Xiao Shulang responded appropriately: "Thank you, Teacher Zhuo. Really, I don't want to be overly flattered. I'll get embarrassed if you keep praising me. Thank you for your text message too. Have a good rest tonight."
Zhuo Cheng nodded.
Their conversation ended briefly, without any sparks, and the two returned to their room, leaving it to the others to enjoy.
After listening, Qin Shuang silently walked away from the door, picked up the book she was reading halfway through, and prepared to start reading it again.
His live stream for today has ended, and there was nothing wrong with Xiao Shulang's conversation with Zhuo Cheng. Now he just needs to quietly read a book for a while before he can rest.
But when he held the book in his hands, he couldn't turn a single page for a long time.
A moment later, Qin Shuang put down the book she hadn't turned a page of, silently opened her phone, and clicked on the search history.
Yes, it's that entry about how to coax someone.
Looking at the questions that popped up, Qin Shuang hovered her finger on the screen for a long time before finally pressing it.
After Xiao Shulang returned to his room, he heard the commotion outside. You Ziang and Xu Baichang were exchanging messages, but You Ziang also knocked on Yin Xingzhi's door to thank him, indicating that Yin Xingzhi had sent a message to You Ziang as well.
But You Ziang only said two sentences: "thank you" and "goodnight," which was very social and polite, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Xiao Shulang was amused. He turned on his computer to check the stock market situation after the market closed today, and also looked at the recent financial news. He thought for a moment that it seemed he had to put the matter of setting up his own company on the agenda and should first inform Wang Hao.
He made the call, and after Wang Hao learned of his idea, he expressed his support: "I can also invest, but I don't have much money and can't be of much help. Or... boss, I can just work under you."
Wang Hao has saved up some money over the years, so he's willing to quit his job and give it a shot.
“No, I can’t guarantee the company will succeed,” Xiao Shulang said. “If it succeeds, I’ll invite you over; if it fails, I’ll come back to you.”
In reality, he might not necessarily turn to Wang Hao after failing, but Wang Hao doesn't need to take the risk with him. He is genuinely considering Wang Hao's best interests.
Wang Hao could also tell that Xiao Shulang had been very kind to him, helping him a lot, and that he was a truly good friend.
As the two were talking, Wang Hao suddenly cursed.
Xiao Shulang: "?"
"Damn, it's Luo Tian. He posted an apology on Weibo. Don't go see it yet, let me take a look for you."
After reading it, Wang Hao cursed, "What a load of rubbish apology! Don't bother reading it, it's a waste of your time. This is a long, rambling letter to his fans, basically saying, 'I made a mistake because I wasn't clear-headed, and I hope everyone will forgive me.' He didn't even mention you. Who should he apologize to the most? Who has he wronged the most?"
"Ignore him," Xiao Shulang said. "I don't need his apology."
The original owner who deserved an apology is no longer here, so even if Luo Tian sincerely apologized, it would be meaningless. Moreover, he showed no remorse whatsoever. Xiao Shulang only needs to make him suffer.
“Yeah, we don’t care.” Wang Hao snorted. “He should be worried about losing several major endorsements in one day.”
Luo Tian's apology post went viral again, this time fueled by criticism. His fan count continued to plummet, with many asking why he didn't apologize to Xiao Shulang.
"This is so fake. It's like they're begging you to stop criticizing me because it's getting in my way of making money, so I'm writing an apology letter. I don't see a shred of sincerity in it."
"What a scumbag! He doesn't even think he did anything wrong. What does it mean to be sincere in every relationship? Is he being sincere while cheating on his partner? Get lost!"
Everyone has discerning eyes. No one will buy such a perfunctory apology letter, except, of course, for die-hard fans. Most of those who are still posting "Forgive your brother, we will continue to follow you" are people who were paid before but haven't finished their work. Once the job is done, they can change their nicknames and run away in a heartbeat to continue their other online trolling business.
Xiao Shulang didn't look at Luo Tian's Weibo. As long as he wasn't being slandered anymore, he didn't care what the clown did. He wasn't the one who was worried.
