Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 4 - In front of the woman, Wen Shuchen closed the menu that held the hotel room key card
Chapter 4: In front of the woman, Wen Shuchen closed the menu that held the hotel room key card
He Qingchi's thick eyelashes lowered slightly, her gaze fixed on the phone screen. Soon after, her ears visibly began to turn red.
If she had known things would become this awkward, even if it meant shoving Qin Chuan back into the womb to start over, she absolutely wouldn't have let that guy grab her phone last night and send that ridiculous message to Wen Shuchen asking him out for dinner.
She seemed to be reading into Wen Shuchen's reply, though she wasn’t sure, afraid it was just wishful thinking.
Thinking about it, she had crashed into his car and sent a message to reach out—technically, it wasn’t a big deal. It was a clean, innocent situation. But somehow Wen Shuchen's ambiguous attitude made it feel far more complicated.
Neither of them spoke, and the silence grew awkward. Fortunately, the real owner of the private room didn’t pry, merely cast a knowing smile toward Wen Shuchen.
Sometimes between men, a single look could communicate everything.
“President Fu, this is Miss He, the female lead in one of the films under your investment. She came to discuss business,” Wen Shuchen said calmly, his expression entirely proper.
President Fu hadn’t expected it was about him. He glanced at his luxury watch and—whether intentionally or not—made no effort to entertain He Qingchi. He brushed her off casually: “Miss He, I already have plans tonight. If you’d like to discuss something, please schedule an appointment with my secretary another day.”
In the world of capital, the investors were king. As someone with no power, He Qingchi had no choice but to accept it.
Just as she took the business card from President Fu, he turned to Wen Shuchen with a meaningful tone: “Shuchen, help me see the guest out.”
“......”
He Qingchi’s fingers clenched around the business card. She wanted to hand it right back.
***
After leaving the ‘A Hint of Spring’ private room, He Qingchi’s mind felt blank.
Previously, she had assumed Wen Shuchen didn’t reply to her message because he wanted nothing to do with the reckless person who had crashed into him—aside from handling compensation. But now, that didn’t seem to be the case.
The night wind tousled her long hair as she finally came to her senses. Her dark eyes blinked, and she turned to look at the strikingly handsome man beside her.
They couldn’t just keep standing by the roadside forever. Even if she didn’t want to bring up what happened at the club, she hadn’t forgotten she’d hit his car. She breathed crisp air, lifted her lips, and said, “Mr. Wen, I’m really sorry about the accident last night. When you’re free, I’d like to treat you to a meal.”
She fully intended to push the responsibility onto Qin Chuan—whoever sent the message should be the one to go on the date.
Wen Shuchen was tall and slender, looking down at her as he said, “Miss He, no need to be so polite. I happen to be free tonight.”
He Qingchi tilted her head to look at him for a moment, then deliberately looked away. Wen Shuchen’s deep gaze made her feel nervous. Clearing her throat, she said, “My stomach’s pretty delicate. I’m not used to food outside, and I can’t think of a suitable restaurant right now. Maybe we can reschedule?”
Even if it was an excuse, she said it earnestly. “I wasn’t thoughtful enough…”
Wen Shuchen didn’t call her out. His deep eyes remained calm, his tone gentle as he followed her lead: “There’s no need to blame yourself. I happen to know a private kitchen nearby. The food is quite good. Do you have any dietary restrictions?”
“I said I’d treat you. This doesn’t seem right,” He Qingchi felt a bit suffocated but still tried to hold on to her pride.
Wen Shuchen pulled out his phone to check the time. Despite his sharp, meticulous nature, he intentionally ignored her attempt to back out. His voice was mild: “It’ll only take five minutes to get there. Why not talk as we walk?”
They were already going there—what more was there to talk about?
He Qingchi met his gaze and kept her thoughts buried in her throat. She was starting to realize that dealing with someone like Wen Shuchen required her to be at full capacity every moment, and even then, she might still be outmatched.
After a second of silence—
She put on a signature smile: “Then I’ll be shameless and take advantage of your generosity this once, Mr. Wen.”
——
Wen Shuchen led her around the corner of the street, through a bustling crowd, and into a quiet alley. Just as he said, five minutes later, they arrived at a private kitchen restaurant.
Instead of the restaurant owner, a young male secretary came out to greet them.
He Qingchi was surprised. Once inside, she saw a group of suited men with an elite aura sitting around the sofas on the first floor. They didn’t look like regular diners, but more like Wen Shuchen’s professional team.
None of them looked directly at her, remaining politely restrained—but she still felt uncomfortable.
Wen Shuchen seemed to sense her unease and gently guided her upstairs with a courteous demeanor.
They hadn’t formally introduced themselves yet. Their interaction always felt like there was an invisible layer between them. Still, Wen Shuchen remained respectful, even thoughtfully pulling out her chair. His conversational style kept things from getting awkward: “The chef here can make anything. What would you like to eat?”
He Qingchi had lied earlier about her picky stomach.
Still, her appetite had never been great, so she didn’t make a fuss: “Let’s just go with the restaurant’s signature dishes.”
Wen Shuchen went downstairs to give instructions and returned three minutes later. He then asked, “What would you like to drink?”
He didn’t offer alcohol and added considerately, “Or perhaps fresh juice?”
