After a Contract Marriage with a Cold and Older Person - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Studying

There was a rich spread of four dishes and one soup, plus a cold appetizer on the table.

Song Tingyun knew how to cook and realized that preparing these dishes took a considerable amount of effort, especially since Ji Wenxu’s leg wasn’t fully mobile.

He thanked him again.

Ji Wenxu just hummed, then helped himself to a piece of meat, saying, “I told you not to thank me. Just eat.”

Song Tingyun raised his eyes and looked at him.

Then he lowered his head and started eating.

“Right, Song Tingyun, the doctor contacted me today. I’m going back to the hospital for a follow-up tomorrow. If possible, I can have the cast removed tomorrow,” Ji Wenxu suddenly said.

“Do you need me to find someone to accompany you?” Song Tingyun asked.

Ji Wenxu: “No need. I just wanted to let you know that you’ll have to find dinner for yourself tomorrow night.”

“Mm,” Song Tingyun replied.

Ji Wenxu continued: “Also, in a few days, I should be able to go to the company with you, so if possible, please arrange a position for me. I can handle it well.”

Ji Wenxu’s tone was extremely sincere and confident.

Song Tingyun thought for a moment, then nodded: “Alright, I’ll have the secretary arrange it.”

“You also need to read some books appropriately,” he added.

Ji Wenxu leaned forward a bit. “What kind of books? Not the ones in your study, are they?”

Song Tingyun slightly raised an eyebrow, then slowly nodded: “More or less.”

“Oh.” Although they weren’t books he was interested in, they were helpful to him nonetheless. Ji Wenxu reluctantly agreed.

After dinner, Ji Wenxu played games in the living room while Song Tingyun was busy working in the study.

The study door was left open, and the light spilling out constantly drew Ji Wenxu’s attention.

Playing games alone was really no fun. He paused the game, propped himself up on the sofa cushion, and turned to look at the study.

However, from his angle, he could only see a small view from the doorway of the study; he couldn’t see inside.

He got up and casually walked past the study door, pretending it was unintentional.

Seeing Song Tingyun focused on his work at the desk, he didn’t go in to disturb him. He returned to his room, washed up, and went to bed.

He had a regular routine, so going to bed at this hour wasn’t too early for him.

Besides, he still had to get up early tomorrow to make breakfast.

In this not-so-large home.

Ji Wenxu didn’t feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because Song Tingyun was tolerant enough of him; even though he had decorated the place chaotically, it hadn’t upset Song Tingyun.

Ji Wenxu turned over.

He sent a message to Pei Zhixian: 【Cousin, what kind of person is Song Tingyun, exactly?】

【Pei Zhixian: What’s wrong? Are you two not getting along?】

Ji Wenxu couldn’t quite explain. He typed: 【It’s not that we’re not getting along; it’s that it’s too good. I don’t feel uncomfortable living with him at all. He seems very good at handling the strange atmosphere between us】

【Pei Zhixian: That sounds right. People say he’s extremely smooth and capable, doing everything meticulously so that people are both convinced and unknowingly suffer silently at his hands】

【Pei Zhixian: The fact that you feel no pressure interacting with him is probably because he’s accommodating you】

Ji Wenxu frowned: 【Is that true?】

【Pei Zhixian: I advise you not to overthink it. He has no reason to have any ulterior motives towards you. Maybe he’s just being respectful of your shared marriage】

Ji Wenxu thought that was true. He could clearly see Song Tingyun’s respect for his grandpa, so Song Tingyun would likely show him a degree of respect too.

It would be great if they could continue to coexist peacefully like this after getting married.

Thinking of this, Ji Wenxu lost his sleepiness again.

Because when they would eventually divorce entirely depended on him, and he needed to work hard.

Ji Wenxu pulled back the blanket and crawled up again.

He hobbled on his crutch to the study.

“Song Tingyun,” Ji Wenxu called out.

Song Tingyun was reading a document. He didn’t look up, but still responded: “Mm.”

“What books should I read?” Ji Wenxu walked over to the bookshelf, looking at the shelves full of books he wasn’t interested in.

Song Tingyun found it strange and finally looked up. “What’s wrong?”

“I figure if I want to divorce quickly, I need to put in more effort,” Ji Wenxu said.

Song Tingyun looked away, refocusing on the document in his hand. “You don’t need to read books yet.”

“Just come sit here first.”

Ji Wenxu sat in the chair opposite him.

Song Tingyun handed him a notebook and a pen. “First, list out all the contacts you know.”

“Oh.” Ji Wenxu didn’t ask why. He took the paper and pen and began to think seriously.

In reality, although Ji Wenxu knew many industry bigwigs, most of those connections were strained interactions only possible because of his parents or grandfather.

They couldn’t truly be considered ‘contacts.’

Realizing this, Ji Wenxu cleanly crossed out the first page and flipped to a new one.

First, he wrote down the names of his close friends, then some familiar elders.

Next were some relatives.

Finally, some CEOs he had unexpectedly met.

“Done,” Ji Wenxu handed the notebook over.

Song Tingyun set aside his own documents, took the notebook, and read it seriously. After a long moment, he asked, “Why did you cross out the people on the first page?”

