Contractual Marriage: We’re Meant to Be Together

195. Where Is My Marriage Partner?

Translator: Bryan

Wei Qing ran his fingers through Yan Chuyang’s forelock and said hoarsely, “Now go to sleep.”

Yan Chuyang blinked and asked, “What’s your plan for tomorrow exactly? I can go with you, but you should at least tell me what you want me to do, don’t you think?”

Wei Qing lowered his hands and replied in a serious voice, “All you need to know is it’s very important. Since you’ve agreed, you must go with me tomorrow.”

Yan Chuyang nodded. “Don’t worry. I never break my word.”

Wei Qing said, “Close your eyes and sleep. I’m going downstairs.”

Yan Chuyang closed his eyes.

Wei Qing turned around and, heading for the door, pressed a switch on the wall to turn off the lights. He walked out of the door and was about to close the door.

Yan Chuyang suddenly called out to him again, “Wei Qing?”

“Yes?”

“When you get up tomorrow, will you change again?”

Wei Qing was confused. “What do you mean?”

Yan Chuyang said dully, “Will you give me the silence treatment, where you don’t want me to like you and you don’t let me kiss you?”

Having heard Yan Chuyang’s hurt and dull tone, Wei Qing felt a pang of heartache, so regretful that he had an urge to slap his own face.

He shouldn’t have vented his unease and panic on Yan Chuyang who was so blameless, and who had just, when at a loss what to do, chosen to seek help from someone who once offered him support.

Even if Yan Chuyang liked him, seeing him as a substitute for Song Huaiqi, Yan Chuyang shouldn’t be treated as the one to blame.

“No.” In the darkness, Wei Qing said in a low voice, “What happened earlier today will never happen again. Even if I get angry with you or quarrel with you, I will not give you the silent treatment. You may have feelings for me for as long as you want, and you can kiss me whenever you feel like it.”

“And I will always love you and protect you,” Wei Qing added in his mind.

Yan Chuyang breathed a sigh of relief and the tension he had been feeling all night finally dissolved.

“Well then, I’m going to sleep.” Yan Chuyang closed his eyes and pulled the covers tighter around him to sleep, feeling relieved.

“Good night.” Wei Qing closed the door and turned around to go downstairs.

Wei Qing didn’t sleep well.

That night, he was either dreaming or staring at the ceiling in a daze.

He wanted to go upstairs to check on Yan Chuyang, but he was afraid he might disturb Yan Chuyang’s rest if he did that. Therefore, he just stayed in bed, tossing and turning restlessly.

Song Huaiqi, Song Huaiqi, Song Huaiqi.

The name was like a time bomb in his mind. He didn’t know when the bomb would detonate or what might happen after it exploded. Everything was unknown, which was why he was panic-stricken.

Song Huaiqi had feelings for Yan Chuyang. If Song Huaiqi wanted to win Yan Chuyang’s heart and told him all the help he had anonymously offered Yan Chuyang in the past few years, and then said something to Yan Chuyang in a reminiscent way…

Yan Chuyang was very soft-hearted and nostalgic. Even when someone offered him some encouraging words, he would think of repaying them. Song Huaiqi had helped Yan Chuyang so much, and in those years Yan Chuyang had always regarded Song Huaiqi as the only one he could rely on.

If some day Song Huaiqi suddenly came to realize that he could take advantage of Yan Chuyang’s gratefulness, ask him out to tell him what he had done for Yan Chuyang, jog Yan Chuyang’s memory and then confide to him that he had missed Yan Chuyang for years…

Wei Qing’s eyes abruptly contracted.

Bang! Wei Qing suddenly sprang to his feet from the bed, walked straight to the safe in a corner of his bedroom, slickly entered the code and opened the safe.

The top compartment of the safe was empty but for two red marriage licenses reposing in the darkness.

Wei Qing took out the marriage licenses and picked up a lighter from the table. Without hesitation, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, lit the two hard-covered marriage licenses with the lighter to burn them.

Blue flames were dancing on the paper. At first the firelight was dim, but then it gradually flared up, glaring in the darkness.

Wei Qing threw the last bit of ashes into the trash can and, looking at the black ashes, felt slightly relieved.

He doubted if Yan Chuyang would still be able to divorce him after the marriage licenses were destroyed.

Wei Qing tossed and turned all night and it was not until dawn that he finally fell asleep.

He had slept for only two hours when he was woken up by a ringtone from his phone.

Wei Qing slightly frowned and raised his arm to look at the time. It was already six o’clock. He should get up to cook Yan Chuyang breakfast.

With that thought in mind, Wei Qing threw back the covers and sat up in bed.

His phone was still ringing annoyingly.

He reached out his hand, grabbed the phone and held it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Wei? It’s me, Song Huaiqi.”

Wei Qing’s heart jolted and he abruptly straightened his back. An ugly look on his face, he said, “You disturbed my sleep. What do you want?”

