Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 138 - Give His Catchphrase Back to Him
Qu Bixin didn’t let Shen Fu come pick her up. She showered in advance at the Qu residence, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and drove herself to the old-style villa where he lived.
No one knew whether the man had some strange fondness for old things or simply couldn’t shake the frugality ingrained in his bones. He refused to live in upscale neighborhoods, preferring instead this aging villa district. Just down the next street were roadside barbecue stalls and other street vendors, lively with smoke and the bustle of everyday life.
On the way, Qu Bixin bought two skewers of barbecue and knocked on Shen Fu’s door.
He opened it himself, dressed in light beige loungewear and long pants, which made his figure look cool and tall.
What drew a woman’s attention most was the pair of gold-rimmed glasses resting on his thin, refined face. They made him look even more like a refined scoundrel—an impact on the senses that was hard to put into words.
Qu Bixin looked up at him, then quickly looked away. Lifting the bag of barbecue, she held it out to him like presenting a treasure. “I brought you a late-night snack.”
From the smell alone, it was obvious it came from a street barbecue stall.
Still, Shen Fu took it—and pulled her into the house along with it.
The villa’s décor was minimal and cold. Every corner was spotless, without a single unnecessary item.
Qu Bixin glanced around. There were no traces of a woman.
“Sit.” Shen Fu pointed at the sofa and turned to the kitchen to get a plate.
There were only two skewers, yet now he was being particular about presentation.
Sitting in the living room, Qu Bixin propped her chin on her hand and stared at the man’s figure in the kitchen without blinking, unable to figure out what he was up to.
Could it be that now that he was successful in his career and lonely, he wanted to bring back his ex-wife to reminisce about the past?
While her thoughts wandered, Shen Fu came out carrying the plate.
The solid wood floor was slightly cool. Instead of sitting on the sofa, he remained standing. His fingers were long and well-defined—too good-looking—making even the simplest actions pleasing to the eye.
It had been a long time since Qu Bixin had looked at him so openly and for so long. As if possessed, she suddenly asked, “Is your brother as good-looking as you?”
If everyone had a taboo deep in their heart, Shen Fu’s was probably his brother.
Qu Bixin hadn’t meant to provoke him. The moment the words left her mouth, and she saw his expression, she regretted it.
She thought about smoothing things over, then reconsidered—why should she be afraid of him?
Shen Fu’s expression quickly returned to normal. He ate the barbecue she brought at an unhurried pace. It didn’t taste very good—too much salt, and a bit burnt. After taking a sip of water and falling silent for a second, his thin lips formed a simple reply. “He’s not as good-looking as me.”
“Oh.” Qu Bixin responded calmly, knowing when to stop.
Shen Fu slowly finished half a cup of water, his gaze fixed on her the entire time.
She had changed her clothes before going out—no longer wearing what she had on during the day, but a white short-sleeved top and a dark blue skirt. The outfit accentuated her proportions well, giving her a youthful, pure air.
As long as she wasn’t wearing heavy makeup, her face and figure both leaned toward an innocent style. It was easy to mistake her for someone barely in her early twenties.
Shen Fu’s gaze traveled slowly from the line of her calves upward.
When he finished his tea, he reached out and led her upstairs.
Sensing something, Qu Bixin subconsciously tried to speak. “Do you know how I got back at Qu Yanming?”
“I can guess.” With a single sentence, Shen Fu blocked her lengthy explanation.
He brought her into the master bedroom without even bothering to close the door.
The entire old-style villa didn’t even have a ghost of a person inside. Perhaps it was deliberate—so no one would disturb them.
In a daze, Qu Bixin remembered the years they were engaged. Back then, he hadn’t even been willing to share a room with her. Every night he stayed next door, never crossing the line, and his excuses had always sounded so dignified.
Perhaps she hadn’t brought her brain with her when she fell in love. At the time, she had thought it was because Shen Fu cherished her. After several hints received no response, she gave up, thinking it was enough as long as he stayed by her side every day.
Scenes from the past overlapped with the man above her now.
