ACMS 35

Chapter 35: The Engagement Night

Shen Hechuan was in the same mood now as when he saw Zhao Lei asking Qiao Le for his WeChat last time.

He knew Qiao Le was charming, but he hadn’t expected that aside from guarding against outsiders, he’d also have to guard against family.

He looked at the two of them, his gaze darker than before. “You two are sitting at the same table?”

Su Qiao didn’t know their relationship. Seeing Shen Hechuan looking at her and Qiao Le, she even joked cheerfully, “Yeah, don’t you think we look good sitting together? Handsome guy and pretty girl, a perfect match.”

She even lifted her skirt and spun around after saying that.

She wasn’t wrong. She and Qiao Le were around the same age—one in a white suit, the other in a pink princess dress. Standing together, they really did look like a well-matched pair.

But to Shen Hechuan, everything about it rubbed him the wrong way.

Who shows up to an engagement banquet and pairs up with someone else before the event even starts?

“You two are sitting at the same table,” he repeated the line with an unreadable tone, the corners of his lips curving into a half-smile. He turned to Su Qiao and asked, “Then where do I sit?”

“Huh?” Su Qiao hadn’t caught on. “You’re the star tonight. Of course you sit at the main table.”

“Pfft—”

Qiao Le couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, you should be at the main table.”

He even learned how to tease himself now.

Shen Hechuan was both amused and slightly annoyed. He shot Qiao Le a glance and said, “Come here.”

“Oh.” Qiao Le pressed his lips together to stifle his smile, then walked over to Shen Hechuan and said to Su Qiao, “Hi, cousin. Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Qiao Le, the other main character tonight.”

Su Qiao was stunned and blurted out, “You’re my cousin-in-law?!!!”

“…No need to call me that. Just use my name,” Qiao Le coughed lightly and smiled. “But I won’t be able to sit at your table tonight. I have to sit at the main table with your cousin.”

Shen Hechuan was satisfied and naturally draped his arm over Qiao Le’s shoulder, full of possessiveness and the need to stake his claim.

Su Qiao: “…”

To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She stared wide-eyed at the two of them, finally noticing that they were wearing matching suits and even had identical pins on their chests.

She also finally realized why Qiao Le’s name had sounded so familiar. It was the name of her future cousin-in-law—she’d heard several people mention it earlier.

But she had never seen her cousin-in-law in person, so she had no idea that Qiao Le was her cousin-in-law.

What had she said just now?

At Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le’s engagement banquet, she asked Qiao Le to sit at her table and even said they looked like a perfect match?

Wasn’t that basically digging at Shen Hechuan’s wall right in front of him?

She was really fearless!

But that really wasn’t what she meant!

“I didn’t mean that! I didn’t know you two were in this kind of relationship!” Su Qiao quickly explained. “You have to believe me! I’m not here to ruin anything—I want to join you two!”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

Qiao Le: “…”

“Join us?” Shen Hechuan’s face darkened slightly. “Su Qiao, do you even know what you’re saying?”

Su Qiao: “…”

His tone wasn’t harsh, but the fact that he called her by her full name made her shiver.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant! I really didn’t mean it like that! Please don’t misunderstand—I don’t have any designs on my cousin-in-law!! I just came to talk to him about something…”

Realizing she had said the wrong thing again, Su Qiao frantically waved her hands, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Shen Hechuan was fourteen years older than her, and she’d always thought of him as gentle and reserved. Why did he suddenly feel so intimidating today?

Qiao Le noticed she was getting tongue-tied and nudged Shen Hechuan with his elbow, silently telling him not to scare her.

Shen Hechuan glanced at him but didn’t say anything more.

“Don’t be nervous,” Qiao Le said gently to Su Qiao. “What did you want to talk to me about just now?”

Su Qiao didn’t answer right away. She glanced at Shen Hechuan and, seeing that he didn’t interrupt, finally said, “Well, my classmates and I started an anime club at school. We’re currently recruiting new members, and I wanted to invite you to join.”

Qiao Le looked surprised. “Me? Anime club?”

“Mhm!” Su Qiao nodded and explained, “The first time I saw you, I thought your looks and height were perfect for it. I really wanted to invite you to join, but you said you weren’t from our school.”

She had regretted it for a long time. Seeing Qiao Le again today reignited her determination.

It didn’t matter if he wasn’t from the school—he could be an external member!

He was tall and handsome—it’d be a shame not to be part of the ACG community!

