Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 40 - Congratulations, You've Grown Up
Chapter 40: Congratulations, You've Grown Up
A slight pricking pain on her wrist, like the sting of a fine needle, woke He Qingchi from her deep sleep. Still groggy and sluggish, she blinked open her eyes to see a stunningly handsome man under the hazy light, crouched over with his head down, slowly and methodically wrapping something in tissues before tossing it into the trash.
Once the stabbing pain that seemed to reach into her heart eased, He Qingchi gathered her thoughts and, with a hoarse voice, asked, “Did you just give me an injection?”
Wen Shuchen, seeing that she was awake, raised his hand to gently touch her cheek. “Still feeling uncomfortable?”
The medicine couldn’t possibly have worked that fast.
He Qingchi, feeling weak all over, curled up in the blanket, her voice soft and feeble. “Just one painkiller would’ve been enough… Why an injection?”
Wen Shuchen’s fingertips brushed from her cheek down to her soft, blushing lips, and with that simple motion, He Qingchi stopped questioning. Perhaps after last night, their emotional connection had changed, too.
She was clearly more affectionate toward him now, the distance between them gone. She rested her head lightly on his suited lap and whispered her feelings: “It feels unreal.”
Wen Shuchen looked down at her, calm and composed even as dawn approached. “It’s something we should’ve done sooner. Why would it feel unreal?”
While she still needed time to adjust, he had already embraced the progression of their relationship with ease.
He Qingchi slowly lifted her head and looked at him with her large, dark, beautiful eyes. “I’m an adult now, right?”
“Mm. Congratulations on growing up,” Wen Shuchen replied, his voice calm as the sea, each word deliberate and measured.
Early in the morning, He Qingchi was likely still sorting out her thoughts. She asked whatever came to mind.
Her fingers found a white handkerchief tucked under the covers.
It was the one Wen Shuchen had personally placed there last night—not for kissing this time. Seeing it now made her a little embarrassed beneath her eyelashes.
“Thanks to that, the hotel’s sheets weren’t ruined,” He Qingchi said, trying to lighten the mood and avoid awkwardness.
But Wen Shuchen simply kept the white handkerchief, not out of impulse, but as something he wanted to preserve—as if it was precious.
He Qingchi, on the other hand, wanted to destroy the evidence. Tugging at his sleeve, she said, “I’ll get up later and wash it for you.”
Wen Shuchen’s handsome face carried a faint smile, but he didn’t respond.
Sometimes, this man could be infuriatingly wicked. He Qingchi playfully teased him for a while, her fingers trailing down his suit jacket to the collar. On a whim, she began unbuttoning his shirt, turning his perfectly neat attire into a mess.
“Let me see your tattooed arm…”
Last night she had been too nervous to properly look at his body.
Wen Shuchen noticed her sudden excitement and obligingly spread his arms, letting her undo his shirt. Under the dim light, just below his collarbone, faint scratch marks could be seen—clearly left by a woman’s nails.
He Qingchi stared in disbelief, her small face filled with nervousness. “Did I scratch you that badly?”
She didn’t think she had been that intense last night.
Wen Shuchen sat there in his suit, his shirt open to reveal an unexpectedly roguish charm. He didn’t bother buttoning up, and the curve of his lips held an unreadable smirk.
He Qingchi no longer looked at his tattoo. She noticed faint red marks on his abs, too.
Wrapped in the blanket, she sat up and hurried to button his shirt, cheeks flushed as she scolded him: “You went to the pharmacy and didn’t even buy ointment for yourself.”
“If I’m buying ointment, it’s for you,” Wen Shuchen replied in a low voice.
After all, they had just shared something so intimate—what kind of man needed ointment afterward?
Unlike him, He Qingchi didn’t have the same pride or ego. Seeing the marks she left made her feel even more guilty. “I’ll bring you some scar cream after filming today.”
Wen Shuchen pulled her into his arms, his chin resting against her soft, fragrant hair. “Qingchi.”
Startled by the sudden hug, He Qingchi didn’t resist.
She heard him call her name softly and smiled. “Hm?”
Wen Shuchen leaned in closer, his voice husky against her ear. “Xiao Shier (Little Twelve).”
He Qingchi’s ears were her weak spot. His whisper stirred something deep in her heart. Whatever Wen Shuchen said right now, she would agree to.
“I should go now, before someone sees me.”
After holding her for a little longer, Wen Shuchen gently let her go.
He Qingchi sat on the edge of the bed, her hair loose, still wrapped tightly in the blanket, not exposing a bit of skin.
She looked up as Wen Shuchen calmly adjusted his suit and shirt, once again his usual composed self. After softly reminding her to get some rest, his tall figure left the room.
His footsteps grew more distant, and then there was the sound of the door closing—then complete silence.
He Qingchi remained seated, lost in thought.
She hadn’t felt sad when Wen Shuchen was there.
But now that he had left, a wave of emotions she hadn’t expected crept into her chest.
Lowering her head, her dark hair spilled over her shoulders. Her lashes didn’t flutter for a long time.
