After the meal, the sky remained overcast, threatening a downpour.
Seeing that Xie Wang went straight back to his room to rest instead of talking to her, Ling Shuangjiang stood in the courtyard for a long time before returning to her room, picking up her first-aid kit, and going to find Xie Wang.
Hearing the knock, Xie Wang quickly changed his pants and opened the door.
"Frost's Descent!" He pushed open the door, his brows furrowed with joy. "Come in quickly."
Ling Shuangjiang placed the medicine box directly on the cabinet and looked at his leg: "Are you injured?"
Xie Wang's expression changed slightly: "No."
"Take off your pants," Ling Shuangjiang said calmly. "Let me see."
Although Xie Wang really wanted to take off his pants and show Ling Shuangjiang his true self, the two of them were not a good match at the moment.
So he declined in a low voice: "It's not appropriate for a man to be alone with his aunt here."
Ling Shuangjiang looked at him: "You said you wouldn't lie to me."
This time, Xie Wang compromised: "When I came down, my leg was scratched. I just glanced at it, and it's already scabbed over. It's just a minor abrasion."
Ling Shuangjiang sighed helplessly: "Which exact location?"
Xie Wang: "Calves."
Ling Shuangjiang opened the medicine box, squatted down, and examined his calves.
Gently rolling up his trousers, Ling Shuangjiang noticed a shallow scratch and her brow furrowed slightly: "Does it hurt?"
At this moment, Xie Wang felt as if the familiar Little Frost had returned.
Xie Wang stared straight at him: "It doesn't hurt."
The iodine swab landed on Xie Wang's leg, feeling icy cold.
Ling Shuangjiang moved very gently, cleaning up the bloodstains for him. She carefully examined the injured skin tissue with a flashlight and was relieved to find that it was just a superficial injury before applying a band-aid to it.
Xie Wang stood up and pulled Ling Shuangjiang up with him: "I didn't mean to hide it from you. Telling you about such a small thing would ruin my image in your eyes."
Ling Shuangjiang said, "You don't really have any image to speak of in my eyes."
“It can be rebuilt.” Xie Wang took his hand and lowered his head to make him laugh: “When you see my true abilities.”
Ling Shuangjiang withdrew her hand: "You rest, I'm leaving."
“I want to talk to you.” Xie Wang leaned closer, took his hand again, and gently stroked his palm with his fingertips. “We haven’t had a heart-to-heart talk in a long time.”
"Is the last heart-to-heart talk you mean the one at the hospital?" Ling Shuangjiang raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at his guilty expression, and said in a low voice, "It's about to rain heavily, if I don't leave now, I won't be able to get out."
Xie Wang relented, his tone reluctant: "Fine, I'll see you out."
That night, a long-planned downpour poured into the entire town, and the rain only gradually stopped at dawn the next day.
Ling Shuangjiang spent the entire night staring at the roof that had been leaking.
Xie Wang repaired it very well, and it didn't leak again.
Remembering Xie Wang's clanging and banging on the roof during the day, he tossed and turned in bed until he finally drifted off to sleep at dawn.
The next day, Lin Yinci and her apprentices designed clothing styles in the backyard, while Ling Shuangjiang prepared for the next day's variety show recording.
Besides helping Lin Yinci with chores, Fang Sao spent the rest of her time preparing meals.
Xie Wang had nothing to do but guide the people who came to visit Lin Yinci's kesi (silk tapestry) skills. When he was bored, he would go up to Ling Shuangjiang and steal a few glances at his variety show script.
Xie Wang packed his suitcase before coming to Suzhou, so he didn't have to worry about changing clothes.
Wearing a black sporty casual outfit, she appeared even taller and more slender.
Xie Wang stood at the entrance of the Ling family's gate, and the neighbors passing by couldn't help but glance inside, quite curious about this mysterious man.
Xie Wang wasn't afraid of other people's opinions. If he hadn't been promoted to a permanent position, he would have already announced his relationship with Ling Shuangjiang to the neighbors nearby.
However, one should know how to be content.
He had been calling her "Mom" for so many days, and Lin Yinci hadn't refused. She was still very good to him. Although Ling Shuangjiang was angry with him, she didn't get upset with him about it.
This continued until noon, when Lin Yinci saw off the apprentices and ended the morning's lessons.
The courtyard was bathed in sunlight, and Ling Shuangjiang lay on the rocking chair, reciting the knowledge she needed for tomorrow's recording.
Lin Yinci stood at the door and asked Xie Wang, "Are you tired this morning? I'm so grateful to have you here."
Xie Wang: "I'm not tired, you are."
Just then, Aunt Li, who sells plum blossom cakes, arrived at the door with steaming hot plum blossom cakes.
Aunt Li smiled and said, "Teacher Lin, these are freshly made plum blossom cakes. I know you and Shuangjiang both like them, so I brought some over."
Lin Yinci smiled and declined, "Why are you being so polite?"
