Chapter 23.1: A Modest Man, He Jiang (1)

He Jiang grabbed a cob of corn beside to regain his balance while sneaking a peek at the camera at the speed of light.

Great, it’s taking a wide shot. What Shang Jing said might not have been recorded.

He clenched his core muscles to straighten himself but there was no time to change his posture. He whispered into the phone, “What are you talking about?”

Shang Jing furrowed his eyebrows: “I told you to stop working.”

He Jiang: “Where are you now?”

Shang Jing did not answer immediately. Instead, he went back into the live broadcast to check on He Jiang’s situation and saw the wide shot that left his expression blurred.

If he admitted to calling after making 18 catties of dumplings just to let him take a break, wouldn’t that make him look like a simp and lose face?

Moreover, since it was a wide shot, there was no need to give He Jiang too many positive reinforcements.

Shang Jing: “I just woke up and am still in bed. It’s so comfortable.”

He Jiang’s pupils dilated. The image of a certain peanut came to mind.

A hemp shelter with a red tent, inside lives a puppy Shang.

Maybe his cob of corn had been submerged in water for too long and fermented into alcohol. He Jiang felt a little tipsy, just like he had drunk 200ml of liquor. He suddenly had the urge to fire up the stove and fry some peanuts.

He Jiang clenched his teeth to stop the manifestation of such dangerous thoughts. In a suppressed voice, he said, “Have you eaten? If you are feeling lazy, you can get my assistant to pack some food back for you with the money I left you.”

Shang Jing noticed the change in his tone. Feeling puzzled, he switched back to the live broadcast.

No wonder, the camera has zoomed in on him.

He looked at He Jiang’s gentle expression and decided to change his tone too. He asked, “Are you cold?”

The temperature in the North was relatively low in this season, needless to say it was raining. It was enough to make one’s teeth clatter.

But He Jiang’s body was warm despite the water in his rain boots. He answered, “I’m not cold.”

The heat generated in him from Shang Jing’s call was enough to energize him and work for another three days and three nights.

Shang Jing picked at the refrigerator while his eyes shifted around the room. Awkwardly, he said, “I’ve made dumplings for you. We will have that for the remaining three days. They only cost us 400 yuan. Come back after you’ve made that amount.”

The words gushed out in a stream. After which, Shang Jing stuck his face on the surface of the refrigerator to put out the rising heat in his cheeks.

Being a coy wife is so much more embarrassing than being a troublemaker. How infuriating! This is the last time I’m doing this.

Kachak!

Shang Jing hung up the phone.

He Jiang: “…”

He looked at his handphone.

Is he shy?

It was not even two seconds before Shang Jing’s phone vibrated. It was a phone call from He Jiang.

He hesitated for ten seconds and finally decided to pick up the phone.

He Jiang’s voice was gentle as he negotiated, “The flooding situation here is really bad which made the use of a machine to harvest the corn impossible. It’s really labor intensive to harvest them by hand but the people who were left behind to tend to the crops are mostly the elderly.”

“Since I’m already here, it will be good for me to offer them help even if I don’t make any money. Let’s keep to the plan. I’ve reserved the 7PM train tickets and you will be able to see me by 10.30PM.”

“Can you steam twenty dumplings for me when I get back?”

No one could resist when He Jiang whispered in their ear like he was whispering sweet-nothings. Shang Jing sunk into a daze and could almost believe that if he disagreed with the plan, He Jiang would immediately hop on a high speed rail and return back to the hotel.

“O…k.”

Douchebag He is indeed a film emperor. The cameras are his steel rice bowl. I can never outdo him in a variety show.

But… He has no qualms over He Jiang’s willingness to help the elderly harvest more corn.

Since Shang Jing was in such an agreeable mood, He Jiang fought internally for a while before finally letting the words slip, “Tonight… Can I sleep on the bed?”

Shang Jing: “O…k.” The hardworking citizen deserves praise and glory.

“Wait for me.” He Jiang hung up the phone.

With a tighten of his hand, he snapped a cob of corn in half.

…

He Jiang’s cameraman ran over with the camera but could only capture the part where Shang Jing mentioned he had made dumplings. As for what Shang Jing said to make the film emperor lose his composure, what had passed had passed.

But to satisfy the requests of the netizens, he decided to ask He Jiang about it. “What did Shang Jing say on the phone?”

He Jiang’s fingers tightened around his phone. With a raise of his eyebrows, he beamed, “He said he’s waiting for me to get back to have some dumplings.”