The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

From Jiang Shaocheng’s smile, He Lei knew he was texting Tang Qiu; only she could bring such an unguarded look to his face.

After Jiang Shaocheng put down his phone, He Lei said, “Young Master, Ning Mufan has been locked up by the head of the Ning family and won’t be going to school for a while. I’ll also remind him to send his grandson out of the country as soon as possible.”

Jiang Shaocheng scoffed. “If they don’t, that’s fine too–so long as they don’t mind if Ning Mufan loses his arms. They would do well to have a cripple around the house–a real one.”

He Lei lowered his head, not daring to speak.

“What about my family? How are things with them?”

“The old master hasn’t done anything since his butler returned, but I doubt he’ll let the young mistress off so easily, if his temper is any indication. Jiang Ming is occupied with the company’s matters. As for Qian Hongwei… he looks harmless, but I went to investigate, and there’s more to him than meets the eye.”

“Get someone to keep an eye on him. Whoever dares to touch my wife will be crippled!”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Jiang Shaocheng glanced at his phone, and his gaze softened. “I miss her already,” he admitted. “What do you think I should do?”

It had only been two hours since he last saw her. Wasn’t he tired of her presence yet? He Lei had the good sense not to say that, though, so he only asked tentatively, “Why don’t I get someone to photograph her in secret?”

Jiang Shaocheng took a moment to contemplate the idea. “Alright. Go ahead.”

He Lei suppressed a wry smile. His young master never showed this side of him to anyone else. Work matters no longer concerned him, only his wife. Love was a troublesome affair indeed.

***

......

In the classroom, Tang Qiu put down her phone and prepared for her lesson.

“Was that your husband?” Xie Qingqing teased.

Tang Qiu smiled shyly and nodded.

Xie Qingqing sighed. Her friend was in love. “I’ve got to give it to you. You actually fell for a man who looks so… unique. Not to mention one who can’t get it up. Science dictates that intimacy is a vital part of a relationship; you must be determined to prove them wrong at every turn.”

“My husband is crippled.” Tang Qiu found herself repeating the same explanation. “He’s simply not capable of… that at the moment. On a related note, I found out that kissing can help speed up a patient’s recovery. It’s backed up by science. That means I need to kiss my husband more in the future.”

“Please stop.” Xie Qingqing grimaced. “Your husband’s face scares me.” f𝒓𝗲𝗲𝒘𝑒𝚋ｎoѵ𝒆𝗹.co𝗺

“His scars may not be attractive, but the rest of his face is,” Tang Qiu protested. “It’s your problem if you can’t appreciate it.”

“Okay, okay,” Xie Qingqing conceded. “You’re right, it’s my own problem. By the way, you said that your husband has been undergoing rehabilitation training recently. Shouldn’t he do something about his other problem too?”

It brought a blush to Tang Qiu’s cheeks. Her husband had said that he wanted to have a baby with her. That meant that he should be making progress with his… issue. Right?

When she didn’t reply, Xie Qingqing added, “This concerns your future satisfaction. You should take it seriously. I heard that the Traditional Medicine Club is having a class on acupuncture massages. You can go check it out.”

“I know. I’ve already made plans to attend.”

Behind the two of them, a woman was filming Tang Qiu.

***

Jiang Shaocheng was eavesdropping on her conversation with Xie Qingqing on the other end of the video link. His eyes instinctively dropped to his lower body as he imagined her soft, small hands on him. What would a massage feel like down there? He sincerely hoped she would be able to make it for that class, to reap the future benefits of her newfound knowledge.

***

After Tang Qiu’s class, she seeked out the Traditional Medicine Club. The club had many areas of interest: massages, setting bones back in place, pressure points, gua sha treatment and acupuncture. It was almost a health center in its own right. Members of the club used their study of the aforementioned techniques to aid in their scientific research. Many of them were graduates who had studied traditional medicine, and had written research papers which were published in scientific journals across the world. Naturally, the club was an exclusive one; in order to even be considered for entry, one had to be personally approved by the club president, or recommended by Professor Sun.

Tang Qiu thought that it would be best to seek Professor Sun’s help, so she looked him up at his office. After cleaning his office, she was about to present her petition nervously when he pointed at a pile of books and said, “Finish reading them in a month.”

The books were all thick, written by professional practitioners of medicine. It was a daunting task.