His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 15

“Wishing you all the best, wishing you an overflowing…”

Li Jinmiao’s final words sent a wave of panic and helplessness through Qin Cangye’s heart, emotions he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time.

Suppressing these feelings, he walked stiffly through the office area of Feiyue Company, his gaze slow yet determined as it swept over each workstation, searching for any sign that Nuonuo might be an employee there.

The final result: she wasn’t.

Like a machine, he turned around and stepped into the elevator.

His assistant, Wu Heng, trailing behind him, didn’t dare utter a word, not even his footsteps made a sound. Having worked alongside Qin Cangye for years, he knew his boss was teetering on the edge of losing control. Any sudden noise could be the spark that pushed him over the edge.

At Ronghua Capital, everyone knew Qin Cangye was cold-tempered, short-fused, and not someone to provoke. But very few had ever witnessed the true madness beneath that stern, indifferent facade. He had always restrained his volatile emotions and suppressed his erratic behavior with a level of self-control most couldn’t fathom, only unleashing the accumulated tension at a moment he deemed appropriate.

Once, while passing by a kindergarten, he spotted a man with a twisted, grotesque face pulling out a 30-centimeter-long watermelon knife from behind his back.

Before the children, parents, or security guards outside the kindergarten could react, Qin Cangye calmly ordered Wu Heng: “Run him over.”

Wu Heng, of course, didn’t dare to actually ram into the would-be attacker. Instead, with expert precision, he maneuvered the car to stop between the assailant and the children.

As the man brandished the knife, howling wildly, Qin Cangye kicked the car door open, slamming it into the attacker and knocking him to the ground. In two strides, he closed the distance, ignoring the blade swinging toward him, and delivered a brutal punch straight to the man’s face.

In truth, that single punch was enough to incapacitate the attacker. But Qin Cangye’s fists continued to rain down like a storm.

Wu Heng stood behind him, nervously pulling out his phone to call their lawyer.

By the time the police and lawyer arrived, the attacker’s face was unrecognizable. He barely survived after emergency treatment, left permanently disabled.

It was clearly excessive self-defense, but thanks to the lawyer’s maneuvering and Ronghua Capital’s powerful connections, the matter was quietly dropped.

Yet Wu Heng could never forget the sight of the attacker’s face, his eyes reduced to pulp. The memory still sent chills down his spine.

Now, watching Qin Cangye’s eerily calm exterior, Wu Heng’s forehead beaded with cold sweat. All he could hope for was a smooth, uneventful journey back to Ronghua headquarters, without encountering any fool stupid enough to provoke disaster.

As the two stepped out of Building No. 5, Su Yinuo, sorting through her vegetable basket by the snack street in the complex, caught sight of the two men radiating oppressive tension.

It really was Qin Cangye! So, she hadn’t been mistaken earlier!

A surge of delight rushed through Su Yinuo, and she instinctively took a step forward to greet him, only to stop herself.

She glanced down at her elderly disguise and the grease-stained apron, thinking: In this state, it’s better not to reveal myself. I don’t want to scare him. I’ll come clean on Sunday. Otherwise, he might not even accept my final gift.

Just as she was about to turn away, the sight of Qin Cangye’s bloodied palm caught the corner of her eye. Startled, she looked closer and realized his right hand was a gruesome mess of crimson.

What happened? How did he get hurt? And why isn’t he doing anything about it?!

Su Yinuo panicked, no longer caring about revealing her identity. She rummaged through the snack cart for the first aid kit, grabbed some gauze and alcohol, and rushed toward him.

With her cap and mask on, even her eyes hidden beneath thick bangs, Wu Heng didn’t recognize her as she approached.

Seeing this unknown middle-aged woman suddenly dart toward his already volatile boss, Wu Heng paled and tried to block her, but it was too late. She silently extended her hand, offering the alcohol and gauze.

Qin Cangye halted, barely tilting his head to glance at the figure beside him before mercilessly swatting her hand away.

The alcohol and gauze fell to the ground. Wu Heng quickly stepped in, pushing her aside protectively as he hurried Qin Cangye away.

Staggering back a few steps, Su Yinuo stood frozen, her gaze fixed on the shattered alcohol bottle. Her vision blurred as tears welled up.

Her stinging hand hurt, but the pain in her heart from Qin Cangye’s icy glare hurt even more. Tears spilled uncontrollably as she turned and fled behind the snack cart, collapsing onto a small stool and sobbing into her hands.

Despite crying earlier that morning, Su Yinuo had thrown herself into work with renewed vigor at noon. By evening, she was too busy to dwell on the earlier incident, until packing up, when she finally had time to reflect on Qin Cangye’s demeanor.

Just like their first encounter on the roadside, cold, stern, and terrifying.

No, this time, he was even more unapproachable.

Maybe he was upset about something? But more likely, that was just how he was.

Yet, if he was so cold, why had he been so gentle and kind to her when she was dressed up that Sunday?

Though reluctant to admit it, she now realized it might have been because of her appearance, status, or background.

Even if he had seen through her disguise as Li Jinmiao from the start, he might have assumed she was some wealthy heiress or an ordinary office worker, identities he could accept. But he’d never imagine she was just a college dropout struggling to make ends meet at a roadside stall.

