As expected, the racetrack became a popular choice. Wen Ai, Bai Xinyu, and Ling Shuangjiang all wanted to go there.
The director said, "There's no other way, we'll have to pit them against each other."
Pull-ups are not difficult for people who exercise regularly, but the challenge in this competition is the physical exertion.
As the guests approached, they were surprised to see Xie Wang. Lu Shaoheng glanced at him and asked, "Mr. Xie, would you also like to go to the racetrack?"
Xie Wang: "Hmm."
Lu Shaoheng asked with a smile, "With which guest?"
Xie Wang didn't say anything, but silently walked to the horizontal bar, ready to start.
Ling Shuangjiang sat directly in front of Xie Wang, their eyes meeting in mid-air. Xie Wang didn't look away and kept staring at him, but this time Ling Shuangjiang avoided his gaze and looked at Lu Shaoheng instead.
[Tsk tsk tsk, I sense a dangerous atmosphere.]
I think Shuangjiang and President Xie had a fight.
[Huh? No way? Shuangjiang is so gentle, it must be that President Xie made him angry!]
[They're both really in trouble.]
The whistle blew, and Qi Yu, Xie Wang, Lu Shaoheng, and Bai Xinyu simultaneously began doing pull-ups. The person who did the most pull-ups within fifteen minutes would win.
Cheers and applause rang out all around. Wen Ai was very excited and stood in front of Qi Yu to cheer him on. Qiao Yi was no exception, shyly and gently calling out Bai Xinyu's name.
Ling Shuangjiang remained calm, glancing at Xie Wang out of the corner of her eye from time to time. She noticed that he was much faster than the others, and currently only Lu Shaoheng could barely keep up with him.
[The fourth guy is doing pull-ups like a madman.]
[I've lost count.]
[Actor Lu has been trying his best to keep up, but it seems he still has less than him.]
[It's a total of fifteen minutes. Let's see who can last until the end. After all, Lu Shaoheng works out regularly, so his physical fitness is quite good.]
[Although the scene of this handsome guy working out is quite sensual, I still want to say that Mr. Xie has the best physique. His arm muscles, chest muscles, and abs are beautiful, but not bulky or greasy; he's the type who looks slim in clothes but muscular underneath.]
[Yes, if it weren't for the fourth male lead's good looks and physique, I would have kicked him out of my wife's life long ago.]
With five minutes left, Bai Xinyu was the first to give up. Joey walked over and grabbed a towel: "It's okay, we can choose another place."
Bai Xinyu didn't say anything. Looking at the three people who were still persisting, he felt very embarrassed. He sat to the side with a towel in his hand, looking very unhappy.
Next to give up was Qi Yu, who looked at Xie Wang, panting heavily: "Brother, keep going."
Xie Wangping stared ahead. Although his clothes were already soaked with sweat and the sweat was gradually seeping through, his speed and frequency did not slow down. Each mechanical bend of his arm muscles seemed to be completely effortless.
Lu Shaoheng, who had been keeping up with him, gradually became breathless, his forehead and neck turning bright red. He gritted his teeth and tried desperately to lift himself up, but his arms still trembled uncontrollably.
His physical strength is almost at its limit.
Finally, with one minute left, he fell.
[Sigh, Mr. Xie has won.]
[President Xie's physical fitness is truly amazing, like a robot.]
[With that kind of physical stamina...who could stand it?]
[Image of a pale, yellowish face.]
[Didi, someone is driving.]
Ling Shuangjiang picked up the prepared water and handed it to Lu Shaoheng, saying, "You've worked hard. Drink it slowly after your lungs have calmed down."
Lu Shaoheng's tone was full of apology: "I'm sorry I couldn't get you to go where you wanted in the PK. But my record is there, so if you want to go somewhere else, you should be able to."
[Hmm, this sounds a bit like moral blackmail.]
[She never agreed to go to the racetrack with him from beginning to end, did she?]
[Is he treating Frostfall as his private property?]
[Please? Lu Shaoheng only went to the PK because of Ling Shuangjiang, don't tell me Ling Shuangjiang didn't choose him in the end.]
[His final choice regarding who to choose is up to him; who says he has to choose Lu Shaoheng?]
The final result was obvious: Xie Wang won. As he got off the horizontal bar, he glanced at Ling Shuangjiang, who was sitting with Lu Shaoheng, and his gaze fell on the bottled water that Ling Shuangjiang had prepared for Lu Shaoheng.
He watched for a moment, then quietly left and sat down to rest with his head down.
Although this PK was not difficult for him, who has been training for many years, he did it too fast today and his physical strength was greatly depleted, so he still needs to take a break.
However, what hurt him the most was Ling Shuangjiang's neglect. All the other guests participating in the competition were given water, but he wasn't.
His back wasn't as straight as usual; he was slightly hunched over, head bowed, lost in a profound sense of dejection.
Even if he manages to secure the racetrack, so what? Even if he extends an invitation to Ling Shuangjiang, she might not necessarily accept.
His brow was furrowed, his expression grew increasingly somber, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere emanated from him.
