Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 53 - Baobao’ wasn’t Meant for You
Chapter 53: Baobao’ wasn’t Meant for You
The elevator went straight up to the floor where Wen Shuchen’s office was located. Song Chao escorted He Qingchi all the way to the office, where coffee and pastries were served.
“President Wen is still in a meeting. Madam, please wait a moment.”
Instead of sitting on the sofa, He Qingchi glanced around Wen Shuchen’s office. The space was wide, a floor-to-ceiling glass window opening out to skyscrapers outside, flooding the room with light.
His desk was simple yet meticulous, with two neatly stacked proposals and a half-finished glass of water.
Looking out to the area outside the office, she noticed it was almost entirely filled with sharply dressed men. Walking over, she sat down in the chair behind his desk, raising a faint smile: “President Wen doesn’t have a single female employee around him?”
Song Chao didn’t dare leave, so he replied carefully, “Female employees usually aren’t allowed into this area.”
That piqued He Qingchi’s curiosity. Picking up the half glass of water, she asked, “Was there some kind of incident?”
Why otherwise would they act as if women—or dogs—were not allowed anywhere near Wen Shuchen?
Knowing he couldn’t hide it from her, Song Chao answered tactfully, “It’s not that our secretary team discriminates against women, it’s just that nine out of ten women who came here were aiming to become President Wen’s mistresses. The endless scheming seriously affected productivity.”
Listening to his disdain, He Qingchi smiled, seeing right through how he guarded his position as Wen Shuchen’s number one aide.
Song Chao didn’t bother to cover it up. “Madam, the workplace is no different from palace intrigue—you’ve seen palace dramas, right?”
“And in all these years, how many concubines have you, the ‘Empress,’ sent into the cold palace?”
“Don’t dare, don’t dare. The concubines outside are the ones Madam has the real authority to deal with.” Song Chao wouldn’t dare straighten his back before her, let alone call himself the legitimate consort.
He Qingchi finished the water, then stood again.
“Take me around outside.”
The area near Wen Shuchen’s office was quiet, with almost no female staff in sight. Only after walking down a corridor and turning left did they finally encounter fresh, pretty faces—all in professional skirts and high heels.
“Secretary Song, hello—”
Several young women chatting along the hallway stopped to greet Song Chao politely.
He nodded back, noticing their furtive glances at He Qingchi beside him. Quickly, he introduced: “This is… President He.”
“Secretary Song, what’s the background of this President He? She looks unfamiliar.” One woman studied He Qingchi with curiosity. She looked so young, and the woman inwardly tried to calculate her worth.
“Is that any of your business? Get back to work.”
Song Chao didn’t reveal her identity, leading her straight to the meeting room.
“Madam, President Wen is inside.”
He had intended for her to wait in the lounge area, but she glanced through the frosted glass wall, vaguely seeing blurred silhouettes.
Just then, a woman in a black suit carrying documents seemed about to knock on the door.
He Qingchi gave a glance, and Song Chao immediately understood. He intercepted the woman. “Is this for President Wen?”
The female department manager hesitated, then nodded.
Song Chao took the file. “Go tend to your other tasks.”
Then, turning, he respectfully handed it over to He Qingchi.
This scene only deepened the manager’s confusion.
Outside, she’d heard others call this woman “President He”?
But in all her time at the company, she’d never seen Song Chao treat any woman with such deference.
Accepting the document, He Qingchi praised Song Chao’s tact. “This won’t disturb Wen Shuchen’s work, will it?”
Though she asked, it was clearly just for show.
Song Chao flatteringly said, “In President Wen’s eyes, Madam will always matter more than work. There’s no such thing as disturbing.”
Holding the file, she walked to the meeting room door, politely knocked, and pushed it open.
Inside, the atmosphere immediately sharpened. Around a long table, eight suited elites and three female secretaries sat, all lifting their heads at the sound.
He Qingchi walked straight to the head of the table. Her silky black hair flowed past her waist, a light sweater and skirt outlining her slender figure. The simple, youthful outfit clearly didn’t belong to a company employee. Yet, under everyone’s eyes, she went right up to Wen Shuchen and handed him the file with her fair hand.
“President Wen?”
The tone was calm and light, but pleasing to the ear.
Wen Shuchen turned his head, surprise flickering across his face as though he hadn’t expected her sudden appearance in his meeting room. He quickly recovered his composure, reaching out his long fingers to accept the file.
At the same time, he discreetly clasped her fingertips for a few seconds.
He Qingchi winked at him, then said outwardly, like a considerate wife, “I’ll step out.”
Wen Shuchen gave a low “Mm,” his gaze still lingering on her.
She showed her face for a moment, then left as if nothing had happened.
Afterward, the atmosphere in the meeting room clearly shifted. Wen Shuchen, seated in his chair, flipped through the file quickly, but said nothing.
