The Best Director

Chapter 60: Her Name is Juno

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio | Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Time swiftly moved into mid-July. “High School Musical” had reached a total box office of over 201 million US dollars in North America, surpassing the 1978 “Footloose”‘s 188 million US dollars. Although “Footloose” had a slight edge when accounting for inflation, both sparked an equally fervent campus musical craze.

With the box office settled at 201 million, every craze must come to an end. The number of theaters still showing “High School Musical” dwindled to just over 300, nearing its complete withdrawal. The teen comedy “American Pie” took the baton for campus films, becoming the box office champion for the week of July 9th to July 15th on its opening week.

However, the frenzy spread elsewhere as “High School Musical” began screenings in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and other places in early July. This sunny, youthful musical movie lived up to expectations and immediately sparked a new wave of viewership worldwide.

Flame Film Company also began receiving film rentals from cinemas. With the “9o/io-with-floor-of-7o°/o” revenue sharing model, Flame ultimately received close to 58% of the pre-tax box office share, amounting to 115 million US dollars. After deducting various taxes, the company was left with over 85.13 million in post-tax earnings; after subtracting the production cost of 8 million, North American promotional expenses of 10 million, and miscellaneous costs such as 5 million for copies and transportation, the net profit from the North American release tallied over 62 million.

In early July, Flame Film Company announced a new production plan; “High School Musical” would have a sequel with a budget of 30 million. This was mainly because the main actors’ popularity had soared, leading to a significant increase in their salaries, such as Tom Willing, whose salary had increased tenfold, with the current market placement between 3 and 5 million. At the same time, this was because the crew needed to hire producers and a director.

Indeed, when Flame announced this plan, they also shared that the story would continue from the first part, with the entire cast returning; however, Wang Yang would not serve as the producer and director, only as the screenwriter for the sequel.

To this news, fans expressed their disappointment. Is it still “High School Musical” without the magic of Wang Yang? Many fans took to the official website of Flame Films, hoping Wang Yang would continue directing “High School Musical”. At the same time, within the film industry, almost all companies and filmmakers found Wang Yang’s decision puzzling. Since he was willing to work on the screenplay, it indicated he wasn’t devoid of ideas for the film, so why not continue directing?

Actually, Wang Yang’s reasoning was quite simple, or rather he had no particular reason. Precisely because of that, he lacked enthusiasm. He had already tried a campus musical, and having had that feast, eating it again so soon didn’t appeal to his appetite.

“Since you’re not directing ‘High School Musical 2,’ do you have any ideas for new works?” This was the question of utmost interest for both the media and fans. In an interview, Wang Yang candidly replied, “Not for now.” Fans once again showed their disappointment, while the media commented, “Since April 1998, when the Magical Yang was expelled from the University of Southern California, until April 28,1999, when ‘High School Musical’ was released, in 12 months, Magical Yang gave us two films, a remarkable feat of speed. But it seems he now needs to rest. When will we see his third directorial film? Maybe a year from now, maybe several years later.”

Several years later? Wang Yang didn’t agree with this view, but he couldn’t say precisely when he would start a new project. He wasn’t short of money, still being the “youngest billionaire,” and filmmaking required impulse and passion, neither of which he felt right now. Indeed, he wanted to take a break. Many times, impulse and enthusiasm come from life itself.

During this period, Wang Yang thoroughly enjoyed life, taking an “summer vacation,” basking in the sweetness of love every day with Jessica, frequently gathering and having fun with close friends like Zachary, Michael Pitt, Harry George; he even considered adopting a dog, joining Danny on morning walks, but after much deliberation, he discarded the idea.

The word “life” was too grandiose. Adopting a dog meant taking on more responsibility. If life stayed like this, it wouldn’t matter much, but if one day he became busy again, he couldn’t guarantee he’d take good care of the dog, so, cruelly, he left Danny to continue his solitary walks.