That was why she had approached Qiao Le earlier, even asking him to sit with her to build rapport and make it easier to bring him into the club.

After hearing her explanation, Shen Hechuan asked, “Last time? When?”

“When you were on that business trip to Suzhou,” Qiao Le said. “I was delivering food to Yunjing University and happened to deliver to Su Qiao.”

At the mention of food delivery, Su Qiao couldn’t help asking, “Cousin, why did you make your fiancé deliver food? Our family’s not that poor, right?”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

At the time, they weren’t even in an agreement yet. Qiao Le was not only delivering food—he was hustling every gig he could find.

“It had nothing to do with him. I was supporting myself through school,” Qiao Le explained. “Actually, I’m a student at Yunjing University too.”

“Really?!”

The moment she heard he was a fellow student, Su Qiao was re-energized and launched straight into recruiting mode: “Then would you consider joining our club? I’m telling you, it’s super fun. Let me show you our intro.”

She pulled out her phone, ready to show Qiao Le their club information, but he said, “Let me add your WeChat first. We can talk later—we should be heading in.”

“Sure, sure.” She opened her friend QR code to show him, then glanced at Shen Hechuan and asked pitifully, “Cousin, can I add my cousin-in-law on WeChat?”

Shen Hechuan: “…It’s up to him.”

Qiao Le smiled slightly, scanned her QR code, and after adding her, said, “We’ll talk later—we’re heading in.”

The two walked off together. Watching their backs, Su Qiao sighed, “People are getting married, and here I am singing and dancing like a clown.”

Inside the banquet hall, all the friends and relatives had already arrived. The room was filled with laughter and the clinking of glasses, just waiting for the two stars of the night to appear.

As soon as Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le entered, a spotlight followed them, and every gaze turned their way.

The massive, ornate crystal chandelier cast a dreamy glow across the hall. The two walked side by side onto the stage under the emcee’s guidance, where they signed the engagement contract.

Qiao Man, in a little suit, brought them the rings. In front of everyone, they slid them onto each other’s fingers.

Applause broke out all around, the most enthusiastic of which came from Qiao Man.

The little guy rushed over with a basket of petals and tossed them at Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le—but he was too short, and they all landed on their legs.

After the ceremony, Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le first served tea to Old Master Shen, then to Wu Huilan and her husband, and finally to Chen Li and her husband.

After that, Shen Hechuan took Qiao Le around to meet other relatives in the family.

Many were curious about Qiao Le’s background, but Wu Huilan had already warned everyone not to bring it up during the banquet.

After making the rounds with wine in hand, they spotted Pei Wenjing in a corner—along with Judy.

Judy wasn’t technically a Shen family relative, but she’d worked by Shen Hechuan’s side for years as his right-hand, so she was on the guest list.

At the moment, Pei Wenjing was pestering Judy, trying to invite her out. She didn’t seem interested and was about to leave with her drink when she turned and saw Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le.

“President Shen, Mr. Qiao,” she greeted with a smile. “Congratulations on your engagement. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.”

Shen Hechuan nodded. “Thank you.”

Qiao Le echoed the sentiment, and then Pei Wenjing approached. He walked a full circle around them and said, “Handsome and talented—what a perfect match.”

“…”

Neither Shen Hechuan nor Qiao Le responded. Pei Wenjing frowned. “Why is no one thanking me?”

Considering that Pei Wenjing had gifted them a ring worth several million, Qiao Le figured he should at least express some gratitude. “Mr. Pei, thank you for the ring. Wishing you all the best.”

Pei Wenjing smiled, finally satisfied. “Now that’s more like it. Don’t be polite about the ring. When you guys have the wedding, I’ll get you a big diamond.”

Qiao Le: “…You rich people really treat money like dirt.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Shen Hechuan asked.

“I invited Miss Judy out to sea,” Pei Wenjing said with a laugh. “She said it’s too windy. Then I said camping, and she said too many bugs. So many years, and she still has an endless list of excuses.”

Judy rolled her eyes from the side. “Who would dare go out alone with you!”

“I never said it’d just be the two of us,” Pei Wenjing said to Shen Hechuan. “Let’s all go out and have some fun. You’re both free on the weekend anyway.”

Shen Hechuan turned to Qiao Le and asked, “Wanna go?”

“Go where?” Qiao Le asked curiously.

“Lu’an Mountain,” said Pei Wenjing. “You can ride horses, play ball, camp, rock climb, soak in hot springs—whatever you can think of, they’ve got it.”

When it came to having fun, Pei Wenjing really was an expert.