Her fingers clutched his tie, her doll-like voice slightly unsteady. “Only now do I realize… back then, you still had a bit of conscience. Now even your conscience has been eaten by a dog.”
Shen Fu slowly pried her stiff fingers away and interlocked their hands, pressing them into the pillow. Lowering his head, he rested against her slightly cool forehead, his invasive presence enveloping her completely. “Wasn’t I good to you?”
He wasn’t a gentleman, yet at this moment, he wanted to pretend to be one.
Even his words were shameless.
Qu Bixin turned her red lips away from his, her brows furrowing as if restraining something.
Shen Fu began kissing her earlobe, then trailed back along her cheek, lingering bit by bit. Finally, as he wished, he found the corner of her lips, moving slowly and indulgently, showing a patience he had never displayed before.
Qu Bixin watched as he got up again and slowly picked up the shirt resting by the bed to put it on.
She was covered in sweat, clutching the blanket. For a brief, hazy moment, she had the illusion that Shen Fu might have fallen in love with her and wanted to return to the past.
But it didn’t last even two seconds before she suppressed the self-indulgent thought.
After picking up her clothes and putting them on, she lowered her head and fastened the buttons. “I was planning to stay the night, but since you had to mess around… I’m going home to shower. I won’t stay.”
Shen Fu turned around, his slender fingers lifting her delicate chin. “You can’t shower here?”
“I’m not used to your bathroom.”
The blush on her small face hadn’t fully faded. Even her excuse sounded perfunctory. “So I always shower before coming over. You should’ve noticed the scent of my body wash earlier.”
She had showered at the Qu residence and hadn’t worn perfume to prove she wasn’t lying.
Shen Fu mulled over her words for a moment, as if finding them interesting. His eyes narrowed slightly. “So if I want to keep you overnight in the future, I can’t touch you?”
Qu Bixin smiled, faint dimples appearing on her cheeks. “Please, you’re looking for a bed partner, not a wife. How old are you—still need someone to sleep beside you?”
As she spoke, she stepped barefoot onto the cold floor.
Shen Fu’s dark, deep eyes fixed on her slender back.
In the past, Qu Bixin had been clingy, unwilling to waste even a second apart from him—like a little girl who needed to be coaxed and pampered. To spend more time together at night, she had even trained herself to fall asleep listening to fairy tales.
Now it was as if she had suddenly grown up, using an adult tone to deal with him.
After dressing neatly, she turned around and saw Shen Fu still watching her. There was an unreadable emotion in his gaze.
Just as she maintained her stance about going home, Shen Fu suddenly stood up, his expression calm. “I’ll drive you.”
Qu Bixin was somewhat surprised. She had thought it would take an argument before he relented.
……
By the time he drove her back, it was around midnight.
Qu Bixin sat quietly in the passenger seat, taking out the cosmetics she carried with her and touching up er makeup. Halfway through the drive, Shen Fu had already glanced at her four times. Finally, he spoke in a faint voice. “Do you have other plans tonight?”
A man’s world is simple—go home, shower, change clothes, and sleep. There’s no need to carefully touch up makeup.
After finishing her lipstick, Qu Bixin spoke without even blinking. “Ah, when a girl is with the man she likes, shouldn’t she keep her most beautiful side at all times?”
After saying that, she leaned over and kissed the man’s refined, pleasing face. “It’s all your fault for smudging my makeup. Now that I’ve touched it up, don’t I look even prettier?”
She said it playfully, as if the touch-up was entirely because of him.
Shen Fu glanced at her. She did look more polished—positively like a temptress.
Qu Bixin’s smile grew sweeter. Seeing that the car had reached the entrance of her residential complex, she asked him to stop. “I’ll just walk in from here. Go home and rest early. You’re still injured.”
Shen Fu didn’t unlock the doors. Looking at her, he said, “I’m staying at your place tonight.”
“…”
The atmosphere in the car went still for a second.
The corners of Qu Bixin’s lips stiffened slightly, but she quickly raised a smile again. “Be good. Don’t make a fuss, okay?”
The tone sounded oddly familiar—almost like one of his old catchphrases.
