His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 40

In an instant, it was as if a warm breeze had swept through, erasing the gray-white walls, cold equipment, and indifferent faces from Qin Cangye’s vision… replacing his world with a dreamscape blanketed in flowers, studded with stars, where moonlight and drifting feathers stretched endlessly.

In this dream, the person he loved stood before him, offering the most radiant smile.

Words failed to capture the emotions surging through Qin Cangye’s heart. He stood motionless, wishing only that the dream would never shatter, that time and the person before him would remain eternal.

He had already received the answer he longed for. Even if his life ended at this very moment, he would have wept with gratitude for such perfection.

But of course, life shouldn’t stop here. Because the one he loved was still shining with unparalleled brilliance.

He wanted to chase after her, to embrace her, to spend every remaining moment of his life by her side. He wanted to weave one beautiful dream after another with her.

“Qin Cangye!”

Only when a voice called out behind him did he snap out of the reverie.

Turning around, he saw Su Yinuo rushing toward him.

Despite the crowd around them, despite her timid and shy nature, she ran toward him as if no one else existed.

Qin Cangye immediately opened his arms and caught her in an embrace.

“Is everything okay now? Is it really okay?” Su Yinuo clutched his clothes, tilting her head up, her face still etched with tension as she babbled on, “I passed the test just now! They said I wasn’t lying. They asked if I loved you, and I said I do. Since I love you, everything’s fine now, right? Can we go home?”

“Everything’s fine, everything’s fine,” Qin Cangye murmured, stroking the back of her head, his eyes burning yet his lips curling into a smile. “Thank you, Nuonuo. Thank you.”

After driving away from the Jinyang District Police Station, Qin Cangye didn’t head to Hidden Mountain Villa but instead turned toward Rongjinhua Residence.

Night had already fallen. Seated in the passenger seat, Su Yinuo finally calmed down. The memory of her impulsive confession in front of a room full of people sent waves of heat rushing to her cheeks. Covering her face, she suddenly looked up at Qin Cangye, who was driving, and asked, “Do you believe me now?”

“Hmm?” The traffic light turned red, and Qin Cangye braked, turning to her with tender eyes.

“I asked if you believe that I love you now! Don’t tell me you still don’t, even the lie detector believed me!”

Su Yinuo’s earnest, serious, yet utterly adorable expression was too much for Qin Cangye to resist. He reached out, cupped the back of her neck, and leaned in, pressing a deep kiss to her lips.

Beside them, the red countdown timer flickered relentlessly, its glow spilling over Qin Cangye’s enraptured profile. His lips parted, drinking her in greedily, his tousled bangs falling forward, nearly obscuring Su Yinuo’s face entirely.

A few seconds later, Su Yinuo snapped back to reality and pushed him away, her face flushed with embarrassment as she scolded, “Focus on driving! Follow the traffic rules!”

Qin Cangye’s smile was practically overflowing, his eyes brimming with unconcealed joy. Tipping his head slightly, he gazed at her lowered face and replied, “As you wish, wifey.”

Su Yinuo was startled, covering her face as she chided, “What did you just call me? Don’t say it so casually!”

Back in the spacious apartment of Rongjin Huayuan, before they could even turn on the lights, Su Yinuo was pulled into Qin Cangye’s embrace. A fierce kiss descended, and their clothes were quickly shed.

Su Yinuo was placed on the low cabinet by the entrance, meeting Qin Cangye’s storm-like passion until both were drenched in sweat, and fresh red scratch marks appeared on Qin Cangye’s back.

The battlefield shifted from one place to another, finally landing in the wide bathtub. Steam rose, water splashed, and soft moans gradually turned into intermittent pleas for mercy. A slender arm repeatedly reached out from the water, gripping the edge of the tub tightly before slipping back down from exhaustion. A large hand emerged from the water, pulling her close, encircling her waist, leaving her with no escape…

“Nuonuo, come to the company with me tomorrow.”

In her dazed state, Su Yinuo could still hear Qin Cangye’s gentle words by her ear.

