His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 4

Go ahead, little hamster.

Su Yinuo maintained her posture of looking at the menu, but her mind had already turned into a complete mess.

She had originally planned to mimic Li Jinmiao’s cold demeanor, keeping a straight face, not saying a word, finishing the meal, and leaving immediately. If the other party tried to make conversation, she would respond with the same icy glare Li Jinmiao would give.

But now, all her plans and intentions had vanished without a trace. Turning her already muddled little head, she recalled her mother’s teachings from kindergarten: “Nuonuo, remember to be polite when eating with friends, okay?”

So, she abruptly thrust the menu forward, but when she tried to speak, her voice trembled: “M-Mr. Qin, what would you like to eat? This stir-fried tomato and egg is really delicious, and it’s the cheapest too, only 166.”

The menu hung in the air, untouched. Su Yinuo felt a scorching gaze land on her face.

Qin Cangye found this amusing.

From the moment he stepped into the restaurant, his gaze piercing through the greenery and screens to land on the slightly hunched figure sitting at the reserved table, he had sensed something different. For a brief moment, he even wondered if some disobedient child had taken the wrong seat.

Only when he got closer did he realize the situation was even more interesting than he had imagined.

A silent, cold smirk tugged at his lips as he casually took the seat across from Su Yinong. He stared at her, mentally mocking the foolish Li Jinmiao a thousand times over.

He had never liked Li Jinmiao. The only reason he had agreed to the arranged marriage was that he wasn’t yet fully confident in opposing Qin Weishu, the head of Ronghua Capital, his grandfather. In his eyes, Li Jinmiao was nothing more than a useless puppet of the Li Group, stupid, domineering, and self-righteous, with her only redeeming quality being her equally indifferent attitude toward the marriage.

Every time he dined with Li Jinmiao, the sharp and arrogant aura radiating from her made him unbearably irritable, to the point where he wanted to flip the table and leave immediately.

But now, the person before him, who bore an eighty percent resemblance to Li Jinmiao, was like a comfortable, warm mist, or a soft, fluffy marshmallow, piquing his curiosity and interest.

Why was she so scared?

Why, despite her fear, did she show no intention of running away?

Why did she hand over the menu as if heading into battle, only to ask such an adorable question?

She was really, so well-behaved.

Qin Cangye stared at Su Yinuo, feeling an impulse to scoop her up and play with her in his palm.

So, he had no intention of exposing Li Jinmiao’s ridiculous little scheme. Instead, he wanted to see just how much amusement this little creature Li Jinmiao had sent his way could bring him.

With a light chuckle, he said, “Hah, it’s not stir-fried tomato and egg, it’s crab roe tofu. What’s gotten into you today, Miss Li?”

“Ah? Sorry, sorry!” Su Yinuo hurriedly pulled the menu back, finally seeing the correct dish name, her face flushing with embarrassment.

“No need to apologize,” Qin Cangye said casually, raising a hand to summon the waiter. With a smile, he added, “I’ll have a serving of crab roe tofu that looks like stir-fried tomato and egg.”

Su Yinuo’s face turned even redder.

“Would Miss Li like anything else?” Qin Cangye asked again.

“Anything is fine, I can eat everything, no dietary restrictions!” Su Yinuo quickly pushed the menu back to Qin Cangye. She felt that Qin Cangye was acting a bit strange today, not as terrifying as when she last encountered him, nor as cold and indifferent as Li Jinmiao had described. His voice even sounded unusually gentle.

Pursing her lips, she glanced up slightly and noticed Qin Cangye’s large, well-defined hand gripping the menu. Instinctively, she thought those hands could easily strangle an adult to death, after all, he could lift a grown person as effortlessly as a chick.

Her gaze drifted upward, taking in his taut black shirt, the sturdy outline of his chest muscles beneath the matte fabric, then the sharp lines of his neck, the Adam’s apple that bobbed slightly as he spoke, followed by his chiseled jaw, the tall bridge of his nose casting shadows across his fair face, and finally those deep, penetrating eyes that seemed capable of seeing right through her.

That day by the roadside, she had been too nervous and too far away to get a good look at Qin Cangye’s appearance, leaving her with only an initial impression of someone both handsome and intimidating. But now, seeing him up close, she realized he wasn’t just the “well-dressed but cold” man Li Jinmiao had described, he was downright breathtaking!

Good heavens! How could anyone feel physically nauseous looking at someone this handsome?

Su Yinuo couldn’t quite understand Li Jinmiao anymore.

Suddenly, Qin Cangye, who had been ordering with the waiter, lifted his gaze and met Su Yinuo’s blatant, unguarded, utterly smitten stare.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately averted her eyes, flustered as she grabbed her phone and began swiping aimlessly through the screen.

Qin Cangye watched her panic with amusement, chuckling before handing the menu to the waiter. “Miss Li, you’re welcome to look as much as you’d like. After all, I am your fiancé.”

“R-right, sorry, I won’t stare.”

“And why are you apologizing again?” Qin Cangye smirked, his eyes never leaving her.

Because I was ogling someone else’s fiancé, and that’s not appropriate.

Of course, Su Yinuo didn’t dare say that out loud. Just as she was scrambling for a response, the waiter arrived with a bowl of rice, offering her a lifeline.

“Let’s eat, let’s eat,” she mumbled, pulling the fragrant white rice toward her and picking up her chopsticks.

“The dishes haven’t arrived yet. Are you just going to chew plain rice?” Qin Cangye laughed outright.

“Ah, sorry!” Su Yinuo immediately set the chopsticks back down, nervously clasping her hands together.

“It’s fine. My pet hamsters love plain rice too.” Qin Cangye raised a hand to cover his uncontrollable smile, thinking to himself that this girl was even cuter than the hamsters he kept at home.

