Chapter 3.2
Editor: Jodi
Children from their background were raised learning both Eastern and Western arts from a young age—vocal music, piano, tennis, French, golf, and more, anything with a hint of nobility. Plus, their teachers were all industry big shots. So, calling them classically trained wasn’t entirely off the mark.
“Classical?” Cheng Han repeated the word, a hint of mockery in his tone.
“I don’t know if I’m “classical”, but you, Mr. Law School Genius, are miles away from your profession.” Mu Nan said back.
“Oh?” Cheng Han raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested in arguing, “Sure, you’re a professional, even without a college degree. You can claim any profession you want.”
“You!” Mu Nan was instantly infuriated, “You’re something, dropping out of Harvard Law School to debut and playing the scholar card. I have to give you credit for your foresight.”
“It’s better than a cute persona.”
Is he targeting me?!
Mu Nan shouted this in his mind, sinking into deep shock and anger. He told himself not to lose his composure and glared even harder.
“Do you feel like marrying me is a burden?” He asked Cheng Han.
Cheng Han put on a helpless expression, looking like he was asking for trouble. “I can’t help it, so I just have to make do.” He said, putting on an aggrieved expression.
Mu Nan pounded the back of the seat angrily, almost making Wilder in the driver’s seat cough out a mouthful of old blood. “Do you think I want to marry you? If it weren’t for me wanting to stay in the entertainment industry, I’d never marry you even if I had to stay single my whole life.”
Cheng Han’s face showed no anger, as if it was just a casual conversation. “What a coincidence, if it wasn’t because I had the wrong rebirth, I also wouldn’t need to marry you.”
“Aren’t you capable? Then go against your family. Refuse arranged marriage, claim independence, and cut ties with your family completely.”
Cheng Han shrugged again. “What a coincidence again, I don’t have the ability.”
Then he added, “But you do. You can gamble with marriage against your family, impressive.” With that, he gave Mu Nan a thumbs-up.
Mu Nan’s expression changed instantly, his face darkening ominously, his whole demeanor becoming heavy. While their previous arguments might have seemed meaningless banter, Cheng Han had now hit him right where it hurt.
“Stop the car.” Mu Nan said.
“Ancestor, what are you doing? We’re almost there. Can’t you hold back a bit?” Wilder quickly tried to smooth things over.
“I said stop the car.” Mu Nan’s voice was filled with suppressed anger, even Wilder had never seen him like this. A little taken aback, he quickly turned onto a side road and parked the car by the curb.
“Get out.” This was clearly directed at Cheng Han.
Cheng Han had never been kicked out of a car in his life, but he still had a smirk on his face. “If I get out now, I won’t be able to go home with you. When your mom asks…”
“Just get out!” Mu Nan yelled, startling Wilder, whose hand instinctively hit the horn, emitting a sudden blare.
Cheng Han didn’t say anything more. He just opened the car door and got out.
“Drive.” Mu Nan said, glaring out the window. Wilder didn’t dare to provoke him, so he just gestured towards Cheng Han outside and slowly started driving.
“Xiao Nan, Cheng Han is at least a celebrity. Leaving him stranded on the roadside like this isn’t quite right, is it?”
But Mu Nan just crossed his arms and said, “We’re not going to my mom’s place. Let’s go home.”
*
Back home, Mu Nan silently replayed today’s argument in his mind.
He felt like he didn’t perform well today. Given more time to think, he could’ve left Cheng Han speechless.
Although Mu Nan thought Cheng Han’s words were nonsense, there was one thing he got right: marrying Cheng Han was a gamble Mu Nan made to stay in the entertainment industry, to pursue his passion, and to defy his family.
Mu Nan’s father, Mu Le Tian, was a big shot in the Chinese internet industry. Starting from scratch, he rode the wave of the internet, amassing a capital of 50 billion over thirty years, making him a regular on the national rich list. Consequently, many coveted the cake the Mu family had built.
However, the fact that Mu Nan was Mu Le Tian’s son was known to only a few in both the entertainment and capital circles.
People assumed Mu Nan was a distant relative of Mu Le Tian since Mu Le Tian never mentioned his son nor used his influence to secure resources for him, while Mu Nan himself kept his family background under wraps.
On the other hand, Cheng Han’s family was from an old-school capital background, with a family history dating back to the Qing Dynasty. They were true blue bloods with a deep heritage.
But even the most illustrious families could fall. With the Cheng family’s industry declining and internal conflicts within the family, the core of the Cheng family had begun to decay.
And Cheng Han was the pawn that was pushed out for a strategic marriage.
The Mu family needed a deeply rooted tree to lean on, and they needed someone to take care of their son. The Cheng family needed fresh capital to lead them into the circle, so with a nod from both sides, they quietly got married without anyone knowing.
Mu Nan thought for several hours, but he was still too angry to sleep, so he called Wilder.
“Cheng Han is just a dog!”
“Indeed, marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.” Wilder clattered away on the keyboard on the other end of the phone.
“Are you trying to get fired?” Mu Nan said angrily, “And why should I marry anyway?”
Wilder replied insincerely, “Who’s always bugging for an eight-pack abs hunk? Who can’t take their eyes off someone else’s biceps? If not him, then who?”
Hearing this, Mu Nan’s anger instantly turned into profound sadness. “It’s all his fault! My eight-pack abs, my little brothers, all gone before I even got to experience them. What’s the point of staying in the entertainment industry? I’m quitting!”
“Oh.” Wilder interrupted his complaints callously, “I just got a notification from the program team. You and Cheng Han are to prepare a duet for the finals.”
After a quiet that lasted ten seconds, Mu Nan could even hear the world collapsing.
After a while, he asked, his voice fragile, “What you said…. is it true?”
“24k pure truth, false ones get tenfold compensation.”
“No no no…… no need for compensation. Can we ask the program team to pay us instead? Doing a duet with him, I might have a heart attack and die on stage.” Mu Nan resisted as if his life depended on it.
“Not possible.” Wilder told him, “Ever heard of contractual obligation?”
Mu Nan still attempted a final struggle: “But there are still two months until the finals, there should be a turnaround, right? What if the program team suddenly has a change of heart?”
“The program team also said, they’re giving you two months, one and a half for psychological preparation, half a month for performance preparation.” Wilder’s smirk came through the receiver, “Looks like the program team gets you.”
Mu Nan: “So…. is it illegal to hire a h*tman?”
Cheng Han, who was three kilometres away at home, suddenly sneezed heavily.
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