Luo Tian's attempt to clear his name failed again. When Xiao Shulang woke up the next morning, Luo Tian's trending topic had already been removed. He resumed his morning run this morning, but he didn't see Qin Shuang.
When he returned from his run, he saw Qin Shuang already up and greeted her, "Good morning."
Qin Shuang: Good morning.
Qin Shuang had a good constitution, and even though he hadn't slept well all night, he didn't have dark circles under his eyes. But Xiao Shulang looked at him and asked suspiciously, "You didn't sleep well last night?"
Qin Shuang wouldn't say that he was scrolling through his phone too late, and he certainly wouldn't let anyone know what he had been looking at. He calmly nodded and said, "Yeah, the air conditioning temperature isn't quite right."
Xiao Shulang had no doubts. The temperature in the mountains is sometimes hard to control: "Pay attention before bed and adjust according to how you feel."
Qin Shuang accepted the suggestion.
As everyone got up, the live broadcast began. After breakfast, the production team handed each person a folded card with the guests' names on the cover and blank inside.
"Ta-da! It's time for our heart-pounding date again!"
"This date lasts two days and one night! Guests can enjoy their date at the location selected by the program, and return to the villa the night after tomorrow. The advisors will appear at the appropriate time to chat with you and give you advice. Don't worry, they won't disturb your date."
Staff: "Now, please write the name of the person you'd like to invite on a date on a card. If both of you write each other's names, you're matched! Those who don't get a match will have to draw a random number. Alright everyone, please write your names down, hand your cards to the staff, and then go back to your rooms to pack your bags and wait for good news!"
Zhuo Cheng held the card, both amused and exasperated: "Do I really have to write this?"
He's figured it out: he came to the show to follow celebrities, not to find love.
Staff member: "You need to write it down."
Well, there's nothing he can do about it. He'll just keep writing about solitude and tranquility. If he doesn't get his wish, he'll just arrange something else randomly. He can treat it as finding a travel companion for a couple of days, which is fine too.
Everyone quickly wrote their cards and handed them to the staff. The guests returned to their rooms, and the staff opened the cards one by one in front of the camera so that the audience could see the guests' choices and ensure that they had not made any arbitrary changes.
Xiao Shulang went back to his room and packed his things. He packed quickly and also tidied up the room to keep it clean and tidy. A little while later, a staff member knocked on the door: "Teacher Xiao, are you done packing?"
Xiao Shulang pulled his suitcase: "Okay, I'm coming."
The staff only called him, led him to a car, and five minutes after Xiao Shulang sat down, another guest opened the car door—
It's Qin Shuang.
The two looked at each other, their eyes showing no surprise; one held a barely perceptible gentleness, the other a faint smile.
“You can catch up on sleep on the way,” Xiao Shulang said.
Qin Shuang sat down beside him: "That's exactly what I was thinking."
The staff in the front row announced, "Guests are in position. Destination: Seaside town. Let's go!"
Chapter 39 He still doesn't know how to coax people, but Xiao Shulang was already amused.
The couples who successfully paired up were Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang, and Xu Baichang and You Ziang. The remaining couple, Zhuo Cheng and Yin Xingzhi, were paired up as a group.
The three groups went to different places; Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang went to the beach.
Qin Shuang took a nap in the car, and the phone provided by the production team also had some songs on it. Xiao Shulang put on his headphones and listened to the music, occasionally glancing at the scenery outside the window.
He wasn't sleepy when he got on the bus, but the gentle melody in his ears, the lack of conversation, and the absence of anything else to do gradually made him close his eyes for a nap.
Xiao Shulang had a dream. In the dream, he returned to the gate of the orphanage. He seemed to have grown up, but he also seemed to have become a child. A relative was signing documents, and another relative was holding his hand.
She didn't hold his hand because she loved him; she just wanted to prevent him from noticing something and running off.
After the signing was completed, the two relatives who had come breathed a sigh of relief and let go of his hand.
Xiao Shulang chased after them all the way to the door, grabbing the adult's clothes: "Are we going home?"
The relative, whose face was now blurred in his memory, brushed his hand away: "From now on, this will be your home."
