Chapter 31: Official Announcement—and Still Coming to Cause Trouble
Jiang Yu’s waist was injured again. His discharge plans fell through, and he obediently lay in the hospital for nearly another month. Only after Dr. Zhang announced that the cracks in his waist had healed did he finally let Jiang Yu be discharged.
During that month, Han Cheng and Ji Xu’s relationship grew even deeper. The entire internet was shipping them—every hug, every hand-hold was heavily reported, and they were on the hot searches almost every day.
On the day Jiang Yu was discharged, the two of them finally officially announced their relationship, and the whole internet exploded.
After lying in the hospital for a month and a half, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, Jiang Yu had gained a full ten jin. Touching the flesh on his stomach, he didn’t eat the beef-filled soup dumplings Aunt Chen had prepared.
His waist didn’t support exercising to lose weight, so he could only rely on dieting.
After Wang Huan and Aunt Chen finished breakfast and packed Jiang Yu’s luggage, Wang Huan looked at Jiang Yu drinking milk, hesitated for a long time, then finally tried to persuade him: “Brother Yu, President Han being a playboy isn’t something that started yesterday. Even if he officially announced a relationship today, who knows—one day he might announce a breakup. Don’t take it too seriously and starve yourself. President Han isn’t going to change.”
Jiang Yu nearly choked on his milk. He looked at Wang Huan speechlessly, increasingly convinced that something was wrong with Wang Huan’s brain. Did he really look like someone who would go on a hunger strike just because Han Cheng and Ji Xu had officially announced their relationship?
He finished the milk in a foul mood. The luggage was already packed; all that was left was to wait for Dr. Zhang to come to work and write the discharge certificate so the procedures could be completed.
But early that morning, Dr. Zhang hadn’t shown up yet. Instead, Han Cheng—whom he hadn’t seen for almost half a month and who had just officially announced his relationship that very morning—arrived first.
“All packed?” Han Cheng asked, hugging Jiang Yu the moment he walked in and planting a loud kiss on Jiang Yu’s cheek.
He scrutinized Jiang Yu carefully, trying to catch even the slightest hint of jealousy on his face. To rush back and pick Jiang Yu up from the hospital, he had agreed to Ji Xu’s unreasonable demand to officially announce their relationship. Only then did he manage to shake Ji Xu off, grab a private jet, and fly back alone.
“Why are you here?” Jiang Yu asked, a little surprised. He’d just seen the trending topic yesterday—Han Cheng had been having dinner with Ji Xu in another city last night.
“Why can’t I be here? Still jealous?” Han Cheng kissed Jiang Yu on the cheek again.
Jiang Yu thought about it. The last time he’d deliberately acted jealous was a month ago. Han Cheng hadn’t seemed angry at all—if anything, he’d been a bit pleased. Meanwhile, Jiang Yu had ended up messing up his waist again.
Not wanting to lie in the hospital any longer, Jiang Yu gave up the idea of making a jealous scene. He obediently leaned into Han Cheng’s arms and said, “I’m not that petty. I’m just worried you’ll tire yourself out—City B is over eight hundred kilometers from here. I’m being discharged, not hospitalized. There’s no need for you to come see me.”
This kind of put-on obedience again. Han Cheng didn’t like this fake version of Jiang Yu, but there was nothing he could do—it was his own fault.
Take it slow. He couldn’t push Jiang Yu too hard. After six years together, Han Cheng knew Jiang Yu well: he responded to gentleness, not force.
“So attentive—you even know I was in City B last night.” Han Cheng’s hand wandered to where it didn’t belong and gave a squeeze, full of implication.
“You two are so high-profile, it’d be impossible not to see it. When did you get back? Didn’t you stay with Ji Xu? Won’t he be unhappy?”
A little jealousy now and then satisfied Han Cheng’s vanity and also reduced the amount of trouble he caused. Jiang Yu also hoped that hearing Ji Xu’s name might restore a bit of this bastard’s conscience—cheating was shameful.
“Right now, I only want you to be happy. Don’t worry about anyone else. I’m not leaving today—I’ll spend the whole day with you. You’ve been cooped up in the hospital for a month and a half; must’ve driven you crazy. I’ll take you somewhere nice today.”
“Is it okay for the two of us to go out together? What if we get photographed?”
“Don’t worry. That place is very secluded—no one will get photos.” Han Cheng squeezed him again.
What a bastard—eating from one bowl while eyeing the pot. He’d already gone public and still came to mess with him.
Dr. Zhang had written the discharge certificate the night before. Secretary Liu handled the discharge procedures. Han Cheng sent Aunt Chen and Wang Huan away, and Secretary Liu drove the two of them back to the seaside villa.
Han Cheng then took Jiang Yu alone in another car, driving all the way to the outskirts outside the city. He stopped at the entrance of an estate shaded by trees.
“What place is this?” Jiang Yu asked curiously after getting out of the car, looking at an estate that resembled a witch’s dwelling deep in the forest.
“This is an estate I bought some time ago. I’ve converted it into a resort—it’s just been finished and hasn’t opened yet. You’re the first guest. For now, this is private property. No one can come in without permission, so you can wander around freely.”
“Doesn’t your family mainly deal in pharmaceuticals? Since when did you get interested in resorts?”
Jiang Yu walked through the gate. Unlike the gloomy feeling outside, inside was lush with green trees and blooming flowers. Butterflies and bees busied themselves with nectar, and birds chirped among the branches.
A breeze brushed his face, carrying a rich mix of floral scents with a hint of moisture. Looking into the distance, Jiang Yu spotted a small pavilion on an artificial lake, full of poetic charm.
