Yan Qing underwent a series of follow up examinations and was discharged after confirming he only had temporary amnesia.
The car pulled up at the entrance of a dilapidated residential area in Nancheng City.
Yan Qing asked, “Is this my home now?”
Kan Hai replied, “En. My Uncle and Auntie have moved out of Nancheng City.”
Yan Qing is not squeamish about anything. He could accept that their family had gone bankrupt, but he still felt a gap in his heart. He had guessed that his situation would be bad, but it was still worse than he had imagined.
After all, the last thing he remembered was receiving a seven-figure luxury car as a birthday gift last month.
Kan Hai sighed, accompanied him to the apartment door, patted his shoulder, and said, “Rest well for today. I’ll come back tomorrow if anything happens.”
Yan Qing had no choice but to accept reality.
He suddenly remembered that he was married to Wen Jueli. Why is he still living here?
Was their relationship that bad? Were they just living separately, and keeping their marriage a secret?
Renting an apartment wasn’t as bad as he had imagined. It was somewhat messy, but at least it had been cleaned up.
Yan Qing cautiously entered the room and noticed that the TV in the living room was still on. He must’ve forgotten to turn it off when they ordered takeout yesterday.
[The 29th Yurong International Film Festival opening ceremony will grandly be held tonight in Nan Cheng–]
The curtain was pulled open, and the yellowish light of the evening fell on his soft dark hair.
Yan Qing called his Mother on his phone.
“Hello?”
Yan Qing’s nose felt sour.
Even though he had only seen them a few days ago in his memory, hearing their voices after five years filled him with an inexplicable sadness.
“Yan Qing, why aren’t you speaking?” His mom asked.
“Lao Yan, Is your signal not good too?”
“The signal’s good. Did he not hear me?”
The voices of his parents sounded aged as he listened.
After a moment, a loud shout suddenly came from the receiver’s end, “Can you hear me, Yan Qing?”
Yan Qing was startled and replied, “En, I can hear you!”
His Mom breathed a sigh of relief and asked,”Are you really okay? Xiao Kan said you fell down the stairs.”
It’s good to know they still cared about him so much.
With the family’s bankruptcy, they were already carrying a lot of burden. Yan Qing thought it would be better to not tell them about his amnesia to avoid adding to their worries.
“I’m doing fine now. I’ve already been discharged.” Yan Qing reassured.
Yan Qing wanted to ask about their lives and if they needed money, but the words couldn’t come out.
Changing the subject, his mom said to him, “By the way, Yan Qing, It’s already your wedding anniversary. I just saw the news and JueLi’s new movie won three awards! He’s now known as a–”
“–Triple Golden Best Actor.” Dad cut-offed his mom.
His mom then smugly added, “En! The Triple Golden Best Actor! There isn’t a single Triple Golden Best Actor in this country as handsome as Wen JueLi. He is truly worthy to be part of Yan’s Family!”
“Let’s have a meal together when you get back if you have the chance.”
At the same time, the TV that was broadcasting the opening ceremony of the film festival happened to play a promotional video featuring Wen JueLi, who was nominated for the top award.
The man on the screen had a cold and handsome face, like the bright moon in the sky. His gaze was resolute and determined as he looked directly into the camera.
His conviction was so strong that for a moment, Yan Qing doubted if he was facing him directly.
So this is Wen JueLi five years later.
***
After finishing the call, Yan Qing watched Wen JueLi’s promotional video in silence. He massaged his throbbing temples, turned off the TV, and went to take a shower to rest after.
Before going to bed, Yan Qing still wanted to know what was going on Weibo, especially about that photo.
Since they were at odds and living separately, why did he take the initiative to go see Jueli? Could the rumors be true that he went to “throw himself at him”?
That couldn’t be possible!
Yan Qing coudn’t figure it out, but when he opened Weibo, it froze. He shook his phone and tried turning it off and on again.
But was still stuck.
‘Could the private messages from haters bombarded on Weibo?’ He thought to himself.
