Ling Shuangjiang teased, "If they heard you say that, would they beat you up?"
Xie Wang raised his eyebrows slightly: "When they were kids, I was always the one who covered for them when they got into trouble, because their parents would beat them. In their hearts, I was the boss."
Ling Shuangjiang asked curiously, "Don't your parents beat you up?"
Xie Wang replied frankly, "Yes, but I can take a beating."
Ling Shuangjiang was both amused and exasperated.
When the two entered, there were already four people seated in the private room. Xiang Ming saw Ling Shuangjiang and stood up, saying, "This must be Shuangjiang?"
Ling Shuangjiang was poised and greeted everyone with a wave of her hand: "Yes, I am Shuangjiang."
Chen Siqi also stood up: "Old Xie, let's introduce ourselves?"
Xie Wang said lazily, "These are my childhood friends Chen Siqi and Xiang Ming. The other two are Qi Hang and Lü Xin. This is Shuangjiang, my good friend."
At this moment, Chen Siqi raised his eyebrows: "Just good friends? No other relationship?"
A hint of nervousness flashed in Xie Wang's eyes: "What could it possibly have to do with you? Frost's Descent, my beloved friend."
"Aiyou?" Xiang Ming chuckled. "President Xie is truly a literary genius, constantly inventing new words. We are completely outmatched."
The group joked and bantered among themselves, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
Ling Shuangjiang likes this way of getting along.
This restaurant specializes in state banquets, and its dishes are mainly light and vegetarian, but the taste is extremely fresh. They come here often, and it is commonly known as a diet restaurant.
All the dishes started to be served around seven o'clock. With some time to spare, they sat in a lakeside private room with an antique-style latticed wooden window behind them. When bored, they could glance out and enjoy a panoramic view of Kun Lake.
Xie Wang unceremoniously reserved the best spot for viewing the lake for Ling Shuangjiang, sitting down next to him and whispering, "Isn't it beautiful?"
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and said, "Beautiful."
Xie Wang picked up the delicate little pastry next to him: "Try this almond tofu. It's icy cold, but the taste is very mild. It's a bit different from your Su-style pastries."
Xie Wang held the porcelain cup of almond tofu, not intending for Ling Shuangjiang to hold it, but simply handed him a spoon.
Ling Shuangjiang took a bite, her cheeks puffing out slightly: "Delicious."
“My family’s pastry chef can also make them. I’ll take you back sometime.” Xie Wang’s voice was gentle, his eyes filled with warmth and earnestness.
The others looked at Xie Wang's pathetic appearance, exchanged glances, and their long-standing tacit understanding allowed them to communicate with each other without words.
"Shuangjiang, you're an actor, right?" Xiang Ming spoke first, asking seriously.
Ling Shuangjiang: "Yes, I did film a movie, but that was a long time ago."
Xiang Ming took out a business card from his wallet: "This is my good friend, a director. He has a new movie with two male leads and is short of a male lead. I think your temperament is very suitable. Why don't you contact him and give it a try?"
Xie Wang asked Xiang Ming, "Is he reliable? What's the director's reputation like? Are the living conditions on set comfortable? How's the food?"
Xiang Ming rolled his eyes at him: "Are you going on vacation? The conditions on film sets should be about the same everywhere."
Xie Wang retorted, "That's not necessarily true. Some film crews are located in very remote and unsafe places."
Xiang Ming, too lazy to deal with Xie Wang, asked Ling Shuangjiang, "Want to give it a try?"
I've heard of Director Jia, whose name is Ling Shuangjiang, on his business card. He's very famous and specializes in directing art films. I've watched Director Jia's Ling Shuangjiang trilogy almost ten times.
He accepted it with both hands: "Thank you, I'd like to try it."
Xiang Ming continued, "By the way, since this movie has two male leads, there are quite a few kissing scenes. Are you okay with that? As for the passionate scenes, I'm not sure yet, he hasn't mentioned them to me. But he said that the male lead in his mind is someone like you, a gentle and beautiful guy."
"Passionate scenes? Kissing scenes?" Xie Wang tensed up, the veins on his forehead bulging slightly: "Can these kinds of scenes still be filmed now?"
Chen Siqi laughed at him: "Are you kidding? Of course you can film it."
Xie Wang looked at Ling Shuangjiang, his eyes revealing unease and complexity: "Shuangjiang, do you... want to give it a try?"
Ling Shuangjiang: "If you want to give it a try, you should audition first."
Xie Wang pursed his thin lips, the warmth on his face gradually fading, and he became restless.
"By the way, Frost's Descent." Chen Siqi looked Xie Wang up and down, his tone tinged with amusement. "You like boys, right?"
Ling Shuangjiang: "Yes."
Chen Siqi bowed slightly, clasping his hands in front of him: "Excuse me for asking, do you have a boyfriend?"
"Why are you asking this?" Xie Wang interrupted impatiently.
Ling Shuangjiang merely met Chen Siqi's gaze and instantly understood what he intended to do. He smiled and said, "Nothing."
Xiang Ming leaned closer: "What kind of guy do you like? I have a lot of good guys here, I can introduce you to some."
"I don't need your introductions. Why aren't you usually this enthusiastic?" Xie Wang interrupted again.