Ji Wenxu: “They know me only because my parents and grandpa dealt with them. Actually, they probably don’t even know my name.”

Song Tingyun countered: “Sometimes, even people you’ve only met once, or people introduced by a friend of a friend of a friend, might turn out to be important helpers.”

“If you ever hit rock bottom, you can’t casually ‘cross out’ these people.”

Ji Wenxu asked back, “How could it ever come to that?”

Song Tingyun’s eyelashes fluttered, then he lowered them and said, “Yes, generally speaking, that kind of situation won’t happen.”

“Alright, that’s not important.” Song Tingyun took out a stack of documents from the drawer and handed them over. “These are all the documents of my company. Your current task is to use these documents to figure out the actual path of the company’s operations and the management of its core assets. Later, I will arrange a position for you in the company. You can ask me anything you don’t understand at any time.”

Ji Wenxu felt the documents in his hand weighed a thousand pounds. He said awkwardly, “Isn’t this exposing your company’s secrets? Isn’t that inappropriate?”

Song Tingyun’s lips curved: “This is a subsidiary company spun off from the Ji family and led by me, so it’s not a secret to you.”

“When did you make such an agreement with my family?” Ji Wenxu felt a little relieved and asked casually.

Song Tingyun: “I’m marrying you, and besides repaying your grandfather’s favor, I should be allowed to gain some benefit, shouldn’t I?”

Ji Wenxu’s lips twitched. “Yes.”

After that, he stopped joking and distracting himself.

He moved the desk lamp closer to the center, then opened the first page of the documents.

…

Perhaps it was a lingering effect from his student days.

The dense paper, with barely any pictures and full of text, managed to draw out the sleeping sandman in his body in less than ten minutes.

Ji Wenxu propped up his face with one hand and held the pen to annotate the document with the other.

His eyelids, however, were uncontrollably drooping.

Song Tingyun watched him.

His entire face was about to sink into the document folder. His eyelids looked like even toothpicks couldn’t hold them open.

He gave a light cough. The person opposite him immediately woke up. He deliberately rubbed his nose, fidgeted his foot, and then asked, “Um, Song Tingyun, when are you going to sleep?”

It seemed he wouldn’t sleep until Song Tingyun did.

Song Tingyun sighed helplessly. He closed the documents, shut down his computer, and said, “Now.”

Ji Wenxu happily got up, cheerfully following behind him and saying, “Then I’ll sleep too. See you tomorrow.”

Ji Wenxu hopped back to his room, kicked off his shoes, and lay down on the bed, immediately falling asleep.

He swore that other than back in high school.

This was the first time he’d fallen asleep the moment he hit the bed.

Song Tingyun passed by with a cup of warm water from the kitchen and saw the situation through the half-open door.

After hesitating, he reached out and gently closed the door.

…

A dreamless night.

The next day, when Song Tingyun woke up, he still smelled the rich aroma of breakfast.

He washed up and walked out. Ji Wenxu happened to be placing the finished breakfast on the table.

“You’re awake?” Ji Wenxu smiled at him. “You woke up at the perfect time. Come and eat.”

“Aren’t you going to the hospital to get the stitches/cast removed?” Song Tingyun walked to the dining table and sat down.

Ji Wenxu: “I’m going this afternoon. I’m heading home for a bit first.”

“Mm,” Song Tingyun replied. He paused, then said, “Thank you for the breakfast.”

“No need,” Ji Wenxu pushed the breakfast closer. “Try the fried dough sticks; they’re freshly made.”

Song Tingyun obediently picked up a fried dough stick from the bowl.

Ji Wenxu added, “I’ll go to the company with you in a couple of days. And as you said, we’ll start handling the wedding in about a week.”

“If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know.”

“No need, I’ll take care of it,” Song Tingyun refused him.

Ji Wenxu: “This is my wedding too, after all. What would it look like if you did all the work? People might say I’m oppressing you.”

“Is that what you think?” Song Tingyun seemed amused, asking with a slight smile.

Ji Wenxu nodded: “Yes.”

Song Tingyun smiled: “Good, I’ll remember that.”

“I’ll ask for your help if necessary.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Song Tingyun continued: “I thought about it last night. You can work with my secretary. The compartment next to my office will be your work area. We can’t go to the company together, so you can go a bit later on your first day.”

“My secretary will introduce your work to you then.”

Ji Wenxu didn’t mind. “Fine. Is my office space convenient for us to communicate?”

Song Tingyun sighed: “We can contact each other by phone. You can come and find me when necessary.”

“Oh,” Ji Wenxu responded. “I was just asking.”

He then stopped talking, and Song Tingyun also lowered his head to slowly eat breakfast. Silence fell between the two again.

After breakfast.

Just like yesterday, after Ji Wenxu cleaned up the kitchen, Song Tingyun had already changed clothes and was ready to leave.

The same faint cologne scent was on him. Ji Wenxu sniffed. “You smell good even without cologne. This cologne isn’t very pleasant.”

Song Tingyun’s hand, which was tying his tie, paused. Then he said, “I understand.”

Ji Wenxu quickly waved his hand: “I wasn’t saying the cologne smells bad. I just don’t think it suits you.”