In the second year after Jiang Hanguang woke up, 《Return》 was officially released after an overwhelming promotional campaign.
After the shadow of Feng Nan was dispelled, this high-quality film received unanimous praise from both inside and outside the industry, becoming the biggest box office dark horse of the year. And its lead actress, Jiang Hanguang, at a time when she had been silent for so long that she was almost forgotten by the public, relied on her subversive acting skills and stunning beauty to pull everyone back to the summer of four years ago, leaping into the ranks of a skilled actress with massive appeal.
The best way to test an actor’s fundamental quality is to see if she can portray a character vastly different from herself to perfection. Gu Qingsheng and Jiang Hanguang were worlds apart in terms of both personality and image, yet Jiang Hanguang was still able to play this foolish woman who brought suffering upon herself in a way that made everyone feel love and pity for her. Her professional ability was indeed beyond question.
Of course, what people were more concerned about was Jiang Hanguang herself. This woman had lit up everyone’s eyes like a dazzling meteor four years ago, only to become the sole victim in the farcical mess that followed, falling into a long slumber, her whereabouts unknown. Now, she had returned with her new work, sweeping through the entire industry like a whirlwind.
This up-and-down, dramatic life experience always felt somewhat familiar.
The Guang-Ying CP fans, who had been quiet for a long time along with Jiang Hanguang’s slumber, cautiously tested the waters, feeling like they had stumbled upon something to ship.
However, before they could even edit a touching fan video to build up the atmosphere, the trending topic #ChengYingJiangHanguangBigWedding# had already taken over Flying Pigeon’s homepage.
Guang-Ying CP fans: …Is this a kind of happiness one can have without paying for it?
Many years later, that wedding of the century was still a hot topic of conversation.
There was no other reason than the fact that it was so aesthetically beautiful and dreamlike, unprecedented and likely never to be surpassed, that it could supply the material for everyone’s dream weddings for the next hundred years.
Beneath a giant airship roaming under the bright moon, which cast a jade-like glow, a beautiful Alpha in a sharp suit knelt on one knee, presenting a ring brighter than the stars to her lover.
And the Omega, in a snow-white wedding dress, seemingly even more beautiful than a fairy from the heavens, smiled and extended her hand, letting the Alpha gently place the ring on her finger.
They kissed under the starry sky as thousands of brilliant fireworks soared into the air, blooming silently, illuminating the night sky as if it were day.
The wedding was not broadcast live to the public. What people saw was merely a short video of a few minutes that Cheng Ying released later.
But it was still stunning enough, dreamlike enough.
Cheng Ying’s caption, however, was very simple—”Just letting everyone know, Miss Jiang Hanguang is my wife from now on. Of course, I am hers too.”
It could be said to be perfunctory to the extreme, as if besides declaring sovereignty, she didn’t want to waste any words on anyone else.
But everyone still expressed that they were sold.
Most even expressed their understanding—”If I had a wife like Jiang Hanguang, I wouldn’t bother wasting words on others either.”
The wedding sparked the envy of countless people. Other wealthy individuals all expressed, “Name your price, how much to rent that ship? We won’t even bat an eye.”
However, from beginning to end, no one ever managed to replicate that wedding.
It was said that the giant airship, designed under Cheng Ying’s supervision, was docked at a station on a small island she had purchased on the Western Continent. She and Jiang Hanguang would occasionally go there for vacation, piloting this amphibious air-and-sea vessel to chase the sunrise across the boundless ocean.
You could attribute all the most romantic things you could think of to them without any issue, yet you would always find yourself lamenting the poverty of your own imagination whenever a new story about them emerged.
Fortunately, Jiang Hanguang was truly a dedicated actress. With such a lover and such a life, she still managed to guarantee a new movie every two years. The audience was moved to tears.
A crisp ringing echoed in the room. The person on the bed’s eyelids twitched slightly, and she reached out a slender arm to turn off the alarm.
Jiang Hanguang felt utterly exhausted. She had just finished filming a movie. The shooting schedule was very tight, and it was in a mountainous area with poor conditions.
Jiang Hanguang had stopped Cheng Ying from building a temporary residence there, because it would have delayed the entire crew’s landscape filming.
The sullen Alpha grumbled around her for a long time, “So what if it’s delayed? Worst case, I’ll help them edit the video. I guarantee no one will be able to tell it’s edited.”
It wasn’t until Jiang Hanguang pulled her into a corner, gave her several kisses, and comforted her with gentle words for a long while that Cheng Ying reluctantly ceased this art-trampling behavior that was sure to attract hatred.
In the end, the two had to live in a relatively simple dwelling for a month. Cheng Ying was worried Jiang Hanguang would catch a cold, and she was so well-behaved for that month that Jiang Hanguang was a little at a loss.
Fortunately, as soon as they got home last night, Cheng Ying had physically demonstrated to her the meaning of “old habits die hard.”
