His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 46

The moment Qin Cangye stepped forward, his body swayed slightly. Regaining his balance, he immediately lunged at Qin Wangxuan, who was seated, and swung a fist at him.

Qin Wangxuan had braced himself and quickly raised his arm to block, but Qin Cangye was already in a frenzy. There was no way to hold him back. After taking a few punches, Qin Wangxuan was grabbed by the collar, lifted off his seat, and thrown heavily onto the floor.

Gasping for breath as he spat out bile, Qin Wangxuan caught sight of Qin Cangye, now monstrous in his rage, still advancing. Panic surged through him, and he hastily raised a hand, shouting, “Brother! Why are you hitting me?!”

Of course, he knew why. Every move, approaching Su Yinuo, helping her, teasing her, and provoking Qin Cangye, had been part of his plan. His goal aligned with Qin Cangye’s, but he refused to follow the script Qin Cangye had laid out for him.

Though he was Qin Cangye’s pawn, he had no intention of remaining one. He wanted to be the player, not the played.

But he never expected Qin Cangye would lose control to this extent over a woman. Realizing he might actually die at Qin Cangye’s hands if he didn’t call for help, he screamed again, “Brother! Stop hitting me! Help!!”

Outside, people heard the commotion and began gathering at the door.

“You’re asking why I’m hitting you?” Qin Cangye’s voice was icy. He crouched in front of Qin Wangxuan, seized his wrist, and slammed it against the floor. Amid Qin Wangxuan’s agonized wails, he yanked out the handkerchief clutched in his hand and ground out through clenched teeth, “This is Su Yinuo’s. I warned you, you don’t touch her!”

“My hand, it’s broken!” Qin Wangxuan’s face was deathly pale, drenched in cold sweat.

Those outside tried to intervene, but the moment they spoke up, they were met with the murderous glare in Qin Cangye’s bloodshot eyes and his furious roar: “Get out!”

No one dared approach. Someone immediately bolted for the elevator to fetch the chairman.

By then, news of the altercation had already spread like wildfire in the company’s group chat.

Su Yinuo, who had been bent over revising a proposal, suddenly heard gasps around her. “They’re fighting! It’s really happening, Vice Chairman Qin is beating President Qin to death!”

“What?! Where?” Su Yinuo’s heart lurched, and she shot to her feet.

“President Qin’s office!” someone shouted.

Su Yinuo sprinted out.

Old Yan, Qin Weishu’s longtime servant, arrived at Qin Wangxuan’s office with several bodyguards just before Su Yinuo. They witnessed Qin Cangye raising his foot to kick Qin Wangxuan, who was curled up on the floor. The kick was brutal, carrying terrifying force, had Qin Wangxuan not rolled away in time, it might have been fatal.

Cornered against the wall with no escape, Qin Wangxuan cursed Qin Weishu inwardly: Aren’t I your precious heir? Why haven’t you sent anyone to save me yet?

His eyes locked onto Qin Cangye’s slow, deliberate steps, calculating that he’d drop to his knees and beg for mercy the moment Qin Cangye came within five paces.

Just then, a voice rang out from behind: “Young Master! Stop!”

Several black-suited bodyguards rushed into the room and immediately lunged at Qin Cangye. Reacting swiftly, Qin Cangye grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it at them.

The crowd at the office door suddenly erupted in gasps of surprise. From the back, Qin Weishu approached with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression dark yet his steps unhurried and composed. The crowd immediately parted, clearing a path for him. Just as Qin Weishu was about to step inside, a gust of wind suddenly swept past him. A small, slender figure darted ahead and rushed into the office before he could.

Qin Weishu was instantly furious, but before he could react, a clear, sharp, and trembling cry rang out from inside the room: “Don’t you dare touch him!”

Inside, Su Yinuo had already wrapped her arms around the emotionally unstable Qin Cangye, holding him tightly around the waist as she turned to glare at the bodyguards and shouted, “Get back! Don’t touch him!”