Xiao Shulang had a very good memory, ever since he was a child. At his age at the time, he shouldn't have been unable to remember those people's faces, but he simply forgot. Their appearances became blurred, turning them into symbols.
All that remains is the lingering feeling of something slipping through your fingers.
Xiao Shulang's fingertips trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. He was still in the same position as when he fell asleep.
I haven't dreamt about that time in a long time, and it certainly wasn't a good dream.
His reasons for entering the orphanage were different from Qin Shuang's. After Qin Shuang was found by the Qin family, they treated him very well. They grew up in the orphanage, but their personalities were completely different.
Then again, everyone is different; he just might... think more about matters of the heart.
It is said that you can know a person's face but not their heart, but he was facing Qin Shuang, someone he knew very well, which made a big difference.
As the car drove through the tunnel, the tunnel lights illuminated the scene, and Xiao Shulang stared at the window, where he could see Qin Shuang's reflection.
After looking at it for a moment, he suddenly smiled and said, "If it were you..."
As the car emerged from the tunnel, the darkness vanished abruptly, leaving everything far behind. The first rays of dawn broke through, dazzling the eyes, but it was a sudden, breathtaking sight, like discovering a hidden village in the darkness.
After the car arrived at its destination, Xiao Shulang patted Qin Shuang on the shoulder and said, "Wake up."
Qin Shuang's sleeping posture was also very proper. He slowly opened his eyes, moved his arms, and his limbs were still a little stiff from sitting still for so long in the car.
Although the staff had previously said they were heading to a seaside town, their hotel was not actually in the "seaside town." The town consisted of twenty or thirty bungalows and was located very close to the coastline. During the day, people could rent water skiing and surfing equipment, and at night, they could hold open-air parties.
The film crew booked a seaside hotel, which was only about a hundred meters away from the town. From the high-rise building of the hotel, the vast sea stretched out to the horizon, offering a stunning view.
The production team gave the guests more freedom of choice during this date, allowing them to arrange what they wanted to do themselves.
The hotel provided a suite with two bedroom doors on the left and right sides, and a shared living room and reception room, which was convenient for taking photos and for guests to talk and chat.
After putting their luggage away, the two looked out from the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows at the shimmering sea under the sunlight, and everyone was curious about their next itinerary.
Xiao Shulang stared out the window: "Since we're already here—"
Qin Shuang nodded: "Okay, let's go to the beach first."
Xiao Shulang snapped his fingers: "Let's go."
Their chemistry is nothing new to the audience; what they're really looking forward to now is—
[Yay, swimsuits!]
[Hurry, hurry, hurry! The sea, swimsuit, here I come!]
Neither of them had brought swimsuits with them, so they bought them in a shop after arriving in the seaside town. They chose quickly, both opting for one-piece swimsuits. The audience's reaction was as follows after they finished selecting their outfits:
[Aww, I wanted to see one without a top, why is it a onesie QAQ]
[Damn it, I want to see that kind of thing too!]
But once the two had changed and emerged, their black, tight-fitting one-piece swimsuits perfectly outlining their figures, with their muscles bulging against them as they moved, the audience's opinion immediately changed:
【Ahhh, I can be a conjoined twin too!】
[It has an even stronger sense of asceticism now, oh my god!]
Thank you for the treat!
[And one more thing! Although they picked them out randomly from the same little shop, so the chances of them wearing the same thing are definitely high, but they really do look like matching couple swimsuits, hahaha!]
Both of them chose simple styles, almost identical in design. However, Qin Shuang's clothes had gold patterns, while Xiao Shulang's were blue. Since they were traveling together, they really looked like they were wearing matching outfits.
The beach was divided into sections. They went to the sandy area and the area where they could go into the water. Since it wasn't a holiday, there were limited people, but it wasn't deserted overall. Every now and then, when the waves came in, you could hear people shouting happily.
Xiao Shulang stepped onto the soft sand, enjoying the sea breeze, and let out a sigh: "It's been a long time since I last came to the beach."
The two walked lightly, Qin Shuang beside him: "Do you like the seaside?"