Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 41 - Are You Hiding a Mistress in a Golden House?
Chapter 41: Are You Hiding a Mistress in a Golden House?
He Qingchi exercised a bit of patience and didn’t interrupt the assistant. Only after she finished speaking did a faint smile appear on her face.
If it had been another small-time actress, she might have been grateful to Shu Tongyi for bringing her into the circle—after all, building connections isn’t easy.
Otherwise, this assistant of Shu Tongyi wouldn’t be speaking with such superiority.
He Qingchi gave a dismissive “oh,” didn’t need any time to consider, and still refused: “I’m not interested in becoming a cash cow for those so-called industry veterans. Don’t try to persuade me—otherwise, I might think your precious Movie Queen Shu Tongyi is falling for me.”
The assistant’s face instantly flushed red from anger.
In contrast, Shu Tongyi, who had already had a brief exchange with He Qingchi before, remained much calmer. In her usual composed tone, she said, “With Wen Shuchen backing you now, you really don’t need to become anyone else’s cash cow. I guess I misread the situation this time.”
Aside from this film, He Qingchi hadn’t asked Wen Shuchen for anything, even after signing the marriage agreement. In fact, she deliberately kept their relationship hidden from the crew. Hearing Shu Tongyi’s remark reminded He Qingchi of something else.
“If you hadn’t said anything, I would’ve forgotten—are you still backed by Wen Shuchen?”
There had been some extravagant rumors circulating in the industry. Clearly, Shu Tongyi was aware of them too, and her beautiful face stiffened.
He Qingchi wasn’t interested in rubbing elbows at dinners with so-called industry veterans, but suddenly found herself intrigued by Shu Tongyi. She walked over, her smile natural and composed: “Actually, I feel like having dinner with you now—to talk about your backing, or maybe Wen Shuchen?”
Honestly, there wasn’t much to say about Wen Shuchen.
Shu Tongyi’s understanding of him was only surface-level. They had known each other for years, but she could barely be considered a casual friend of his.
There was a well-known private kitchen near Hengdian, popular among actors in the area. By 7:30 p.m., night had fallen, and under the soft glow of lanterns hanging in the courtyard, He Qingchi and Shu Tongyi sat face-to-face at a rectangular table covered in a cotton-linen tablecloth. The dishes were plentiful.
He Qingchi had sent the little assistant out to a pharmacy for some ointment, then found two ceramic cups and poured the restaurant’s house-made sweet rice wine, handing one to Shu Tongyi.
“You drink?” Shu Tongyi didn’t touch alcohol at all.
He Qingchi took a sip, let the sweet wine linger in her throat before swallowing, and said, “Is it that strange to drink?”
Which socialite from a prestigious background doesn’t know how to drink? If you don’t learn that from a young age, how would you carry yourself at those high-end social gatherings? You can’t just stand there holding a champagne flute like some clueless innocent.
Besides, in the entertainment industry, actresses use these wine-filled gatherings to network—shouldn’t they be even better at drinking?
Shu Tongyi didn’t leave her confused for long and said, “I thought the wife he’d choose one day would be a perfectly cultivated noblewoman.”
He Qingchi smiled slowly. “Even noble ladies need to eat and drink. A little wine improves the mood.”
Guided by her, Shu Tongyi reluctantly took a sip.
Her brows furrowed briefly, then relaxed.
They didn’t eat much, but both seemed fond of the sweet wine.
Seeing the flush rise on Shu Tongyi’s cheeks, He Qingchi propped her chin on one hand and lazily asked, “You still haven’t answered me. Is Wen Shuchen still your backing?”
Shu Tongyi looked steadily at her and quietly asked, “Aren’t you jealous?”
During their first encounter, He Qingchi had found Shu Tongyi hard to deal with, but now she seemed much more relaxed. Her smile wasn’t even the least bit hostile. “This is my first time trying to be friends with a love rival. Life is long—we should try everything once.”
“Oh? And you’re not afraid I might steal him away?”
“Then I’ll just get a different man.”
That response made Shu Tongyi lift her gaze thoughtfully. After a moment, she said seriously, “He’s irreplaceable.”
That kind of deep affection—He Qingchi knew she hadn’t reached that point yet.
Her liking for him came from the favorable impression he had carefully created.
He Qingchi hesitated internally and didn’t press further. What she was wondering now was—if she really did uncover another side of Wen Shuchen, with the relationship they currently had, could she still declare as firmly as Shu Tongyi just had: “He’s irreplaceable”?
“Wen Shuchen has always had that kind of charm. You’ve only known him a few months and you already dared to marry him. Don’t deny it—you’re already falling in deep,” Shu Tongyi said, downing a full cup of wine before biting her lip and adding, “Just like I did back then.”
She may not drink often, but that didn’t mean she got drunk.
He Qingchi didn’t deny her feelings for Wen Shuchen. She idly tapped her fingertips against her wine cup, looking completely casual.
“You’re using me to kill time,” Shu Tongyi saw right through her.
“Oh? What makes you say that?” He Qingchi chuckled lightly.