At this moment, though she hadn’t yet grasped the full context, she had decisively taken Qin Cangye’s side. Fear gripped her, not of the fists and kicks of those around her, but of the possibility that Qin Cangye, provoked by them, might do something irreversible.

She was like a mother beast protecting her young, her desperate defense of Qin Cangye leaving the onlookers stunned. It was as if Qin Cangye, who had nearly beaten someone to death moments ago, was the victim here.

Even Qin Wangxuan, the actual victim lying nearby, let out a helpless sigh.

“Nuonuo…” Qin Cangye lowered his head, gazing at the girl in his arms, his eyes brimming with sorrow. He ignored the watchful bodyguards, the whispering employees, the frosty-faced Qin Weishu at the door, and even Qin Wangxuan sprawled on the floor. In this moment, his world consisted solely of this girl, so fragile, yet fighting so fiercely to shield him.

He didn’t understand. If Nuonuo truly had feelings for Qin Wangxuan, as he had suspected, if she had even formed some unknown connection with him, why would she protect him so recklessly?

If she cared for Qin Wangxuan, shouldn’t she be tending to him on the ground?

Was she being forced into this?

But if she was, why hadn’t she told him?

Qin Cangye’s mind was a mess. He held up the bloodstained handkerchief he had been clutching tightly during the fight and showed it to Su Yinuo. “This… why was it with Qin Wangxuan?”

“I… I just asked him about something, and he took it…” Su Yinuo, overwhelmed by tension, couldn’t come up with an excuse under such pressure.

“You met him in private? How did he take it?” Qin Cangye let out a pained, bitter laugh, the despair in his voice piercing Su Yinuo’s heart.

Su Yinuo’s eyes reddened, frantic and heartbroken. “We didn’t do anything, don’t overthink it.”

At the door, Qin Weishu coughed heavily, cutting off their exchange. He glanced at Old Yan and ordered him to take Qin Wangxuan to the hospital immediately.

Qin Wangxuan, his wrist dislocated and his entire body aching, still managed to turn his head as he was helped out and taunted Qin Cangye: “Brother! Everything you have will be mine, including your woman!”

Rage surged in Qin Cangye’s eyes, and he was about to lunge forward again when Su Yinuo threw all her strength into holding him back.

“Calm down, Qin Cangye, please calm down,” Su Yinuo pleaded, on the verge of tears.

At the door, Qin Weishu’s frown deepened, his gaze at Su Yinuo filled with fury and disdain.

“Miss Su, your methods are beyond my imagination!” He strode in, sneering, “I thought your target was only my eldest grandson. Yet in just a few days, you’ve managed to turn the two brothers against each other?”

With a wave of his hand, he ordered his subordinates to restrain Su Yinuo. Seeing Qin Cangye shielding her protectively with a wary expression, he roared, “Qin Cangye! You still want to keep such trash by your side?”

“Shut up!” Qin Cangye bellowed. “She’s mine. You have no right to judge her, and you won’t lay a finger on her!”

Qin Cangye scooped Su Yinuo into his arms and glared coldly at the approaching bodyguards, forcing them to retreat as he made his way toward the exit.

“Qin Cangye! If you keep acting this recklessly, do you still think you can inherit the Qin family’s legacy?” Qin Weishu shouted at his retreating figure, his voice filled with frustration and anger.

“Give the shares to whomever you please.” Qin Cangye tossed the words over his shoulder without looking back as he left the room.

Qin Weishu trembled with rage, his eyes brimming with deep disappointment. Only after Qin Cangye had gone did he turn to his assistant, Lao Yan, and say, “Let’s go check on Wangxuan.”

At the hospital, Qin Wangxuan had undergone a full examination. Aside from a dislocated wrist, his injuries were superficial, nothing that affected his bones or tendons. Lying in bed, he mulled things over before deciding to send Qin Cangye a message to explain: Sis-in-law was just too cute, I couldn’t resist teasing her a little. I really didn’t do anything, didn’t even touch a single hair. I just wanted to make your act more convincing and speed up your plan. See? Now the old man definitely won’t suspect anything between us, and he’ll definitely favor me even more…

Typing with his left hand was slow, and before he could finish the message, Qin Weishu walked in. Qin Wangxuan quickly turned off his phone and looked up pitifully, calling out, “Grandfather.”

