His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 27

I love you, I love you…

“Su Yinuo, Su Yinuo…”

Qin Cangye murmured her name, overwhelmed with emotion as he pulled her into his embrace. But the moment he remembered she had just turned eighteen, he immediately released her, standing up nervously and grasping her hand instead.

“Nuonuo,” he said, so flustered that he even forgot to ask her whether she would wait for him.

“Nuonuo, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have treated you like that. I just came to discuss tomorrow’s plans with you…”

He hung his head, gently squeezing her small hand like a child who had done something wrong.

“Then go ahead and tell me, but stop squeezing my hand…” Su Yinuo tugged Qin Cangye to sit beside her on the windowsill.

“Aren’t you cold by the window, Nuonuo?” Qin Cangye’s gaze flickered to the glimpse of her slender, pale legs beneath her robe, and he quickly averted his eyes. Grabbing a blanket from the bed, he draped it over her lap.

“The windowsill is too cold. You can’t sit like this. Here, stand up for a second.” Qin Cangye helped her up and folded part of the blanket beneath her before letting her sit again.

Now, Su Yinuo looked like a little hamster wrapped snugly in the blanket.

“Don’t you realize how strong your heating is? You’re barely dressed yourself, are you trying to roast me alive?” Su Yinuo laughed, pushing the blanket aside.

Qin Cangye watched her adorable expression, the urge to pull her into his arms surging again. He clenched his fists, pressing them against the cold windowpane to clear his mind before speaking.

“Nuonuo, tomorrow Wu Heng will accompany your mother back home to pack up. There will also be housekeeping and renovation teams there, so don’t worry, your mom won’t have to do any heavy work. Lotus Garden really is slated for demolition, but the project might take a year or two to start, so we should still renovate properly. Don’t worry about the cost…”

Before Su Yinuo could interject, Qin Cangye added, “And it’s not me paying for it either. I’ll cover it first, and we’ll deduct it from the compensation those bastards owe you.”

Su Yinuo pressed her lips together, knowing the expenses weren’t as simple as Qin Cangye made them sound. Legal fees, court costs, cleaning services, and the renovation itself, it was a fortune to her.

And the compensation wasn’t guaranteed to come quickly, if at all. Even if it did in a few years, it might not cover everything Qin Cangye had spent.

But if she refused, wouldn’t he be upset? Besides, this amount was nothing to him. So, she didn’t argue, only lowering her head and saying, “Keep the renovation simple. No expensive appliances, they’re unnecessary. I haven’t even checked if the washing machine and fridge at home still work. If they do, we don’t need new ones.”

She rambled on for a while, but when she finally looked up, she realized Qin Cangye had been noting down every word she said and had already sent the instructions to Wu Heng.

“Thank you!” Su Yinuo felt a rush of gratitude.

Qin Cangye lifted his gaze, and the moment their eyes met, his mind went blank. By the time he regained his senses, he found himself already pressing his lips to hers.

He quickly stepped back and said, “I’m sorry!”

Su Yinuo lightly covered her mouth, shrinking back as her gaze drifted away. She asked softly, “Is there anything else?”

“Tomorrow, will you come with me somewhere?” Qin Cangye asked cautiously.

Su Yinuo curled up on the windowsill, her smooth feet slipping out from under the blanket to rest on the ledge. Hugging her knees, she looked out at the night and asked, “Where?”

Qin Cangye’s eyes were drawn once again to those small feet, nervously rubbing against each other. His heart had already been racing, but now it felt like it might leap out of his chest.

Only then did he realize that simply being in this room was an immense test of his self-control.

His gaze slowly traveled upward, lingering on the reddened marks on her neck, marks he had left, and the slightly open collar of her robe, where his hands had once wandered.

His body reacted fiercely, yet he remained motionless, like a statue. He had found another way to restrain himself: though his body couldn’t move, his thoughts could roam freely, diving into any place he desired.

