Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 234 : The Pregnancy Course

Chapter 234: Chapter 234 : The Pregnancy Course

Zhu Dongyi’s most challenging job as Shen Jingwei’s manager was managing the latter’s weekly schedule.

After he finished explaining the content of the schedule he prepared to Shen Jingwei, Zhu Dongyi generally enjoyed a leisurely week as Shen Jingwei’s driver and administrative assistant.

And then Shen Jingwei made one single call, and Zhu Dongyi’s relaxing afternoon with iced lemon tea and donuts was shattered in an instant.

"What!"

Zhu Dongyi immediately sat up straight.

"What happened???"

Shen Jingwei had always been honest. He had nothing to hide.

"Yan Renzhong’s birthday is on this weekend. I would like two free days to celebrate with him."

"But the jobs!" Zhu Dongyi sputtered in disbelief. "We can’t cancel them so abruptly! Otherwise, you are going to be blacklisted, Little Shen!"

"I am not asking you to cancel," Shen Jingwei replied in a placating tone. "Yan Renzhong pointed me toward an online Pregnancy Course that I can take during my free time.

Therefore, please consolidate all my course hours and give me two free days on the weekend."

"....."

After haggling with Zhu Dongyi the entire morning, Shen Jingwei managed to get his manager to reorganize his schedule for the week.

Zhu Dongyi spent the rest of the day making a lot of phone calls. Once he was done, he began re-shuffling Shen Jingwei’s activities of the week.

"I have already sent you the new schedule," the poor manager told Shen Jingwei right after he hit the send button on WeChat.

"Yay! Thank you, Old Zhu!"

Shen Jingwei was over the moon.

Zhu Dongyi let out some rattling sound before he ended the all and collapsed at his desk.

Spurned by their upcoming trip together, Shen Jingwei worked very hard in the next three days.

During the day, he partook in various activities he was only able to complete during shooting breaks, including photo sessions, line reading exercises, more martial arts class, voice recording sessions, and commercial photoshoots.

Once he returned home in the evening, he made himself some quick dinner and ate while reading course materials and watching videos about women and pregnancies.

After the first day, he stopped eating and studying at the same time.

For some reason, the course topic had a strange effect on his appetite.

Otherwise, Shen Jingwei threw himself into the course, attacking each exercise with a single-minded determination.

Unfortunately, self-learning through lectures and videos didn’t guarantee immediate understanding.

In fact, Shen Jingwei, despite growing up with two female family members, found that his knowledge regarding female bodies was rather, well, lacking, to say it mildly.

He, for example, did not understand why exhaustion prevailed during the first trimester, disappeared during the second, and returned during the third.

He also failed to grasp an expecting mother’s emotions in the course materials.

Were the mothers happy? Sad? Fearful?

How to best play the role of an expecting mother, who happened to be a male person?

.....

Unwilling to give up, Shen Jingwei browsed internet articles and forums to get answers for his questions, but each answer generated ten more questions, each more confusing than the last.

Exasperated, Shen Jingwei ended up writing an e-mail to his course instructor, Mrs. Han, and begged her for a private Q&A Session.

Mrs. Han replied to his e-mail almost immediately.

To Shen Jingwei’s immense relief, Mrs. Han was kind enough to tell him that he was not the only student who struggled with the course material.

"In fact, first-time mothers always have a lot of questions to ask. It is fine to not know everything off the bat, Mr. Shen."

But to Shen Jingwei’s absolute horror, Mrs. Han decided to hold a Q&A Session for an entire class in form of a video conference learning session.

"It is better for everyone to get to know each other to certain degree. Besides, I am sure that you will benefit from hearing the answers to others’ questions."

"..."

Shen Jingwei, rendered speechless, sighed in his heart.

He had no counterargument to offer, so he reluctantly agreed to the virtual learning session.

It was still preferable to an offline class, he thought to himself. At least he didn’t have to spend every single time explaining why he joined a Pregnancy Course without a pregnant wife.

Taking into consideration that many students were confused about the course materials, Shen Jingwei expected the pregnant couples to show up together during the online learning session.

They didn’t.

In fact, of 45 people who signed up for the course, only 23 people showed up -- 22 pregnant women and Shen Jingwei.

Shen Jingwei, the only man present, swallowed hard as he gaped at a screen full of smaller screens, each showing a pregnant female without a supportive partner by her side.

Shen Jingwei was about to ask Mrs. Han if it was fine for him to switch off his camera when the ladies began to talk to him in excitement.

"Aiyah, thank God we have at least one man here!"

Shen Jingwei’s finger hovered several millimeters over his keyboard.

"How true, how true! We desperately need a man’s perspective!"

"My husband is so selfish and insensible. He didn’t want to join this virtual class because he was not pregnant. I wonder if he even plans to be by my side when I give birth!" A woman complained.

"Sister, get rid of that man!" Another cried out. "You should be with a man who appreciates you!"

Never mind that the last speaker also did not have her husband around.

"So, young man, oh, you are so handsome, by the way. Where is your lucky wife???"

All ladies stared at their screen in silence, waiting for Shen Jingwei’s answer.

Shen Jingwei cleared his throat awkwardly.

"She, ahem, she isn’t feeling very well. I have her question list with me. I will represent her during this virtual class."

The lie found warm reception by all the other students.

The ladies broke into a coordinated "Awwww".

"Now that’s a sweet husband!" A woman jabbed her finger at her screen, probably pointing at Shen Jingwei.

"Ladies, if you give birth to sons, you better teach your sons to be gentlemen! The women of the next generation must not suffer like we do!"

All the other ladies broke into a cheer.

"Agree!"

"Our daughters must have higher standards!"

"Ahem, ahem! Class, good afternoon!" Mrs. Han raised her voice. "Welcome to the virtual class session. I am Mrs. Han, your course instructor!"

After a short round of introduction, the Q&A Session began in earnest.