Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 121 - Let Me Hold You for a While

February 20, 2026 Oyen 0 Comments

Happy Reading~Chapter 121: Let Me Hold You for a While
 
It was close to eleven.
 
At this hour the night was already deep and silent, and Wen Shuchen should be home by now.
 
He Qingchi rose from the edge of the bed, stepping barefoot onto the cold floor. She didn’t even bother with slippers as she walked out of the master bedroom and headed downstairs. The living room lights were dimmed; there was no sign that the man had returned.
 
She sat quietly on the sofa, holding her phone.
 
The dream she had just woken from left her wide awake now. Her head was slightly lowered, her hair falling over the pale curve of her cheek, hiding her expression. No one knew what she was thinking.
 
Until a noise sounded from outside the villa. A moment later, a bodyguard turned on the living room lights.
 
The brightness stung her eyes; He Qingchi half-closed them and looked over.
 
The bodyguard was surprised to see her awake and sitting alone, and decided not to send a maid upstairs to check on her. He approached and said, “Madam, someone from the old house is here asking to see you.”
 
He Qingchi guessed the visitor must be someone of status—otherwise the bodyguard would never come disturb her near midnight.
 
“I’ll go upstairs and change. Please invite her into the living room.”
 
Her voice was soft. She went upstairs to the dressing room, changed into something appropriate for receiving a guest, and came back down. On the sofa sat an elegant, middle-aged lady—soft-featured, the classic beauty of an Eastern noblewoman.
 
This lady introduced herself as a member of the Wen family—by seniority, Wen Shuchen’s older cousin-aunt.
 
She spoke with a constant smile. She greeted He Qingchi warmly, praised her for a while, and finally got to the point: “It’s truly out of desperation that I’ve come this late at night. Qingchi, these days, Shuchen only listens to you.”
 
He Qingchi replied mildly, “I rarely interfere in his affairs.”
 
The cousin-aunt’s smile faded a little. Her tone shifted to a gentle lament. “Ever since your father-in-law passed, Qiu Jin committed such sins—terrible mistakes. For years, Shuchen and Wen Yue have been trapped in this endless struggle. But after all, they are both children of the Wen family. Why must things escalate to ‘you die, I live’?”
 
“When Wen Yue’s mother poisoned him, she didn’t seem to think they were both Wen family children.”
 
He Qingchi returned this sentence calmly.
 
The cousin-aunt had sought help from Wen Jingchun many times in her younger years. Because of that connection, she didn’t want to see his sons fall into such a state. She tried again, “Wen Yue has been emotionally unstable ever since that incident. That’s why he keeps fighting Shuchen at every turn. Look at him now—he’s in a terrible state. Maybe you could…”
 
“No.” He Qingchi didn’t let her finish.
 
That debt was a blood feud.
 
It had nearly killed Wen Shuchen once. It had torn her and her husband apart for four years. How could it be “turned over” so easily?
 
Out of respect for the Wen family, she had not thrown the woman out at the door.
 
Seeing the conversation reach its limit, she signaled the bodyguards to escort the cousin-aunt out.
 
In her anxiety, the woman blurted, “Qingchi, child, your aunt knows—if you’re willing to say just one word, Shuchen and Wen Yue’s relationship wouldn’t have to be this strained.”
 
“You give me too much credit,” He Qingchi answered. She did not believe she had the ability to mend such hatred.
 
The cousin-aunt hesitated, then finally explained why she had come. “I watched Wen Yue grow up. Since the incident with Qiu Jin, his mind has been… affected. Qingchi, sometimes he speaks to the mirror—as if he’s talking to Qiu Jin. And a few times it was like he was talking to you.”
 
Wen Shuchen had sealed the old house, burned everything belonging to Qiu Jin and Wen Yue’s biological father.
 
Wen Yue couldn’t live there. He lived alone. The cousin-aunt had taken him in at first, worried for him.
 
For the first year, he was consumed solely with fighting Wen Shuchen—his biggest pleasure was trying to bring him down. Every day, he lived in an extreme emotional state. But slowly, she realized something was wrong.
 
She had hinted more than once that he should see a doctor.
 
He never came back after that—moved out alone. Worried, she arranged for a housekeeper to look after him and observe his condition.
 
As expected, the housekeeper witnessed him talking to mirrors several times.
 
One night, he smashed a bottle of red wine. It splattered all over the floor, staining his trousers like blood. He knelt there, disheveled and hollow, staring at the shards. While muttering to himself, the housekeeper distinctly heard him say He Qingchi’s name.
 
The cousin-aunt had never told anyone about Wen Yue’s abnormal state, and this was her first time confessing it to He Qingchi. “I don’t know what Wen Yue feels for you. He’s been lonely since he was a child. Apart from Shuchen, he has no one. He keeps everything buried in his heart.”
 
He Qingchi frowned slightly. Even if Wen Yue felt something toward her, it was only a fixation on the girl she once was.
 
Add to that everything involving Wen Shuchen — no matter how pitiful the cousin-aunt made him sound, she felt no sympathy.
 
