CH 38

Jiang Zhan stayed in the hospital for two days before going back to City S with Jiang Li. Feng Dong was more seriously injured as he had been sitting in the driver’s seat, so he stayed in City Z Hospital for further treatment. Ji Shu arranged for a caregiver for him before leaving.

During Jiang Zhan’s hospitalization, Shen Yuzhi and the others said they wanted to fly over to visit but Jiang Zhan stopped them. Who knows, probably these three people wanted to come here not to visit but to make fun of him.

After returning from City Z, Jiang Zhan rested at home. Mrs. Jiang came to see him once and found that he was fine, so her mind was put at ease. After that, Shen Yuzhi, Zhao Guanyu, and Sun Zelin also came to visit him. The three of them bickered, giving Jiang Zhan a headache. How he wished that he had a dog instead of a cat, so he could close the door and let the dog shoo them away.

After Jiang Li received the script of “Mountain Tea Garden”, he did not schedule any other work and focused on preparing for the film crew two months later through exercising under the guidance of a personal trainer.

For those two months, the public hardly got any news about him until the production’s official Weibo released the cast’s stage photos. 

Old Master Lin was a giant in the film directing industry, while Jiang Li was a popular actor with both acting skills and great appearance. The cooperation between the two had people in anticipation. There were many people who had reviewed the prequel because the sequel would start shooting soon.

The first shooting location of “Mountain Tea Garden” was in Long County, which was located in a remote and high location. The weather was burning hot, even in November, it still could pull a layer of skin off. The cast and crew were getting sunburned every day to a point that they were screaming. Masks and sunscreens were useless under the hot, blazing, sun. 

Under such harsh conditions, Jiang Li was the only person unaffected. Not only did his skin not get tanned, there weren’t even any signs of dehydration. Every time he posted a Weibo, the comments were his fans shouting and asking him to share his skin care routine. 

Towards this, Jiang Li could only say “Drink more water”. He couldn’t possibly say that he had taken the Pill of Fair Skin as Jade that the system had rewarded.

As “Mountain Tea Garden” was a drug-themed movie, Jiang Li needed to travel across a number of cities, and there were even two filming locations abroad. The filming alone took nearly a year, and then another half a year for editing; the production period was very long.

After the final scene had been shot, Jiang Li applied for a two-month long vacation. There were special teams responsible for his schedule, so once the application was handed in, it was directly transferred to Jiang Zhan.

Jiang Zhan looked at the words “Family Visit” in the column of the reason to leave and approved it without saying a word. Then, he asked Ji Shu to prepare a copy of his work schedule and send it over.

After taking care of his most important work, Jiang Zhan also gave himself a vacation and went back home with Jiang Li.

Ever since the first time he went back home with Jiang Li, Jiang Zhan would go back with Jiang Li every year. Over time, Mother Jiang gradually got familiar with him. Occasionally when Jiang Li came back without him, Mother Jiang would even ask about him.

The new house was renovated and they had moved in two years ago. Mother Jiang deliberately left a bedroom for Jiang Zhan, but what she didn’t know was that Jiang Zhan sneaked into her son’s room every time to spend the night.

It was already the sixth year since Jiang Li came to this world. Now he was already 27 years old, meaning that it was time to get married in his mother’s eyes. Mother Jiang took the initiative to mention this matter during dinner. She asked him whether there was a girl he was dating, and told him to bring her home if she was suitable.

The moment these words came out, Jiang Li and Jiang Zhan stopped eating in unison and they subconsciously glanced at each other.

“What’s wrong?” Mother Jiang asked.

I don’t have a girlfriend, but I have a boyfriend. 

Jiang Li spat out in his heart. Honestly, he came back this time for this matter as well. He had been in a relationship with Jiang Zhan for a few years, so it wouldn’t be a good thing to keep it hidden from Mother Jiang. He could say that the company didn’t allow relationships in the first few years, but in the future, he couldn’t always use this reason to put off the elders.

So he said, “I’m in a relationship, I’ll talk to you about it later. Let’s eat first.”

“…” Jiang Zhan almost choked to death on the rice in his mouth.

“Really?” Mother Jiang was so happy to hear this that she couldn’t close her mouth from joy, as if she would become a mother-in-law the next second.

