Amor floreciente

Capítulo 1

Chapter 1 Love Complex

Welcome to the dating reality show "Signals of Love," co-produced by Nanxing TV and Meitian Pictures! A month-long dating game is about to begin. Seaside villas, desert island adventures, a star-studded cast, breathtaking scenery, and much more! Tune in tomorrow night at 7:30 PM for the live stream!

Accompanied by a deep advertising voice, the camera slowly pans forward, revealing a series of beautiful scenes to the viewer.

The vast and expansive waves crashed against the beach.

The tranquil rainforest trails, vine-entwined jungles, remnants of tribal survival, and rocky straits offer breathtaking and immersive views that captivate visitors.

"Love Signal," a major production from Nanxing TV, has generated considerable buzz even before its broadcast. A host of popular single young actors and actresses have joined the show, and the production team has been actively promoting it online a day in advance, launching it on major live streaming platforms ahead of schedule to give viewers and fans a glimpse into the recording process.

Although the live stream hasn't started yet, the number of viewers in the live stream room has already exceeded 2 million, and the number of comments keeps increasing.

[The production team really went all out. Besides the celebrity guests, they even invited award-winning actors and actresses to chat with the audience – it's practically the same as participating in the recording.]

[The dating guests need to be single; all the heavyweight celebrities except for Shen Yang are married.]

[Looking forward to my crush participating in a variety show~ But I heard that this time the lineup includes not only celebrities but also several ordinary people.]

[It's a long-standing tradition for dating reality shows to include non-celebrity participants. Hopefully, this season's overall appearance will be better; otherwise, it's really hard to ship them.]

"Is this the variety show that A-Jiang is going to participate in?"

The ancient towns of Suzhou are quaint and charming, offering a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. Because of the recent rain, the entire town is shrouded in an ink-wash painting effect, with the eaves appearing heavy with ink and the flowing water light and delicate.

Lin Yinci, holding a small shuttle, moved gently through the tapestry painting, tenderly awaiting Ling Shuangjiang's reply.

The brush and ink from a traditional Chinese ink painting remained on the desk, and Ling Shuangjiang was tidying them up. His back was slender and graceful, and although his loose shirt and white trousers were simple, they couldn't hide his outstanding temperament.

"Yes, that variety show."

Ling Shuangjiang raised her head, her peach blossom eyes smiling slightly, a black mole adorning the corner of her eye, her beauty exquisite and radiant.

Lin Yinci asked him, "After this variety show recording ended, did A-Jiang go directly to his new agency in Bintan City?"

Ling Shuangjiang, holding the Xuan paper, said, "I'm not quite sure yet. If I have time, I'll go home."

The Xuan paper was placed on top of the cabinet, and Ling Shuangjiang had to tiptoe to reach it. He was thin, and when he raised his arm, his white shirt slid up, revealing a small section of his fair waist.

The trouser legs slid up, revealing beautiful, slender ankles, and the skin looked as smooth as porcelain in the sunlight.

In the sweltering heat, even the slightest movement caused a fine sheen of sweat to appear on her body. Ling Shuangjiang focused intently on tidying the bookshelf, and in the blink of an eye, beads of sweat silently trickled down her face, covering her eyes with a damp, misty haze.

"Do you still remember the betrothal your grandfather arranged for you when you were little?" Lin Yinci asked, picking at her embroidery thread. "Judging by the time, that child is probably 28 years old now. I heard your grandmother mention it the other day, saying that their family is quite famous now."

Ling Shuangjiang knew about this childhood betrothal. It was arranged by him when Lin Yinci was still in her womb. It was said that his grandfather and the other grandfather were comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side, and in order to strengthen their kinship, they agreed to a childhood betrothal.

When Lin Yinci and Ling Shuangjiang were born, all signs indicated that the baby was a girl, so the two families happily agreed to the marriage.

With the passing of her grandfather, the childhood betrothal was no longer mentioned, and Ling Shuangjiang stopped taking it to heart.