While they were still speaking, noise sounded again from outside the villa.
 
This time, Wen Shuchen had returned.
 
The cousin-aunt didn’t linger—she left quickly before he entered, clearly knowing her unexpected visit was unwelcome.
 
He Qingchi sat on the sofa, mind blank.
 
Wen Shuchen stood outside for a moment—likely speaking to the cousin-aunt—then entered three minutes later. He was still wearing the same black formal suit from the afternoon’s press conference, his presence composed and mature.
 
“What did she say to you just now?”
 
He stood before her, lifting her chin gently with his long fingers—soft and warm to the touch.
 
He Qingchi met his gaze. “She wanted me to persuade you to go easy on Wen Yue.”
 
She watched his expression closely as she spoke, but saw no reaction. As if he had expected this. Perhaps the elders of the Wen family had already tried to persuade him many times.
 
He took off his suit jacket, draped it over the armrest, and sat down in just his shirt. As if that made him feel lighter. Then he pulled her into his arms and murmured beside her ear, “Let me hold you for a while.”
 
The living room lights glowed softly. He Qingchi’s heart thudded violently. With her head lowered, she could clearly see the contours of his face—those sharp brows, the straight line of his nose, and when her gaze reached his slightly pressed lips, she paused for a second before looking away.
 
She sat quietly in his embrace, the two shadows overlapping on the sofa—close, intimate. Her emotions for him gradually awakening again.
 
Years apart had not faded her feelings for Wen Shuchen. Instead, they had made her fully realize how irreplaceable he was. She couldn’t help lifting her hand, gently smoothing the crease between his brows. “Will we be separated again?”
 
Wen Shuchen lifted his eyes, staring straight into her slightly complicated expression.
 
Ever since meeting him again, He Qingchi felt as if she stood at a crossroads, unsure where to go. Step by step, she had been pushed forward until she stood right before Wen Shuchen. And still, it all felt unreal.
 
She feared it was just another dream—one she would wake from only to face darkness alone, with no way to reach him.
 
Her fingers smoothing his brow were cold. He caught her hand in his palm, the warmth from his skin seeping into hers, silently proving that everything now was real—alive and real.
 
Wen Shuchen lightly squeezed her palm, softly calling her name with complete sincerity: “When everything is over, we won’t separate again. We’ll live in Jiangcheng, raise Jianci together, and have a few more children.”
 
He Qingchi slowly leaned against his shoulder, her lowered lashes hiding her thoughts. She murmured, “When you have time, go back to the He family with me.”
 
Wen Shuchen tightened his arm around her, as if hearing the compromise hidden in her tone.
 
These days, she had mostly been silent and distant, rejecting his presence. This was the first time… she no longer refused.
 
The night passed peacefully. In the days that followed, no one from the Wen family came to disturb her again.
 
For half a month straight, Wen Shuchen was extremely busy. As his health gradually improved over the years, the nets he had laid within the Wen Group finally began to close. His methods looked gentle on the surface—removing the old ministers who had switched sides against him four years ago and sending them home to retire—but he left them no room to maneuver.
 
People whispered that he no longer honored the old ties of his father’s generation, that he reshuffled the entire board, preferring to elevate the two-faced Shen Fu into upper management rather than use the candidates recommended by those old members. All of this, just to cultivate his own power—kicking out even those who had once earned merit for the Wen family.
 
Wen Shuchen’s methods seemed to have lost their former patience. After the meeting ended and the irrelevant people left, Shen Fu remained slouched in the office chair. He tossed a document onto the table and said with a half-smirk, “You moved the plan up by a month.”
 
Wen Shuchen really couldn’t wait anymore. From He Qingchi’s attitude toward him, he could see she was softening. He didn’t want her to keep feeling anxious and unsettled. Only after resolving these matters could he openly and properly bring her back to the He family.
 
Shen Fu could see that too, which was why he teased, “All these years, Wen Yue kept an eye on the women around me to get revenge, yet he never targeted He Qingchi. Did he already know how much influence she had over you, and purposely let the two of you separate?”
 
If Wen Yue had harassed He Qingchi, Wen Shuchen would never have sat still—even when he was gravely ill—and the He family would’ve been dragged into the conflict. That outcome would have benefitted Wen Yue in no way.
 
So long as he didn’t touch He Qingchi, he expected Wen Shuchen would keep his distance and keep the He family out of the bloodbath.
 
This way, Wen Yue could watch indifferently over the years as Wen Shuchen suffered the pain of losing the person he loved—just as Wen Yue had lost his own mother, with not even a single keepsake left behind.
 
Wen Shuchen’s eyes were calm as he looked at Shen Fu. After a long moment, he slowly asked, “Was Fei Ying arranged by you?”
 
Shen Fu raised a brow. “No.”
 
With his methods, he would never choose a woman who valued purity and reputation more than life. He had indeed set up a trap, but Wen Yue had avoided it. Fei Ying was an accident none of them had anticipated.
 