***
In the morning, Yan Qing was awakened by the sound of someone knocking on the door. He opened the door while his eyes were still blurry and cheeks were flushed with a natural blush. His hair was also messy.
Kan Hai said, “Hurry up and get ready. We need to go to the company.”
Yan Qing yawned and asked, “What’s going on?”
Kan Hai glanced at him strangely, “What’s with your reaction? Haven’t you seen Weibo?”
Yan Qing thought for a moment. “I looked at it last night, but Weibo seemed to be stuck.”
Kan Hai said, “It’s probably not your phone that froze but the server. Anyway, Wen JueLi officially announced his relationship with you on Weibo last night!”
Yan Qing was stunned. His drowsiness was instantly swept away.
“What?!” He exclaimed.
‘Weren’t they on bad terms? Why did he suddenly make it public?’
Kan Hai didn’t waste any time and said, “Hurry up and get ready. The production team of ‘5+28 Love’ called last night. They said the Boss wants you to go to the company now to sign the contract.”
Kan Hai added, “It’s the popular ‘5+28 Love’ that has been airing for several years. The boss said now is a good opportunity. If you and Wen JueLi can participate in the Show, it will definitely be of great help to your subsequent career!”
Yan Qing regained his senses and said decisively, “No, I won’t go.”
Kan Hai was puzzled. “Why?”
Because Yan Qing still saw himself as an eighteen-year-old virgin, so going on a variety show like this was embarrassing.
But no matter how Yan Qing resisted, he was still dragged to the company.
*
At the company, Yan Qing met his boss.
The Boss still had a shrewd face and asked in a friendly manner, “How’s your recovery?”
“Good…”
Yan Qing put on a thick skin and got straight to the point, “Boss, can I not participate?”
“Why?” Boss asked.
Yan Qing whispered,”I don’t quite remember what kind of person Wen Jueli is cause I’ve lost my memory. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to go with him in this situation?”
The boss smiled with narrowed eyes and asked, “Has Xiao Kan shown you the contract?”
Yan Qing shook his head.
The boss continued, “What about the contract you signed with the company?”
Yan Qing hesitated and shook his head again.
The boss sipped on his coffee and said, “We’ll make this short. In the contract, artists under the company are not allowed to date openly for five years. And those who violate this rule will have to pay a compensation.”
He continued, “While Actors have stricter rules about relationships compared to Idols, in today’s entertainment industry, being single is definitely more favorable than having a public relationship. Don’t worry. Our company’s Idol Artists can have a relationship after 12 years.”
Yan Qing responded with a blank expression and sighed.
‘Is this place a monastery or what?’ He thought.
“The amount of the penalty is quite substantial, more than you can imagine.” The boss said.
“So there are two options in front of you now—”He added.
A man can now bend and stretch.
Yan Qing sighed and replied, “Alright, I’ll participate in the show.”
It seems Yan Qing has no way out of this now.
The Boss smiled warmly, showing the appearance of a wise elder. “You’re indeed a promising seed. Don’t worry. The whole company doesn’t know about your amnesia, except for Xiao Kan. So for now, you have to work hard.”
“The Director of the program is in the office. Go and meet with him.” He added.
“…” Yan Qing
How sneaky.
***
Yan Qing pretended to be calm, “Hello, Director Zhang.”
The Director was stunned when he saw Yan Qing for the first time. He looked even better than he had imagined, even more stunning than his photos.
His skin was as fair as snow, with an almost translucent quality under the studio lights.
His almond-shaped eyes were beautiful and alluring. He wore casual clothes, but he carried himself like a model.
He was simply a rare image in the entertainment industry.
Seeing Yan Qing, the Director thought he might understand why the acclaimed actor Wen JueLi had chosen to openly reveal his marriage despite the controversy.
The Director had expected Yan Qing to be somewhat arrogant, but to his surprise, Yan Qing was polite and gentle throughout. However, he seemed to freeze up from time to time, like a computer glitch.