“President Wen, shall we continue?”
Placing the file on the table, Wen Shuchen ignored the probing stares, stood up, and left a brief command: “Fifteen-minute break.”
When the door opened and closed again, his figure completely disappeared from view.
They all kept silent at first, until one of the female secretaries finally broke the tension: “If my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me just now… it looked like President Wen secretly touched that woman’s fingers when she handed him the file.”
In an instant, the conference room exploded.
“Where did that woman come from? Doesn’t Secretary Song usually block people like that?”
“Has someone finally shown up at President Wen’s side who actually cares about him? Could she be the future president’s wife?”
“She looked like a porcelain doll… why does she seem so familiar to me?”
“Wait, the market department’s group chat is buzzing about this too.” Someone who was gossiping suddenly pulled out their phone and shared the messages with everyone.
……
While everyone else was busy gossiping about He Qingchi’s identity, Wen Shuchen had already gone back to his office to find her.
The slender figure of the woman leaned against his desk, sipping from his glass of water.
He lingered a few seconds, then slowly closed the door.
“What are you doing here?” Wen Shuchen walked closer, his voice deliberately low.
He Qingchi didn’t turn her head; through the spotless glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could clearly see his approaching silhouette. His tall, upright figure beside her looked all the more striking—and perfectly matched.
Especially those deep eyes of his, watching her intently.
“I just went to the hospital to see Shu Tongyi. On the way back, I thought I’d check whether you’re behaving yourself and making money properly.”
She set down the glass and turned to him with a smile.
Wen Shuchen’s clean, long-fingered hand slid to her waist, the soft hem of her skirt brushing against his dark suit pants and instantly adding an intimate charge to the air. He pulled her into his arms, then sat her on the desk, lowering his head to rub his jaw against her porcelain-like cheek. The moment he had unexpectedly seen her in the meeting room earlier, he had already wanted to do this.
They lingered in silent closeness for a while. He Qingchi’s lashes lowered as she gazed at this man in his tailored suit; her fingers crept up to his collar out of habit, drawn to unbutton it as she always liked to do in private. Her voice was soft: “You’re very well-behaved—not even a single female secretary.”
Wen Shuchen chuckled against her cheek, his expression one of quiet joy. “Come to inspect me?”
“You don’t want me to?” She glanced at him.
If he dared say no, she’d surely explode.
Wen Shuchen let her undo two buttons, revealing the elegant lines of his collarbone. In return, keeping his gentlemanly air of reciprocity, he slowly began untying the delicate ribbon on her dress, face serious but lips curved in a gentle smile. “You can investigate me however you like. Want to check on Secretary Song and the others, too?”
“True… these days, what if I guard against women but not men?” She played along with a nod. Seeing him stealthily loosening her dress, she slapped his hand. “Someone might see.”
Wen Shuchen caught her wrist, not letting her escape. “You started it.”
Her gaze fell on his half-unbuttoned shirt, that slightly disheveled look so unlike his usual immaculate self. Without a blush or a racing heart, she retorted, “I didn’t take off your pants, did I?”
By now Wen Shuchen had lost all pretense of gentlemanly restraint, as if intent on having the last word. “To be fair, should I let you put my buttons back?”
That wasn’t her idea of fairness.
She pushed him away, retied the ribbon neatly, just as the closed door was knocked on. Song Chao deliberately waited a minute before coming in with a tray of tea.
He beamed brightly, going out of his way to curry favor with He Qingchi in front of Wen Shuchen. “Madam, is there any other dessert you’d like?”
As he spoke, his eyes flicked meaningfully toward the figure leaning against the desk.
Wen Shuchen stood facing the window, hands in his pockets, not turning around, quietly listening to their exchange.
He Qingchi, however, walked over to the sofa and sat down, her lashes lowering as she glanced at the several desserts laid out on the coffee table. There was already more than enough.
She picked up one, took a bite, then set it back down.
Song Chao stood smiling by her side, ready at any moment for her to speak.
“Hey, Baobao…” He Qingchi, who wasn’t very fond of sweets, suddenly spoke.
The words had barely left her lips.
Song Chao hadn’t even reacted yet when Wen Shuchen instantly turned his head, staring straight at her.
But He Qingchi, resting her cheek in her palm, didn’t notice his reaction. Her attention was on Song Chao, whose signature smile faltered, his expression shifting through several stages in mere seconds before his face turned red.
Inside, he was cursing nonstop for a full minute. He shot her a look as if asking: “Madam, you weren’t calling me that, were you?”
He Qingchi’s mischievous streak came out. She grinned wickedly, silently nodding as if to answer: “I was calling you.”
“Alright, Baobao. You can leave now.”
“……” Song Chao.
----------
If you like my translation, please support me by buying me a coffee:
0 comments: