ACMS 22

Chapter 22 — A New Train of Thought

The car once again sank into silence.

If he weren’t worried about scaring Qiao Le, Shen Hechuan truly wanted to show him firsthand what happened that night—to let him experience for himself whether he was “good or not.”

But right now, their relationship wasn’t at that point, and the setting certainly wasn’t right either. Etiquette and morality wouldn’t allow him to do such a thing. All he could do was stew in silent frustration.

After Qiao Le blurted that sentence, he cautiously glanced at Shen Hechuan out of the corner of his eye and found his expression hard to describe.

“Mr. Shen,” he called out carefully, “are you mad?”

Shen Hechuan kept his eyes on the road and didn’t answer.

Qiao Le called again, “Shen Hechuan.”

Still no reply.

He’s definitely upset, Qiao Le concluded with certainty—and he totally understood.

This kind of thing was about a man’s dignity. Anyone would be upset.

What should he do if he’s mad?

He had to coax him, of course.

When it came to coaxing people, Qiao Le was an expert. He could get Qiao Man to stop crying in a flash. But… he’d never coaxed an adult before.

Still, desperate times called for desperate measures—who knew, maybe Shen Hechuan would respond to the same tricks?

So he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward Shen Hechuan’s side.

The sound of the buckle clicking open made Shen Hechuan glance over—only to find Qiao Le’s face suddenly close, almost nose-to-nose with his.

Qiao Le tilted his head and said in the gentlest tone he could manage, “It’s my fault. Don’t be mad, okay?”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

Was he seriously using a tone for coaxing a child right now? Qiao Le, this is outrageous.

When Shen Hechuan didn’t react, Qiao Le upped his game: “Senior?”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

Calling him “Senior” again.

Forget it. He couldn’t do anything with this kid.

He reached out and pushed Qiao Le’s face away. “Sit properly and put your seatbelt back on.”

If he was willing to respond, then he wasn’t mad anymore.

“Okay!” Qiao Le quickly sat back in his seat and fastened the belt again.

The car started moving again. That one “Senior” had reminded Shen Hechuan of what Qiao Le said earlier—something about being a student at Yunjing University.

One of Shen Hechuan’s cousins had just started her freshman year there and had been constantly posting on social media about how brutal the military training was.

But Qiao Le was working every day—day and night.

He hadn’t pried too much before, out of respect for boundaries.

But now, he wanted to know more about Qiao Le.

“You said just now that you’re studying at Yunjing University?”

“Huh?” Qiao Le looked confused. “That’s just the persona, right? I couldn’t tell your relatives I work at a bar—that would definitely leave a bad impression.”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

“I’m clever, right?” Qiao Le asked proudly.

“Mm.”

“By the way, your family’s chef is amazing at Cantonese and Hunan cuisine,” Qiao Le smoothly changed the subject. “Way better than anything I’ve had outside.”

The topic shift sounded casual, but in truth, it was a bit forced.

It wasn’t that he meant to hide things from Shen Hechuan—it was just that once they talked about this, it would naturally lead to why he took a break from school, and then to his family situation.

He didn’t want to go there.

Shen Hechuan was a good person, but their relationship hadn’t reached the point where he could lay everything bare.

Besides, they had just done a transaction involving a significant sum of money.

Bringing this up now would feel like he was trying to win sympathy—and that made Qiao Le uncomfortable.

He had felt sorry for himself at first.

When his father jumped to his death.

When he panicked and couldn’t reach his mother.

When he’d gotten into the best university, only to be forced to take a leave of absence.

But he’d made it through all of that.

Now, he was relying on himself to earn money, to raise his little brother—and to take care of himself, too.

Shen Hechuan could tell he didn’t want to go deeper into it, so he didn’t push.

“If you liked it, next time I’ll bring you back again.”

Back again?

Another round of red carpet, red lanterns, red tablecloths? Qiao Le absolutely could not handle that.

“No, no!” he quickly refused. “Once is enough.”

He said it without a hint of hesitation—clearly, he hadn’t even considered a next transaction.

“Why not? Didn’t you say my family was great?” Shen Hechuan didn’t quite understand. Qiao Le needed money, and he was willing to give it—a win-win situation.

“Exactly because they’re great, I can’t keep lying to them.” Qiao Le spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world, his tone sincere and free of even a trace of pretense.

And in that moment, Shen Hechuan suddenly understood why people said, “Young people’s feelings are always passionate and sincere.”

Qiao Le had only spent a few hours with his parents, yet he was already considering things from their perspective, putting himself in their shoes.

Actually, there was no need to lie to them.

Shen Hechuan thought this silently but didn’t say it aloud.

