Chapter 118 Insight and Understanding: Love and Being Loved, First Signs Emerge
“That’s right, it is indeed my mother’s rest time now, but her phone is kept off so as not to disturb her. And I think that when she wakes up tomorrow morning, the first thing she will see is my message, and she will be very happy that her son is willing to share his experiences with her.”
"But it seems like there's some truth to that?" Jiang Xiuyuan scratched his head.
"Taking it out of context, it does make sense, but don't forget what actor Zachary's purpose is in being here today."
As soon as the words "actor Zachary" were mentioned, Jiang Xiuyuan immediately understood.
This is a dating reality show, an entertainment variety show.
The only real guests were the six of them, while Zachary was there as Song Ying's friend to visit the set and experience it for himself.
As guest stars, we shouldn't be fixated on the competition itself, because those prizes were originally prepared for the three groups of guests.
Zachary's proactive approach makes his intentions all too obvious.
As the heir to the Dermamy Awards, a promising young entrepreneur, and an internationally renowned male star, his behavior is unusual and quite different from his usual character.
“I understand, brother-in-law. I will keep an eye on him, just like in the beginning. I’ll go after him when we get back.”
"No need. If he wants to shake us off and move on, then let's give him plenty of time to be alone. We came here today to fish, and if you keep disturbing us on the shore, how will the fish dare to bite?"
At this point, Qin Shu glanced at Jiang Xiuyuan, "Also, don't forget why your sister invited that young girl here."
Qin Shu did not name names, but Jiang Xiuyuan instantly understood who Qin Shu was referring to.
"I... I'm just here to carry out a mission," Jiang Xiuyuan stubbornly insisted.
Qin Shu didn't expose her, and said directly, "What you do is none of our business. But when your sister first invited him, she was rejected. This time, she offered five million and promised Shen Yuning the male lead role in an IP drama, and only then did Luo Luo agree."
"But when they went to the company to sign the contract that day, Shen Yuning would rather give up the opportunity than let his little assistant go on a dating show and date other men."
“I don’t know what they’re thinking. I’m just reminding you that if you don’t plant something on an empty lot, someone else will, and even weeds will invade. By the time you figure out what to plant, it might be too late.”
After he finished speaking, the camera crew who had been waiting nearby, having received instructions, quickly came forward to greet him.
Qin Shu waved the pots and pans in her hand at the camera.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. It was indeed inconvenient to get the equipment over there just now. We can go back now."
-
After meeting, the group packed their bags again and prepared to set off.
Jiang Xiuyuan was somewhat absent-minded as she walked, thinking about what Qin Shu had said before.
Especially when I was going around a corner, I almost stepped into a hole.
"careful!"
Luo Luo exclaimed in surprise and tried to pull Jiang Xiuyuan away.
Fortunately, Jiang Xiuyuan reacted quickly and grabbed the railing in time, thus avoiding twisting her ankle.
"You scared me to death! Watch where you're going, what if you really got hurt?"
Seeing Luo Luo so nervous, Jiang Xiuyuan looked at her.
What was about to come out as "I'm strong, I can't hurt you" turned into, "Are you... worried about me?"
Luo Luo: "...Who cares about you!"
"Then why did you pull me and tell me to be careful?"
Jiang Xiuyuan looked at Luo Luo with bright, sunny eyes that were honest and frank, yet also a little cheeky.
Luo Luo had always treated Jiang Xiuyuan as a younger brother.
Even though she appeared on a dating reality show, she didn't treat him as a blind date or a romantic partner.
Their relationship seems to have remained at the level of teasing and arguing with each other in their childhood.
But at this moment, the tall and handsome Jiang Xiuyuan stood in front of her and asked such a question. The sunlight shone on his face, and his bronze skin looked healthy and radiant. Luo Luo felt as if she had been hit in the heart.
Just then, Jiang Xiuyuan suddenly leaned forward a few degrees, looking directly into her eyes.
"So, you still care about me, right?"
The sudden closeness filled the air with youthful hormones.
Luo Luo's heart raced. At this moment, she finally realized that the little boy she used to spank had grown into a real man.
"Who cares about you?"
Luo Luo turned her face away in a bit of a panic, "I, I was just afraid you would twist your leg and not only would I have to take care of you, but I would also have to carry this big backpack to the top of the mountain by myself."
After saying this, Luo Luo climbed several steps.
Jiang Xiuyuan laughed, "I don't care, you just care about me."
