Chapter 2 : Reborn Before the Wedding

Brandon shook his head, still staring at Christian, afraid it was just a dream.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Don''t recognize me?" Christian playfully flicked Brandon''s forehead. "Colin has been taken back by your brother''s people. The other kids are fine. Your brother is busy right now but will come over later."

Looking at Christian''s handsome, gentle face, Brandon''s eyes turned red. "Christian..."

"Hmm?" Seeing Brandon''s red eyes, looking like he was about to cry, Christian''s smile faded, and he asked worriedly, "Are you feeling unwell? I''ll call the doctor..."

"No need." Brandon grabbed Christian''s sleeve, still looking at him. "I''m not unwell. I''m just so happy."

Brandon''s words made Christian pause, his eyes flickering as he looked deeply at Brandon, emotions unreadable.

Brandon had already sat up and threw himself into Christian''s arms, hugging his waist and gently rubbing his cheek against Christian''s chest.

He was still alive, thank goodness. At this moment, he hadn''t married Adrian yet, and everything was still possible. Since fate had given him a second chance at life, he wouldn''t let the past repeat itself.

What Adrian had done to him, he would slowly take back. As for Christian... Brandon''s eyes darkened, and his grip on Christian tightened slightly.

Christian, however, was stiff from the sudden hug, his arms awkwardly outstretched, unsure of what to do. "You..."

Brandon had always liked Adrian and had been somewhat hostile towards Christian, even though he hid it well. Christian could still sense it. This sudden change in attitude left him bewildered.

The person in his arms was trembling, a sign of extreme unease. Christian''s eyes were dark and unreadable. He knew he should push him away, but he couldn''t bring himself to do it. "Are you... crying?"

"I''m crying tears of joy," Brandon sniffled. "Christian, I''m sorry." Sorry for causing your death. Sorry for my ulterior motives.

Christian was a bit lost in Brandon''s train of thought. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Actually, you like me, don''t you?"

He clenched his fists, his heart pounding.

Christian''s silence made Brandon uncertain. He had been too impulsive. Why had he taken Adrian''s words seriously? Besides, Christian had been innocent all along.

Brandon slowly lifted his head and met Christian''s deep, soulful eyes. He blinked and suddenly felt embarrassed. "I was just kidding..."

"Yes," Christian interrupted Brandon, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. Christian''s smile was bitter. "But that''s my business, not yours."

Brandon quickly grabbed his hand. "How can your feelings for me not be my business?"

Christian stared at Brandon, momentarily at a loss for words. It felt like Brandon had changed after waking up, like he was a different person. Or had something happened with Adrian?

Just then, he received a call from his agent, Angela Jones.

"What''s going on with you and Brandon?" Angela asked bluntly as soon as the call connected.

Christian glanced at Brandon. "What''s up?"

"Check the trending topics. Both you and Mr. Mellon are on there," Angela said efficiently. "But fans are already cleaning up the comments, so it shouldn''t be a problem. I''ll keep an eye on it, and if things take a turn, the PR team will handle it. So don''t worry. But be careful when you leave the hospital; some media have found out and are waiting outside."

Angela was busy and hung up after giving her instructions.

Christian looked at Brandon, who had already picked up his phone and was checking it, clearly having heard Angela''s words.

"Don''t look at that. I''ll handle it." Christian snatched Brandon''s phone and placed it on the bedside table, helping him lie down before going to find a doctor to ask about his condition.

As soon as Christian left, Brandon picked up his phone again. Using his fingerprint to unlock it, he saw the trending topics page. Two topics were rising rapidly, moving from the 17th and 25th spots to the top three and five within moments.

#NationalHusbandAdrian, Cheated Before Marriage#

#ChristianCaughtInIntimateMeetingWithManAtPool#

Brandon first clicked on Adrian''s topic. The screen was filled with various marketing accounts'' memes. One was a picture of Christian giving him CPR after he was rescued from drowning at the pool. Another was a photoshopped image of Adrian in a tuxedo with grass on his head, turned into a meme with the caption, "To get through life, you need a bit of green on your head."

The marketing accounts'' captions were also highly suggestive.

Old Glutton Loves Melons: #NationalHusbandAdrianCheatedBeforeMarriage# A netizen captured a photo of actor Christian kissing a man at a swimming pool. The man is suspected to be Adrian''s fiancé, Mr. Mellon. Is this a case of pre-wedding infidelity? What do you all think? (Eating melon jpg.)

However, the comment section has been taken over by fans.

"The picture is so blurry you can''t even recognize your own parents, and yet you make assumptions. Since you mentioned our Christian, please pay more attention to his work. Looking forward to the upcoming release of The Grand National Teacher. Wishing it a box office hit!"

"Taking Christian away, no more mentions. The Grand National Teacher will be a box office hit!"

"Looking forward to The Grand National Teacher. June 15th, please come soon, I''ve been waiting forever (sad jpg.)"

...

Among the thousands of comments, the top ones are mostly similar fan control comments. Occasionally, you can see a few isolated comments trying to steer public opinion, but they are quickly drowned out.

The onlookers who love drama are very active, digging up all kinds of photos. Later, more photos were released one after another.

Brandon curiously exited and saw another trending topic on the hot search page, simply titled #ChristianStudioSpeaksOut#. The first popular post was from the studio, but it was straightforward, saying nothing, just posting a video showing the entire process of Brandon being rescued from drowning, with Brandon''s face heavily blurred.

As soon as the video was released, the public opinion immediately reversed, but some still questioned Christian''s overly nervous reaction.

Brandon secretly liked the comment, marveling at the netizens'' sharp eyes. Just as he was about to scroll back to watch the video again, Christian, who had just returned, took his phone away.

"Didn''t I tell you not to look at your phone like this?" Knowing that Brandon had already seen it, Christian didn''t mention the online matter: "I asked the doctor, you can be discharged after the infusion."

Brandon was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Christian: "Let''s get married!"

"Huh?" Christian was stunned, then shocked: "What did you say?"

Brandon raised his uninjured hand, beckoning Christian closer. When he bent down, Brandon hooked his neck and pulled him close.

"I said, let''s get married!"