After a Contract Marriage with a Cold and Older Person - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Orientation

Ji Wenxu felt like he had a very long dream.

All sorts of strange things happened in the dream. One moment he dreamed he was getting married again, the next he was swimming in the sea, only to be tossed onto the beach by a wave, and then he dreamed he was bitten by a snake.

He opened his eyes uncomfortably.

Only to realize that at some point, his position had changed from sitting in the car to lying down.

Oh no, it was more accurately lying with his head on Song Tingyun’s lap.

His sleepiness vanished instantly without a trace.

Song Tingyun looked down at him, “Awake?”

Ji Wenxu thought Song Tingyun seemed to have smiled a little. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly scrambled up from his lap, scratching his head awkwardly, and said, “Ah haha, ha, yes, awake.”

The car was still moving forward, so it seemed he hadn’t slept for very long.

Song Tingyun crossed his legs, turned his head to look out the window, and asked, “Did you stay up late last night?”

Ji Wenxu denied it, “No, but just look at the time now. My biological clock is protesting.”

It was almost eleven o’clock Beijing time.

Song Tingyun smiled again, “We’ll be home in a few minutes.”

“Oh.” Ji Wenxu put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the seat, “Aren’t you tired?”

Song Tingyun, “I’m fine.”

The two chatted casually, and soon the car stopped steadily downstairs at their new apartment complex.

They walked into the elevator side by side.

“I almost forgot we were supposed to live here now,” Ji Wenxu coughed dryly.

Song Tingyun glanced at him, “Have we decided on which room we’ll take yet?”

Ji Wenxu spread his hands and shrugged, “I don’t care. You choose first. I can live in any room.”

Song Tingyun didn’t say anything more.

The wedding home the Ji family bought for them was huge; there was even a swimming pool on the upstairs balcony.

The day’s exhaustion had drained both of their energy. Even if Song Tingyun didn’t say it, Ji Wenxu could see the fatigue in his eyes beneath his glasses.

Ji Wenxu proactively let Song Tingyun take the master bedroom with the best sunlight, and he tidied up and went to the secondary bedroom next door.

He quickly showered. Just as he lay down, preparing to fall asleep, there was a knock on the door. He pulled the blanket down from over his head, “What is it?”

Song Tingyun opened the door a crack, “My annual leave is used up tomorrow. Are you going to the company with me?”

Ji Wenxu sat up, “I was just planning to discuss this with you tomorrow. So, should I process my employment papers tomorrow?”

Song Tingyun was wearing a loose bathrobe, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. He said, “Fine. I only have one driver. Are you coming to the company with me tomorrow, or will you figure out your own way?”

Ji Wenxu yawned and said, “It definitely won’t work for us to go to the company together. I don’t want too many people to know about our relationship. You go with the driver first, and I’ll drive myself.”

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Song Tingyun’s face for a long time.

Song Tingyun’s hair wasn’t completely dry, hanging over his forehead. In the hallway light, his profile looked like it was plated with a soft sheen, appearing much softer than usual. His figure was slender, and his waist was thin.

Song Tingyun guessed this would be the outcome. He nodded to show he understood, then raised his hand and closed the door for him.

With a soft “click,” the light from the corridor and Song Tingyun were shut out behind the door.

Ji Wenxu suddenly felt a pang of emptiness in his heart.

How strange.

He collapsed onto the bed.

Staring at the pitch-black ceiling.

He suddenly thought of something.

He quickly turned on the bedside lamp, pulled open the drawer, and fumbled inside for a diamond ring sparkling with iridescent light.

Song Tingyun had custom-made these rings. They only picked them up two days before the wedding, and Ji Wenxu hadn’t had a good look at them before they were sent to his mother for safekeeping.

When they exchanged rings this afternoon.

He realized the pair of rings was indeed very beautiful. Both rings were simple, with a diamond set at the top. The band was wrapped with symmetrical small diamonds, like intertwining vines, with only subtle differences in texture. The slightly wider band was the one Ji Wenxu wore.

It had one kind of glow in natural light and another in artificial light.

Song Tingyun’s hands were very attractive, like a model’s, and the ring seemed made just for him.

He rolled over and held the ring up higher.

Suddenly, he noticed three English letters engraved on the inside of the band: ‘JWX’.

Is he taking this so seriously, even for an agreement marriage?

He slipped the ring back onto his ring finger, then turned his wrist to look. It seemed to fit him quite well too.

After admiring it sufficiently, Ji Wenxu took the ring off, put it back in the box, turned off the lamp, and continued to try and fall asleep.

However, as soon as he closed his eyes, he suddenly remembered those words Song Tingyun had said earlier.

Hmph.

So they can’t be friends after the divorce?

He wouldn’t accept that.

He was going to annoy Song Tingyun and make him change that ridiculous principle.

They weren’t in that kind of relationship. Does Song Tingyun like him? Is that why he thinks they might rekindle an old flame?

…

Perhaps too much happened during the day.

And he went to bed late.

Ji Wenxu uncharacteristically woke up half an hour late.

Because he had just moved into the complex, he wasn’t familiar with the layout downstairs and didn’t know where the community supermarket or park was. So, he canceled his morning run plan and called property management to deliver fresh groceries.

He ran upstairs himself and swam a few laps in the pool.

The world underwater was silent. After swimming, Ji Wenxu held onto the pool edge, closing his eyes to practice his lung capacity underwater.

He silently counted to himself.

It wasn’t until the final moment that he suddenly shot out of the water, only to be confronted by a beautiful face.

