Love Contract

William's expression was unreadable as he considered Mary's request. "How many days do you plan to be gone?"

"A week," she replied.

He shook his head. "You have five days," he said coldly.

"Five days?" Mary repeated, frowning. 'It will take me a whole day just to get there, then another day to return... what can I do in such a short time? Five days isn't enough,' she thought. She stared at William, wondering what she could say to persuade him to let her leave for a week.

As though he could read her mind, William spoke again, forestalling any objection. "This is not a negotiation. You have five days. End of discussion."

"But-"

"Or maybe you don't want to go back at all," William interrupted.

"All right, all right," Mary said, deciding it was time to retreat. "Five days."

She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. It seemed she had no choice but to compromise in her battle with the CEO.

"When will you come back?" he asked.

Mary mentally counted the days. "Tuesday." William shook his head again.

"That won't do. Be back by Monday night," he said. His tone left no room for argument.

"What?" Mary exclaimed. She looked upset. "It will take me one day to go home!" she said. "Now I have only four days instead of five?" William's face was implacable. "I need your cooperation on Tuesday."

Mary sighed. "I know.

All right, I'll return on Monday night." William turned away from her, effectively ending the conversation. "That's all. You can leave now." "Yes, sir," said Mary. With a dejected air, she left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her, William picked up the landline phone on the table. He dialed.

"Hello? Manager Lin, I need to speak with you," he said.

"Boss?" said the alert voice on the other end of the line. "What do you need? Do you have instructions for me?" William said, "Yes. What's Victor's upcoming schedule?"

"Oh, Victor is going to Z City to attend a fan meeting over the next few days," replied Manager Lin.

"Has he already left for Z City?" asked William, unable to conceal a note of anxiety.

"Ah, let me check," said Manager Lin. He was a little confused. Since when did the CEO care about such trifles? After a moment, Manager Lin said, "Yes, boss. His flight left this morning." "Fine. Thanks for letting me know," said William. He hung up the phone without waiting for Manager Lin's answer.

He stood and paced the room. 'It's too late to stop them now,' he thought. 'Did Mary choose these days on purpose, so she and Victor would be in Z City at the same time? Or is this truly by chance?' The next morning, carrying her suitcase, Mary went to the hospital. Then she hurried to catch the train home.

As she traveled home, she thought about her past. The family was broken. Two years ago, her father had sold virtually everything of any value that he could get his hands on. Indeed, if it wasn't for the fact that it was her mother's name on the certificate of ownership, he would have sold their house-her childhood home-as well. If her father had succeeded in selling the house, she reflected glumly, she wouldn't even have a place to call home.

The train pulled to a stop, and she got off. As soon as she stepped onto the platform, she felt a wave of heat.

There were people waiting outside the train station-not for loved ones, but for customers. As soon as Mary emerged from the exit, she was surrounded by people calling out to her.

"Miss, would you like to book a room? It's very cheap," said a man eagerly, waving a pamphlet with room rates in her face.

"My taxi's over there. Do you need a ride? Better to ride now than to wait around in this heat," said another man.

"Are you a visitor here? Where are you going? Would you like to join a guided tour and see some of our most scenic locations?" offered someone else.

Mary refused all of them except the taxi driver. She did feel somewhat like an outsider, having left home a few years ago, but she definitely didn't need a room or a tour.

What she did need was a ride. When she was about to get into a taxi, to her surprise, three men in black suits and sunglasses suddenly walked up to her, preventing her from getting in. They looked like bodyguards. Mary stepped back, a bit frightened. Onlookers stopped to watch what was happening. Mary clutched her bag as the three men came closer to her. "Who are you?" she asked. "What do you want? I think you have the wrong person..."

All three bodyguards bowed slightly to her. One of them said, "Madam, we were sent to provide security for you. You're Mrs. Lan, right?"

Mary nodded without thinking. The corners of her mouth twitched. "William sent you?" she said.

"Yes, madam." One of the bodyguards stepped forward. "Madam, please allow us to escort you to our car. We will drive you to your destination."

