His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 16

On Saturday night, Qin Cangye barely slept a wink. Sitting on the cold floor, he racked his brains trying to figure out how to keep Nuonuo with him tomorrow evening. No, more precisely, how to make himself stay in Nuonuo’s heart.

The hamsters scurried to his feet, nibbling at his silk pajama pants. Some even tried climbing up his legs, only to tumble back down before reaching his knees.

Absentmindedly, Qin Cangye picked up the clumsiest little hamster and held it before his eyes, sighing in frustration. “I can’t think of anything, Nuonuo. What if I just locked you up? How does that sound?”

His gaze drifted across the spacious, minimalist, dimly lit bedroom, mentally constructing an enormous golden birdcage in the corner. Inside, a plush velvet bed would cradle his Nuonuo, dressed in a snow-white nightgown, her face adorned with that adorable smile…

On Sunday, Qin Cangye reserved a table at “The Courtyard,” a restaurant located in Pearl Sea Ecological Park in Beiguang City. It was a simple, cozy garden eatery he had invested in, managed by his late mother’s closest friend.

The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, with each table separated by abundant flowers and greenery. A small stream even meandered between the dining areas, creating the illusion of dining in a lush forest, an atmosphere designed for comfort and relaxation.

Qin Cangye chose this place not just for its ambiance, but also for what lay behind it: a glass greenhouse that had been his mother’s sanctuary.

As a child, his mother had secretly brought him here. That frail woman with her gentle smile had told young Cangye, “There are treasures hidden under some of these flowerpots! Let’s see if our little Ye can find them all!”

“Okay, Mom!”

Excited, the boy darted between the plant racks. In this modest twenty-square-meter space, he’d experienced some of the rare joyful moments of his childhood.

The “treasures” were merely colorful sea glass stones, smoothed by ocean waves. After finding them, his mother, afraid to let him bring them home, would have him cover his eyes while she hid the glass pieces under the pots again.

“Let’s go home now, Ye. Mom will bring you back next time to search again.”

But after that day, there would never be a next time.

Over a decade later, Qin Cangye returned and had iron fence walls built around the greenhouse. Only his mother’s friend and he held keys to this enclosure.

Though his mother’s friend maintained the greenhouse beautifully, Qin Cangye never went back to search for those childhood treasures. Until now. This time, he thought maybe he could bring Nuonuo inside. Maybe she’d enjoy this childish little game.

That afternoon, he even went for a styling session, letting his usually slicked-back bangs fall naturally to soften the harshness between his brows. He carefully selected a comfortable beige casual suit, layered with a light tan trench coat, hoping to appear more approachable.

An exquisite Bvlgari mother-of-pearl necklace rested in a velvet box inside his coat pocket. He wasn’t good at choosing gifts, but he felt this pure, luminous color would perfectly suit the angelic girl in his eyes.

Everything was ready, yet Qin Cangye sat in the restaurant, his heart still filled with unease.

His mother’s close friend, Kong Wenxin, walked over and poured him a cup of hot tea, smiling warmly. “Cangye, you seem different today. Are you meeting a girl you like?”

A rare flush appeared on Qin Cangye’s face as he replied somewhat awkwardly, “Yes, Aunt Kong.”

Kong Wenxin was momentarily stunned. She had only been teasing him casually and hadn’t expected an affirmative answer.

Qin Cangye didn’t visit her restaurant often, and whenever he did, he would stand outside the greenhouse with an expressionless face for a long time. Kong Wenxin felt for the boy, believing that growing up in such a family would make it difficult for him to experience normal emotions.

Though worried, there was little she could do. But now, seeing the unmistakable look of affection on his face, she felt genuinely happy. She smiled, her eyes moist with emotion, and said, “That’s good, really good. She must be a wonderful girl. Treat her well, Cangye.”

“I will, Aunt Kong,” Qin Cangye replied earnestly.

At seven in the evening, Qin Cangye heard the sound of high heels approaching. The crisp, decisive rhythm made him frown. He stood up immediately and saw Li Jinmiao walking toward him with forced composure.

The color visibly drained from Qin Cangye’s face.

“Where’s Nuonuo?” he asked coldly.

“Please, sit down first,” Li Jinmiao said, intimidated by his towering, imposing figure, and spoke in an unusually calm tone, urging him to take a seat.

Qin Cangye took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly.

No one knew the torment of anticipation, fear, anxiety, and anguish he had endured over the past week. He had prepared for the worst, that Nuonuo might come and still decide to end things, unsatisfied with everything he had to offer. In that case, he planned to find a way to get her contact information and slowly win her heart over time.

But he never expected that Nuonuo wouldn’t come at all.

This sudden turn of events sent a wave of panic through him. The defenses of his self-control crumbled rapidly, and all the negative emotions he had suppressed surged toward eruption.

Ignoring Li Jinmiao’s request to sit, he leaned forward, gripping the edge of the solid wood table with his right hand until his knuckles turned white. “Did you stop her from coming?” he demanded.

Li Jinmiao quickly backed away, pushing her chair with a screech against the floor. Pressed against the chair’s back, she shouted nervously, “No! Why are you glaring at me? She didn’t want to come herself!”

