His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 41

“Dress code violation, huh?”

As soon as the elevator doors opened on the twentieth floor, Su Yinuo strode out briskly.

Qin Wangxuan hadn’t gotten off on the tenth floor as planned. Instead, he followed her all the way to the twentieth, hands in his pockets, grinning as he trailed behind her.

Su Yinuo turned her head and glared at him, whispering sharply, “Stop following me. Weren’t you supposed to get off on the tenth floor?”

“How could the tenth floor compare to the fun of following my sister-in-law? Where are you headed, anyway? My brother’s office is on the top floor,” Qin Wangxuan smirked, his tone dripping with mischief.

“The executive office, I’m going to work!”

Su Yinuo stopped abruptly, turned a corner into the stairwell, and saw Qin Wangxuan still following. She spun around, pulling out her phone, and hissed in frustration, “I mean it, stop following me! If you don’t, I’m calling Qin Cangye down right now!”

“Alright, alright, sister-in-law, I’ll stop,” Qin Wangxuan shrugged, feigning surrender.

Su Yinuo exhaled in relief, thinking she’d finally shaken him off, until he snatched her phone from her hands.

She gasped softly as he began typing rapidly on her phone, saying, “Let me save my number for you. Feel free to call me anytime. My brother’s got a terrible temper, if he upsets you, my arms are always open. I’ve always had a thing for my brother’s stuff.”

“Get lost!” Su Yinuo yanked her phone back, barely resisting the urge to kick him.

Qin Wangxuan didn’t seem the least bit offended. Chuckling, he waved and jogged away.

Fuming, Su Yinuo stormed out of the stairwell and opened Qin Cangye’s contact. Her fingers flew across the screen: Your brother is harassing me!!

But after a moment’s hesitation, she deleted the message, thinking, better not disturb him at work. It’s not that big a deal anyway.

Standing outside the executive office, Su Yinuo took a deep breath, slipping back into the meek demeanor of a new hire. She knocked timidly on the door and stood stiffly at the entrance, saying, “Hello, I’m here to report for duty. My name is…”

Before she could finish, a woman in a sharp professional suit emerged from the inner office, tall, poised, with an icy expression and impeccable makeup.

“Su Yinuo, right?”

Her voice was just as cold, but Su Yinuo could tell it wasn’t laced with disdain. It was more like the detached tone of a machine, devoid of emotion.

“Ah, yes.”

Su Yinuo straightened up immediately, eyeing the elegant yet intimidating senior.

“Come in,” the woman beckoned, leading her to a workstation near the window. She pointed to the employment contract and company regulations on the desk and said curtly, “Sign the contract first, then familiarize yourself with the company policies. Report to my office in twenty minutes.”

She tapped the ID badge hanging from her neck. “I’m Wang Yiliu, Assistant to Vice Chairman Qin.”

So, this was Wang Yiliu.

Watching her stride away with effortless grace, Su Yinuo couldn’t help but admire inwardly: What a cool, impressive woman…

For the entire morning, Su Yinuo didn’t leave the executive office area. Her tasks weren’t overly complicated, just organizing documents for Wang Yiliu, printing files, compiling meeting notes, and other routine work.

The simple tasks made her work much easier. By midday, the most challenging thing she’d faced was figuring out how to use the printer. Fortunately, though timid, she wasn’t afraid to ask for help. She casually stopped a senior colleague and, like a startled rabbit, cautiously inquired about this and that. Her earnest, humble demeanor made it impossible for anyone to refuse her.

Su Yinuo organized the dozen or so documents needed for the afternoon meeting and carried them to Wang Yiliu’s office. Softly, she said, “Sister Liu, everything’s been printed.”

Wang Yiliu pointed to a nearby shelf. Understanding, Su Yinuo quickly placed them there.

Wang Yiliu then crooked a finger, beckoning Su Yinuo closer before handing her a thin stack of materials. “Study these carefully,” she instructed.

“Yes, Sister Liu!” Su Yinuo accepted the new task with some trepidation. When she opened it, she froze in place.

Page one: The habits of hamsters.
Page two: Feeding hamsters.
Page three: Health monitoring for hamsters.
Page four: Care for cacti.
…

Su Yinuo’s stiff face was full of disbelief. After a long pause, she hesitantly asked, “Sister Liu, um… why do I need to read this? Our Vice Chairman Qin… isn’t a hamster, is he?”

The corner of Wang Yiliu’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, a fleeting smile passing over her otherwise impassive face. “Vice Chairman Qin isn’t a hamster, but he keeps many of them. The top floor, his suite, password 782344. It’s time to check on them. Go ahead.”

She then pulled out a small booklet and handed it to Su Yinuo. “Daily care records. Fill them out carefully. This is also part of your job.”

“Okay, okay, Sister Liu,” Su Yinuo quickly took the booklet, grabbed her phone, pen, and notepad, and left the executive office. She took the staff elevator to the top floor.

The top floor was eerily quiet, the wide hallway completely empty. Su Yinuo felt a shiver of unease. After swiping her employee card to pass through the glass door, she headed straight for Qin Cangye’s office, intending to greet him. But the office door was locked, and no one was inside.

“Maybe he’s in a meeting?” she muttered, then made her way to Qin Cangye’s suite.

As soon as she entered, she heard a chorus of squeaks, followed by a wave of beige fur rushing toward her. Startled, she stepped back but couldn’t avoid the onslaught of fluffy little bodies. They toppled her onto the ground.

