Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 30 - Half a Dose of Sleeping Pills

August 06, 2025 Oyen 0 Comments

Happy Reading~

Chapter 30: Half a Dose of Sleeping Pills

 

Wen Shuchen stayed at the He family residence until nightfall before finally getting up to say goodbye. This time, Father He didn’t dare utter the usual polite pleasantries to keep him longer, worried he might actually take them seriously and shamelessly stay the night.

 

As for He Qingchi, under her father's constant watchful gaze, she was also careful to maintain a proper distance from Wen Shuchen.

 

The two didn’t even get a moment alone to talk—barely even exchanged a few glances.

 

When he stood up to leave, He Qingchi tried to act calm and took the chance to say, “I’ll walk you out.”

 

Wen Shuchen looked at her face, clearly trying to hide something, and his expression softened with a faint smile as he said quietly, “No need.”

 

“...” He Qingchi.

 

She had finally mustered up the courage, only to be turned down. Speechless, she glanced at her father, who nearly burst into laughter.

 

Father He looked at Wen Shuchen with great satisfaction, nodding approvingly.

 

But Wen Shuchen’s next sentence was: “Come with me.”

 

The living room instantly fell silent.

 

Now it was Father He’s turn for his world to collapse. He pointed at Wen Shuchen, this ambitious little fox, like he might drop dead from rage at any second: “It’s late at night and you want to take my daughter out—what are you plotting?!”

 

There wasn’t a hint of fatherly awareness that he was basically giving his daughter away in marriage.

 

Wen Shuchen kept his posture respectful and patiently explained, “Uncle He, I still have projects to manage back in Jiangcheng, and Qingchi has to return to filming with the crew. We’ll head back to Jiangcheng tonight and visit again another day to pay our respects.”

 

He Qingchi didn’t expose the fact that Wen Shuchen was just appeasing her father with a well-prepared excuse. She merely blinked and looked away.

 

Though Father He looked visibly displeased, he didn’t stop her from going.

 

A grown daughter couldn’t be kept. From what Wen Shuchen had just said, and from the fact that He Qingchi hadn’t objected to a single word, he already knew what she was thinking—he had raised her himself, after all.

 

He waved his hand, speaking with heavy meaning: “Drive carefully on the way back. It’s a four-hour drive to Jiangcheng, you’ll arrive around ten. Let me know you’ve arrived safely.”

 

Outside the He estate, four bodyguards were already in place with the car ready.

 

Under the night sky, Wen Shuchen gently and attentively helped He Qingchi into the backseat. Song Chao was in the front passenger seat, having already prepared a blanket and warm water—everything in place.

 

Once she was settled, Wen Shuchen unfolded the clean blanket and tucked it around her, his voice soft: “If you get tired, lean on me and take a nap.”

 

With both the driver and the assistant around, He Qingchi clearly didn’t feel comfortable doing that.

 

She shook her head to say she wasn’t sleepy, her eyes curling into a smile, wanting to whisper something to him.

 

Wen Shuchen pulled her into his arms, closing the distance between them. His deep gaze fell on her pretty lashes.

 

He Qingchi had a habit of blinking when nervous. She smiled, lips curved: “Does your shoulder hurt?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“My dad got a bit personal and smacked you pretty hard, didn’t he?” She peeked up from under the blanket, her long black hair slightly messy, her pale hand gently touching his shoulder through his suit.

 

Wen Shuchen kept his arm around her waist, unmoved. He didn’t mind her father’s rough treatment. “I stole his treasure away—it’s only fair.”

 

A faint blush crept onto He Qingchi’s cheeks. She muttered, “You really know how to talk. My grandma was over the moon about you—kept praising her grandson-in-law to Grandma Wen downstairs.”

 

Wen Shuchen knew perfectly well that the real hurdle was Father He. So instead, he won over the most respected elder in the family.

 

It was a strategic move—indirectly securing his position and catching Father He off guard.

 

Still, he stayed humble, his voice calm with a smile that put people at ease: “Your grandma just loves you too much, so she’s willing to accept me.”

 

He Qingchi sipped on his words, her smile growing. Even though they’d only been apart for a day or so, seeing him up close again felt different.

 

“Are you really not sleepy?”

 

Wen Shuchen asked in a low voice.

 

He Qingchi shook her head, and confessed, “It doesn’t feel real yet—that I’m marrying you, and my family actually agreed to it.”

 

It had all happened so fast.

 

Wen Shuchen was far more efficient in getting married than he ever was in dating.

 

“Qingchi, try seeing it this way.” He gently stroked her long hair, speaking softly, “If this had been a traditional arranged marriage, we might have only met once before being engaged. Compared to that, we’ve at least spent over two months getting to know each other.”

 

He Qingchi asked, “What did you talk about with my dad in the study today?”

 

Wen Shuchen smiled but didn’t answer.

 

“Hey?” She reached out, playfully trying to pinch his face.

 

But Wen Shuchen easily caught her wrist. That delicate, boneless touch made him reluctant to let go. He even leaned in closer, his handsome face drawing near.

 

Just as he was about to get very close, He Qingchi instinctively flinched away, dodging what seemed to be his intent.

 

They stared at each other—awkwardness hanging between them.

 

“I didn’t know you were trying to…”

 

He Qingchi tried to explain first. Her wrist was still in his warm grip.

