Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 51 - His Lawful Wife’s Surname is He
Chapter 51: His Lawful Wife’s Surname is He
On the fifth day after Shu Tongyi’s plastic surgery scandal was exposed, the buzz online finally began to fade. The trending searches no longer carried headlines about her being from a “family of plastic surgery,” and her Weibo studio remained completely silent—without even releasing a single statement.
But for another person who had been dragged into the scandal…
He Qingchi’s management company suddenly issued a lawyer’s letter, announcing lawsuits against several media accounts that had spread false rumors and used her name for free publicity.
By the seventh day, the heated online debates under He Qingchi’s Weibo had finally calmed down. During those days, she stayed quietly in Wen Shuchen’s private mansion, never going anywhere. That morning, after waking up, she strolled leisurely through the back garden, then on a whim decided to have her bodyguards drive her to the hospital.
As the weather had begun to turn cooler, He Qingchi abandoned her beloved cheongsam and instead chose a light-colored sweater with a knitted pleated skirt from the wardrobe—a warm yet soft outfit that still outlined her graceful curves.
Such “survival instincts” were, of course, because two days earlier Wen Shuchen had subtly but firmly reminded her to dress warmly now that late autumn had set in.
He Qingchi usually liked wearing cheongsams at home, walking barefoot across the polished floors without bothering to put on shoes.
Normally she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it—if it got cold, she would simply turn on the heater. After all, as long as she didn’t go outside, there was no way she’d freeze in the villa.
But in Wen Shuchen’s eyes, that was a problem he picked on every time—like some relentless nitpicker.
After hearing his complaints enough times, He Qingchi finally stopped baring her legs.
—Inside the car.
She sat quietly in the back seat, her face turned to the window, watching the streets go by.
They had barely left when Wen Shuchen’s call came through. Anticipating that she might pretend not to hear, he had directly called the bodyguard’s phone instead.
“Madam, a call from Mr. Wen.”
He Qingchi took the phone but said nothing at first.
Wen Shuchen’s low, pleasant voice came through the receiver: “The butler says you went out?”
“Mhm…”
“Are you wearing a coat?” He sounded worried that she had gone out in nothing but a skirt for the sake of looking pretty.
She wasn’t wearing a coat, just a thin sweater. With a perfectly blank expression, she lied, “I went out in a down jacket.”
He caught the deliberate tone in her voice, but knowing too much nagging would only annoy her, he paused before saying, “I just don’t want you to get sick.”
See?
This was the part of marriage where compromises came in. He Qingchi absentmindedly scratched the car window with her fingernail and drawled, “You want to control even a strand of my hair. You’re harder to deal with than my father.”
A second of silence, then Wen Shuchen’s voice came again: “And your habit of washing your hair after ten at night, that too—”
Before he could finish, He Qingchi hung up.
She handed the phone back to the bodyguard just as the car pulled up to the hospital entrance.
The entire floor where Shu Tongyi was admitted was still heavily guarded by bodyguards. Reporters and media weren’t allowed near. Even fellow celebrities who wanted to visit had to first get approval from her agent.
But He Qingchi’s special status meant that even if she showed up unannounced, no one dared stop her. She took the elevator straight up.
She didn’t run into Shu Tongyi’s agent, but instead caught sight of Wen Yue inside the ward.
This time she didn’t mistake him for Wen Shuchen. It wasn’t that Wen Yue had changed his style—he still wore the same dark gray suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, sitting leisurely on the sofa like a gentlemanly young master. But unlike before, he no longer had bodyguards flanking him on either side as if he were a criminal.
Since she was already there, she had no reason to turn back just because of Wen Yue.
Her pale hand lifted lightly to knock on the door.
Shu Tongyi clearly disliked Wen Yue, so until He Qingchi arrived, the ward had felt split into two separate worlds.
Her entrance broke the tension.
Both of the room’s silent occupants turned their gazes toward her.
Without hesitation, she walked to the bedside. Her eyes swept over the corners of the room filled with fresh flowers and fruit. Sitting down, she said halfheartedly, “I figured your fans would shower you with gifts, so I didn’t bother bringing any.”
Shu Tongyi, her face still pale, slowly sat up against the headboard.
He Qingchi casually picked up an apple, then with the corner of her eye glanced at Wen Yue but asked Shu Tongyi, “What’s he doing here?”
“He comes every afternoon. It’s been nearly a week.”
Shu Tongyi’s voice was unnervingly calm. “Wen Shuchen ordered people to send him here.”
He Qingchi immediately guessed the situation but only smiled lightly. “I thought you must be bored without company, so I came to do a good deed today. Didn’t expect Wen Yue to be so… considerate.”
The two women spoke in tandem, but neither spared even a glance for Wen Yue sitting on the sofa.
It was obvious—he had fallen out of power in the Wen family, firmly suppressed by Wen Shuchen.
Otherwise, why else would he be reduced to wasting his time under guard in a hospital ward, playing babysitter to a woman he disdained?
Shu Tongyi knew perfectly well that Wen Yue was the one behind exposing her plastic surgery scandals. So without hesitation, she now stood shoulder to shoulder with He Qingchi.