“Ah! Stop it!” Su Yinuo helplessly batted at the tiny creatures but couldn’t shake them off. It wasn’t that she was afraid of these furry little animals, it was just that there were so many of them, piled together in a way that made her panic. Plus, she was terrified of accidentally stepping on them.

After a few minutes, she gave up resisting and let the hamsters climb and roll all over her legs.

As she sat there dazed, she suddenly remembered her first meal with Qin Cangye. He had mentioned then that he kept many hamsters at home. She vaguely recalled his exact words: “The house is too quiet, so I keep all these little guys.”

Su Yinuo looked up at the monotonous, gray-and-black, sparsely furnished room and felt a pang of sympathy for Qin Cangye. Living here alone must be so lonely, she thought.

Suddenly, a sharp little pain pricked her leg. Su Yinuo looked down and gasped. “Ah! You naughty little things, you tore my stockings!!!”

She stood up, watching the hamsters tumble down in a furry cascade, and couldn’t help finding them utterly adorable. Unable to decide whether to be angry or amused, she sighed in exasperation before carefully stepping inside to study the instructions for the hamsters’ food and water dispensers.

“Time to eat, little guys, but how the heck does this thing work?”

Just as she was fiddling with the dispenser, her phone rang from her pocket.

The call connected, and Qin Cangye’s voice came through, light and cheerful, nothing like the cold, subdued tone he’d had a few days ago at the Hidden Mountain Villa. Su Yinuo was delighted to hear it. “Where are you, Nuonuo? Let’s have lunch together.”

She laughed. “I’m dealing with your little hamsters. I’m completely lost, mind coming over if you’re free?”

“Wait for me, Nuonuo. I’ll be right there.”

A few minutes later, the food dispenser in front of Su Yinuo suddenly clicked, and a pile of dry pellets came pouring out. The hamsters swarmed toward the scent, and Su Yinuo stumbled back in surprise. Was this thing automatic?

As she puzzled over it, the door behind her swung open, and hurried footsteps approached. She turned to see Qin Cangye standing frozen in the entryway, a takeout bag in hand, his expression stunned.

“Nuonuo,” Qin Cangye’s gaze swept over her, lingering on the shredded stockings beneath her office skirt, courtesy of the hamsters. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and when he looked up again, his eyes were dark with unmistakable hunger.

“Food! Let’s eat!” Su Yinuo, noticing his stare, quickly covered her legs with the instruction manual, awkwardly changing the subject.

“No rush,” Qin Cangye murmured, setting the takeout bag on a nearby side table before loosening his tie and lowering his head.

When he looked up again, his expression had turned stern, his voice icy and authoritative, like a boss reprimanding an employee. “You’re the new assistant from the executive office, Su, right? How’s it going? Familiar with the workflow yet?”

Su Yinuo tilted her head in confusion: ???

Qin Cangye stepped closer, stopping just inches away before leaning down with deliberate dominance. His hand brushed against her back, then trailed slowly down the curve of her spine until he crouched before her. His fingers wrapped around her ankle, slipping into the torn stocking to stroke the smooth skin beneath. “Improper attire, Assistant Su,” he chided.

His breath was hot against her thigh.

Her cheeks burned, fully aware of the game he was playing. She meant to refuse, but her brain short-circuited, and the words that tumbled out shocked even her: “Vice Chairman Qin, it’s, it’s just that my husband bought me cheap stockings.”

The moment she said it, she felt the man beneath her shudder.

Su Yinuo’s face flushed even hotter as she screamed internally: AHHHH! Su Yinuo, what the hell are you saying, you little degenerate!

The man suddenly gripped her legs, lifting her effortlessly and setting her down on the dining table.

Her skirt had already ridden up, and Qin Cangye licked his lips as he took in the sight before tearing the stockings further, his fingers hooking into the thin black lace at her waist. “Such pretty lingerie, did your husband buy this too?”

His fingers tugged, and her entire body trembled.

“Your husband spoils you, doesn’t he?” he murmured. “But I can’t help feeling… you’re still not satisfied.”

She raised her hands to block him, but he seized them. He pulled off his tie and bound her wrists, then stared at her, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Assistant Su, I’ll treat you better than your husband does.”

Su Yinuo’s chest heaved rapidly, her slightly parted lips exhaling warm breaths. The corners of her eyes were flushed red, her gaze clouded with a hazy mist. She wanted to kiss him, but the man before her was still relentlessly spouting vulgar words.

“Take a look, how does it compare to your husband’s?”

“Assistant Su can serve her husband at night and me during the day.”

“Don’t worry, I can be just as rough as your husband!”

“Ah, don’t want to use a condom? Assistant Su, why don’t you have my baby?”

As Qin Cangye gripped Su Yinuo’s waist and rummaged through his suit pocket for a condom, her phone rang at the most inopportune moment.

The incessant ringing interrupted Qin Cangye’s mood. Irritated, he pulled out Su Yinuo’s phone, ready to hang up, until he saw the caller ID: “Darling Little Brother.”

Qin Cangye’s expression darkened instantly, and he immediately released his hold on Su Yinuo’s waist.

His sudden cold demeanor made Su Yinuo uneasy. She adjusted her dress with her bound hands and asked, “What’s wrong? Who is it?”

Qin Cangye didn’t answer. Instead, he answered the call.

An unexpected voice came through the phone: “Sis-in-law, let’s have lunch together! Our restaurant is on the eighth floor, they’ve got everything. I’ll take you.”

Before the voice could finish, Qin Cangye roared into the phone, “Qin Wangxuan, are you looking to die?!”