After the meal, Jiang Li and Mother Jiang went inside the room to have a talk. Jiang Zhan sat in the living room with the air conditioning blowing on him. The more he was blown on by the cold air, the hotter he felt. His eyes looked upstairs from time to time. He felt that by the time the mother and son finished talking, he would have to go home.

About half an hour later, the sound of footsteps came from the stairs. Jiang Zhan stood up and walked over.

Jiang Li came down from upstairs and smiled at him. “So nervous, huh? You’re still here.”

“I’m just taking a casual walk.” Jiang Zhan coughed lightly, not admitting that he was sitting on pins and needles just now.

“Oh.” Jiang Li nodded, walked past him, pulled open the refrigerator and got a cup of ice cream. He then sat on the sofa and ate it leisurely.

Jiang Zhan looked at his expression that said “since you’re not nervous, then I won’t say anything“. He grinded his molars and went over to ask him about the situation and why he was the only one who came down.

“Mom said she needed to be alone for a while, so I came down first.” Jiang Li delivered a spoonful of ice cream into Jiang Zhan’s mouth and sighed, “She had a hard time accepting it in a short time.”

When he told his mother about himself and Jiang Zhan, she was so shocked that she almost couldn’t stand properly.

When she knew that the two had been together for many years, she was even more bewildered. Jiang Zhan accompanied Jiang Li back every year, but she didn’t think about it in this way. She only thought they had a good relationship and Jiang Zhang only stopped by to have fun.

“How about… I go up and apologize?” Jiang Zhan proposed.

“Apologize?” Jiang Li raised his eyes and looked at him. “Why do you need to apologize? I was the one who approached you first, and it was also me who initiated the relationship, so what do you need to apologize for?”

There was indeed nothing wrong with what Jiang Li said, but Jiang Zhan thought what he said sounded like he didn’t contribute anything into this relationship. 

Mother Jiang was in a daze for a long time upstairs. In this period of time, Jiang Li was worried and went up to find her once. When he found out that she was just sitting in the room in a trance, he was relieved. He went over to sit beside her and said gently, “Don’t be too sad, mom. It’s my fault. Or, you can beat me up to vent it out.”

Mother Jiang returned to her senses and looked at him for a moment, she smiled and shook her head. “How can I be willing to beat you up, you work so hard usually, and mom was not around to take care of you.”

She paused for a moment and sighed. “You’ve always been well-behaved since you were young, you were so afraid of making me worry that you didn’t even come back and tell me when you were bullied at school. In the end, it was also mom who was incapable.”

Although it was clear that she was talking about the original host, Jiang Li still couldn’t help but feel bitter.

“I just thought about it for a long time.” Mother Jiang looked at him helplessly, “Are you guys not going to change your mind? Is it true that whatever mom says, you will still stay with him?”

Towards her concerned and helpless eyes, Jiang Li was a bit dumbfounded. He lowered his head and said, “I’m sorry.”

In fact, both sides already knew the answer, but she still couldn’t help but want to ask nonetheless. Even if she didn’t know anything about homosexuality, she did know that the world would certainly not be tolerant of such matters. If there was the slightest possibility of being pointed at and accused, she didn’t want her son to go through those hurtful experiences.

“I know.” Mother Jiang reached out and touched his lowered head, her gaze filled with maternal love. “No need to apologize, you choose your own road. I just hope you don’t regret it in the future. Straighten up and move forward.”

“I know.” Jiang Li nodded his head, his tone firm.

The conversation between mother and son ended here. Mother Jiang’s attitude towards Jiang Zhan didn’t change much, as if his relationship with Jiang Li didn’t affect her. She only called Jiang Zhan over before he and Jiang Li left.

Mother Jiang took out a small box with a lock from a drawer in the closet. She opened it with a key and took out a pair of gold bracelets from it then handed them to Jiang Zhan and said, “This was given to me by my mother-in-law and said it was reserved for Jiang Li’s wife, I just didn’t expect you guys to…”

As she spoke to this point, she paused and looked at Jiang Zhan with some embarrassment and said cautiously, “Now I’ll give it to you, you keep it well.”