Shen Hechuan could tell Qiao Le was a little tempted, so he said to Pei Wenjing, “You decide the time and place.”

“Sure.” Pei Wenjing turned to Judy. “And what about Miss Judy? If you’re still uneasy, feel free to bring a friend.”

Judy looked over at Shen Hechuan with a hopeful gaze.

He was in a good mood today and understood her intent. “You’ve got the night off.”

“!!” Judy’s face lit up. “I’m in!”

She clinked her glass against Pei Wenjing’s. “Thanks, President Pei.”

Pei Wenjing chuckled and cursed lightly. “I really have no dignity left, still gotta rely on Shen Hechuan.”

Judy ignored him and said to Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan, “President Shen, Mr. Qiao, I’m off to toast the lady and gentleman of the house.”

She meant Wu Huilan and Shen Zhenghe. Shen Hechuan nodded. “Go ahead.”

Pei Wenjing watched her leave and only looked away when she disappeared into the crowd. Then he turned the conversation back to Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le. “Didn’t someone just tell me they had no plans to get married? Blink once and the engagement’s already set. Impressive.”

Shen Hechuan wasn’t bothered by the teasing. “Things change.”

“Tsk tsk.” Pei Wenjing shook his head, as if he saw through everything. “I really underestimated you. Back at the bar, when you gave Qiao Le a tip with our money, I knew it wasn’t that simple.”

Qiao Le blinked. “Tip? Wasn’t that from you?”

“It was,” said Pei Wenjing. “But he fished it out of my wallet and had me hand it over.”

So that three-thousand-something tip was from Shen Hechuan?

Why didn’t he give it himself? Why make Pei Wenjing do it?

Qiao Le looked up at him, only to find Shen Hechuan calm as ever. “Is a bit of your money worth you harping on about it so much?”

As they chatted, someone came over to propose a toast, so Qiao Le had to put the matter aside for now.

That night, Qiao Le met a lot of people and drank quite a bit. By the end of the banquet, he was completely drunk.

Shen Hechuan had drunk a lot too, but he could hold his liquor well, so it didn’t affect him much.

After the guests left, they returned to the main house.

Wu Huilan had the housekeeper prepare some hangover soup for them. After they drank it, she urged Shen Hechuan to take Qiao Le upstairs to rest.

Shen Hechuan patted Qiao Le, who was slumped on the sofa, saw how flushed his face was, and simply bent down and picked him up.

“Careful, don’t drop him,” Wu Huilan said behind them. Then she turned to Aunt Liu. “Clean up the bowls and you all can go rest too.”

“Alright.”

Aunt Liu took the empty bowls back to the kitchen and found two more bowls of hangover soup waiting there.

“Why’d they make so much?” she muttered to herself and poured the rest out.

Meanwhile, Shen Hechuan carried Qiao Le into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor.

As the elevator rose, Qiao Le blinked his eyes open and mumbled, “Are we going back?”

“Not tonight.”

When they reached the fourth floor, Shen Hechuan carried him out, into their room, and set him on the sofa.

Qiao Le was terribly dizzy and immediately went limp against the cushions. “Shen Hechuan, my head’s spinning.”

He said it with a nasal tone, sounding a bit spoiled.

Shen Hechuan paused while untying his tie, then continued and tossed it aside. “Told you not to drink so much. You insisted.”

Qiao Le shook his head, trying to clear it, but the more he moved, the dizzier he got.

He wrinkled his nose and said honestly, “But they were your family. I had to be polite. I didn’t want anyone saying bad things about you.”

Shen Hechuan’s heart softened. He helped take off Qiao Le’s jacket and said gently, “That’s not necessary. As long as you’re happy, that’s enough.”

Qiao Le made a noise. Shen Hechuan didn’t catch what he said and helped him lean against his arm. “What’re you mumbling for? Afraid I’ll hear?”

“It’s hot.” Qiao Le leaned on him. “Did you turn the heat on? Are you really that afraid of the cold? I’ll warm you up.”

As he spoke, he grabbed Shen Hechuan’s hand and stuffed it into his own palm, blowing warm air on it like he would in winter before rubbing it vigorously.

Shen Hechuan hadn’t been hot, but after that, he started feeling flushed.

“Still cold?” Qiao Le looked up at him with eyes glistening slightly from the alcohol. “Hm?”

Shen Hechuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice turned low and hoarse. “Not anymore.”

Qiao Le beamed and let go of his hand, then flopped back onto the sofa. “I’m dizzy. I need a nap.”

