Contract Marriage

Chapter 11

T/n: words written in bold during conversations are to show the use of the  same character in the original.
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At noon, Han Yang was roused from sleep by an incoming call. The one contacting him was HeLian Qing, who then informed him that his lunch had already arrived at the entrance, and for him to open the door to accept it.

Han Yang hung up the phone, immediately heading to the entryway. There, just as expected, he saw someone waiting with a small box of food in their hand. However, the clothes that person wore did not appear to be the ones worn by a delivery worker but rather those of an office worker.

"Hello, are you Mr. Han Yang? I'm Xiao Chen. The Boss told me to deliver this meal to you. "The other guy informed Han Yang courteously.
[T/n: Boss was originally in English.]
　
"I am." Han Yang took the small box of food, "I'm sorry for troubling you."

"You don't need to be, I'll leave first then." Xiao Chen left right after he finished speaking.

After he descended from the apartment building, Xiao Chen called HeLian Qing to report the completion of his mission. When the call ended, he looked back to gaze at the towering building behind him and thought, It turns out there's already a Mrs. Boss!

Mrs. Boss is a man! He looks so small!!!

Han Yang was unaware of Xiao Chen's thoughts so he had simply taken the food back into the house. Having opened the box, he discovered there were quite a few side dishes inside besides the congee. Each of those sides were kept in separate thermal containers to keep them warm, so upon him opening them, they would still be steaming hot.

At the sight of his lunch spread out atop the dining room table, Han Yang, for the very first time, was overtaken by an urge to call HeLian Qing. He suddenly really wanted to hear that man's voice. Just as a bit of hesitation held him, a phone rang beside him, on it's screen was the display of just three little characters ----He Lian Qing.

Han Yang softly whispered that name, before he answered the call, saying, "Hello."

"Have you eaten?" The man's voice flowed from the other end of the line, accompanied by the sound of rustling papers."

"I'm about to." Han Yang replied, "What about you, are you still working?"

"If I don't work how am I going to support you?" HeLian Qing said, responding to the boy's question with his own.
　　
"……You don't need to raise me, I'm a grown up too." Han Yang explained.

"Really?" HeLian Qing paused momentarily, "So are you blaming me for not coming to fetch you earlier and bring you back with me as a child-bride?"

"How could that be possible?" Han Yang was now convinced of that man's ability to distort his meanings.

"What are you pointlessly fretting over? Even though I didn't get to look after you as you grew up, I promise I'll take care of you, always." HeLian Qing said in reply.

"……You really are too much." Though Han Yang responded that way, the corners of his lips did lift themselves ever so slightly.

"Alright, dinner will be delivered too, okay. I still have some business to take care of so I'm hanging up." HeLian Qing explained just as he was about to end the call.
　
"Hold on!" Han Yang quickly called out to stop him.

"What is it?" HeLian Qing asked.

"……Order yourself something to eat earlier too... goodbye."Han Yang uttered before rushing to hang up the phone.

At the end of the line, HeLian Qing released a gentle hum. His eyes had within them an almost imperceptible smile, not minding at all that Han Yang had cut off the call before him.