His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 42

When Did You and Qin Wangxuan Get So Close…

“You wait right there, don’t you dare move!” Qin Cangye roared before hanging up the phone.

All his earlier excitement had vanished, replaced by the urgent need to teach Qin Wangxuan a lesson. Yet, what baffled him the most was why Su Yinuo had Qin Wangxuan’s number saved, and under the name “Dear Little Brother”?

Heartbroken, he braced his hands on the desk on either side of Su Yinuo and asked in a wounded voice, “Since when did you and Qin Wangxuan become so close?”

“What?” Su Yinuo was stunned.

“‘Dear Little Brother’? What gives him the right to be your ‘dear little brother’? He’s older than you!” Qin Cangye seethed with jealousy and hurt.

“What ‘Dear Little Brother’?” Su Yinuo was utterly confused and tried to reach for his phone, but his hands were still tied.

“Damn it! That bastard must’ve approached you first, huh? He’s just asking for a beating!” Qin Cangye’s anger flared, his curses escalating as he kicked over a nearby chair, startling the hamsters in the corner into trembling.

“Yinuo, don’t pay him any attention, okay? Don’t let his act fool you. He’s cunning, no good at all.” When Qin Cangye looked back at Su Yinuo, his fury melted into restless pleading.

“I didn’t, Qin Cangye! I barely know him. Oh, wait! I remember now. I ran into him this morning, and he snatched my phone,” Su Yinuo quickly explained as it all came back to him. “I had no idea about the ‘Dear Little Brother’ thing. He must’ve added that himself.”

“Really?” Qin Cangye’s expression softened slightly, but his rage quickly reignited. “Qin Wangxuan!” He slammed his fist on the desk, teeth clenched, before storming out of the suite.

The door slammed shut with a bang. Su Yinuo sat frozen on the desk for a few seconds before yelling in exasperation, “Untie me first!”

…

By the time Qin Cangye, fuming, reached Qin Wangxuan’s office on the 24th floor, it was empty. He immediately dialed Qin Wangxuan’s number, but after a long series of rings, the call went unanswered.

“Hiding from me? Let’s see how long you can keep it up!”

In a fit of rage, Qin Wangxuan kicked over the coffee table in the office.

The loud crash startled Qin Wangxuan’s assistant, who had just been about to enter. Frozen in fear, she stammered, “V-Vice Chairman Qin, is… is something wrong?”

“Qin Wangxuan better show up at this afternoon’s meeting. Tell him that if he dares to skip it, he can forget about ever stepping foot in Ronghua Capital again!” Qin Cangye snapped.

“Y-yes, sir,” the assistant stammered, quickly stepping aside and bowing her head.

Only after Qin Cangye had left did she dare to lift her head, clutching her chest as she took a deep breath. “That was terrifying. Those two brothers are sworn enemies!”

Soon, news of Qin Cangye trashing Qin Wangxuan’s office spread like wildfire through the headquarters building.

…

With a face like thunder, Qin Cangye headed to the mall outside the headquarters to buy Su Yinuo a pair of warm, comfortable thermal leggings for autumn and winter.

The salesgirl, intimidated by his icy demeanor, nervously asked, “Are these for your girlfriend, sir? What style would you like? This nude shade looks incredibly realistic when worn…”

Qin Cangye impatiently cut off the sales assistant’s words, saying, “Thicker ones, the kind that can’t be torn.”

The young salesgirl’s hand trembled as she cursed inwardly: What a pervert…

When Qin Cangye returned to the penthouse suite, Su Yinuo had already untied the necktie from her wrists and was sitting at the dining table, eating lunch alone.

Seeing Qin Cangye enter, she immediately put down her chopsticks and asked cautiously, “The company group chat is saying you smashed Qin Wangxuan’s office… It didn’t escalate, did it?”

Qin Cangye walked over to Su Yinuo expressionlessly, crouched down in front of her, and lifted her short skirt.

“Huh? Are we continuing?” Su Yinuo panicked and tried to block him.

“Changing your stockings. How can you go out wearing these?”

Qin Cangye’s voice was calm, but Su Yinuo could tell he was still upset.

“Stand up for a moment.” His hand rested on her waist.

Su Yinuo obediently stood up.

“Alright, now sit.” Qin Cangye removed the stockings.

Su Yinuo found it a little amusing, feeling as if she had become a baby being taken care of. Watching Qin Cangye unwrap a brand-new pair of stockings, she asked in surprise, “Did you just go out to buy these?”

Qin Cangye still didn’t answer.

Su Yinuo couldn’t see his face but could sense his low mood. To cheer him up, she lifted her foot and placed it on his trousers, wiggling her toes playfully. Tilting her head, she teased, “Our Vice Chairman Qin is so thoughtful, much more considerate than my husband.”

Qin Cangye couldn’t help but raise a hand to his forehead, letting out a helpless, bitter laugh.

He grabbed Su Yinuo’s leg, bit it lightly, then rested his chin on her thigh, looking pitiful as he murmured, “Nuonuo, you can’t fall for someone else. You can’t abandon me.”