Jiang Hanguang rubbed her forehead, which was a bit drowsy from lack of sleep, and checked her body.
The crisscrossing red marks were all distributed below her chest as if by agreement, as if there were an invisible line there.
Above the line, flawless white jade; below the line, a shower of fallen blossoms.
A blush appeared on the woman’s fair cheeks. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to condemn Cheng Ying for pushing her luck or praise her for her precise control.
Yet the other party felt no psychological burden at all. She raised her head blankly, said good morning, and then expertly sought out her lips.
Caught off guard, Jiang Hanguang was kissed squarely. Her body, which had been marked and fervently possessed countless times, surrendered first, growing tingly and hot. Her consciousness also became increasingly precarious with the Alpha’s movements.
Fortunately, Jiang Hanguang was a dedicated person.
The Omega mustered her last ounce of strength to break free from the kiss, pressed the Alpha against her chest, and reached for the phone on the bedside table.
Perhaps that experience was also quite titillating. Cheng Ying struggled symbolically a couple of times, then obediently buried herself there to enjoy the benefit that had come knocking.
The delaying tactic achieved an excellent effect, and Jiang Hanguang finally got her hands on her phone.
The phone projected a small box, listing her schedule for the day.
In order to spend more time with Cheng Ying, Jiang Hanguang always tried to compress all her work, aside from filming, into a single day.
In other words, this rare workday was also rarely busy, and there was no time for any more time-consuming and energy-draining “morning activities.”
Pulled from the fragrant embrace, Cheng Ying grumbled in dissatisfaction. Just as she was about to lean in again, the woman stopped her by the shoulders.
Jiang Hanguang was completely awake by now. Her bright, dark eyes glinted with a mischievous and cunning smile. The projected box covered most of her face, densely packed with the day’s schedule.
The small blue words projected onto Cheng Ying’s face, causing her to furrow her brows and pout at Jiang Hanguang in dissatisfaction.
Jiang Hanguang really had no way of dealing with her like this.
She had to admit that the year of amnesia had indeed had a certain effect on her. She had grown accustomed to playfully teasing Cheng Ying without holding back, and sometimes she would even do things that she herself didn’t quite understand afterward.
Those things, if one had to define them with a worldly term, would probably be “seduction.”
Of course, these changes were limited to when she was alone with Cheng Ying in private. When she returned to the bustling crowds, Jiang Hanguang still preferred to put on her shell of politeness.
Hmm… actually, perhaps she didn’t really have the inclination to interact with others either.
And Cheng Ying’s changes were actually even greater than hers.
When she was lost and ignorant, the Alpha was like an omnipotent adult. But when she returned, the Alpha quickly turned into a child who liked to act spoiled.
If things didn’t go her way in the slightest, she would act cute and spoiled and whine at her for ages. If she wasn’t coaxed, she would unilaterally break off relations, and then, unable to last ten minutes, she would come over with a straight face, huffing and puffing, asking why she wasn’t being coaxed.
This clinginess, of course, greatly hindered Jiang Hanguang’s work, but Jiang Hanguang wasn’t the least bit dissatisfied.
She knew that every time Cheng Ying played around, she was asking the silent version of herself who had lain in that coffin-like nutrition pod for three years.
Do you love me?
And she didn’t mind spending a lifetime to properly answer this question.
Of course, she was still a dedicated person.
Gently poking the Alpha’s shoulder, the woman coaxed softly, “We have work today. Let’s get up, okay?”
The Alpha’s light blue eyes darted around several times, probably wavering with difficulty between upholding her duty and indulging herself.
This was obviously a difficult choice, so she finally chose a compromise.
She buried herself in her lover’s embrace again, rolled around, and looked at the other’s bright black pupils with a hopeful gaze. “Then tonight…”
The woman holding her laughed softly and made a promise in her ear, “For as long as you want.”
The Alpha, who had been like a boneless creature just a moment ago, shot up from the bed with a whoosh, full of energy as she put on her shoes. “I’ll go make breakfast!”
Jiang Hanguang watched her agile back, smiling happily. If her legs weren’t a bit weak from yesterday’s activities, she would have been even happier.
In the morning, she had to attend a press conference for a new movie. As the lead actress and a figure of public interest, Jiang Hanguang unsurprisingly received special attention from the reporters.
After all, she had too few works before. Although 《Return》 had received several nominations, it ultimately didn’t win any awards.
Of course, no one doubted Jiang Hanguang’s future prospects because of this. After all, the previously elusive Cheng Ying was now sitting in the audience, watching her wife without even blinking.
No one had expected that for this chairman, business was a part-time job, and being an agent was her main profession.
With her around, it was only a matter of time before Jiang Hanguang won a grand slam, even if she only recited “1234” for her lines. What’s more, her professional skills were genuinely solid.