Shu Tongyi didn’t believe He Qingchi truly wanted to know who backed her or wanted to dig into Wen Shuchen’s past. More likely, she just had time to kill, and Shu Tongyi happened to be there.
“If you really want to understand Wen Shuchen, I’m not the person you need to ask.”
“Well, of all his acquaintances, you’re the only one I know.”
Then she added in a mock-complaining tone, her delicate face deadpan, “Song Chao wouldn’t tell me anything. He’d just praise Wen Shuchen to the heavens.”
Shu Tongyi didn’t believe her excuse, but it was clear He Qingchi didn’t plan to be fully honest either.
The two sat in silence for a while longer. He Qingchi lowered her head and began eating. When she finally put her chopsticks down and looked up, her gaze landed on Shu Tongyi’s beautiful face.
There was a lantern hanging above at an angle, casting direct light down on her.
From He Qingchi’s angle, she could just make out the translucent outline of Shu Tongyi’s nose bridge.
He Qingchi took a closer look at the woman’s features—her brows, her side profile, the corners of her lips.
Maybe her stare was too direct, because Shu Tongyi looked back coldly.
Their gazes met for a second before He Qingchi faintly frowned and shook her head. “Hard to tell.”
That one comment made Shu Tongyi’s face turn pale in an instant.
With a slight smile but a certain tone, He Qingchi said, “Foreign work, right?”
This face, stunningly beautiful as it was, showed no obvious signs of cosmetic surgery—unless you looked really closely.
Shu Tongyi’s fingers clenched tightly around her cup, but for a long while, she didn’t say a word.
“You had a good base to begin with,” He Qingchi added, with no pretense of kindness.
If Shu Tongyi weren’t so used to keeping her composure, she might’ve lost control right then. Instead, she calmly called the restaurant owner over to settle the bill.
He Qingchi hadn’t meant to expose anything, but when she saw that Shu Tongyi was about to leave, she stayed seated and sipped her wine, offering a half-hearted attempt to make her stay: “Weren’t you the one who invited me to dinner? Leaving halfway through is kind of rude, don’t you think?”
Shu Tongyi paid and left, making it clear she had no intention of ever dining with her again.
By that time, the assistant had also returned with the ointment. Sensing the tension, he dared not ask questions.
He Qingchi watched Shu Tongyi’s retreating figure, turning the ointment box over in her fingers, amused.
She sipped her wine lazily, clearly just passing the time. About forty minutes passed, and after 9:30 PM, she finally pulled out her phone, found her own number in the contacts list, and dialed.
The call rang twice before it was picked up. A man’s deep voice came through quietly—it was silent in the background. “Qingchi, you done filming?”
He Qingchi rested her chin in one hand, gazing into the dark night, her tone casual: “You swapped phones with me and didn’t even try to get it back. Aren’t you afraid some little minx will send you a flirty message, and your legally wedded wife will see it?”
Wen Shuchen chuckled lowly. “Oh? And did Mrs. Wen see any flirty messages?”
“…”
She had. That guy Shen Fu had sent a flirty message!
He Qingchi paused for a beat, then switched topics. “Do you own a lot of villas in Jiangcheng?”
“You need one?”
Spoken like someone who always had the answer ready.
Her tone cooled slightly. “Just checking up on you—seeing if you’ve got any mistresses stashed away in one of them.”
“I’ll come to pick you up and take you to investigate myself,” Wen Shuchen replied, noting from her voice that she must have wrapped up filming.
He Qingchi didn’t decline. She sent him the address of the private dining restaurant.
After hanging up, she opened Shen Fu’s message—the one that had sat unread all day—and replied: [Which villa?]
She reread his tone—it wasn’t the first time he’d done this.
And she wasn’t even worried he’d notice it wasn’t Wen Shuchen replying.
Shen Fu replied: [Yinhu Villa.]
He Qingchi read the message, then ignored him.
……
About fifty minutes later, Wen Shuchen arrived in person to pick her up.
This time, he had his driver and bodyguards follow in a separate car, deliberately giving them privacy.
Clearly, He Qingchi preferred it this way—just the two of them. After getting into the passenger seat and buckling up, she smiled faintly, pulled out the ointment, and started unwrapping it with her fingers. “You’ll only get to use this ointment tonight if you behave well.”
Wen Shuchen had one hand on the wheel, driving steadily. With his free hand, he ruffled her hair and asked evenly, “And how do I behave well?”
The man seemed eager to perform and was playing along quite nicely.
He Qingchi smiled, eyes glinting as she asked, “Do you have any property in Yinhu Villa?”
Before he could respond, she added lightly, “Think carefully before you answer. If I don’t like what I hear, I’ll start deducting points.”
Wen Shuchen didn’t miss a beat. His expression was calm as his lips curled slightly: “Yes, one villa. I haven’t stayed there in a long time.”
“Qin Chuan has property in Yinhu, too. I heard the environment’s nice. Take me there to have a look.”
“Tonight?” he asked in a low voice.
Still smiling, He Qingchi slowly unwrapped the transparent film from the ointment and asked in a neutral tone, “Is that a problem?”
Wen Shuchen glanced at her for a couple of seconds, his tone light but steady: “Not a problem at all…”
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