji Jing glanced at him sideways: "Carefree. I don't understand. You said you discovered he liked you first, and now you like him too, so why don't you just go and say a few words to him? What are you waiting for?"
Qin Shuang squeezed the cup in her hand: "He has a bit of an escapist personality, didn't I tell you?"
Ji Jing: "Yes."
Qin Shuang: "It's not that I did nothing."
During the dating show, Xiao Shulang couldn't avoid him, but after the show ended, Qin Shuang keenly noticed that Xiao Shulang tended to avoid him for a period of time.
It wasn't obvious, but Qin Shuang noticed it.
However, Xiao Shulang soon stopped avoiding him.
Qin Shuang wasn't inactive. His increasingly obvious words during his conversations with Xiao Shulang, the gifts he gave, and the details of their time together all suggested that Xiao Shulang must have already understood his feelings.
"For him, it's normal for him to like me; but for him to like me is something he has to think about."
Xiao Shulang couldn't see his own strengths. When others liked him, he was more surprised than happy, and then he reflected on his actions.
Some people prefer to get to know each other first and then have heart-to-heart talks, while others prefer to open up to each other first and then confirm the relationship. Xiao Shulang is clearly the latter.
If anyone were to rush up and say they feel we're a good match and want to get to know each other better after we start dating, Xiao Shulang would definitely stay far away.
But Xiao Shulang is no longer avoiding him, which means he is about to make a decision.
“You’re wrong about one thing,” Qin Shuang said. “No matter how many people like him, I’m not competing with anyone for him.”
“His choice is his freedom, I respect it, and I will fight for it.”
Qin Shuang looked at Xiao Shulang in the room with a gentle gaze: "I have also chosen the right time."
Ji Jing patted him on the shoulder in a daze: "Not bad, kid. We used to think you were a wooden spirit, but it turns out you just hadn't met the right wind. With this wind, even rotten wood can bloom."
Qin Shuang shook his hand off her shoulder and said coldly, "You owe me."
"No, I'm genuinely happy for you." Ji Jing smiled as she rested her chin on her hand. "It also lets us know that you're a normal person with all the emotions and desires."
Qin Shuang picked up the script, lightly slapped Ji Jing on the forehead, and got up to walk onto the set. It was his turn to act.
The first day of filming was very tight, but fortunately the director made reasonable arrangements and did not make them stay up all night or get up early. The subsequent filming went smoothly. On the third day, Xiao Jiang discussed a new press release with Xiao Shulang.
If he could, Xiao Shulang would be happy to spend the entire filming period on set, but this is precisely the time when he needs to work hard to earn money. The filming is expected to last three months, and if he doesn't take on any other jobs and has no other income, he can't rest easy about the Xiao Group.
This press release was selected from among the available submissions; it pertains to a reality TV show with the theme of escape rooms.
"As a special guest, I only have one day to shoot," Xiao Jiang said. "The time is more than enough to handle."
Xiao Shulang glanced at it; the pay was good, and the time could be adjusted. He nodded and agreed, "Okay, I'll give the production team a reply."
Qin Shuang happened to walk over: "Shall we talk about work?"
Xiao Shulang: "Hmm." He didn't hide anything and told her the name of the show, "A variety show related to escape rooms, I'm about to sign her."
Qin Shuang: "They also contacted me."
Xiao Shulang exclaimed in surprise, "What a coincidence?"
He knew that Qin Shuang loved acting the most, and during filming he would not even accept interviews. Except for red carpet events or occasions he could not refuse, he was almost completely immersed in the film crew.
As expected, Qin Shuang said, "I didn't want to accept it in the first place."
"But if you go, I'll want to go too."
Xiao Jiang's hand trembled upon hearing this, and his eyes widened. This...this is too ambiguous!?
He didn't dare to breathe for a moment, and couldn't help but steal a glance at Xiao Shulang, only to find that there was a certain ripple in Xiao Shulang's eyes that he couldn't explain, and then he smiled slightly.
"Okay, let's go together."
Xiao Shulang sat while Qin Shuang stood. The two looked at each other, and Xiao Jiang suddenly felt that she couldn't stay any longer. She silently picked up her phone and walked away to talk about work.
Xiao Shulang's straightforward answer made Qin Shuang pause for a moment. Noticing his micro-expression, Xiao Shulang's smile deepened.
He saw and remembered everything Qin Shuang did for him.
Although I am cowardly and have many flaws when it comes to relationships, I am not so insensitive as to ignore someone's straightforward feelings.
He remained holed up in his shell, but Qin Shuang had done enough and gotten close enough to him.
With that remaining distance, he should try to reach his hand out of the shell.
He was still afraid, afraid that the hand he was holding would be let go, afraid that he would only be able to watch others leave him behind.
However, he can't hide in the shell he built for himself forever, never looking out the window.
What's more, someone has already melted part of the shell for him and is waiting for him.
Qin Shuang and Xiao Shulang signed on for the same program again. The crew finished work at nine o'clock today. Xiao Shulang called Xiao Jiang and He Xiaohua over and talked about some work-related matters.
After he finished speaking, Xiao Shulang said, "You've worked hard. You two should go back and get some rest."
Xiao Jiang got up first. He still needed to go back to his room to organize some more materials. He wasn't supposed to be working overtime today, but he was diligent and wanted to be prepared.
"Brother Xiao, Xiao Hua, you two get some rest too. I'm leaving now."
After Xiao Jiang left, He Xiaohua said, "Boss, you're going to record a variety show the day after tomorrow?"