Seeing how thorough and attentive he was, He Qingchi started feeling a bit embarrassed.
Once the dishes were served and Wen Shuchen was seated—
She looked at him with her clear, bright eyes and asked, “About your car’s repair cost…”
Wen Shuchen’s calm gaze met hers as he smiled slightly. “There’s no rush for that.”
Paying back debts is a matter of principle—how could it not be urgent?
He Qingchi didn’t want to owe him anything. Even if it emptied her savings, she could manage the repair bill.
But Wen Shuchen clearly intended for her to owe him. Before she could reply, a knock came at the door.
It was the same young secretary from earlier.
He Qingchi saw the young man hand Wen Shuchen a menu and assumed it was to order more dishes, so she casually looked away, not paying much attention.
Over on that side, after handing over the menu, Song Chao leaned in and whispered, “President Wen, take a look.”
Wen Shuchen glanced sideways at his odd expression, opened the menu—and his slender fingers froze for a moment.
He looked up to see Song Chao grinning broadly, flashing a neat row of white teeth. After silently hinting at something with that smile, Song Chao left the second floor, clearly quite pleased with himself.
“Your secretary looks so happy,” He Qingchi commented. The private kitchen’s food really suited her taste, so she was finally in the mood to exchange a few words with Wen Shuchen.
Wen Shuchen’s expression remained calm. In front of her, without a change in demeanor, he quietly closed the menu—inside of which was tucked a hotel room keycard.
He stood up and casually placed it on the windowsill.
“Was that a smile? He’s about to lose this month’s salary. What’s there to smile about?”
“He was definitely smiling,” He Qingchi said. She wasn’t blind, after all.
Wen Shuchen said nothing, but after a brief pause, he instructed someone downstairs to bring up a pot of tea.
Once again, the one who entered was Song Chao.
He Qingchi set down her chopsticks, propping her cheek with one hand, watching the young secretary’s brilliant smile. She couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. What a great attitude—he’s getting his pay docked and still smiling like that.
Song Chao handed a cup of tea to Wen Shuchen with both hands, looking like he was about to hint at something again—only to be cut off by Wen Shuchen: “You can go now.”
“......”
The door opened, then quietly closed again.
He Qingchi watched the cheerful secretary get dismissed and felt a bit regretful. Having a third person around would be better than sitting here awkwardly alone with him…
After all, she had nothing to talk about with Wen Shuchen. Now that she was full, her eyes started wandering around the room.
Then, she noticed Wen Shuchen raising his teacup—only to pause mid-motion.
“Too hot?”
She asked out of concern.
Wen Shuchen still held the cup midair, his expression unreadable. His eyes swept over the tray beneath the cup, where a thin, small square object lay. His lips pressed into a flat line as he set the cup down again—only to find the woman sitting across from him staring straight at him with her dark eyes.
From her angle, He Qingchi hadn’t seen much.
What caught her eye was the red thread bracelet with a small Buddhist bead peeking out from under the cuff of Wen Shuchen’s shirt. The bead wasn’t large, but it was translucent and lustrous.
Wen Shuchen noticed her curiosity and held out the bracelet to her. “Do you like this?”
His expression was calm, voice low and rich, but there was a hint of deliberate coaxing in it. He Qingchi didn’t overthink it—she simply reached out her pale hand to take it. The bead still held a trace of his warmth, now transferred to her fingertips.
She lowered her head and toyed with it. Under the soft light, her black, silk-like hair shimmered, and her exposed profile was delicate and pure.
She looked very young—like a child, easily distracted with just a little coaxing.
Wen Shuchen’s gaze lingered for two seconds before he collected himself and stood. “Excuse me for a moment.”
He Qingchi didn’t ask what he was going downstairs for. She just watched him take the cup of untouched tea and walk away. In a blink, his tall and composed figure vanished through the doorway.
The Buddhist bead slipped between her fingers—it now carried a trace of her own warmth.
—
Just as Wen Shuchen left, He Qingchi dropped her calm expression, whipped out her phone, and sent a WeChat message to Qin Chuan for help: [Daddy Qin! Where are you??]
When I need him, he's Daddy. When I don’t, he's just a mutt…
Qin Chuan replied, shameless as ever: [What’s up, baby girl?]
He Qingchi briefly explained running into Wen Shuchen at the club tonight, skipping the embarrassing part about mistaking the wrong investor, and got to the point: [I was just trying to be polite, throw in a little social grace—and he actually took it seriously. We’ve just about finished eating, and the atmosphere is super awkward. Daddy Qin, if you don’t come pick me up, what if he makes a move on me or something?]
Qin Chuan: [WTF! Don’t flatter yourself!]
He Qingchi: “……”
A few seconds later, Qin Chuan sent a long voice message: “Young lady, what the hell have you been fantasizing about tonight? Snap out of it! Doesn’t Wen Shuchen know the investor for your film? You want to win him over, right? And here’s this perfect opportunity to get closer to someone in the inner circle—and you’re obsessing over whether the most eligible bachelor in the city wants to sleep with you tonight.”
“Tch. If it were me—”
Completely ignoring his own dignity, he added with zero shame: “I’d just play the palace maid and serve the bed already!”
Any sense of pride was stomped on and dragged across the floor.
He Qingchi’s phone slipped from her fingers and landed on the table.
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