Refusing Divorce After a Contract Marriage - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: President Shen Actually Hands Out “Dog Food” Too

Jiang Chumian took Shen Qingye to a guesthouse near the outskirts. After parking, Shen Qingye surveyed the layout of the place; it was indeed quite pastoral in style.

The shop was run by a young couple. The wife was an artist, so many paintings hung throughout the shop, while the husband was a chef, primarily responsible for managing the guesthouse and the farmhouse restaurant.

As soon as Jiang Chumian walked in, the woman sitting at the front desk greeted her with a beaming smile. “Chumian is here! Did you bring a friend?”

“Yes. Where’s Brother An?” Jiang Chumian greeted the woman with a smile.

“Sleeping upstairs. We’re resting today and not open for business,” the woman said lazily.

“Not open even on a holiday? Isn’t that a big loss?”

“Being open on a holiday is too tiring,” the woman shrugged noncommittally.

Jiang Chumian chuckled and walked to the counter. She took Shen Qingye’s hand to introduce her. “Shen Qingye, my…”

“I know, your wife. I’ve seen the reports and the live streams.” Before Jiang Chumian could finish, the other party cut in, even giving Jiang Chumian a playful wink.

The word “friend” was forced back down Jiang Chumian’s throat, and she could only respond shyly.

“Shi Bingyun, Chumian’s senior from university,” Shi Bingyun introduced herself warmly to Shen Qingye.

“Hello, Shen Qingye.” Shen Qingye gave her a slight smile, responding politely.

“The CEO of the Shen Group… I didn’t expect I’d get to meet you,” Shi Bingyun joked half-seriously.

Shen Qingye chuckled. “Miss Shi must be joking.”

“Have a seat. What do you want to eat? There’s no one else today, so order whatever you like. I’ll call your Brother An down to cook.” Shi Bingyun seemed to be in a good mood because of Jiang Chumian’s arrival.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have come to disturb your rest,” Jiang Chumian said apologetically.

“Eh, the two of us have to eat anyway. Adding two more sets of chopsticks isn’t a big deal.”

“Then we shall trouble you,” Shen Qingye thanked her warmly.

Shi Bingyun narrowed her eyes slightly and clicked her tongue. “Truly easy on the eyes. Chumian, you have great taste. You match well.”

Jiang Chumian chuckled. “Senior, please stop teasing me.”

Shen Qingye noticed that Jiang Chumian’s ears had turned red again. How can this girl be so thin-skinned?

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I’m going upstairs for a moment.” With that, she went up to call the man Jiang Chumian referred to as Brother An.

“Okay.”

When Shi Bingyun came back down, she went to the tea area to brew tea for them.

“Hey, interested in playing mahjong?” Shi Bingyun asked the two while brewing tea.

“Mahjong?” Jiang Chumian turned to look at Shen Qingye. She felt that Shen Qingye wouldn’t be familiar with this kind of activity.

Seeing her look at her, Shen Qingye knew what she was thinking.

“What are you thinking? It’s the national pastime, after all. I know how to play. My grandmother loves it; she used to hold me at the mahjong table while she played with her friends when I was little.” Shen Qingye recalled her childhood, a trace of a smile touching her lips.

Shi Bingyun served them flower tea. “It truly is the national pastime. No matter if they’re poor or rich, people of all classes love it.”

“You two pick out some dishes first. I’ll have Brother An start cooking in a bit, and I’ll call a friend over to play a few rounds.” Shi Bingyun smiled as she poured the tea.

From her speech and mannerisms, it was clear that Shi Bingyun’s family background wasn’t bad either.

As Shen Qingye listened to Shi Bingyun and Jiang Chumian chat, she felt that the two were quite close.

When Shi Bingyun went back upstairs, Shen Qingye finally asked, “Does Chumian come here often?”

Jiang Chumian shook her head. “Not really. Senior was in the same department as me in university. She dragged me into the guitar club back then she was the president so we became close. Senior got married after graduation and opened this shop with Brother An. Brother An has great skills, and business is decent. I’ve been here a few times. I like to come when I’m under a lot of pressure because it’s quiet.”

“It is indeed very quiet.” Shen Qingye agreed with that.

“But I wasn’t in this city for university. Senior moved back as soon as she graduated, and later I went abroad on exchange, so I haven’t been here many times just a few. It’s just that I’ve kept in touch with her over the years, so our relationship has remained good,” Jiang Chumian explained to Shen Qingye.

“Usually there are a lot of people. I guess we arrived late today, and they’re resting, so it’s empty. It’s close to a scenic area, so the views are nice.” Jiang Chumian looked out the window.

“I see.” Shen Qingye followed Jiang Chumian’s gaze. It was indeed quite beautiful here.

When Shi Bingyun came down, she was followed by a man. He looked very clean and bright, matching Shi Bingyun well.

“Chumian is here! It’s been a long time.” Brother An greeted Jiang Chumian with a radiant smile.

