Xie Suixin's face was extremely ugly, as if she had been slapped hard in the face.
The five people were already standing in front of the stage, each picking up ice-breaking tools.
Standing between Ye Wangshu and Xie Wang, Xie's father whispered to Xie Wang, "Complete the mission."
Xie Wang smiled with satisfaction: "Thank you, Dad."
Ling Shuangjiang didn't hear, and was curiously examining the ice in front of her, wondering if it was solid. Xie Lin said from the side, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, it doesn't hurt."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and said, "Okay."
The camera equipment was in place, and the five people, with smiles on their faces, were ready to break the ice.
The photographer joked, "Everyone, smile more. This photo will be hanging in Hengtai's lobby forever, and it will also be used in the news."
With a "click," the shutter flashed, and ice shards flew everywhere.
Xie Wang lowered his head and suddenly kissed Ling Shuangjiang's eyes, which was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from Xiang Mingqi and others.
Author's Note:
I need some nutrient solution~ Mwah!
Chapter 73 Reverse Proposal
The banquet was nearing its end. After coming down from the stage, Xiang Ming and the others walked towards Xie Wang.
"Sister-in-law, I'm having a get-together the night after tomorrow. Are you and Xie Wang free to come along?"
Xiang Ming's address of "sister-in-law" came out of the blue.
Xie Wang glared at him in a mock glare: "What sister-in-law? Don't talk nonsense, we're not married yet."
Qi Hang said, "Ming-ge's newly bought villa on the hillside has a really nice environment. It's almost spring, so we can go camping tonight. Sister-in-law, let's go together."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Okay, I have time."
After finalizing the matter, Xie Wang prepared to leave. Just as he got into the car, Li Man called.
"Shuangjiang, are you and President Xie getting married soon? Hengtai's official Weibo account just updated with a photo of you two, and the fans are going crazy, speculating that you're already engaged."
Ling Shuangjiang glanced at Xie Wang, who immediately grinned at her, showing off his bright white teeth.
"almost."
Li Man sighed, "Then we won't refute the rumors here. Let everyone figure it out for themselves."
After hanging up the phone, Ling Shuangjiang opened Weibo and saw the post from Xie's Hengtai official Weibo account from ten minutes ago.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Hengtai's founding, and also the birthday of its former chairman, Mr. Xie. Mr. Xie expressed his gratitude for the contributions of Hengtai's hundreds of thousands of employees and the support of his family, hoping that in the future, Hengtai will continue to overcome obstacles and become a leading national enterprise.
[Holy crap! What did I just see? Ling Shuangjiang is in there too?]
[Is the handsome guy next to Shuangjiang the second young master of the Xie family? He's so good-looking!]
[Did Hei Zi get swollen from being slapped? He's always fantasizing about how badly he's doing during the Frost's Descent solar term, but actually everyone likes him.]
[I just received the full news report. At today's banquet, Chairman Xie referred to Shuangjiang (the Autumnal Equinox) as family.]
[Holy crap, could Shuangjiang have already registered her marriage with Xie Wang?]
[As expected, climbing the social ladder really makes a difference. Fans of all the young actors, take note: don't mess with Shuangjiang!]
I love seeing the haters get so jealous and furious.
Tonight, Ling Shuangjiang and the Xie family dominated the trending searches.
Within just a few hours, Xie's Hengtai's stock price soared. In addition to financial media, entertainment media also reported on Xie's Hengtai's 60th anniversary celebration, and speculated on the relationship between Ling Shuangjiang and the Xie family at the end.
Just when everyone thought the matter was over, at 10 p.m. that night, a netizen claiming to know the inside story dug up the relationship between Ling Shuangjiang's maternal grandfather and Ye Wangshu's maternal family, as well as the relationship between Ling Shuangjiang's paternal grandfather and the Xie family. Suddenly, netizens flocked to the story.