Another morning came, and without the need for an alarm, Wang Yang disciplined himself to wake up. It had been over a month since he moved to the new house, whose spacious two-story layout remained very minimalistic and scarcely furnished. After changing clothes, he practiced some boxing on the front lawn, then jogged slowly towards the nearby shaded path—the old spot he and Jessica had agreed upon. They met there every day to go for a morning run together.

Breathing in the fresh air and admiring the pleasant green grass and trees on both sides, Wang Yang could see Jessica from a distance, dressed in her sportswear, her hair tied back in a ponytail. Smiling, he waved at her and ran up, saying, “Hi, Jessica, good morning!” Jessica smiled back, albeit a bit forcedly, but Wang Yang didn’t notice. Looking around, he laughed and said, “Eh, where’s Danny? Why don’t I see him?”

“I had Joshua walk him,” Jessica said. Wang Yang laughed, “Oh, then it’s just the two of us.” As he spoke, he was already several meters ahead, but Jessica still stood in her spot. He turned around and saw her frowning and looking uncomfortable, prompting him to stop and walk back to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Jessica looked at him, her eyes flickering with difficulty, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Wang Yang gently placed his hands on her shoulders and said, “Jessie, tell me, what happened.”

“Yang,” Jessica took a deep breath, the fresh air soothing her tense heart considerably. She spoke softly, “Yang, I might be pregnant…”

Pregnant?! Wang Yang was stunned, then managed a frowning smile and said, “Jessica, are you joking with me?” Jessica shook her head and said, “No.” Wang Yang’s expression froze, his face flushed with a rush of blood as he asked in disbelief, “Are you serious?”

“Mhm…” Jessica looked into his eyes, then slightly lowered her head and said, “I’m already two weeks late.” She lifted her gaze to Wang Yang’s and continued, “It might have been that night of the charity dinner last month. I was in my fertile window, but I took birth control the next day. However…” She exhaled, furrowed her brow, and said, “This morning, I took a pregnancy test, and it came out invalid. I don’t know what happened.”

Oh, my God! Wang Yang wiped his forehead; his heart was thumping rapidly. Jessica was pregnant? He looked around helplessly, noticing a faint hint of worry and fear crossing Jessica’s face. He inwardly regulated his breathing, trying to calm himself down with the thought, “Stay cool, stay cool! It doesn’t necessarily mean she’s pregnant!” So, what now? He thought for a moment, then said, “Jessica, let’s go see a doctor at the hospital later.” He held Jessica in his arms, encouraging her and himself by adding, “Don’t worry, everything will be okay.”

Jessica leaned against his chest, nodding silently.

After a distracted morning run, they had breakfast and looked up information about the hospitals online. They made an appointment with a well-reputed private hospital nearby and a female doctor there; in the afternoon, they drove to the hospital.

On the way, both were silent, absorbed in their thoughts. Wang Yang’s hands guided the steering wheel as he glanced at Jessica sitting beside him, a thought crossing his mind, “If… If it’s really true she’s pregnant, what then?” The thought weighed on him so heavily that he immediately stopped himself from continuing and reassured himself inside, “It should be nothing.”

They soon arrived at the hospital, parked the car, and walked inside. Despite being fresh and sizzling popular idols, it seemed that no one recognized them at the hospital. On one hand, most of their fans were young people, and on the other, a hospital is a solemn, even somber place, where no one would be starstruck.

The two of them sat on the chairs outside the gynecology clinic, waiting. Glancing at the few pregnant middle-aged women sitting opposite and the nurses walking through the hallway, Wang Yang felt as though something was pressing on his heart. His breathing became a bit labored; he reached out and held Jessica’s hand beside him and said, “Don’t worry.”

“Yang, I’m fine,” Jessica smiled at him. She seemed to notice Wang Yang’s nervousness and comforted him in return, laughing, “Yang, don’t be scared, I’m too familiar with hospitals. I’m here to protect you; no one will hurt you!” Hearing her joke, Wang Yang couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “OK, you’re my Tan Ya.”