Upon hearing this, Luo Luo stopped and turned around, spitting out a remark.
"Jiang Xiuyuan, you have such a thick skin!"
[Not thick-skinned, no wife, but persistent pursuit is the most effective way to win over Uncle Luo.]
[Haha, it's rare to see Luo's dad shy. My good son has finally become successful. After washing the pots, it's like his meridians have been opened. He has finally learned to take the initiative to flirt and create opportunities for himself. I no longer worry about my good son being a bachelor.]
[Household chores really do make men more sensible! I've learned how, so my husband will wash the dishes tonight! Don't ask why I don't let him cook; I'm afraid I won't have time to watch TV shows after that!]
[Was it doing housework that helped Jiang Si Shao grow up? It was clearly his brother-in-law Qin Shu who provided the crucial support, okay?]
[Now I understand how Brother Qin managed to win over Sister Ying, hahaha]
The initial success greatly encouraged Chiang Hsiu-yuan.
Luo Luo, however, was somewhat unaccustomed to Jiang Xiuyuan's sudden change and could only ask her sisters for help.
"Do you think Jiang Xiuyuan is possessed? I feel like he's completely changed. It's giving me goosebumps."
As she said this, Luo Luo stretched out her arm for Song Ying and Wen Nian to see.
Song Ying silently extended her arm. "Are you sure this wasn't caused by the mountain wind?"
Luo Luo: "...Anyway, it's just making me feel uncomfortable."
Wen Nian blinked, seemingly lost in thought, "Are you embarrassed? Suddenly being flirted with so directly by someone who used to treat you like a little brother, so you're having trouble adjusting to the sudden change in his image in your mind."
"No wonder you draw romance comics." Luo Luo gave Wen Nian a thumbs up. "It does have that feeling you described. One minute I think we can go up the mountain to fight tigers and down the mountain to catch fish, and we can even pick up girls on the street, but then he turns around and says he wants to pick me up. It feels like I treat you like a brother, but you want to date me."
“But this is a dating reality show,” Wen Nian said. “Didn’t you expect this when you came to participate in the show?”
This question left Luo Luo speechless.
Of course she knew this was a dating reality show.
But when Jiang Xiuyuan treated her like a couple in a reality show, she felt a little uncomfortable.
“When I used to watch dating reality shows, I could wriggle around on the sofa like a maggot if the guests had even a little interaction. But now that this is happening to me, I just feel really uncomfortable.”
"So, do you feel uncomfortable with Jiang Xiuyuan treating you like this, or do you feel uncomfortable with the opposite sex treating you like this in general? If it were someone else, would there be other boys who would treat you like this without making you feel awkward, but instead make you feel butterflies in your stomach and shy with pink bubbles in your heart and eyes?"
When it comes to other things, Wen Nian is perhaps too embarrassed to speak up due to his personality.
But when you're in a familiar field and with familiar people, that sense of restraint disappears completely.
Every question hits the nail on the head.
It's a question that truly touches the soul.
Luo opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.
Although she had been on more than 30 blind dates, every time she saw those awful men, she didn't even consider them as men.
It's more like watching a monkey show.
Having lived to be twenty-four, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she's been single since birth for 24 years.
Due to family circumstances, she developed an independent personality from a young age and didn't have many other friends. Her only two friends were Wen Nian and Song Ying.
Song Ying's time together was brief, while Wen Nian was a long-term best friend.
In this friendship, Luo Luo is more like the protector, and her personality has always been like a boy's.
No man had ever treated her like this before.
To be honest, Jiang Xiuyuan was the first.
But she didn't know if the racing heart she felt just now was something she liked.
If she liked him, why did she only feel unaccustomed to it after feeling nervous and flustered?
If she didn't like him, why didn't she deliberately embarrass him like she did with the other men she met on blind dates before?
She seemed scared.
She was afraid that her relationship with Jiang Xiuyuan would deteriorate.
She felt that the way the two of them used to get along was just fine.
It's very comfortable and I feel very at ease.
My mother left early, and my father started a new family.
Even her beloved maternal grandmother has been gone for more than a decade.
After the age of ten, she had never been truly loved or cared for, nor did she know how to love others.
All her understanding of love came from the novels, TV series, and comics she had read. She used to think that those feelings of attraction were love, but now that it was happening to her, everything seemed to be out of control.
Stories and real life are completely different things.
We must continue climbing the mountain, and continue walking the road.
Luo Luo felt embarrassed to keep monopolizing the female guest and affecting the relationship between other couples—or perhaps, for the first time, she wanted to see how other couples got along.