“Brother An is as handsome as ever,” Jiang Chumian teased with a light laugh.

“Don’t comfort him; he’s just gotten fatter,” Shi Bingyun exposed her husband without mercy.

“That’s only because you won’t exercise with me,” Brother An muttered a bit aggrievedly.

“And that’s my fault?”

Shi Bingyun and Brother An were like many young couples, bickering over nothing, yet one could feel the sweetness beneath the bickering.

Shen Qingye watched them and couldn’t help but look at Jiang Chumian. She wondered what the girl would be like when she was truly in love. But it probably wouldn’t be like this.

When she said she wanted to play mahjong, Shi Bingyun wasn’t joking. After chasing Brother An off to cook, she called a friend. Then, she nimbly set up the TV screen, opened the mahjong table, and set out a plate of melon seeds and fruit.

“Chumian, your wedding was far too rushed. When you messaged, Brother An and I were out of town looking at an art exhibition. We had no time to prepare at all.” Shi Bingyun blamed her for not saying anything sooner.

“It’s fine,” Jiang Chumian smiled gently. It was a marriage agreement after all, so she felt back then that it didn’t really matter if her friends came or not. However, she still had to let them know so they wouldn’t feel she didn’t value their friendship.

Shortly after, the fourth person arrived—also a beautiful woman, though she had quite a short temper and couldn’t stand it when they played too slowly.

The four of them cracked melon seeds and played mahjong, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Shen Qingye had never had an experience like this—playing mahjong with friends, gossiping, talking about everything from university to graduation, and discussing friends around them. She suddenly felt that living a life like this after retirement wouldn’t be bad.

This was the first time Shen Qingye had thought about retirement. Previously, she had been entirely focused on making the group more profitable. Now she thought, she wasn’t short on money, so why work so hard?

Brother An’s skills were indeed excellent. After about two hours, the dishes were ready. He set the table and asked the four of them to wash their hands and eat before continuing the game. After a few bites, Shen Qingye felt the food was no worse than that of the chefs in the star-rated restaurants she usually frequented.

By the time they finished eating and sat for a bit longer, it was already night. Shi Bingyun asked them to stay the night, but Jiang Chumian and Shen Qingye felt embarrassed to do so. Moreover, they had an appointment with Xiao Jinyu to see the sunrise at the beach tomorrow, so they likely had to head to the hotel tonight.

Hearing they had other plans, Shi Bingyun didn’t insist. Jiang Chumian said her goodbyes to Shi Bingyun and led Shen Qingye out. The car couldn’t make it up the hill, so it was parked in the lot below.

Snow began to fall again. The two walked side-by-side, their boots crunching on the snow. Occasionally passing by someone’s window, the warm yellow light shining on the snow looked exceptionally artistic.

Away from the noise, it felt as if their hearts had settled down.

But Jiang Chumian knew she wouldn’t be satisfied with just this. She and Shen Qingye were destined not to belong to this kind of tranquility. Shen Qingye was an eagle with spread wings, destined to soar in the sky.

The shoes Jiang Chumian was wearing today were a bit slippery. While stepping down a ledge, she slipped. Shen Qingye was walking a bit ahead of her, just as she was holding her hand. Seeing Jiang Chumian slip, she instinctively held her firmly.

Jiang Chumian finally steadied herself and whispered a “thank you” while leaning against Shen Qingye.

Shen Qingye gripped her hand tighter. “Be careful.”

“Mhm.”

They found the car. Once inside, they called Xiao Jinyu. As expected, Xiao Jinyu said they were heading to the hotel tonight. Shen Qingye drove slowly because of the light snow.

“With this weather, will the sun really come out tomorrow?” Shen Qingye was skeptical.

“The weather forecast says the sun will come out tomorrow,” Jiang Chumian said softly.

Shen Qingye didn’t ask further and focused on driving. Since they had planned for an uncertain departure from the Jiang house when they left that morning, all their necessities for staying at a hotel were already packed.

“Chumian has more friends than I imagined,” Shen Qingye smiled.

Jiang Chumian shook her head. “No more. Just those few.”

“Is your relationship with your university roommates not good?” Shen Qingye asked curiously.

Jiang Chumian shook her head. “Just average. And they were all locals. I often had to go out for part-time jobs back then, so I spent little time in the dorm.”

In her roommates’ eyes, she was likely someone who didn’t quite fit in. But Jiang Chumian didn’t really care, or rather, she didn’t have much time to care. Back then, although Jiang Wenyan would give her living expenses, her “good” mother would always ask her for money, even taking away a portion of her allowance. Fortunately, Jiang Chumian wasn’t a fool and wouldn’t give it all. Even if she was scolded, she wouldn’t admit she had money.

If she wanted to escape that quagmire, she had to be more resilient and work harder than others.

“I see.”

“But with university classmates, if they aren’t from the same city, it’s normal not to have much contact.”

She shifted the topic back to herself. Jiang Chumian rarely heard Shen Qingye talk about her past and was quite happy to listen.