Take it slow, he thought.

By the time they returned to the Baihui district, it was already 10:30.

Shen Hechuan parked the car where he had picked up Qiao Le earlier in the afternoon and handed him the gift Wu Huilan had prepared.

“This is for you.”

“I can’t accept it,” Qiao Le refused again. “We’re just in a transactional relationship—we’re not an actual couple. I have no reason or right to accept your mother’s gift. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

He could accept Shen Hechuan’s 100,000 yuan and help him deal with his family’s pressure to marry because that was part of a mutual agreement—one offered money, the other provided effort. It was perfectly fair.

But a gift this valuable—he couldn’t accept it in good conscience.

Shen Hechuan didn’t insist and placed the gift back in the car.

“I’ll get going then. Drive safe,” Qiao Le said.

He opened the door and stepped out. Shen Hechuan unbuckled his seatbelt and followed. “Wait.”

“What is it?” Qiao Le asked.

Shen Hechuan opened the rear door and pulled out a LEGO set, handing it to Qiao Le. “For your little brother, Qiao Man.”

The LEGO box said it was suitable for ages 5 to 8.

Most kids loved LEGO, and Qiao Man was no exception. When he had the time, Qiao Le would take him to the kids’ play area at the mall—fifteen yuan for a whole afternoon.

He’d also bought Qiao Man a few sets of building blocks, but they were just cheap ones from random online shops.

“…Why the sudden gift?” Qiao Le asked.

“Company benefit,” Shen Hechuan replied casually. “There aren’t any kids in my family, so it’s just taking up space.”

He gave a convenient excuse. Qiao Le had no idea that there were several more sets like it in the trunk.

“Your company’s benefits are amazing,” Qiao Le said, still hesitating a bit. LEGO wasn’t cheap.

“Aren’t we friends?” Shen Hechuan saw through his hesitation. “Would you be this polite with your WeChat friend?”

Of course not.

He and Fang Jiaxu had literally been through life-and-death together.

But Shen Hechuan had a point—the more polite people were, the more distant they became. Friendship was built on give and take.

“Then I won’t be polite.” Qiao Le took the LEGO with a grin. “I’ll have Xiao Man thank you on WeChat later. It’s too late to invite you in for tea today—next time.”

“Alright. Next time,” Shen Hechuan nodded. “Get home safe and get some rest.”

“You too~”

Qiao Le walked off with the LEGO in his arms, heading toward the apartment complex. Shen Hechuan stayed where he was, watching his figure disappear around the corner before finally turning and getting back into the car.

He didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, he sent a message in the family group chat:

[Shen]: Just dropped Qiao Le off at home.

Wu Huilan had clearly been waiting—she replied instantly.

[Mom]: Good, good. So when’s he coming over again?

Again?

Shen Hechuan recalled Qiao Le’s reaction earlier and figured he probably wouldn’t be eager to visit again anytime soon.

[Shen]: We’ll see. I have to go on a business trip tomorrow afternoon.

The vague reply didn’t satisfy Wu Huilan, the leader of the matchmaking squad, but since her son had work, she temporarily shelved the marriage push.

[Mom]: Where to? How long?

[Shen]: Suzhou. Three days.

[Mom]: Alright, we’ll talk when you get back.

[Mom]: Ask Lele when he’s free. If it works, let’s arrange for both families to meet and discuss wedding details.

Wedding details?

Truly living up to her title as squad leader—Qiao Le had only visited once, and she was already planning the wedding.

Shen Hechuan shook his head and sent another vague reply:

[Shen]: We’ll talk about it later.

But this time, Wu Huilan wasn’t letting him off the hook. She called him directly.

He answered and put her on speaker as he started the car.

Wu Huilan’s voice came through:

“I was thinking, why don’t you give me Lele’s WeChat? I’ll ask him myself. Things were rushed just now, and I forgot to add him.”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

Ask him yourself? Just don’t scare him off, okay?

There was no way Shen Hechuan would give his mother Qiao Le’s WeChat without asking.

Their deal had only been for a single dinner—aftercare wasn’t included. If she wanted that, they’d need to negotiate a long-term service agreement.

A long-term agreement…

Shen Hechuan paused, a thought suddenly forming.

Yes—why not make a long-term agreement with Qiao Le?

If he could fake a relationship, then… couldn’t they also agree to a contract marriage?

That way, Qiao Le could earn more money, and he could permanently solve his family’s pressure to marry.

“Hello? Hello?” Wu Huilan raised her voice slightly. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…Nothing,” Shen Hechuan replied.

Just that—his thoughts had suddenly opened up.

Instead of taking it step by step…

Why not go all in, straight to the end?