His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 49

Take me back to the Qin family, as your lover.

“No, that’s impossible,” Su Yinuo’s eyes were red. “He clearly told me never to see you again. How could he say such a thing?”

“But I saved you,” Qin Wangxuan was hurt by Su Yinuo’s reaction and spoke with a tinge of sadness. “The moment I barged in, you fainted, so you didn’t see how he was at that moment… Well, how should I put it? He looked like a dying man who suddenly glimpsed a sliver of hope. He was drowning in guilt, no, actually, he was already half-mad to begin with. His state was terrible. He was trembling, unable to look at you or even touch you. He told me and Wang Yiliu to take you to the hospital immediately.

“After we got you to the hospital, I came back for him. In that hour or so, he hadn’t moved an inch from where he sat, but the floor was soaked with his tears. When I returned, he asked me to take him to see a psychiatrist. During the days you were unconscious, Wang Yiliu mostly took care of you, while I accompanied him to his appointments. He clearly trusted me a lot by then, he handed over several key company projects to me and even told me to take good care of you. His exact words were-”

Here, Qin Wangxuan paused, hesitating to continue.

“What were his exact words?” Su Yinuo pressed immediately.

Before answering, Qin Wangxuan pulled out a few tissues and handed them to Su Yinuo, bracing himself for the inevitable tears.

“His exact words were: ‘Take care of Su Yinuo. Protect her. Don’t let Qin Weishu lay a finger on her. And make sure she’s happy. As long as she’s happy, as long as she likes it, you can do anything.'”

When he finished, Qin Wangxuan didn’t see the breakdown he had expected. Instead, silent tears streamed down from Su Yinuo’s swollen eyes.

She stared blankly ahead, forgetting even to wipe her tears. Qin Wangxuan quickly reached over and brushed them away, comforting her, “Sister-in-law, don’t be upset. Brother is just consumed by guilt, he doesn’t actually want to break up with you.”

Su Yinuo didn’t respond. After a long silence, she finally said, “I want to see him.”

“No,” Qin Wangxuan refused reluctantly. “Right now, you’re one of his triggers. You shouldn’t meet for a while.”

“I won’t meet him. I just want to see him from afar.” Su Yinuo lifted her gaze to Qin Wangxuan, her eyes fragile and pleading.

Qin Wangxuan’s heart clenched, and before he knew it, he nodded. Only after did he hurriedly add, “But wait until you’re discharged. There’s no rush.”

The next morning, Su Yinuo was discharged. Bundled in a thick down coat, her steps were unsteady. Qin Wangxuan stayed close, afraid a strong gust might sweep her away.

As soon as they stepped out of the hospital, a pitch-black Maybach pulled up in front of them.

The window rolled down, revealing the stern, aged face of Qin Weishu.

Su Yinuo froze, her eyes filled with wariness and fury. Qin Wangxuan, meanwhile, slipped into a frivolous demeanour and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Qin Weishu cast a cold glance at Su Yinuo before fixing his icy gaze on Qin Wangxuan, reprimanding, “With your brother away, you should focus more on the company! Hovering around a woman all day, what kind of behaviour is that!”

Qin Wangxuan chuckled sheepishly and admitted his mistake obediently, “Grandfather is absolutely right. But sister-in-law hasn’t been feeling well these past few days. With my brother gone, shouldn’t I take care of her?”

“You!” Qin Wangxuan’s attitude left Qin Weishu both exasperated and helpless, but it also put his mind at ease. He had come today to see if Qin Wangxuan, too, had fallen under this woman’s spell. Now it seemed he was just playing around.

He had vaguely heard about recent events, though the version he had his men investigate was that the two brothers had clashed over a woman late at night, and she had been injured in their dispute. After being rejected by her, Qin Cangye had become despondent and was sent by Qin Wangxuan to a psychiatric hospital, later moving to a convalescent home.

This outcome pleased Qin Weishu. He glared at Qin Wangxuan and warned, “Know your limits! Tomorrow, report to the company properly!” With that, he rolled up the car window.

“Understood, Grandfather,” Qin Wangxuan waved goodbye. Even after the car had driven away, he didn’t let go of the hand resting on Su Yinuo’s down jacket, guiding her forward.

Su Yinuo grabbed his wrist and pulled it away.

Qin Wangxuan pouted in disappointment.

Driving, Qin Wangxuan took Su Yinuo to Qiyuan Convalescent Home. They didn’t enter the main facility but went to the third-floor window of the service building.

“There,” Qin Wangxuan pointed to a row of villas a few hundred meters away, “Brother is staying in that villa area. Right about now, he should be out for a walk. A doctor checks on him daily, and when the doctor isn’t around, a psychological specialist accompanies him. No need to worry.”