While chatting, they arrived at the hotel without realizing it. Xiao Jinyu hadn’t arrived yet, but she had already booked a room for them. She was indeed professional when it came to going out to play, but there was only one room meaning the two had to share a bed.

Inside the room, Jiang Chumian took off her scarf while Shen Qingye took off her boots. After a day out, they were both used to freshening up first.

Jiang Chumian went first. It seemed many hotels liked making bathroom doors out of glass, and they weren’t very soundproof. Shen Qingye watched Jiang Chumian’s blurry silhouette from outside, feeling an inexplicable torment.

Finally, Jiang Chumian finished her shower. The girl carried the dampness of a fresh bath, her cheeks flushed red, making Shen Qingye almost afraid to look too closely.

After her shower, Jiang Chumian felt a bit sleepy. Sitting on the sofa and scrolling through her phone, she began to feel a bit dazed. Because of this, she was spared from Shen Qingye’s internal turmoil.

When Shen Qingye came out of the shower, she saw Jiang Chumian looking exhausted but still forcing herself to stay awake and scroll through her phone.

“Why not just go to sleep?” Shen Qingye asked.

Jiang Chumian rubbed her head. “Little Goldfish told us to wait for them to arrive.”

“How much longer?”

“About ten minutes or so,” Jiang Chumian answered truthfully.

After waiting for a while, Xiao Jinyu and the others finally arrived. It was indeed as Jiang Chumian had predicted quite a few people. They seemed to want to play another round tonight.

Looking at their enthusiastic expressions, Jiang Chumian declined Xiao Jinyu’s invitation, not wanting to play with them. She was truly too sleepy.

Once the door was closed, Jiang Chumian sat back on the sofa, looking at Shen Qingye expectantly. “Then I’ll sleep on the sofa, and you sleep on the bed?”

Shen Qingye pulled her up irritably. “Are you that guarded against me?”

Jiang Chumian shook her head. “No.”

“Then we sleep together.”

Jiang Chumian could only lie down obediently at the edge of the bed. After a long day, she was indeed tired and fell asleep shortly after lying down.

Shen Qingye wasn’t quite asleep yet. Looking at her sleeping face, she reached out and pinched the tip of her nose. Jiang Chumian pushed her hand away with a hint of displeasure and rubbed her nose.

“I was very happy today,” Shen Qingye whispered in her ear.

The corners of Jiang Chumian’s mouth curled up slightly as if she were having a pleasant dream.

Early the next morning, Jiang Chumian was woken by Shen Qingye.

Jiang Chumian looked at Shen Qingye with a trace of unhappiness, seemingly questioning her why she woke her up so early.

Shen Qingye ruffled her hair. “Get up, wash up. We’re going to see the sunrise in a bit. You’re the one who promised Little Goldfish we’d come.”

Jiang Chumian got up reluctantly. Not having enough sleep, she remained in a low mood until they walked out the door.

When they went downstairs, Xiao Jinyu, Meng Zhu, and the others were already there. The beach wasn’t far from the hotel, so the group planned to walk there.

Jiang Chumian forgot her scarf when she went downstairs. As soon as she walked out of the hotel entrance, she began to feel exceptionally cold. Shen Qingye took off her own scarf and wrapped it around Jiang Chumian’s neck. “How could you even forget this?”

As Shen Qingye wrapped the scarf around her, Jiang Chumian couldn’t help but look up at her. After a moment, she whispered back, “I didn’t wake up properly and forgot.”

Shen Qingye helped her straighten her hat as well. It was clear she hadn’t fully woken up yet.

Xiao Jinyu and Meng Zhu watched them from the side, whispering softly. Shen Qingye glanced at them. “What are you two talking about? Let’s go.”

“I’m saying you actually have a day where you hand out ‘dog food’ (PDA) too. I have to tell the others,” Meng Zhu said enthusiastically.

Shen Qingye didn’t care. Jiang Chumian, however, turned red, especially when Xiao Jinyu sidled up next to her and whispered in her ear, “My Goddess is so good to you.”

Faced with the reactions of the others, Jiang Chumian found she couldn’t argue back not just verbally, but also in her heart. Shen Qingye was indeed very good to her.

The beach in the early morning was indeed very cold, and the wind was strong. Jiang Chumian was shivering from the cold. Shen Qingye saw her state and reached out to wrap her arm around her waist. “Since Meng Zhu and Xiao Jinyu can hug for warmth, we can too, right?”

Jiang Chumian hesitated for a moment but eventually curled up obediently in Shen Qingye’s embrace. Then she whispered, “Never watching it again, it’s so cold.” She truly hated the cold.

“Alright, we won’t come again.”

Shen Qingye’s tone held a hint of indulgence. Hearing it, Jiang Chumian was momentarily dazed.

Just then, the others began to shout excitedly that the sunrise was starting. Seeing the sunrise, Jiang Chumian felt a bit relieved; at least the wait hadn’t been in vain.

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