Ling Shuangjiang was in the courtyard when she was attracted by Aunt Li's loud voice and looked up in the direction of the sound.
Aunt Li said shyly, "Recently, a distant relative of mine also wants to learn the kesi (silk tapestry) craft from you. I wonder if you need anyone here, and if you could take her on as an apprentice."
Lin Yinci smiled and said, "Of course."
Aunt Li immediately smiled broadly: "Thank you, Teacher Lin."
After handing the plum blossom cake to Lin Yinci, Aunt Li glanced at Xie Wang and said, "Oh my, how lucky you are to have such a tall and handsome son-in-law. Shuangjiang and this boy are such a perfect match. You must tell me on the day of the wedding banquet."
Upon hearing this, Ling Shuangjiang suddenly stood up and gripped the armrests of the rocking chair tightly.
Lin Yinci hadn't expected Aunt Li to know about Xie Wang and Ling Shuangjiang's relationship, and smiled faintly, "Definitely."
Unlike Lin Yinci, Xie Wang, standing beside her, was both eager and curious: "How did you know my identity?"
Aunt Li was taken aback: "Shuangjiang told me! He said yesterday that you're his girlfriend!"
At almost the same time, Xie Wang and Lin Yinci looked at Ling Shuangjiang sitting in the rocking chair.
Xie Wang's eyes were deep, and he struggled to suppress the excitement and joy that was about to burst forth.
Seeing Xie Wang rushing towards her, Ling Shuangjiang quickly stood up and awkwardly took two steps back.
Seeing Lin Yinci's thoughtful smile, he threw down the script and ran towards his room.
Just as the door was about to close, Xie Wang suddenly blocked it, and then pushed it away with great force.
Ling Shuangjiang's pupils widened slightly as she looked at Xie Wang, bewildered.
Xie Wang was strong and fast.
By the time Ling Shuangjiang came to her senses, Xie Wang had already wrapped her in his arms and lifted her up in a princess carry.
Xie Wang placed Ling Shuangjiang on the bed, breathing heavily in his ear: "Shuangjiang, what do you think I am to you?"
"I'll give you three seconds, or I'll kiss you."
Chapter 55 Pants Off
Time passed quietly. Ling Shuangjiang lay on the off-white bed, gently looking at Xie Wang with a calm and composed expression.
He whispered, "Boyfriend."
Having received the answer he had been longing for, Xie Wang's joy was palpable.
But when he noticed Ling Shuangjiang's eyes, his overflowing love was like being doused with cold water, gradually extinguished.
There was no long-awaited love in those eyes, only a calm indifference that remained completely unmoved.
Xie Wang, who had been pressing down on Ling Shuangjiang's body, gently pulled away.
He stared intently out the window, his face contorted with unbearable pain.
The weight on my body suddenly disappeared.
Ling Shuangjiang slowly propped herself up and straightened her disheveled collar.
The room was unusually quiet. Xie Wang asked in a low voice, "Shuangjiang, are you still angry with me?"
Ling Shuangjiang did not answer his question, but simply stood up and prepared to leave.
"I know it was wrong of me to lie to you." Xie Wang gently exhaled his heavy breath and lowered his voice: "But you have no idea how I felt when I found out that Xie Lin's long-cherished childhood betrothal partner was actually you."
Xie Wangyin suppressed his sadness and poured out all the words that had been weighing on his heart for so long.
“I’m always afraid that someone else will take you away from me, and I’m always worried that you’ll meet someone better in the future and won’t like me anymore.”
"When you are cold to me, I feel anxious. When you are unhappy, I am afraid that I have upset you, and I am restless."
"Although I know you like me, I worry that you're like a beautiful kite; if you hold on too tightly, you'll fall; if you let go, you'll fly far away."
Xie Wang lowered his head, his voice choked with sobs.
"To be honest, when I was lying in the ambulance, my heart was really hurting. I even thought about what to write on my epitaph."
"I know this is pathetic of me, and I wasn't always this insecure. But this is the first time I've liked someone. I have no experience and don't know how to treat you in a way that will make you happy and prevent you from finding me annoying."
"I just want you to like me a lot."
"But I lack confidence."
Having said so much in one breath, Xie Wang was in a state of confusion. He was worried that what he said would make Ling Shuangjiang even angrier, but he didn't have time to think things through and just blurted out everything he wanted to say.
Ling Shuangjiang looked at him, her eyes flickering with a complex expression. She gently clenched her fingers, wanting to say something, but seeing Xie Wang's dejected and sad eyes, she didn't know how to explain.
He had never been able to figure out Xie Wang's thoughts.
But when Xie Wang poured out his heart, he was unable to respond.
Perhaps it's because he also made a mistake.
Xie Wang has done a very good job since he fell in love with him.
However, he himself was not very competent, failing to provide Xie Wang with enough security, which made Xie Wang always uneasy.
Although on the surface, Xie Wang is pursuing him.
But is their relationship really just that of a pursuer and a pursued?
The answer is, of course, no.
They both knew exactly what was going on.