His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 51

“You can’t touch me! I’m pregnant!”

Qin Wangxuan was utterly defeated. He realized he couldn’t refuse any of Su Yinuo’s commands. His soul was like a dog, already kneeling before her, clinging to her legs and licking them in submission.

He lowered his head, staring at Su Yinuo’s hand gripping his collar, and said in a trembling voice, “Just… just give me a little more reward, and I’ll… I’ll do anything you say…”

Su Yinuo’s hand slowly loosened, then slid up to caress his burning neck.

He closed his eyes, tilting his head to nuzzle against her hand, his breathing growing heavy. Just as his desire surged and he was about to pull the woman before him into his arms, that smooth hand suddenly withdrew. When he opened his eyes, the sweet, soft figure had already vanished.

“Sister-in-law!” He hurriedly chased after her.

“Whatever you do, don’t go near the bodyguards in Zhongshan suits. The other servants aren’t much of a problem, but if anything happens, call me immediately! No matter what I’m doing, I’ll come back right away!” Qin Wangxuan repeatedly warned before leaving.

Only after Qin Weishu and Qin Wangxuan had both left the estate did Su Yinuo step out of the bedroom. Dressed in thick, soft loungewear, she wandered around the house like the lady of the mansion until she encountered the cold-faced butler, Li Guogang.

“Miss Su, don’t roam around the villa,” Li Guogang said sternly.

“I haven’t had breakfast yet, Uncle Li,” Su Yinuo replied sheepishly.

“Follow me to the kitchen,” Li Guogang turned away indifferently.

Su Yinuo trailed behind him, chattering with concern: “Uncle Li, is your leg feeling better? I heard soaking your feet with ginger at night helps a lot.”

“Uncle Li, do you live in this mansion? Or do you come here every morning for work?”

“Uncle Li, if there’s anything you need help with, just let me know. I’ve got nothing else to do anyway.”

“Uncle Li…”

Li Guogang completely ignored Su Yinuo’s enthusiasm. After leading her to the kitchen, he asked the head chef if there were any untouched breakfast leftovers.

The Qin family’s kitchen was also enormous, and both the head chef and the servants were all men. Zhang Xing, the head chef, looked much younger than Li Guogang, barely in his forties. His attitude toward Li Guogang was humble and cautious, clearly indicating he was a newcomer to the Qin estate.

“The leftovers have all been thrown out,” Zhang Xing said apologetically. “How about I make a fresh bowl of noodles for the young lady?” He glanced at Su Yinuo and asked, “Would that be alright, miss?”

“Of course, of course,” Su Yinuo quickly replied. “I’m so sorry for the trouble. I’ll make sure to wake up early tomorrow.”

With that, she rolled up her sleeves and stepped beside Zhang Xing. “Brother Zhang, let me help you out.”

“Oh, that’s too kind of you, miss.”

“Don’t call me ‘miss.’ Just call me Su Yinuo.”

Laughing cheerfully, Su Yinuo struck up a conversation with Zhang Xing. When she glanced back, Li Guogang had already left the kitchen.

Li Guogang was proving too difficult to win over, so Su Yinuo shifted her focus to Zhang Xing. After breakfast, she helped him clean up the kitchen, then assisted him in taking inventory of the ingredients in the storage room. After calling to restock some missing items, they headed to the estate’s fruit and vegetable garden.

Since Qin Weishu was extremely particular about the freshness of produce, maintaining the garden was an especially demanding task.

After a busy morning, Zhang Xing finally became familiar with Su Yinuo. He had initially thought she was just another gold-digger looking to marry into wealth, but upon interacting with her, he realized she was simply an honest and naive young girl, with not a trace of cunning on her face.

At noon, Zhang Xing took Su Yinuo to the small building where the servants lived. Su Yinuo looked around curiously, nodding politely at the servants who cast curious glances her way, then asked, “Brother Zhang, why are there no female servants here?”

Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment before awkwardly replying, “I don’t know either. I’ve only been here for a year.”