Song Tingyun had arrived at some point, squatting by the pool edge in his pajamas, watching him. Ji Wenxu hadn’t expected this at all and was immediately startled, falling back into the water, splashing about for half a minute before regaining his footing.

“One minute and seventeen seconds. Not bad,” Song Tingyun held up his phone and waved it. It displayed the duration of Ji Wenxu’s breath-holding underwater.

Ji Wenxu used the water’s buoyancy to sit on the edge, “When did you get here? You scared me.”

Song Tingyun, “Not long. Just in time to witness your lung capacity.”

Ji Wenxu glanced at his wristband, “It’s not even eight o’clock yet, is it? Why are you up already?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Song Tingyun glanced over Ji Wenxu’s body.

Even after lying in the hospital for three months, Ji Wenxu hadn’t lost much muscle. After being discharged, he became disciplined again. Among his peers, Ji Wenxu’s physique was indeed outstanding.

His muscles were firm, but nowhere was he overly built. He had a clear six-pack, and the smooth line of his V-cut disappeared beneath his swimming trunks. So, at a glance, he looked fresh and fit, not greasy at all.

Seeing Song Tingyun observing him, Ji Wenxu narrowed his eyes and openly spread his arms, “There, look. Look all you want.”

His tone was quite smug.

Song Tingyun rolled his eyes, stood up, and walked back towards the room, tossing two words over his shoulder: “Mediocre.”

Ji Wenxu climbed out of the water, wrapped himself in a towel, and chased after him, “Really? Who else have you seen?”

Song Tingyun lied without batting an eye, “Too many to count.”

Ji Wenxu’s mind spun, “Speaking of which, I don’t think I ever asked you about your sexual orientation initially, did I? Do you like men?”

“But you were willing to enter into an agreement marriage with me, so your orientation must be male, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’m very open-minded. I actually think men or women don’t matter, as long as the feeling is right.”

Ji Wenxu’s incessant chatter gave Song Tingyun a headache. He stopped and looked at Ji Wenxu, saying, “I don’t just like men; I specifically like ones like you—young, good stamina, decent physique, not bad looking, can cook, and whose brain doesn’t seem to be very bright.”

“…” Ji Wenxu felt a little unnerved under Song Tingyun’s stare. After a moment, he blinked and said, “Wait.”

Song Tingyun regretted saying those words right after they left his mouth.

He wanted Ji Wenxu to know that he wasn’t without feelings for him, but he regretted speaking, as their current relationship was actually quite good.

“What’s wrong?”

Ji Wenxu, “My brain is very bright.”

Song Tingyun scoffed, “Then you’re not my type. You can rest assured.”

He hadn’t expected that Ji Wenxu would manage to ignore every word of his declaration and only focus on picking flaws in his phrasing.

“You can rest assured too. Strictly speaking, you’re not exactly my type either. Although you definitely fit my aesthetic, I don’t like people older than me, and to ensure we can still be friends after the divorce, I will absolutely not have any improper thoughts about you!” As Ji Wenxu spoke, he sounded quite sensible.

Song Tingyun let out a cold laugh and ignored him.

Ji Wenxu wiped his hair with the towel and stopped when he reached his room. He didn’t take any of Song Tingyun’s previous comments to heart. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll come down to make breakfast later. What do you want to eat?”

Song Tingyun moved past him and headed downstairs, dropping two cold words: “Nothing.”

Ji Wenxu felt that Song Tingyun seemed angry again.

What did he do wrong this time? Ji Wenxu was completely baffled.

…

Ji Wenxu quickly finished his shower, changed, and headed downstairs.

Song Tingyun was nowhere to be seen in the living room. He glanced towards the entrance; Song Tingyun’s shoes were neatly placed on the shoe rack.

Did he leave this early?

Or did he really say the wrong thing just now and make Song Tingyun angry?

Ji Wenxu stood in the kitchen, pondering for over a minute, and finally figured out what he had said wrong.

He had said he didn’t like people older than him, which was indirectly calling Song Tingyun old, wasn’t it?

Who likes to hear people say they’re old!

Ji Wenxu clicked his tongue, mentally cursing himself for his lack of emotional intelligence.

He tied on an apron, made two sandwiches in the kitchen, quickly packed them, and left to drive to the company.

Song Tingyun’s secretary had been waiting for him on the first floor for a long time.

The secretary led him directly to the floor where Song Tingyun worked. A newly emptied office next to the CEO’s office was assigned to Ji Wenxu.

It was still a few minutes before working hours officially started, but most of the employees on this floor were already present.

When this long-vacant office was suddenly cleaned out half a month ago, they had already been curious about who would be working there.

Ji Wenxu had been here before.

Most employees had a strong impression of his attractive face.

Ji Wenxu didn’t put on airs. Facing the curious gazes of the employees, he smiled and greeted everyone, “Good morning. We’re colleagues from now on.”

Whether they were truly colleagues was debatable. Coming in with a private office immediately marked him as someone with connections.

“Mr. Ji, this will be your office space from now on,” the secretary explained patiently.

Ji Wenxu didn’t have the leisure to observe his working environment, “Where’s your boss? Is he in his office?”

The secretary smiled, “That’s the second thing I need to tell you. The boss instructed that you are not to disturb him in his office when you are not working.”

Ji Wenxu, “Got it! So he is in his office, right? I actually have a serious matter to discuss with him.”

With that, he swiftly maneuvered around the secretary, walked out of his office, turned the corner, pushed open Song Tingyun’s office door, and went in.