Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 44 - Meeting Gifts
Chapter 44: Meeting Gifts
“Can't I be friends with you?” Wen Yue's lowered gaze was so deep and still that there wasn’t the slightest ripple in it. Even when he spoke, there was no trace of anger in his tone at He Qingchi’s mocking words.
He asked seriously. Seeing she didn’t answer, he continued on his own. “Looks like you really don’t recognize me.”
He Qingchi found it strange and didn’t want to fall into his trap, so her lips pressed together.
Whether they knew each other or not wasn’t important, given the positions they stood in.
Wen Yue didn’t press the matter further. Instead, he changed the subject, lowering his voice until it was almost a whisper: “I’ll give you a meeting gift another day. Remember my words — Wen Corporation’s shares, to you, are a death warrant.”
When He Qingchi turned to look at him again, Wen Yue had already stood up, his tall, slender figure moving toward a young woman with straight black hair standing ahead.
Every word he said was impossible for He Qingchi to fully grasp.
She didn’t mention this little episode at the hospital to Wen Shuchen, faintly feeling that he probably wouldn’t want to know.
After her check-up, she carried the medicine prescribed by the doctor and returned to the set to film.
Director Guo had arranged a very tight shooting schedule during this period. By the time they wrapped for the afternoon, He Qingchi checked the timetable and, taking advantage of the break, walked to a quiet spot with her phone. Because of poor reception, her text message took ages to send.
While everyone else gathered in a noisy group at the front, He Qingchi stood there alone, looking especially aloof. She enjoyed this kind of atmosphere — when others looked her way, all they would see was her long, messy black hair cascading freely, her delicate side profile partly hidden, and her loose white T-shirt draped over her thighs. The simple outfit lacked the refined image of most female celebrities.
Yet even so, she drew attention; even a random candid shot of her would look striking.
Instead of hearing back from Wen Shuchen, she was surprised by Qin Chuan’s visit to the set.
He had been there once before, slyly slipping a hefty red envelope to the crew before leaving. This time, he strolled right in, recognized by face alone.
He brought plenty of desserts and milk tea to share with the crew and staff. Skilled in social matters, he quickly became friendly with everyone. Carrying a cup of milk tea, he unwrapped a straw and handed it to He Qingchi: “You need to work on your relationships here — you’re too much of a loner. I talked to people, and it turns out you’re not really close to anyone.”
He Qingchi didn’t take it, instead finding a chair for herself and tilting her sharp chin slightly upward: “What are you here for?”
Seeing she wouldn’t drink it, Qin Chuan took a sip himself, raising an eyebrow: “Didn’t you ask me to look into that musician?”
At this, He Qingchi’s interest piqued, and she blinked at him.
Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, Qin Chuan lounged back, crossing one leg over the other. He took another sip, chewing on a boba as he gossiped: “Shen Tingji’s background was surprisingly hard to trace. I thought it would be some tangled mess, but it turns out she’s from an ordinary family. Her parents were physics professors, but they died when she was five, leaving her an orphan…”
“She doesn’t have an older brother?” He Qingchi thought something was off.
Qin Chuan shook his head: “Not even close — both her parents were only children. No cousins either.”
“Then how did she grow up?” He Qingchi felt more suspicious.
For a girl from an ordinary background who lost her parents, growing up peacefully was one thing, but becoming a successful, renowned musician was another — it required not only all of one’s time and energy but also huge amounts of money, like pouring into a bottomless pit.
“You think that’s strange?” Qin Chuan didn’t quite get her point, and added: “Her parents were murdered, by the way.”
He Qingchi asked: “Then why was her background so hard to investigate?”
“No idea — otherwise I’d have told you sooner.” Qin Chuan explained that even with his local connections in Jiangcheng, he’d found almost nothing. Someone had clearly erased Shen Tingji’s past so thoroughly that without his roots in the city, he might not have uncovered even her basic family history.
All he could confirm was that her parents had been murdered, the killer caught on the spot. What happened afterward was unknown.
“As I expected,” He Qingchi said softly. “Even if Qu Bixin used the Qu family’s influence, she might not be able to find this much.”
“What’s that little green tea got to do with it?”
Qin Chuan blurted the complaint instinctively, then quickly caught on — they’d known each other long enough that a couple of sentences were enough to get her meaning.
“No way…”
Compared to thinking Shen Tingji was a woman Wen Shuchen was secretly keeping, Qin Chuan was far more shocked to learn it was Shen Fu.
Fiddling with her phone, He Qingchi reminded him: “Qu Bixin probably already knows. She’s obsessed with saving face, so don’t spread this around.”
“I’d have to be crazy to mess with that naturally black-hearted little green tea.”
Qin Chuan continued unceremoniously: “You shouldn’t put yourself in her line of sight either. If she can’t get at Shen Fu, she might just take it out on you.”
“Do I look like someone who doesn’t know better?” He Qingchi countered.