After a while, she picked up her phone. Her first instinct when feeling down was to message Qin Chuan. But when she opened WeChat, she realized—All the contacts on the screen were unfamiliar.
He Qingchi blinked. Wen Shuchen had taken the wrong phone.
He had left his own on the hotel nightstand…
By 8:00 a.m., the film crew was already busy. After arriving on set in Hengdian, He Qingchi changed into a cheongsam costume in the makeup room.
She opened the door and happened to see Shu Tongyi sitting in front of the makeup mirror, having her hairstyle set by the stylist.
Both of them had taken leave yesterday, and since Shu Tongyi had a leg injury, it seemed like they’d coincidentally shown up at the set at the same time today, which inevitably drew sidelong glances and scrutiny from others.
He Qingchi couldn’t be bothered. Her personality had always been independent, and she didn’t like actively socializing or building relationships.
The entire morning was spent filming. Everyone was so busy they barely had time to take a sip of water. Every few minutes, Director Guo's yelling could be heard. Finally, at noon, there was a short break.
He Qingchi didn’t speak a word to Shu Tongyi the entire time. She found a shaded spot to rest, sat in a chair trying to lie down, but noticing the crew around her—and considering the inconvenience of wearing a cheongsam—she could only knead her sore waist.
This small movement was noticed by Shu Tongyi, whose sharp eyes picked it up.
Her beautiful face turned cold, making it seem to others that there was discord between the two.
He Qingchi had never been on the same wavelength with her to begin with. After a while, Duan Jinfan ran over and asked, “Did you fall out with Movie Queen Shu because of the trending topic? Her assistant just came over asking to switch rooms with me.”
“Switch rooms?”
“She doesn't want to stay next door to you anymore and asked me to swap!” Duan Jinfan clarified, clearly eager to gossip.
He Qingchi: “…”
“Maybe to avoid rumors. People were saying she stayed next to you so it’d be easier to meet up at night.”
Duan Jinfan was innocent in these matters. He even smiled warmly and said, “You don’t mind me being your neighbor, right? Don’t worry, I keep a normal schedule. I won’t be singing or partying late into the night. I’m a great neighbor.”
He Qingchi caught onto the key point: “The hotel rooms aren’t soundproof?”
“Nope. Director Guo lives next door to me, and I’ve heard him discussing scripts late into the night.” Duan Jinfan was being tactful, considering He Qingchi was a girl.
But He Qingchi, who had just stepped into a new identity after last night, picked up on the subtext.
She looked toward the direction where Shu Tongyi was resting, unsure what expression to put on.
A while later, after Duan Jinfan left, He Qingchi took out her phone.
Wen Shuchen hadn’t sent anyone to swap phones, probably because he hadn’t noticed his phone was missing from his pocket.
The man’s black phone didn’t have a password lock. Besides the social media apps, it was wide open.
He Qingchi still respected personal boundaries. She didn’t dig through his messages or chat logs. She just stared at the phone, over and over. The time displayed was 12:50 PM, when suddenly a new text popped up.
It was from Shen Fu, and the message read: [I’ve sent Jiji to stay at the villa under your name for a while.]
Upon seeing this, He Qingchi thought fate might be coming for Shen Fu.
She didn’t reply. Then another message from Shen Fu came: [I can’t visit Jiji lately. Please help take care of her a little.]
He Qingchi thought that if fate didn’t deal with Shen Fu, she might take matters into her own hands
This “Jiji”—wasn’t that the cellist from last night?
Didn’t Wen Shuchen say he didn’t know who she was?
He Qingchi’s refined face turned cold. Not a single word that man said could be trusted.
At 7 PM, filming wrapped for the day. The makeup room was crowded—some removing makeup, others rushing to night scenes.
He Qingchi changed out of her costume and walked out in a blush-pink gown. She raised her hand to tidy her long hair, and turning around, saw Shu Tongyi standing at the door, this time with her assistant beside her, not looking like she planned to leave.
She originally intended to just glance at her and walk away.
But unexpectedly, Shu Tongyi spoke first. Her beautiful face remained expressionless: “I’d like to treat you to a meal.”
He Qingchi looked at her in surprise and gave a faint smile: “We’re not close enough for you to treat me to a meal.”
“I owe you a favor from last time,” Shu Tongyi replied. She had always hated owing people favors—especially from someone like He Qingchi.
“You already answered my question.”
He Qingchi’s tone was calm. She still planned to go to the pharmacy and declined Shu Tongyi’s invitation without hesitation.
She picked up her bag and prepared to leave at a leisurely pace. But before she could go, Shu Tongyi’s assistant blurted out: “Miss He, a meal invitation from Sister Tongyi isn’t something you can get anytime. Have you ever been to a dinner with big names in the entertainment industry? Many small-time actors can’t even get a seat at that table.”
So this was about introducing her to connections?
No one stopped the assistant, so she kept going: “If one of those big shots picks you as their cash cow during the dinner, you’ll never have to worry about your future again. Sister Tongyi is helping you break into the inner circle.”
“Think it over carefully—”
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