Xiao Shulang nodded: "I don't have any scenes scheduled for the day after tomorrow, so I can come back tonight after I finish filming."
He Xiaohua pursed her lips before saying, "I'll wrap up filming the day after tomorrow."
His role isn't large, and filming will be completed in the next few days.
Xiao Shulang realized what was going on: "Don't rush off after filming wraps up. I'll treat you to a celebratory dinner." After all, it was He Xiaohua's first time getting a role with a significant amount of screen time, so it was definitely worth celebrating after filming was completed smoothly.
"Call Xiao Jiang." Xiao Shulang took out his phone to check the schedule. "If everything goes smoothly the day after tomorrow, we can be back by nine o'clock tonight... It's a bit late, so eat first and don't go hungry. We'll have a late-night snack when we get back. There aren't many people, so it won't be very lively. Just don't mind."
He Xiaohua quickly shook her head: "What are you saying? How could I possibly look down on you? I'm so grateful to you!"
He Xiaohua's eyes darted away for a moment, then he lowered his head and said, "I still have a lot to say to the boss later!"
Xiao Shulang didn't seem to care about anything else and joked, "Please don't give me a thank-you speech. I can't handle that. Just come to our company, do your job well, and you can be more casual about the rest."
He Xiaohua became increasingly embarrassed, but her eyes lit up: "Don't worry, it's not a long thank-you speech... you'll see when the time comes!"
Chapter 53 They chose each other.
Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang are going to an escape room variety show; this time they can set off together.
The two took a plane to their destination early in the morning. After landing and arriving at the production crew's office, they discovered that there were familiar faces among the guests.
Xu Baichang greeted them, "Long time no see."
Xiao Shulang: "Oh, so you're here too! Long time no see!"
Xu Baichang nodded: "I am a regular guest this season."
After exchanging brief greetings, everyone chatted with people they knew. Qin Shuang was familiar with some of the other guests, so she had to talk to them a bit more. Xu Baichang and Xiao Shulang started chatting.
Xu Baichang asked in a low voice, "How's it going between you two?"
"Teacher Xu, why are you being so gossipy?" Xiao Shulang said, both amused and exasperated. "I haven't even asked about you and You Ziang yet."
Xu Baichang was quite frank: "We didn't connect as quickly as you two, but we're still in touch and occasionally have a meal together. To be honest, we even made a bet on you and Qin Shuang."
Xiao Shulang asked curiously, "What are you betting on?"
Xu Baichang smiled without saying a word, but turned the page and gently gestured for Xiao Shulang to look at someone: "Do you know that person? Yu Dan, the one who confessed to Qin Shuang and couldn't forget her even after being rejected."
The characters weren't written about in the original work, and quite a few people were rejected by Qin Shuang, but Yu Dan and Xiao Shulang still knew about them.
He comes from a very powerful family and is a variety show personality, appearing on various variety shows year-round, and has a considerable following.
Xiao Shulang had only glanced at Xu Baichang as he was saying something, but unexpectedly his eyes met Yu Dan's.
Yu Dan was also taken aback, then her eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze revealing undisguised scrutiny and hostility.
Xiao Shulang had no intention of engaging in any eye contact with him, and proactively withdrew his gaze, clearly unconcerned. Xu Baichang teased, "A rival, huh?"
Xiao Shulang replied, "If everyone who likes Qin Shuang is my competitor, then there are too many people to count."
Xu Baichang understood his implied meaning, her eyes widened slightly, and then she smiled: "You admit it?"
If he has no feelings for Qin Shuang, then it doesn't matter how many people like her. Since he said that, it's tantamount to indirectly admitting it.
Xiao Shulang didn't say yes or no, he just blinked: "Anyway, he's not a competitor."
Xu Baichang nodded, suppressing a laugh. Qin Shuang finished greeting the others and came over. Seeing their expressions, she was puzzled.
The escape room recording started at 11:00 AM. There was food inside the room, so they would most likely have lunch there.
Given the difficulty of completing the challenge, if the guests are still clueless about a clue after more than forty minutes, the production team will provide a hint via broadcast.
The staff led the guests to a seemingly ordinary door. As they stepped through the doorway, they found themselves in a very narrow corridor with only a wooden door in front of them, secured by a combination lock.
There were six guests in total. One of them went straight to the door and said, "This is the first challenge, right? Just open the door."
There's a plaque on the side of the door that reads: "All human wisdom is contained in these five words—"
Yu Dan read it aloud, then stroked his chin: "The password hint is after the dash, right? Five characters?"
Xu Baichang glanced at it: "But the combination lock has letters, should I type pinyin?"
Without saying a word, Qin Shuang actually stepped forward and started clicking on the combination lock.
Yu Dan asked in surprise, "You know the answer?"
He was both surprised and delighted, seeing Qin Shuang's expression filled with admiration and appreciation, and even a hint of pride in her eyes.
Qin Shuang knew the answer, so what was he so proud of?
"Waiting and hope."
It was not Qin Shuang who spoke up to explain, but Xiao Shulang.
He slowly said, "This is a quote from The Count of Monte Cristo, in the Chinese translation. Since the combination lock uses letters, I think it should probably be entered in English."
Once it's switched back to English, it's naturally no longer five words.
Yu Dan's expression instantly turned cold, her lips tightened, and she remained silent.
Qin Shuang nodded: "Wait and hope."
As he pressed the keys, the electronic combination lock emitted a simulated "click" sound, and the door opened.