The matchmaking event concluded successfully at 4:30 PM.
After seeing the elderly folks off, Nan Xian returned backstage to change her clothes.
Wei Zeling stood guard at the door of the changing room, arms crossed, face turned away, looking questioning and challenging.
Nan Xian decided to ignore her.
Unexpectedly, Wei Zeling stepped directly in front of her, blocking her path, and said in an unfriendly tone, "You knew He Mingxiao would come all along, didn't you?"
As expected, they came here to cause trouble... Nan Xian immediately rolled her eyes.
She had been busy for half the afternoon, hosting and dancing, and was already tired and thirsty. All she wanted to do was sit down and rest. Seeing that the woman was still bothering her, she was too lazy to waste any more words with her.
She stopped and looked Wei Zeling in the eye: "Wei Zeling, do you really like He Mingxiao?"
Wei Zeling raised her chin and gave a haughty snort: "Of course! I've liked him for many years, much longer than you!"
Nan Xian didn't take it seriously: "Then let me ask you, if He Mingxiao didn't have the surname He of the He Group, if he wasn't the president, didn't have the title of the richest man in China, and was just an ordinary office worker, and your parents didn't agree to you being together, would you be willing to give up everything for him, cook for him, and share hardships with him?"
Wei Zeling was stunned. She subconsciously said, "How could He Mingxiao not have the surname He? What nonsense are you talking about!"
"Don't get excited. This is just hypothetical. If he weren't, would you still pursue him without hesitation?"
She opened her mouth, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, then gritted her teeth and forced herself to say, "I—I'm the heiress of the Wei Group! How could I be with an ordinary person! And I certainly wouldn't actively pursue him, that would be so beneath me! What, you think you can do that? I don't believe it!"
Nan Xian gently shook her head.
She raised her eyes, her gaze passing over Wei Zeling, her eyes shimmering with a nostalgic light, as if looking towards a very distant past.
“I can, because my feelings for him go beyond mere liking; they are almost like familial love. No matter what he becomes, I am willing to accept him.”
Wei Zeling was clearly skeptical, and she asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time: "Oh, if you really love him that much, then why did you divorce him?"
The light in Nan Xian's eyes slowly faded, and she said, "Because I love myself more."
Wei Zeling was stunned.
Meanwhile, in the shadows behind the corner of the corridor, He Mingxiao withdrew the step he hadn't taken.
He leaned against the wall, his face calm, his eyes slightly lowered, and the corners of his lips slowly turned up.
**
That night, the six guests reunited.
Yu Lin and Sheng Zhicheng were "besieged" by the other four. They had to repeatedly promise to treat everyone to a big meal after the recording to apologize in order to avoid being "beaten up".
Afterwards, they cooked dinner together using the ingredients they had each bought. At the table, someone started talking about their day's itinerary.
Sheng Zhicheng, who was engrossed in eating a skewer of grilled meat, immediately perked up when Nan Xian mentioned the old man playing chess. He stopped eating, wiped his mouth, and began to vividly describe the incident:
"Yu Lin and I also encountered that old man. He claimed to be the 'Chess Saint' of this village, but that's not the point. Guess how cunning he is?"
The first time, he asked if we were there for clues. I said yes, and his face immediately fell, and he ignored me! Then Yu Lin went to him, and he said he'd play a game of chess with him before considering giving us the clues. But neither of us knew how to play, so we just played randomly and, of course, lost—and the old man not only refused to give us the clues, he laughed at us!
Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
He laughed for a while, then continued:
"We kept losing no matter how we played, so we had no choice but to try to please him. And guess what? He really didn't hold back! He took us to his house and made us fetch water, fix the roof, and even ordered me to vacuum the septic tank! Oh my god, the smell—it was awful!"
Lang Zhuo tapped the edge of his bowl with his chopsticks and said with a laugh, "We're eating, why are you talking about this!"
Sheng Zhicheng was taken aback, then realized what he meant and smiled sheepishly, "We did half a morning's work for him, cleaning inside and out until it was spotless, we practically gave him a thorough wash, and all that old man did was say thank you, and that was it!"
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Lang Zhuo deliberately teased, "See? This is what happens when you two deceive us. Karma is getting its comeuppance!"
Yu Lin quickly feigned innocence, "Teacher Lang, you can't blame us for this, it was all the production team's doing!"
Amidst the laughter and banter, He Mingxiao suddenly spoke up: "Nanxian, did you win the chess game?"
The dinner table fell silent, and even Lang Zhuo looked over in surprise.
"Xiao Nan, really?"
Yu Lin looked at her and said, "I actually know a little about chess. That old man was really good, and he didn't seem like the type to deliberately let others win. It's really amazing that Sister Nanxian was able to beat him."
Wei Zeling glanced at everyone, her eyes darting around, "Yes, I also wanted to ask, Sister Nanxian, when did you learn chess? I've never heard of it before?"
Nan Xian glanced at He Mingxiao speechlessly.
Tsk, this person is really... trying to make me say it on purpose, right?
She wiped her mouth, smiled casually at the curious gazes of the crowd.
"Oh, my maternal grandmother was once the champion of the National Class A Chinese Chess League."
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