The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

Tang Qiu’s face turned red. Flustered into helplessness, she explained once again, “I was just worried about your illness. I didn’t refuse to kiss you…” free𝒘ℯ𝗯𝙣𝗼ν𝑒𝗹.𝒄o𝒎

If she had truly refused him, he would have lashed out in fury long ago. “Then kiss me now.”

He was being unfair; he had already forced a kiss on her earlier. But she couldn’t withstand the weight of his gaze on her, bright and burning, so she gave him a peck on the cheek, the barest brush of lips across skin.

Jiang Shaocheng was unmoved. “I’ve told you that a proper kiss between husband and wife is exchanged on the lips.”

Torn between crying and laughing, Tang Qiu could only lean in obediently and plant a kiss on his lips. “Can we go to the hospital now?”

The corner of Jiang Shaocheng’s lips quirked. “I’m fine now. There’s no need for that.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

A laugh nearly bubbled to Tang Qiu’s lips. But that dark cloud looming over his features had dissipated, so she swallowed the remnants of her irritation.

Back in the mansion, Tang Qiu went to make dinner, and He Lei pushed Jiang Shaocheng’s wheelchair into the study.

The instant the door closed, Jiang Shaocheng said coldly, “Aren’t you really something, He Lei.”

He Lei lowered his head, frightened at the icy sarcasm in his master’s voice. “Deepest apologies, Young Master. The young mistress was around, and I thought that resorting to force would scare her.”

At the mention of Tang Qiu, Jiang Shaocheng’s features softened just slightly.

“And here I thought you were thinking of finding a new job.” He Lei was so wronged by the accusation that he nearly collapsed to his knees and begged for forgiveness on the spot. “There won’t be a year-end bonus for you this year. And if this happens again, you can start looking around for better job prospects.”

He Lei was taken aback. He had served Jiang Shaocheng for many years, but this was the first time that his young master had all but told him to get lost. He was truly furious, then.

“There won’t be a next time, Young Master, I promise. I’ll go look into who that man was right away.”

He left, leaving Jiang Shaocheng to sit alone in contemplation for a while. Afterwards, he pushed his wheelchair downstairs to look for Tang Qiu.

“Can I help you with anything?” With his gentle, warm demeanor, no one would have expected him to be the same man from earlier in the study, full of deadly rage that burned hotter than the fires of hell.

“What a timely arrival.” Tang Qiu passed him some chopsticks, smiling. “Try this and see how you like it.”

Jiang Shaocheng took in the three dishes, two bowls, and the pair of chopsticks before him, before settling on her beaming face. This life they shared was routine and ordinary, but there was something special about it too–the domestic quality of sharing a roof over their heads, eating their meals together, as the seasons shifted and changed around them.

“What are you staring at me for? Go on and eat.”

“Because your beauty is a feast for the eyes,” he said, eyebrows lifted.

Tang Qiu blushed. Her husband could be such a tease sometimes.

After they were done eating, Tang Qiu wasted no time in taking out her school materials to study at the dinner table. Jiang Shaocheng gave a small frown. “The table is oily, Qiu. Use my study room instead.”

“I’ve cleaned it already. Go on up first.” Tang Qiu didn’t lift her head to look at him as she scribbled. Jiang Shaocheng was displeased. He glanced at her phone, which she had placed by her. The screen displayed the words:?Erection (A Male Physiological Response). Factors affecting duration…?

Jiang Shaocheng’s breath hitched. He stared intently at his wife’s face; fair and white as pearls. Was this… targeted at him?

“What on earth are you looking at this for?”

“My professor gave me these documents. I have to translate them within two weeks.” She still hadn’t lifted her head, engrossed in her work as she was. “They’re all common medical cases and are worth studying.”

“You don’t need to go to that trouble, actually. You can just ask me.” Only then did Tang Qiu raise her head to look at him. Jiang Shaocheng flicked her lightly on the forehead. “You forgot that I lived abroad for quite some time?”

Tang Qiu’s eyes lit up with surprise and delight. “You’re right! It’ll be faster, too.”

He stroked her head. “There’s a computer in my study. I trust it’ll be faster than your mobile?”

Tang Qiu was used to manually converting hardcopies of writing into softcopies; she wasn’t about to turn him down. It was her first time entering the study, which was furnished in minimalist fashion and packed with books.

Obediently, Tang Qiu sat down and resumed her focus on her work. When she encountered something she couldn’t make sense of, she clarified her doubts with Jiang Shaocheng, who had an answer ready every time. “You’re so knowledgeable, dear,” she said without reservation.

“I’m capable of putting that knowledge into practice, too. Want to try?”

She stared up at him with wide, glittering eyes, fire blooming in her heart. Their eyes locked in the dim light, and the rest of the world fell away. His hand caressed her cheek, and he lowered his head slowly. Their lips were but a breath away when the noise of a phone ringing interrupted them abruptly.

Startled back into reality, Tang Qiu broke away, red-faced, and answered her phone.

“Qiu, you idiot. Why did you tell our senior about your marriage? I know you hate it when I nag at you, but I’m just telling the truth. After that sick husband of yours dies, you’ll still be untouched, so what’s stopping you from being with our senior? You’ll have better prospects, a better home to return to…”

In her haste, Tang Qiu had accidentally pressed the speaker. Xie Qingqing’s voice blared out, her incessant chatter reaching Jiang Shaocheng’s ears.