Just then, a bottle of water came into his view.
He immediately looked up, his eyes lighting up.
Chen Ying smiled sweetly: "Have some water, you've worked hard."
Xie Wang pursed his lips: "Thank you, but I feel really uncomfortable after exercising, and I'm not very thirsty right now."
Chen Ying asked with concern, "Where do you feel unwell? Do you need me to call a doctor for you?"
"No need, I'll just rest by myself for a while. Thank you for your concern," Xie Wang replied.
Chen Ying nodded: "Okay."
After Chen Ying left, Xie Wang looked up and circled around, only to find that Ling Shuangjiang was nowhere to be seen, but Lu Shaoheng was still there.
He sighed and lowered his head again.
"Drink water."
A familiar voice rang out, and when Xie Wang hurriedly looked up, Ling Shuangjiang was already sitting next to him, helping him turn on the water.
Xie Wang, still in a daze, took the water.
After a two-second pause, he raised his head and gulped down two mouthfuls, his eyes fixed on Ling Shuangjiang.
Ling Shuangjiang crossed his legs, leisurely looking ahead, then got up to leave. In just a moment, his hand was grabbed by Xie Wang.
Xie Wang looked up at him and said, "Can I come to the racetrack with you? I have something important to tell you."
"Important matter?" Ling Shuangjiang let him pull her along, gently turning her head: "Do we have to go there to say it?"
Xie Wang: "Hmm."
Ling Shuangjiang said softly, "But we need to avoid suspicion."
Xie Wang jumped up, his brows furrowed in anxiety as he tried to explain, but he didn't know how to express his feelings over the past few days.
He felt that revealing his inner thoughts to Ling Shuangjiang was much more difficult than giving a complex speech.
Ling Shuangjiang looked at his anxious expression, then sighed softly, "Yes."
Xie Wang: "You agreed?"
Ling Shuangjiang: "I agree."
Xie Wang instantly broke into an excited smile and took Ling Shuangjiang's hand: "Then let's go."
Ling Shuangjiang withdrew her hand and slowly nodded.
When the two appeared on camera, the viewers in the live chat went completely wild.
[Ahhhh, what happened between them?]
[They've made up!!]
[That's great, brotherly duos are the best!]
Something's not right, something's definitely not right.
When he passed Lu Shaoheng, Ling Shuangjiang hesitated and stopped. He walked over and apologized, "I'm sorry, Xie Wang and I have some things to take care of."
Lu Shaoheng smiled and shook his head: "It's okay, it's your freedom to go wherever you want anyway."
"You've had a hard day, get some rest." After saying that, Ling Shuangjiang returned to Xie Wang's side and went with him to the racetrack.
The camera followed the two throughout the journey, giving Xie Wang no chance to speak. Once inside the racetrack, he used the excuse of changing clothes to lead Ling Shuangjiang into the locker room.
"Shuangjiang, I'd like to ask you for a favor." Xie Wang stood opposite Ling Shuangjiang, his tone hesitant.
Ling Shuangjiang said calmly, "Go ahead."
Xie Wang lowered his head: "I have to attend an important private business dinner tonight. Could you... be my wife for a day?"
Ling Shuangjiang's expression suddenly turned somewhat incredulous: "Be your wife?"
Xie Wang replied seriously, "Yes."
He made this request to Ling Shuangjiang after careful consideration.
First, he believed that Ling Shuangjiang was distancing herself from him because the last thing he said on the phone with his friend yesterday was hurtful, making Ling Shuangjiang feel discriminated against and judged with prejudice.
However, simply explaining such matters without taking action might seem hypocritical and weak.
So he made this request to prove to Ling Shuangjiang that he did not discriminate against homosexuals, and even if he did, he would never discriminate against him.
Xie Wang, despite his strong aversion to homosexuality, was willing to pretend to be Ling Shuangjiang's lover, disregarding other people's opinions.
The remaining reason was to facilitate cooperation between Cheng Fan and Ling Shuangjiang.
"Xie Chongyan is the chairman of Xie Fan Group. Since we were little, we've often been compared because we share the same surname, Xie. Although I think I'm much better than him, there's one thing I'm definitely not as good at as him."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Which point?"
Xie Wang: "I don't have a wife. He's bringing his wife to dinner with me tonight, and I'm all alone, so I'd like to ask for your help."
Ling Shuangjiang's expression was somewhat complicated: "You said yesterday that you would never marry a man, aren't you afraid that if I go with you, our relationship will become common knowledge? Your circle probably has a lot of inside information."
"Let them spread the word." Xie Wang's brows furrowed with seriousness. "You're so beautiful and gentle. Being my boyfriend will only make them jealous. It's not something shameful."
At this moment, Ling Shuangjiang wavered somewhat. But then he remembered Xie Wang's confident demeanor last night, and hesitated a bit.
Last night, he thought about it for a long time and decided to end things with Xie Wang as soon as possible, and become just ordinary friends or strangers.
"I'm sorry, I probably can't help you with this," Ling Shuangjiang murmured. "You should ask someone else."