 

Wen Shuchen quickly returned to his usual composed self. His lips tugged up faintly as he said: “It’s okay. You dodge if you want.”

 

And with that, she half-expected he’d follow it up with something even more embarrassing.

 

He Qingchi quickly cut in, shut her eyes, and pressed her face against his suit jacket: “So sleepy. I’m going to sleep now.”

 

Wen Shuchen’s eyes held a trace of amusement as he casually watched her pretend to pass out.

 

His long, pale fingers gently tucked her hand back under the blanket, then picked up a strand of her hair and slowly twirled it between his fingers.

 

If He Qingchi had had the courage to open her eyes just then, she would’ve seen it all.

 

But she chose to keep pretending.

 

The driver steadily pulled the car onto the highway, and no one dared make a sound for a long while.

 

From the front seat, Song Chao silently turned and handed two pills and a glass of water to President Wen.

 

Wen Shuchen took them without expression, moving quietly.

 

The only sign for He Qingchi—who wasn’t actually asleep—was the feeling of his throat moving as he swallowed.

 

She cracked one eye open slightly, just in time to catch a glimpse of his Adam’s apple bobbing at his collar.

 

“What are you looking at?” Wen Shuchen’s cool voice drifted from above.

 

He Qingchi blinked in surprise, caught completely off guard, locking eyes with him immediately—

 

As if she’d just been caught spying.

 

“Watching you drink water,” she said, pointing to the cup in his hand. But her expression suddenly wrinkled.

 

Wen Shuchen noticed something was off. Even Song Chao in the front held his breath.

 

He Qingchi’s delicate nose sniffed near his jaw, like a curious kitten: “There’s a medicinal smell…”

 

“Madam, you must be mistaken!” Song Chao couldn’t help blurting out.

 

Really?

 

He Qingchi leaned in again for another sniff, confused: “When I was a kid, I had a serious illness and took medicine for a long time. I developed a childhood trauma—I wouldn’t mistake that smell.”

 

Wen Shuchen’s face remained calm, giving nothing away. He said in a low voice, “Do you want to smell my mouth and check?”

 

Her nose had just been resting against his shirt when her face suddenly flushed bright red from embarrassment.

 

She gave up sniffing and quietly curled back under the blanket like a well-behaved girl.

 

Once again, he managed to completely disarm her curiosity with minimal effort.

 

Out of her line of sight, Song Chao silently gave a thumbs-up.

 

The highway was clear that night, and in just under four hours, they arrived back in Jiangcheng.

 

Wen Shuchen didn’t take her straight back to the film set. Instead, with gentle care, he carried a drowsy He Qingchi out of the car. As he walked, he asked softly, “How many days off did you take?”

 

He Qingchi leaned her head on his shoulder, fingers making a casual gesture: “Three days.”

 

That meant she could stay the night.

 

Wen Shuchen walked at a relaxed pace, carrying her into the hotel suite he usually stayed in.

 

Around 10 PM, right on cue, He Qingchi’s father started bombarding her phone with calls.

 

Wen Shuchen first tucked her into the soft bed, then picked up her phone and walked out lightly, leaving the door slightly ajar in case she woke up in a strange environment and felt uneasy.

 

He stood on the open-air balcony, calm and composed, and answered the call.

 

Father He was worried about his daughter’s safety. Upon hearing that she was already asleep, he nearly demanded a video call to confirm it.

 

Fortunately, Yao Jing was nearby and gently reminded him, “Sir, your daughter is married now. You should consider Mr. Wen’s feelings before video calling her at night.”

 

But Father He still couldn’t accept it—his heart, as a father, was utterly shattered.

 

On the phone, Wen Shuchen’s tone was steady and gentle, trying to reassure him: “Uncle He, I’ll take good care of Qingchi. She’s sleeping deeply now. If she wakes up in the night, I’ll have her send you a voice message.”

 

To Father He, every word felt like a deliberate provocation.

 

Wen Shuchen patiently waited until the other side, fuming in silence, abruptly ended the call.

 

The abrupt beeping echoed. He lowered his eyes to look at the phone screen.

 

Behind him, Song Chao walked over and reported, “Mr. Wen, Dr. Meng called again and wants you to come in.”

 

The last two pills had already been taken in the car.

 

Wen Shuchen hadn’t seen the doctor in almost two months. He toyed with He Qingchi’s phone in his fingers, his voice drifting out into the cool night wind: “If I’m not here when she wakes up, and can’t find me…”

 

Song Chao broke into a cold sweat and hesitated: “I asked the hotel manager to give Madam a half-dose of sleeping medication. She’ll sleep soundly until morning—it’s safe and has no side effects.”

 

Wen Shuchen’s eyes swept over with a sharp edge, no longer warm.

 

Even though Song Chao knew he’d acted on his own, he braced himself—otherwise, Wen Shuchen would’ve used his wife as an excuse to avoid the doctor again.

 

Being his assistant was not an easy job—one misstep and you could be fired. So Song Chao forced a smile and said, “Mr. Wen, based on the time, you’ll still be able to come back… and sleep the second half of the night with Madam.”

 

Wen Shuchen tossed the phone at him and turned to head back inside. His voice was light but cool: “If you ever dare inject her with anything again without permission, take a vacation until next year before showing up for work.”

 

Song Chao stood frozen, the back of his shirt soaked with sweat, but he still let out a long breath of relief.

 

That sentence meant—for now—his life was spared.

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