His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 11

Is he interested in me?

This was Su Yinuo’s first kiss.

Her first thought was that she could smell the intoxicatingly rich aroma of alcohol again.

As the light touch of lips gradually grew warm and moist, Su Yinuo’s mind seemed to explode with fireworks, and her entire body shot backward like a spark. Then, she swung her hand and slapped Qin Cangye hard across the face.

The crisp sound of the slap echoed abruptly in the quiet, elegant corner of the restaurant.

“Ah! No! I’m sorry.” Su Yinuo clutched her burning palm, her eyes red, frozen in place in a panic.

Qin Cangye raised his hand to touch his slightly stinging cheek. Just as he was about to say something, the restaurant manager rushed over nervously and asked, “Sir, miss, is everything alright? Do you need any help?”

Su Yinuo immediately lowered her head, her eyes burning with unshed tears, swirling with guilt, fear, and anger.

She thought Qin Cangye would lose his temper, but instead, she heard him let out a bitter laugh.

“It’s nothing,” Qin Cangye waved his hand dismissively at the manager. “I made my fiancée upset. My fault.”

With that, he turned to look at Su Yinuo, but her face remained hidden in shadow, her head bowed low.

“I’m sorry,” he said in the gentlest tone imaginable. When Su Yinuo didn’t respond, he tilted his head slightly and repeated, “I’m sorry.”

Su Yinuo was still trying to sort through her emotions and ignored him.

Qin Cangye wanted to grab her hand but hesitated. His fingers brushed past her slender wrist and instead caught the hem of her skirt.

He crouched down halfway, looking up at her, and tugged lightly at her dress. In a voice so tender it bordered on pleading, he said, “I’m sorry.”

“Ah! You, get up, please,” Su Yinuo hastily grabbed his sleeve but immediately let go, stepping back nervously. “Mr. Qin, please stand up. I’m not angry anymore.”

She had managed to hold back her tears, but her emotions were still in disarray. Seeing that Qin Cangye still hadn’t stood up, she blurted out in a flustered rush, “What you did just now wasn’t right. You can’t just kiss me out of nowhere like that. You scared me. We… we’re just strangers bound by our parents’ engagement. We’re not even friends yet, let alone dating. You can’t do that! But I also lost control and hit you. That was wrong of me too. Let’s call it even! So, so let’s just erase it!”

Qin Cangye, who had been listening attentively to her scolding, tilted his head in confusion. “Erase it?”

“Mm-hmm,” Su Yinuo nodded vigorously, mimicking the motion of using an eraser. “Let’s erase that memory just now.”

Her adorable and amusing gesture made Qin Cangye laugh, bright and unreserved. “Alright, let’s erase it.”

Perhaps because of the alcohol, by the time they returned to the table, Su Yinuo had genuinely forgotten the little episode of the forced kiss. After finishing some dessert, their dinner for the evening came to an end.

When they left, Qin Cangye carefully packed away the bag of cacti.

Outside the restaurant, Zhang Yifeng had been waiting. Noticing Su Yinuo’s unusually flushed face, he hurried over and asked, “Director Li, are you drunk?”

Having already been warned once by Li Jinmiao, Zhang Yifeng absolutely couldn’t let Su Yinuo get into Qin Cangye’s car this time. He took Su Yinuo’s handbag and roses, handed her his coat, and said, “It’s chilly outside, President Li. Put this on, and let’s go.”

“Hold on,” Qin Cangye strode forward, blocking their path, and shot another icy glare at Zhang Yifeng. “I’ll take Miss Li back to the company.”

“There’s no need to trouble Vice Chairman Qin this time!” Zhang Yifeng insisted. “It’s late, President Li is drunk, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to be alone in a car with Vice Chairman Qin.”

“Inappropriate?” Qin Cangye’s tone grew colder. “Is it any more appropriate with you? Don’t forget, Miss Li is my fiancée!”

