Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 28 - Married the Best
Chapter 28: Married the Best
He Qingchi had originally planned to return to Yancheng but hadn’t made a move yet—when the He family sent someone to pick her up.
She had already asked the director for a few days off in advance. Without even packing her things at the hotel, she left the Hengdian film set. The car ride took over four hours, accompanied on either side by two bodyguards dressed in black suits, buzz cuts, and expressionless faces—so serious they looked like members of the mafia. Not a word was spoken.
He Qingchi quietly gazed out the car window at the swiftly passing scenery. Through the glass, she could faintly make out her own reflection. She was still wearing the bright red gown that Wen Shuchen had prepared for her. Her skin looked overly fair against it, and though she had no makeup on, her complexion wasn’t bad.
She thought to herself: Not too miserable-looking for someone returning from Jiangcheng.
Raising a hand, her fingers absentmindedly combed through her long hair.
By the time she arrived in Yancheng, it was already 9 p.m. As the car slowly pulled into the familiar courtyard, warm light from the lanterns hanging from the porch and street lamps glowed softly under the dark night sky.
She got out of the car and had barely approached the main hall when she heard her father’s booming voice speaking with someone.
—“My daughter’s home?”
—“Quick, reheat the dishes and bring them out to warm her stomach. Is the chicken soup ready?”
—“She’s had a weak appetite since she was a kid. Four hours on the road, she definitely didn’t eat much…”
At that moment, He Qingchi walked into the hall.
Her father’s aged eyes lit up. Seeing his precious daughter, he opened his arms and stepped toward her. “Dad missed you so mu—”
He Qingchi dodged the hug and went straight to the couch to sit down.
Her father pulled a long face, seeing that she didn’t care to greet him. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the glamorous female secretary beside him.
Yao Jing immediately understood and stepped forward to smooth things over. “Miss He, the chairman pushed aside three important meetings tonight just to come home early and wait for you. He even personally oversaw the entire dinner menu—it’s all your favorites. He’s been waiting with an empty stomach.”
He Qingchi lifted her lashes slightly and looked over… Her father quickly put on the doting smile of a loving father. “It’s okay if I skip a meal, as long as my daughter doesn’t go hungry.”
Seriously.
Old as he was, still so sappy.
He Qingchi didn’t stay cold-faced for long. She stood and walked with her father to the dining area, where the table was set with a hearty meal—everything she used to eat at home.
Everyone in the He family knew she didn’t have a strong appetite.
Even if she just picked at a few bites with her chopsticks, no one would say she was spoiled or hard to please.
Her father, the ever-worried dad, rolled up his sleeves and served her a bowl of chicken soup, even added a chicken leg. “What kind of life have you been living in Jiangcheng? Look at you, your face is so thin you don’t even have a double chin.”
He Qingchi sipped the soup and already felt overwhelmed. She rinsed her mouth with the tea before speaking. “Dad, your taste is really double standard. You pick secretaries with slim waists and long legs, but your daughter can’t be a little skinny?”
She was talking about Yao Jing, her father’s personal secretary.
She’d been around for four or five years, crafty but well-mannered—familiar to the He family.
But at the end of the day, a secretary is still just a secretary. If she was after money, fine. But if she was after status—dream on.
Since she was young, He Qingchi had refused to let any of her father’s women become her so-called stepmother. If any of them wanted to break the rules, they could try having a daughter to replace her first.
Her father doted on her completely. Whatever she said was right—he followed her blindly.
“Back then I had a fortune-teller check your birth chart. Jiangcheng’s feng shui doesn’t suit you.”
He Qingchi stopped eating and dabbed her lips with a napkin. “You’ve been saying that for half your life. I haven’t fallen ill or anything, have I?”
Her father widened his eyes. “Then if I don’t let you marry into Jiangcheng, will you listen?”
He Qingchi propped her chin on her hand and stared at her father curiously. “You’re the one who arranged the marriage in the first place and froze my credit card to force me into it. Now you don’t want me to marry in Jiangcheng? What’s wrong, Dad? Aren’t the citizens of Jiangcheng your in-laws now? Isn’t this a bit discriminatory?”
He father was left speechless—he was, after all, the one who started this mess.
With no good answer, he began nagging. “You’ve never had a relationship growing up. Your only experience was with that guy from the Qu family…”
At this point, his temple started throbbing. Gritting his teeth, he said, “That Wen guy from the Wen family in Jiangcheng isn’t good enough for you. When I got wind of their marriage proposal last night, I couldn’t sleep a wink. If you really marry him, your father won’t have a peaceful night’s sleep for the rest of his life!”