Su Yinuo gave an understanding “Oh” and followed Zhang Xing to his dormitory. The dorm had a kitchen, and Zhang Xing cooked a few dishes to treat her. Su Yinuo didn’t rush to ask deeper questions, instead chatting casually with him about everyday life. She learned that he got two days off each month, and on weekends, his family would come to the estate to visit him.

After leaving Zhang Xing’s dorm, Su Yinuo wandered around others’ rooms, greeting everyone she could meet to make herself familiar and memorizing the older servants in particular.

“Miss Su!” Li Guogang suddenly appeared, sternly calling out to Su Yinuo, who had been about to head upstairs. He scolded, “This building is full of men. It’s inappropriate for a young girl like you to be wandering in and out of the men’s dorms, don’t you think? If Young Master Wangxuan finds out, he might not be happy.”

“Alright, I won’t go up then,” Su Yinuo replied with a sweet smile.

Returning to her bedroom, a tired Su Yinuo flopped onto the bed, hugging a pillow as she sent a message to Qin Wangxuan: Buy some health supplements for osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly people, eleven sets.

Qin Wangxuan replied instantly: Got it. How was your day? You didn’t answer my messages, did anything happen?

Su Yinuo didn’t reply immediately. After some thought, she typed: Also get me some supermarket gift cards, twenty of them, each worth a thousand.

Qin Wangxuan replied right away: Sure.

Then, his video call came through immediately. Su Yinuo frowned and answered, asking impatiently, “Why are you calling?”

On the screen, Qin Wangxuan seemed momentarily stunned before his eyes filled with undisguised infatuation. He smirked but didn’t speak until Su Yinuo pressed him again. “I just wanted to see you. Now that I know you’re fine, I’m relieved.”

“Oh, there’s something I want to ask you,” Su Yinuo said, ignoring his odd behaviour. “Are there surveillance cameras in places like the dining room and the reception hall on the first floor of the villa?”

“Yes, but the footage is managed by the security center at the main gate. The security personnel inside the estate are all Qin Weishu’s trusted men. Even if I wanted to check, it wouldn’t be easy.”

“Got it,” Su Yinuo nodded and was about to hang up when Qin Wangxuan stopped her. Resting his chin on his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed as if drunk, he grinned and said, “Sister-in-law, you’re so beautiful, and…”

Su Yinuo frowned, waiting for him to continue.

“And… your collar is really low,” Qin Wangxuan burst into laughter.

Su Yinuo froze, then abruptly slammed her phone face-down onto the bed and snapped, “Get lost!!”

After calming down, she hung up the phone and lay on the bed, beginning to contemplate her next steps. The servants still needed to be won over, there must be some useful information to extract. Qin Cangye had found no evidence before, likely because he rarely returned to this mansion after coming of age. After all, this place had brought him a lifelong nightmare he couldn’t shake, making him avoid it at all costs.

But this path seemed bleak, with no telling when she might uncover those old pieces of evidence buried deep within this sprawling estate. So, Su Yinuo’s second option was to create evidence herself.

She would use herself as bait, provoke Qin Weishu, and then film him assaulting her, exposing the video online. This path was extremely dangerous, and the current dilemma was: even if Qin Weishu couldn’t resist resorting to violence against her, how could she obtain the surveillance footage?

After much thought, there was only one solution, have a third party record it with a phone. And that third party could only be Qin Wangxuan.

She would have to wait for him to return and discuss it with him.

With these thoughts, Su Yinuo slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Before sleeping, she hadn’t set an alarm, believing Qin Wangxuan would wake her when he returned. But in the end, what roused her was a series of urgent knocks on the door.

Su Yinuo jolted awake, sitting up with a splitting headache. She pressed her temples and walked over to open the door.

“Miss Su, the master asks you to come down for dinner,” Li Guogang said in his usual indifferent tone.

“Where’s Wangxuan?” Su Yinuo smoothed her hair as she stepped out, asking casually.

“Young Master Wangxuan hasn’t returned yet.”

Su Yinuo’s steps faltered, a chill spreading through her entire body. She immediately realized: Qin Weishu must have deliberately sent Qin Wangxuan away! Being summoned alone for dinner surely meant no good was intended.

