ACMS 25

Chapter 25 — Wedding Gift Money

Shen Hechuan’s arrival was something no one had expected.

Under everyone’s gaze, he walked to the bar and naturally, with an affectionate tone, called out to Qiao Le.

From the moment Qiao Le had made the call to Shen Hechuan’s appearance, the powerful reality instantly shattered Yang Mu’s claim that Qiao Le was just using someone as a decoy.

Everyone’s expressions were worth watching—but none more so than Yang Mu, who had made a complete fool of himself.

Standing less than half a meter away from Shen Hechuan, he experienced firsthand what “distinguished appearance” truly meant.

Not only was the man handsome, but his presence exuded elegance and noble bearing. Yang Mu, who had always prided himself on his looks and status, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed the moment he saw him. All the lines he had mentally prepared were suddenly worthless.

Seeing Shen Hechuan, Qiao Le couldn’t help but smile. “You came.”

“Mm.” Shen Hechuan nodded. “You said your friend wanted to meet me—how could I not come?”

Hiding to the side, Judy felt her soul shatter when she heard that.

Usually, people would fight tooth and nail just for a chance to book an appointment with Shen Hechuan, yet they couldn’t even set foot on the top floor of his company. And now, with just one sentence from Qiao Le, he’d dropped everything and come straight here.

And as far as she knew, Shen Hechuan had work arrangements tonight.

One could only imagine how much Qiao Le meant to him.

If Shen Hechuan ever found out she had tried to steal his man, she wouldn’t even need to wait until tomorrow—she’d be packing up and leaving tonight.

Just thinking about it made Judy feel like the sky was crashing down. She shrank even further behind her friend.

Though her friend didn’t work at Shen Hechuan’s company, as Judy’s bestie, of course she knew who he was. Sensing Judy’s silent cry for help, the three friends shifted slightly to completely block her from view.

Shen Hechuan hadn’t noticed Judy at all—truthfully, from the moment he walked in, his eyes had only ever landed on Qiao Le.

Qiao Le was overjoyed to hear what he said. Whether Shen Hechuan had come just to back him up or not, the feeling of being prioritized like this was deeply satisfying.

“I was afraid I was interrupting your work,” he said. “Was it a bad time?”

“Of course not,” Shen Hechuan replied. “You can reach out to me anytime. There’s no need for formalities between us.”

“Alright then.”

Qiao Le didn’t hold back anymore. After all, they were already on track to getting married. There would be plenty of times they’d need to rely on each other in the future.

“What would you like to drink?” he asked. “Let me make something for you. I’m really good at mixing drinks.”

Shen Hechuan had seen videos of Qiao Le bartending but had never tasted his drinks himself.

Now that he was here, of course he was going to have one. Worst case, he’d just call a driver.

Watching the shaker in Qiao Le’s hand with interest, he said, “Anything’s fine—your choice.”

The two chatted freely, oblivious to others. Even though it was just a few words, every sentence clearly reflected how close they were.

There was a kind of unspoken chemistry between them that was hard for anyone else to interrupt.

Besides Judy and Yang Mu, even Fang Jiaxu was genuinely surprised by their relationship. He’d even teased Qiao Le about Shen Hechuan before, and at the time, Qiao Le had firmly denied anything was going on.

But now? It hadn’t even been a few days, and this was the situation?

His eyes flicked back and forth between the two, trying to make sense of it all. In the end, he simply asked, “Wait a second—you’re not even going to introduce me?”

Qiao Le, busy shaking a cocktail, had completely forgotten. He set the shaker down and said to Shen Hechuan, “Oops, forgot to introduce you. This is my friend, Fang Jiaxu.”

Then he turned to Fang Jiaxu and added, “This is Shen Hechuan. You’ve probably seen him before—he’s the one who gave me a ride home that time.”

The two had seen each other from afar back then, but hadn’t been formally introduced.

“I remember,” Fang Jiaxu said. “When Lele said he had a boyfriend, I kept wondering who it could be. Never thought it’d be you.”

Shen Hechuan nodded toward Fang Jiaxu. “Hello.”

“Hello,” Fang Jiaxu replied with satisfaction, then launched into praise: “As expected, truly a man of outstanding appearance, a dragon among men—imposing, elegant, and incredibly charming.”

Shen Hechuan: “?” Why the sudden flattery?

Even Qiao Le felt a little embarrassed hearing that in front of Shen Hechuan. He reached out and nudged Fang Jiaxu.

But Fang Jiaxu ignored him and continued, “A man like Mr. Shen is the right match for Lele. Not like some people—plain and ordinary, yet full of themselves, acting like they’re something special. It’s embarrassing.”

Yang Mu, riddled with bullets: “……”

Shen Hechuan, unfamiliar with the situation, glanced at Qiao Le in confusion—only to suddenly hear someone call out, “Uncle Shen!”

Hm?

Following the voice, Shen Hechuan spotted the small figure of Qiao Man behind the bar.