Ling Shuangjiang smiled faintly: "I like athletic guys, those with outgoing personalities."
Chen Siqi took out his phone: "Shuangjiang, how about this one? If this one doesn't work, I have many more here. I'll introduce them to you one by one."
Seeing this, Qi Hang and Lü Xin chimed in, "We have some here too, take your time to choose."
“This person looks a lot like Lao Xie when he was 22. The youthful days are long gone.” Xiang Ming pointed to the person in the photo and handed it to Ling Shuangjiang: “I think you will like him.”
When Ling Shuangjiang got the phone, her expression became serious.
The boy in the photo does indeed have a similar temperament to Xie Wang, and even their skin color is similar.
Ling Shuangjiang's interested expression made Xie Wang completely uneasy. Jealousy and fear welled up from the bottom of his heart and completely overwhelmed his reason.
He felt even sadder when he saw that the person looked somewhat like himself.
Suddenly, he stood up abruptly, his face stern, and walked straight outside.
Inside the private room, everyone fell silent.
Ling Shuangjiang handed the phone to Xiang Ming: "I'm going out to check on him, don't worry."
Author's Note:
My wife moved out before I even had a chance to get to know her!
Should I introduce him to potential partners?
A dog throwing a tantrum and rolling around on the ground (image)!
Chapter 41 Frost's Descent Blind Date
Beside the Summer Palace Restaurant stood a white stone bridge leading to the lake. When Ling Shuangjiang came out, she found Xie Wang leaning alone against the bridge railing, his expression indifferent.
Hearing footsteps, Xie Wang looked up and frowned slightly when he saw Ling Shuangjiang.
"What's wrong?" Ling Shuangjiang asked knowingly. "You suddenly ran out like a kindergarten child."
Xie Wang, leaning against the bridge stone, had a strange expression on his face: "I felt stuffy and wanted to come out for some fresh air."
"What about you? Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be busy picking out a partner and enjoying yourself so much that you don't want to leave?"
Ling Shuangjiang raised an eyebrow: "Finished picking."
Xie Wang's face darkened, his expression displeased, and he looked away, sulking.
Ling Shuangjiang leaned closer, mimicking his movements, her expression complex: "What are you looking at?"
Xie Wang: "Look at my broken heart."
Ling Shuangjiang suppressed a laugh: "Then I'll take a look with you." As she spoke, she raised her right hand, placed her beautiful, slender fingers on Xie Wang's heart, and gently pressed it.
The warmth of his hand seeped through his clothes, causing Xie Wang's heart to race.
His expression flickered, and he looked strange.
"Heart condition is normal, examination complete." Ling Shuangjiang withdrew her hand, her tone slightly relaxed.
The temperature from earlier hasn't completely subsided.
Xie Wang stole a glance at him, then looked into the distance: "You just said a couple of days ago that you weren't in a hurry to date."
Ling Shuangjiang said gently, "There's no rush, but it's a process from meeting to falling in love. There's nothing wrong with meeting them; after all, it depends on whether our personalities are compatible."
Xie Wang snorted coldly and said angrily, "Little liar."
Ling Shuangjiang laughed: "Why are you so against me dating? Can you tell me?"
Xie Wang paused, his gaze fixed on the opposite bridge arch, lost in thought.
Ling Shuangjiang tilted her head to meet his gaze: "Can you tell me?"
"Once you're in a relationship, you won't have time for me. If I invite you to the riverside performance every Friday, will your boyfriend agree? Will you still need me to celebrate your birthday every year? Will your boyfriend let you go out with me so often? By then, you'll definitely be thinking about your boyfriend and won't even remember who I am."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and took his arm, saying, "Your worries won't come true. After all, we're best friends, a relationship for life."
Xie Wang's expression softened slightly, but he still pursed his lips: "I don't know what my friends are thinking, they're actually vying to introduce you to boyfriends. Especially that one who's only 22, he's just a kid, can he give you a sense of security and support?"
"You have a point." Ling Shuangjiang nodded gently, then leaned close to his ear: "So, what age do you think a boyfriend should be to give me a sense of security?"
Xie Wang coughed lightly, his voice sounding weak and lacking the vigor he had just displayed.
"I think he's at least six years older than you."
After saying that, he immediately looked at the lake with a guilty conscience.
Ling Shuangjiang's eyes were calm. After pretending to calculate how much six years older she was, she deliberately said, "Six years older? Isn't that a big age difference? Actually, I think the guy who's about my age is pretty good. He's a bit like you."
Xie Wang's rebuttal was stuck in his throat, feeling terribly blocked.
It seems that Ling Shuangjiang likes young, handsome men.
At that moment, one book after another of "Substitute Literature" floated into his mind.
If Ling Shuangjiang doesn't end up with this person, then wouldn't he be considered a tragic substitute?
In his memory, the body doubles in novels all required having their kidneys and hearts removed.
"Suit yourself. If you want to meet, no one can stop you." He bluntly stated this harshly.
Ling Shuangjiang deliberately asked, "Are you going to come with me? You can also help me check things out, but you'd better sit somewhere else and observe from the shadows."
Xie Wang chuckled to himself, "Observe secretly? Should I wait until you two finish your meal, then pay the bill, book movie tickets for you, and drive you there?"
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and said, "That works too."