“That’s impossible. She promised me!” Qin Cangye’s veins bulged on the back of his hand, his face pale and twisted into a terrifying, savage expression.

At the sound of Li Jinmiao’s first shout, Zhang Yifeng, who had been waiting outside, rushed in. Seeing Qin Cangye’s menacing stance and expression, he thought he was about to attack Li Jinmiao and immediately stepped between them, yelling, “What are you doing?!”

Enraged by Zhang Yifeng’s shout, Qin Cangye grabbed the heavy wooden table with one hand and flipped it over violently.

Crash!! Bang!!!

The tea, snacks, wine, vases, and assorted items on the dining table all crashed to the floor. The deafening sound of the table hitting the ground terrified everyone in the restaurant. Customers quickly scrambled away, while the waitstaff rushed over. Li Jinmiao was entirely shielded in Zhang Yifeng’s embrace.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was stretched to its breaking point.

Even the approaching waitstaff hesitated to get too close to Qin Cangye. After all, none of them had ever seen someone flip a nearly two-meter-long solid wood table with one hand.

“Li. Jin. Miao!” Qin Cangye enunciated each word icily, “If you don’t want the Li Group to go bankrupt next quarter, call Nuonuo here immediately!”

“Qin Cangye!!” Li Jinmiao, her face deathly pale, gritted her teeth and threw caution to the wind. She sprang out of Zhang Yifeng’s arms and thrust the gift Su Yinuo had made right in front of Qin Cangye’s face, shouting, “Nuonuo didn’t want to come! I told you she’s my friend! If she wanted to come, would I stop her? Nuonuo doesn’t want to see you, doesn’t want anything to do with you. Wake up already!”

Qin Cangye snatched the small coaster from her hand, the vibrant colors stinging his eyes like fire.

The manager, Kong Wenxin, finally arrived, apologizing profusely to the surrounding customers as she hurried over. She bowed to Li Jinmiao in apology before urgently guiding Qin Cangye out of the restaurant, murmuring soothingly, “Cangye, calm down, just calm down. Come outside with me for a moment.”

Li Jinmiao watched their retreating figures, then collapsed back into her chair as if drained, clutching Zhang Yifeng’s arm and wailing, “That scared me half to death…”

A short while later, having steadied her emotions, she released Zhang Yifeng and grabbed her bag, curiosity driving her outside. There, she saw Qin Cangye being led by the manager toward a glass greenhouse.

Kong Wenxin turned on the streetlamp by the greenhouse wall and reached for the keys to unlock the large iron gate, only to realize she hadn’t brought them with her.

“Cangye, feeling any better? Do you still need to go inside for a while? Just wait here! I’ll go find the keys.”

Qin Cangye didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the coaster in his hand. He saw a little boy, a hamster, a sunset, and the sea, all condensed into a tiny tableau, each element shimmering with flecks of starlight under the glow of the streetlamp.

After Kong Wenxin left, Qin Cangye pulled a key from his coat pocket and unlocked the iron gate. Once inside, he locked the gate behind him and slumped against the glass wall of the greenhouse, sliding down to sit on the ground.

Turning the coaster over, he saw the tiny inscription: Wishing you all the best, and that one day your love will overflow like the sea.

Something pierced Qin Cangye’s heart in that instant, tearing open a gaping wound. Tears gushed forth as he swung his fist, smashing it violently against the glass wall of the greenhouse.

A crisp shattering sound rang out as cracks spiderwebbed across the entire surface. Qin Cangye had punched a hole straight through the tempered glass, and when he withdrew his arm, it was already streaked with blood from the jagged edges.

Agony and fury churned inside him as he stared into the empty, dimly lit greenhouse. It was as though he could see the figures of every cherished person who had once been there, now vanished one by one.

“You’ve all left, none of you want to stay by my side, you’ve all abandoned me. Who in this world can still give me love that overflows like the sea?”

“In this garbage world, who would still pity me, cherish me?!”

The coaster slipped from his hand as he swung another punch, smashing it into the shattered glass wall.

Behind him, screams erupted. Kong Wenxin, who hadn’t found the keys, watched Qin Cangye, his hands covered in blood, and cried out, “Cangye, Cangye! What are you doing? Calm down! Someone, help! Someone come quick!”

Wu Heng rushed over, vaulting the fence in a few quick moves to try and stop Qin Cangye, only to be punched back against the wall by the already out-of-control man, too afraid to approach again.

Not far away, Li Jinmiao watched the scene unfold with trembling hands as he dialed Su Yinuo’s number.

The pain of torn flesh seemed to dull the collapse and agony in his heart. The blood splattered on the ground looked as beautiful as blooming red flowers. His dazed mind left his rage with nowhere to cling, and after punch after punch of self-inflicted wounds, Qin Cangye swayed unsteadily before collapsing to his knees, yet feeling strangely lighter.

As if he had shed all the negativity, along with the passion and hope to keep living.

Maybe it would be better to just die like this?

His blood-deprived brain could only conjure that single thought.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when the iron gate was finally broken open. A small, slender figure rushed through the fence and straight to Qin Cangye. She knelt on the shards of glass before him and pulled the shattered man tightly into her embrace.