Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 29 - What a Great Show
Chapter 29: What a Great Show
At exactly nine o’clock in the morning, everyone at the He family’s old estate was already up.
The housekeepers had carefully prepared breakfast, and the sound of footsteps echoed upstairs and down as every corner of the house was cleaned to spotless perfection. Inside her room, He Qingchi had just finished washing up. She changed into a light blue dress and sat diagonally by the windowsill, the hem of her skirt flowing naturally down to the floor.
She didn’t go downstairs. With her fair hand, she lifted a glass of milk and took small sips.
Through the spotless glass window, she saw a few black private cars heavily guarded by bodyguards pulling up outside the courtyard. The door of one of them opened to reveal a tall, elegant figure she knew well—dressed in a dark navy suit, with a posture as upright as a pine tree. Calm and composed, Wen Shuchen bent slightly to open the rear car door himself.
Though the distance made his facial features unclear.
She recognized his movements as he respectfully helped out an elderly lady in a dark purple cheongsam. Her air was dignified and graceful—clearly a woman of high status. Even in old age, her features hinted at a once-stunning beauty. She now carried the absolute authority of a senior matriarch.
A girl in a red dress also stepped out of the car soon after.
Wen Shuchen accompanied the elderly lady into the courtyard, disappearing behind a large tree that blocked her view.
No housekeeper came to call her down, so He Qingchi remained upstairs.
She followed her father’s instructions and obediently stayed in her room.
Still, she could guess what was happening downstairs—Wen Shuchen had probably brought the esteemed matriarch of the Wen family from Yancheng. With a senior present, her own grandmother would likely make an appearance too, and in front of two matriarchs, her father’s objections would carry far less weight.
He Qingchi rubbed her temples, thinking to herself that her father probably disliked Wen Shuchen even more now.
After staying in her room for more than ten minutes, a housekeeper finally came up to call her.
He Qingchi straightened her dress and hair. Since she would be meeting elders, she didn’t wear makeup—her clean, natural face would be more likable.
Downstairs in the living room, two elderly ladies were chatting happily. Her father and Wen Shuchen were nowhere in sight.
He Qingchi put on a gentle smile and walked over to greet them.
“Grandma, Grandma Wen.”
“Qingchi’s grown into such a beautiful young lady. Come, let this old lady have a good look at you.” Grandma Wen’s stern face softened as she set down her teacup and beckoned her over.
He Qingchi glanced at her own smiling grandmother, then walked over with quiet grace.
The older generation cared a lot about manners and tradition. In front of them, it was best not to speak much, to smile modestly without showing teeth, and to be a quiet, well-mannered junior. That way, you couldn’t go wrong.
Grandma Wen seemed very fond of her and turned to her old friend with a laugh. “This precious granddaughter of yours—I’m claiming her for my Wen family. No one else can take her.”
Grandma He’s smile was as gentle as always, her eyes squinting kindly. “Who’d try to steal this mischievous girl? Just don’t blame her for being a bit unruly later.”
“She seems like a very well-behaved girl to me.”
After praising He Qingchi, Grandma Wen turned to scold her own granddaughter in the red dress sitting nearby. “My Xiao Jiu here is the naughty one. Leave her alone for a bit, and she’s off causing trouble.”
He Qingchi’s gaze shifted quietly to the girl sitting on the left sofa, eating pastries.
She was strikingly pretty, with rosy lips and white teeth—easy to like.
Even after being called out by her grandmother, the girl wasn’t upset. She looked up with an innocent face. “Grandma, I haven’t caused trouble in ages. Can’t you let your granddaughter off the hook and give me a chance to redeem myself?”
“Listen to her sweet talk.”
Grandma Wen laughed heartily, clearly fond of her granddaughter.
“So young and already so shameless. I wonder who she takes after.”
Wen Jiu’s dark eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I take after you, Grandma.”
She must’ve noticed He Qingchi watching her and turned her head to meet her gaze.
Their eyes met. He Qingchi gave her a soft smile first.
While the two grandmothers chatted, Wen Jiu scooted closer and gave He Qingchi a once-over. “You’re the bride who’s going to marry my cousin?”
He Qingchi reached out and tapped the girl’s cheek—it was small and smooth.
Wen Jiu immediately frowned. She didn’t like anyone touching her face. “Don’t touch. Only my man can touch my face.”
“You already have a man?” He Qingchi was surprised. She looked so young.
Not even eighteen, right?
Girls that age had the purest, most innocent smiles. Wen Jiu was no exception, still unburdened by the hardships of life. She whispered, “I haven’t won him over yet, but even if he won’t give in now, he’ll marry me one day—just like how my cousin is marrying you. Should I call you cousin-sister-in-law now?”
He Qingchi thought for a moment. “Just call me Sister He for now.”
Wen Jiu scrunched her nose and nodded. “Okay, Sister sounds better. I’m not even that close with my cousin from Jiangcheng. Today’s the first time I’m meeting him. My grandma and dad both like him—and they really like you too.”
He Qingchi looked at the girl’s slightly spoiled face and sighed inwardly—men and women in the Wen family were all born with excellent bone structure.