Qin Weishu’s expression remained grim. After Lao Yan brought him a chair, he sat by the bed and scolded, “With your status, you could have any noblewoman you want. What do you see in some ordinary girl with no background?”

“Because she’s Brother’s woman,” Qin Wangxuan replied with an innocent smile. “Grandfather, didn’t you want me to surpass Brother in every way?”

Understanding his meaning, Qin Weishu’s expression softened slightly. “So, you just wanted to take her for fun?”

“Just for fun. I’m still young, my future marriage is entirely up to you, Grandfather,” Qin Wangxuan said with a grin.

Qin Weishu nodded in satisfaction, but then a sly smile crept onto his face. “Then you’d better hurry. Who knows? By tonight, that toy might be gone.”

“Gone?” Qin Wangxuan’s heart lurched with a sense of foreboding, but he maintained his innocent facade. “What do you mean, Grandfather?”

Qin Weishu chuckled darkly before saying, “Might as well tell you. Do you know how Li Ruyin died?”

“How would I know?” Qin Wangxuan forced a laugh.

Qin Weishu didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point: “Seventeen years ago, Li Ruyin’s health deteriorated day by day until she was practically bedridden. I assigned a maid to take care of her, but that maid was a vain woman who not only neglected her duties but also often stole Li Ruyin’s belongings when she was delirious. One day, the maid took a fancy to Li Ruyin’s crimson plaid skirt. Without a second thought for the unconscious Li Ruyin, she put on the skirt in her bedroom and adorned herself with Li Ruyin’s jewelry, dressing up like a peacock. At that very moment, Qin Cangye came to visit Li Ruyin, only to find her lifeless in bed. Qin Cangye lost his mind on the spot. He cursed the maid, pushed her toward the balcony, and in a fit of rage, accidentally shoved her off, causing her to fall to her death in the bushes below.”

“From that day on, Qin Cangye developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder. He forgot everything about that night but retained his hatred for crimson plaid skirts. His mental state grew increasingly unstable. As a child, I forced him to see many psychologists, but as an adult, he stopped going altogether. In daily life, he didn’t show any major abnormalities. I thought he had recovered. But four years ago, while studying abroad, he pushed a girl wearing a red plaid skirt off a balcony at night. Fortunately, the balcony was on the first floor, and the girl wasn’t seriously hurt.”

Qin Weishu paused, a sinister smile curling at his lips as he looked at Qin Wangxuan with malice in his eyes. “I lied to Su Yinuo, telling her that Qin Cangye’s reaction to seeing someone in a crimson plaid skirt on a balcony at night was to break down in tears. I gave her a red skirt and encouraged her to wear it to test whether Qin Cangye would really have an episode. Can you imagine what kind of spectacular outcome that would be? Hahahaha!”

Qin Wangxuan’s face turned pale, his back chilled, and his hands under the blanket trembled slightly. This was the first time he had witnessed Qin Weishu’s cruelty firsthand. He desperately wanted to warn Su Yinuo immediately, but with Qin Weishu constantly by his side, he couldn’t find the right moment!

“Wangxuan, rest well for a few days. Once you’ve mostly recovered and return to the company, I plan to transfer another ten percent of the shares to you. I must ensure you outshine Qin Cangye and show Ronghua’s shareholders who the future leader of the Qin family truly is!”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

Qin Weishu then spent nearly an hour discussing the company’s future plans with Qin Wangxuan before finally leaving.

The moment the door closed, Qin Wangxuan immediately dialed Su Yinuo’s number. The call connected quickly, but all he heard was Su Yinuo’s trembling sobs. Then, Qin Cangye’s icy voice came through the receiver: “It’s him calling, Su Yinuo. Would you like to speak to him?”