Refusing Divorce After a Contract Marriage - Chapter 9.1

Chapter 9.1: Carrying Her to Bed

The next day, Jiang Chumian slept until eleven o’clock in the morning.

When she got up, Shen Qingye was sitting on the balcony on the first floor reading a magazine.

Sleeping for too long made one feel a bit lightheaded. After Jiang Chumian washed up, she felt a little clearer, but she was still somewhat sluggish.

She slowly walked downstairs to the balcony entrance and glanced at the fashion magazine in Shen Qingye’s hands.

“Is President Shen thinking of buying something?” Jiang Chumian asked curiously.

Shen Qingye smiled, rarely denying it. She showed a necklace to Jiang Chumian: “How about this one?”

“It’s not bad; quite pretty,” Jiang Chumian nodded in agreement.

“Does it particularly surprise or impress you?” Shen Qingye asked.

Jiang Chumian smiled and nodded: “It’s an excellent design.”

“It’s a gift for someone. If you aren’t in a hurry to eat, why don’t you give me some advice?” Shen Qingye said with a laugh.

“Okay.” Jiang Chumian walked behind her; the sunlight falling on her body felt quite comfortable.

In the end, they chose the initial necklace and a handbag with a more artistic design. They flipped through three or four magazines before making a final selection.

However, what Jiang Chumian didn’t expect was that the necklace would appear on her office desk a few days later. Her assistant brought it in and placed it there. Accompanying it was a bouquet of flowers without a note, but Jiang Chumian knew who had sent them.

Once the assistant left, she sent a message to Shen Qingye, asking: “Wasn’t it meant for a friend? Why give it to me?”

Shen Qingye sent an emoji and then replied: “I never said it was all for friends. Besides, don’t you count as my friend?”

Jiang Chumian was stunned for a moment. Then she saw Shen Qingye’s follow-up: “I felt like you didn’t have many accessories. I wanted to give it, so I did. Conveniently, you picked it out yourself.”

“Thank you.” Jiang Chumian thanked her sincerely. This kind of feeling truly made it easy for one to feel a sense of greed.

Afterward, Jiang Chumian put on the necklace and sent a photo to Shen Qingye. Seeing the selfie, Shen Qingye saved it.

“Then accompany me to a banquet in a couple of days,” Shen Qingye said again.

“Okay.” For such occasions, Jiang Chumian couldn’t be absent; after all, she still needed to maintain a presence in front of the public from time to time.

The banquet Shen Qingye mentioned was on Saturday night. During the day, Shen Qingye specifically had a set of gowns delivered. The gowns were two designs of the same style, except Shen Qingye’s was white-gold while Jiang Chumian’s was blue-white. Once they changed, they looked exceptionally well-matched.

Shen Qingye specifically took Jiang Chumian to get her styling done. The hairstylist gave Jiang Chumian a relatively gentle hairstyle, while Shen Qingye’s was more imposing. Yet, standing together, they were remarkably harmonious.

After the styling, Shen Qingye’s driver came to pick them up. By the time they arrived, most of the guests were already there, so the two of them became the center of attention the moment they entered. First, people discussed how well-matched they looked, and then people began coming over to greet Shen Qingye and Jiang Chumian.

In the past six months, Jiang Chumian had built up her own network. This was her first time attending such a banquet since the wedding. Shen Qingye watched Jiang Chumian moving through the crowd with ease—she was completely different from how she had behaved at the wedding. She showed no signs of nervousness; even when surrounded by people, she maintained a faint smile.

The people here weren’t the same crowd that had attended Jiang Xiaofan’s birthday party. Even if some of these people looked down on Jiang Chumian’s background, they would never say it out loud. Furthermore, Jiang Chumian’s ability to establish herself at Shiguang proved her strength. Regardless of her personal ability, as long as Shen Qingye was willing to protect her, no one would say anything to her face. Those who would speak were only the brainless ones like Jiang Xiaofan; after all, those truly involved in the business world always leave a way out in their interactions.