A reporter asked, almost fawningly, “Miss Jiang, after your comeback, the intervals between your film projects have been quite long. Is this to better polish your work?”
Jiang Hanguang: “…”
She subconsciously looked at Cheng Ying in the audience. The other woman now maintained a stern, unsmiling demeanor in front of outsiders. Only when she saw her looking over did she give a secret wink.
So good at playing innocent.
Jiang Hanguang withdrew her gaze, coughed lightly, and took the easy way out the reporter had offered. “Yes, after all, my energy isn’t what it used to be. I need to take a relatively long time to adjust my condition after each film.”
The reporter showed an admiring expression. “Then we’ll look forward to more of your works.”
That look made Jiang Hanguang feel undeserving, since she hadn’t told the truth.
Of course, she wasn’t deliberately deceiving people either. After all, the truth was too embarrassing to say.
She couldn’t very well say that she was so entangled by that innocent-looking person in the audience that she couldn’t get out of bed, could she?
Because she had to shoot a commercial in the afternoon, they casually found a nearby restaurant for lunch.
While shoveling meat from her plate, Xiao Xiao watched the famous Boss Cheng from the trending topics deftly cut a steak into bite-sized pieces and place it in front of her own boss.
How should she put it? She was now an experienced assistant who could hold her own, but after returning to Jiang Hanguang’s side, she often had the illusion of being a third wheel.
Cheng Ying’s service was much more attentive than her own, and it was a one-of-a-kind, tailor-made service. Her own function as a personal assistant was reduced to just carrying things.
When Jiang Hanguang went for the shoot, Cheng Ying went to buy them two milk teas: her own with sugar and ice, and Jiang Hanguang’s with no sugar, heated.
Jiang Hanguang didn’t like cold drinks or overly sweet beverages.
When they returned to the photo studio, the person in charge of the commercial’s brand eagerly came over to greet her. “They all said that if we hired Miss Jiang, we’d get to see you. I didn’t expect it to be true.”
Cheng Ying nonchalantly raised an eyebrow at him. “So you signed her just to see me?”
The other person hurriedly shook his head. “No, no, no, Miss Jiang herself is a great fit for our product, that’s why we hired her. We just didn’t expect you… to come in person.”
Cheng Ying could see that he was being sincere, so she nodded in satisfaction and smiled. “One’s own wife, of course, one has to watch over her personally.”
The person in charge nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, you and Miss Jiang are truly a deeply devoted couple…”
What followed was a pile of meaningless praise, which Cheng Ying was already used to. Ever since she started appearing with Jiang Hanguang, there had been no shortage of people like this trying to exchange pleasantries and get close to her, probably all thinking that even the sand that slipped through her fingers would be enough for them to live on for a lifetime.
They didn’t know that in Cheng Ying’s eyes, their level of trickery was no better than that of the most clumsy actor.
But fortunately, she didn’t care anymore. In the past, when the mood struck, she might have thrown a few barbs at people, but after enduring those long three years, her temper had visibly improved.
It was probably because she understood that people always have moments of desperation and ugliness when they can’t get what they want. Why be so merciless with words?
Just like how some people always said Jiang Hanguang got famous all on her own. But Jiang Hanguang never cared, and even nodded in agreement, comforting the unhappy Cheng Ying who was ready to take action, “It’s true, so why be angry at what others say?”
“Besides, the world’s number one agent is my wife. Shouldn’t I be proud?”
She looked at the woman’s smiling face, which showed no sadness and was full of pride, and always felt like she was being teased again.
But the words were right. The years had worn away the unnecessary thorns, leaving behind thoughts that were only for her lover.
Jiang Hanguang wanted to act, wanted more people to see the characters she portrayed. And she, she just wanted to watch over Jiang Hanguang.
Everything else was irrelevant.
“Xiao Ying?”
Jiang Hanguang, having finished her shoot, saw the Alpha standing there as soon as she walked out of the studio. A gentle smile appeared on the woman’s originally calm face.
The person in charge watched as the Alpha, who had just been nonchalantly humoring him, suddenly broke into a smile, left him behind, and walked to the Omega’s side, putting a straw in the other cup of milk tea in her hand and passing it to her.
“This flavor is good. Quick, try it. It’s not too hot now, either.”
The person in charge, left standing there, and Xiao Xiao, who was following behind Jiang Hanguang, exchanged a look, suddenly feeling a sense of shared misery.
In the evening, Jiang Hanguang had to attend a charity dinner. After Jiang Hanguang fell into her slumber, Cheng Ying had established a foundation in her name, investing huge sums of money each year to help families who had fallen into hardship due to various problems.
The foundation had now grown to a considerable size and held similar dinners every year to raise more funds.
Jiang Hanguang thought this was a good thing and was happy to participate.
