Xie Wang exerted too much force during today's task. Combined with his slightly low platelet count, which makes his skin more delicate than normal, he bruised so easily.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. He quickly wrapped himself in a bathrobe, pushed open the door, and found Xie Wang standing in front of him in his pajamas.
He asked, "Is something the matter?"
Xie Wang held medicine for treating external injuries in his hand, his gaze falling on his lower back: "I noticed your waist is red from what I've done. I wanted to ask if the red marks have faded yet?"
Ling Shuangjiang nodded her chin: "It should have faded by now."
"What do you mean by 'should'?" Xie Wang frowned as he walked in.
He noticed that Ling Shuangjiang was very careful when she sat down, and dared not let her lower back touch the hard chair back.
Xie Wang turned on the RV's lights and stood in front of Ling Shuangjiang, pursing his lips and eager to ask, "Can I check what's wrong with your back? Because I noticed that you seemed a little strange when you moved around this afternoon."
Ling Shuangjiang chuckled: "I'm not the Princess and the Pea, I don't get hurt from just a touch. Don't worry, I'm fine, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"It's all my fault. I was too rough today." Xie Wang put the medicine on the table and said again, "I already said I would take responsibility for you. You got hurt because of me. Let me see you before I feel at ease."
Ling Shuangjiang suddenly smiled lazily, "Take responsibility? How do you plan to take responsibility?"
He raised the corner of his eye and leaned closer, saying, "I'm a shameless person. If you see my waist, you're going to marry me."
Xie Wang's gaze quietly fell on his belt...
Author's Note:
I need a nutrient solution.
Chapter 30 Heart-Fluttering
The faint moonlight shone into the car, falling on Xie Wang's slightly tense back. When Ling Shuangjiang said this, her eyebrows were slightly raised, and her tone was rising, with a hint of teasing.
"It's not impossible," Xie Wang said in a deep voice after a long silence.
Upon hearing this, Ling Shuangjiang was surprised: "Do you... know what you're saying?"
Xie Wang nodded: "If you want to live with me, I can consider it. After all, it's quite popular for best friends to live together these days."
"puff."
Ling Shuangjiang casually crossed her legs, sized up Xie Wang, and for a moment didn't know what to say.
"So, it's okay for brothers to live together?"
"Hmm." Xie Wang looked at Ling Shuangjiang. "What's so good about marrying a girl? You might argue, you might have disagreements, and I'll have to coax her and give in to her."
Ling Shuangjiang teased, "If you don't coax me, if you don't love me, why get married?"
"So, I don't really want to get married anymore." Xie Wang was tired and sat opposite Ling Shuangjiang. "It doesn't feel interesting."
Ling Shuangjiang gently patted her silk bathrobe with her fingertips, gazing at him intently: "But—I'd rather marry someone I love, because I want him to love me, pamper me, and stay with me."
Upon hearing Ling Shuangjiang's words, Xie Wang couldn't help but feel downcast, but on the surface he remained calm and composed.
"Then you need to keep your eyes open and look carefully. Some people have two different faces before and after marriage."
Ling Shuangjiang nodded slightly: "Okay."
It was getting late, and Xie Wang hadn't forgotten his main purpose for coming here. He glanced at Ling Shuangjiang's waist and hesitated, "Then your waist..."
"It's alright, don't worry," Ling Shuangjiang said.
"Okay." Xie Wang reminded him again to apply the medicine before getting out of the car alone.
Ling Shuangjiang secretly observed his back, opened her iPad, hesitated for a long time, and then wrote an email.
Jiayi, I want to ask you a question. If a guy claims to be straight, but is incredibly nice to you, even saying he'd like to marry you, what do you think he's thinking?
About two hours later, Lin Jiayi replied:
This show is really inconvenient; they didn't even give me my phone, so I only just saw it now.
First, I want to ask, is there a man in your life who treats you like this? In my opinion, he likes you. However, his education and life experience over the past twenty years tell him he's straight, so he's subconsciously deceiving himself. This forces him to find some plausible reasons to engage in homosexual behavior under the guise of being straight.
Ling Shuangjiang rested her chin on her hand and blinked:
Actually, I think that's what I was thinking too; he was one of my favorite male guests on the dating reality show.
Lin Jiayi:
Wow, our Shuangjiang actually fell for a worldly person? Will all those guys who were pursuing you in college cry if they saw this?
Ling Shuangjiang:
I quite like him. Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore, I have a recording session tomorrow. When will you arrive in Haishi?
Lin Jiayi:
It should be around tomorrow.
Ling Shuangjiang:
Okay, I'll contact you then.
—
The next day, all the guests got ready, changed into the outdoor adventure clothes provided by the production team, and gathered on the beach in front of the RV.
During this outdoor adventure, the guests can still form teams freely. However, since Xie Wang only had one of many items when he bought supplies yesterday, and Ling Shuangjiang needed to share them with him, Ling Shuangjiang declined Lu Shaoheng's invitation.