“She…” Zhang Yifeng’s words caught in his throat. Not wanting to waste any more breath on Qin Cangye, he said sharply, “Hasn’t Vice Chairman Qin always been dissatisfied with this engagement? Your sudden change in attitude these past few times is rather strange, isn’t it?”

Zhang Yifeng had always found it odd, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it now. He turned and grabbed Su Yinuo’s arm, pulling her toward the elevator.

Su Yinuo, who had been watching the argument without being able to interject, wasn’t too drunk, just a bit lightheaded and slow to react. As Zhang Yifeng pulled her past Qin Cangye, she caught sight of the latter’s face, twisted with fury.

A bone-chilling dread washed over her. When Qin Cangye took a deep breath and clenched his fists, she could almost envision a horrifying scene of bloodshed. Panicking, she quickly shook off Zhang Yifeng’s grip and blurted, “I’ll go with Mr. Qin!”

Zhang Yifeng looked at her in surprise.

Su Yinuo hurriedly added, “Don’t worry, Assistant… Assistant Zhang. Mr. Qin will take me back to the company.”

The three stepped into the elevator, with Su Yinuo standing between them, the atmosphere tense and awkward.

Su Yinuo tightened the white lamb’s wool coat Li Jinmiao had brought for her and shifted slightly closer to Qin Cangye, hoping to temper the storm brewing within him.

Zhang Yifeng shot her another puzzled look. Su Yinuo responded with an awkward smile, her eyes seeming to say, What else could I do? I couldn’t just let you two fight, could I?

Just as Zhang Yifeng furrowed his brow, about to convey something with his own gaze, Qin Cangye’s large hand reached out and wrapped around Su Yinuo’s shoulder. Glaring at Zhang Yifeng, he warned coldly, “If you keep making eyes at my fiancée, I won’t mind giving Assistant Zhang a week off to get his eyes checked, thoroughly, at the hospital!”

“You!” Zhang Yifeng gritted his teeth in anger. He turned away, took a few deep breaths, and regained his usual calm composure. “My relationship with President Li is purely professional. I suggest Vice Chairman Qin sober up. As I recall, President Li once mentioned to me that you also had intentions of breaking off the engagement. Have you forgotten?”

Finally, Zhang Yifeng realized what was off: Qin Cangye couldn’t have suddenly changed his attitude. There was no way he’d be jealous of Su Yinuo and an assistant like him without having seen through her true identity. The only explanation was that Qin Cangye had already figured out Su Yinuo’s disguise, taken a liking to her, and had been playing along all this time, without exposing her.

On the surface, it seemed Su Yinuo was deceiving Qin Cangye under the guise of Li Jinmiao, but in reality, Qin Cangye was toying with Su Yinuo by leveraging his engagement with Li Jinmiao!

Zhang Yifeng was furious, anxious, and utterly helpless, cursing inwardly: What a scumbag!

The scumbag Qin Cangye froze for two seconds under Zhang Yifeng’s reminder, his arrogance deflating by half as he irritably replied, “I haven’t forgotten!”

After that, no one spoke in the elevator. Qin Cangye kept his hand resting on Su Yinuo’s shoulder, maintaining a distance that wasn’t overly intimate.

Su Yinuo didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, her mind in a daze. She couldn’t help but think how impossibly tall this building was, when would they finally reach the underground parking? Had they already descended past the ground, heading straight for the Earth’s core?

When they arrived at the 35th floor, the elevator doors opened to a burst of loud music. A group of drunken young people crowded in, snapping Qin Cangye out of his distraction. He immediately pulled Su Yinuo tightly into his arms, turning slightly to shield her while shooting icy glares at the guys who tried to get too close.

Su Yinuo’s forehead nearly pressed against Qin Cangye’s chest, or more accurately, his pectoral muscles. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she caught the warm scent of his cologne. Her face flushed again, and she tried to lean back, only to find her heels already against the wall.