When the host of the banquet announced, “Please welcome the founders, Cheng Ying and Miss Jiang Hanguang,” everyone’s eyes were firmly locked on the two women slowly descending the stairs.
The Omega wore light makeup and a snow-white long dress, descending gracefully.
Her face would make flowers feel ashamed, and the hem of her dress was as soft as a cloud.
The tall Alpha in a black suit stood before her, holding her hand and carefully guiding her all the way down, like the most loyal knight protecting his princess.
Everyone couldn’t help but applaud. This wasn’t out of a desire to curry favor, but simply because they felt the two were a perfect match.
As the founder of the foundation, Cheng Ying inevitably had to go on stage to give a speech, while Jiang Hanguang encountered a fan of her own.
A handsome Alpha very shyly came up to greet her, saying he was her fan and knew every character she had played like the back of his hand.
Jiang Hanguang was naturally very happy. They discussed for a few sentences, and the Alpha, on a whim, moved a little closer to her.
Before Jiang Hanguang could create more distance, her shoulders suddenly felt a slight weight as a black jacket covered her rounded shoulders.
Cheng Ying, who had finished her speech at some unknown point, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked with a beaming smile at the frozen face of the Alpha opposite them. “Perfect. I also love watching my Hanguang’s movies. Let me listen in too.”
What’s more terrifying? A person who always smiles suddenly putting on a stern face? Or a person who is always stern suddenly smiling?
That question might still be up for debate, but at this moment, the Alpha was so scared by Cheng Ying’s smile that his face turned pale, and he hastily excused himself.
Jiang Hanguang helplessly poked the Alpha’s lower back under the cover of the jacket and whispered, “Why did you scare him?”
Cheng Ying’s expression didn’t change as she played dumb. “Did I? He must have had a guilty conscience.”
Jiang Hanguang couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. She picked up a plate from the table and held it out to the Alpha. “These pastries are all quite good. Have a taste.”
And so, Boss Cheng revealed a victorious smile and happily went to enjoy the delicious food.
The banquet ended very late. When the two returned home, Cheng Ying eagerly pulled Jiang Hanguang to take a bath.
Jiang Hanguang naturally knew what was on her mind, but she recalled something from before.
Because Cheng Ying was too obsessed with these matters, she felt that anything in excess was not good, so she looked it up online.
It turned out that it really wasn’t very good, and someone had used a proverb that perfectly explained the situation—”There’s no such thing as over-plowed land, only an ox worked to death.”
Jiang Hanguang: “…”
In short, a somewhat worried Jiang Hanguang secretly consulted a doctor.
After listening to her recount her “friend’s story,” the professional doctor couldn’t help but laugh as she told her.
Their frequency wasn’t considered exaggerated and hadn’t reached a problematic level. Cheng Ying probably just liked being clingy with her. If she was really worried, she could do other things with her to divert her attention.
Jiang Hanguang remembered that the game Cheng Ying had been eagerly anticipating had just been released. So, as the other woman started nibbling on her, she managed to bring up the request to play that game.
In the bathtub, the Alpha’s hair was all combed back, revealing a face that was too young and beautiful. Her light blue eyes shimmered, and having thought of some idea, she readily agreed.
The game was about a woman trapped in a cave by bad guys, who struggles to escape and then overcomes all obstacles to save her family.
Jiang Hanguang had no hobby of playing games, but fortunately, she had a sufficiently patient teacher.
She was quite focused in whatever she did and was quickly drawn in by the game’s plot. As a result, she actually failed to notice the tricks her teacher with ulterior motives was playing on her hands.
After finally getting the small knife to cut the ropes, just as Jiang Hanguang breathed a sigh of relief, the roar of a monster came from outside the cave.
She panicked, and her movements became a bit too large. She felt a tug on her hand.
Looking down, she saw that at some unknown point, her wrist had been bound by a thin chain.
“You…” Before she could condemn Cheng Ying’s sneak attack, the smiling Alpha pushed her down onto the sofa and, from who knows where, pulled out a blindfold and covered her eyes.
“Mmph…” Her vision was obscured, her hands were bound. She had nowhere to run and could only feel the stimulation brought by the Alpha more vividly.
The whimpers and gasps outside the screen intertwined with the miserable screams and struggles on the screen, adding a certain sense of secrecy to it all.
Jiang Hanguang was kind-hearted, after all, and couldn’t bear the scene. Even though she could barely fend for herself, she was still pleading for the character: “The game… isn’t over.”
The Alpha raised a hand to turn off the screen, lowered her body, and said with a laugh amidst her lover’s long moan, “I’m playing, baby.”
“Now it’s your turn to figure out how to escape, Miss Jiang.”
Jiang Hanguang had no time for other concerns. In the complete darkness, the Omega gave up and sank into the pleasure given by her lover.
However… why did she feel like Cheng Ying was enjoying this even more?
She spoiled her herself, so what could she do?
Just have to endure it.
