Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 13 - The Lovesickness of the Social Elite

June 27, 2025 Oyen 0 Comments

Happy Reading~

Chapter 13: The Lovesickness of the Social Elite

 

Hotel, Business Suite.

 

Wen Shuchen sat on the leather sofa in the center of the room. After liking He Qingchi’s WeChat Moments post, he held his phone and stared at the screen in silence for a while, until Shao Qixiu, across from him, flicked his lighter shut, tossed both it and his cigarette pack onto the coffee table, and broke the silence with his voice.

 

“That girl surnamed He—have you gotten her yet?”

 

Wen Shuchen’s hand paused. He looked up to meet Shao Qixiu’s half-amused, half-mocking gaze.

 

After a moment, his normally calm, low voice carried a rare hint of hesitation. “Not yet.”

 

It was rare to see his friend go to such lengths to pursue a woman—sinking capital, no less—so Shao Qixiu became intrigued. “Come on, tell me—what about her got to that monk-like heart of yours that’s always indifferent to women?”

 

Wen Shuchen didn’t answer.

 

Shao Qixiu gave a low chuckle. “Don’t tell me you’ve turned into one of those innocent boys, believing in love at first sight?”

 

In his view, so-called love at first sight was just men being seduced by a woman’s looks. Even someone as composed and elite as Wen Shuchen—the crown jewel of Jiangcheng’s upper crust—couldn’t avoid falling for a woman one day.

 

Wen Shuchen stared pensively at his phone, repeatedly scrolling through He Qingchi’s feed.

 

She wasn’t like other girls who liked to post about their daily life. Even with her Moments set to be visible for six months instead of just three days, there was very little to glean about her.

 

But he wanted to know more.

 

“You mean you want to know her body?” Shao Qixiu asked suddenly, his tone laced with innuendo.

 

Wen Shuchen buried his thoughts deep and calmly denied it: “I’m not like you. In my eyes, she’s an uncarved jade—pure and flawless.”

 

Shao Qixiu, always generous with women and surrounded by them, clearly operated differently. He stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray, speaking indifferently: “Come on, we’re all men. Don’t say things meant to fool women. Can you honestly say you feel no physical desire for her?”

 

Wen Shuchen’s gaze returned to his screen, still hoping she’d post something new.

 

As he mulled over his feelings, this time it was he who spoke first: “The night she ran into me, I already wanted her to know who I was.”

 

That was why he had handed her his business card.

 

And He Qingchi did reach out that night—he just hadn’t figured out how to respond to her message.

 

“Then you’d better make sure no one else finds out that you fell for her because she bumped into you. Otherwise, every woman in Jiangcheng will be lining up to crash into you too.”

 

Wen Shuchen listened to Shao Qixiu’s teasing, but continued thoughtfully: “The next day, when I saw her in the private room at Yidianchun, I had the idea… of marrying her.”

 

This wasn’t a joke.

 

Wen Shuchen’s handsome profile was bathed in the night light spilling in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. When he spoke of He Qingchi, even his usual low, reserved tone carried warmth: “She’s twenty-three, old enough to marry. I just wonder if I’d scare her by proposing out of nowhere.”

 

Shao Qixiu’s face went flat. “...You think?”

 

He didn’t want to crush his friend’s hopes, but if Wen Shuchen suddenly proposed, that girl might recommend he get checked at a psychiatric hospital.

 

“I’ve never been close to a woman. I don’t know how to develop a relationship,” Wen Shuchen admitted, eyes turning toward Shao Qixiu for once, revealing a rare vulnerability. “She seems… afraid to be around me.”

 

“How do you know she’s afraid?”

 

“She hasn’t contacted me in two days.” That was partly why he had given in tonight and liked her post, mulling over whether to send a message.

 

But then he remembered she was joining the film crew tomorrow and decided not to disturb her rest.

 

Shao Qixiu lazily lit another cigarette. “Let me teach you a trick, brother.”

 

Wen Shuchen was open to advice and listened seriously.

 

“Find out exactly which He family she’s from. Then have the Wen family pay a formal visit with a betrothal gift and lock down the marriage.”

 

It was a brutally direct tactic. “That way, she becomes yours. Wouldn’t she have to sweetly greet you morning and night after that?”

 

Wen Shuchen’s gaze darkened slightly, and the curve of his lips flattened.

 

He rose from the sofa, stepping out of Shao Qixiu’s line of sight.

 

The living room fell silent for a moment. Then he spoke in a low voice, emotion hard to read: “The He family—inside and out—won’t accept me that easily.”

 

“From Yancheng, that He family?”

 

Shao Qixiu flicked the ash from his cigarette, squinting. “Which ranking on the list caught your eye?”

 

Wen Shuchen slowly turned, meeting his gaze squarely. “The one you’re thinking of.”

 

This time, Shao Qixiu didn’t laugh so easily. “The He family has always been far more meticulous in grooming their heiresses than any other elite clan. And that CEO who runs the family? He’s a famously overprotective girl-dad. You and her… there’s no way.”

 

Wen Shuchen’s brows knit slightly. He lost interest in continuing the conversation.

 

Then he began to see his guest out.

 

Shao Qixiu didn’t bother staying. As he left, he scoffed, “What, you think snapping at me will help? Unless you think if I say ‘May you and He Qingchi live happily ever after,’ it’ll actually—”

 

Before he could finish, the suite door closed in his face—courtesy of Wen Shuchen himself.

 

With the unpleasant noise gone, even the air seemed fresher.

 

At least, it no longer reeked of smoke.

 

Wen Shuchen quietly returned to the master bedroom.

 

A white embroidered dress shirt lay folded neatly on a chair, quietly resting there.

