Chapter 20.1: Second Upload (1)

It was nearly 10PM when they got back from the hospital. Having used the spare time between each check up to have their dinner, they were not hungry.

He Jiang: “Have an early night, we will be taking promotional photos tomorrow and filming will commence the day after.”

But Shang Jing was not ready to end the night. Strategically slotting his fingers in between the door gap, he reminded He Jiang, “Dr. Zhang mentioned the use of games to stimulate my recovery.”

“That won’t be happening,” He Jiang rejected.

Even though he planned to woo Shang Jing back, it did not mean he had to agree to whatever he asked for.

Three years ago, they had dedicated most of their time together to playing games. With Shang Jing losing sleep after each and every one of those sessions, it would be safe to imply how tensed up he was during their interactions. In that case, how could they be sure he was losing sleep because of the game instead of him?

More importantly, how could Shang Jing feel secure around him with the wrong association in his mind? No wonder he still had his guard up against him even after losing his memories.

He Jiang was determined to not make the same mistake again.

“I can turn off the sound effects!”

He Jiang: “No.”

The double rejection effectively concluded their talk.

Shang Jing trudged back to his room dejectedly.

There’s no fun in playing this game alone. Why does He Jiang keep refusing my requests to play? I’m not even looking down on him for being a noob.

…

The next day, Lin Lin personally came to the house to fetch the two young men for their photoshoot.

“Should we appoint an assistant for Xiao Jing?”

He Jiang was pouring some red dates and wolfberries tea into a thermo flask. Without looking at Lin Lin, he replied in a casual tone, “It’s enough with me around.”

Lin Lin: “…” You get three assistants to wait on you while you serve your wife?! What a way to save money for the studio.

He Jiang opened the car door to the backseat and waited for Shang Jing to get on before he did. Like a parent sending his child to the nursery for the first time, he went through the safety protocols, “We are going to somewhere you are not familiar with. Try to stay close to me and not run around by yourself. If there’s anything, just call me on my phone. If I’m unavailable, you can look for Lin Lin or any of my assistants. They have their phones on 24 hours a day.”

Shang Jing: “Ok.”

Satisfied, He Jiang flipped open the filming schedule for the day and took in ten lines at a time. There was nothing complicated about the filming process. After the photoshoot, they were scheduled to record the theme song for the show, titled 《Prelude of Marriage》.

Singing was Shang Jing’s forte, even those sharp turns and high notes were a piece of cake to him.

But the same could not be said of He Jiang. Many actors in the industry would take to singing as a way to diversify their career, but he was not one of them. In fact, throughout his whole life, he barely sang.

Nonetheless, as the main investor of the show, he was able to open a back door for himself. All he had to do was to answer Shang Jing whenever the lyrics mentioned ‘Hubby’.

He Jiang closed the schedule booklet and turned to Shang Jing. “Let’s rehearse.”

Shang Jing: “Rehearse?”

He Jiang answered shamelessly, “Let’s hear a ‘Hubby’ from you.”

Shang Jing: “…”

He Jiang: “You were the one who suggested a coy wife personality. From your recent behavior, you seem to be lacking in that area. Try acting out the role now, I’ll give you some pointers.”

Shang Jing balled up his fists. The previous times when he called He Jiang ‘Hubby’ was when he had something to ask of him. The word had slipped out so naturally in those times of desperation. But now, under He Jiang’s watchful gaze, the word seemed to be stuck in his throat.

It was as though he had never called him that before.

His memory was like a layer of broken membrane, but Shang Jing could not put his finger on what he felt was different.

Regardless, He Jiang was his usual douchebag self.

He Jiang: “Seems like your acting…”

How could Shang Jing let He Jiang belittle his acting skills? After much deliberation, he squeezed out the word, “Hubby.”

He Jiang smiled, “Mm.”

Thinking the title was legally-protected in Shang Jing’s mind, a strong satisfaction filled He Jiang’s heart.

After taking care of Shang Jing for so long, it wouldn’t be too much to receive some interest by being called ‘Hubby’ a few times, right?

Shang Jing turned away from him and faced the window. Using the back of his hands to cool his burning cheeks, he thought…

I’ll let you have your way for now. When filming commences, I’ll make you regret what you’ve put me through.