Happy Kid Loves Ink Painting: I wonder if anyone has seen the TV show "Craftsmanship" on a certain satellite channel. In the first episode, Ling Shuangjiang's mother introduced the kesi (silk tapestry) workshop. The host casually praised a painting as beautiful, and Lin's mother said it was painted by her father. Viewers might not have noticed at the time, but those who study traditional Chinese painting would immediately recognize it as "Stone Fun" by Mr. Lin Shiyi. If you don't know Mr. Lin Shiyi, you can search him on Baidu; he's a figure who will amaze you. He's also from Suzhou. Xie Wang's mother, Ye Wangshu, mentioned in an interview many years ago that her father was a painter named Ye Qing. I randomly searched both Lin Shiyi and Ye Qing on Baidu; they were once in the same painting studio and are old friends. As for Ling Shuangjiang's grandfather, Lin Yinci mentioned in an interview that he founded a kesi workshop fifty years ago, which was very famous in the Suzhou area. You can easily find out who he is by searching for anyone with the surname Ling. As for Xie Wang's grandfather, I won't say much; you can find out by searching yourself.
[I've finished my search. Putting everything else aside, Ling Shuangjiang's maternal grandfather is indeed very talented. There are photos online of him teaching his daughter to draw; although the daughter is still young, she can be recognized as Lin Yinci at a glance.]
[Grandpa from Shuangjiang is amazing too! When I watched "The Craftsman's Spirit," I could tell they came from a scholarly family.]
[Therefore, the Shuangjiang family and the Xie family have always had a good relationship. As expected... the Cinderella story doesn't exist.]
[The Ling family's kesi painting alone is worth six figures. From the documentary "The Craftsman's Spirit," we can see that Lin's mother only showed a portion of her collection, so their family must be quite wealthy.]
[I knew my wife had the air of a young master, and sure enough, sob sob, that blockhead Xie Wang got the better deal.]
Rumors about Ling Shuangjiang's family background spread like wildfire online, and soon netizens also dug up information about Ling Shuangjiang's high school and university.
Netizens discovered that Ling Shuangjiang's university transcript was simply phenomenal, making her a true academic genius.
Some of Ling Shuangjiang's high school classmates even came forward to speak out, admitting that back in high school, boys from other grades would peek at Ling Shuangjiang during class because he was in charge of the school's mural gallery, which led to many people having a crush on him, thinking that he was both handsome and talented.
Fans lamented that if Ling Shuangjiang hadn't entered the entertainment industry, she might have had a successful career in the arts, given her upbringing under the influence of her grandfather.
Although the incident passed quickly, Ling Shuangjiang did seriously consider her future career plans.
He initially wanted to enter the entertainment industry so that more people would recognize his kesi (silk tapestry) skills; he had a very laid-back attitude towards it.
Lin Yinci's kesi (silk tapestry) base is now thriving, and he has collaborated with Fanyin to create one hit product after another. He also needs to carefully consider his future.
He doesn't dislike acting; in fact, he quite enjoys it. However, he also wants to set aside some time for other things, such as painting and design.
Xie Wang was very supportive of his idea after learning about it. As soon as Ling Shuangjiang was in its early stages, Xie Wang began planning to organize an art exhibition for him.
When Li Man found out, she felt a little regretful, but she comforted herself that Ling Shuangjiang was at least not completely retiring from the entertainment industry, so she gradually accepted it.
Therefore, the two decided to only shoot one film next year and halve their commercial activities.
With Ling Shuangjiang now having plenty of time, Xie Wang was naturally delighted.
This means that Ling Shuangjiang will no longer need to travel around as much as before, and can spend more time with him.
The night before their camping trip, Xie Wang became increasingly excited, even planning their future happiness together.
He planned to help Ling Shuangjiang open her own art salon and exhibition hall. When Ling Shuangjiang painted, he would work quietly beside her. When Ling Shuangjiang was hungry, he would cook for her. Their dog played carefree at their feet—what a beautiful and heartwarming scene.
With a smile, Xie Wang's hand gradually roamed over Ling Shuangjiang's body, unknowingly reaching the buttons of her pajamas.
"Xie Wang," Ling Shuangjiang's voice suddenly rang out, "It's been three days in a row, try to restrain yourself."
