After a Flash Marriage to a Stern Daddy, I Can't Get Divorced - Chapter 3

On the day the acting class started, Yun Yao was a complete wreck. He had attended a brand gala the night before, and the severe lack of sleep left him looking haggard. His eyes were swollen and framed by deep, dark circles, making him look like a ghost that had crawled straight out of the underworld.

When he got into the car, Wei You gasped in shock.

“Good grief! Why do you look so awful?”

Yun Yao had his hoodie pulled up over his head. The moment he collapsed into his seat, his eyes went blank.

“What do you think? Four appointments in a single day yesterday. I was busier with work than with eating. It’s a miracle I’m still breathing.”

Wei You rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty. “You know what Mr. Zhang is like. If you hadn’t shown up to those two brand events, he might have actually forced you onto a livestream to hawk products next time.”

“Is there really any difference between doing it now and doing it later? Right now, I just want to stay alive.”

“…” Wei You coughed awkwardly. “Hey, you have to stay busy to make money. Look at the bright side, once this year is over, you’ll have paid off all the expenses the company advanced you. When that happens, we’ll finally have a say in your schedule, and turning down gigs will be as simple as saying the word.”

Yun Yao closed his eyes to rest, offering no reply.

The acting class was held at the Hong Kong University School of Performing Arts. The instructors were almost all professors from the academy itself, and most of the actors attending had fought tooth and nail just to get a spot.

By the time the two arrived at the campus, Yun Yao had quickly forced himself to pull it together.

“This is a rare opportunity, so you have to make it count. Remember to build good relationships with the instructors during breaks, and mingle with your classmates too. Almost all of them are promising newcomers from major agencies. You need to network, it’ll definitely come in handy later,” Wei You nagged and reminded him repeatedly.

Yun Yao hopped out of the car and stretched his limbs slightly, though his head still felt dizzy and heavy.

“Wei, stop, you’re giving me a headache.”

Seeing that his condition was still poor, Wei You got out of the car as well and handed him a bottle of water.

“Are you going to be okay? Your face looks even paler than before. There’s still an hour before class starts, how about we find a nearby hospital first?”

Yun Yao twisted open the cap and took a few gulps. The ice-cold water rushed down his throat, instantly clearing his foggy mind a bit.

“I’m fine, I’ll head to class first.”

Wei You still felt uneasy. “Should I wait for you here, then?”

“No need. Just pick me up from my place tonight before we head to the TV station for the rehearsal.”

Wei You managed other artists besides him, so Yun Yao didn’t want to keep him tied down here all day.

For the introductory session, He Lindong had brought two acting instructors to meet everyone in person. The students below were all newcomers in the industry, some had already been on set, while others were rising talents poised for their big break.

Yun Yao even spotted a child star who had been acting since infancy. At the age of seven, he had skyrocketed to fame through a popular family drama. He had attended arts academies his entire life and was currently enrolled in the country’s top acting university.

To think even someone like him would come here for classes.

In an instant, a deeper sense of reverence washed over Yun Yao.

The prologue of the first lesson contained far more practical knowledge than he had anticipated. Right from the start, the instructor used engaging group games to help them break out of their shells, forcing everyone to shed their social inhibitions and superficial embarrassment.

At the end of the day, they were all artists, making this far more fascinating than the academic subjects Yun Yao used to take. Unlike a few other newcomers who seemed stiff and awkward, he thoroughly enjoyed the process.

He Lindong hadn’t left after greeting everyone before class, he stayed by the sidelines to watch, occasionally stepping in as an assistant instructor.

Seeing how uninhibited and natural Yun Yao was, He Lindong was quite surprised. He decided to stick around a bit longer just to observe him.

When the instructor assigned a task for everyone to fully immerse themselves into mimicking animals, Yun Yao chose to imitate his own pet cat. His performance was incredibly vivid, capturing both the posture and expressions so flawlessly that he looked remarkably adorable.

He Lindong couldn’t resist taking a picture of the scene.

At that exact moment, Yu Cheng was at the pier, cutting the ribbon for the opening of the new port. His assistant knew what mattered most, and the second a notification popped up on the phone, he immediately handed the device over.

Yu Cheng took the phone from his assistant and stared at the screen for a moment. Turning around, he called over his subordinates, gave a few brief instructions, and then drove away.

Seeing him leave so abruptly, the crowd instantly grew restless and turned their gaze toward the assistant.

“Please remain calm, everyone. Mr. Yu has an urgent matter to attend to. Vice President Chen will take over the ribbon-cutting ceremony from here.”

The media outlets waiting on the sidelines chased after the car to snap photos, their faces filled with frustration and regret.

