His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 17

Accepting this kiss that felt like a desperate, dying struggle.

Upon receiving Li Jinmiao’s call, Su Yinuo immediately hailed a taxi and rushed to the restaurant address he had sent.

When she arrived, the customers had already been ushered out by the staff, leaving the dining area completely empty. All she could see were overturned tables and a chaotic mess of shattered debris scattered across the floor.

Clueless about what had happened, Su Yinuo ran straight toward the crowd gathered outside. There, several waiters were hammering at the lock of a metal door with a sledgehammer.

Peering over the crowd, Su Yinuo saw a scene she could never have imagined.

The man who was sometimes gentle, sometimes aloof, but always full of life, now knelt motionless atop a pile of broken glass. His hands and his beige suit were stained crimson with blood, his entire being resembling a rose on the verge of withering away.

Su Yinuo still didn’t understand what had happened, why he was kneeling there like that.

The scene before her, frozen in time, was bathed in the dim glow of yellowed lights, as if declaring that the person in the frame was about to be taken from this world into the unchanging embrace of death.

Her heart plummeted, overwhelmed by a surge of terror. The moment the lock was smashed open and clattered to the ground, she rushed forward. She threw herself in front of the motionless figure, meeting his hollow gaze before pulling him into a tight embrace.

“What happened? What’s going on? How did it come to this?” The moment she spoke, the man in front of her collapsed weakly against her.

Feeling the weight pressing against her, Su Yinuo burst into tears. “Hold on a little longer,” she cried, turning back to the crowd in desperation. “Has anyone called an ambulance? Did someone call?”

“Yes, yes! It’s on its way!” Li Jinmiao appeared behind her.

“Get some gauze and bandages, we need to treat his wounds first!” Su Yinuo grabbed Qin Cangye’s arm, trying to push him away to examine his injuries, but his body immediately clung to her even tighter.

“Nuonuo?” A weak, hoarse voice whispered in her ear as his hand slid up her back, gripping the nape of her neck firmly.

Su Yinuo only felt something wet and slippery against her skin. She quickly cupped Qin Cangye’s face and pleaded, “Don’t move, don’t exert yourself, you’ll go into shock.”

Yet, unexpectedly, those empty eyes suddenly flickered with life. His pale face drew closer, and his cold lips pressed against hers.

Su Yinuo wanted to pull away, but his grip on her neck was unyielding. Afraid of worsening his injuries if she struggled, she could only kneel there numbly, accepting Qin Cangye’s desperate, fleeting kiss, like the last struggle of a dying man.

By the time the sound of the ambulance siren reached them, Qin Cangye had already fainted in Su Yinuo’s arms.

Panicked, she helped support him as others lifted him onto the stretcher brought by the paramedics. Wu Heng, clutching his waist, boarded the ambulance, while Su Yinuo got into Li Jinmiao’s car, heading straight for the hospital.

In the car, Su Yinuo’s face was deathly pale, her heart suspended in dread. She didn’t speak a single word.

“Here, Nuonuo, let me clean you up. Don’t worry, that guy’s definitely going to be fine,” Li Jinmiao said beside her, pulling out a wet wipe to gently dab away the blood staining her neck.

Li Jinmiao couldn’t find the right words to describe the experiences of this evening. When she saw Su Yinuo run over and embrace Qin Cangye, surprise was quickly overtaken by an unexpected surge of emotion. And when she witnessed Qin Cangye, his hands covered in blood, grab Su Yinuo and kiss her, a tragic yet awe-inspiring shock rooted her to the spot, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

She couldn’t understand how two people who had only met twice could create a scene as if they had loved each other for centuries yet remained apart.

Only now was she willing to believe that Qin Cangye truly loved Su Yinuo, and that Su Yinuo, in turn, loved this madman just as deeply.

“It’s alright, I can do it myself. Thank you, Miaomiao,” Su Yinuo snapped out of her daze, her trembling hands pulling out a few wet wipes.

“Nuonuo,” Li Jinmiao looked at her with pity, smoothing the disheveled bangs on her forehead before grasping her hand. She sighed deeply before speaking, “There’s something… It might be a bit early to tell you now, but I have to. The Qin family,” she paused, her expression turning grave, “is a pit of fire.”

Su Yinuo was puzzled, unsure why Li Jinmiao had suddenly brought this up.

“Qin Cangye said he would call off his engagement, and now it’s clear it’s for you. And you like him too, don’t you?” Li Jinmiao smiled bitterly. “Qin Cangye is truly insane. I used to think he was just playing around, but I never imagined he’d take it this seriously. I finally understand why he insisted on having dinner with you once a week, he’s wary of his grandfather. Maybe he’s trying everything to be with you. Maybe you two really will have a future together. But Nuonuo, you’re my friend, and no matter what happens, I have to warn you about the price of being with him.”

Truth be told, Su Yinuo was still in a daze. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of being with Qin Cangye, but she was eager to hear what Li Jinmiao had to say, so she remained silent, watching her intently.

“The Qin family’s ancestral home is on Chaoyang Mountain in Jinyang District, the affluent area of Beijiang. My family lives there too, just across a small artificial lake from the Qin estate. When I was little, I often played by the lake. All the kids from Chaoyang Mountain loved playing there, and our games often led us to the gates of the Qin mansion, after all, it was the most luxurious residence on the mountain at the time. But as far as I can remember, I’ve never seen a lively woman in the Qin household. They have very few maids, and even the lady of the house always looked sickly.

This was unusual. Chaoyang Mountain is home to the wealthy, where the ladies of each household love to flaunt their status. Even the wives of officials, though dressed modestly, exuded an air of sophistication. I never met the Qin family’s matriarch, she reportedly passed away when I was still a toddler. But I’ve seen Qin Cangye’s mother, the current lady of the house, several times. One of those times was on a rainy night.”