“Why have you stopped, Miss Su?” Li Guogang turned back to ask.

“Just a bit dizzy from waking up,” Su Yinuo replied, catching up to him while slipping her hand into her pocket to activate her phone’s recording function.

But even this wasn’t enough.

Her heart pounded with tension, each step feeling as heavy as lead.

She wasn’t afraid of being beaten or berated by Qin Weishu, she just didn’t want to endure it without a third party documenting the abuse.

She wanted to resist, but if she did, she’d surely be beaten by that sinister confidant at his side, then thrown out of the mansion, never to return.

So, what should she do? Was she really left with no choice but to swallow her pride?

By the time she reached the dining room, cold sweat had soaked through her back. Clenching her slightly trembling hands, she bowed to Qin Weishu and greeted, “Good evening, Chairman Qin.”

Thud… thud…

Qin Weishu’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the redwood round table, each sound like a hammer striking Su Yinuo’s chest, suffocating her and worsening her headache.

“Come sit here,” Qin Weishu finally spoke, his voice icy.

Su Yinuo walked over and obediently took her seat, keeping her head lowered the entire time, her demeanour a hundred times more submissive than the day before.

Qin Weishu let out a cold laugh before suddenly raising his voice. “Look up! See if these dishes suit your taste!”

Su Yinuo shuddered in fear and looked up. The colorful array of dishes on the table made her dizzy, and a wave of nausea churned in her stomach. She knew it was due to her morning headache and extreme tension, but the queasiness also gave her an idea, an excuse to escape the impending abuse.

“Last night, I didn’t let you eat. That was unfair. Now, eat as much as you want,” Qin Weishu said coldly, slamming a bowl of greasy braised pork in front of Su Yinuo. “Finish it all!”

Su Yinuo immediately covered her mouth, pretending to gag, then raised her eyes to meet Qin Weishu’s dark expression. Pitifully, she whispered, “I… I’m sorry. I can’t eat.”

“Can’t eat?” Qin Weishu sneered, pressing his wrinkled forehead. “Weren’t you starving yesterday? You’re the woman of my two grandsons, after all. If word gets out that you came to this house and didn’t even have a proper meal, where would that leave my reputation?”

Trembling, Su Yinuo picked up her chopsticks, pinched a piece of braised pork, and took a small bite. She swallowed with great difficulty before looking at Qin Weishu again and saying cautiously, “I’ve eaten, Chairman Qin.”

Qin Weishu’s frown deepened. He waved at Lao Yan and snapped, “Shove the whole bowl into her!”

Su Yinuo’s eyes widened in terror as Lao Yan approached. She scrambled back, crying, “No! Don’t come near me!”

She glanced desperately at the servants around her, her eyes pleading, but they remained indifferent, staring straight ahead as if they saw nothing. In that moment, Su Yinuo felt as though she had been thrown back decades, trapped in the same nightmare Li Ruyin had endured, overwhelmed by the same fear and despair.

Chaotic noises erupted outside the dining room, as if someone was forcing their way in. By the time Qin Wangxuan’s frantic face appeared at the doorway, Lao Yan had already seized Su Yinuo’s shoulder with one hand while the other plunged into the bowl, grabbing a fistful of greasy meat.

“Stop!” Qin Wangxuan shouted, rushing forward, only to be blocked by two bodyguards.

Su Yinuo screamed, shoving Lao Yan away before collapsing to the floor, gagging violently. As Lao Yan crouched down, she turned and sobbed, “You can’t touch me! I’m pregnant!”

Silence fell instantly.

Qin Wangxuan froze mid-struggle with the bodyguards.

Lao Yan halted, standing up and dropping the meat before turning to Qin Weishu.

Shock filled Qin Weishu’s eyes, quickly morphing into excitement. The intensity of it softened the cruelty on his face, making him look, for a fleeting moment, like an ordinary old man overjoyed at the prospect of a great-grandchild.

He rose to his feet, his gnarled hands trembling slightly. “Whose is it?” he demanded.