Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 108 - Don’t Turn Off Your Phone
Chapter 108: Don’t Turn Off Your Phone
In the first-class cabin, He Qingchi was a very light sleeper. Even though she had cried herself to sleep, the slightest movement could wake her. Half-dazed, she felt something unusual brushing against her eyelashes, pulling her out of her dream. What came into view was a chubby bun-like face up close.
The little one was playing with her eyelashes using his pinky finger. When he realized he had woken her up, he froze for a moment. Then his big, round, dark eyes fluttered, and he beamed before leaning in to kiss her.
She felt a soft little touch on her cheek, followed by the sound effect: “Mwah!”
After kissing her, the little guy sweetly wiped the drool off with his tiny finger, his squinted eyes full of happiness.
“Little Sister Xiao Chi, the plane is about to go down now.”
Looking at the child, all the complicated emotions in He Qingchi’s heart were no match for his sweet, milky voice. After a nap’s worth of time to calm down, she was no longer as stiff or unsure of how to interact with him as before.
Her pale hand first straightened the wrinkles on his clothes. Her voice was surprisingly gentle. “When did you wake up?”
The little one had no sense of time and waved his pinky fingers around meaninglessly.
He Qingchi’s fingertips warmed as they brushed his cheek. She turned toward the oval window, and in the reflection, she saw Wen Shuchen’s figure appearing—he was walking over from the restroom, adjusting his cuff with one hand.
Their eyes met again.
He Qingchi lowered her lashes first, looking away, and soon she heard his footsteps approaching.
“Daddy!”
The little one reacted first, reaching out for a hug.
Wen Shuchen sat down right beside He Qingchi, close enough for her to feel his presence. He didn’t pick up the child, but his gaze on her was incredibly gentle. “We’ll arrive at Jiangcheng Airport in fifteen minutes.”
He Qingchi couldn’t stay silent around him all night, especially not in front of the child. Her emotions had calmed, but four years without Wen Shuchen had created a distance between them. Even with a peaceful mind, it was impossible to instantly return to the intimacy they once had. “Your health… is it better?”
She didn’t ask about the Wen family’s internal struggles, nor what had happened these past four years.
The only thing she cared about was his health.
Wen Shuchen coughed lightly here and there, but his expression remained steady. “Don’t worry. It’s much better now.”
He Qingchi’s lips moved; she wanted to say she wasn’t worried, but saying it would sound even more like she was trying to hide something.
The truth was, his health had been what she feared for the most these past few years.
“Back then…” Wen Shuchen looked at her fair profile, seeming as if he wanted to explain the past, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn't continue and stopped after those two words.
The truth was, he sent her back to the He family at the most dangerous moment. If He Qingchi bore a grudge, he deserved it.
Bringing up the past only hurt. Instead, he quietly said, “These years… I’m the one who harmed you.”
She had been forcibly sent back to the He family, emotionally wrecked, and then discovered she was pregnant with Wen Jianci. Everything happened at once, triggering a relapse of depression and severe insomnia. Even while recovering at the He family, she had barely made it through.
Wen Shuchen had been sick himself and facing a perilous situation within the Wen family. He couldn’t take her back or care for her properly. These years, he had done right by everyone—except her. He had failed to fulfill his duty as a husband.
He Qingchi didn’t want to hear apologies—those were the most useless words.
Lowering her head, she looked at the little one blinking curiously on her lap, and gently squeezed his tiny hand. “You’re such a good boy.”
While the adults talked, he automatically became quiet. He didn’t fuss or fight for attention; his small expression was serious, as if he understood everything.
His cheeks turned rosy, as if he understood her affection.
Wen Shuchen quietly watched this mother and son pair. They were likely the two people he loved and cared about most in the world.
The plane soon landed at Jiangcheng Airport. It was still dark outside.
Carrying the child, He Qingchi left through the first-class exit and walked down the designated passage. Once outside, she had to face reality: returning to Wushan Town meant the child had to be given back to Wen Shuchen.
The bond between mother and son had barely formed, and they were already returning to the start.
The little one liked his mother, but he still depended on his father more.
Clutching Wen Shuchen’s pant leg, he gazed at He Qingchi with those beautiful dark eyes and said milky-sweetly, “Little Sister Xiao Chi, can I go to your house to play next time?”
His words made He Qingchi aware of his choice. Her lashes trembled, but she managed a small smile. “Yes. You’re welcome anytime.”
The little guy happily lifted his head. “Daddy daddy! Little Sister Xiao Chi said we can go to her house!”
He truly was Wen Shuchen’s son—one sentence left her with no room to refuse.
In his soft childish voice, he added, “Then let’s go to Little Sister Xiao Chi’s house now!”
He Qingchi’s eyes widened instinctively. She looked at Wen Shuchen.
She wasn’t ready. And Wushan Town was her quiet refuge for the last three years—everything there carried traces of her life. If Wen Shuchen went, he would see it all.
Not that it mattered if he did. She just didn’t want him to.
Fortunately, it was just the child being eager. Wen Shuchen picked him up and gave He Qingchi time to breathe. His deep voice was warm and considerate. “I’ve arranged two bodyguards to take you back to Wushan Town. There are things I need to take care of in Jiangcheng, so I won’t be sending you.”
This arrangement was exactly what she wanted.
Soon, the car arrived. He Qingchi quietly sat in the back seat. Through the window, she could still faintly see the father and son standing outside.