'Is this for real?' Mary thought. With a faint, apologetic smile at the nonplussed taxi driver, she allowed herself to be led off by her new bodyguards. They took her suitcase and carried it for her.

As they walked, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Have you met up with the bodyguards?"

On the other end of the line, William sounded calm, unaware of the fright he'd given her.

"Yes," she said uncertainly.

"Have you gotten into the car yet?"

"No... I didn't realize you had sent a car." "Of course," he said brusquely. "After all, the public knows you as my wife."

"Well," said Mary. "All right. Thanks." Without another word, William hung up.

The dial tone sounded in Mary's ear.

Mary was startled. "Hello? Hello? William, are you still there?"

But there was no answer. William really had hung up on her.

For a moment, she was slightly annoyed by his rudeness in not even saying goodbye. Then she realized that the bodyguards surrounding her had stopped walking.

"Madam, shall we get in the car?" said one of the bodyguards respectfully.

"Okay," she said. The first bodyguard got into the driver's seat. The second one opened the door for her and helped her get in, while the third one stowed her luggage in the trunk of the car. She couldn't suppress the small grin on her face. So this was the treatment that could be expected by the CEO's wife!

Mary sat in the spacious interior of the car, looking around. She tried engaging the bodyguards in conversation, but they were scrupulously polite and distant. They never said anything besides "Yes, madam" or "No, madam." The scenery rushed by outside the car window. Suddenly, Mary leaned forward as she caught sight of a huge billboard featuring Victor's face, plastered on the side of the International Trade Building.

The billboard announced that a fan event for Victor would be held at the International Trade Building from August 20th to 23rd. Mary brought out her phone, then hesitated.

'Does this mean Victor is also in Z City now?' she thought. 'Should I call him?'

"Madam, where should we take you?" asked the driver.

Mary's attention returned to the bodyguards. "Keep driving, and turn left at the next intersection," she instructed.

"Yes, madam."

As they drove, the road became increasingly rugged. They were leaving the city and heading into the countryside. She glanced at the three men in the car with her, hoping they wouldn't be too uncomfortable. 'Maybe they've never been to the countryside. I hope they don't mind staying in such a remote place,' she thought.

After another half hour of driving, they finally arrived at the small village where Mary used to live.

She gazed out at the laughing children, smiling fondly. She no longer recognized any of the faces, but their laughter was the same.

"Madam, where exactly do you live?" asked the driver, slowing down.

"Oh, it's not far," said Mary with a smile. "You should stop here, though, and find a good spot to park. The road gets quite narrow and rough further along. I don't think this car can even fit."

The bodyguards hesitated. One of them said, "Boss was very clear that we were to accompany you to your doorstep..."

"It's not far," Mary repeated. With a pleasant but firm smile, she opened the door and got out of the car. "Please stop the car here and I will go on ahead."

She marched to the trunk of the car and pulled out her suitcase. Then she began walking along the road, not bothering to check if the bodyguards were following her or not.

She saw the familiar house and her footsteps quickened. She stopped at the doorstep, wiping the sweat from her face.

"Ah, it's Mary!" Mary turned at the sound of the familiar, booming voice.

"Uncle Ban!" she cried. She waved joyfully at her neighbor, Uncle Ban, who was walking towards his own nearby house with a hoe over his shoulder. "It's been a while!" she called out. "It has," Uncle Ban agreed. "What brings you back here? Is everything okay with your family?" He had an affectionate expression on his wrinkly face, which made Mary smile.

"Yeah, everything's fine," she assured him. "How are you, Uncle Ban? How's Auntie Bonnie?"

"It's still the same. Mary, you know things don't change much around here. How's your mother?"

"She is still in the hospital," Mary admitted. Uncle Ban sighed.

"Ah, Mary, you must be tired. Go on inside and get some rest," said Uncle Ban sympathetically.

"Okay, thank you," Mary said, smiling at him.

"Uncle Ban, it's so good to see you!" "You too, Mary."

"You should go home now too, and give my regards to Auntie Bonnie," she said. "I'll do that," he promised.

Uncle Ban turned away and continued to walk down the bumpy road, clutching his hoe. Mary watched him go with a faint smile on her face.

