The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

When she entered the living room, Tang Qiu saw that Ke Liuyi had already prepared dinner. She couldn’t help but praise, “You’re both beautiful and a talented cook, Doctor Ke. Your future husband is a lucky man.”

Ke Liuyi glanced at Jiang Shaocheng and smiled. “Qiu sure has a sense of humor. I don’t even have a boyfriend yet.”

“You’re so outstanding; it won’t be hard for you to find one. I believe you’ll meet a match worthy of you in the future,” Tang Qiu said with sincerity.

I’ve already met him, Ke Liuyi thought.?You just took him from me.

“Let’s eat, Qiu,” Jiang Shaocheng said.

Tang Qiu nodded and sat down to eat. Since Ke Liuyi had been thoughtful enough to set the table, she didn’t need to do anything.

After the meal, she hurried to help, but Jiang Shaocheng stopped her. “Let Doctor Ke do it. You just focus on taking care of your studies. Let’s go upstairs.”

“Alright.” Tang Qiu thanked the other woman for her trouble before pushing her husband upstairs.

Indignation swelled in Ke Liuyi’s chest, overflowing into anger. She did her duties in the kitchen and cooked for Jiang Shaocheng because she wanted to prove she was worthy of being his wife–not for him to treat her as a servant. In that split second of rage, her arm nearly swept out and sent the cutlery crashing to the floor. The only thing that held her back was that Jiang Shaocheng had allowed her to stay in his house, by his side–and that meant he must care about her somehow. f𝒓𝗲𝗲𝒘𝑒𝚋ｎoѵ𝒆𝗹.co𝗺

When she finished cleaning up the kitchen, she turned around and saw He Lei inviting a dozen people into the house. They were like a small army, loaded with all kinds of jewelry, clothes, shoes, and even skincare products…

They had to be gifts for a woman. Could it be a surprise Jiang Shaocheng had prepared for her? The corners of Ke Liuyi’s mouth curled up as she approached the group. “Set the items down,” she instructed. “I want to inspect them.”

They didn’t move, instead looking to He Lei. Only when he nodded did they obey and leave.

Ke Liuyi examined the abundance of items. Which women wouldn’t enjoy being showered with jewelry and new clothes, let alone from the man of their heart? Excitement raced in her. “Who picked these out?” she asked.

......

“The young master, of course.” It had taken Jiang Shaocheng the better part of an afternoon, all while putting his work on hold. At that point, He Lei had known it would be useless to try and talk any amount of sense into him.

Unable to contain her smile any longer, Ke Liuyi commented, “He has good taste.”

“He does,” He Lei agreed. He selected a watch and placed it on her wrist. “This is a classic model, worth two million yuan. Not only is it an attractive design, its value is likely to increase in the future. The young master has one of his own. It’s an investment of sorts–after all, the young master is not a man to suffer losses.”

“It is beautiful.” The watch’s mechanism resembled a constellation of stars. Jiang Shaocheng had such a watch too? Didn’t that make this a couple’s set of jewelry?

Just then, Jiang Shaocheng came downstairs with Tang Qiu, who scanned the items piled on the sofa and table. Thinking Ke Liuyi had bought them all, she asked, “Shall I help you organize your things, Doctor Ke?”

“It’s alright.” Ke Liuyi’s smile was warm, but her eyes were filled with a serpent’s delight.

He Lei lifted Ke Liuyi’s wrist so Tang Qiu could see it. “Do you like this watch, Young Mistress?”

Tang Qiu smiled and nodded. “It’s lovely.”

“It’ll look better on you,” He Lei said ingratiatingly. “Please try it on, Young Mistress.”

“But… isn’t the watch…”?Mine??Ke Liuyi stared at He Lei, flummoxed.

He Lei didn’t spare her a glance. He removed the watch from Ke Liuyi’s wrist and handed it to Tang Qiu. “This watch was bought on sale, Young Mistress. It cost less than a hundred yuan. The young master said that you don’t have a watch of your own, so he bought one for you.”

Ke Liuyi gaped in disbelief. Wasn’t that watch worth two million yuan?

On her part, Tang Qiu was no less surprised. “But that watch belongs to Doctor Ke.”

“Says who? She was just helping you try it on to see how it looks.” He Lei offered the watch to Jiang Shaocheng like a supplicant paying tribute. “Why don’t you help the young mistress wear it, Young Master?” There was a silent plea in his eyes:?Don’t be angry, Young Master. I harbor no intentions towards the young mistress.

Jiang Shaocheng accepted the watch and helped Tang Qiu don it. The platinum looked stunning against her fair skin and around her slender wrist. Just as he had expected. “It’s yours, Qiu.”

Tang Qiu thought it was gorgeous too, but her instincts made her say, “I have a phone. I don’t need a watch to tell time. You shouldn’t spend money on my behalf.”

“Okay, I understand.” Jiang Shaocheng pinched her cheeks. “Nevertheless, it’s yours. I gave it to you so that you’ll be reminded of me whenever you look at it.”