Chapter 24
Zong Linhan: "No."
Lu Siyi, with her sharp ears, asked in surprise, "Aren't you curious at all?"
Zong Linhan: "Mm."
Lu Siyi: "Brother Zong, do you know who it is?!"
Zong Linhan looked at Li Xu: "Let's see if he dares to say it."
During dinner, everyone was talking about this, starting with their own teenage experiences, then chatting about school life, training before their debut, and eventually returning to Xiao Lingzhi. Lu Siyi even asked many pointed questions, making the director laugh heartily behind the camera. Lu Qin repeatedly coughed to interrupt the girl's barrage of questions.
Amidst the laughter and cheers, Wen Zhiling's heart pounded wildly.
Her previous name was Wen Zhiling, which is Li Xu can't remember, so she just called her Lingzhi for convenience.
I glanced at Li Xu several times. He remained unmoved, fighting with Lu Qin for fish and with Li Wan for stir-fried whelks, and ordering two more bowls of seafood porridge.
Looking at Zong Linhan, he ate at a leisurely pace, occasionally interjecting to chat about work. Li Wan urged him to eat faster, otherwise there would be nothing left to eat, but he just smiled faintly and said, "Zhi Ling often cooks at home, so there will be food for me when I get back."
Li Xu flew up with a conch shell.
Therefore, the only one who couldn't eat at all was poor little Wen.
In a situation where everyone was shrewd and calculating, she kept her head down and ate her meal, trying to avoid being caught on camera doing something wrong.
Everyone seems so calm, but isn't this something that could affect their future?
It also affected her, who was collateral damage.
While clearing the dishes, her mind raced. If Li Xu were to die with her, he would be at a disadvantage. If things got too bad, she would reveal her identity, forcing the Surveillance Bureau to intervene and prevent the program from airing, a fight to the death.
Turn on the tap, and washing dishes becomes a battle-ready activity.
The housework was divided into groups and taken turns. The first day was Zong Linhan and Wen Zhiling's turn. He washed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, and then wiped the island counter with a rag. "Are you nervous?"
Wen Zhiling almost dropped the kitchen knife, but she steadied herself, put it back in the cupboard, and looked up at him: "Hmm? What's the matter?"
Zong Linhan replied lazily, "You seem quite nervous about eavesdropping on your senior's secret later. Is that what you're worried about?"
Was he hinting at something to her...?
Did he guess it?
But given the series of events that happened today, and knowing that Li Xu is allergic to mangoes, and how she ran upstairs when Li Xu came to her house before, it's hard not to make the connection.
Zong Linhan wiped the water off the table. "There are people everywhere at the door. Don't be nervous. Look how enthusiastic Xiao Lu is."
The tone shifted, as if there was no other meaning.
Lu Siyi sat in her chair, typing rapidly, sending a group message to her friends, announcing that there would be big gossip to hear that evening and urging everyone to tune in. She then held the screen up to the camera, excitedly showing off her chat history.
Zong Linhan washed and dried his hands, and together with Lu Qin, they put the tables and chairs back in their original positions. The two perfectionists with obsessive-compulsive disorder found a kindred spirit.
We just arrived today, and there aren't many activities planned. After lunch, we'll be going into the secret exchange session. The door to the first room on the second floor is packed with people.
Li Wan circled the sofa, flipping through Li Xu's graduation photos prepared for the show, seemingly intent on asking each one who it was. Li Xu, however, kept everyone in suspense, denying it no matter how she asked, which infuriated Li Wan so much that she wanted to call her family members off-site for help.
Lu Siyi was anxiously waiting for the gossip to unfold, but seeing Zong Linhan calmly watching, she remembered her earlier joke: "Hey, Brother Zong, do you really know?"
Li Wan: "Do you know?! Tell me! I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't know!"
Zong Linhan: "Are you going to offer any benefits?"
Li Wan: "Benefits? When you were kids, I took you all out to play for free. Every time you ran away from home or had family conflicts, wasn't it me who took the initiative to resolve them..."
"Alright, alright, alright." Zong Linhan couldn't stand Li Wan's relentless nagging, and couldn't stand Li Xu's smug look, so he ruthlessly revealed the answer: "Rabbit."
Lu Siyi, who was on the front lines of the gossip, was bewildered: "Huh?"
Zong Linhan: "Little Lingzhi is a little rabbit."
"Ah, I remember now!" Li Wan said, "You've been unhappy before, and Zong Yue secretly brought home a rabbit that you can't keep, so I gave it to you. It's just that it wasn't that one!"
Lu Siyi couldn't believe it. "Rabbit! I'm talking about someone important."
Li Xu had planned a strategy in advance, which would both attract Wen Zhiling's attention and provide a safe way out. However, he did not expect that his plan would be exposed so easily.
He said seriously, "The rabbit was named after people."
"Stop playing around, bro, there's no second chance." Lu Siyi wasn't taking the bait anymore. "I actually got fooled by an 8 PM drama! Bro, you've got your tour buzz, but you've saved the company money!"
The incident passed by easily and became a funny anecdote.
Apart from Xiao Wen, who was nearly scared out of her wits, no one was injured.
She'll get a good night's sleep tonight.