She’d even gone so far as to avoid warning Qu Bixin directly, letting Wen Shuchen expose Shen Fu instead.
In the middle of their conversation, He Qingchi’s long-silent phone finally rang. Seeing it was Wen Shuchen calling, she gestured for Qin Chuan to be quiet before answering: “Hello?”
Wen Shuchen’s low, gentle voice came through: “I saw your message. You’ve been staying in Hengdian these past few days?”
“Busy — no choice.” With Qin Chuan staring right at her, He Qingchi spoke cautiously.
She didn’t sound overly intimate, but the curve of her lips gave her away.
Knowing she couldn’t come back because she had to shoot night scenes, Wen Shuchen respected his wife’s work. But suddenly, he lowered his voice: “The bodyguard said you went to the hospital this morning. Feeling unwell?”
He Qingchi almost covered the phone with her hand, her eyes flicking warily toward Qin Chuan.
Qin Chuan smiled faintly, silently mouthing: “Why are you looking at me, buddy?”
He Qingchi moved a bit away from him, mumbling, “Not really, just went to see a doctor.”
Wen Shuchen seemed to guess that she probably wasn’t in a convenient place to talk, so he tactfully dropped the topic and softly told her, “Next time, I’ll go with you.”
He Qingchi responded with a quiet “mm,” and then both of them fell silent for a while.
After a pause, on the other end, Wen Shuchen chuckled lowly, his voice especially pleasant to the ear: “Rest for a few nights, I’ll come visit you on set another day.”
His “visiting the set” was certainly not as simple as it sounded.
He Qingchi wanted to curse him but was afraid Qin Chuan would overhear, so she hung up the phone instead.
The heat in her cheeks wouldn’t go away, and there seemed to be a faint flush.
Qin Chuan shook his head at the sight: “Just one phone call and you’re already all lovestruck? It’s just dating the top socialite, tsk tsk tsk, can’t handle his charm anymore, can you?”
“Get lost.” He Qingchi raised her fair leg, ready to kick him.
For the next half month or so, He Qingci stayed in the enclosed Hengdian set filming.
She was almost cut off from the outside world, only keeping in touch with Wen Shuchen through calls and WeChat. Coincidentally, he was also on a business trip during that time, though he would occasionally have his bodyguards send over some freshly made stews.
Instead of losing weight, He Qingchi actually gained five or six pounds.
She only discovered this horrifying fact when, while trying on her costume, Duan Jinfan — that simple, sweet thing — looked her up and down and said, “Xiao He, did they alter your cheongsam to be smaller? Feels like you’re about to burst it.”
He Qingchi’s expression stiffened. Her fingers slid along her own waistline — the curve was still nice, though it was tighter than before. Definitely not about to burst, but…
When Director Gu ordered custom-made costumes, they would deliberately size them an inch smaller to highlight the cheongsam’s beauty. Before, it had fit her perfectly. Now, with a few extra pounds, it was… awkward.
That night, she finished filming early, returned to the hotel, tossed her clothes all over the floor, and hurried to take a shower.
Forty minutes later, the bathroom door swung open from the inside. Wrapped in a bathrobe, He Qingchi was still towel-drying her damp long hair as she leisurely walked toward the window and opened the closed curtains.
Other people feared paparazzi, but since she didn’t have any man in her room, she couldn’t care less.
She casually sat on the edge of the coffee table, her pale, slender legs straight and smooth.
After drying her hair enough so it didn’t drip, she tossed the towel onto the sofa, bent down, and reached for her phone.
It was 9:10 PM — the time Wen Shuchen usually sent her a message.
It was a quiet routine they had developed during this rare, long stretch apart since their marriage.
But before she received his message, the doorbell rang, followed by the voice of her manager, Li Ling.
That was a surprise — this was a rare sight indeed.
He Qingchi had nearly forgotten she even had a manager. She put down her phone and went to open the door.
“You’re alone in the room?” Li Ling walked straight in without a word, her cold gaze scanning the room.
The place was a bit messy — clothes on the floor, a half-damp towel on the sofa armrest, and the air faintly scented with post-shower body wash. From that, Li Ling guessed He Qingchi had just bathed.
Seeing there was no one else, Li Ling, dressed in a white skirt suit, remained standing upright instead of sitting and asked, “Do you know about Shu Tongyi’s plastic surgery?”
He Qingchi poured herself a glass of water, turned around at the question, and blinked.
She didn’t answer right away — she’d kind of guessed already.
It had been something she accidentally noticed half a month ago, but why was Li Ling bringing it up?
“Have you been hiding from Weibo again?” Li Ling read her expression and knew the answer.
She really had no way to deal with this laissez-faire artist of hers.
Within seconds, she pulled up the trending searches on her phone and handed it over.
Still holding her water glass, He Qingchi glanced at the glaring headline — the words “plastic surgery” were plastered directly over Shu Tongyi’s beautiful face in an accusatory tone.
Very quickly, she also spotted her own name on the trending list…
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