“I didn’t expect Mr. Qin to be into raising hamsters?” Su Yinuo finally asked after a long pause.

She hadn’t wanted to engage in too much conversation with him, the more she spoke, the higher the risk of exposure. But with the food taking so long, sitting in silence was unbearably awkward. Besides, Qin Cangye seemed to have left his phone behind. He wasn’t doing anything, just sitting there motionless, staring at her until she felt her hair stand on end.

“Yes, I have quite a few,” Qin Cangye replied with a smile.

“Quite a few?” Su Yinuo was surprised.

“Right, they’re free-range at home. I’m not sure exactly how many, but the house is too quiet. Keeping some cute little things around makes it livelier.”

Qin Cangye stared at Su Yinuo, a bizarre thought popping into his mind: Wouldn’t it be nice to take her home and keep her as a pet?

Su Yinuo shivered, not because she’d heard Qin Cangye’s inner thoughts, but because she imagined a house overrun with hamsters. No matter how adorable hamsters were, a pile of them huddled in the corner would be terrifying, right? And what if she accidentally stepped on one? Hamsters were so fragile, what if one died under the bed or the couch? Ugh! Just the thought made her skin crawl!

So scary! This man was seriously not normal!

“How about I give Miss Li a few?” Qin Cangye asked earnestly.

“No, no, no, I can’t afford to keep them!” Su Yinuo refused repeatedly.

“Hmm?” Qin Cangye tilted his head.

Only then did Su Yinuo realize she’d forgotten her role. She quickly waved her hands. “I mean, I’m too busy to take care of them.”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot! Miss Li’s first game is about to enter beta testing soon. How’s it going? Are you managing the workload? Do you need any resources from my side?” When it came to work, Qin Cangye suddenly seemed much more normal.

But Su Yinuo didn’t want to talk about work! Because Li Jinmiao had said she and Qin Cangye barely spoke, she hadn’t prepared at all. If they discussed work, she’d definitely give herself away!

Recalling Li Jinmiao’s daily high-energy demeanor, Su Yinuo answered on her behalf, “No need! We’ll definitely launch on schedule!”

“Excellent!” Qin Cangye smiled and clapped. “Then I’ll wait for the good news.”

Su Yinuo sighed inwardly: Miaomiao, I hope I didn’t mess this up for you…

“Miss Li, you should also remember to balance work and rest. What do you usually like to do to unwind from the monotony of work?” Qin Cangye poured her a glass of water.

Su Yinuo hurriedly thanked him, clutching the cup while thinking: Scrolling through my phone, it’s cheap and fun. But Miaomiao probably isn’t like that, right? What does Miaomiao usually like to do?

She really couldn’t think of anything, so she awkwardly gave a safe answer that wouldn’t embarrass Li Jinmiao: “Reading.”

“Oh? What kind of books do you like?”

Oh no, I’ve fallen into a trap…

Su Yinuo had no idea how to answer. Fortunately, her savior arrived, the waiter finally brought the food! Her eyes lit up as she took in the plates of exquisite, mouthwatering dishes.

“Mr. Qin, let’s stop chatting and eat!” She stood up eagerly, taking the dishes from the waiter and arranging the heartier meat dishes on Qin Cangye’s side. “You look like you have a great appetite, eat more! Wow, you ordered so much! Huh? There are even two hairy crabs!”

Qin Cangye smiled without a word, thinking: She gets this excited over food? So chirpy and adorable.

Having grown up in the north, Su Yinuo had never tasted authentic Huaiyang cuisine before. Though the portions were small, the variety was abundant, and she sampled every dish. Each bite brought visible delight to her eyes.

She even forgot her nervousness, occasionally turning to Qin Cangye and saying, “This is delicious, Mr. Qin! Try it, the meatball has salted egg yolk inside!”

“Wow, this big bun is so juicy inside. Mr. Qin, be careful when you eat it, don’t burn yourself.”

…

There was no denying it, eating with someone like this really whetted the appetite and brought a deep sense of satisfaction.

It had been a long time since Qin Cangye had enjoyed a meal so effortlessly. In the past, every meal was either a rushed affair or a business obligation. No one ever praised the dishes he ordered with such genuine enthusiasm; their intentions were never simply about sharing a meal.

She’s really interesting. I wonder what her name is? If I don’t expose anything, will she still be the one serving me next time I come to eat?

Lost in thought, Qin Cangye picked up a large hairy crab and placed it on a clean plate in front of him.

Su Yinuo was already quite full, but she hadn’t touched the two crabs because she had never eaten one before and didn’t know how to tackle it. Seeing Qin Cangye take the crab, she set down her chopsticks, picked up her water glass, took a small sip, and then watched as he dismantled the crab with quiet admiration.

So elegant…

Su Yinuo never imagined she’d use the word “elegant” to describe a man eating crab.

In truth, Qin Cangye was graceful no matter what he ate, not in an affected way, as if trying too hard to avoid staining his clothes, but with a natural ease that somehow kept him spotless. His movements were effortless yet impeccably clean.

His only tools were the chopsticks and a metal spoon in his hands. With them, he pried open the crab shell, pressed down with the spoon, and deftly picked away the inedible parts with the chopsticks. Then, he carefully extracted the crab roe and meat, placing them on a clean small plate. Switching his grip, he used the chopsticks to hold the shell steady while scraping off every last bit of roe with the spoon.

In no time, the crab was completely dismantled, and Qin Cangye’s hands remained entirely free of any mess.

“Wow! Mr. Qin, you’re amazing!” Su Yinuo’s eyes widened as she praised him sincerely.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Qin Cangye said, picking up the plate filled with crab roe and meat and handing it to Su Yinuo with a smile. “Here, little hamster, dig in.”