Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 36 - You don’t seem like a pervert!
Chapter 36: You don’t seem like a pervert!
Walking into the wide and quiet hallway, the motion-sensor lights flickered on suddenly, though they hadn’t even entered the elevator yet.
Just as He Qingchi's pale fingertips were about to press the button, without warning, she was lifted off the ground by Wen Shuchen’s arms from behind. Her body suspended in the air, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, eyes wide open as she asked, “President Wen, I only gave you permission to visit a female friend. Do you really have to be this excited?”
Wen Shuchen lowered his head, his sharp nose brushing the skin of her neck as he tried to distract her. “It’s very late now. Let’s go home and sleep first. I’ll take you to visit Shu Tongyi’s place another day.”
He Qingchi wasn’t ticklish and didn’t struggle as she was carried out. She simply asked, “Last night, when you went to comfort that thrice-divorced Dr. Meng in the middle of the night, was she there too?”
Wen Shuchen’s steps didn’t pause, but his eyes flicked to the side to read her expression — which, for the moment, gave nothing away.
“Don’t try to read my mind. I’m not making any expressions,” He Qingchi said flatly.
She could be easy to please but also maddeningly difficult — always quick to catch the smallest clues.
After getting her into the car, Wen Shuchen explained at a calm pace, “You’re suspicious just because I didn’t answer your call last night?”
He Qingchi leaned back against the leather seat but couldn’t quite articulate her feelings.
She had a sharp intuition — not the kind that sensed trouble in advance, but the kind that detected a lie. And unless she got to the bottom of it, she wouldn’t let it go.
Especially since Wen Shuchen’s previous excuse had holes all over it. Going out to comfort a divorced friend in the middle of the night somehow meant he couldn’t answer her calls?
She tilted her face up, grabbing the neat tie on his shirt and slowly pulling him closer. “Will you keep doing this in the future? I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and you won’t be beside me, then lie to me saying you went out for a midnight snack?”
Wen Shuchen responded by pulling her into his arms and softly promised, “From now on, when you wake up, the first thing you’ll see is me.”
He Qingchi wasn’t the type to dwell on things, but she hated waking up alone in the middle of the night. Sleeping on the couch felt like being abandoned in a strange, dark place — especially since he was already lying before they were even married.
She rested her head on his chest, fingers still toying with his tie. “Then why don’t you just be honest with me now?”
She spoke with the proud tone of Mrs. Wen, as if giving him a merciful chance to confess.
Wen Shuchen allowed her to do as she pleased. After a pause, he lowered his head and stared deeply at her face. “Meng Qingchang has been divorced three times already. What good advice could he possibly give me? I should never have listened to him.”
“That man’s name is Meng Qingchang?” He Qingchi didn’t recognize it.
“Mm. He’s a psychologist.”
Wen Shuchen’s tone was too calm, mentioning his friend’s profession as if it were nothing.
He Qingchi’s fingers froze. She looked at him in surprise.
Under the soft interior lighting, Wen Shuchen’s features looked even more chiseled and perfect, his expression calm and unmoved. His gaze stayed fixed on her as he continued: “He’s also the therapist for both me and Shu Tongyi.”
The words “psychologist” landed heavily in He Qingchi’s heart.
She instinctively wanted to step away but realized that his arm was still wrapped firmly around her waist. He wasn’t letting go.
“Are you scared?” Wen Shuchen asked in a low voice.
He Qingchi wasn’t exactly scared — just unprepared. She didn’t know much about his past, and now she suddenly learned he’d been seeing a psychologist. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
It was hard to believe. Wen Shuchen always seemed gentle and considerate — especially good at dealing with people.
After a brief pause, she awkwardly muttered, “But you… don’t seem like a pervert or anything…”
Wen Shuchen’s dark pupils narrowed slightly — clearly, he didn’t appreciate that slip of the tongue.
“Who told you… that seeing a psychologist means you’re a pervert?”
He Qingchi quickly explained, letting go of his tie as if it had burned her fingers. “Don’t get me wrong — it was just a careless comment.”
Wen Shuchen was kind enough to forgive her and replied softly, “I have alexithymia. I’ve been seeing doctors for many years.”
*Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in recognizing and expressing emotions, both in oneself and in others.
His appearance was nearly flawless, and he was good at socializing—anyone who interacted with him would find it very pleasant.
He Qingchi also fell deeper and deeper into his grasp because of this. When she heard that Wen Shuchen had emotional detachment disorder, she was even more shocked than when she had previously blurted out that he was psychologically disturbed.
No wonder he always wore his shirt and buttoned it up to the collar — even during intimacy. Now it all made sense.
She felt a swirl of emotions, lifting her pale hand to touch him — only to hesitate. “So all these years, you’ve never been with a woman… and suddenly wanted to marry me because you don’t mind touching me?”
Sensing her hesitation, Wen Shuchen took her hand, guiding her to touch him freely.
“Qingchi, I do like you.”
He Qingchi didn’t feel disappointed. After all, what kind of magical love-at-first-sight romance exists in this world?
Even if it did, how likely was it that she’d be the one to encounter it?