The Xi family was a century-old dynasty in Hong Kong, controlling seventy percent of the city’s shipping industry along with its upstream and downstream supporting businesses. Their every move could shift the tides of the business world.

This was the first time the new generation heir had appeared in a public setting, yet they hadn’t managed to capture a single clear photo of his face.

How infuriating.

They had only heard that he despised being addressed as Mr. Xi, which was why those familiar with him always called him President Yu.

If the ribbon-cutting ceremony hadn’t already resumed, they would have truly wanted to chase him down and ask if he had some sort of grievance against the Xi family.

The acting class lasted the entire morning. The moment the instructor dismissed them, Yun Yao let out a soft sigh, grabbed the water bottle beside him, and poured it down his throat. Even so, his head remained completely dazed.

He glanced at Wei You’s message, then headed down to squat in the parking lot to wait for him.

The school strictly prohibited unauthorized personnel from entering or leaving, and the students could only pass through by showing their pre-arranged permits. To avoid being spotted by student fans, Yun Yao didn’t linger around the academic building.

Checking his phone again, he saw that Wei You had gone to the airport to pick someone up and would take a while to arrive. Yun Yao’s entire body felt sore and weak, and he really didn’t want to move, let alone walk outside to hail a ride.

So, he simply squatted behind a pillar next to the elevator lobby in the underground parking lot.

As the surroundings quieted down, Yun Yao felt his mind turning to mush. His eyes burned, and even the breath he exhaled felt scorching hot.

Tsk, he was probably in trouble.

He was definitely running a fever.

Remembering he had an audition to attend tomorrow, Yun Yao exhaled softly and pulled up his schedule to check.

Fortunately, the audition was tomorrow afternoon, which gave him a full day to break the fever.

With that thought in mind, he pulled up the audition materials to review them. But before he could read much, his vision blurred, and his eyes grew incredibly heavy.

Left with no choice, he closed his eyes to rest against the pillar.

Perhaps because his body temperature was too high, he didn’t hear the text alert when a message came through. It wasn’t until a flurry of footsteps echoed nearby, seemingly stopping right in front of him, that Yun Yao forced his eyes open.

Seeing the very face he had just dreamt about, Yun Yao subconsciously shook his head.

Great, he really was burning up. He was actually having a daydream while sitting in a parking lot.

Panicking, he quickly shut his eyes again, hoping to wake up from this illusion as soon as possible. He still needed to go to the hospital, and he couldn’t afford to mess up his upcoming schedule.

He must have lost his mind from the fever.

It wasn’t until he felt a large, warm hand pressing against his forehead that Yun Yao jolted awake, snapping his eyes open for the second time.

“M-Mr. Yu?”

Yu Cheng frowned, remaining half-squatted as he spoke. “You’re sick. Where is your manager?”

Yun Yao hurriedly scrambled up against the pillar, supporting himself.

“He said he’d be here soon…”

However, the moment he glanced down at his phone, he shut his mouth. Wei You had sent a message half an hour ago saying that the airport highway was completely gridlocked with traffic, telling him to call a ride-share to go home and rest first.

Seeing his crestfallen expression, Yu Cheng easily guessed what had happened.

“Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

Overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness and feeling a bit self-conscious, Yun Yao waved his hands frantically.

“No, no, it’s fine. I just have a slight fever. I’ll be fine once I go home and take some medicine.”

Yu Cheng’s brow furrowed. “Do you always mistreat yourself like this?”

Yun Yao hadn’t expected Yu Cheng to say that, leaving him momentarily flustered, while internally his mind was screaming.

He’s so handsome, so gentle, and so tall! From this distance, he had to tilt his head back just to look at Yu Cheng’s face.

“…My immune system is usually great, I think I’ve just been a bit too tired lately.”

“Are you sure?” Yu Cheng looked entirely skeptical.

Yun Yao’s face flushed a deep crimson, though it was impossible to tell whether it was from embarrassment or the rising temperature of his body.

“Really. Um… Mr. Yu, I’ll take my leave first then.”

Although he desperately wanted to linger for a few more minutes, every extra second increased the risk of exposing his true, shameless nature. It was better to retreat for now.

Yu Cheng nodded, watching as the boy foolishly walked toward the exit of the elevator lobby, even though there wasn’t a single car waiting for him there.

Only after walking a dozen meters did Yun Yao suddenly snap out of it. He smacked his own forehead and turned around to retrace his steps, only to crash straight into Yu Cheng’s chest.

Yu Cheng: “…”

Clutching his forehead, Yun Yao hurriedly took two steps back.

“I-I’m so sorry…” Wow, his chest is so firm. It must feel amazing to touch.