After waiting a bit longer, a Caucasian pregnant woman left the consulting room, and then it was their turn. They both walked into the consulting room together. The prearranged doctor was a White female doctor in her forties named Ashley Joy. She was wearing a white lab coat, sitting behind her desk, and nodded at the two who came in, “Miss Jessica Alba, please take a seat.” Jessica complied and sat down in the chair in front of the desk, while Wang Yang stood to the side and politely said, “Hello, Dr. Joy.”

During the prior phone appointment, Ashley Joy had already learned about Jessica’s basic information, including that she was only 18 years old. She frowned and asked, “Girl, which birth control pill have you been taking? And for how long have you been on it?” Jessica thought for a moment, then recounted it clearly. Ashley sighed helplessly and said, “That’s just a regular contraceptive pill. If you haven’t been taking it for a long period before, there’s a significant risk of pregnancy.” Jessica and Wang Yang’s hearts tightened. Ashley continued, “You didn’t take proper precautions, and it was your danger period; you should have taken emergency contraception.”

Upon saying this, she glanced at Wang Yang unintentionally yet with a stern look. Wang Yang felt extremely embarrassed and guilty since the issue with contraception was indeed his fault; but Jessica’s face also turned red with embarrassment—it was her carelessness that had led to improper medication use.

“Young people sometimes need to think about the consequences,” Dr. Ashley Joy commented coolly. She asked Jessica a few more questions about her health before saying, “Alright, your situation might be due to the delayed period caused by the birth control pill; it could also be a pregnancy. Go and get a blood HCG test done.”

Wang Yang and Jessica both nodded. Before coming to the hospital, they had already researched some information online and knew that if Jessica was indeed pregnant and it was less than 5 weeks along, having an ultrasound was not good for the fetus; combined with the fact that the urine test was ineffective and it wasn’t early morning anymore, they could only opt for the blood test.

Leaving the consulting room and arriving at the blood test area, a nurse drew blood from Jessica and sent the sample for analysis. They both sat again in the corridor, waiting patiently for the report.

They both felt unnatural, continuously shifting their sitting positions. After a long wait, Wang Yang suddenly caught sight of a suspicious-looking fellow at the far end of the corridor to the right. He took a careful look and, to his surprise, it was a middle-aged White man with a camera, looking for something. Wang Yang couldn’t help but lower his voice and said, “Oh, shit! Cole!”

“Where…” Jessica’s face instantly flashed with tension as she followed Wang Yang’s gaze, whispering in shock, “It’s him, that annoying guy!”

The two of them started to panic. If Cole took their photo, the whole world would know about this by tomorrow! They were guilt-ridden and thrown into disarray. How did Cole know they were at the hospital and what for?

“God, he seems to have spotted us,” Wang Yang looked away, feeling a rush of anxiety. He saw the nurse from before coming out with a stack of papers, and lie quickly got up and approached her, asking, “Have the test results come out?” The Black nurse replied, “Yes.” Wang Yang hurriedly said, “Give us Jessica’s results! Jessica Alba!” The Black nurse flipped through the papers, picked up one, and looked at it, “Hmm, Jessica?”

Jessica called out anxiously from the other side, “Yang!” Cole had already spotted them, camera in hand and was racing over. In a moment of panic, Wang Yang snatched the form from the black nurse’s hand, grabbed Jessica’s hand, and dashingly fled in the opposite direction down the corridor. The black nurse, helplessly calling out after them, said, “Hey!”

The two of them sprinted, subconsciously exiting the hospital, and didn’t stop until they reached their car. Gasping for breath, they gradually calmed down. Wang Yang clutched the test report firmly in his hand, sweat covering his palms and forehead; Jessica, sitting next to him, stared wide-eyed out of the car window and asked motionlessly, “Yang, what’s the result?”

Puffing, Wang Yang unfolded the report, his mind in turmoil. As he looked at the result below, his brain went blank, and he felt slightly dizzy. He muttered, “Positive.”