They continued chatting idly until the sound of footsteps came from the staircase—it was her father and Wen Shuchen.
He Qingchi tensed slightly, worried the mood would turn serious.
To her surprise, her father was putting on quite the act—appearing very pleased to see his future son-in-law, calling him “Xiao Wen” and eventually even using the affectionate “Chenchen.”
Wen Shuchen, for his part, was perfectly polite and formal, not giving her father the slightest chance to criticize his manners.
Both of them were excellent actors—putting on a perfect performance of harmonious in-law relations.
Father He laughed heartily, slapping Wen Shuchen hard on the shoulder with all his strength. “Hahaha! The young man’s built strong!”
Wen Shuchen’s expression didn’t change; he responded with a slight, polite smile, “He Uncle, you flatter me.”
Father He looked like he was about to raise his hand for another slap, and He Qingchi’s expression visibly shifted—her smile stiffening.
Seeing his daughter’s face change, He Father awkwardly halted midway and let out a forced laugh, withdrawing his hand. “My dear son-in-law, I think it’s best we hold off on the wedding for now. Isn’t it trendy these days to wait until the kid’s old enough to run errands before holding the ceremony? We should keep up with the times.”
The moment He Qingchi heard this, she knew her father was still harboring hope—hoping that if she and Wen Shuchen ended up divorcing, at least not many people would know they’d even been married.
Wen Shuchen, naturally, caught the underlying meaning. After a brief pause, he replied in a calm and measured tone, “As long as it doesn’t wrong Qingchi…”
“No wronging, no wronging!” Father He quickly cut him off, the perfect example of someone saying one thing and meaning another.
He plastered on a smile and glanced back at his elderly mother, who was seated on the sofa.
“Mother, what do you think?”
Grandma He usually didn’t interfere in household matters, but that didn’t mean she lacked authority.
Seeing her eldest son give his approval to this marriage was already a big deal—so she wasn’t about to say anything more on the subject.
“You’re Qingchi’s father. It’s your decision.”
Father He had been waiting for that. Deep down, he wanted to chase Wen Shuchen out of the He family with a stick, but with higher-ups pressuring him, he could only force a stiff, awkward smile and praise his “good son-in-law.”
Wen Shuchen’s expression remained calm and pleasant. When he glanced at He Qingchi, their eyes met briefly.
Her look was helpless. She wasn’t sure whether to admire his finesse or feel sorry for her father having to fake such enthusiasm so hard.
At noon.
After hosting the Wen family for lunch, Grandma Wen left with her granddaughter.
Wen Shuchen, thicker-skinned than a city wall, clearly knew Father He didn’t like him—but still wore a look of cheerfulness and stayed behind like nothing was wrong.
Father He tried to hint he should leave, but Wen Shuchen pretended not to get it, smiling serenely.
“Chenchen, do you still get kidnapped often?”
In the study, Wen Shuchen was playing chess with his future father-in-law when the question came out of nowhere.
He slowly placed his white piece on the board, unfazed. “It’s been a long time since I was last kidnapped, Uncle He.”
Father He smiled on the surface but was sharp-tongued. “My daughter’s been afraid of crime dramas and kidnapping stories since she was a kid. Chenchen, if you insist on marrying her, just make sure nothing like that ever happens.”
“I understand.”
Wen Shuchen was humble and courteous. He calmly raised his eyes and met Father He’s sharp, smiling gaze. His voice, for once, carried a rare firmness: “If you’re willing to entrust Qingchi to me, I’ll take the place of the He family and protect her for the rest of my life.”
Father He didn’t press further or dig into past wounds.
He glanced at the board and casually placed a black piece down, unconcerned about winning or losing.
He’d already given away his daughter—what did it matter if he lost to this guy too?
……
Meanwhile, unlike the two men still in the study, He Qingchi was being a rare example of a dutiful daughter, instructing Yao Jing to prepare some medication.
In her own words, it was the hard truth: “Once Wen Shuchen leaves, I’m afraid my dad might stroke out from anger.”
Yao Jing understood perfectly and prepared some sedatives just for the CEO.
She had worked as a secretary at He Corporation for a few years and had a decent rapport with He Qingchi. She wasn’t one to sugarcoat things. “Miss He, it might be up to you to comfort him later. That’s probably the only way he’ll come to terms with this.”
He Qingchi hadn’t forgotten eavesdropping at the study door the night before. Locking eyes with Yao Jing, she muttered, “Should we call an ambulance?”
“Probably not just yet,” Yao Jing replied awkwardly. In truth, she was just afraid the doctor would see right through the CEO’s dramatics.
He Qingchi casually hinted at her true thoughts in front of her: “If my dad stays firm on opposing this marriage, I won’t make a scene.”
She didn’t have the courage to defy everything like Qu Bixin once did—going against her family for Shen Fu and bearing all the pressure alone.
If the He family stood its ground and Wen Shuchen couldn’t resolve the obstacles.
He Qingchi wouldn’t go as far as breaking with her family just to be with him.
Yao Jing picked up on the implication, smiling gently as she promised to relay the message to the CEO—hoping it would ease his heart a bit.
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