“Nuonuo, come work at my company as my personal assistant.”

“Nuonuo, promise me. Only when you’re by my side can I feel at ease.”

Su Yinuo gave a weak hum of agreement as Qin Cangye lifted her out of the water and wrapped her in a towel.

Overcome by drowsiness, she nestled in Qin Cangye’s arms as he dried her hair and body before tucking her into the warm bed.

“Nuonuo, I love you.”

“Nuonuo, sleep well.”

“Nuonuo, thank you.”

“Nuonuo, I love you so much…”

The voice by her ear seemed to fade slowly after a long time, or perhaps it never faded at all, instead weaving its way into Su Yinuo’s dreams.

The next day, dressed in a crisp professional suit, Su Yinuo nervously clutched the seatbelt, occasionally glancing at Qin Cangye, who drove calmly.

Qin Cangye wore a dark gray bespoke suit, his jet-black short hair neatly combed back, revealing a full forehead and sharp, chiseled profile. His deep-set eyes beneath sharp brows exuded an even more formidable aura. His expression was impassive as he stared straight ahead, the commanding presence he radiated a stark contrast to the tender, affectionate man from the morning.

Su Yinuo’s nervousness stemmed not only from stepping into an entirely unfamiliar work environment but also from facing Qin Cangye, now her superior, in his serious, detached work persona. Of course, another layer of tension came from the possibility of running into Qin Weishu at Ronghua Capital’s headquarters.

“What’s wrong, Nuonuo?” At a red light, Qin Cangye turned to her with a gentle smile, ruffling her hair. “You’ve been staring at me, is it because I look especially handsome today?”

“You’re handsome every day,” Su Yinuo answered truthfully.

Qin Cangye chuckled, wishing he could lean over and kiss her right then, but the light turned green too soon.

As the car started moving again, he reassured her, “Don’t be nervous, Nuonuo. First, report to the executive office, Wang Yiliu will guide you on work matters. Of course, if it feels too overwhelming, you can just walk away. Tell them your husband is Qin Cangye. I doubt anyone would dare give you trouble.”

Su Yinuo’s lips twitched as she retorted dryly, “If you just want me to be a trophy wife, you might as well keep me at home.”

“I wanted you to be my hugging pillow, but you refused,” Qin Cangye said regretfully. “I really wish I could just tuck you into my pocket.”

Su Yinuo covered her slightly flushed face, feigning composure as she replied, “We agreed, we have to pretend we don’t know each other! I’m already nervous enough as it is, don’t add to the pressure.”

“Right, right,” Qin Cangye chuckled before his tone turned serious. “Nuonuo, make sure to avoid any tasks related to the chairman. Wang Yiliu won’t assign those to you, but if someone asks for your help, refuse them. The chairman’s office is on the 25th floor of the headquarters building, don’t go there at all. Stick with Wang Yiliu or stay in crowded office areas. And never be alone with Qin Weishu. Even if he approaches you, don’t believe a single word he says.”

“Okay, got it,” Su Yinuo nodded cautiously. After a brief silence, she suddenly noticed the name Qin Cangye had repeatedly mentioned: Wang Yiliu.

That name… it felt a bit uncomfortable.

“What ‘Yi,’ what ‘Liu’?” she asked, her voice unnaturally calm.

“Huh?” Qin Cangye was puzzled for a moment before realizing what she meant. “Yi as in ‘memory,’ Liu as in ‘willow.’ Wang Yiliu, my assistant.”

“Oh, an assistant,” Su Yinuo turned to look out the window, her lips already pouting. “A female assistant, right? Is she pretty?”

“Yes, decent,” Qin Cangye answered matter-of-factly before noticing Su Yinuo’s odd reaction. He glanced at her, a mix of disbelief and delight bubbling in his chest, could it be… jealousy? She actually gets jealous. Over me?!

This novel experience thrilled him, so he decided to push his luck: “Not only is she pretty, but she’s also very competent. She’s been by my side for three years, and she’s still single, ”

“Shut up! Drive!” Su Yinuo snapped.