Yu Cheng pressed his key fob, and the off-road vehicle parked nearby flashed its lights twice.

He tilted his chin toward the car, signaling him.

“Let’s go. I’ll drive you out. There are a lot of fans waiting outside the school gates today.”

Yun Yao hadn’t even thought about that. He was just about to hesitate when he saw Yu Cheng already opening the passenger door for him.

“Then… thank you so much, Mr. Yu.”

The moment he sat in the car, the corners of Yun Yao’s lips curled upward uncontrollably. His head was spinning, and he felt as though he had been placed right in the middle of a bunch of pink bubbles.

Yu Cheng raised an eyebrow.

“How are you still looking so happy when you’re this sick?”

Yun Yao rubbed his nose and began to talk nonsense.

“Being sick means I don’t have to work. I’m suffering, but I’m happy.”

Yu Cheng let out a soft chuckle. “It seems the fever is quite high, you’re already talking nonsense.”

As the car drove out of the campus, Yun Yao wanted to find a place to hop out. However, after exchanging those few words, the man didn’t speak again.

Seeing that the car was heading in the exact opposite direction of his apartment, Yun Yao finally spoke up to remind him.

“Mr. Yu, you can just drop me off wherever it’s safe to pull over up ahead.”

Yu Cheng didn’t look at him, nor did he slow down.

“Your face is flushed, it’s likely a high fever. It’s better to have a doctor look at it. If it turns into pneumonia, staying home alone is dangerous.”

Yun Yao was taken aback. While marveling at how handsome and kind-hearted the man was, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse again. After all, with some handsome men, once you let them walk away, you might never see them again for the rest of your life.

“But if we do that, won’t I be troubling you too much?”

Hearing this, Yu Cheng brought the car to a halt at a red light and turned to look at him.

“No. There’s a hospital nearby, it won’t take long.”

“Okay then.” Yun Yao breathed a sigh of relief, the burden of guilt in his heart easing significantly.

When the car arrived at the hospital, Yun Yao immediately began to express his gratitude again. But before he could finish his sentence, Yu Cheng unbuckled his seatbelt, stepped out of the vehicle first, and gentlemanly opened the passenger door.

“How are you feeling now? Any discomfort?”

“Just… my head is a bit dizzy.” Yun Yao shook his head, feeling that the man standing before him was somewhat surreal. Not only did he perfectly match his type, but he was also incredibly kind. It was almost too perfect.

He began to doubt reality, wondering if he would open his eyes in the next second only to find himself still squatting behind that pillar in the parking lot, waiting for Wei You.

“Come down first, I’ll walk in with you.” Yu Cheng extended his hand toward him.

Yun Yao hesitated for a brief second before reaching out to grasp it. Sensing the warmth radiating from the man’s palm, he finally confirmed that all of this was real.

“Do you not have other things to attend to? Bringing me here is already troubling you enough, I can go see the doctor by myself.”

Yu Cheng led Yun Yao inside. “You’re a public figure, and you’re currently running a high fever. For either of those reasons, I shouldn’t just abandon you here.”

“Then… thank you again.” Yun Yao felt a deep wave of emotion swell within him. He had truly struck gold today.

With that, he pulled his hoodie up to cover his head, following closely behind Yu Cheng as they entered the hospital.

Registration, temperature checks, blood tests, the man handled everything in an orderly fashion. It felt like the first time since his mother passed away that someone had actually accompanied Yun Yao to the hospital.

He sniffed his nose, thinking that he was desperately starved for affection to the point of tearing up over someone he had only met twice.

Eventually, as he lay dazed on the hospital bed with an IV drip in his arm, he vaguely heard the nurse telling the man that the inflammation was severe and required three days of intravenous treatment. This finally jolted him awake.

He hastily placed a call to Wei You.

Wei You had finally made it into the city and rushed to the hospital without a moment’s delay.

It was no joke. Yun Yao was his prized asset right now. If anything went wrong with him, the company and the mysterious figure backing them would skin him alive.

However, the moment he stepped into the hospital room, he froze in utter disbelief…

A certain mysterious figure was currently sitting by the window, gently helping Yun Yao drink water. Noticing Wei You standing dumbfounded at the door, the man stood up politely to greet him, a warm smile spreading across his face that felt like a breath of fresh air.

“Hello, I am Yu Cheng.”

Wei You shook the extended hand with trembling terror. If it weren’t for that familiarly crushing grip that felt strong enough to break bones, he would have truly thought he had recognized the wrong person.

Yet Yu Cheng acted completely oblivious to Wei You’s shaking hand and his deathly pale face.

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