“Qingye, is this your fiancée?” While Shen Qingye was chatting, a middle-aged man holding a wine glass suddenly walked up to her. It seemed they were quite familiar.

Jiang Chumian stood by Shen Qingye’s side and glanced at her, a hint of confusion in her eyes. The man before them had a scar on his face, which, combined with his deep and sharp gaze, made others afraid to look him in the eye. Even in a well-fitted suit, he couldn’t hide his sharp aura. He gave the impression of a ruthless character who made decisive, killing blows.

“Uncle Zhao, a friend of my father’s and currently one of the group’s shareholders. However, when we got married, Uncle Zhao was abroad negotiating a deal; he only just returned,” Shen Qingye explained to Jiang Chumian.

Jiang Chumian immediately greeted the man politely: “Hello, Uncle Zhao.”

Zhao Kaiguo—besides Shen Qingye, he was the person holding the most shares in the group. Jiang Chumian looked at the two of them smiling and chatting, very curious: was their relationship really that good? However, it was clear she wouldn’t get an answer to that question for the time being.

Zhao Kaiguo expressed a slight apology to Jiang Chumian. Jiang Chumian didn’t dare actually accept his apology; this man looked like someone not to be trifled with.

Then, a young man walked up to them. The moment he saw Jiang Chumian, his eyes filled with amazement, followed by unabashed scrutiny. The feeling revealed in that gaze made Jiang Chumian feel an extreme sense of disgust.

Shen Qingye noticed his gaze, and a flash of coldness crossed her eyes. She then moved unobtrusively to stand in front of Jiang Chumian.

“Chengxu is here too.” Shen Qingye nodded politely to the man.

Jiang Chumian could see now; the two men looked very much like father and son. Zhao Chengxu, Zhao Kaiguo’s only son—she had heard he had been in charge of the South China region. Jiang Chumian had heard of him; he was quite appreciated by the board of directors within the group. He had ability, but looking at him now, his ambition wasn’t small either.

It seemed that Shen Qingye’s position as the group president wasn’t that easy. She had originally thought Shen Qingye had it easier now, but it seemed otherwise; Shen Qingye also had tigers in front and wolves behind. No wonder she needed an alliance with the Jiang family.

“Yes, my father just got back, and I happened to come home to see him. You know he’s all alone; he has no company,” Zhao Chengxu said with a smile.

Shen Qingye exchanged a few superficial pleasantries with him, and then Zhao Chengxu brought the topic back to Jiang Chumian.

“I was busy when you got married, so I didn’t make it back. Qingye and Chumian, don’t take offense. How about I treat you to a meal another day? Consider it an apology.”

Jiang Chumian found it a bit amusing; several people who wanted to invite Shen Qingye to dinner would use this pretext.

“There’s no need for such trouble. Qingye has received the sentiments from Uncle and Chengxu,” Shen Qingye smiled faintly and then refused. Seeing her say this, Zhao Chengxu didn’t press further.

Then other people came over to find them, finally ending the conversation that seemed peaceful but was actually full of sharp edges. Jiang Chumian suddenly realized why Shen Qingye wanted to marry into the Jiang family. It turned out her position as president wasn’t as stable as it appeared.

“An old fox and a stinky fox,” Shen Qingye sneered after the two left.

“I understand ‘old fox,’ but why ‘stinky fox’?” Jiang Chumian asked curiously.

Shen Qingye laughed: “Because he’s radiating a foul stench, of course.”

After saying that, she remembered how Zhao Chengxu had looked at Jiang Chumian, and her tone softened slightly: “Anyway, you should be careful around him. Who knows what mischief he’s brewing. If he looks for you for no reason, remember to tell me.”

“Okay.” Jiang Chumian was still brooding over that scrutinizing gaze.