Su Yinuo nodded, resting her hands on the windowsill and leaning forward slightly, searching for Qin Cangye’s figure.

The convalescent home had a beautiful environment, with vast stretches of greenery even in winter. Beyond a patch of withered yellow grass, Su Yinuo spotted Qin Cangye among the deep green evergreen trees.

He wasn’t hard to find. Even from a hundred meters away, even in a patient’s gown, his tall, upright posture stood out strikingly.

The weather was lovely that day. The winter sun pierced through the gaps between the trees, scattering patches of bright white light across the garden. Qin Cangye happened to be standing under one of these sunlit spots, head tilted back and eyes closed, as if bathing in the sunlight. Beside him stood an elderly doctor in a white coat, smiling as he spoke to him.

Everything seemed warm, peaceful, and serene.

His sharp features appeared softened, the usual harshness gone from his face. The pain had vanished, along with the frequent restlessness and anxiety. It was as if the sunlight had purified him, leaving only clarity and gentleness in his demeanor.

Seeing Qin Cangye like this, Su Yinuo felt like crying. She couldn’t explain the emotions swirling inside her, relief, tenderness, sorrow, guilt, heartache, and a deep longing.

She wanted to run to him, even leap from the third floor if she had to, just to rush into his arms.

But she knew she couldn’t do that. Such a peaceful life was far too luxurious for Qin Cangye, and she couldn’t bear to disrupt it. Not only that, but she also wanted to protect it, to ensure he could live this carefree life forever.

Qin Cangye’s life had been filled with too much suffering, all of it caused by Qin Weishu!

Su Yinuo’s slender fingers tightened around the windowsill, her knuckles turning pale from the force, her hatred for Qin Weishu reaching its peak.

She had never imagined that one day, she would muster the courage to challenge a man of such power.

She wanted to destroy Qin Weishu, to ruin his reputation, to make him taste despair before his death.

Taking a deep breath, Su Yinuo turned away from the window, then paused and looked at Qin Wangxuan beside her. In an uncharacteristically calm voice, she said, “Take me back to the Qin family mansion tonight.”

Qin Wangxuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Ignoring his shock, she continued, “Back to the Qin mansion, as your lover.”

Qin Wangxuan stood frozen in place, only snapping out of it when Su Yinuo had already walked away, quickly hurrying after her.

In the sanatorium garden, a cool breeze lifted Qin Cangye’s long bangs, revealing his emotionless, indifferent eyes. As if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head toward the direction of the main service building.

He saw nothing, yet an inexplicable surge of anguish overwhelmed him. He stood there blankly, letting tears stream down his face.

After leaving the sanatorium, Qin Wangxuan took Su Yinuo back to the company headquarters, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in full view of everyone as they entered his office.

The moment the door closed, Su Yinuo pushed his hand off her shoulder.

Qin Wangxuan’s hand froze mid-air before landing on her slightly tousled bangs.

“Stay away from me when no one’s around,” Su Yinuo said sternly, dodging his touch.

Qin Wangxuan gave a bitter smile but didn’t step back. Tilting his head, he studied her, then grasped the zipper of her down jacket. “We should get familiar, shouldn’t we? If we’re too distant in front of Qin Weishu, we’ll give ourselves away.”

Seeing she didn’t resist, he gently unzipped her jacket, helped her out of it, and hung it on the nearby coat rack, making no further intimate moves.

Su Yinuo exhaled in relief.

“From now on, you’ll be my personal assistant,” Qin Wangxuan said with a smug grin, leading her to an unused desk against the west wall of the office. “Come, Assistant Su, sit here. Today, you don’t have to do anything, just drink water, scroll through your phone. If you’re tired, go rest in the inner lounge. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you.”

“Alright,” Su Yinuo replied flatly.

She sat idly in the office chair, turned on the computer, and opened a blank document, staring at it for a long time.

People frequently came into the office to discuss important matters with Qin Wangxuan. Whenever they noticed Su Yinuo, they would quickly avert their eyes, hiding their fleeting awkwardness and surprise.

Watching them, drowsiness crept over her. She rested her head on the desk and gradually closed her heavy eyelids.

In the middle of a meeting with several people, Qin Wangxuan suddenly interrupted someone’s lengthy discourse, pushed back his chair, stood up, and walked toward Su Yinuo.

“Aren’t you asleep?” he asked softly, bending down in front of her. When he received no response, he carefully picked her up and carried her toward the inner lounge.

The other executives stared in shock. As Qin Wangxuan disappeared into the lounge, they whispered among themselves:

“That woman, isn’t she the one President Qin and Vice Chairman Qin were fighting over?”