Lost in thought, she arrived home still uneasy. She feared that when she came clean to Qin Cangye this Sunday, his warmth would vanish, replaced by utter coldness and anger.

With a deep sigh, she picked up the small cloisonné coaster, tracing the adorable little boy depicted on it sadly. Then she flipped it over and wrote a tiny message on the bamboo backing: Wishing you all the best, and may your life overflow with love beyond the sea.

This Sunday, she decided, she wouldn’t go to meet him.

She found some free time during a lull in customers and went to Li Jinmiao’s office, handing her a small bag with a gift inside, asking her to pass it on to Qin Cangye.

When she took the bag, Li Jinmiao’s hand trembled slightly. The image of Qin Cangye’s frenzied state from a few days ago was still vivid in her mind. She couldn’t even imagine how much worse he might have gone if she had been the one meeting him on Sunday.

But since the situation had started because of her, Li Jinmiao took a deep breath and replied solemnly, “Alright.”

After leaving the office, a gloomy Su Yinuo ran into Ji Wenjun.

“Nuonuo,” Ji Wenjun called out cautiously, not daring to get too close. He scrutinized Su Yinuo, who was dressed in an outdated dark blue windbreaker, his eyes filled with confusion.

Su Yinuo responded coldly and walked past him toward the elevator.

Ji Wenjun silently followed her inside.

When they reached the ground floor, he continued trailing behind her. Su Yinuo didn’t stop him and simply walked to her food cart. She deftly put on a cap, a mask, and a pair of clean kitchen gloves before turning around to see Ji Wenjun standing frozen in front of the cart.

“Hey, handsome, what would you like? You can choose your own items or go for a set meal. Prices are listed up there,” Su Yinuo said, treating him like any other customer, reciting the same lines she had repeated countless times.

Ji Wenjun stood stiffly for three whole minutes before recalling the messages he had sent Su Yinuo on the day she blocked him.

“I’m sorry, Nuonuo, I didn’t mean it like that,” he hurriedly apologized, so anxious he almost wanted to climb into the food cart. “I really absolutely didn’t mean to look down on you, Nuonuo. I’m sorry! I just… I just blurted those words out without thinking…”

“Enough!” Su Yinuo cut him off, waving a stainless steel basket in her hand. “I’m not blaming you. Blocking you was just my way of rejecting you. Now you’ve seen it for yourself, my life is dull, my conditions are tough, well, maybe not that tough. Anyway, I’m perfectly content with my life, but I’m definitely not the kind of girl you imagine, someone with a respectable, stable job and a wholesome family. I don’t want you wasting your time on me, got it?”

“I…” Ji Wenjun was left speechless by her words. After stammering for a while, he hesitantly asked, “Then, can we at least be friends?”

Su Yinuo paused slightly and looked up at him, seeing the sincerity and nervousness in his eyes. She narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Just friends? Sure, why not?”

Ji Wenjun let out a long sigh of relief and stepped back in front of the cart. Pointing at the childishly cute handwritten menu hanging above, he called out, “Give me one mildly spicy ‘Foodie Combo’!”

In the following days, Ji Wenjun would come down whenever he had free time. Sometimes he’d bring Su Yinuo a cup of milk tea, other times he’d help her with small tasks or tally the accounts.

One day, a girl whispered to her, “Auntie Zhang, is that handsome guy your son?”

Suppressing a laugh, Su Yinuo replied, “Yep, that’s my dear son, handsome, single, and loaded. Want to take him home?”

Ji Wenjun stood to the side, his face full of displeasure.

On Sunday, Su Yinuo felt unusually anxious and restless, her mind in complete disarray. She made countless mistakes while tallying accounts, but fortunately, there weren’t many customers on Sundays, so the losses weren’t significant. Around ten o’clock, Ji Wenjun finally walked in through the door.

“No overtime today?” Su Yinuo asked casually.

“Our boss Li hasn’t been acting normal since yesterday afternoon, he looked panicked, like some disaster was about to hit. So, he gave us the day off today. Huh? Nuonuo, you don’t seem quite right either?” Ji Wenjun bent down and reached out a finger to brush aside Su Yinuo’s bangs.

Su Yinuo tilted her head away, avoiding his touch.

“Nuonuo, let me take you out to clear your mind. There aren’t many customers on Sundays anyway,” Ji Wenjun said, hands in his pockets, looking at her expectantly.

“No,” Su Yinuo refused coldly.

After noon, Su Yinuo packed up her stall, turning down several invitations from Ji Wenjun, whether for a meal or a movie, and drove her food truck back home.

Buying groceries, prepping ingredients, scrubbing pots, sweeping the floor, doing laundry. She kept herself busy with chores to distract herself, dragging through the afternoon and into the evening. In her dazed state, she was startled by the sudden ringing of her phone.

Seeing the name “Sister Miaomiao” on the screen, Su Yinuo’s heart skipped a beat as she nervously answered the call.

From the other end came Li Jinmiao’s urgent and terrified voice: “Nuonuo, you need to come over! Qin Cangye has gone completely mad!!”