Chapter 48: Losing in a Fight
Caught off guard, Ji Xu was pushed hard by Jiang Yu and hit the ground solidly. His whole right side ached. Angry and humiliated, Ji Xu glared at Jiang Yu and roared, “What are you doing?!”
“Doing? Doing you!” Jiang Yu rolled up his sleeves and viciously straddled Ji Xu, swinging both arms wildly, hitting Ji Xu while shouting:
“You little bastard! Deliberately messing with me, huh? Calling you a vase insults the vases! You can’t even remember one Young Master Yang—is your head filled with air?
How many times have I told you, I’ve broken up with Han Cheng. We’re done, there’s nothing between us. So why do you keep bothering me? Are you really that insecure?
That piece of dog-shit Han Cheng only treats you like a treasure—makes me sick just to see him. You better act professionally in this film, and when it’s done, we go our separate ways. If you cause trouble again, I’ll drag you down with me.”
Jiang Yu suddenly went berserk, shocking everyone. The crowd froze, watching him beat Ji Xu—no one dared intervene immediately.
“You little pretty boy, you dare hit me?” Ji Xu wasn’t weak either.
After taking a few punches, Ji Xu’s own violent instincts kicked in. He struggled, grabbed Jiang Yu’s arms, and the two rolled together.
With his hands restrained, Ji Xu suddenly had an idea. He kicked Jiang Yu sharply in the waist.
Jiang Yu felt an intense pain in his waist; the lower half of his body went numb, completely immobile.
Ji Xu seized the opportunity to pin Jiang Yu down and slapped him across the face.
“Stop! Separate them now!” Qi Sheng finally regained control. Shouting through a megaphone, the crew rushed in. Jiang Yu had taken two slaps before Ji Xu was pulled away.
Someone tried to support Jiang Yu, but accidentally touched his waist. The pain nearly knocked the wind out of him.
“Don’t move! His waist is injured!” Wang Huan immediately stopped anyone from touching him.
“Brother Yu, how’s your waist? Does it hurt?” Wang Huan asked anxiously.
“Call an ambulance,” Jiang Yu said weakly, pained.
Panicked, Wang Huan dialed 120. The ambulance arrived quickly.
Ji Xu, pulled away by the crowd, calmed down when he saw Jiang Yu being lifted onto the ambulance. Although kicking Jiang Yu felt satisfying, if paparazzi got wind of it, it wouldn’t be good for him either. Ji Xu grabbed his phone and called Han Cheng.
Jiang Yu was taken to Dr. Zhang, an old acquaintance, who immediately took X-rays. Half an hour later, Dr. Zhang’s face was serious:
“How did you manage to injure the exact spot that already grew crooked? There’s a new crack. The broken bone was already misaligned and weaker than healthy bone; now with a crack, even if it heals, it will be more fragile. You have to be extra careful from now on.”
“I understand. I’ll be more careful,” Jiang Yu gritted his teeth.
Ji Xu really knew where it would hurt—the weak point. This love-struck idiot kept causing trouble despite Jiang Yu repeatedly saying he had broken up with Han Cheng.
He had even tried to sympathize with Ji Xu, thinking Ji Xu’s difficulties were about defending love.
Bah! Defending love my ass! He had been too merciful—he should have slapped Ji Xu a few more times, turned him into a pig-headed fool.
Having taken two slaps, Jiang Yu felt increasingly cheated.
Lying there, gritting his teeth, he soon saw Qi Sheng and the crew arrive. Seeing Wang Huan explain Jiang Yu’s condition, Qi Sheng’s face seemed to pale several shades in an instant.
Jiang Yu didn’t understand why Qi Sheng was so panicked. His waist was injured, not life-threatening. Qi Sheng’s reaction was exaggerated.
“Director, I’m fine. My waist just occasionally needs rest. A little recovery and it’ll be fine,” Jiang Yu tried to reassure Qi Sheng, whose face still looked like it had been painted white.
“Yes, you rest well. I still need to check on Ji Xu. How am I supposed to explain this to Han Cheng…” Qi Sheng hurried off again.
Jiang Yu realized Qi Sheng had paled out of concern for Han Cheng, not him. A bit self-indulgent, thinking it was about himself.
Having been soaked in the rain, Jiang Yu even ran a fever. Half delirious, he cursed Han Cheng’s ancestors from eight centuries ago, blaming their genes for producing Han Cheng.
Luckily, he wasn’t well-liked on set. Aside from Qi Sheng visiting once, only Kou Dehai came to check on him, and he alone heard Jiang Yu’s nonsensical ramblings.