The scenery really was nice. Jiang Yu immediately felt himself relax—his mind calmed, and his body felt at ease.
“The main clientele here are people who need a good environment to recuperate quietly. Even though it’s called a resort, the prices are set high. Most people wouldn’t pay that much just to come and play. I snatched this estate from Zhuang Da.”
“Oh.” Jiang Yu wasn’t interested in Han Cheng’s business and responded perfunctorily. His attention had already been caught by the colorful koi in the artificial lake.
Han Cheng handed him a bag of fish food. Jiang Yu dashed into the pavilion at the center of the lake and tossed in a handful. Instantly, the koi swarmed over with a splash.
“There’s even a black koi!” Most of the fish were red, yellow, and white. Spotting a black one, Jiang Yu cried out excitedly.
Han Cheng watched Jiang Yu with a touch of melancholy. It had been nearly half a month since they’d seen each other, yet his little lover didn’t seem to miss him at all—didn’t even glance his way. He wasn’t as appealing as a fish.
He’d originally planned to explain why he’d been putting on an act with Ji Xu lately, but seeing how happy Jiang Yu was, Han Cheng sighed. Forget it—not today.
Even if he explained, he could already picture Jiang Yu’s absentminded, half-doubting expression. He’d lied too much in the past; now Jiang Yu would only believe about half of what he said.
The resort had plenty of recreational facilities. Jiang Yu had been stifled in the hospital for too long and spent the entire morning playing around. It wasn’t until lunchtime that he felt something off with his waist.
After his waist had broken, it hadn’t healed properly—it had healed crooked. As a result, he couldn’t do strenuous exercise or overexert his waist. Even just strolling and sightseeing all morning made it start acting up.
After a lavish lunch, Han Cheng massaged Jiang Yu’s waist. His technique was very effective—after one round, Jiang Yu immediately felt much better.
But as the massage went on, the atmosphere changed. Jiang Yu wanted to continue sightseeing in the afternoon, but Han Cheng was afraid he’d overdo it and refused to let him go out—though he did make him “exercise” in another way for the entire afternoon.
Han Cheng was eventually called away by a phone call from Ji Xu. When the bastard answered the call, he was still holding Jiang Yu, their heads close together. Jiang Yu clearly heard Ji Xu’s sweet, coquettish voice coming from the other end of the line.
“I’m going to handle something. I’ll have Wang Huan come pick you up. Stay here and don’t run around, got it?” Han Cheng said, already dressed, leaning down to plant a deep, affectionate kiss on Jiang Yu’s forehead as he spoke gently.
“Got it.” Jiang Yu pouted, reluctantly watching Han Cheng leave. Only when the taillights of Han Cheng’s car disappeared did the reluctant look on Jiang Yu’s face vanish. He rolled his eyes back so far that not a speck of black showed, looking like a hanged ghost.
After finishing the feast prepared by the head chef, Wang Huan arrived. Jiang Yu returned to the seaside villa and slept soundly. Early the next morning, Sister Bai was already sitting on the sofa in the living room on the first floor.
“What job is it this time?” Jiang Yu asked. Han Cheng always did the same thing—after being ambiguous with someone else, he’d stuff a new resource his way to placate him and shut him up.
He’d told Han Cheng many times that he didn’t care who Han Cheng was ambiguous with, yet Han Cheng would still get upset. It was completely baffling. That bastard was deliberately messing with him.
“Movies, TV dramas, variety shows, music—take your pick. They’re all guaranteed hits for the second half of the year.” Sister Bai took out a thick stack of documents from her bag and placed them on the coffee table.
Jiang Yu sat opposite her, sprawled on the sofa without the slightest concern for his image. He didn’t even look at them, waving his hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. Pick the easiest one for me.”
“The TV drama is a sitcom, directed by the director of Love Inn—”
“Not doing TV dramas. Too tiring.”
“The variety show is the national hit Challenge It, as a regular cast member.”
“Not going. Even more tiring.”
“Challenge It is already in its fifth season. Ratings and reputation are both number one. So many people would kill for a regular slot. They reserve one for you every season, and you won’t even do a guest appearance—you—”
“That show is basically for losing weight. Can my waist handle that kind of intense activity?”
Sister Bai glared at Jiang Yu, annoyed, and tossed aside the Challenge It contract, continuing to sift through the pile of documents.
“The company found ten songs for you—enough to record an album. All written by top-tier musicians. You know Sha Huan, right? The King of Songs, our company’s top music star. He chased President Han for ages asking for songs. President Han didn’t give him a single one—saved them all for you.”
“Don’t want to sing. Switch to something else.”
Sister Bai ground her teeth; she was about to explode. Jiang Yu stared at the ceiling, deliberately avoiding eye contact with her.
“Tsk, tsk.” Sister Bai clicked her tongue and pulled a document straight from the bottom. “The movie is directed by Qi Sheng. It’s set in the Republican era—serious drama, national righteousness.
“Wang Yifeng, Qiao Miao, Kou Dehai—all veteran powerhouse actors. Qi Sheng didn’t even want typical traffic stars. They added a role for you: a rich young master who sacrifices himself for the revolution. Not many scenes, but definitely likable.”
“No need to add a role just for me. Acting is even more tiring. I’m not doing it.”
“The rich young master is crippled—he’s in a wheelchair the entire time. The role is tailor-made for you. Not tiring.”
“That’s really making things hard for the screenwriter. You forced them to work overtime rewriting the script—he must hate me to death now. I’m not going. I’m afraid the screenwriter might assassinate me.”
Sister Bai suddenly slapped the contract onto the coffee table with a loud bang, startling Aunt Chen into running over to check what was going on.
“Jiang Yu, at a time like this, you’re still being picky?”
