This made Ling Shuangjiang laugh, and he nodded slightly in agreement: "Hmm, that word is alright." His eyes filled with curiosity, and he asked again: "Actually, I've always felt that you're not an easy person to approach, but it seems that when we first met, you didn't reject me."
Ling Shuangjiang had wanted to ask this question for a long time, and this time she finally asked it.
Xie Wang suddenly chuckled, slightly embarrassed: "Actually, because my family often watches your movies on repeat, I have a strange sense of familiarity with you. When I first saw you, I didn't feel like you were a stranger."
"So that's how it is." Ling Shuangjiang's confusion gradually disappeared, and she focused her attention on the massage.
This time, Xie Wang didn't speak again and gently closed his eyes.
He didn't actually give a complete account of Ling Shuangjiang's situation; he concealed some details.
This part probably stems from the fact that Xie Lin was too naughty when he was young. Whenever he was naughty, Xie Wang would say that other people's children were well-behaved and beautiful, and that he would definitely adopt a good younger brother if he had the chance.
Xie Lin, at that age, was fearless and asked him where to find a pretty and well-behaved younger brother. Xie Wang was at a loss for words and pointed to Xiao Shuangjiang in the movie, saying that he wanted Xiao Shuangjiang to be his younger brother.
It's unclear how Xie Wang and Xie Lin's grandmother found out about this, but the next day she placed a photo of the movie "Little Frost" on Xie Wang's desk, where it remained for eight years.
Later, he tried to search for photos of Xiao Shuangjiang after she grew up on Baidu Baike, but there was no entry for "Ling Shuangjiang". It was as if this child star had vanished into thin air.
He had regrets, but not entirely.
Even if he knew what Xiaoshuangjiang would look like when he grew up, it probably wouldn't have any other impact on his life.
To his surprise, he ran into the grown-up Ling Shuangjiang while participating in the dating reality show.
Perhaps this is fate.
This is also why he doesn't treat Ling Shuangjiang as a stranger.
"Alright, does it still hurt?" Ling Shuangjiang's words pulled Xie Wang back to reality. Xie Wang stood up and gently shook his head: "It really doesn't hurt anymore."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled and said, "You gave me your foie gras today, but you didn't seem to eat much."
Xie Wang casually took off his coat: "Yeah, my head was feeling a little uncomfortable back then."
"Would you like to grab something to eat?" Ling Shuangjiang pointed downstairs. "Let's ask the staff if they can provide a light meal."
"I don't want to eat anything here." Xie Wang knew he was being picky again, and said with a smile, "I want to eat dumplings, nothing else."
"Dumplings?" Ling Shuangjiang said thoughtfully, "If you have flour, I can make them for you."
Xie Wang looked at him in surprise: "You can make dumplings? But it's too late now, it's too much work for you to cook. It's just a bad habit of mine. If I'm really hungry, I have some healthy meals in my suitcase."
"Pfft." Ling Shuangjiang teased, "You actually know that this is a bad habit of yours."
Xie Wang said seriously, "I have always been objective in my self-evaluation."
"Okay, I'm going to sleep." Ling Shuangjiang straightened her clothes and walked towards the door: "See you tomorrow."
Xie Wang saw him off, saying, "Good night."
After saying goodbye, Ling Shuangjiang did not return to his room, but went to the first-floor restaurant. On the way, he ran into Qi Yu, and with her permission, he picked out some ingredients from the kitchen.
Fortunately, there really was some newly purchased flour inside.
Pork and scallion dumplings are easy to make, and Ling Shuangjiang worked quickly, wrapping thirty in half an hour.
Actually, while making dumplings, he was thinking about why he was so good to Xie Wang.
It's probably because Xie Wang is willing to protect him today.
Moreover, he has a certain cunning about him.
He wanted to try his own way of getting along with Xie Wang. If the melons in the melon shed fell down automatically without needing to be twisted, that would be nice; they should be quite sweet.
Near the end of the call, he called Xie Wang down for dinner via a landline on the first floor. Xie Wang was silent for a moment on the phone, then rushed downstairs and burst into the restaurant.
Xie Wang looked surprised: "You really made dumplings?"
Five more to go, Ling Shuangjiang skillfully sewed out dumpling wrappers: "Hmm, almost done, it'll be quick."
Xie Wang paused for two seconds, then walked behind him and suddenly leaned over, gently kneading his shoulders with both hands: "How can you be so nice? I was just saying."
Ling Shuangjiang suddenly straightened her back, turned around and smiled: "I happen to be hungry too, let's eat together."
Xie Wang put his arms on the table, encircling him completely, leaned over and tilted his head to look at him suddenly: "You're really loyal."
Ling Shuangjiang suppressed the tension brought on by their intimate interaction and raised an eyebrow slightly: "After all, it's a friendship between gentlemen."
Xie Wang ate 25 dumplings in one go, and after finishing, he kept praising Ling Shuangjiang for her skillful hands and ability to do everything.
"During the Frost's Descent, your dumplings reminded me of my mother's cooking," Xie Wangcheng commented sincerely.
