After a Contract Marriage with a Cold and Older Person - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Dinner

Song Tingyun picked up his bowl and took a sip, then slowly said, “It’s alright.”

Ji Wenxu immediately let out a sound, looking very displeased: “Good is good, bad is bad. What does ‘it’s alright’ mean?”

Song Tingyun reluctantly corrected himself: “I misspoke. The taste is very good.”

Joy instantly showed on Ji Wenxu’s face. “Why didn’t you just say so? Try this.”

Ji Wenxu happily pushed the pan-fried dumplings next to him towards Song Tingyun. Song Tingyun thanked him.

He realized that Ji Wenxu was a very easily satisfied person. As long as he didn’t use sarcasm and didn’t act contrary to his stated wishes, there was no pressure in interacting with Ji Wenxu.

He stared at Ji Wenxu for several seconds.

Finally, he lowered his head and said, “Mm, if you have time this afternoon, you can buy a new apron. This one was brought by the cooking auntie and is not very suitable for you.”

He seemed to be smiling, his voice holding an unmistakable hint of suppressed laughter.

Ji Wenxu raised his arms and looked down at the apron he was wearing.

The ruffled shoulder straps of the apron were digging into his shoulders, creating deep creases. It was light pink, printed with a pink Hello Kitty pattern.

Song Tingyun seemed to recall that this was a free apron the auntie received from the supermarket when she was buying groceries.

The auntie was small and wore it perfectly, but on Ji Wenxu, it looked a bit ridiculous.

“Oh, it’s the apron of the auntie who cooks for you. I thought it was some kind of peculiar fetish of yours,” Ji Wenxu said.

Song Tingyun: …

“The fact that you can so frankly accept my ‘peculiar fetish’ and wear it suggests we are two sides of the same coin,” Song Tingyun suddenly said after a few seconds of silence.

Ji Wenxu: …

After the mutual retort, they both shut up and seriously ate their breakfast.

…

“I’m going to work in a moment. I’ll send you the door password on WeChat. Besides my room, you’re free to look around the rest of the apartment.” After breakfast, Song Tingyun put down his chopsticks and said.

“Mm,” Ji Wenxu stood up to clear the dishes. “I’ll buy some furniture to bring back, is that okay?”

“Be my guest,” Song Tingyun did not object.

He watched Ji Wenxu clearing the dishes. Because one leg was inconvenient, he could only carry the dishes from the table to the kitchen one-handed in batches.

After a moment’s hesitation, he offered to help carry the remaining dishes to the kitchen.

They were both adult men. Although the kitchen was not small, the two squeezed into it, surprisingly making the kitchen feel cramped.

After putting down the dishes, Song Tingyun turned and went back to his room to change clothes.

Ji Wenxu followed the online instructions to load the dishes into the dishwasher.

He had never done such chores himself at home, but it didn’t seem as difficult as he had imagined.

When he emerged from the kitchen, Song Tingyun had also finished changing and walked out of his room.

A few minutes ago, Song Tingyun’s hair was still down; now it was styled. He had changed into a freshly ironed suit, and when Ji Wenxu got closer, he caught the scent of cologne on him.

It didn’t quite smell like a common men’s cologne, but rather a delicate, light scent, somewhat like women’s perfume. It actually smelled quite pleasant.

“Are you leaving?” Ji Wenxu asked.

Song Tingyun adjusted his tie. “Mm, see you tonight.”

He picked up his phone from the shoe cabinet, opened the door, and left the apartment.

Ji Wenxu collapsed onto the sofa.

Well, just staying at home, unable to do anything, was truly boring.

He hadn’t brought his game console or anything, and until his wedding, he probably couldn’t go out and hang out with his friends privately. Looking at it this way, he had nothing to entertain himself with.

After thinking about it, Ji Wenxu decided he needed to find something to do.

He climbed up from the sofa again and looked through all the rooms except Song Tingyun’s.

Next to his room was a large study, with books neatly arranged on the shelves. They were all books related to sociology, psychology, or finance.

The books had many notes, suggesting Song Tingyun had likely read them many times in private.

Song Tingyun was handsome, and unexpectedly, his handwriting was also excellent. The script was lean and forceful, the strokes clean and precise. Every single character could be used as a model for calligraphy practice.

Unfortunately, Ji Wenxu had no interest in reading.

He put the books back and looked around the rest of the study.

Monotonous study, monotonous utility room, monotonous living room… every layout was so simple.

Considering he would be staying here for at least a year, Ji Wenxu decided to make some changes to this home.

He returned to the living room, made a few phone calls, and soon, people were continuously delivering new furniture. Aunt Zhang and others also brought his belongings from home.

Beautiful tea sets, nice hanging pictures…

Even with an injured leg, it didn’t stop him from hopping around the apartment.

He placed his less-cherished Legos and other ornaments on the TV cabinet.

He also trimmed the freshly delivered flowers and placed them next to the TV cabinet.

The previously lifeless home was forcibly infused with a splash of bright color.

After setting the flowers down, Ji Wenxu stepped back, hands on his hips, and exclaimed: “This looks much better.”

He glanced at the empty space between the TV cabinet and the balcony and muttered, “I could put a cat bed or a dog bed here. Getting a dog wouldn’t be bad.”

He chuckled to himself.

“No.” Song Tingyun’s voice of refusal suddenly sounded next to his ear.

Ji Wenxu backed up a few steps and sat down on the sofa with a thud.

He looked towards the source of the sound. The monitor camera above the TV cabinet panned left and right, as if greeting him, and a red light was blinking.

Ji Wenxu: …?

It turned out Song Tingyun was speaking through the camera.

He stood up, walked back under the camera, looked up, and said into it: “Where did that voice come from? Are you a pervert? Why are you monitoring me with a camera while you’re at work?”