Just then, Wen Shuchen set the child down and opened the car door. The movement made her tense inside.
“What’s your phone number?”
His deep voice flowed in, his eyes resting on her startled expression.
He Qingchi’s fingers tightened around her dress. She hadn’t used a phone in years, let alone had a new number.
Wen Shuchen watched her silently, waiting a few seconds. When she still didn’t answer, he took out a thin phone from his pocket and placed it in her palm—it still carried his warmth.
He didn’t say anything. Just handed her the phone and looked at her.
He Qingchi’s fingertips didn’t fear the pain; she gripped the phone tightly, faint red marks appearing on her pale skin.
Just before closing the car door, Wen Shuchen said slowly and seriously, his voice brushing past his thin lips, “I’ll call you. Don’t turn off your phone.”
Hearing that, He Qingchi lifted her lashes and looked at him through the car window.
His tall, handsome figure stood under the lights, with a small child clinging to his pant leg. Both father and son were watching her leave.
In that instant, He Qingchi felt an indescribable emotion rise faintly in her chest.
In her palm lay Wen Shuchen’s phone—still the same one from years ago, without a password.
He had handed it to her without even blinking…
He Qingchi didn’t know that right after she left, the father and son at the airport had a harmless little quarrel.
The little guy pouted, face stern as he looked at his father. “Why didn’t we go to Little Sister Xiao Chi’s house? She would’ve said yes.”
Wen Shuchen picked him up and got into another car, asking in his deep voice, “Do you know who your grandpa is?”
“He Qingqing!”
Ever since he could speak, the little one had been taught these names.
He knew his mother was He Qingchi, and grandfather was He Qingqing.
Wen Shuchen lightly scratched his nose with a long finger, a gentle smile flickering in his eyes. “In a few days, you’ll be able to see Mommy again.”
The little one didn’t doubt it. He pressed his cheek against his father’s warm palm. “Then can baby kiss her?”
He had only kissed her once tonight and hadn’t kissed properly.
“You need Mommy’s permission.” Wen Shuchen patiently taught him.
The little guy half-understood, not daring to confess that he had force-kissed her on the plane.
……
When He Qingchi returned to Wushan Town, it was already late into the night.
She came back alone, without Yao Jing or anyone else. The moment she entered the courtyard, she locked herself in her room.
Her abnormal behavior—shutting the door tightly—worried her grandmother, who knocked on the door.
It wasn’t until dawn that she finally came out.
By then, she had changed out of the dress and was wearing a cheongsam-style nightgown. Her long black hair draped down, making her face appear even paler. Seeing her grandmother holding a candle with worried eyes, she tugged the corners of her lips. “I’m fine. I made you worry tonight.”
Grandmother examined her expression carefully, seeming to understand somewhat. “Your eyes are bloodshot. Did you not sleep at all?”
After returning to Wushan Town, He Qingchi couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning, every time she closed her eyes, it was Wen Shuchen and the child. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten up at five in the morning.
She sat on a wooden chair in the courtyard, knees slightly bent, resting her chin lightly on them.
Her grandmother held a wooden comb and gently combed her long hair, her voice aged yet gentle. “It’s been four years. Don’t blame your father. He was afraid you’d be hurt again. The Wen family wasn’t a place for you to recover.”
She had gone to Yancheng for He Li’s wedding and returned alone to Wushan Town overnight. Obviously, her grandmother had received a call from the He family.
He Qingchi knew she shouldn’t blame her father. No father would watch what happened during that Wen family funeral and still calmly leave his beloved daughter there.
Besides, Wen Shuchen himself had been struggling to survive. In the eyes of the He family, he had lost the ability to protect her.
If she hadn’t been pregnant, she could have healed her leg and returned to him without hesitation—whether to support him through internal family conflict or to take care of his health…
But she herself had been very ill—postpartum depression and severe insomnia relapsing, plus recurring nightmares of the forgotten kidnapping. All of it had tormented her enough.
He Qingchi slowly leaned into her grandmother’s arms, closing her eyes. “I saw the child…”
Her grandmother paused with the comb, then patted her head comfortingly.
Like when she was little, nestling into her grandmother’s arms made everything less frightening. She had seen her child, yet didn’t know how to face him. She spilled all her accumulated pain to the elder who had raised her. “I’m afraid he’ll hate me as his mother.”
In the courtyard, the morning breeze scattered her worries. The brightening sky dimmed the lantern’s glow.
With her eyes closed, she curled up on the wooden chair, and finally felt a trace of sleepiness.
Afraid the child might dislike her, she didn’t touch the phone Wen Shuchen gave her for two straight days.
The phone was hidden deep in a drawer. Aside from that, her days seemed no different from the past three years.
Sometimes she even felt as if that night had only been a dream. Only when she saw Wen Shuchen’s phone did it feel real.
On the third day, she didn’t expect a call from her father.
Yao Jing handed her the phone. On the other end, her father said, “The Wen family sent the child to the He residence… Do you want to see your child?”
He Qingchi was sitting inside, embroidering a cheongsam. Her fingertips touched the cold needle, yet she said nothing for a long time.
Father He thought she was shocked speechless like he had been, so he continued, “They suddenly dropped him off at our door, didn’t even ask if I wanted him, just left. Sigh, the kid’s really clever—first thing he did was call me Grandpa, and then he asked me to return his Mommy to him.”
—Which clearly meant they were planning to send him to Wushan Town, back to He Qingchi!
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