“Positive…” Upon hearing the result, Jessica’s whole body went limp; she leaned back in her seat, her breathing rapid. She was pregnant, with Yang’s child, but she was only 18 years old! And they weren’t even married!

Wang Yang set down the report, his hands resting on the steering wheel, his expression slightly bewildered. A voice incessantly echoed in his ears, “Jessica is pregnant, Jessica is pregnant…” After a long silence, he quietly started the car and began driving home. He glanced at the expressionless Jessica next to him, wanting to say something, but his mind and heart were blank. He didn’t know what to say, what he should say.

All this came too suddenly. Just yesterday, he was a 19-year-old, enjoying his youth with his girlfriend; but today, right now, someone suddenly tells him, “You’re going to be a father!”

Oh God! Wang Yang took a deep breath, his hands on the steering wheel trembling slightly. Life was so serious; he couldn’t even commit to taking care of a dog properly, and had given up the idea, but now, he was about to welcome a new life, his child! He wasn’t prepared and had never imagined it would be like this. He was going to be a father? The father of a living, breathing baby?

Jessica leaned back in the seat, her eyes lost as she stared at the car roof. Her mind was equally in turmoil. She had liked reading baby care magazines from an early age, fantasizing about building a family with a loved one, raising children. After she started dating Wang Yang, that’s what she had in mind— marry in a few years, then have children, and build a happy family together…

Now, having children was suddenly a reality. They hadn’t fully enjoyed the sweetness of dating, hadn’t yet walked through the sacred wedding aisle… She felt panicked. What kind of changes would this fact bring about? How would it change her relationship with Yang? Could she be a good mom? Could she give her child a happy family environment to grow up in?

Throughout the ride, neither spoke, and the atmosphere turned tense. Upon arriving at Wang Yang’s place, they exited the car, walked into the house, and sat down on the wicker couch in the living room, still silent.

“Yang.” After a long while, Jessica finally spoke, turning to look at Wang Yang with a solemn face, her voice firm as she said, “I’m going to have this baby.” Wang Yang glanced at her and immediately replied, “Of course! Gripping her hand tightly, he earnestly said, “Jessica, I’ve never thought of you getting an abortion, and I would never agree to it.” Jessica’s eyes brightened, revealing a happy smile; although Wang Yang was not Catholic, he was absolutely opposed to abortion. He slowly hugged Jessica to him, stroking her stomach, and said softly, “This is our child, maybe a daughter. She will cry, laugh, be adorable, and call out ‘Daddy, Mommy.’ She will even use DV cameras to record things… Abortion? NO! What a joke!” He looked into Jessica’s eyes and said, “We must have her! No matter what happens in the future, we will face it together.”

“Yang…” Jessica’s face lit up with a smile, and she suddenly leaned in and kissed him, saying, “I love you.”

Wang Yang gave a slight smile, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. Jessica relaxed her body, closed her eyes, and leaned into his embrace. Their hearts seemed to touch, as they quietly savored the warmth and sweetness. After a long time, Wang Yang suddenly said, “Jessica, let’s get married!” He knew that Jessica had always longed for marriage and a family, and as a Catholic, she believed in the importance of having a home for future children. He wanted to be a good father, and that started with creating a happy family.

Jessica shuddered, lifting her head to look at Wang Yang. She saw sincerity written all over his face as he asked, “Will you marry me?” Hearing his proposal, she pursed her lips tightly, her eyes a little moist, then suddenly she smiled, showing her teeth, and nodded again and again, “I do.”

“Hmm, thank you!” Wang Yang kissed her forehead and rocked her gently in his arms, jokingly saying, “Imagine, next year I’m 20, you’re 19, and we have a child. Seems pretty cool, right?” Jessica smiled and replied, “Yes, really cool, ‘The Youngest Dad-Director’?” Wang Yang chuckled and said seriously, “We will be good parents!” Jessica nodded vigorously, “Definitely!”

Wrapped in each other’s arms, they exchanged many words of encouragement. In the evening, after Jessica went home, the living room became empty and quiet again. Wang Yang lay alone on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. Although he had made up his mind, his heart was still somewhat lost about the future. Could he really be a good husband, a good father?

In terms of material support, he could give the best to his family and children; but life isn’t just about material things. Maintaining a family and nurturing a child is not about material fulfillment alone. He and Jessica were still so young; they hadn’t fully understood each other yet, were they really going to get married? Often, he couldn’t even take care of himself properly, let alone a wife, a child, a whole family?

Wang Yang took a deep breath and reached for his phone on the coffee table. He flipped through his contacts, wanting to talk to a friend about everything. There were many things he couldn’t say to Jessica; in front of her, he needed to be strong, to give her confidence, to take all the responsibilities, to solve all the problems for her. That was supposed to be his role. After browsing for a while, he dialed a number. As soon as the call connected, he said, “Michael, it’s me.”

Michael-Pitt, hearing Wang Yang’s hoarse voice, sensed something was amiss and asked with concern, “Yang, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, how do I put this!” Wang Yang laughed as he looked at the ceiling, with a laugh that seemed both happy and self-mocking, “Michael, Jessica and I are getting married, I’m going to be a father…”

“Oh!” Michael-Pitt was taken aback, but soon understood the situation. After a moment of silence, he spoke, “Yang, that’s shocking, it’s going to be headline news. But you know, as your friend, I’m absolutely supportive of you. Congratulations, Yang.”

“Michael, I’m just…” Wang Yang let out a laugh-sigh, his expression gradually calming down, “I’m just not sure if I’m really ready. I keep telling myself, ‘I want to be a good dad, I can be a good dad!’ But I’m still not certain, it’s all so sudden, and life is so serious!” He rambled a bit, “You know, I never thought about any of this, getting married at 19, a dad at 20? I never imagined it. I like Jessica, but just now, you know, I actually dared not tell her ‘I love you’. Those words are too heavy, and I don’t know if I can be a good husband. Maybe I’m just a bastard, always hurting others… Why does it have to be like this, damn it! Fucking hell!”

Michael-Pitt listened silently to Wang Yang’s outburst. When it quieted down on the other end, he spoke, “Yang, I don’t understand these things because I’ve never been in love.” He laughed a bit self-deprecatingly, “But you’re not a jerk, we all know that. You bring joy and dreams to others, you’ve always done well. I think you can be a good dad, and a good husband, but you must have confidence. If you want to achieve it, you will. This isn’t for a dream, but for happiness.”

Calm returned to Wang Yang gradually with Michael’s words. He hadn’t truly made up his mind yet; he was just pretending, always afraid of taking on the responsibility. Why? Wang Yang pondered silently. Was a family a kind of bondage? Was he afraid of being tied down? Did he think he was still too young to be a husband, a father? Or was he afraid of not being up to the task, of hurting others?

Wang Yang clenched his teeth, then suddenly said, “I don’t want to be a jerk! If he didn’t want to hurt others, then he should and would do it right. What good was thinking about what a family should be like now? Only by experiencing it would he know what it was all about! He cleared all doubts from his heart and truly made up his mind, saying, “Thankyou, Michael. Yes, I can do it, I will be a good husband! A good father!”

“Yang, you can do it.” Michael Pitt said with a smile.

The walk from Wang Yang’s house back to her own was only a few hundred meters, but Jessica took a very long time to cover that distance. She kept brewing excuses in her mind, this way and that… When she arrived home and saw Mark Albert and Kathy sitting on the couch watching TV, and Joshua scratching Danny’s belly on the side, all her previously thought-out words seemed to have suddenly been forgotten. She hesitated.

“Jessica, what is it you want to say?” Kathy could tell her daughter seemed to have something to say, so she asked encouragingly; Mark Albert also looked at his daughter, his face full of confusion.

Jessica pursed her lips, finally recovering the strength to speak. She looked at Mark and Kathy and said, “Dad, Mom, Yang and I are getting married.”