Faced with the two women’s deliberate barbs, Wen Yue’s face remained impassive, his words even carrying a touch of flippancy: “So, tell me—how exactly did my dear brother manage to train you two to be such… harmonious wives?”
He Qingchi found him insufferable. Her lips curved into a faint, icy smile. “Maybe you’ll learn your lesson after both your hands are broken.”
The words had barely left her mouth when—
The bodyguard assigned to keep watch over Wen Yue actually took it seriously: “Madam, his hands have healed. Which one would you like me to break first?”
“......”
The ward fell silent.
Shu Tongyi, who hadn’t smiled for a long time, actually laughed.
He Qingchi wasn’t in favor of bloody violence—she only liked to win with her words. Expressionless, she said: “Drag him out.”
The bodyguard Wen Shuchen had sent was a straightforward man. He looked troubled and said, “Mr. Wen ordered that Wen Yue must stay in the ward every afternoon to keep Miss Shu company, and can only be sent back to the family residence at six in the evening.”
“I don’t need him to keep me company. Let him go.” Shu Tongyi had seen more than enough of Wen Yue these past days.
Being rejected by both women at once, Wen Yue: “……”
Still, he carried himself with no trace of defeat. Rising to his feet, his long fingers smoothed his suit jacket with unhurried grace. His dark, deep gaze fixed directly on He Qingchi.
Sensing his stare, He Qingchi turned her head toward him.
Wen Yue lowered his voice, his words laced with hidden meaning: “I may be down in the Wen family for now, but I will have my day of resurgence.”
Before He Qingchi could reply, he had already walked out with casual indifference.
“His eyes look at you differently,” Shu Tongyi suddenly remarked.
He Qingchi no longer bothered watching Wen Yue’s retreating figure. Instead, she met Shu Tongyi’s gaze.
Shu Tongyi was certain she wasn’t mistaken. Her expression remained cold as she said: “His eyes usually carry concealed malice and cruelty. But when he looks at you—those things aren’t there.”
“If you’re trying to sow discord, those words would be more effective if you told Wen Shuchen.” He Qingchi’s reaction was indifferent, but she set the apple in her hand back down.
Shu Tongyi’s expression shifted slightly as her fingers touched the bandages around her wrist.
Wen Shuchen had come only once—on the night she slit her wrist. After that, he never appeared again.
Shu Tongyi knew full well there was no need for him to visit. Unless she were lying in the morgue, what reason could she demand for him to come to the hospital?
“I originally came today to see what you look like when you want to die. You actually look… pretty well.” He Qingchi studied Shu Tongyi’s beautiful face. Though bloodless, it wasn’t haggard or desolate.
She had never seen patients with this kind of illness before. After a pause, she asked, “You’re not faking it, are you?”
Shu Tongyi was struck speechless by those few words, until finally she said coldly: “Even if I didn’t want to die, you could still drive me to it.”
“You like my man. I’m just returning the favor by making you suffer a little.” He Qingchi found it perfectly reasonable. Her lips curved in a faint smile, betraying no real emotion.
“Do you even know this is called catfighting between romantic rivals?”
Shu Tongyi: “……”
After a while, she forced herself to steady her emotions, lest she really be angered sick by He Qingchi’s words. “Why exactly did you come?”
He Qingchi picked up a card a fan had sent, flipping it leisurely as she replied, her tone so casual it was impossible to tell if she was serious: “To hear your story.”
Shu Tongyi pressed her pale lips together. Her voice sank, unnervingly quiet: “Wen Shuchen hasn’t told you?”
“He respects your privacy. He only told me a little.” He Qingchi slipped the card back into the bouquet of roses as she spoke.
Shu Tongyi fell into a long silence. These seven days, she had thought that since the online plastic surgery scandal had dragged He Qingchi into it, Wen Shuchen would surely have told this woman about her ugliest past.
Just imagining it had left her tossing sleepless on her hospital bed night after night.
But in the end, she realized she still didn’t fully understand Wen Shuchen.
Fortunately, He Qingchi wasn’t the kind of woman who, to defeat a rival, would spread the word far and wide—or keep harping on Shu Tongyi’s plastic surgery history to humiliate her.
She hadn’t come to belittle Shu Tongyi. She simply thought that since the online uproar had quieted and this woman, hospitalized after a suicide attempt, must have stabilized emotionally, she would take a moment to make her stance clear: “Next time you slit your wrists, notify your agent in advance. Don’t call Wen Shuchen. His lawful wife’s surname is He, not Shu.”
“I never intended to kill myself.” Shu Tongyi felt humiliated by her words.
“You cut your wrists for fun?” He Qingchi understood, then added: “Have your agent watch you next time. Wen Shuchen doesn’t have the time.”
Shu Tongyi’s limbs went cold. Next time, she would never call Wen Shuchen again.
Seeing she had made her point, He Qingchi stood to leave.
But Shu Tongyi’s voice rang out first, halting her steps: “Weren’t you here to hear a story?”
He Qingchi hesitated briefly. Truthfully, she had only said that in passing earlier.
She didn’t intend to force Shu Tongyi into revealing her past.
After all, who doesn’t have a story they’d rather keep hidden?
He Qingchi sat back down. Before listening, she cleared her throat and said, “You don’t have to tell me.”
“—How hypocritical.”
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