Shen Shuangjian wasn't in a good mood, and when the group regrouped, Shen Shuangjian barely spoke.
But his taciturn nature was something everyone was used to.
The thousand-acre rose garden in full bloom is where the story begins.
And this time, everyone returned to this place, the same banquet, the same bright lights, the same spotlight.
[Waaaa, I'm so touched. The last time I was here was a few months ago, when Shuangjian was still being universally disliked online.]
[It's a chaotic situation now, with many different opinions.]
[The standard for "Baijia Lei" is the popularity of top-tier influencers, provided that it's promoted by tens of thousands of people.]
Why does my wife seem to be in a bad mood? Her expression is colder than usual, and is Xie Jinghui the same?
Did the couple have a fight?
[ Xie Qingchi acting strangely; he was wearing a mask when he came back.]
[Does that matter? Isn't the main point the city-wide manhunt this afternoon and the plan to Shuangjian and his wife?]
[Haha, all six of them simultaneously started running through the streets and alleys looking for Shuangjian, their wife.]
[Let's just rename it "Hot Romance in the City".]
[Now I've found evidence that your show is actually a dating reality show, haven't I?]
"Congratulations everyone, we've finally made it to the final battle of the first half of our show."
"There's no task today. We've placed a submission box on the program's official website, containing thirty interview questions from our viewers."
There was a lot of delicious food on the table, but Shen Shuangjian had no appetite at all. He sat there quietly, barely hearing the voices of others.
Buzz--
The phone rang incessantly, but Shen Shuangjian didn't notice until Gu Xuanlin Shen Shuangjian to her reminded her.
My phone contains several messages from Shen Sixian.
Shen Sixian: How late do we need to record?
Shen Sixian: I'll pick you up later, send me your location.
Shen Sixian: No need, I know the location.
Shen Shuangjian glanced at it a couple of times, a little slow, before remembering to reply to the message.
His fingers tapped lightly on the screen.
Shen Shuangjian: Hmm.
After replying, Shen Shuangjian realized with a daze what he had sent. He didn't think to retract it, but instinctively felt it was inappropriate.
" Shuangjian, Shuangjian- sensei?"
Suddenly, a louder warning sounded in her ear, Shen Shuangjian's eyes trembled. She subconsciously looked up.
"Ms. Shuangjian, the third question from netizens is about you and Mr. Xie."
Xie Jinghui...
"Ms. Shuangjian, you and Mr. Xie seem to get along very well during recordings, and you seem to have a very good relationship. So many netizens want to know, what kind of relationship do you have in private?"
This is clearly a question fueled by CP (couple) fans, so the response is quite simple: just give a polite but ambiguous answer.
The handle of the silver cutlery in Xie Jinghui's hand was quietly tightened. Xie Jinghui lifted his eyelids and waited for Shen Shuangjian's answer with focused, quiet, and silent attention.
What relationship? Is there any necessary connection between them? Shen Shuangjian lowered her eyelashes slightly, not having time to think, and subconsciously answered honestly.
"It doesn't matter."
In this world, it turns out that no one has anything to do with him.
Shen Shuangjian cold and unforgiving reply undoubtedly drew everyone's attention, including the camera's, to Xie Jinghui.
The man in the suit and tie had become like a clown trying to attract attention. He sat there, his eyelids lowered, still the impenetrable leader.
No one would know that beneath Xie Jinghui's calm exterior, a raging storm was brewing within her heart.
Before Shen Shuangjian speak, Xie Jinghui had already made many predictions.
He wondered if it was someone he liked, someone he was close to, or just a friend, someone who was a good person. He even thought of Shen Shuangjian's roundabout way of indicating that they were just familiar strangers.
But Xie Jinghui didn't expect him to say "It's okay," three words that were spoken without hesitation, calm and indifferent.
He's not even as good as Yu Sheng and Xie Qingchi.
Yu Sheng could be his "friend," while Xie Qingchi could be someone he once liked, but has now lost and regained.
Only he, after a few long yet short months, was returned to square one in the same place.
In the manor where he reunited with Shen Shuangjian, Xie Jinghui discovery: he had never actually gotten close to Shen Shuangjian.
A dinner filled with diverse thoughts and questions quickly came to an end. Xie Jinghui throughout, while Shen Shuangjian, being the center of attention, received almost half of the questions related to him.
Even after the final episode aired and recording stopped, Xie Jinghui remained motionless, sitting in the same spot watching people come and go around him.
It wasn't until much later that Xie Jinghui finally looked up and caught a glimpse of the pale moonlight in the sky.
Thus, the superior who fell in love for the first time finally realized his passivity in relationships.
It turns out he was neither invincible nor omnipotent.
It turns out that all it takes to break him down is a really bad Shen Shuangjian.
One sentence was enough to make him lose all his armor and flee, wishing he could immediately kneel down and beg for mercy in fear and trembling.
·
The Xie Family's manor is located in the suburbs of Beijing, not far from the Shen Residence, but certainly not close either.
From the moment Shen Sixian received Shen Shuangjian, he noticed that something seemed off about her.
Although Shen Shuangjian is usually aloof and listless, she is definitely not this dull and tense.
He initially thought Shen Shuangjian was just too tired, but after the car had been driving for twenty minutes, Shen Shuangjian remained sitting upright with her eyes downcast and silent.
Shen Sixian finally realized the seriousness of the problem.
" Shuangjian."
Shen Sixian frowned in confusion. He reached out and tried to brush away a strand of hair from Shen Shuangjian's face.
But the other person suddenly dodged.
Shen Sixian's hand missed its target, and he almost thought he was seeing Shen Shuangjian from a few months ago, even more so than before, with a stronger sense of resistance and alienation.
" Shen Shuangjian?"
Shen Sixian wouldn't tolerate his stubbornness. Shen Sixian gently cupped Shen Shuangjian's face, forcing him to look at him.
"What's wrong? Did someone bully you? Or are you feeling unwell? Tell me."
Shen Sixian's hands were large enough that even without much force, he could hold Shen Shuangjian's face firmly, making it impossible for Shen Shuangjian to escape.
Shen Shuangjian instinctively tried to curl her fingers, but they were already stiff from being cold all day.
He stared blankly at Shen Sixian, his subconscious and reason telling him he couldn't say anything, but for some reason, Shen Shuangjian inexplicably began to tremble.
He looked at Shen Sixian, his lips trembling as he spoke softly in the quiet car, his words barely audible. "I'm scared..."
Shen Shuangjian slowly raised his already somewhat stiff hand, gripped Shen Sixian's sleeve tightly, and repeated himself as if afraid the other might not hear him clearly.
"I'm scared."