The counter was tall, and Qiao Man was short—and since Shen Hechuan’s attention had been entirely on Qiao Le, he hadn’t noticed the child at all.

“It’s me!” Qiao Man waved at him, worried Shen Hechuan wouldn’t recognize him. “I’m Xiao Man, my brother’s little brother!”

My brother’s little brother.

That phrase made everyone burst out laughing—including Shen Hechuan.

Qiao Man didn’t understand what they were laughing at.

He was too young to follow what was going on. All he knew was that Shen Hechuan, whom he’d been missing for days, had suddenly appeared—which meant he could finally eat that delicious pizza he’d been dreaming about.

He had tried so hard not to interrupt his brother and Uncle Shen’s conversation.

Now that they were finally done talking, he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Uncle Shen!”

He climbed up onto a stool, leaned against the bar, and beamed at Shen Hechuan. “You’re back from your trip! I missed you so much!”

That bright smile on his little face could melt anyone’s heart.

Looking at him, Shen Hechuan thought: once he and Qiao Le got married, if they brought Qiao Man home, the old folks at home would definitely love him.

He said to Qiao Man, “Yeah, I just got back today. Long time no see, Xiao Man.”

“Mm-hmm! Long time no see!” Qiao Man nodded excitedly. He’d been hoping every day that Uncle Shen would come back. “Thank you for the LEGO you sent me—I really really love it!”

Finally getting the chance to thank Shen Hechuan in person, he added several reallys to emphasize how much he liked it.

Qiao Le had already told Shen Hechuan how much Qiao Man liked the LEGO, but the child’s enthusiasm still warmed his heart. Shen Hechuan reached out to pat his head and said gently, “I’m glad you like it. I’ve got more for you—I’ll give them to you later.”

“More?!” Qiao Man’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Uncle Shen! I’ll treat you to pizza!”

“Sounds good.”

The LEGO set had actually been bought by Judy on Shen Hechuan’s behalf—and now, listening to their conversation, she felt her soul leaving her body.

At the time, she’d even asked if it was a gift for a relative’s kid.

Case closed—not a relative’s child at all. It was his boyfriend’s little brother.

I’m so screwed.

For a mere 20,000 yuan membership fee, I actually dared to dream about getting added to the boss’s boyfriend’s contacts, even made him call me “sister”?!

Why didn’t I just ascend to heaven while I was at it?

Judy buried her face in agony. She really didn’t want to lose this job at Hualang Group, with its hundreds of thousands in annual salary, year-end bonuses, paid overtime, and generous housing and transportation subsidies.

While Shen Hechuan was chatting with Qiao Man, Qiao Le went to mix him a drink. He placed it in front of him. “Try it.”

A deep sapphire-blue liquid swirled in a martini glass. Under the bar’s dim lights, it looked like a flowing galaxy—beautiful and captivating.

Shen Hechuan picked it up and took a sip. The first taste was lime, then a subtle sweetness spread across his tongue.

A refreshing, sweet cocktail.

Qiao Le looked at him expectantly. “Well? Do you like it?”

“It’s very good,” Shen Hechuan said, not holding back his praise. “What’s it called?”

“Blue Lover,” Qiao Le replied. “Sweet and sour—like the feeling of first love.”

The feeling of first love?

Shen Hechuan lowered his head and smiled, then took another sip.

Standing nearby, Fang Jiaxu had been watching the whole interaction. He finally couldn’t help but comment, “Tsk tsk tsk. That sickly sweet smell of love—it’s choking me.”

Then he turned and looked at the almost-invisible Yang Mu. “Feeling choked too, Mr. Yang?”

Yang Mu: “……”

Since Shen Hechuan had appeared, Yang Mu hadn’t said a word. Now suddenly being called out made him the center of attention.

“Didn’t you want to meet Lele’s boyfriend?” Fang Jiaxu said. “He’s here—why so quiet?”

Yang Mu: “……”

Shen Hechuan had assumed Qiao Le had asked him to come meet Fang Jiaxu—since he knew they were close friends.

But from what Fang Jiaxu just said, that clearly wasn’t the case.

Then, seeing Yang Mu holding a bouquet of roses, Shen Hechuan realized something and turned to Qiao Le. “And this is…?”

Qiao Le let out a casual “oh,” like he’d only just remembered Yang Mu. “This is Mr. Yang Mu. He was very eager to meet you and insisted I call you over.”

“……” From that one sentence, Yang Mu heard the clear tone of a tattletale.

“Oh?” Shen Hechuan responded.

Qiao Le shrugged. “I didn’t want to make you come all this way, but Mr. Yang didn’t believe I had a boyfriend—said he wouldn’t believe it unless he saw it with his own eyes.”

Recalling the “darling” Qiao Le had called him during the phone call earlier, Shen Hechuan immediately understood.

So that’s why he said he was going to start exercising his rights early—it was to drive off this clingy suitor.