When they arrived at the headquarters’ underground parking lot, Su Yinuo grabbed her bag and stormed out of the car the moment it stopped. Qin Cangye hurried after her, apologizing, “Nuonuo, I’m sorry, I was just joking, I…”

“Good morning, Vice Chairman Qin.” “Morning, Vice Chairman Qin.”

Employees streamed in from all directions, greeting Qin Cangye and cutting off his words, and his pursuit.

Su Yinuo quickened her pace, slipping into the employee elevator just as the doors opened without so much as a cold glance back. Qin Cangye stood frozen in front of the elevator, filled with regret.

With a deep sigh, he stepped into the executive elevator nearby and pulled out his phone to text Su Yinuo: Nuonuo, I’m sorry, I was completely wrong. I’ll kneel on a washboard when we get home.

Inside the crowded elevator, Su Yinuo checked her phone and huffily replied: We don’t even have a washboard at home!

Qin Cangye responded instantly: Then I’ll kneel on durian! I’ll buy one after work! Su Yinuo’s lips curled slightly as she put her phone away. Packed tightly in the elevator, she shrank toward the wall.

The elevator stopped on the first floor, and as the doors opened, those near the entrance called out, “Good morning, Chairman Qin. Good morning, President Qin.”

Su Yinuo was completely blocked by the tall figures in front of her, unable to see what was happening outside. But the moment she heard the words “Chairman Qin,” she became hyper-vigilant and lowered her face, trying to stay unnoticed.

The elevator doors remained open, as the two people outside were still lingering over their prolonged goodbyes. Though everyone inside found it exasperating, no one dared to offend the two top executives.

“Grandfather, I’ll just take the employee elevator. The executive elevator doesn’t stop on the tenth floor, and I need to meet with the person in charge of the Blue Bay project there,” Qin Wangxuan said with impeccable politeness and deference.

“Good, good. Learn as much as you can, Wangxuan. You’ll need it when you take over the company,” Qin Weishu said, putting on a grandfatherly demeanor in front of the crowd. He patted Qin Wangxuan’s shoulder before heading toward the executive elevator nearby.

The phrase “take over the company” sent a ripple of shock through the ordinary employees. No one dared to show it openly, but they exchanged meaningful glances with their closest colleagues, silently agreeing: Ronghua Capital was truly on the brink of upheaval.

In reality, Ronghua Capital had been embroiled in internal power struggles for the past six months. But everyone had assumed that, sooner or later, the company would fall into Qin Cangye’s hands. Qin Wangxuan’s sudden rise, however, had thrown many into panic, even those who had staunchly supported Qin Cangye began to waver. The people in the elevator knew that once Qin Weishu’s words spread today, Ronghua Capital would be plunged into chaos.

But Su Yinuo didn’t care about any of that. Deep down, she believed it didn’t matter whether Qin Cangye inherited the company or not. Even if he were kicked out of the Qin family someday, she could always take him with her to sell spicy hot pot.

She had even imagined it, Qin Cangye could just stand there like a human billboard, and business would undoubtedly boom.

After bidding farewell to Qin Weishu, Qin Wangxuan glanced at the crowded elevator and flashed a disingenuous smile. “Would anyone mind letting me in?” he asked.

“Me! I…”

“I’m not in a hurry, not at all. President Qin, please go ahead…”

“President Qin, take my spot! I’ll make room for you!”

In an instant, the elevator emptied by half.

Su Yinuo was speechless. She had no choice but to squeeze further inside, hiding behind a tall person, praying that Qin Wangxuan wouldn’t notice her.

She instinctively disliked Qin Wangxuan, after all, he was Qin Cangye’s rival, and he shamelessly curried favor with Qin Weishu.

As the elevator doors finally closed and the car began to move, Su Yinuo, who had been staring at the wall, suddenly caught a whiff of an overpowering cologne. Frowning, she turned her head, only to find Qin Wangxuan leaning down toward her, his insincere face twisted into a mocking smirk.

“Well, well. If it isn’t my sister-in-law,” he whispered.