“Take a shower first,” Shen Hechuan said, trying to help him up. “You’ll feel better afterward.”

But Qiao Le refused, hugging a pillow and whining, “You go first. Let me rest a bit, my head hurts.”

He’d said “dizzy” a few times already—it seemed the hangover soup hadn’t kicked in yet. Shen Hechuan didn’t push him, grabbed a blanket to cover him, and went to shower first.

When he came out, he saw Qiao Le tugging at his collar while mumbling, “So hot—”

Shen Hechuan had already loosened his tie earlier, but Qiao Le wasn’t satisfied. He undid several more buttons, exposing a wide expanse of fair skin and well-defined collarbones.

Shen Hechuan paused, and certain images popped into his mind.

“I want to shower…”

Qiao Le tried to get up, but after just a few steps, he tripped and fell to the floor with a thud.

Shen Hechuan rushed over to help him up, but Qiao Le accidentally yanked the robe belt at Shen Hechuan’s waist. The already loose robe fell open instantly.

They were standing close, and Shen Hechuan froze as he looked down.

So did Qiao Le. His gaze drifted from the belt in his hand to Shen Hechuan’s abs.

Smooth lines. Toned and defined.

Looked like they’d feel really nice.

Shen Hechuan’s eyes darkened. He reached for the belt, but Qiao Le beat him to it, pressing a hand to his abs.

Shen Hechuan: “…”

“So firm,” Qiao Le murmured with envy. “Shen Hechuan, your muscles are so hard.”

As he spoke, he even gave them a couple of squeezes, making Shen Hechuan’s abs tense up.

“…You know what you’re doing?” Shen Hechuan asked, his voice rough.

“Hm?” Qiao Le tilted his head in thought and replied clearly, “Touching you.”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

He stared at Qiao Le, unsure if he was really drunk or just pretending.

“You’re cool to the touch… it feels nice.” Qiao Le leaned closer. The hand that had been on his abs slid around to his back and hugged him.

Shen Hechuan had just showered and his skin still carried a chill. Qiao Le felt soothed, but not satisfied.

His body was burning with a restless heat, and Shen Hechuan was the only thing that could cool him down.

Shen Hechuan didn’t move, letting him hug him, afraid that if he did, he’d lose control.

But the troublemaker kept testing his patience.

“So hot…” Qiao Le nuzzled him and whispered, “Shen Hechuan, touch me…”

The desire that cold water had temporarily quenched now reignited from Qiao Le’s touch. Shen Hechuan ran a hand through his hair and pulled him into his arms.

“Touch you where?” His voice was low and raspy.

Qiao Le broke free from his hand and leaned in to kiss him.

“Anywhere…”

—

The next day, Qiao Le woke up when the sun was high. He tried to turn over but found an arm wrapped tightly around his waist.

?

He shifted slightly and felt something off with his body.

He lifted the covers and, as expected, realized he was naked—pressed against a similarly bare body behind him.

Once was an accident. Twice was… familiar.

Given last time’s experience, Qiao Le didn’t even need to think to know what had happened.

And this time, he hadn’t even been drugged—he remembered everything.

He’d slept with Shen Hechuan again!

They had a contractual marriage, and yet on the day of their engagement, he’d slept with Shen Hechuan again—multiple times!

“You’re awake?”

That familiar voice made Qiao Le feel like he’d been transported back to the first time they had drunken sex.

Could he say he wasn’t awake?

Definitely not. He couldn’t just play dead.

Time to face the music.

Qiao Le shut his eyes briefly, then turned to face Shen Hechuan. “…Morning.”

“Morning,” Shen Hechuan replied, sitting up. “Is the hangover gone? Head still spinning?”

“It’s gone.”

Qiao Le nodded, then accidentally caught sight of a bite mark on his chest. He thought, Damn, my teeth are that strong? It’s pretty deep…

Shen Hechuan followed his gaze, looked down, and said, “You bit me.”

Qiao Le: “…I know. You don’t have to say it out loud.”

Seeing him look like he wanted to crawl into a hole, Shen Hechuan chuckled. “It’s not the first time. Anything you want to say this time? Do you remember it?”

“…Yeah.” Qiao Le covered his face. “Sorry.”

Shen Hechuan raised an eyebrow. “Another apology?”

“Then I’ll pay you?” Qiao Le thought for a moment. “I’ve got money now. Earned it from you.”

Shen Hechuan: “…”

Would that count as fleecing him with his own wool?