if he wanted Shiv to help push thru the deal all he had to do was ask. He gains nothing by fabricating a weird story. It doesn't endear him, and Shiv doesn't need to feel like she has something "on him" to play along to make the deal happen.

I think people just want him to be some super genius, but I think it's pretty straight forward. Maybe there's a twist, but the twist is he played the boys - while still being the weirdo he's always been portrayed to be.