Moreover, Ling Shuangjiang is gay, but the other party may not be, making this arranged marriage even more outrageous.

"Since it's a wealthy family, we definitely need to be well-matched. Maybe their kids are already old enough to run errands," Ling Shuangjiang joked as she packed her luggage.

Lin Yinci smiled and said, "I heard that the price of houses in downtown Bintan is 100,000 yuan per square meter. If you live there in the future, you should buy a house for peace of mind. The few silk tapestries in our storage room alone are enough for you to buy a villa in Bincheng. Once you've settled down, Mom will sell them."

"Be good, don't sell them, those are all treasures." Ling Shuangjiang suppressed her bright smile, loosened her rolled-up sleeves to cover her wrists, and said while carrying her luggage, "Let's keep them."

Ling Shuangjiang is 22 years old and has just graduated from university, majoring in art appreciation. He received numerous job offers upon graduation, but after careful consideration, he returned to the ancient town where he grew up.

His mother, Lin Yinci, is the ninth-generation inheritor of the family's intangible cultural heritage craft of kesi (silk tapestry). In earlier years, her ancestors specialized in sewing dragon robes for the imperial family. However, by the seventh generation, rapid industrialization led to the family's decline. Although kesi is listed in the first batch of intangible cultural heritage, very few people know about it.

In order to pass on his mother's craft and make kesi (silk tapestry) known to the public, Ling Shuangjiang plans to raise money to start a weaving and design company. This way, he can give full play to his artistic talents and have Lin Yinci teach him the craft, killing two birds with one stone.

With the rise of new media traffic, he planned to use short video platforms to promote the kesi (silk tapestry) craft at the beginning of his business.

But this matter is both difficult and challenging.

Accounts with high traffic require a professional team for everything from promotion and operation, which he didn't know much about. Just as he was preparing to recruit employees, his agent, Li Man, approached him, hoping he would consider signing with Huatai Film Industry.

There's a reason why the agent knows him.

He, Ling Shuangjiang, was once a well-known child star. His movie "Mom, I Love You the Most" made him famous throughout the country and became a household name.

At the age of only 6, he secured more than ten national endorsements within a year, and his image was everywhere on television.

Just when everyone thought this promising child star would pursue further studies in the entertainment industry, he suddenly returned to his studies and family, and disappeared from the public eye ever since.

The reason for her disappearance was not special; it was simply that Ling Shuangjiang felt the entertainment industry was too competitive, and she had a slow-paced personality and preferred a slower lifestyle.

After receiving the offer, Ling Shuangjiang initially declined, citing his desire to establish a new media account and company. However, Li Man calmly stated that the company could provide him with support and persuaded him to use his fame to promote the kesi (silk tapestry) craft.

After much deliberation, Ling Shuangjiang agreed and accepted Li Man's conditions, signing a five-year management contract with the agency.

Everything was finalized. Li Man sent him the script and schedule for the dating reality show and told him something important.

Because he has the lowest profile on this dating reality show, he needs to accept the special status given to him by the production team.

As for his/her identity, that will remain a secret for now.

Ling Shuangjiang herself did not mind this.

He has always been easygoing and easygoing since childhood. This time, he signed with the company only to use the traffic to promote the kesi (silk tapestry) craft. When the time is right, he can gradually fade out of the entertainment industry, just like when he was a child.

Soon after, Ling Shuangjiang bid farewell to Lin Yinci and headed to the island for recording. On the plane, his seat was by the window; he took off his hat and half-closed his eyes for a nap.

The light from the window was plentiful, falling on his eyelashes and casting deep shadows on his face.

Sleeping against the wall was really uncomfortable, so he opened his eyes and closed them again, finally settling down to lazily flipping through a magazine.

Just then, he heard a commotion next door, and a slip of paper with a number was passed to him. He turned his head and saw a pretty, innocent-looking girl looking at him expectantly.

Ling Shuangjiang frowned slightly, took off her mask, and casually expressed that she liked boys.

Upon seeing Ling Shuangjiang in full, the girl was both surprised and delighted. She nodded repeatedly to express her apology, then turned to her friend next to her and excitedly gestured something.