Xie Wang frowned, buried his chin in Ling Shuangjiang's warm neck, and began to cuddle: "We're still young, we're in the honeymoon phase right now, this frequency is normal."
Ling Shuangjiang patted his fingers, which refused to let go, and said, "Indulgence is harmful to your health, be good."
Xie Wang let out two reluctant breaths, withdrew his hand, and turned his back to Ling Shuangjiang.
I'm already annoyed with him after only a short time together.
Indeed, love that comes too easily is not cherished.
He realized that it had been a long time since he had a cold war with Ling Shuangjiang.
He planned to give Ling Shuangjiang the cold shoulder for three minutes, turning his tall, cold back towards her.
He wanted to let Ling Shuangjiang know that he wasn't so easily fooled.
"Xie Wang, come here and give me a hug."
Xie Wang frowned, then immediately leaned in and said, "Give me a hug."
They cuddled together all night and slept until the next day.
The two packed quickly and headed to Xiang Ming's house.
The hillside villas are quite far from here; it took about two hours to drive there.
After getting out of the car, Ling Shuang breathed in the fresh air and smiled at Xie Wang, saying, "The air here is nice."
Xie Wang carried the camping equipment on his back and held his hand, saying, "When the weather gets warmer, we can come camping more often."
Xiang Ming was walking his dog at the door when he saw the two of them and nodded: "Shall we eat lunch outdoors or at home?"
Xie Wang looked at Ling Shuangjiang: "What do you think?"
Ling Shuangjiang: "Anything is fine, you decide."
So, the group, carrying picnic and barbecue equipment, boarded the car and headed to the campsite.
Seeing Xie Wang and the others packing their things with practiced ease, Ling Shuangjiang asked, "Do you often come camping?"
Chen Siqi replied, "Yeah, we used to go out to play in all sorts of wilderness areas since high school. Xie Wang was the wildest and the most daring."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and asked, "How wild is it?"
Xiang Ming: "He dares to go to places we don't dare to go, and he's always going to the canyon to paraglide. He has so much energy that he has nowhere to release it."
Qi Hang retorted to Xiang Ming: "You're the one with all that energy you can't vent, aren't you? I remember when we went out in our second year of high school, you were always surrounded by girlfriends."
Xiang Ming squinted: "Didn't you guys have a few girlfriends back then? I remember during the winter break of our senior year of high school, we each took our girlfriends camping in the Green Fields."
"Everyone?" Ling Shuangjiang looked at Xie Wang.
Xie Wang panicked: "What do you mean everyone? I didn't bring any."
Xiang Ming complained, "Didn't you bring your dog?"
Ling Shuangjiang couldn't help but laugh.
Xie Wang crossed his long legs and pointed his toes: "What do you know? First love is the most beautiful, and my beauty can only be reserved for Shuangjiang. There aren't many people in the world like us who are both first loves."
"Shuangjiang, you've never been in a relationship before?" Xiang Ming asked, posing a profound question. "You're so beautiful, you must have a lot of suitors. Haven't you met anyone you liked?"
Upon hearing this question, Xie Wang stared intently at Ling Shuangjiang, his eyes fixed on her.
"I don't like anyone," Ling Shuangjiang said calmly. "I just like Xie Wang."
Xie Wang immediately clung to Ling Shuangjiang's neck and rubbed against her fiercely, while looking at his brothers with a hint of contempt, his arrogant demeanor making everyone's teeth itch.
Upon arriving at the campsite, Ling Shuangjiang was about to get out of the car when Xie Wang stopped him, saying, "It's cold outside, but there's a heater in the car. Wait here while we set up the tents before you come out."
Ling Shuangjiang felt this wasn't a good idea. "If everyone works together, it'll be faster."
The sun was shining brightly today, and Xiang Mingxuan's location was also excellent, so everyone wearing down jackets didn't feel cold while working.
The group had a clear division of labor, and without exchanging words, each person did their own thing.
The more technically challenging tasks were usually handled by Xie Wang. Apart from Chen Siqi, who was preparing lunch, the rest of the group worked with Xie Wang to quickly set up the campsite.