A handsome but neatly dressed He Jiang, with expensive gifts in hand, shamelessly followed behind Shang Jing to meet his relatives.
“You’ve lost your memories. I’m worried you’ll say something wrong and let that slip to your uncle.”
Shang Jing: “Alright.” He Jiang was the only person in this world who was familiar with his past.
Shang Jing and Bo Rong had both been racking their brains over how they could make the reunion a little more ceremonial and symbolic.
After all, weren’t those reunion scenes on television all joyous and full of people? Aunts from both sides would gather together and introductions would be made amidst the loud cries of the firecracker explosing outside.
Too bad Shang Jing did not have any aunts. Needless to say under Bo Rong’s family planning, they only had Bo Ya, this singleton. Neither would there by any firecrackers, they were banned in the neighbourhood.
After much thought, Bo Rong decided to invite their old neighbour, Uncle Jiang, over. He was someone who had witnessed Shang Jing’s growth before the latter left the country at six years old.
Uncle Jiang: “What does Xiao Jing look like now? Tsk, in the past, he was undoubtedly the cutest-looking kid in his batch. I still remember him calling me ‘Uncle’ all day long, what a sweet-talker. I was even scolded by his mother when I bought him sweets. HAHAHA.”
Bo Rong: “He’s a good-looking kid. You might have even seen him before.”
Uncle Jiang: “Cut to the chase. I heard from Bo Ya he even has a boyfriend?”
Even though same-sex marriage were legal now, there was still a large number of people from the older generation against them. To prevent any awkward situation, Bo Ya had informed Uncle Jiang of such beforehand, urging him to skip the reunion if he had any qualms over the relationship.
Luckily, Uncle Jiang was an open-minded individual who had seen a larger spectrum of the world in his lifetime.
Bo Rong’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “That boyfriend of his was called a jerk by netizens all over the internet.”
Bo Rong was unaware the ‘jerk’ in the mouths of those netizens had another layer of meaning to it. Neither was he aware of the cheesy love-hate backstory behind the nickname. The only thought he had when he saw those comments was that the person must be a true jerk for the masses to term him as such.
The entertainment scene was definitely not a peaceful place. In his younger days, he had even admitted a patient who had his legs broken by his wife following an affair.
Bo Rong: “He should not settle for him just based on his looks. But I don’t know how I should dissuade him. If Ah Peng is still alive, this would not have been my job.”
Uncle Jiang: “Some people rely on their appearances to earn a living. Isn’t that the case for celebrities? Take things in stride, if the guy is really unsuitable for Xiao Jing, Xiao Jing will kick him to the curb himself.”
Bo Rong: That’s true.
In actuality, when he saw He Jiang harvesting corn in the field, he was a million times satisfied with him. But when he saw him smiling in the final round after being informed of Xiao Jing’s elimination, his impression of him immediately soured. That reaction of He Jiang was something he could not understand.
Bo Rong: “You do make some sense. He does seem to treat Xiao Jing well most of the time. He even knows how to cook and wash the dishes.”
Uncle Jiang slapped his thighs in victory. “That’s right! There aren’t many responsible men left in this world. You don’t even know… Some time back when I was hospitalized following an accident, tsk tsk tsk… There was a young lad in my neighbouring bed who sustained injuries to his head. What a pitiful boy he was, nobody came to visit him even after being admitted into the hospital. He didn’t even have any shoes he could wear to get off the bed! When his husband finally arrived later in the day, the latter still had the nerve to be annoyed at him! What a douchebag! I’ll beat him up everytime I see him!”
A chill ran down He Jiang’s spine. He had an ominous feeling and his instincts were screaming at him to run. However, he could not retreat now. He stretched out a finger and nudged the doorbell.
What a joke. If I chicken out of meeting his elders, how am I different from Liu Xin?
Ding Dong!
Within a few seconds, the door was opened by Bo Ya who greeted them warmly, “Xiao Jing, He Jiang, come in. There’s no need to take off your shoes.”
Bo Rong and Uncle Jiang trailed behind.
Even though Bo Rong was dissatisfied with He Jiang, he would not express it outwardly in front of He Jiang himself. The most he would do was to speak to Shang Jing privately. After all, despite his disapproval, he did not want to be the one to create a strife between the couple.
Shang Jing: “Good day, Uncle and Auntie Bo!”
As he scanned the room with his eyes, another person in the room caught his eye. It was someone who was foreign yet familiar to him. Almost immediately, the puzzle pieces clicked together. He was that kind and righteous uncle he met at the hospital! Happiness swarmed over Shang Jing. He asked, “Uncle, why are you here?”
Uncle Jiang: “…”
He Jiang: “…”
Uncle Jiang was someone who had been through many things in his life so it did not shock him that a popular celebrity like He Jiang would visit the Bo family. But what did shock him was that this failure of a human managed to retain his wife!