With his eyes, he undressed her. With his eyes, he pressed her against the glass. With his eyes, he violated her lips, her mouth, and deeper still… until the beauty before him melted into a pool of liquid desire.

When Su Yinuo turned back after waiting too long for an answer, she shuddered at the hunger in Qin Cangye’s gaze and quickly said, “It’s late! Whatever it is, we can talk tomorrow. I’ll go anywhere you want!”

Qin Cangye immediately stood and swiftly left her bedroom.

Su Yinuo leaned against the window, pressing a hand to her chest as it rose and fell rapidly from tension.

The next day, Qin Cangye took Su Yinuo to the garden restaurant run by his mother’s close friend, Kong Wenxin, stopping outside the now-repaired glass greenhouse.

Returning here stirred discomfort in Su Yinuo’s heart. Remembering Qin Cangye’s bloodied hands and despair that day, she quickly tugged at his sleeve and warned, “You must never do something like that again!”

Qin Cangye took her hand, gently kneading it in his palm, his face softening into a warmth starkly different from that day. “As long as Nuonuo is by my side, I could never do such a thing.”

“You’re not a child. I can’t be with you every day, can I?” Su Yinuo scolded impatiently. “You need to learn to take care of yourself, understand? Someone your age should find reasonable ways to vent emotions…”

“Yes, yes, Nuonuo is absolutely right,” Qin Cangye chuckled, pulling her into a brief hug before releasing her just as she raised a fist. He then led her into the greenhouse.

Not far behind them, Kong Wenxin stood holding a tray of tea and pastries, a tender smile on her face. Glancing at the tray, she shook her head and murmured to herself, “Best not disturb them.” Turning back toward the restaurant, her smile lingered. “Ruyin, do you see how happily Cangye is smiling now? You see it, don’t you?”

“This place must hold a lot of meaning for you, right?” The greenhouse was warm, so Su Yinuo took off her coat and hung it on a nearby rack. Bending down, she admired a pot of meticulously cared-for narcissus flowers.

“Hmm,” Qin Cangye crouched beside her, testing the soil’s moisture before picking up the watering can to sprinkle some water on the narcissus. Then he turned to Su Yinuo, “This was my mother’s favorite place when she was alive. I always felt that if she still lingers in this world, she would come back here to visit. So, I wanted my mother to see you.”

Su Yinuo straightened up in surprise, feeling both nervous and flustered.

“Sorry, was that too sudden?” Qin Cangye quickly added.

“Ah, no, I just feel like I didn’t prepare anything,” Su Yinuo tugged at the hem of her clothes. “If you’d told me earlier, I would have brought a pot of flowers for your mother.”

“There will be plenty of chances in the future,” Qin Cangye said with a smile as he stood up, gently taking Su Yinuo’s hand. “Actually, when I was little, my mother only brought me here once. She hid some treasures in this greenhouse. Can you help me find them?”

“A treasure hunt?” Su Yinuo’s eyes sparkled as she nodded excitedly, pulling her hand free and darting around the small greenhouse.

“Give me a hint?” She didn’t dare touch the delicate, beautiful flowers directly, sensing that each one carried the love and soul of Qin Cangye’s mother.

Qin Cangye stood quietly, watching the winter sunlight, soft and unobtrusive, filter through the greenhouse glass, refracting into gentle veils of light that danced across Su Yinuo’s radiant face. She wasn’t wearing any makeup today, her fair skin glowing under the light, her dark eyes shining like gemstones. Dressed in simple white, she seemed to emanate a soft glow, like a little angel emerging from the flowers and light as she walked toward him.

“Give me a hint?” The little angel bounced in front of him, beaming.

Qin Cangye’s pupils dilated, imprinting the scene into his mind. He bent down, leaned in, and pressed a kiss to the soft cheek of his little angel.

“Why do you keep sneaking kisses?” Su Yinuo huffed, covering her face.