Mark and Kathy were stunned, and the entire room suddenly went quiet. Danny rolled over and stood up, then Joshua exclaimed, “God,” in disbelief. “You’re getting married?! So soon?! Really?!” Mark Albert’s face remained unchanged, showing no sign of any emotional shift; Kathy, seeing the firmness in her daughter’s tone, knew she wasn’t joking, and asked gently, “Jessie, what happened?”

If Jessica and Wang Yang had been 25 and 26, Mark and Kathy wouldn’t have thought anything was amiss—they would have been happy and delighted, but at 18 and 19 and deciding to get married out of the blue? Something must have happened!

Under her parents’ gaze, Jessica felt somewhat ashamed and lowered her head. After a while, she said softly, “I am pregnant with Yang’s child.”

Joshua’s mouth formed a round “Oh”; Mark Albert’s brow twitched as he clenched his fists tightly, making them crack; Kathy also frowned and exclaimed, “What!?” Premarital pregnancy, especially at 18, was a disaster for a devout Catholic family, and if they were extremely devout, they might even disown their daughter.

Jessica’s face was flushed red, and she kept her head down as she added, “We are planning to get married next month.”

Mark Albert took a deep breath, looked at his daughter and said in a deep voice, “You are an adult now, and these are all your own matters. As long as you know what you’re doing, that’s fine!” Ashamed, Jessica said, “Dad, I’m sorry.” Mark Albert waved his hand and sighed, covering his forehead, “Next month? That’s too short a time to prepare for a wedding. We need to start getting things in motion tomorrow.” Jessica suddenly showed a smile.

“Jessie, come with me.” Kathy stood up and walked upstairs, with Jessica following her to her bedroom.

Mark Albert, sitting on the sofa, suddenly burst into anger and punched the cushion. He looked over at his son, who was daydreaming at the side, and said, “Joshua, next time you see that punk Wang Yang, beat the crap out of him for me! Kick his ass until it explodes, that damn kid!” Joshua touched his head somewhat awkwardly and said, “I’ve thought about it, but I don’t think I can beat him.” Mark clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, “Just don’t let me see him!”

In the bedroom, Kathy and Jessica were both sitting on the edge of the bed. Kathy looked at her daughter and asked, “Are you sure you’re pregnant?” Jessica nodded and said, “My period is two weeks late, so I suspected, and this afternoon, Yang accompanied me to the hospital for a blood test.” She shrugged her shoulders, her mood already calm, and continued, “The result was positive.”

“What was the HCG level?” Kathy asked another question. Jessica was taken aback for a moment and shook her head, “I don’t know, I didn’t look at the report, Yang did.” Kathy frowned and asked, “Positive doesn’t necessarily mean you’re pregnant, what did the doctor say?” Jessica shook her head again and said, “There were paparazzi at the time, and we weren’t mentally prepared for it, we were scared, so we panicked. Yang got the test results and we just ran.”

Kathy smiled helplessly and patted her daughter’s hand, “Jessie, I haven’t noticed you vomiting lately, or losing your appetite for that matter. Jessica thought for a while, she hadn’t felt like eating much today, but before that, everything was fine, and said, “Hmm, 1 guess not.” Kathy laughed, “Maybe you’re not pregnant, at least we need to know what the HCG level is.”

Maybe I’m not pregnant? Jessica was stunned, but there wasn’t much joy in her heart. She and Yang had prepared everything that afternoon: getting married next month, taking a year off to comfortably await the child’s arrival, building a happy family, and being good parents… If she wasn’t pregnant, all of that would cease to exist.

Kathy then said, “Is the test report with Yang? Why don’t you call him and ask?” After speaking, she patted Jessica’s shoulder again and then stood up and left the room.

Jessica took out her phone and stared at Yang’s number on the screen, hesitating to press the call button. Oddly enough, before Yang’s proposal, she had always been scared of actually being pregnant; but now, she was oddly afraid of not being pregnant…

That night, Jessica never did ask Wang Yang about the test report. But the next day, her long-delayed ‘old friend’ suddenly arrived. Faced with this result, Jessica was stunned for a long time. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but deep down, she was filled with a sense of loss.