Then, taking a deep breath, she fished out her old key and unlocked the front door. She pushed it open and walked in. Everything was the same as it had been when she left, yet everything was also different. 'For one thing,' she thought ruefully, 'my family has changed. And I have changed, too. I'm not the same person I used to be.'

She glanced around her at the thick layer of dust that covered the furniture and the floor, wrinkling her nose.

The rooms of the house were almost empty, since her father had sold everything. There was only an old TV in the living room, and a hard bed without bed sheets in the bedroom. Fortunately, it was summertime, so she wouldn't need blankets.

Mary stowed away her suitcase and started to clean the house. Later, she ran over to Uncle Ban's house next door to ask for some hot water to make noodles. Then she dragged the TV into the bedroom. She turned it on then sat on the bed with her noodles.

The TV screen was scratched and the signal was not very strong, but at least there was the sound of human voices to accompany Mary inside the lonely old house.

The steaming instant noodles roused her appetite. While she was eating, her mobile phone rang.

She picked up without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Mary, it's me," said a deep voice.

"Victor," she said, startled. "Why are you calling?" She checked the time. "You should be at the fans event right now!" "Oh, you know about that?" he said lightly. Mary couldn't see it, but she could have sworn Victor was smiling.

"I'm here, but we're on a break for a few minutes before the event resumes," he explained. "So... why are you calling?" Mary asked again. She put down her bowl of noodles and stood up, holding the phone to

her ear.

"Well, I wanted to see how you're doing. Are you busy with work? I hope you're not too tired."

"I'm not working," Mary said. She smiled

mischievously and added, "Guess where I am."

"At home?" he said. "Are you sick?" He sounded worried.

"No," said Mary, laughing. She paused for suspense, then said, "I'm in Z City."

"Really?" he said. He sounded genuinely surprised. After a pause, he teased, "Did you come here to chase after me?"

Mary laughed again. "Keep dreaming! No, Z City is where I used to live. I grew up here. I just came home."

Victor immediately got excited. "It seems that I'm in your territory," he said. "You must be a good host and show me around. Or at the very least, invite me to your home!"

"Forget it," said Mary quickly. "My home is actually in the countryside, not the city. There's nothing to see here. Don't bother coming."

"It doesn't matter. I just want to have a look," Victor persisted.

"Don't you have a tight schedule? How do you have the time to visit my house?" she asked. She sat back down on the bed and picked up her noodles again, trying to eat with one hand while holding on to the phone with the other.

"I always have time for you," Victor said grandly. "How many days will you be staying here?"

"Four days."

"Okay, I'll call you later, I need to go now. See you soon! Bye."

"I haven't agreed to see you," Mary said, but only the dial tone could be heard. Victor had hung up.

Annoyed, Mary tossed down her phone on the bed. Why wouldn't anyone let her speak before hanging up on her?

She finished eating the noodles. Her purpose in coming home this week was to check on the fragrans trees her family had planted near the edge of the lot. Although that part of the land had been sold off by her, she was sure it would be okay to go and have a look.

She wanted to take some photos for her mother, and then bring some fragrans back. After she had put away her empty bowl, she called the new owner of the fragrans trees. The man was very enthusiastic. He said that the fragrans flowers were in full bloom now and that she could take a look whenever she wanted. Mary was delighted and thanked him profusely.

Mary slipped on her shoes and went outside to look at the fragrans trees.

Fragrans flowers bloomed in August, and the fragrance spread across the clear, open air.

Even before she saw the fragrans trees, she could smell the lovely scent.

It brought back a lot of memories. When she closed her eyes, she could see herself as a young child, running and laughing in this land.

Her phone rang, snapping her out of her reverie.

She glanced at the screen. It was Victor. "Hello?'1

"Where are you?" Victor asked without preamble. Mary smiled.

"I'm in the most beautiful place on Earth," she said softly. "Oh?" Victor sounded intrigued.

"Can I join you there?" Mary hesitated, then made up her mind.

"Yes, of course," she said. "If you have time and if you can find a way to get here, go ahead. I'll wait for you for half an hour." Victor said quickly, "Okay, no problem. Just wait for me there."