GHML – Chapter 14.1: When Will The Wedding Ceremony Be? (1)
The problem is… will He Jiang agree to go public with our relationship?
For a marriage on the brink of divorce, Shang Jing was sure if he dared to mention that to He Jiang, the latter would go through with the divorce instantly without a second thought.
Shang Jing tapped on his phone screen. Amongst all the flowery titles, there was one that said ‘low-rated stars ways to make their relationship public’.
He tapped on it and speed-read the article. Some were photographed kissing by paparazzis through a window, some were outed by their angry girlfriends for being unloyal, some were photographed hanging out children clothing on the roof to dry, and there were some who posted food photos taken in the middle of night with the image of their girlfriend’s face accidentally reflected on the spoon…
In conclusion, it was not a difficult task to go public with a relationship. He could even create a Weibo account, get access to He Jiang’s phone on the pretext of monitoring his records, then use his Weibo account to @ himself. Mission accomplished in three seconds.
But the important thing was to make sure He Jiang was a willing party in the announcement so that they could proceed to make money together.
Shang Jing thought about the distressed relationship he had with He Jiang and could feel his head hurting. If he knew leveraging on He Jiang’s fame was more lucrative than getting a divorce, he would never have tried to make his life difficult.
He opened a blank document and listed all the variety shows featuring couples. From those random business accounts online, he found the commercial prices for them and recorded those higher paid ones. With these information, he roughly crafted a proposal.
After he was done editing it, he would casually place it in He Jiang’s study and monitor his reaction.
If He Jiang was also favorable to the idea, he would not even need to do anything else.
The train cruised into a station and the crowd in the cabin flowed outwards. Without thinking, Shang Jing slid his phone back into his pocket and got up to alight. However, when he got to the station exit, he found out he had gotten off at the wrong station. He was still a few stations away from the neighborhood He Jiang’s house was in.
Within the radius the eye could see, the houses were old, rundown and small. The average age of the buildings were even older than he was, and everything looked mottled.
Shang Jing stood there in a daze then began to walk into the neighborhood. As though something was calling out to him, he stopped in front of a building. The building sign said ‘Longtang, Unit 62’.
It was a three storey red-brick structure that showcased the simplistic style of the last era.
“My dear son, this will be our home from now on! I have prepared a separate room for you and a surprise…”
…
“Are you leaving or not! I have already sold this house! Your father is not around anymore, what is the point of continuing to live here?”
“Mother, can you please not sell the house? Mother, I love you. Please don’t sell the house, I want to sleep in the little wooden bed my father built for me…”
The little child grabbed onto the doorframe tightly, his sobs traveling tens of years and sounded clearly in Shang Jing’s ears.
A cold breeze blew, leaving behind a cool sensation on his cheeks and neck. Shang Jing raised his hand to wipe his cheek. Without him realizing, tears had stained his face.
The fragment of memory had rained down on him like a cold autumn rain, drenching him from inside out.
Shang Jing wiped the corners of his eyes to clear the fog. The dark shadows he had seen through his tears were the shadows casted on the floor by the large osmanthus trees in the yard. The air was also perfumed by the strong fragrance of the osmanthus.
The scent brought back memories of home.
This was his childhood home that was sold off sixteen years ago when the property price was still low.
The way human memories work is weird. Why do they always start recounting from one’s childhood days? Shang Jing could not help thinking whether he would need sixteen years to remember the day he was blind enough to register his marriage with He Jiang.
But, now, Shang Jing had the sudden urge to purchase this building regardless of whether it was to honor his father or his childhood memories.
He took a step towards the main door and noticed something stuck on it. Using the flashlight on his phone, he illuminated the area.
‘House for sale’, price…
Shang Jing squinted his eyes to ensure he did not misread the figure, 50 million yuan.
“…”
One must always harbor a dream. What if He Jiang agrees to cooperate and work with him?
Shang Jing snapped a photo of the sales information and left with his head down. He had been completely obliterated by the price of the house.
He was too poor to even be worthy to take the subway and decided to walk the rest of his way home.
On the way, he pondered over how he could earn all that money.
Compared to 50 million yuan, 1 million yuan was just a little drizzle.
…
He Jiang had dinner at the main family house before leaving. Together with him, but not limited to, were many of his cousins whose interests were piqued upon hearing He Jiang’s attached status. From when they were going to hold their wedding ceremony to whether he was going to let the press know of his marriage… it was as though a press conference was in place.
But what He Jiang could offer them was just an explanation that it was all a misunderstanding.
By the time he embarked on his way home, it was already dark outside. The temperature in S City has been dipping in the past few days as they transit into the autumn season. Long sleeves and jackets were becoming a necessity when going out.
He Jiang was about to pull into the car garage when he saw a familiar figure at the turn of the corner, carrying a backpack and slowly walking towards the house.
Shang Jing had mentioned to him previously that he was going to be a home tutor. Looking at his expression, the tutoring job must be draining. On second thought, that could be it. The only people who needed tutoring on Tuesday morning and afternoon were toddlers who had yet to start schooling. They were a tough group to handle and practically devils when they misbehaved, even more chaotic than Shang Jing himself.
He Jiang’s phone vibrated. From the caller ID, the call was from his cousin.
“Hello.”
“Aunt kept praising your wife today, she must like him alot. Can you get him to visit her whenever he has the time?”
He Jiang: “Let me repeat myself. He is not my wife.”
Cousin: “Okok, he better not be. We have discussed it amongst ourselves to pool some money together to engage your friend Shang Jing to come chat with aunt. What say you?”
He Jiang: “I don’t think so.”
Hearing that, his cousin was shocked. “Isn’t aunt your most beloved aunt anymore?!”
He Jiang: “Why don’t you sacrifice your own wife?”
Through the windscreen, he watched Shang Jing trudge lifelessly towards the house, one step at a time. The corner of his lips twitch upwards uncontrollably.
How did this fragile little puppy Shang survive under aunt for a day?
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There was a tenderness in his eyes but the words that came out of his mouth were as cold as ever, “It is our job to be filial to aunt, don’t drag others into it.”
His cousin decided to put up a final struggle. “I am paying him, aren’t I. 10 thousand yuan a day, is that ok?”
He Jiang raised his eyebrows. “Am I short of this pocket money?”
At the main family home.
Clack! The phone call was disconnected.