If you abandon me, I won’t want to live anymore.

He didn’t dare say that out loud, not wanting to expose his fragile heart in front of Su Yinuo.

“I know,” Su Yinuo chuckled, ruffling Qin Cangye’s hair. “Oops, messed up your hairstyle.”

“It’s fine,” Qin Cangye buried his face against her.

“Stop licking…”

“I really want to…”

“We’ll do it when we get back tonight…”

“I can’t hold back…”

…

In the afternoon, Su Yinuo returned to the office completely exhausted.

After all, she hadn’t rested at noon and had even done some exercise…

After lying on her desk for a while, she patted her cheeks, sat up, and began diligently filling out the hamster care log.

“Su Yinuo, there’s a meeting at two. Come with me later. Bring the documents printed this morning and your laptop to take minutes.”

Wang Yiliu walked over, briskly assigning tasks.

“Got it, Sister Liu.” Su Yinuo immediately perked up and replied.

The afternoon meeting was an annual review and future strategy session for a new energy vehicle under Ronghua Capital. When Su Yinuo found out Qin Weishu wouldn’t be attending, she sighed in relief.

But as soon as she entered the conference room, she sensed a tense atmosphere. The attendees were clearly divided into two factions, each glaring at the other.

Su Yinuo had no intention of getting involved in the conflict. After quietly distributing the materials, she sat down next to Wang Yiliu with her laptop, keeping her head low.

The two of them were seated at the far end of the long conference table, hardly noticeable. Su Yinuo opened her laptop and continued familiarizing herself with the Word software she hadn’t used in a long time.

Footsteps sounded at the door, but Su Yinuo paid no attention. Then she saw the row of people opposite her stand up in unison and greet the newcomer, “Good afternoon, President Qin.”

Su Yinuo looked up and saw Qin Wangxuan, his face beaming with delight. She quickly lowered her head, trying to hide behind her laptop, but she still heard the footsteps drawing closer.

Qin Wangxuan stopped beside Su Yinuo, leaned down, and rested his right hand on the conference table in front of her. With a low chuckle, he whispered, “Well, well, sister-in-law, you’re here too.”

The proximity between them was somewhat ambiguous, drawing puzzled and curious glances from the rest of the room.

“Stay away from me!” Su Yinuo covered her mouth and hissed urgently.

Qin Wangxuan smirked lightly, his gaze falling to Su Yinuo’s neck, where he spotted a few fresh love bites that hadn’t been there in the morning. Raising an eyebrow, he teased, “Looks like my brother had a good lunch.”

As he lifted his hand, about to touch the marks on Su Yinuo’s neck, a furious shout came from the doorway: “Qin Wangxuan!!”

Startled, Qin Wangxuan’s hand jerked back, and he immediately stepped away from Su Yinuo, quickly making his way to his seat and sitting down obediently. He even flashed a sweet smile at the fuming Qin Cangye as he entered and called out, “Good afternoon, brother.”

Qin Cangye’s expression was dark as thunder, his fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged on the back of his hands. The aura of menace radiating from him as he advanced step by step toward Qin Wangxuan sent chills down everyone’s spines.

It was clear to all that Qin Cangye was about to throw a punch. Two people from Qin Wangxuan’s faction even stood up, ready to shield their leader. Su Yinuo was also on edge, torn over whether to step in and mediate, when suddenly Qin Cangye lashed out with a kick aimed at Qin Wangxuan.

Qin Wangxuan’s face paled as he hastily retreated several steps to dodge the blow. The chair he had been sitting on was sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall.

“For today’s meeting, you’ll stand!” Qin Cangye didn’t press further, merely shooting Qin Wangxuan a glare that sent shivers down his spine.

Qin Wangxuan nodded hurriedly and obediently took his place standing by the conference table. Taking a few deep breaths, he thought to himself: What a lunatic! I didn’t even do anything yet!

Though no one in the room knew exactly what had sparked the conflict between the two executives, they all silently lamented: These two brothers are really going at it harder than ever…

Once the meeting began, the atmosphere improved slightly.

But Su Yinuo grew increasingly nervous. Everyone spoke rapidly, and as a first-time participant, she struggled to grasp the key points. On top of that, her typing speed was painfully slow. By the time she finally finished typing a pile of irrelevant notes, the meeting had already moved on to the next topic.

Frustrated, she glanced at Wang Yiliu beside her, eyeing the densely packed screen full of notes. Pouting, her face scrunched up in worry, she thought: Am I going to get scolded by Sister Liu later?

Qin Cangye, seated at the head of the table, caught sight of her expression and deliberately cleared his throat, slowing his speech. “Next, the after-sales team will report on last year’s customer feedback.”

Su Yinuo immediately straightened her posture and typed “after-sales team” and “customer feedback” into her laptop.

The after-sales team leader raised his hand, connected to the front electronic screen, and began his report: “The quality issues reported by users mainly include battery life problems, software malfunctions, motor and electronic control issues…”

“Stop.”

After the man had rambled on for a while, Qin Cangye suddenly interrupted him. Startled, the man nervously looked up at Qin Cangye and asked, “Is there a problem, Vice Chairman Qin?”