“That Zhao Chengxu looks decent enough, but his methods are filthy, especially toward women.” Shen Qingye specifically said this to warn Jiang Chumian.

Jiang Chumian frowned unconsciously upon hearing this but ultimately said nothing. Since Shen Qingye knew but hadn’t moved against him, it seemed she didn’t have absolute certainty yet.

“Alright, I’ll remember.” Jiang Chumian took Shen Qingye’s arm again and looked toward the other people approaching them. She quickly put on a faint, gentle smile.

As the banquet drew to a close, Shen Qingye saw that Jiang Chumian had drunk quite a bit of wine and prepared to take her away. However, just as they were about to leave, Zhao Kaiguo and Zhao Chengxu still came over to chat with Shen Qingye for a bit. From their words, it wasn’t hard to guess that Zhao Kaiguo wouldn’t be leaving the group headquarters much lately.

Finally in the car, Jiang Chumian and Shen Qingye sat in the back. Jiang Chumian was feeling a bit woozy. But sitting there in silence seemed a bit strange.

“Did your marriage to the Jiang family make your uncle and his son anxious?” Jiang Chumian asked curiously.

Shen Qingye laughed: “Yes.”

“Of course they’re anxious. Several projects the group is collaborating on with the Jiang family are now steadily rising and have even started to see some profit. These are all industries with great future prospects. The board is very satisfied with me right now. But Zhao Chengxu seems to have run into some problems in South China. Fortunately, Zhao Kaiguo’s overseas projects are progressing well, so the board can’t do much to them—plus, Zhao Kaiguo holds quite a few shares.”

After hearing Shen Qingye, Jiang Chumian felt that if she were the Zhao father and son, she would be anxious too.

“Let them be anxious,” Shen Qingye smiled faintly. “The board won’t do anything to me right now.”

“Besides, Grandfather is still the Chairman.”

“As long as they can’t do anything to me in the short term, then sooner or later, I will send them ‘inside’ [to prison],” Shen Qingye snorted.

Jiang Chumian was indeed curious about what other grievances existed between Shen Qingye and Zhao Kaiguo, but it seemed Shen Qingye wasn’t ready to talk about it.

“If you need anything, you can tell me,” Jiang Chumian said warmly.

“Okay, don’t worry, I won’t be polite about it.” Shen Qingye turned her head to look at Jiang Chumian.

Jiang Chumian also gave a faint laugh; her expression was actually somewhat similar to Shen Qingye’s. Shen Qingye looked at her gradually misty eyes and actually found them somewhat alluring. She then watched Jiang Chumian slowly close her eyes, as if she were taking a nap.

Later, when they were about to get out of the car, Shen Qingye realized she had actually fallen asleep. Shen Qingye got out and then called Jiang Chumian’s name twice. She answered dizzily and was still a bit confused when she opened her eyes. Looking at her like this, Shen Qingye found her quite cute—cuter than usual.

“We’re home; get out of the car.”

“Home?” Jiang Chumian murmured softly. Once she gradually saw Shen Qingye’s face clearly, she cleared up a bit and nodded obediently: “Okay, I’m sorry.”

She still apologized out of habit. Shen Qingye didn’t like it but had no way to change her.

Back at the house, Shen Qingye confirmed with Jiang Chumian if she could still remove her makeup on her own.

“I can. I’m not that drunk. In the car just now, the swaying just made me a bit sleepy,” Jiang Chumian said softly.

“That’s fine then. If you really can’t, I can still help you remove your makeup. Don’t force yourself,” Shen Qingye teased her.

“I won’t.” Jiang Chumian became embarrassed again.

Shen Qingye laughed and, without saying more, went back to her own room. When she came out after washing up, she found Jiang Chumian was already drying her hair. The room door wasn’t closed tight, and she felt like the girl didn’t seem very clear-headed.

She went downstairs and made two cups of honey water. When she brought them up, Jiang Chumian’s hair wasn’t dry yet. Seeing her dazed state, Shen Qingye walked into the room and placed the honey water in front of her.