It sounded sincere, yet at the same time perfunctory and impatient.
Shen Fu wanted to stay the night. Qu Bixin had already thought of ten thousand reasons to refuse. Hooking a finger into his shirt, she blinked up at him pitifully. “I’ll message you after I get home and shower. I had a huge fight with Qu Yanming tonight—cried so much my eyes still hurt. Then I kept you company for hours. Shen Fu, President Shen, A-Fu… have a little sympathy for me, won’t you?”
She was best at acting spoiled, calling him “A-Fu” over and over, dragging out the last syllable.
Seeing that the corners of her eyes were indeed red, Shen Fu relented. “Video call me.”
“No problem.” Getting his agreement, Qu Bixin hopped out of the car with a sweet smile.
Standing under the streetlight, she waved at the man in the car, signaling for him to leave quickly.
The moment Shen Fu drove off, Qu Bixin didn’t even enter her building. She called for a ride and went straight to a high-end club.
After midnight, the nightlife of the rich second-generation crowd was just beginning.
Qu Bixin arrived at the most famous Penglai Palace Club in Jiangcheng. Without needing a waiter to guide her, she clicked across the floor in her high heels and entered a private room. She was the last to arrive; inside, her group of girlfriends was already in full swing.
“I say, Miss Bixin, what took you so long?”
“Tonight’s little ‘wolf dogs’ are very fresh. Want me to introduce you to one?”
The moment Qu Bixin sat down on the sofa, several girlfriends crowded around her.
Among them, she was the fastest to achieve financial freedom. The reason was simple—after her divorce, she received one billion in assets, and she had also obtained quite a bit from the Qu family. She was now the wealthiest young socialite in their circle.
So the girls all liked to flatter her. One immediately chimed in, “Last month my dad even docked my allowance—so annoying. Luckily, Bixin lent me money to get through it. No one’s allowed to compete with my Bixin for tonight’s little wolf dogs!”
Qu Bixin loved this noisy, exaggerated nightlife. She immediately ordered more bottles of red wine.
When one of the young men came over to curry favor, she didn’t refuse. Resting her chin on her hand, she smiled as she watched him pull out all the stops to make her laugh.
She took a slow sip of wine when someone suddenly whispered in her ear, “Bixin, Shen Fu sent us a text.”
The words almost made her choke.
The young man beside her immediately patted her back attentively, carrying a heavy scent of men’s cologne.
Qu Bixin didn’t care which “little wolf dog” it was. She asked her friend to show her the phone.
Out of the six girlfriends present, four had received Shen Fu’s message. The other two had only met him a few times and weren’t familiar.
“Bixin! Why do I feel like Shen Fu acts like your sugar daddy? He’s stricter than your real dad.”
One of the girls couldn’t help complaining after reading the message.
People in their circle hated being nagged by their parents the most. So Shen Fu texting them to tell them not to bring Qu Bixin to clubs and bars sparked a wave of complaints.
After reading the message, Qu Bixin’s expression turned cold.
If the phone hadn’t belonged to someone else, she would’ve smashed it on the floor.
The lively atmosphere was instantly ruined by Shen Fu’s text.
The young man beside her, unaware of the situation, suddenly said, “Who is our Sister Qu? How could she possibly listen to a man so easily?”
It sounded like flattery—but it hit Qu Bixin’s pride.
Because she really was being threatened by Shen Fu, openly and secretly. On the surface, she had to listen to him.
Anger surged within her. Across from her, several girlfriends exchanged glances and spoke quietly. “Yeah, yeah. Shen Fu also had dinner with my brother once. Now my brother doesn’t give me pocket money anymore.”
“Last time Shen Fu personally visited my house. That’s why my dad cut my allowance—said I, as a young lady, should stay away from these high-consumption places.”
“Same with my family…”
Qu Bixin heard every word clearly. The group of girlfriends in the private room no longer had the mood to keep partying.
If visiting their parents had been the first warning, then this text message was the second.
They were starting to panic, too, afraid Shen Fu might use some tactic against them.
“Bixin… maybe you should just go home and sleep?”
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