The Director asked, “Are you satisfied with the salary?”
It’s eight figures.
In the past, Yan Qing could only spare some pocket money for two years. But now that his situation is worse, he’s quite satisfied with the salary.
And so, they signed the contract happily.
The Director smiled slightly and said, “Yan Qing, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you. Can you help me invite your husband to participate in the program?”
Yanqing was puzzled. “Haven’t you informed Wen JueLi about it yet?”
The Director chuckled.
At that moment, Yan Qing, who had once been eighteen years old, finally understood the cunning and treacherous nature of society.
He thought that since the Boss had threatened him to participate in the Love Variety Show, why would the Director come in person. It turns out this was their plan all along.
The Director raised a few fingers. “If you can manage to do it, we can offer you an extra amount.”
Yan Qing instantly cast aside his disdain for the evil capital, and his eyes lit up. “Alright! Count me in!”
*
Back in the lounging area, Yan Qing opened a bottle of mineral water. He honestly didn’t know what the situation was with Wen JueLi. Would it really be okay to talk to him openly about the Variety Show?
Yan Qing had heard that Wen Jueli rarely made public appearances and hadn’t participated in many variety shows, despite being a highly acclaimed actor with a considerable box-office presence. What if he was against it?
Yanqing contemplated for a while then opened WeChat and found his chat history with Wen JueLi still there from a month ago. It was their 1st wedding anniversary and Yan Qing’s 23rd birthday. They were discussing having dinner at Wen’s home.
Sure enough, their marriage was in vain.
“Um.”
Anyway, he still had some time. Yan Qing’s stomach rumbled a bit. He rummaged through the snack box in the lounge, intending to buy some food from the building’s cafeteria.
While waiting for the elevator, Yan Qing overheard two colleagues gossiping.
“Did you see the trending topics?”
“Of course! Mr. Wen’s partner turned out to be Yan Qing!”
The two looked around, saw nothing suspicious, and continued.
“En! I’m so shocked. Why would it be Yan Qing? I didn’t think they even knew each other. And Yan Qing didn’t even tell us about this!”
“It’s a pity the Boss didn’t let us go to Yan Qing to ask. We should’ve asked Yan Qing for gossip. What a pity.”
“Hey, didn’t you see ‘Kissing Husband’s Love History’?”
“What’s that?”
“This account is where the insider leaks their love stories. You can check it out. All the clues to their secret relationship have been revealed. It’s so real!”
“Let’s go check it out now!”
Yan Qing quietly slipped back to the lounging area.
Kissing Husband’s Love Story? Is that their CP name? To be honest, it sounded oddly catchy, even though he didn’t know what CP meant.
Yan Qing thought that since he had to interact with Wen JueLi and go on a Love Variety Show, he should at least understand the situation, right? He was also curious about what their so-called love story was.
So, he opened Weibo.
*
Yan Qing used a dummy account.
Wen JueLi’s public announcement of their relationship had crashed Weibo’s servers twice, and the discussions around the matter were incredibly heated.
As soon as he clicked on the trending topics, Yan Qing saw first the search term for himself and Wen JueLi.
Real-time comments kept refreshing, with some speculating that their marriage was an arranged one. While others were condemning Yan Qing or being cursed.
As for Wen JueLi, people were surprised to learn that he had concealed his identity as a wealthy young master.
[Mr. Wen is actually the eldest young master!]
[Wen Group? That’s the biggest Group in the industry!]
[I’ve always thought Mr. Wen had such an aristocratic air. When the paparazzi took photos on the red carpet, there were so many other popular celebrities, but Mr. Wen’s bearing was the best among them all.]
[As for an arranged marriage, it seemed impossible since Mr. Wen probably announced it for the company’s image. I really pity Mr. Wen. Why is there still arranged marriage in this day and age!]
Yan Qing rubbed his temples with his fingers as he stared at his phone screen. His eyes only stopped when he saw the Weibo account mentioned by his colleagues: [Kissing Husband’s Love History.]