Jiang Zhan “…”

Mother-in-law, I’m afraid that you have misunderstood, your son is my wife.

On the way back home, when Jiang Li knew that his mother gave Jiang Zhan a pair of bracelets that should be given to her daughter-in-law, he laughed till he slapped his own lap. He then pestered Jiang Zhan to take them out and wear them, infuriating Jiang Zhan. 

In the end, of course, nobody wore the bracelets. Jiang Zhan treated them as the Jiang family’s heirloom and locked them in the safe. He then found another jewelry master to design a pair of men’s rings and gave one to Jiang Li.

“Mountain Tea Garden 2” was scheduled to premiere on June 26th, National Anti-Drug Day, as a tribute to the national anti-drug police.

On the day of the premiere, Jiang Li and Jiang Zhan went to see the film and sat in the last row.

The beginning of “Mountain Tea Garden 2” was a monologue, recounting the sacrifices and painstaking efforts of the anti-drug police throughout the years. After the monologue, a line of large letters appeared on the black screen – The highest tribute towards the national anti-drug police and their families.

“Mountain Tea Garden” was a film with a very heavy theme; there were many people who died due to overdose, there were others who were killed by drugs, there were also too many police officers who died in order to fight against drug dealers. The bloody battle experiences of the police officers fighting in the front lines were presented to everyone through this film. These images were bloody and depressing, but they truly existed. 

While the movie was being played, undulating soft sobs could be heard in the dark cinema. These were tears shed for the back figures of the people who carried their heavy responsibilities on their shoulders and kept on advancing.

The ticket sales of “Mountain Tea Garden 2” was higher than other films in the cinema. It steadily topped  the box office on the first day. After that, the box office increased rapidly, leaving the other movies far behind. It exceeded 6.7 billion on the last day of its release, setting a new high record in the domestic film box office.

Jiang Li won Best Actor in the Golden Rooster Award with “Mountain Tea Garden 2”. During his speech, after thanking Old Master Lin and the crew, he said, “I’d like to take this moment to thank one more person, a person who’s really important in my life.”

“Wow.” The host applauded at his words, “Let’s guess who this person really is? Jiang Li, can you give a hint? Did this person come today?”

“No, he happens to be on a business trip for the past two days, but he’s definitely in front of the TV.” Jiang Li laughed and looked in the direction of the camera, “Jiang Zhan, thank you for accompanying me through all these years, being able to meet you is the most fortunate thing that happened after I came to this world. If you are willing to, then, for the next half of your life, please continue guiding me.” 

Once he said this, the whole award ceremony was in an uproar, the quiet order of the venue was suddenly disrupted, and the host next to him was confused. It took more than ten seconds before he came back to his senses and laughed dryly, “Haha, our newly promoted best actor is very humorous! He even confessed his love to his boss at the award ceremony, it seems that the two have a good relationship, oh.”

“It’s not a confession.” Jiang Li shook his head and said in a serious tone, “It’s. A. Proposal.”

Host: “…”

On that day, Jiang Zhan and Jiang Li’s names dominated the top three on the Weibo hot search. After the ceremony, Jiang Li received a text message from Jiang Zhan with just two simple words – I do.

Jiang Li took a picture of the trophy and posted it on Weibo, and for the first time, he tagged Jiang Zhan’s Weibo.

Jiang Li V: For you, my love. @JiangZhan [picture].

The weibo blew up just after it was posted, and the excessive traffic from netizens even caused Weibo’s system to malfunction.

After the relationship between the two was exposed, some people blessed them and some scolded. However, Jiang Li didn’t even care. What he cared about was the person who booked a flight to rush back directly after seeing his proposal.

…

Epilogue

Jiang Li lived in this world till he was more than eighty years old. Jiang Zhan’s favorability had been stuck at 99%, and only broke through 100% when he passed away. 

Jiang Li lowered his head and kissed Jiang Zhan, who had already closed his eyes. He left a letter to the younger members of his family, asking them to bury himself and Jiang Zhan together, then laid down next to him and took one last look at him.

“Let’s go, it’s time for us to leave.”

He said to the System that had also been with him all his life in this world, and then slowly closed his eyes.

《End of Arc1》••••••••••••••••

Volume 2: Sorry, I only have studies in my heart.