Qin Cangye didn’t dare say, I want to kiss you every moment of every day.

He ruffled her hair and changed the subject with a smile. “Hint: the treasures are hidden under the flowerpots.”

“Can I move them?”

“Of course.”

“Wow, are these gemstones?!”

“Not gemstones, sea glass.”

“Are there more? How many in total?”

“Kiss me, and I’ll tell you.”

“Never mind, I’ll find them myself…”

Qin Cangye walked up behind Su Yinuo, who was crouched and shifting flowerpots, then bent down. His large hand gently cupped her neck, sliding to her chin to tilt her face up.

A cluster of snow-white jasmine cascaded before Su Yinuo’s eyes, blocking her view. Its sweet fragrance filled her nose, and before she could react, his warm lips brushed her cheek.

Just a light kiss, his slightly dry lips grazing her skin before moving to her ear, where he exhaled softly, “Twelve in total.”

Su Yinuo froze for a moment before abruptly standing up, her face burning red. She pushed Qin Cangye out of the greenhouse and ordered, “Wait here. No coming back in!”

Qin Cangye’s grin nearly reached his ears.

Su Yinuo ran out again, stuffing his overcoat into his hands. “Put this on, don’t catch a cold!”

Qin Cangye slipped on the coat, watching his adorable little angel dart around the greenhouse. She emerged holding a handful of glistening sea glass, excitedly exclaiming, “I found them all, twelve pieces!”

He stepped forward, opened his coat, and pulled her into his embrace, murmuring softly, “I love you, I love you…”

After lunch, Qin Cangye took a long phone call outside the dining room.

Kong Wenxin approached Su Yinuo, who was still seated at the table, handing her a towel with a warm, affectionate smile. “It’s Nuonuo, right? How was the meal? Did you enjoy it?”

“Thank you, Auntie. It was delicious, absolutely delicious,” Su Yinuo wiped her mouth and praised generously. “It’s been so long since I’ve had such authentic Beiguang cuisine.”

Kong Wenxin smiled brightly and sat beside Su Yinuo, taking her hand and patting it gently. Hesitantly, she said, “Nuonuo, I’m a close friend of Cangye’s mother. There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

“Auntie, what is it?” Su Yinuo noticed the worry and solemnity in Kong Wenxin’s expression and assumed she was about to entrust Qin Cangye to her care. Though she hadn’t yet agreed to be with him, she knew deep down she couldn’t refuse. She was willing to wait for him, six months, a year, even two years, it didn’t matter.

But to her surprise, Kong Wenxin brought up something else entirely. “Nuonuo, tomorrow is Ruyin’s memorial day, oh, Ruyin was Cangye’s mother. Ever since he got involved with Ronghua Capital, Cangye has held a memorial gathering on this day, inviting relatives and friends from both the Qin family and Ruyin’s side. Though it’s called a memorial, it’s really more of a denunciation session against Old Master Qin. Cangye recounts every instance of domestic violence and threats the old man inflicted on Ruyin, reminding everyone present just how cruel he was and how miserable Ruyin’s life had been.

“Yet, Old Master Qin attends every year because none of Cangye’s accusations have any proof. No matter what Cangye says, the old man refutes it all, using his unrepentant, condescending attitude to push Cangye into losing control, making him seem like an impulsive, fragile child in front of everyone. Meanwhile, Old Master Qin asserts himself as the true head of the Qin family and the real authority behind Ronghua Capital.”

Kong Wenxin’s eyes reddened as she spoke. “Nuonuo, I’ve attended Ruyin’s memorial every year, and every year I see Cangye break down just like he did that day kneeling in front of the greenhouse. But if you were by his side, maybe he wouldn’t fall apart like that? I’ve never seen Cangye as happy as he is today. I never knew he could smile so tenderly, just like Ruyin used to. So, Nuonuo, will you go with him to the memorial tomorrow? Please?”