“For a woman who wants no money—only status—Wen Yue probably won’t handle her well.” Shen Fu’s tone carried cold sarcasm. It was obvious that during their time working together, he had not gotten along with Wen Yue. Afterward, he went out of his way, by any means, to cause Wen Yue trouble.
 
Wen Shuchen silently walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the streets below the skyscrapers, sinking into thought.
 
After a while, Song Chao pushed the door open. Seeing Shen Fu inside, he hesitated.
 
Shen Fu twirled the pen between two long fingers and lifted a brow. “What are you staring at?”
 
Song Chao seemed conflicted and finally said, “The media asked Wen Yue about the scandal today. He didn’t respond at all—he just mentioned that he already has a long-time fiancée: Miss Shen Tingji.”
 
Back then, everyone knew that Shen Fu’s company had been forced into bankruptcy by Wen Shuchen, leaving him in massive debt. Wen Yue then extended a hand, and to bind Shen Fu to his side, he arranged an engagement between him and Shen Tingji.
 
Later, after Wen Jingchun’s passing, no one brought it up again. Shen Fu, as a planted spy, betrayed Wen Yue and returned to Wen Shuchen’s camp.
 
So everyone assumed the engagement had long been void.
 
Now that Wen Yue was drowning in scandals, nothing shielded him better than a fiancée.
 
Wen Shuchen glanced at Shen Fu’s darkened expression and mildly said, “If you publicly clarify the engagement, his next step will be proposing to the Qu family.”
 
Shen Fu said nothing. Song Chao cautiously added, “The Qu family won’t accept, right?”
 
Clearly, before Wen Yue was defeated, Wen Shuchen wouldn’t stop. Which wealthy family would sacrifice their daughter’s happiness as a bargaining chip?
 
But Wen Shuchen calmly and rationally explained, “Qu Bixin’s older brother and sister-in-law will.”
 
That uncle of the Qu family had experienced a bankruptcy scare years ago; as he aged, his health deteriorated, and sooner or later, the family business would fall into his son’s hands. From what Wen Shuchen knew, Qu Bixin wasn’t close to that brother and sister-in-law.
 
That meant she might eventually become a pawn in a political marriage.
 
Song Chao didn’t doubt a word of it.
 
Because not long ago, Wen Shuchen had given the Qu family’s young master a favor—enough for him to easily push Xiao Cen into the Qu family circle.
 
—
Around five in the afternoon, at the villa.
 
Before He Qingchi, the television was broadcasting the news. Beside her sat Qu Bixin, legs crossed, lighting a cigarette while enjoying the drama. Thankfully, the child had already been coaxed upstairs for a nap, so He Qingchi didn’t bother stopping her from smoking.
 
Qu Bixin offered her the cigarette box. “Want one?”
 
He Qingchi had been quitting—she wanted to be a good mother, and naturally wouldn’t let her child smell smoke on her.
 
After being declined, Qu Bixin twirled the cigarette between her red lips, exhaling smoke lazily. “I suddenly think Wen Yue is kind of pleasing to the eye. What do I do?”
 
He Qingchi said, “Mm. If you want to marry him, you’ll need to be mentally prepared to become a stepmother.”
 
“……”
 
Qu Bixin shot her a sideways look. That joke was not funny.
 
He Qingchi calmly sipped her tea. After moistening her throat, she finally brought up Fei Ying’s pregnancy.
 
Qu Bixin was stunned, dropping her cigarette. “How did she find your place?”
 
“It’s no secret that I opened a shop in Wushan Town.”
 
If Fei Ying did a bit of digging, she could easily learn who Wen Shuchen’s ex-wife was.
 
It was also possible Wen Yue had given her the address—He Qingchi hadn’t bothered to ask.
 
Qu Bixin’s expression was very animated. She blinked dramatically. “Wen Yue probably never expected Fei Ying to be pregnant. He wanted to use her to frame Wen Shuchen in front of you, but ended up screwing himself instead.”
 
He Qingchi shook her head. Even if Fei Ying wasn’t pregnant, she would never doubt Wen Shuchen.
 
She then asked, “Why haven’t I seen you and Xiao Cen together lately?”
 
Qu Bixin rolled her eyes and flopped onto the sofa, speaking in a lazy doll-like voice, “Xiao Cen broke his leg recently. He’s still lying in the hospital. Waiting for him to get back on his feet…?”
 
“—Probably a month or so!”
 
She really had no interest in tending to the injured—her natural scoundrel-girl nature was fully on display.
 
“Is there something wrong with your luck? Why is Xiao Cen injured every other day? Was he always like this?” He Qingchi’s offhand comment actually reminded Qu Bixin of something.
 
She abruptly sat up, beautiful eyes full of confusion. “Is there something wrong with my romantic luck?”
 
He Qingchi wasn’t sure.
 
“No… no this won’t do. Come with me to a temple to get a reading!”
 
The more Qu Bixin thought about it, the more convinced she became that the problem was her love fate. Otherwise, Xiao Cen wouldn’t be getting beaten up, hit by cars, and now breaking his leg. If this kept up, he might die young.
 
She was the type to act immediately once she decided something.
 
“Come on, come on—go out with me!”

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