“Slow down and say it again,” Qin Cangye commanded coldly.

“Huh? Oh, right.” Flustered, the man quickly reset the PowerPoint to the first slide.

A meeting that should have ended in two hours dragged on for a full four hours before nearing its conclusion. Watching Qin Wangxuan, who could barely stand, the others suddenly understood: So, Vice Chairman Qin was deliberately dragging things out to torment President Qin!

Only Qin Wangxuan was inwardly groaning in agony: Brother, if you dote on your wife, just don’t make her come to work, okay? What about work efficiency like this? Ugh… damn it, my legs are about to give out…

When the words “meeting adjourned” finally rang out, Qin Wangxuan slumped onto the table. A sycophant immediately rushed over to help him up, but Qin Cangye shot a cold glance their way and said, “Everyone else is dismissed. Qin Wangxuan, stay behind!”

“Huh?” Qin Wangxuan slid off the table, on the verge of tears.

Once everyone had left, Qin Cangye shut the office door and walked over to Qin Wangxuan, who was sprawled on the floor, his face icy. “If I tell you not to do something, don’t do it. Did you forget?”

Qin Wangxuan forced a bitter smile. “Brother, I think I only agreed to help you deal with the old man, didn’t I?”

Qin Cangye’s expression darkened. He suddenly reached out, grabbed Qin Wangxuan by the throat, lifted him up, and threw him heavily onto a nearby chair. “The old man would die without your help. But if you dare lay a finger on Su Yinuo, I’ll make sure you join him in death!”

Qin Wangxuan clutched his throat, coughing violently. Leaning on the table, he recalled those dark days years ago.

His father had gone bankrupt and fled abroad with him and his sister in a panic. One day, as he wandered the foreign streets, he was cornered in an alley by a group of towering Black men. Just as despair set in, a saviour appeared at the alley’s entrance…

That saviour was Qin Cangye.

He remembered the bloodied, lifeless state of those men and Qin Cangye’s terrifying face under the neon lights.

Shuddering, he hurriedly explained, “I meant no harm. I won’t touch her, it’s all an act.” He looked up and grinned. “Isn’t this just to create more conflict with you and gain the old man’s trust? He’ll find out soon enough that your wife is in the company. You can’t hide it. When he tries to move against her, I’ll have a reason to protect her. Understand?”

Qin Cangye grasped Qin Wangxuan’s meaning, but his anger remained. “Know your limits. If I see another scene like today, you can crawl back to your drug-addicted father!”

…

Back in her office, Su Yinuo was organizing the meeting notes when she heard a stern command at the door: “Su Yinuo, come out for a moment.”

She looked up and saw an unfamiliar male face standing at the entrance. Her guard up, she stood and asked politely, “May I ask who you are?”

“Yang Cong, Assistant to Chairman Qin.”

The man’s brow was etched with irritation, and his tone dripped with arrogance.

Su Yinuo nervously grabbed a pen from the desk, trying to think of a way to refuse when Wang Yiliu emerged from the inner office. She coldly rebuffed Yang Cong, “Assistant Yang, Su Yinuo is under my supervision. If you want to borrow my staff, you’ll need to file a request with HR first.”

Su Yinuo felt a wave of relief and silently cheered, Go, Sister Liu!

Fuming, Yang Cong strode forward, but Wang Yiliu stood her ground, blocking his path. “What? Planning to snatch her away, Assistant Yang?”

Yang Cong raised a hand, pointing menacingly at Wang Yiliu before storming out of the office.

Wang Yiliu patted Su Yinuo’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, it’s almost time to clock out. Just wait for Vice Chairman Qin to pick you up.”

“Sister Liu, I’m sorry for causing you trouble,” Su Yinuo said sheepishly.

“It’s fine. That Yang Cong, I’ve had enough of him long ago!” Wang Yiliu clenched her fists, an unusual display of anger flashing across her face.

“Ah, Sister Liu, don’t be mad,” Su Yinuo quickly hugged Wang Yiliu’s arm and guided her back into the inner office.

“Perfect timing. Come here, let me go over the key points for meeting minutes. I glanced at what you wrote earlier, and it’s just… just…” Wang Yiliu struggled to find the right words before giving up and pulling the embarrassed Su Yinuo to her seat. She began coaching her hands-on. “Not everyone will slow down their speech for you like Vice Chairman Qin does. First, you need to type faster. Second, you have to catch the keywords…”

After over ten minutes of learning, Su Yinuo’s thoughts became much clearer. She stepped out of Wang Yiliu’s office brimming with determination, but after just a few steps, she froze. The office was eerily silent, every colleague sat motionless, staring at their screens while typing furiously.

Puzzled, she turned toward her own seat and nearly jumped out of her skin, rooted to the spot in shock.

Seated casually at her desk was Qin Weishu, leisurely toying with her computer. Sensing her gaze, he turned his head. His wrinkled face twisted into a chilling smile as his thin lips parted with a hoarse whisper, “Miss Su, you’re quite the elusive one. It’s not easy getting an audience with you.”