Early in the morning, on a tree-lined path, Jessica saw Wang Yang. Wang Yang had tossed and turned the previous night, had come to terms with many things, and had made up his mind. Seeing Jessica, he immediately smiled brightly, walked over to her, took her hand excitedly, and said, “Jessica, I’ve thought of a few names. If our child is a girl, I want to call her Juno…”

“Yang…” Jessica looked at his animated expression, feeling her heart gripped tightly. Juno, huh? She bit her lip and said, “Yang, I got my period today.” “What!?” Hearing the news, Wang Yang yelled out loud, then grew quiet and said, “Does that mean you’re not pregnant?” Jessica silently nodded, and Wang Yang, unable to understand, scratched his head anxiously and asked, “What about the blood test report?” Jessica shook her head and said, “I checked, a positive result doesn’t necessarily mean pregnancy, it could be something else.”

Wang Yang stared blankly at Jessica for a long while before saying, “So, I won’t become a father in nine months?” Jessica pursed her lips and smiled, showing no particular joy, and replied, “Yeah.”

“Oh my god…” Wang Yang let out a long sigh of relief, looking utterly dazed. Jessica wasn’t pregnant, so he wasn’t going to be a father after all? Why wasn’t he overjoyed now-he had been scared all day yesterday, shouldn’t he be happy now? He awkwardly wiped his forehead and chuckled, “Jessica, why do I feel a bit disappointed?” He glanced at her abdomen and murmured, “My Juno…” Jessica felt very uncomfortable and said softly, “Yang, I’m sorry.

“What? Jessica, it’s okay,” Wang Yang interrupted his own emotions, knowing she felt the same way, and hugged her, comforting her, “We should be happy. Now is not a good time at all, we’re both not ready, and being pregnant isn t good for your health right now either.” After kissing her, Wang Yang said jokingly, “Just think, if we had a child at 19 and 18, there’d be no more ‘just the two of us’. Our world together would be gone.”

Jessica smiled at him and said, “Yang, I was wondering what would’ve changed in our lives if this really happened.”

“If it really happened?” Wang Yang, holding her hand, strolled forward and laughed, “Then we would get married next month, and all the media would be shocked—they’re all hoping for us to break up.” Jessica cracked a slight smile, and Wang Yang continued jokingly, “Then, your belly would start to grow, and of course, ‘High School Musical 2’ would have been long canceled. We’d walk on the streets, and people would probably look at us weirdly, ‘Oh, how old are they?’ But who cares? We would spend those 9 months happily, and then our child would be born, all chubby and cute!” He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Jessica animatedly looked at him, swinging their clasped hands, “Yang, is there more?”

“Hmm, a daughter who’s as beautiful as you,” Wang Yang looked at a clump of white clouds in the blue sky, feeling as if the cloud resembled a child, and laughed, “And then, ten months later, she’d be babbling ‘daddy’, ‘mommy’, crawling all over our house…” As he said this, he suddenly fell silent, and Jessica at his side did the same.

Wang Yang glanced at her and smiled, “Jessica, we will have children someday.” Jessica revealed a sweet smile and nodded affirmatively, “Yes, we certainly will!”

The two walked in silence for a while, then Wang Yang suddenly mused to himself, “Interesting, really interesting.” Jessica looked at him with some confusion, and Wang Yang smiled at her, “This is a good movie idea…” Jessica blinked, “About us?” Wang Yang nodded, “If there’s a high school girl, and she gets pregnant, and decides to keep the child, but she is only 16, still in school…

He looked at the white cloud in the sky and smiled, “Her name, would be Juno.”

PS: I’m sorry about the update issues, Wali feels apologetic. Plans can’t keep up with changes. I thought I’d finish this chapter in six thousand words, but it turned out to be nearly ten thousand, and the update was delayed a lot, it’s inevitable. (To be continued)