Shen Shuangjian she still hadn't seen Yu Sheng's message.
When Shen Shuangjian returned, Yu Sheng's message was at the top. Although there were two unread messages, when she opened it, she only saw one message, while the one above it had been deleted.
Yu Sheng: Happy Winter Solstice, Shuangjian Brother.
Although she didn't understand why Yu Sheng had to say "Happy Winter Solstice" several times, Shen Shuangjian still replied out of politeness and friendliness towards Yu Sheng.
"Happy winter solstice."
Because of today's winter solstice, the usually quiet Shen Residence was unusually lively.
The television in the lobby was playing cheerful and festive images, accompanied by upbeat drum music, while the hot pot was bubbling and steaming.
Because Shen Shuangjian couldn't eat spicy food, the hot pot broth was a clear soup that the chef had simmered for several hours beforehand.
The three of them sat close together around one end of the table. Since they were eating hot pot, Shen Shuangjian had tied up her long hair.
" Zhizhi, be careful, it's hot."
Shen Sixian scooped up a cooked, handmade beef ball and placed it on Shen Shuangjian's plate.
Shen Shuangjian eating, especially with hot pot or similar dishes that needed to be eaten right after cooking.
So even though the beef ball that Shen Sixian picked up had been cooling for a while, Shen Shuangjian still habitually blew on it before eating it.
But none of the three expected that these small beef balls actually contained scalding hot meat juices.
Shen Shuangjian had just taken a bite when the splattering juices scalded his tongue, and other splashes of juices burned the corner of Shen Shuangjian eye.
"Hmm--".
Unable to bear the heat or the pain, Shen Shuangjian reddened instantly. He hunched his shoulders and covered his mouth, while the two people beside him, upon hearing the sound, immediately reached out to check on him.
" Zhizhi? What's wrong? Did you get burned?"
The sound of the chair being pushed back was so fast it was almost ear-piercing. Xie Jinghui immediately got up, grabbed a towel, soaked it in cold water in the sink, and then placed it on the corner of Shen Shuangjian's eye.
Xie Jinghui couldn't use a towel to cool the tongue in her mouth, so he had no choice but to have someone fetch a glass of cold water and have Shen Shuangjian in her mouth without swallowing.
"Won't it burn me?"
Seeing tears welling up in Shen Shuangjian's eyes, Shen Sixian felt a little flustered. He cupped Shen Shuangjian's face in his hands, wanting him to stick out his tongue so he could see it, but he had to give up because Shen Shuangjian had cold water in his mouth.
A perfectly good hot pot meal for the Winter Solstice was ruined by a tiny beef ball, causing Shen Shuangjian to shed a string of precious tears.
Even though the scalding heat was cooled down by cold water, how could a sensitive tongue feel good after being burned? Especially after the alternation of hot and cold, it was even more unbearable, like being in both fire and ice.
So Shen Shuang refused to eat any more, no matter what she said.
He shrank back into the sofa, his nose red and his brows furrowed, clutching a towel soaked in cold water; he looked utterly pitiful.
" Zhizhi, how about you have some glutinous rice balls? They're warm now, definitely not hot this time," Shen Sixian said softly, holding a bowl of glutinous rice balls.
"Let's not eat glutinous rice balls. They have fillings inside, and if you burn your tongue, it'll be bad. Let's eat dumplings instead," Xie Jinghui considering the matter more carefully.
However, no matter how much they talked, Shen Shuangjian, who had been burned, simply refused to eat.
Shen Shuangjian shook her head, feeling a numbness in her tongue even when she spoke.
Shen Sixian: "Then, how about some porridge? Let it cool down to lukewarm, it definitely won't be too hot."
Xie Jinghui, "Or eat some fruit, not hot fruit, and your tongue won't feel uncomfortable."
However, Shen Shuangjian still refused to pay attention. He lowered his head and rested it on his knees, even closing his eyes.
This gesture clearly indicates that there is no room for negotiation.
Seeing this, Shen Sixian could only sigh helplessly. He looked at the glutinous rice balls in his hand, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
He glared at Xie Jinghui beside him, and sneered, "Why are you eating hot pot when everything's fine? Look at the terrible idea you came up with."
Xie Jinghui silent. "..."
On the Winter Solstice, a time for family reunions, with lights shining in every home and joyful celebrations, the Shen Residence was quiet and peaceful, but it was nothing compared to the chaos online, which was quickly turning into a complete mess.
As dusk approached, a video suddenly surfaced on Weibo, accompanied by a caption that hinted at the real reason for Xie Qingchi's departure from the show.
In the comments section, fans continued to hurl insults at each other.
[That damned beast of burden banished to the frontier, could you please stop trying to get involved with my top-tier wife?]
[Already discussed, please do not disturb, don't you understand?]
[Oh my god, so Xie Qingchi's withdrawal from the show this time was really forced?]
[You caused a ruckus at the Shen Residence; your exile to the frontier was also your doing.]
[If only he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have bothered in the first place. His attempt to win back his wife back failed miserably.]
[... From beginning to end, Xie Qingchi said he liked Shen Shuangjian, so how come all the fuss was because he liked Shen Shuangjian?]
[Never heard of this. These idiots are unbearable.]
[Yeah, isn't that just plain stupid? Someone insults your Shen Shuangjian, and you insist it's just attention-seeking; someone causes a scene at the Shen Family, and you claim it's just unrequited love turning into hatred. I've never heard of anything like it.]
[ Xie Qingchi has stated more than once that she doesn't like men, and despite everything that's happened since, there are still fans shipping them and constantly trying to make Xie Qingchi the opposite of Xie Qingchi. It's unbearable.]
[Your Beijing social circle's princess is so noble, how dare we?]
[Before saying these things, tell your eldest princess to stop being such a sycophant.]
[Are you all sick? Do you think every guy has to like Shen Shuangjian you're itching for a fight, go find a doorknob.]
[ Xie Qingchi's stanning fans are truly eye-opening.]
[Who the hell kowtowed? Wasn't it your eldest princess who went in and out three times? She's practically on par with Zhao Zilong!]
[If you can't even control your own toxic fans, then you should just die.]
[Our baby is very happy now, please don't try to get involved.]
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, Xie Qingchi a statement! Go check it out! Go check it out!]
[???]
[Damn, this is the biggest slap in the face ever, hahaha!]
Xie Qingchi- dormant Weibo suddenly had a new post pinned to the top. It was his response to the controversy and his belated sincerity.
Xie Qingchi v:
The reason I withdrew from the program has nothing to do with Shen Shuangjian from beginning to end. It was just me who liked Shen Shuangjian, but I didn't want to bother him anymore.
Xie Qingchi's public admission has undoubtedly pushed the heat and storm to its climax.
All the doubts, anger, ridicule, and mockery converged at once, tearing away the last veil of pretense and exposing his former arrogance.
Driven by love turned to hate, clinging to pride, slandering and spreading rumors, displaying a petty mentality, all sorts of unpleasant words filled Xie Qingchi's comment section.
They only mocked him for his belated honesty.