Song Huaiqi frowned. He didn’t bargain on Wei Qing being so aggressive. In the past, Wei Qing would at least politely conceal his displeasure, but now he couldn’t even be bothered to do that?

Song Huaiqi gave a little cough and said, “I sent a text message to Chuyang just now, but he didn’t reply, which is why I’m having this conversation with you. I wonder if you could take a message to him for me.”

Wei Qing’s facial expression froze. “What kind of message?”

“I’m going on a business trip to Japan. Chuyang told me several times that he wanted a limited-edition copy of the original manuscript of a Japanese cartoonist. I wanna ask him out for coffee so I can say goodbye to him in person and see if there’s anything else he wants me to bring back from Japan for him.”

“He doesn’t have time for that,” Wei Qing said without hesitation.

“It won’t take long. Half an hour would be enough.”

“Can you not understand?” Wei Qing said impatiently. “My marriage partner is very busy. He needs to go to school, draw pictures and keep me company at home every day. He doesn’t have time for meetings with strangers. Mr. Song, please don’t ask him out again.”

The corner of Song Huaiqi’s mouth twitched. “If he really can’t spare the time, you may put him on the phone. I want a quick word with him.”

“He’s not around.”

Song Huaiqi’s tone suddenly became one of delight. “You’re not sleeping in the same room?”

A dangerous look flashed across Wei Qing’s eyes as he sneered, “What are you thinking? We’ve been married for more than four months. How’s it possible we didn’t sleep together? Let me put it this way. He would’ve borne me a child if he were a woman.”

“Wei Qing, why are you speaking like a hooligan?”

Wei Qing snorted, “And you think you’re the gentleman of the year, huh? You’ve been harrassing a married man all this time. Chuyang has married me. Which part of that do you not understand? You need to restrain yourself and mind your manners. Like I said, if you pester him again, I might become your business rival.”

Song Huaiqi’s heart lurched and he instantly fell silent.

Nobody dared take a threat like this lightly. Everybody in the Song City knew how influential Wei Qing was. If he made an enemy of Wei Qing who was much more powerful than him, he would surely end up suffering.

Having noticed that the one on the other end of the line was silent, Wei Qing slightly unknitted his brows and said coldly, “I gotta go. Yan Chuyang hasn’t gotten up yet. I need to help him get dressed. Goodbye.”

Before Song Huaiqi could reply, Wei Qing hung up the phone.

Wei Qing hurriedly put on his shoes and went upstairs. He wanted to wake Yan Chuyang up.

But when he opened the door of the bedroom upstairs, he was stunned. The bed was empty, a neatly folded quilt placed on the side. Yan Chuyang was nowhere to be seen.

Wei Qing stood at the bedside for a while. Suddenly, the look in his eyes flickered and he remembered what Song Huaiqi had said just now.

“I sent Chuyang a text message but he didn’t reply.”

A text message? What did it say? Had Song Huaiqi asked Yan Chuyang out?

Wei Qing’s brow twitched, and with that, he wheeled around to stride downstairs.

The living room was also empty. No one was there. When he was walking down the staircase, Nanny Wang who had come to do the cleaning work suddenly walked out of the kitchen. At the sight of Wei Qing walking downstairs, she raised her head and greeted him with a smile.

“Morning, Mr. Wei.”

Wei Qing said “Morning” to her with a hasty nod, strode into the living room and walked once around the sofa. Having checked that Yan Chuyang was not in, he spun around to look at Nanny Wang.

“Did you see my marriage partner?” he blurted.

Nanny Wang froze and was stunned for a long moment before she stuttered hesitantly, “Your marriage… marriage partner?”

When had Wei Qing gotten himself a marriage partner?

Wei Qing frowned anxiously. “I mean Yan Chuyang! Did you see Yan Chuyang this morning?”

“Oh…” Nanny Wang caught on and replied to Wei Qing with a shake of her head. “No. I came here at half past six. He wasn’t here when I arrived.”

Wei Qing’s brow twitched.

Yan Chuyang had been absent since half past six? Did this mean he had left earlier than that?

Where had Yan Chuyang gone at such an early hour? Could it be that he had read Song Huaiqi’s text message and gone straight to meet him?

Wei Qing’s pupils contracted as he pivoted around to head for the door, his fists clenched.

But hardly had he opened the living room door than he bumped into Yan Chuyang who was clad in a white tracksuit, his face handsome and radiant.

Yan Chuyang stared confusedly at Wei Qing who was walking towards him with a sullen face. “Why are you going out so early?”

Wei Qing’s face stiffened momentarily. Unable to restrain his anger, he involuntarily stepped up to Yan Chuyang, grabbed his wrist and growled irritably, “So you know it’s early! Where did you go?”

Yan Chuyang flinched at Wei Qing’s roar. After composing himself, he looked up at Wei Qing and flared in an injured tone, “What do you think? Didn’t you tell me to go jogging every morning? I went jogging!”