Song Tingyun: “You were hopping around the living room. The monitor alerted me, saying a thief had broken in.”

Ji Wenxu laughed in exasperation: “What thief? Didn’t you know I was home?”

Song Tingyun ‘Oh’ed. “I was worried you couldn’t fight off a thief.”

“Then stop worrying unnecessarily. I only have one injured leg; I haven’t forgotten how to fight,” Ji Wenxu said, crossing his arms, his tone very confident.

Song Tingyun then cautiously warned: “Since everything is fine at home, I have one thing to say: you can mess with this place however you like, but don’t get any ideas about getting a pet.”

“What? Are you afraid of dogs?” Ji Wenxu snickered, feeling like he had found some important leverage against Song Tingyun.

Song Tingyun didn’t want to explain further: “Just assume I’m afraid of dogs.”

In reality, the home simply couldn’t accommodate a second creature that would require his time and effort.

Just one Ji Wenxu was enough to handle.

“Fine, I wasn’t really planning on getting one anyway.” Judging by this, Ji Wenxu had already fully substituted himself as the other owner of this home.

Song Tingyun pursed his lips and smiled, not making a sound. He asked, “Did you eat lunch?”

“Not yet. I’ll just cook some noodles later,” Ji Wenxu said, reaching up to try and adjust the monitor.

Ji Wenxu was tall. He could reach the camera with his outstretched hand. On Song Tingyun’s phone screen, his enlarged face was visible from a top-down angle.

Curly chestnut hair, bright eyes, like a little puppy.

Song Tingyun’s gaze lingered on his earnest eyes for a moment. “If you don’t have time to make lunch, I can contact the auntie to deliver some to you.”

“No need, I’ll cook for myself if I want to eat,” Ji Wenxu refused.

“Mm, alright, that’s all.” Hearing Ji Wenxu’s refusal, Song Tingyun finished speaking and exited the monitoring software.

Ji Wenxu saw the red light on the camera flash three times, and then he couldn’t hear Song Tingyun’s voice anymore.

Nonsensical. That was the only adjective Ji Wenxu could think of.

However, based on their conversation, Song Tingyun seemed quite nice. He was worried about him encountering a thief at home and worried about his lunch.

Ji Wenxu sat on the sofa. After a brief moment of thought, he took out his phone and messaged Song Tingyun: 【Song Tingyun, how did you usually handle dinner?】

Song Tingyun quickly replied: 【Eating out, or the auntie would come and cook at home】

Ji Wenxu happily typed: 【Come back to eat today. I’ll make an extra portion of dinner for you】

He saw the other party’s typing status displayed for a while. After a moment, Song Tingyun replied: 【Okay】

【Song Tingyun: Do you need me to bring anything home?】

【Ji Wenxu: No need. I’ve already ordered the ingredients I need via delivery】

【Song Tingyun: Okay, see you tonight then】

Ji Wenxu didn’t reply. He lay back on the sofa.

He felt somewhat incredible.

Just a week ago, he was still at home playing video games. Three months ago, he was planning an overseas trip. Now, not only was he living with a stranger, but he was also going to marry him soon.

But this wasn’t a terrible outcome.

At least for now, Song Tingyun was on his side.

As long as they both worked hard, divorce would happen sooner or later.

So, during the duration of their marriage, he should get along well with Song Tingyun. He felt apologetic for the strong animosity he’d felt toward Song Tingyun earlier.

So, making a little compensation was fine.

…

At the same time, in Song Tingyun’s office.

The door was gently closed by the female secretary who entered. She walked to the desk. “Boss, you called for me.”

Song Tingyun didn’t look up. He stared at the document in his hand and said, “Please cancel my schedule after six o’clock tonight.”

Secretary Li quickly checked the schedule in her hand. “Tonight is the dinner with CEO Duan.”

Song Tingyun calmly “Mm”ed. “I know. Just push it back.”

Secretary Li didn’t know what had changed the mind of Song Tingyun, who was known for his strong concept of time and planning, but she never pried into her boss’s business, which was why she had been able to stay by Song Tingyun’s side for so long.

“Understood, Boss. I will contact CEO Duan and reschedule the dinner time.”

“Mm.”

…

After lunch.

After preparing the ingredients for the evening, Ji Wenxu took an afternoon nap.

When he woke up, it was already past three o’clock in the afternoon.

He played a game he brought along in the living room for a while, and when the time seemed right, he went to the kitchen to make dinner.

Song Tingyun smelled the aroma of food wafting from the house as soon as he reached the door.

He unlocked the door and walked in.

He saw Ji Wenxu carrying a dish towards the dining table.

Seeing Song Tingyun return, Ji Wenxu enthusiastically freed a hand to greet him. “Good afternoon, Song Tingyun. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner.”

Song Tingyun changed his shoes, hung his jacket on the coat rack in the entrance hall, and slowly walked toward the dining table.

Ji Wenxu put his hands on his hips proudly. “How is it? Not worse than the auntie’s cooking, right?”

“Mm, very good.” Song Tingyun admitted that the large spread of dishes on the table was very appetizing. He could tell Ji Wenxu had put effort into it.

“Then let’s eat. I’ll get the rice.”

He said this and hobbled back to the kitchen.

He had listened to Song Tingyun’s words earlier in the day and changed his apron. This black apron looked very suitable for Ji Wenxu, and it clearly defined his waistline.

Song Tingyun narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on his back muscles for a moment, then he adjusted his glasses and went back to his room to change clothes.

When he came out after washing his hands, Ji Wenxu had already placed all the food on the dining table and was carefully arranging the dishes.

Song Tingyun walked over and said earnestly, “Thank you.”

Ji Wenxu didn’t mind: “Thank you for what? I was going to eat anyway.”