Chapter 1.1 - Hubby, I’m Hurt (1)
Chapter 1.1 – Hubby, I’m Hurt (1)
On a link bridge at the International Airport of S City, a group of multi-national tourists was alighting from a plane that landed moments ago. Walking in front of them was a young man with traditional East Asian facial features. Rosy lips, white polished teeth, eyes that glittered like the night sky, and a pair of long slim legs that boasted of large strides; he had an appearance that left people wondering where such a beauty could have come from.
The airport was the name card of every city. Advertisements of the city, from their best scenery to their most popular attractions, decorated the walls of the building.
However, excited to start their holiday, there were barely any people who stopped to admire them.
Shang Jing was no exception. However, there was one advertisement that caught his eye. It was a two-storey high LED billboard at the arrival hall lobby.
Standing at approximately 6 meters high, it perfectly encapsulated the dashing features and well-built figure of the ambassador. Together with the luggage bag he was holding, the expensive watch on his wrist, the jacket with folds in all the right places, and the city skyline behind him, every inch of him was candy to the eyes.
He was He Jiang, a well-known film emperor and also the ambassador for a first tier city. In front of him was a line of text, written in calligraphy, ‘China’s S City Welcomes You’.
Shang Jing looked at the crowd approaching his direction.
As his fingers tightened around his luggage handle, the world blurred around him. Soon, he was left alone with the silhouette of a person from the shadow of his memory. He watched the silhouette sharpen, becoming clearer and clearer, until its features perfectly matched the man on the advertisement.
…
“Twenty-nine people were injured today at Wen Qing Avenue after a blue sedan crashed onto the pedestrian sidewalk. All twenty-nine victims were taken to the First Community Hospital and Second Community Hospital for treatment…”
Cries coming from both adults and children echoed in the hospital emergency room as hospital staff moved quickly to attend to the sudden influx of victims from the car accident. Despite the already crowded situation, family members of the patients were still pouring in, anxious to check on their injured loved ones.
On one of the hospital beds, Shang Jing opened his eyes and felt a wave of dizziness hit him. He subconsciously raised his hand to rub his temples but was stopped by the thick bandage twined around his head.
In contrast to the other victims, who had the company of their family or a doctor, he was alone.
But that situation did not last long. Noticing his regainment of consciousness, a nurse quickly approached to check on his condition. She asked, “How are you feeling?”
Shang Jing blinked at her slowly, his mind blank. It took a moment to find the words to say. “I can’t…”
“… seem to remember anything.”
Five minutes later.
Shang Jing asked, “What kind of tests do I need to go through to find out?”
Doctor: “We have already done everything we can… Let’s give it a few days and see how it goes. Meanwhile, I’ll arrange psychotherapy for you. If your condition still doesn’t improve, I’ll refer you to…”
The doctor scribbled the name of a center for brain rehabilitation on a piece of paper and handed it to him. He warned, “But you have to be prepared, the fees are high.”
Shang Jing opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. His current financial situation was still a mystery to him.
I should be… doing fine, I hope…?
The nurse looked at him with pity. “You won’t be able to get much from your insurance as the cause of the incident is drunk driving.”
That stunned Shang Jing. The seven-figure treatment fee of the organization recommended by the doctor reverberated in his mind as the nurse babbled on, “The drunk driver came from a mediocre family. He’ll struggle to pay for the victims who are far more injured than you, so the chances of you being reimbursed for something like amnesia treatment is practically impossible.”
To keep things concise, he had to be prepared to shoulder the entire treatment fee by himself.
Shang Jing sat back down on the bed in shock.
In the meantime, the nurse fetched a white personal belongings bag and handed it to him. Inside were the belongings he had on him at the time of the accident. They were temporarily placed under the hospital’s custody while he was unconscious.
Shang Jing looked through the contents of the bag. Other than a wallet that contained his identity card and tens of dollars, there was a handphone with a dead battery.
Handphone… In this interconnected era, this was something most people could not do without and also a reflection of their lifestyle.
Shang Jing could not wait to uncover the contents of the phone. He borrowed a charger from the uncle in his neighboring bed and put the phone on charge.
Seeing as there was still time, he started to search for his shoes, wanting to take a walk outside.
However, when he did find them, they had been dyed a shade of red by some stranger’s blood. There was no way he could continue wearing them.
The uncle in his neighboring bed was also a victim of the same car accident. He had sustained a mild bone fracture in his shin. Unlike Shang Jing, he had been visited by his two daughters and son who brought over multiples of the necessities he might need.
“Young lad, don’t you have any family coming to visit you?” The uncle was propped up on a pillow. His voice was full of vigor, it was obvious his injury had not affected his spirits.
Shang Jing smiled at him and replied, “I have yet to get in touch with them.”
The uncle pulled out a pair of large-sized slippers from a plastic bag and tossed it towards Shang Jing. “You can wear these first.”
“Thank you, uncle.”
Shang Jing scoured the hospital in the pair of slippers for an ATM. When he finally found one, he slotted his card into the machine with an expectant heart.
“Please enter your six-digit pin number.”
Shang Jing, “…”
He took out his identity card and contemplated his choices. Finally, he keyed in the last six digits of his identification number. The notification ‘Incorrect pin number’ appeared on the screen. Next, he tried today’s date. The same notification popped up once again.
Before he got locked out of his account, a set of figures suddenly popped up in his mind. He carefully keyed them in one by one.The pin number is correct!
Five seconds later, his excitement faded as he looked at his balance.
Five hundred yuan.
Not a cent more, not a cent less.
The case has been solved. I am poor.
Shang Jing stuffed his ATM card back into his pocket. In the process of doing so, he felt something resembling a dollar bill in there. Happiness welled up in him. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket.
It was a factory recruitment flyer, folded into quarters. Unfolding it, there was another home tuition recruitment flyer…
Could it be that I don’t even have a job?!
Shang Jing could feel his head splitting apart. As he walked past a rubbish bin, he felt tempted to throw the fliers away. However, after some hesitation, he folded the fliers back to their original state and stuffed them back into his pocket.
I probably really need that part time job.
There was still a little glimmer of hope left in Shang Jing. He vaguely remembered that it was a common trend nowadays for people to keep their money in mobile payment apps. The low balance in his bank account could have been a mere facade.
His interest in the phone was once again ignited.
After turning the phone on, he was straightaway taken to the homescreen.
No password?
Shang Jing was appalled.However, he did not dwell on that matter for long. He turned his attention back to the home screen, but other than the default factory apps and WeChat, there was nothing else. No game, no banking app nor any shopping app.
To make things worse, his WeChat wallet was empty.
That explains. Who wouldn’t set a password if there’s money in the wallet?
Shang Jing was about to cry. One by one, he checked the contents of the apps.
Photo album, there were only scenery photos.
Music, none.
WeChat, there was no sign of human life. Just a few bot chats and public accounts.
What kind of extreme minimalist lifestyle is this?
Shang Jing lamented as he moved on to the phone contact list. Once again, it was blank.
Wait… There’s a saved contact!【Hubby】
That’s great! I have a husband!
Wait a minute…
Husband?