He Qingchi saw right through his dramatics and glanced away speechlessly.
Yao Jing smiled gently, as if she understood everything but kept her lips sealed.
Dinner ended amid Chairman He’s heartfelt (and excessive) concerns.
He Qingchi went upstairs to rest after the meal. After more than four hours of travel, her father knew she was tired and didn’t push the Wen family topic any further. He even told the maids and bodyguards to be quiet so she could sleep peacefully.
He Qingchi ended up sleeping until almost 11 p.m. She woke groggily, reached for her phone on the nightstand, and saw an unread message.
Sitting up on the edge of the bed, the hem of her red gown swayed to the floor, her pale toes peeking out. She casually opened WeChat.
It was from Wen Shuchen. The message was brief: [I’m in Yancheng. Heading back tomorrow.]
He was in Yancheng too?
He Qingchi’s dark eyes blinked in surprise. She checked the timestamp—it had been sent forty minutes ago. Unsure if he was still awake, she replied: [Did you come to Yancheng to see my dad?]
She hadn’t heard a peep about Wen Shuchen visiting.
Did her old man keep it from her?
Wen Shuchen: [Visiting your father tomorrow.]
He Qingchi hadn’t told him where she was. Imagining his surprise when they met tomorrow made the corners of her lips curl into a faint smile—something even she didn’t notice. [Did you prepare your homework? My dad is really against this marriage.]
Wen Shuchen replied quickly and confidently: [Don’t worry. Leave everything to me.]
He Qingchi reread their short exchange a few times. Maybe because she lacked experience, her heart felt inexplicably anxious.
It was the first time she’d gone from dating straight to marriage. And she was facing strong opposition from her family. Though the news hadn’t exploded like Qu Bixin’s elopement years ago, her father’s disapproval was unusually firm.
The fact that he sent people to pick her up today—
Complete with two bodyguards—was probably because he was afraid she wouldn’t come back otherwise.
He Qingchi put down her phone, feeling a little thirsty.
Wearing slippers, she stepped out into the hallway. It was quiet, with warm wall sconces gently lighting the surroundings.
When she turned left to go downstairs, voices from the study caught her attention.
In the dead silence of night, even though He Qingchi wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose, she still clearly heard her own name being mentioned.
Inside the study, Father He had taken off his rimless glasses and set them on the desk, his expression somewhat tense.
Yao Jing brought over a cup of tea. As expected from someone professionally trained, her soft voice was very pleasant and her words enunciated perfectly: “Since you don’t approve of this marriage, the Wen family can’t forcefully take her away. There’s no need to worry too much.”
Father He’s gaze was complicated as he glanced at her. “What I’m worried about is that Qingchi herself is willing to marry him. You’ve been by my side for years. Have you ever seen her treat any man kindly? Even my own words only reach her ears when she’s in a good mood. If that kid from the Wen family managed to coax her into saying yes, it proves he’s got some skill.”
“Is it really that bad for her to marry into the Wen family?”
Yao Jing asked in mild confusion: “Wen Shuchen has always had a great reputation. In terms of power and wealth, he far surpasses anyone on the He family’s list of potential matches for Miss.”
In Yao Jing’s mind, what more could a woman ask for in life than to marry well and live gloriously?
Was there even a man more perfect than Wen Shuchen?
Father He’s expression turned stern. “The first person I crossed off the match list was Wen Shuchen.”
Yao Jing picked up on the subtext and asked again, “Why?”
Under the light, Father He’s face bore the traces of age, though his features still hinted at the handsomeness of his youth. He sighed heavily and said with sincere weight: “I’ve cherished my daughter for over twenty years—how could I bear to let her get caught up in the Wen family’s mess? Everyone who comes out of that old Wen household is cunning and complicated. Do you know why Wen Shuchen was always abroad before he took over the family business? Because his biological father tried to kill him and forced him into exile. Even the old man of the family did nothing to stop it. The Wen family’s been caught in internal strife for decades—generation after generation. They’re nothing like us, who truly value our children.”
Yao Jing was shocked by what she heard, but still tried to offer some reassurance, as a proper secretary should: “The He family isn’t easy to mess with either. With you backing Miss He, I’m sure the Wen family would think twice.”
But Father He frowned and shook his head. “It’s not as simple as you think. Qingchi has inherited a portion of the Wen patriarch’s shares. Those wolves and tigers in the Wen family all have their eyes on her.”