After an excruciating few minutes, they finally reached the underground parking lot. Su Yinuo exhaled in relief, putting distance between herself and Qin Cangye as she waved goodbye to Zhang Yifeng. Then, keeping a careful space between them, she followed Qin Cangye to his parking spot.

Qin Cangye’s assistant and driver, Wu Heng, was already waiting beside the eye-catching Phantom. Seeing them approach, he respectfully opened the rear door.

Su Yinuo stared at the car, finding it oddly familiar. When realization struck, her eyes lit up, and words slipped out before she could stop herself: “Oh, the car’s fixed?”

Qin Cangye paused, tilting his head to look at her, his eyes full of confusion.

Only then did Su Yinuo realize she had almost given herself away. She covered her mouth and quickly slid into the car, stammering, “Uh… I heard, I heard this car got into an accident…”

Qin Cangye followed her inside, chuckling. “I never told anyone who I collided with.” He glanced at Wu Heng in the front seat and asked sternly, “Wu Heng, did you blab?”

“No!” Wu Heng immediately straightened up, defending himself. “Boss, I didn’t say a word! The repair process wasn’t confidential, someone else could’ve found out and spread the news to Ms. Li.”

“Ah, right, right…” Su Yinuo hastily agreed before clamping her mouth shut. The more she spoke, the more mistakes she made. Instead, she turned to the window, watching as the car slowly left the parking lot.

Tonight’s events felt even more surreal than her first dinner with Qin Cangye. Su Yinuo rested her dizzy head against the cool glass, gazing at the passing lights outside as she replayed the evening in her mind.

He actually kissed me!

This wasn’t a memory she could just wipe away. Even the slightest recollection brought back the warmth of his lips and the faint scent of alcohol lingering between them.

Does he like me?

Su Yinuo didn’t dare admit it, but all the signs from their interactions pointed to an undeniable yes.

How could this be? We’re not even from the same world, and besides, he’s already engaged.

At this thought, Su Yinuo couldn’t help but feel a surge of astonishment: she hadn’t felt the slightest aversion to Qin Cangye’s sudden, forceful kiss, in fact, she even felt a faint regret that they couldn’t be together.

You’ve fallen for him too, haven’t you? Right? Right?

Su Yinuo covered her burning cheeks, frustrated with herself.

What’s so impossible about liking him? He’s tall, handsome, rich, and gentle. It’s just that he was lucky enough to be born into a family that has everything, while I’m still struggling to survive. Our circumstances are worlds apart, and our interactions have only been superficial. A little attraction now can’t possibly overcome all the obstacles to bring us together. Even if we rashly got together, we’d inevitably end up parting in resentment due to differences in perspective, family, lifestyle, and countless other things!

Having reasoned it through, Su Yinuo felt incredibly clear-headed, as if she’d become a strong, independent female lead who wouldn’t be troubled by love!

She couldn’t help but praise herself in her mind: Well done!

“Miss Li,” Qin Cangye’s soft call from behind interrupted Su Yinuo’s self-satisfaction. She turned around sheepishly to see him with his head lowered, his eyes filled with sorrow.

Following his gaze downward, she noticed he was looking at the paper bag containing the cactus in his hands.

“I really like the gift you gave me,” he said, a slight smile lifting the corners of his mouth, the sorrow in his eyes fading somewhat. “I’ll plant it. I’ve never cared for a cactus before, but I imagine it’s quite easy to keep alive.”

He tightened his grip on the bag and turned to Su Yinuo, his deep, beautiful eyes brimming with anticipation. “I want to give something in return to show how much I appreciate this gift. So, Miss Li, could you ask me for something?”

“Huh?” Su Yinuo had never encountered someone who begged others to ask for a gift. She was about to instinctively refuse when she was swayed by Qin Cangye’s slightly childish, expectant gaze.

At this moment, he was like a child asking for candy, if denied, he might cry in disappointment.

Su Yinuo laughed and said, “Alright then, give me a little… of your luck.”