So, one person followed the Winners and Losers and the Constant Temperatures at a distance, observing in silence.
Watch as Song Ying picks a wildflower by the roadside and playfully tucks it behind Qin Shu's ear.
Wen Nian took out tissues to wipe Ji Zhiheng's sweat, asked him if he was thirsty, and handed him water.
Looking at it from all angles, it seems like just an ordinary act in life, not necessarily anything spectacular, nor like the passionate, fiery ignition between two people the moment they meet in a novel.
Is this love?
What are they thinking when they interact?
Luo Luo looked somewhat bewildered.
She turned around unintentionally and saw Jiang Xiuyuan silently following not far from her.
Ever since she started avoiding him, Jiang Xiuyuan has acted as if she had done something wrong. Every time she tries to speak, she hurriedly goes to talk to Wen Nian and Song Ying.
Everyone was chatting and laughing, while he was carrying such a heavy load and had been neglected for so long. Perhaps he felt even worse than I did.
Luo Luo felt a little guilty, so she stopped and wanted to wait for Jiang Xiuyuan.
Little did they know, Jiang Xiuyuan also decided not to leave.
The two were positioned one in front and one behind.
One is above, and one is below.
They stood facing each other along the steps.
Jiang Xiuyuan could naturally sense that Luo Luo was avoiding him.
If his advances are a burden to her, then he should not bother her anymore.
Luo Luo's eyes flickered. "Jiang Xiuyuan, are you... are you tired? Let me help you carry some things?"
"It's okay, I can manage."
As he said this, Jiang Xiuyuan lifted his foot again, but stopped two steps away from Luo Luo.
"Let's go, you go first, I'll follow you."
Luo Luo opened her mouth, but did not refuse.
He could only turn around and walk forward, with Jiang Xiuyuan's footsteps right beside him.
Luo Luo racked her brains, wanting to talk to him.
Are you thirsty?
Jiang Xiuyuan: "...? It's alright."
"oh."
Luo Luo silently turned her head away, walked for a while, then turned back, "Um, are you sweating? I have some tissues..."
"I've already wiped it." Jiang Xiuyuan spread out his hands, with a tissue lying in his palm.
"oh."
Luo Luo turned around in frustration.
Just as she was about to try to find a topic to talk about for the third time, Jiang Xiuyuan spoke first.
"Actually, you don't need to do this."
"Wh-what kind of..."
“This is so unlike you,” Jiang Xiuyuan said, looking at Luo Luo. “If my previous joke caused you any trouble or distress, I will be more careful.”
Luo Luo hadn't expected Jiang Xiuyuan to be so perceptive—or had she already made it so obvious?
Her cheeks were burning, and Luo Luo quickly covered them. "There's nothing wrong or bothering me. It's just... it's a bit sudden, and I need some time to adjust."
"Okay, take your time."
Jiang Xiuyuan glanced at the time. "It's getting late. Let's get going, or the road will be difficult to travel once it gets dark."
"good."
After stopping and setting off again, Luo Luo and Jiang Xiuyuan had already fallen far behind the others.
So after they started walking, the two stopped talking and continued on their way in silence.
This inadvertently improved efficiency, allowing them to catch up with the team quickly.
In the live chat, fans sighed repeatedly.
I thought things were finally going to get better, but it turns out these two are both idiots. It's so frustrating! I just want to force them to be together.
Although I'm a little conflicted, I can really empathize with Luo's father's reaction and feelings.
People who have been single for many years truly don't know how to love, and they can't accept the love of others as easily as those who have been pampered since childhood. No matter how proud they appear on the surface, deep down they feel unworthy of being liked by others, and they dare not like others in return.
[The Fourth Young Master really took Luo's father's feelings into consideration. Even though he hadn't done anything wrong, and was even the one who had been wronged, he was clearly more afraid that Luo Luo would be wronged _(:з」∠)_]
Although I really want them to hug each other, my gut feeling is that this couple is unlikely to become a couple. They're more than good friends, but as lovers, it would probably be the Fourth Young Master chasing after Luo Luo all the time, and I don't want him to go through that.
I agree with the comment above; one-sided love will never have a good ending.
"You finally get a break, can't you just close your eyes and rest? You're still playing on your phone. Is your phone that interesting?"
On the other side of the city, Sister Li got into the nanny van and saw Shen Yuning staring intently at his phone, so she couldn't help but complain.
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