Yao Jing asked, “An inheritance?”
“When the Wen family sent people over to propose, they were very upfront about it. They didn’t want the He family to be in the dark…”
Father He let out a cold chuckle. “It wouldn’t be surprising if, in the future, they try to kidnap Qingchi and force her to hand over those shares!”
Noticing how deep his prejudice against the Wen family ran, Yao Jing didn’t try to persuade him any further.
The study fell into a moment of silence. Then Father He suddenly dropped his stern demeanor and started dabbing at his eyes with a tissue.
“President He, let me wipe your tears…”
“Sigh, my daughter… I feel so bad for her. The moment she gets a man, she forgets all about her poor old father…”
His pitiful sobs came intermittently from inside the room. Just one door away, He Qingchi stood quietly in her crimson dress by the wall, listening. The faint smile on her fair face slowly disappeared.
Five or six minutes passed. Yao Jing continued trying to comfort him, while the overly sensitive President He kept crying.
Whatever warmth He Qingchi had felt earlier toward Wen Shuchen was slowly drowned out by her father’s tears. A hint of guilt crept into her chest, and she began to question whether, as a daughter, she was truly less considerate than her father’s secretary.
Eventually, the flash of red at the study door vanished.
She didn’t go downstairs for water after all—she returned to her room, feelings tangled.
Inside the study, the moment President He finished pretending to cry, he gave Yao Jing a look.
Yao Jing tiptoed to the door, checked the now-empty hallway, and then carefully closed it before returning to whisper, “Miss has gone back to her room.”
President He dropped the sob story and, regaining his authoritative composure, praised her, “Good. You played your part well.”
Yao Jing smiled faintly without saying anything. Deep down, she felt a bit sorry for Miss He.
How unfortunate to have a father who could cry and act this much. She probably wouldn’t sleep well tonight.
And He Qingchi wasn’t just sleepless—she was plagued by nightmares.
After witnessing her father sobbing in the study, the seed of doubt planted in her mind started to take root. In her dreams, it all spiraled out of control.
Around 5 a.m., she awoke with a start.
She was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, breathing slightly fast, eyes wide open in the darkness of the familiar room.
It took her a while to come back to herself, the lingering memory of the nightmare still vivid—being kidnapped by the Wen family, forced to hand over her inherited shares, or else…Snapping awake, she threw off the covers, didn’t even bother with shoes, and turned on all the lights in the room before she felt the slightest sense of security.
Her pale back rested against the wardrobe as she slid slowly to the ground. Her long black hair was messy, her face devoid of color.
She regretted eavesdropping now. She’d just scared herself for nothing.
He Qingchi lowered her head and looked at the Buddhist prayer beads around her wrist.
She reached out and gently touched them.
The cold touch sobered her completely.
After sitting there for a long while, He Qingchi finally got up and walked to the bedside. Dawn was just beginning to break—the start of a new day.
She couldn’t fall back asleep with all that on her mind.
From the bottom drawer, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. With elegant fingers, she lit one. Wisps of pale smoke curled up in front of her, her long lashes lowered as she took a quiet puff.
He Qingchi wasn’t addicted to smoking. Just… occasionally tempted.
Even Qu Bixin didn’t know she smoked. It was always that woman puffing away, legs crossed and swearing up a storm while she sat beside her silently, never touching a cigarette in anyone’s presence.
She furrowed her brows, cigarette gently pinched between her lips, and reached for her phone.
5:20 a.m. She opened her WeChat chat with Wen Shuchen.
He was probably still asleep.
She suddenly had the impulse to send him a message, fingers randomly tapping the screen—when she accidentally sent a video call invitation.
“......”
Before the ringtone even played, she frantically canceled the call, heart racing.
No reaction from Wen Shuchen’s side for two or three minutes.
He Qingchi even tossed the cigarette away, praying he hadn’t seen it while sleeping.
But things never go as planned. Wen Shuchen, an early riser by habit, had already woken up. Upon seeing her video call, he didn’t hesitate—he sent one right back.
Another video invitation.
He Qingchi’s eyes widened. She hesitated—should she answer?
If she told him her family opposed the marriage, would he get mad during the video?
She couldn’t decide—so she didn’t answer.
Wen Shuchen ended the video and immediately sent a voice message. Just waking up, his voice was low and husky, surprisingly sexy in the quiet morning: “Qingchi, are you at the He family home?”
“……”
How did he guess?!
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