“Exactly! Didn’t you hear him call her ‘sister-in-law’ just now?”

“Truly a femme fatale. I heard Vice Chairman Qin was so heartbroken over her that he went abroad to recover.”

“I heard he fell ill instead?”

“Who knows? And who dares to ask?”

“I’m curious, if President Qin already won her over, why is he still calling her ‘sister-in-law’?”

“Maybe it’s a kink or something.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”

Inside the lounge, Qin Wangxuan laid Su Yinuo on the bed, took off her shoes, and covered her with a blanket. He sat by the bed for a moment, then reached out toward her much-thinner cheek. The moment his fingers touched her skin, a scorching thrill shot from his fingertips straight to his heart, making him want to cup her face and press a deep kiss onto her soft lips.

But he restrained himself and withdrew his hand.

He liked Su Yinuo. Getting close to her wasn’t just part of the act to deceive Qin Weishu, it was also because, from the very first moment he saw her, an urgent longing had taken root in his heart.

It was at the memorial service for Li Ruyin. He never expected a girl so delicate, beautiful, and brave to rush forward and embrace Qin Cangye just as he was about to lose control.

Like an angel descending to avert a blood-soaked disaster.

That scene left Qin Wangxuan shaken for days. And along with it came an increasingly intense desire, to possess that girl.

He, too, wanted someone like her, a girl who could stand by his side like a guardian angel in his darkest moments.

So, he often envied Qin Cangye, envied his boundless wealth and his awe-inspiring love.

“If I try harder, will you like me?” He gently smoothed her disheveled hair.

“He said I can do anything, as long as it pleases you.”

“So, what do you like?”

“I’ll listen to you in everything, is that okay?”

No response. She slept peacefully. Qin Wangxuan smiled self-deprecatingly and left the lounge.

When he returned to his office chair, one of the men grinned and flattered, “President Qin, good news coming soon?”

“What good news?” Qin Wangxuan raised an eyebrow.

“You and that beautiful assistant.” The man leered toward the lounge.

Qin Wangxuan chuckled. “What are you thinking? That’s my sister-in-law.”

…

Su Yinuo, still weak after recovering from a serious illness, slept through the afternoon and didn’t wake until dusk. When she opened her eyes, Qin Wangxuan was sitting by the bed.

“Awake?” He gave her a warm smile, then leaned in to support her shoulders and help her sit up.

Su Yinuo disliked Qin Wangxuan’s excessive closeness but lacked the strength to push him away.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Work’s over. I was waiting for you to wake up so we could head back to the Qin family mansion together.” Qin Wangxuan’s hand slid down and naturally grasped Su Yinuo’s.

Su Yinuo immediately pulled her hand away and got out of bed, saying, “Alright, let’s go.”

“Don’t rush,” Qin Wangxuan caught her hand again. “I forgot to tell you, Qin Weishu installed a tracker and listening device in my car. What are you planning to do at the Qin mansion? Any schemes? Tell me here.”

“A listening device?” Su Yinuo looked at Qin Wangxuan in shock, forgetting to withdraw her hand. “Then when you took Qin Cangye to see the psychologist earlier, nothing was exposed, right?”

“Don’t worry, I was careful the whole time,” Qin Wangxuan kneaded her slender fingers, his mood inexplicably lightening. “Brother was in such a state he couldn’t even speak. To make it convincing, I even scolded him a few times.”

“You scolded him?!” Su Yinuo flung his hand away, her eyes red as she glared at Qin Wangxuan, leaving him flustered and panicked.

“Ah, never mind,” she pressed her throbbing temples irritably and laid out her plan for the Qin mansion. “Qin Weishu has been abusing the women and maids of the Qin family for years, there’s no way he hasn’t left behind evidence. No way! I will find something. So, I plan to stay at the Qin mansion with you these next few days to gather proof.”

“Stay with me.” Qin Wangxuan missed the point of her words entirely, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Ignoring him, Su Yinuo continued, “I will find evidence. And if I can’t, I’ll make evidence!” She gritted her teeth and looked up at Qin Wangxuan, her eyes colder than he’d ever seen. “You’ll cooperate with me, understand?”

Qin Wangxuan shivered involuntarily. Only now did he realize, Su Yinuo seemed different.

Her words weren’t a request but a command. The old her, the shy and cautious Su Yinuo, would never have spoken like this.

For some reason, under her icy gaze, Qin Wangxuan’s heartbeat faster. An untimely desire surged through him. He lifted his head, offering a besotted, obedient smile.

“Of course, sister-in-law.”