He'd received countless similar confessions throughout his life. If it was a girl, he'd gently express that he liked boys. If it was a boy, he'd subtly indicate that he wasn't her type.

He was once pursued by a boy for two whole years.

The other person was gentle and handsome, and was a famous school heartthrob. But in the end, Ling Shuangjiang didn't agree.

The boy asked him many times what type of girl he liked. Ling Shuangjiang thought about it carefully and finally said tactfully that she didn't have any specific requirements.

He felt that this matter was a very mysterious thing.

Besides, that guy has had several girlfriends, and his liking for him might just be for novelty, not because he's gay.

When the plane landed, the staff member who came to pick him up was a young girl who was friendly and caring towards him.

Sitting by the car window, Ling Shuangjiang's left ear was adorned with a bright blue diamond stud earring that gleamed.

Even as he leaned back in his seat, relaxed and gazing out the window, his posture remained upright and elegant, and his slender, graceful neck and collarbone were hard not to notice.

Even if only his eyes are visible, they are enough to captivate and enthrall.

The girl looked at him with concern: "Aren't you bored? You can take off your mask, there are no paparazzi."

"Thank you." Realizing the other party had misunderstood, Ling Shuangjiang frowned slightly and took off her mask with one hand: "I have many allergies, so I'm used to wearing a mask."

The little girl visibly gasped for breath and blushed.

Just as she guessed, Ling Shuangjiang was indeed very beautiful.

This kind of beauty is not the superficial kind of exquisite appearance, but comes from the bone structure; she is a true beauty.

What's strange is that, although he is a boy, he is so beautiful that he doesn't look effeminate. Instead, he has a unique masculine charm and refinement.

"Oh, I see." The girl smiled shyly. "I have some thin masks here, do you need them?"

Not wanting to spoil someone's good intentions, Ling Shuangjiang lazily raised the corner of her eye and tilted her head with a smile: "Thank you."

The girl blushed and said, "You're welcome."

—

In the recording studio, the five guests—three women and two men—had all arrived and were chatting in the living room.

In the online live stream, fans were showing their introductions to the guests. To better enjoy the dating reality show, people would usually name the female and male leads based on the order in which they arrived.

This time, the identities of five guests have already been revealed.

The female lead, Wen Ai, is a popular actress in historical dramas, 23 years old.

The second female lead, Joey, is a top member of a popular girl group and is 22 years old.

The third female lead, Huang Shan, is a rising star in film, 23 years old.

The male lead, Shen Ke, is a popular young actor, 22 years old.

The second male lead, Bai Xinyu, is a 24-year-old boy band idol.

At the same moment, Ling Shuangjiang appeared on the island. The main camera responsible for the live broadcast began to switch gears.

Pushing his suitcase, he strolled along the rocky path, surrounded by pleasant scenery. The air was slightly humid and filled with a faint smell of the sea.

The camera only showed his hand, but the comments section was already buzzing with discussion.

[Wow, is this the ordinary guy?]

[Her face isn't visible, but her figure and fashion sense are quite good.]

[Those hands are so beautiful, I love them!]

The camera slowly pans up, the barrage of comments pauses for a few seconds, then explodes instantly.

[Holy crap, what a handsome third male lead!]

[Those features, those eyes, that alluring mole! A stunning beauty!]

[Is this an ordinary person? Does your ordinary family member look like this?]

[Which company's trainee is he from? I don't believe an ordinary guy could look like this.]

[One minute! I need all the information about this guy!]

As she climbed the steps, Ling Shuangjiang gently pushed open the villa door, and several celebrities chatting inside looked over.

"Hello everyone, my name is Ling Shuangjiang."

He held his suitcase, waving and smiling casually.

The five guests were stunned for a moment, and their gazes all fell on Ling Shuangjiang's face.

[Um, is this my imagination? Shen Ke seemed stunned.]

[Wow, Shen Ke looks like he's seen a female guest he's interested in.]