Half an hour later, everyone boarded a cruise ship and boarded the adventure island.
This island, invested in by a developer and specifically designed for jungle adventurers, is newly built and is one of the show's partners.
"This adventure island is divided into Zone A and Zone B. Today we will be active in Zone A," the director's voice came, beginning to explain the rules of Zone A in detail. "Although our guests are paired up, if you want to enter Zone B, you need to participate in a competition in Zone A. Those who are eliminated will not be able to enter Zone B."
Ling Shuangjiang looked up at the pristine island with a hint of worry in her eyes. Xie Wang noticed this expression, leaned closer, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ling Shuangjiang: "I'm wondering if it's safe here."
Xie Wang: "Generally speaking, the main audience for this kind of island exploration is adventure enthusiasts. In order to meet their needs, there will be a certain degree of danger and challenge, but it will not be too dangerous."
Ling Shuangjiang: "So that's how it is."
Xie Wang looked at him and said, "Don't worry, I'm here."
[What are the third and fourth men whispering about?]
[Hehe, so sweet!]
[His wife seems a little uneasy? Is the fourth man trying to comfort him?]
Jungle Area A is like a qualifying round to enter Area B. Everyone's luggage doesn't need to be taken off the bus. They just need to change into special costumes, pick up prop guns, and wait for the competition.
Certain outfits have sensors; being hit by a gun three or more times will result in elimination. Each hit reduces the health bar on the sensor by one. After 4 hours, the person still in area A wins. The winner can choose any guest to travel to area B together.
It is worth noting that alliances are not allowed for this event; participants must travel alone.
Therefore, as long as one of them stays until the end, they can still enter Zone B tomorrow.
[Can I only travel alone? Is it okay if I run into someone along the way?]
[A chance encounter should be fine, but I guess we can't aim for an alliance; let's just act together.]
The whistle blew, signaling it was time to depart.
Ling Shuangjiang slung the prop gun over his shoulder, tied his shoelaces, and said goodbye to Xie Wang. Before parting, Xie Wang stood opposite him, looking very worried.
"I took a look at the environment on the island, and as expected, there will be some dangerous NPCs and obstacles."
Xie Wang took off his wristwatch, held Ling Shuangjiang's wrist, and helped him put it on: "Besides having an emergency alarm system, this watch can also emit special interference signals. Although there are no dangerous wild animals here, just in case, you can turn it on if you encounter danger."
Ling Shuangjiang stopped her, saying, "No need, you can wear it. There are cameras around, so there's no danger."
"It's best if there's no danger." Xie Wang patted him gently. "Be careful."
Ling Shuangjiang nodded slowly, her gaze falling on the wristwatch.
"Xie Wang, you too."
[Special interference signal? That sounds sophisticated.]
[For a big shot like Xie Wang, personal safety is paramount; this kind of watch is nothing special.]
[But he gave the watch to Shuangjiang.]
[Aww, it's so sweet!]
The surrounding thickets grew very tall, requiring one to push them aside as one walked. The stones and branches scattered everywhere also restricted movement, so Ling Shuangjiang proceeded cautiously.
Although this is a wild jungle, it is semi-artificially developed. While there may not be any dangerous wild animals, there are still many snakes, insects, rodents, and ants.
Ling Shuangjiang is most afraid of snakes and rats.
Suddenly, a girl screamed from not far away.
Ling Shuangjiang immediately turned around, and the announcement rang in her ears: Huang Shan has been eliminated.
[Huang Shan was eliminated way too quickly.]
[I was just following Huang Shan. She was eliminated by Chen Ying, who was right behind her, but Huang Shan didn't see her.]
[Chen Ying's marksmanship was too good; she hit Huang Shan three times. Huang Shan didn't have time to react and couldn't escape.]
The prop gun has little impact, and the bullets are made of soft plastic balls, so being hit by it won't hurt.
From the audience's perspective, it's possible to clearly see the location of each guest's movements.
Currently, Ling Shuangjiang and Xie Wang are far apart, while Chen Ying is closest to Ling Shuangjiang.
The dark forest in the distance was quiet and deep, and the sound of footsteps on the sandy ground was particularly clear. At this moment, Ling Shuangjiang heard rustling footsteps behind him. He subconsciously moved behind a tree that was at least three meters wide, concealed his footsteps, and observed the movement around him.
Chen Ying is currently only five meters away from Ling Shuangjiang.
She had just seen Ling Shuangjiang, but in the blink of an eye she couldn't see her anymore. She looked around warily.
At this moment, Cheng Jia walked over from not far away.
The moment Chen Ying saw him, she quickly pulled the trigger. Before Cheng Jia could react, he was shot in the chest, and his health points decreased by one.
"Damn, Chen Ying, you're too ruthless."
As Cheng Jia raised his gun to retaliate, Chen Ying pulled the trigger a second time, hitting the sensor in Cheng Jia's chest again. In his agitation, Cheng Jia's prop gun missed, and Chen Ying was unharmed.