Ling Shuangjiang silently took a bite of the dumpling, trying to shut him up with her silence.
After finishing the meal, Ling Shuangjiang asked in a rising tone, "Can you take care of washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen?"
"No problem." Xie Wang stood up, lazily rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong, lean wrists: "Little hero, rest. I'll do the work."
Ling Shuangjiang sat in the chair, smiling faintly.
He stayed with Xie Wang until he finished his work before going upstairs to rest with him.
Xie Wangjiu couldn't fall asleep before going to bed.
He felt that since Ling Shuangjiang had been so good to him, he should do something in return.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be a competent older brother.
With Ling Shuangjiang on his mind, Xie Wang slowly fell asleep, even dreaming of him.
—
The recording continued the next day.
Not long after filming began, the director dropped a bombshell – completing today's task would reveal Otto and Lou's real names.
This was something that not only the guests but also the audience had been looking forward to for a long time, and the comments section went wild.
[Wow, finally we can find out the real names of the fourth and fifth male leads.]
[Although I know Otto is definitely the big shot, I'm really looking forward to hearing the name of the fourth male lead.]
[Please announce the fourth male lead's job soon; I want to see if he's a good match for our Frost's Descent character.]
[Didn't the fourth man reveal himself to be the chairman? He's probably the head of a small or medium-sized enterprise.]
[A small or medium-sized enterprise is still a big deal! Our Xiaoshuangjiang is doing alright alongside them.]
The task was simple: two tracks, each about 15cm wide and 3m long, ended with name tags for the two people.
Each guest has two chances to successfully roll the ball from the starting point to the finish line; falling off the ball midway results in failure.
Ling Shuangjiang sat down next to Xie Wang, examining the two game tracks, and said softly, "If only one person's real name is unlocked, will the other continue to hide it?"
Xie Wang pondered for a moment: "From the current perspective, yes."
Ling Shuangjiang smiled at him and said, "Then I'll wait and unlock yours."
Xie Wang chuckled: "It doesn't matter whether you unlock it or not, as long as you know it."
The track where Chyi Yu is located presents the first challenge for warmth and affection.
When everyone's attention was focused on Wen Nuan, she was a little nervous and failed the challenge twice, with the ball rolling to the ground halfway through.
The second guest to go was Cheng Jia, a newcomer. He started off confidently but ultimately failed. Before leaving, he complained, "It was too difficult."
The third person to go up was Bai Xinyu, but he failed the challenge.
Joey was the fourth to go up, but he failed the challenge.
When it was the fifth person, Chyi Yu herself, to take the stage, she aimed at the finish line, controlled her strength, and hit the target perfectly, rolling smoothly to the finish line.
Everyone present held their breath, their eyes fixed on the nameplate covered by the red cloth—Chyi Yu.
Upon seeing the name, Wen Ai praised, "What a beautiful name."
Chyi Yu said gently, "Thank you."
Then the director's voice came through: "Please introduce yourself."
Qi Yu nodded and pushed up his glasses: "My name is Qi Yu, and I am the general manager of Yuqin Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. The lady next to me, Ms. Wen, is my current crush."
Wen Nuan's eyes were gentle, and she smiled shyly.
Cheng Jia diligently wrote it down, eager to search for the company name on Baidu immediately. However, his phone was with the production team, so he could only rely on his memory to search whether the group was among the Fortune 500.
[Chyi Yu? I searched him on Baidu, and he is indeed the largest shareholder of this musical instrument company.]
[According to Tianyancha, the company has a registered capital of 2 million yuan, is listed on the stock exchange, and has a market value of 800 million yuan.]
[Damn, I found that out too. Qi Yu's company isn't very well-known.]
[So... he's not that billionaire tycoon?]
[Could it be that the big shot is the fourth male lead?]
[Holy crap, holy crap, no way? So the fourth male lead is actually the billionaire.]
[Aaaaaah, I'm going crazy! Please check carefully, is there a mistake?]
At the scene, other guests had already begun unlocking Xie Wang's name tag.
However, when Joey, Shen Ke, Chen Ying and Huang Shan went on stage in turn, they all failed.
Huang Shan's was the most regrettable, as she was only ten centimeters away from the finish line.
Inside the arena, only Ling Shuangjiang and Xie Wang remained unplayed.
Xie Wang looked at Ling Shuangjiang: "Are you going?"
Ling Shuangjiang nodded: "Mm."
Standing in front of Xie Wang's track, Ling Shuangjiang held her breath, ensuring her hands were steady, her eyes were sharp, and her timing was perfect.
When everything around him quieted down, he mimicked the victorious Qi Yu's posture and, without any hesitation, pushed the ball out.
One meter, two meters, three meters.
The ball successfully reached the finish line.
At this moment, the nameplate is revealed—Xie Wang.
[Ahhh, as expected, only my third male lead can reveal the fourth male lead's name tag.]
[His name is Xie Wang? That name sounds familiar.]
[That sounds familiar, I'll look it up.]