She tried to brush aside the tightness in her chest, inhaled deeply, and even smiled at him. “Got it. You and Shu Tongyi are therapy buddies. You went to see the therapist late at night to hide it from me because she was probably afraid of being photographed during the day… And you both share the same doctor — that Meng Qingchang guy.”
Wen Shuchen didn’t respond. Instead, his long fingers traced the soft skin of her palm, quietly closing the distance between them. His handsome face leaned close to her ear, his voice warm and low: “Are you angry?”
“Angry about what? That you hid your medical history and tricked me into marriage?” He Qingchi didn’t want him getting too close.
Who knows what this man's face is made of—before marriage, he at least knew some manners. But now that they’re officially together, in private, Wen Shuchen’s behavior is no different from that of any other man; he puts his hands all over his woman.
His cool, slender hand moved up along her waistline, unhesitatingly. His eyes darkened as he whispered, “I only kept it from you. Your father knows.”
He Qingchi’s eyes widened. “My dad knew?”
“Mm. I told your father the truth when I proposed. So technically, I didn’t deceive you into marriage.”
Wen Shuchen’s thin lips pressed lightly against her eyelashes as he spoke in a warm, unhurried voice, gently reminding her: “It doesn’t count as deception, so you have no grounds to call off the marriage.”
He Qingchi stared blankly for a moment, unable to swallow her frustration. “Move. Give me your phone.”
But Wen Shuchen, knowing he hadn’t yet soothed her temper, didn’t dare upset the He family further. His movements were soft and measured, his voice full of restraint: “Can we just finish this kiss first?”
“No!” He Qingchi turned away, her dark hair slightly disheveled from the struggle.
Her grievance hadn’t subsided, and in the next moment, tears welled up under her thick lashes.
Seeing this, Wen Shuchen stopped and gently touched the corner of her eye with his fingertip. “Don’t cry.”
She hadn’t shed tears yet, but her voice cracked slightly as she held in her emotions: “I want to go back to the hotel.”
There were several bodyguards waiting outside the car. Arguing inside like this would only make them a laughingstock.
Wen Shuchen agreed. As long as she was willing to return, that was good enough.
……
On the way back to the hotel, Wen Shuchen had another issue to deal with.
The rumors on Weibo about He Qingchi and Shu Tongyi were now among the top three trending topics. The headline was eye-catching — even the phrase “suspected to be coming out” was enough to stir up a storm among night owl netizens.
Paparazzi had snapped several photos: one of He Qingchi driving Shu Tongyi home, and another of the two of them at the apartment entrance.
There was even a screenshot of a group chat from the film Red Rouge, in which staff members gossiped about the rumor.
Given Shu Tongyi’s popularity, the topic immediately locked itself onto the trending list.
Song Chao had already spent a fortune to suppress the topic and delete the photos. He also contacted Shu Tongyi’s manager. In his report to Wen Shuchen, he said, “Someone in the production team leaked this, deliberately tipping off reporters to photograph Ms. Su’s apartment.”
Wen Shuchen glanced at the woman using his phone to read the trending post.
He Qingchi wasn’t surprised at all — her phone was dead, so she used his instead.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Song Chao tried to lighten things up: “If Madam’s going to debut and form an official CP, it should be with President Wen. What’s with netizens these days — even two women get shipped now…”
He Qingchi replied leisurely, “It’s great. Why bother taking it down?”
Song Chao didn’t dare respond, glancing nervously at Wen Shuchen, whose expression had darkened.
Wen Shuchen reached over and took the phone from her hand. “Let’s look at it after we get back. You’ll get car sick staring at a screen.”
He Qingchi, now nothing like the blushing newlywed, still refused to meet his gaze. She deliberately turned to Song Chao and asked, “Between Shu Tongyi and me, who do you think’s the top?”
Song Chao looked pained and tried to come up with an answer, pretending to think hard: “I’m not that familiar with Shu Tongyi… so I’d say Madam.”
“Oh? But your President Wen has been therapy buddies with her for years, and you’re not familiar?”
He Qingchi blinked her long lashes and glanced at Song Chao, who looked like he wanted to slam his head into a wall. “That’s not like you.”
About to cry, Song Chao turned to Wen Shuchen for help. “President Wen…”
“Don’t make it hard for him,” Wen Shuchen said with a chuckle, pulling the woman seated stubbornly against the car door into his arms. He whispered close to her ear, “I know you’re not mad anymore. How about a smile?”
His voice was soft and coaxing.
Song Chao pretended he hadn’t heard a thing and sat up straighter.
But He Qingchi still kept a straight face and didn’t say a word.
Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the hotel entrance.
The two got out and took the elevator straight to their suite. The bodyguards and assistants sensibly stopped at the hallway and didn’t follow them in.
As Song Chao put it: entering that room now would be a death sentence.
Bang! The bedroom door slammed shut.
Even if a war broke out inside, no one outside would hear a thing.
He Qingchi walked to the snowy-white double bed and sat down, casually kicking off her high heels, the hem of her dress swaying gently.
She looked up at the man approaching her step by step, cleared her throat, and said: “Wen Shuchen, take off your suit and shirt — now.”
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