Shen Hechuan had always known Qiao Le was popular—whether at Might Bar or now.

He’d been away on business the past few days and had felt helpless not being able to keep an eye out.

He didn’t expect that the moment he returned, one would just show up.

“Mr. Yang, was it?” he said coolly. “You were so eager to meet me—any suggestions or advice?”

Yang Mu wasn’t actually short—and he was even sitting on a tall bar stool—but Shen Hechuan’s height, nearly 1.9 meters, carried such an overwhelming presence.

And it wasn’t just his height—the way he looked at Yang Mu gave him the distinct feeling of being scrutinized by someone from above.

The rose bouquet in his hand suddenly felt scorching hot.

He was completely embarrassed—yet at the same time, couldn’t suppress the competitive spark that came from his pride as a man.

Even though he couldn’t compare to Shen Hechuan in looks, Yang Mu thought: What if Shen Hechuan’s background and career don’t measure up to mine?

With that hopeful thought, he straightened his back and said to Shen Hechuan, “Mr. Shen, is it? ‘Advice’ is too strong a word. I simply heard Lele has a boyfriend and was curious what kind of man he is, and what esteemed position he holds.”

His tone was sarcastic and cutting. Qiao Le immediately snapped, “What does his job have to do with you? We have no obligation to answer your questions.”

Yang Mu said, “We’re just talking. Why so defensive? Unless Mr. Shen is unemployed and you’re afraid people might find out?”

“Unemployed would be an exaggeration,” Shen Hechuan responded mildly, brushing off the jab. “Let’s just say I’ve had a bit of success. Nothing worth mentioning.”

“A bit of success?” Yang Mu gave a mocking laugh, unwilling to back down. “Now I really want to ask—in what field?”

Before Shen Hechuan could answer, Qiao Le cut in, “You’ve seen him now, haven’t you? You can leave. You’re not welcome here.”

This protective move only strengthened Yang Mu’s suspicion.

So this Shen Hechuan guy really just has a face—his job and background clearly aren’t anything special. Otherwise, why would Qiao Le be in such a hurry to shut me up?

Must be trying to save face!

The more Yang Mu thought about it, the more convinced he became. Whatever inferiority complex he’d felt when Shen Hechuan appeared now vanished.

He stood up from his seat, placed the bouquet of roses on the bar, and said to Qiao Le with forced sincerity, “Lele, I’m doing this for your own good. Not just anyone can get into a top ten company in the city like I did. Don’t be fooled by someone with bad intentions.”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

“Bad intentions”—now that was suggestive. He might as well have said Shen Hechuan’s name outright.

But Shen Hechuan didn’t get angry. “Mr. Yang, may I ask which top ten company you work for?”

Yang Mu loved this question—every time someone asked where he worked, he felt proud, and even more so now, saying it in front of a rival.

He reached up to adjust his tie, trying to appear casual, though the smugness on his face betrayed him. “Huanqiao Biotech. I’m the Deputy Director of the Quality Control Department on the production line.”

Huanqiao Biotech?

Shen Hechuan was a little surprised. One of the medical device companies under his group had a partnership with them.

It was indeed a fairly well-known company—but a mere deputy director in quality control daring to talk so big?

He found it amusing and didn’t rush to correct him. He even gave Yang Mu a nod. “So you’re Deputy Director Yang of Huanqiao Biotech. I’ve heard the name.”

That “heard the name” was just a polite phrase—possibly even sarcastic.

But to someone like Yang Mu, who thought highly of himself, it was deeply satisfying.

“So you’ve heard of our company too.”

Yang Mu looked even more self-assured. He gave Shen Hechuan a once-over, then said with thinly veiled contempt, “You’re dressed sharp enough, but what are you really? A salesman maybe? Real estate, insurance? Or are you just some boytoy living off others—”

“Yang Mu! Shut the hell up!”

“What the hell are you saying—are you trying to die?!”

Two voices exploded at once—one from Qiao Le, the other from Judy.

Qiao Le had invited Shen Hechuan here to help solve a problem, not to be insulted. He couldn’t hold it in any longer and swore, grabbing Yang Mu by the collar.

And Judy, who had been trying to hide behind a friend this whole time, couldn’t stay silent when she heard someone insulting her boss. Her professionalism kicked in like instinct.

With a loud slap on the table, she stood up and pointed at Yang Mu, shouting, “Your CEO Fang Zhiqiang is all polite and respectful when he sees our President Shen! And you—a deputy director in QC—who the hell do you think you are?!”

Her outburst drew everyone’s attention.

Shen Hechuan looked over and, to his surprise, said, “Judy?”

Judy froze. “……”

Still gripping Yang Mu’s collar, Qiao Le turned and asked, “You two know each other?”

“She’s my secretary,” Shen Hechuan said concisely, then looked at Judy. “What are you doing here?”

Judy: “……”

What am I doing here?

What was she supposed to say?

That I came to deliver your wedding gift? 20.000 yuan’s worth of it?