The two went up to the third floor. Zong Linhan walked in front, one hand in his pocket. "Did you bring your dark blue fountain pen? The one with the pattern on the cap?"
Wen Zhiling: "Hmm?"
Zong Linhan: "There are also engraved ones. Is the name of some important person engraved on them?"
Wen Zhiling choked, "I didn't bring it..."
Zong Linhan: "What a pity."
Before filming their part began, Wen Zhiling went to the restroom.
She has a very expensive fountain pen, which is clearly not worth the 9 yuan pencil case. It has the words "Little Lingzhi" engraved on it. I don't know when it got into the pencil case.
When did Zong Linhan watch it?
Just now, I added sarcastically, "You really cherish that pen."
How can you not cherish it? It's so expensive! You can sell it for money when you're desperate.
Wen Zhiling pressed her forehead against the glass and sighed heavily.
The past with the Li family wasn't really a big deal.
Now that things have come to this, not explaining would only cause misunderstandings, so we need to find an opportunity to explain.
Because Zong Linhan is an actor, their conversation took place in the screening room, where there was a row of films to choose from. The first row featured films starring Zong Linhan, while the second and third rows contained films he liked and recommended.
The production team thoughtfully showed an art film in advance. The blue light on the projection screen flickered, and the forest scenes and the sound of rain intertwined to create a slow atmosphere suitable for conversation.
Zong Linhan sat on the sofa, exited the movie, and tossed the remote to Wen Zhiling, "What do you want to watch?"
Wen Zhiling: "Was that movie good? I remember you won an award."
"The movie was pretty good," Zong Linhan said calmly. "It's just that I died young in the end, and my house was emptied out."
Wen Zhiling wanted to laugh, but he gave her a cold glance, and she barely managed to hold it in. "Then let's watch a comedy variety show."
Showing on a comedy variety show was a code. The two of them had previously discussed a secret exchange, where they would talk about trivial things, casually reminiscing about the past, without being too close or too distant.
“This is my favorite variety show.” Wen Zhiling adopted a sentimental tone.
Zong Linhan leaned back on the sofa, tracing his cheek with his fingertips, showing little interest and refusing to take on any roles.
Wen Zhiling tentatively reminded him, "I used to watch it when I was unhappy. It always made me think about being away from home, not knowing where my real family was. I would always cry when I watched it, but now I'm all better, it's all in the past..." At this point, he should have taken the initiative to ask her about her time at the orphanage.
Zong Linhan made a few polite remarks, showing no intention of delving deeper into the discussion, seemingly agitated and unable to get into the flow. Wen Zhiling suspected that the whelks at night might eat human brains and have damaged his brain.
Could it be that he forgot his lyrics?
Wen Zhiling thought for a moment and then brought up another topic: "I watched that movie that was just shown many times. I never thought we would be siblings."
Zong Linhan looked up at her indifferently: "What a coincidence."
Wen Zhiling: "..."
Did they change the script today? But I was going to improvise anyway. Maybe the first episode was too in-depth and didn't fit the unfamiliar behavioral patterns.
Wen Zhiling pondered whether she should take this opportunity to bring up the fact that she had stayed at the Li family's house, so as to align the details.
"I once saw a movie that left a deep impression on me, but I've forgotten the name. It was about a girl who came from an orphanage and, at the age of sixteen, went to stay with a wealthy family in the area..."
Zong Linhan stopped pressing the remote control, turned his head to look at her, and stared intently.
Unlike his usual carefree self, he seemed to have suddenly transformed into the person he had just seen on screen—serious, meticulous, and thorough.
It's also a bit far.
Wen Zhiling suddenly found herself unable to speak.
Her past was neither special nor dramatic, neither funny nor memorable; it was a bad story that wouldn't attract an audience.
At the last moment, Wen Zhiling timidly steered the conversation back to the topic of character design.
Zong Linhan raised his eyelids slightly, a fleeting hint of disappointment. The projector stopped at the sports channel, and he said calmly, "Let's watch the game."
Wen Zhiling couldn't understand football, and the more she watched, the sleepier she became. Coupled with the fatigue of the journey, she closed her eyes wearily as she cooked and cleaned up in the evening.
The conversation ended there. The two went to wash up and lay down on the bed. She hugged her pillow, which seemed to fit the premise that they weren't very familiar with each other and had nothing to talk about in private.
Xiao Wen gives herself a perfect score for her performance today.
In the middle of the night, there was a slight noise at the window; it must be Zong Linhan returning.
She wanted to check the time on her phone to find out how long he had been stealing. She reached under the pillow but found nothing. She reached behind her and her fingertips touched warm skin.
Before her brain could even process what was happening, Wen Zhiling nearly jumped out of bed. The arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back with a force.
Warm lips landed on the side of her neck. "What was your relationship before? When you were sixteen?"
Being startled awake in the middle of the night makes one's heart race, and Wen Zhiling's voice trembled slightly, "I thought you didn't want to know..."
"Tsk." A low, dissatisfied sound escaped her lips, which had been hovering near her neck.
The room was dimly lit, and it was almost impossible to see anything. Wen Zhiling looked up to find the camera, wanting to see if it was covered.
I have a pain on the side of my neck.
Wen Zhiling winced softly in pain, "Zong Linhan, you've been infected too?!"
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