The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

“Don’t talk like that, dear. I won’t divorce you, I promise.” She was frightened that his words would come true.

“You know what my health is like, Qiu. I don’t have much time left.”

His indifference upset her. “That’s not true,” she argued. “My teacher, Professor Sun, is a renowned doctor. I’ve shown him your medical records; he said that your condition isn’t serious. He said you have a chance of recovery.”

“You think I want to die?” He held her in place with his stare. “Qiu, do you really not want to divorce me?” 𝒇𝘳𝐞𝚎𝓌𝑒𝑏𝒏𝑜𝙫ℯl.c𝚘𝒎

“Of course. I…” His lips seized hers, drowning her words. Robbed of breath, she tapped him on his shoulder pleadingly. Only then did he break away.

“If you want to remain my wife, that means you’re mine–your body?and?your heart.” He gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Kiss me. Don’t think of anything else. Just kiss me.”

His voice was low, bewitching her with dark promise. Her skin felt too hot, too tight all of a sudden. Obediently, her eyes slipped shut as she pressed her lips to his. His breathing hitched, and her heart seemed determined to pound its way out of her chest. Without thinking, her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Do you hate this, Qiu?”

They were barely a breath apart, making it impossible for her to see his expression. Their proximity was like wine–intoxicating, heady, seeping past her skin to surge through her veins.

“No.”

He kissed her again before she could continue–the barest brush of his lips, the warmth of his breath grazing her face. “What about this?”

She managed a shake of her head.

“You like me.” His voice was rough. “You know that, don’t you, Qiu?”

“I do?”

“Have you ever been in love?”

Again, Tang Qiu shook her head. All she had wanted was to study hard so she could leave the Feng household–not a relationship.

A laugh escaped Jiang Shaocheng. “You said you didn’t want to divorce me,” he said. “But not out of duty–you want to be my wife because you fell for me. You like it when I hug and kiss you. And you kissed me back. That means you have feelings for me.”

“Oh.” She was stunned; he seemed to understand her better than herself. Initially, staying by his side had been a matter of responsibility and self-interest. But now, all she yearned was to kiss him again. No, she didn’t hate this–far from it, if the excitement churning in her was any indication. “So this is what liking someone feels like.”

Jiang Shaocheng’s fingers skimmed over her heart. “From now on, I don’t want you yearning for any other man but me. No one, understand? Otherwise, you’ll be betraying me.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞ℯ𝙬𝗲𝗯n𝗼νel.𝒄𝑜𝘮

“I would never betray you. Ning Mufa–” His name dissolved on her lips as he kissed her again. Jiang Shaocheng was beginning to loathe that name.

“Loyalty comes from the heart. I’ll go for treatment so I can live longer, but you… you have to stay true to our marriage.”

“And I’ll study hard, so I can help heal you.” His temper seemed to have cooled, so she asked carefully, “Does this mean I can continue to go school, dear?”

“Of course. If you want to.” Jiang Shaocheng didn’t mention that he had already decided to get rid of Ning Mufan. That man had sealed his fate the moment he desired to covet what was rightfully Jiang Shaocheng’s.

Oblivious, Tang Qiu smiled and kissed him, the burden in her chest lifted. “Thank you.”

Jiang Shaocheng embraced her. “When I recover,” he murmured against her lips, “can we have a baby?”

A baby? That meant they would have to… Tang Qiu blushed. “… Maybe after I graduate?”

“That’s up to you.” He wasn’t actually in a hurry to have a child either. He had just needed to send a subtle message that he still possessed the ability to function as any normal man would.

Now that the issue had been resolved, Tang Qiu’s mind drifted to their visit earlier. “What are we going to do about your father and brother? They clearly won’t listen to us.”

“Who cares?” he replied, scoffing.

Tang Qiu knew what it was like to be despised by your own father. Her heart ached for him as she said, “I’ll treat you with all the kindness I can in the future.”