That was when I was seven years old. I had a fight with my parents and stormed out of the house alone. Unexpectedly, it started raining shortly after I ran out. I took shelter under the eaves of the Qin family’s mansion wall to avoid the rain, and then I heard cries and screams coming from inside the courtyard. Despite my fear, I couldn’t resist peeking in, and what I saw is a scene I’ve never been able to forget.

Madam Qin was brutally beaten out of the house by Old Master Qin with a ruler, and then he kicked her down from a half-meter-high step. She fell to the ground, and before she could even get up, Old Master Qin was already upon her, relentlessly striking her with the ruler. She lay there, her sobs drowned out by the pouring rain. At the gate, a little boy stood screaming nonstop.

Su Yinuo had heard Qin Cangye mention his mother’s tragic fate before, but he had spoken of it so lightly. Though Su Yinuo felt heartbroken for her, it was nothing compared to the shock of hearing it from Li Jinmiao.

“By the time my parents found me, the Qin family had already gone back inside. Madam Qin was carried in by a few male servants. A few years later, she passed away. Over the years, there have been whispers in Chaoyang Mountain, rumors that Old Master Qin abused women, that the women of the Qin family were practically all driven to their deaths by him. But few were willing to believe it, given the Qin family’s status in Beiguang City. No one wanted to offend them. But I’ve always believed those rumors because I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Nuonuo,” Li Jinmiao grabbed Su Yinuo’s hands and looked at her earnestly. “You’ve seen Qin Cangye yourself. That volatile, almost deranged temperament of his clearly wasn’t nurtured in a normal family environment. Old Master Qin is over seventy, but he’s still in good health. If you marry into that family, you’d be like a lamb walking into a wolf’s den. Who knows whether you’d die first or he would!”

Su Yinuo stared blankly at Li Jinmiao, unsure how to respond. She was still young and hadn’t even considered marriage. Even if she liked Qin Cangye, the farthest she had thought was dating.

But she knew herself, if she decided to start a relationship, she would take it seriously, all the way to marriage, children, and growing old together.

Yet she couldn’t imagine what kind of treatment she would endure if she married into such a family.

“Nuouo, I remember you once told me that only your mother is left in your family, right? And she’s disabled, needing your care,” Li Jinmiao gave a bitter smile. “I’m not trying to scare you, Nuonuo. Even with my parents backing me, I wouldn’t dare marry into the Qin family. If you and your mother ended up there, what would become of you?”

“I understand!” Su Yinuo panicked and quickly cut in. More than worrying about herself, she feared for her mother. If anyone dared lay a hand on her, Su Yinuo would fight them to the death!

“I understand, Miaomiao. I never planned to marry him or be with him,” Su Yinuo said dejectedly, lowering her head.

She knew her limits. Now that she understood the Qin family was a pit of fire, she wouldn’t foolishly jump in. She would stay far away, not even a single spark would touch her.

Yet she remained deeply distressed, and the thought of Qin Cangye covered in blood only intensified her sorrow.

The car had already pulled up at the hospital entrance. Su Yinuo watched as Qin Cangye was carried out of the ambulance by nurses and wheeled into the emergency room.

“Miaomiao,” she said, gazing out the window with tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with emotion. “I won’t go in. Can I just stay in your car for a while? You go check on him. If he’s not in any danger, I’ll go home.”

“Alright. Lao Zhang, stay with Nuonuo,” Li Jinmiao patted Su Yinuo’s shoulder before getting out of the car.

She arrived outside the emergency room and listened as the doctor briefed her on Qin Cangye’s condition. Though he had lost a significant amount of blood, his robust constitution and timely arrival meant his vitals were stable. A blood transfusion and observation would suffice, there was no immediate danger.

Li Jinmiao relayed these details to Su Yinuo in a message, offering a few words of comfort before instructing Zhang Yifeng to take her home.

Not long after, Qin Cangye was transferred to a general ward. Li Jinmiao, with nothing better to do, followed to the ward’s entrance and sat on a chair, idly scrolling through her phone.

Suddenly, a message popped up from someone she hadn’t heard from in ages: “Hey, Jin Sanshui, heard you’re marrying the infamous ‘First Demon of Chaoyang Mountain’? You’ve got some guts. Want your big bro to come back and watch your back?”

Li Jinmiao’s lips twitched as the image of that carefree, roguish face flashed in her mind, Wang Zhengcheng, the self-proclaimed king of Chaoyang Mountain in their childhood. From eighty-year-old grandmothers to three-year-old toddlers, no one escaped being called his “friend.” Even Qin Cangye wasn’t spared from his casual arm-draping familiarity, all thanks to his family’s formidable political connections.

Despite being born into the pinnacle of power in Beiguang City and having a smooth path in officialdom, this guy had chosen to go abroad and become an artist. In Li Jinmiao’s eyes, he was nothing short of a complete lunatic. So, she replied without hesitation: “Piss off!”

Wang Zhengcheng responded swiftly: “Ouch! Big bro’s heart is broken! I’m coming back next month. How about I throw a party for you and your fiancé? We’ll invite all our old Chaoyang Mountain crew.”

Li Jinmiao was utterly exasperated. Just as she was about to fire off another “piss off,” the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the corridor.

The steps were heavy, steady, swift, yet unhurried, each one sending an inexplicable tremor through Li Jinmiao’s heart, stirring an odd sense of tension.

She looked up and was startled to see two elderly men approaching. One was the deeply intimidating Qin family patriarch, Qin Weishu, and the other was his lifelong shadow, a ghostly old servant.

A chill ran down Li Jinmiao’s spine. She quickly stood up and greeted, “Grandfather Qin, hello!”