The fever and waist injury left Jiang Yu weak, and he constantly hallucinated, seeing Han Cheng’s shadow repeatedly. When he forced his eyes open, it was always Kou Dehai he saw.
Jiang Yu asked Wang Huan if Han Cheng had come, and seeing Wang Huan’s sympathetic expression, he realized the hallucinations were due to fever.
After three days, the fever subsided. Kou Dehai frequently visited, updating him on the set’s news.
The filming continued as scheduled, but Jiang Yu’s waist needed a long recovery. The crew might not wait, and Qi Sheng had been considering recasting.
However, the role was tailored for Jiang Yu, and Han Cheng hadn’t given the go-ahead for changes, leaving Qi Sheng anxious.
Fortunately, the character had only a few scenes, so they could be shot later, giving time to decide.
“If I don’t shoot, do I have to pay a penalty?” Jiang Yu considered. He really didn’t want to do this film. If he could cancel without paying, he’d jump at the chance.
“This you’ll have to ask the director. He’s very anxious right now—if you take the initiative and say you don’t want to act anymore, the director would probably be happy to replace you and won’t ask for a breach-of-contract penalty.
But this has always been something Han Cheng won’t sign off on. Neither you nor the director has the authority to decide. If you really don’t want to do it, you can talk to Han Cheng.”
“What could he possibly object to? I should’ve gone to the company earlier to terminate the contract.” Jiang Yu didn’t want to call Han Cheng. He decided to lie in the hospital—lie there forever, lie there until Qi Sheng had no choice but to replace him.
With absolutely no sense of guilt, Jiang Yu dumped the problem onto Qi Sheng and let him go communicate with Han Cheng.
But Han Cheng, that bastard, didn’t play by the rules at all. He showed up at the hospital directly with Sister Bai in tow, and the moment he opened his mouth, it was to hold Jiang Yu accountable:
“I watched the footage from the scene. You were the one who hit Ji Xu first.”
Jiang Yu looked at Han Cheng, the anger in his chest flaring up instantly. He sneered and said, “President Han, instead of questioning me here, why don’t you take your beloved back to the hospital to have his brain checked?
He couldn’t even remember the three words ‘Young Master Yang.’ He NG’d more than a dozen times—he practically recited the entire Hundred Family Surnames—and still couldn’t remember that I was playing Young Master Yang, not Young Master Wang or Young Master Zhang.”
Behind Han Cheng, Sister Bai kept winking and gesturing at Jiang Yu, trying to get him to soften his attitude and apologize.
Jiang Yu ignored her signals completely. He craned his neck and glared at Han Cheng. He didn’t think he was in the wrong at all—why should he apologize?
“He deliberately made you get soaked in the rain. You hit him. Let’s call it even between the two of you.” Looking at Jiang Yu’s indignant expression, Han Cheng couldn’t help smiling.
“Then what about him kicking my waist and causing my old injury to crack again? How do we settle that?” That bastard was smiling like an idiot—by that logic, Jiang Yu was the one who got the short end of the stick.
Sister Bai’s eyes nearly popped out. Standing behind Han Cheng, she flailed her arms desperately, trying to stop Jiang Yu from pushing things further.
Maybe she moved too much and made a breeze. Han Cheng turned around, and Sister Bai froze instantly.
After being shot a look by Han Cheng, Sister Bai forced an awkward smile, pulled her hands back, and stood there meekly with her neck tucked in.
“Then how do you want to handle it?” Han Cheng turned back and asked Jiang Yu with a smile.
Sister Bai studied Han Cheng’s smile in shock. Was he not angry, or was this an angry smile?
Probably not angry—he looked way too indulgent.
Earlier today, she had personally confirmed from Han Cheng that he and Jiang Yu had broken up, and that Han Cheng was the one who initiated it.
When Jiang Yu had talked back to President Han like that just now, Sister Bai was genuinely scared Han Cheng would lose his temper and start tormenting Jiang Yu again.
Jiang Yu was about to terminate his contract with the company and break free from Han Cheng. If he annoyed Han Cheng and Han Cheng refused to terminate the contract, Jiang Yu would have to endure another four years until it expired.
After managing Jiang Yu for six years, Sister Bai truly hoped he could leave the entertainment industry peacefully.
But looking at the scene now—one standing there with an indulgent smile, the other lying in bed acting arrogantly and coquettishly—where was there any sign of a breakup at all?
She couldn’t see through it, couldn’t see through it at all. These days, even the relationships between sponsors and their lovers in the entertainment industry were beyond her understanding.