“Drink this first.”

Jiang Chumian obediently finished the honey water. Then, Shen Qingye walked behind her, took the hairdryer from her hand, and began to help her dry her hair. After finally drying it and putting the hairdryer away, she discovered the girl had actually fallen asleep.

Shen Qingye stood in front of her, feeling quite helpless. She hadn’t seemed that drunk at the banquet; apparently, once there was no one around and she relaxed, the drunkenness started to set in, right?

Looking at her sleeping posture, Shen Qingye leaned down and gently patted Jiang Chumian’s small face: “Chumian, go back to bed to sleep.”

After calling her several times, Jiang Chumian finally opened her eyes slightly. But when she spoke, she called out a name completely unfamiliar to Shen Qingye.

“Yu Xuan~”

The girl’s voice was soft and carried a hint of grievance. Shen Qingye had never seen Jiang Chumian like this—as if she were looking at someone she longed for but didn’t dare approach.

It turned out her little wife was actually in a one-sided love? This was quite a surprise to Shen Qingye.

“I’m not her,” Shen Qingye poked her small face.

Jiang Chumian, however, grabbed her wrist: “Ugh, don’t tease.” She even held onto Shen Qingye’s hand and fell back into a deep sleep. Before sleeping, she murmured: “Got it.”

“What did you get? Silly girl,” Shen Qingye complained jokingly.

Once Jiang Chumian was sound asleep, she carefully withdrew her hand. After a thought, she picked Jiang Chumian up, placed her on the bed, and thoughtfully tucked her in. Shen Qingye looked at the way she curled herself up and sighed softly. Jiang Chumian was very light, and even in sleep, she looked very insecure.

Gazing at her sleeping face, Shen Qingye was curious: what kind of person could make her fall in love? But since Jiang Chumian was already asleep, it wasn’t appropriate for Shen Qingye to stay in her room. After a moment, she turned and left. She even took the bowl with her.

The next day when Jiang Chumian woke up, her head didn’t hurt much, but she was still in a daze. When she went downstairs, Shen Qingye was grinding coffee in the living room.

“Awake?”

Jiang Chumian nodded embarrassedly: “Yes.”

“It’s time for lunch, President Jiang,” Shen Qingye joked with a smile.

“I’m sorry.”

“How did you unknowingly get talked into drinking so much last night? Next time, drink less if you can’t handle it,” Shen Qingye said softly to her.

“Okay.”

“I found a pair of badminton rackets. How about playing some badminton later this afternoon? You’re too light, and you eat like a bird; your physical fitness is too poor,” Shen Qingye lectured her.

Jiang Chumian caught the key point: how did Shen Qingye know whether she was light or not?

Meeting her confused gaze, Shen Qingye laughed: “Do you remember me drying your hair last night?”

Jiang Chumian indeed shook her head blankly: “I don’t remember.”

“And the honey water?”

“Don’t remember either.”

“With your tolerance, you should drink less in the future. How can you have a blackout when you’re drunk?” Shen Qingye shook her head. But she was quite well-behaved—neither noisy nor rowdy, she just slept and mistook people for others.

“Yes, I’ll be careful.” Jiang Chumian knew herself; it never looked like she was very drunk while drinking, but once she finished and returned home to relax, she would become incredibly sleepy.

“You fell asleep while I was drying your hair. Later, I had to carry you to bed, so I know you’re quite light.”

Hearing Shen Qingye, Jiang Chumian couldn’t help but blush: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

After lunch, waiting for the sun to go down a bit, Jiang Chumian was reading a book when she was pulled up by Shen Qingye to go out and play. Jiang Chumian’s agility was quite good, but her stamina wasn’t much. In just one hour, she was covered in sweat and looked as if all her strength had left her.

Shen Qingye handed her a towel: “Can’t go on?”

Jiang Chumian shook her head: “No, I can’t.”

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