 

His pale, slender hand picked it up. As the silk brushed against his fingertips, it felt soft—like a woman’s snowy skin. A faint, lingering fragrance drifted up.

 

The collar of the shirt carried a faint trace of a woman’s fragrance.

 

Wen Shuchen had a sensitive sense of smell, and he couldn’t help but recall how He Qingchi had repeatedly told him to wash it before wearing.

 

He fell into thought. In that moment, he felt—

 

Maybe He Qingchi had some feelings for him too.

 

*

In the days that followed, He Qingchi, who had joined the film crew, had no idea what was going through the man’s mind.

 

If she could turn back time, she would have destroyed that shirt without a second thought.

 

But things had come to this, and she could only comfort herself.

 

A perfectionist like Wen Shuchen was probably also a serious clean freak. He’d definitely wash the shirt before wearing it. As for the fact that she had used it as a nightshirt for two nights… well, that little secret could go with her to the grave in sixty or seventy years.

 

As for the film crew, the movie was being shot in a closed set in Hengdian.

 

The filming had already been delayed twice because the female lead hadn’t joined the crew on time, so this time, Director Guo kept a tight schedule. Even though He Qingchi wanted to commute between the set and her apartment, after less than three days, her body gave out.

 

So, she reluctantly compromised and stayed in a nearby hotel with a few other actors.

 

After half a month of filming, she had become friendly with the male lead, Duan Jinfan. He was a newly popular actor with a clean-cut, elegant appearance that had recently become beloved by female fans online. He didn’t have any celebrity airs—but he was a bit of a mama’s boy and always brought his mother along to set.

 

His mother was constantly on guard, afraid He Qingchi would use tricks to gain popularity and officially debut by creating buzz before the film even wrapped.

 

So on the very first day of filming, she knocked on He Qingchi’s dressing room door and subtly implied she didn’t want her getting too close to her son off-set.

 

He Qingchi had neither an assistant with her nor her manager Li Ling around.

 

The other actresses on set were itching to steal scenes from the female lead and had already taken her as their imaginary enemy…

 

Under those circumstances, even though He Qingchi suspected she was being deliberately isolated, she actually enjoyed the freedom.

 

At least she didn’t have to deal with irrelevant people.

 

One weekend afternoon, after finishing a scene, He Qingchi was still wearing her blue cheongsam and hadn’t changed out yet. She stayed in the makeup room, lazily fanning herself with a folding fan while waiting for the makeup artist to touch her up for the next scene.

 

Duan Jinfan suddenly walked in, still in costume.

 

“God Duan, this is the ladies’ dressing room. Wrong door,” He Qingchi said with a soft laugh.

 

Duan Jinfan replied, “Looking for you.”

 

He Qingchi paused mid-fan: “Did your mom approve before you came?”

 

She really didn’t want another knock at the door.

 

Duan Jinfan had been teased by He Qingchi more than once for being unable to leave his mother’s side, so he didn’t mind anymore.

 

He also guessed that she was probably still annoyed about his mother’s warning, so he played along and joked: “Director Guo replaced the second female lead.”

 

He Qingchi immediately grew serious, frowning slightly: “Why?”

 

“That’s what I came to tell you,” Duan Jinfan said, lowering his voice as if he were delivering a secret. “Someone parachuted into the role. The assistant director’s already begun altering the cheongsam design this morning—says they all need to be long ones now.”

 

Besides, not every character in a Republican-era film needs to wear a cheongsam, so it wasn’t too late to change the casting now.

 

He Qingchi felt a twitch at her temple, a vague sense of unease creeping up.

 

“I heard she even brought the screenwriter with her…” Duan Jinfan sounded like he was tattling, trying to give her a heads-up.

 

He Qingchi’s smile faded. She lowered her fan. “Must be that Movie Queen Shu again.”

 

“Oh? You already knew, Xiao He?”

 

Just then, Director Guo pushed open the door, catching the tail end of her calm remark.

 

And he wasn’t alone.

 

He Qingchi stood quietly against the makeup table in her dark blue embroidered cheongsam, her gaze falling on the pair walking in, surrounded by crew members. They looked… remarkably well-matched.

 

“Xiao He, let me formally introduce you,” Director Guo beamed with pride. “This is Movie Queen Shu. She’ll be taking over the role of the second female lead. You’ll have a lot of scenes together, so I hope you get along.”

 

Movie Queen Shu turned her gaze to He Qingchi, her refined features curving into a flawless smile. “Hello, I’m Shu Tongyi. Looks like we’ll be working together from now on.”

 

He Qingchi met her eyes. After a beat, her lips curled slightly in a symbolic smile. “Hello.”

 

Then Director Guo, brimming with enthusiasm, introduced the other person. “And this is President Wen, our film’s investor.”

 

He Qingchi’s gaze shifted. A surge of emotion suddenly rose in her chest.

 

In front of everyone in the dressing room, she acted as if she didn’t recognize Wen Shuchen. She politely extended her hand. “President Wen, nice to meet you.”

 

Wen Shuchen looked at her pale, porcelain-like hand, then at her deliberately averted gaze. The look in his eyes subtly shifted.

 

He Qingchi kept her hand extended for a moment. The atmosphere turned strangely tense.

 

Duan Jinfan, ever the one to step up and defuse awkward moments, moved forward—trying to grab her hand first while smoothing things over: “President Wen, I’ve heard so much about you… I was just telling Qingchi how brilliant the investor behind this film must be.”

 

He finished his line, but before he could touch He Qingchi’s hand, someone beat him to it.

 

Wen Shuchen stepped past Duan Jinfan, his long, pale fingers reaching toward He Qingchi’s hand—about to return the handshake…

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