Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire-Chapter 152: Heart Fluttered

Feeling a subtle ripple in his heart, Fu Yihan barely curled his lips. "Just so-so."

Seeing that he wasn’t very satisfied, Su Qingnuan furrowed her brows. "Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?"

Raising his hand, Fu Yihan said nonchalantly, "Here."

"Alright."

Using all her strength, Su Qingnuan massaged every pressure point she had learned, her forehead breaking into a sweat before she finally heard him speak.

"That’s enough."

Pushing Su Qingnuan’s hand away, Fu Yihan said calmly, "You still have to get back to work later. Don’t exhaust yourself."

"It’s nothing," Su Qingnuan replied with a smile. "All I do at work is tap on a keyboard. It doesn’t take much strength."

Seeing her radiant smile, Fu Yihan suddenly furrowed his brows.

"Why aren’t you going back to work yet?"

"Huh?" Seeing his expression change, Su Qingnuan, although confused, stood up as he wished. "Alright then, Mr. Fu, I’ll head out now."

"Hmm."

Just as Su Qingnuan reached the door and her hand touched the doorknob, a voice came from behind her.

"Wait for me after work."

"....." Su Qingnuan turned around, looking at Fu Yihan in surprise. "Mr. Fu, are you planning to stay at the company until the end of the day?"

"Hmm."

Su Qingnuan gave a slight smile. "Understood."

She left with light steps, the door closing behind her.

Lowering his gaze, Fu Yihan looked at his arm.

After Su Qingnuan’s massage, his arm felt a lot better. The faint redness on it subtly marked her presence.

Her hands are so soft...

Suddenly, Fu Yihan clenched his fist.

That fleeting smile of Su Qingnuan’s earlier had set his heart racing.

This unfamiliar feeling left Fu Yihan uneasy. That was why his expression had abruptly darkened, sending her away in a rush.

However, looking at her slightly dejected figure as she left, Fu Yihan couldn’t help but let out softer words.

Covering his forehead, Fu Yihan leaned back against his chair with a sigh. "What’s wrong with you..."

"Knock-knock-knock—"

Fu Yihan’s expression tightened as he said sternly, "Come in."

Aqi entered without expression, lowering his head. "Eldest Young Master, the person has arrived."

"Let them in."

"Yes."

...

Su Qingnuan sneakily made her way back to her desk, but she couldn’t escape Gu Xiaoxiao’s watchful eyes.

Taking advantage of the time Su Qingnuan was looking at some files, Gu Xiaoxiao leaned in, whispering, "Who were you talking to in Manager Huang’s office at noon?"

"...No one." Su Qingnuan smiled faintly. "Just someone I know, chatting for a bit."

"As if!" Gu Xiaoxiao stared at her seriously. "Anyone showing up in Manager Huang’s office isn’t just anybody! Spill it!"

Su Qingnuan laughed bitterly. "What’s with this? It was just a client of ours, someone I happen to know, so we chatted for a bit."

"Really?" Gu Xiaoxiao asked, only half convinced.

Su Qingnuan nodded quickly. "Of course, why would I lie to you?"

".....Fine."

Gu Xiaoxiao put away her suspicious look and walked off with her files in hand.

Watching her leave, Su Qingnuan let out a sigh of relief and buried herself in her work.

By the time they got off work, Gu Xiaoxiao came running over and linked her arm with Su Qingnuan’s as they headed downstairs together.

Standing there, the two of them quickly attracted plenty of attention.

There were whispers, and even gossiping speculation.

Hearing the lingering chatter, Su Qingnuan’s lips grew paler, while Gu Xiaoxiao remained composed as ever.

Seeing Su Qingnuan’s reaction, Gu Xiaoxiao dragged her into a corner with a sigh.

"Why bother caring about what they say?" Gu Xiaoxiao said helplessly. "Who was it just this morning telling me the innocent have nothing to fear? Besides, Manager Huang isn’t even blaming us anymore. Let them talk all they want."

Su Qingnuan smiled bitterly and nodded. "You’re right. I need to be more broad-minded. Don’t worry, I won’t take it to heart anymore."

"That’s more like it."

Under the spotlight of everyone’s gazes, the two of them took calm, deliberate steps and left the company.

Outside the company doors, Su Qingnuan immediately spotted the car parked by the roadside.

"Hey! Aqi came to pick you up," Gu Xiaoxiao said with a smile.

As if he was picking her up—he was simply there out of convenience.

Gu Xiaoxiao gave Su Qingnuan a nudge and laughed quietly. "Go on, hurry up. I’ll take the bus myself."

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan looked at Gu Xiaoxiao in confusion. "Let Aqi drop you off."

"Come on! Aqi’s here for you every day. I can’t keep hitching a ride with him. Besides, there are plenty of buses—one less rider won’t make a difference," Gu Xiaoxiao teased.

With that, Gu Xiaoxiao quickly ran off, waving back at Su Qingnuan. "See you tomorrow! Don’t keep him waiting."

Watching her figure disappear into the crowd, Su Qingnuan hesitated.

In truth, she would gladly let Aqi drive Gu Xiaoxiao home every day. The stifling atmosphere was something she didn’t want to endure daily.

Taking a deep breath, Su Qingnuan stepped forward and stopped at the car door.

With a soft exhale to steady herself, she opened the car door and, as expected, found someone waiting in the back seat.

"Mr. Fu," Su Qingnuan greeted with a smile.

"Hmm, get in," came the man’s low reply without even looking up. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Su Qingnuan quickly got in. But once inside, neither of them said a word.

As the car moved forward slowly, Su Qingnuan looked out the window, lost in thought.

Fu Yihan, who had been reading a magazine, turned his attention back to her when he noticed her gaze.

"How was your day at the company?"

Su Qingnuan paused, snapping out of her thoughts and looking at him in confusion.

Why was he suddenly interested in asking about this?

"I asked you a question," Fu Yihan reminded her.

Realizing this, Su Qingnuan quickly answered. "Pretty good. The seniors are all very supportive."

"Supportive?" Fu Yihan looked at her with an ambiguous smile, his gaze teasing. "Truly supportive?"

Lowering her head guiltily, Su Qingnuan murmured, "Truly supportive."

"Hmm, that’s good."

Fu Yihan set aside his playful tone, but the corner of his mouth remained curved in amusement. "Since that’s the case, you should work even harder to live up to Manager Huang’s trust in you."

Su Qingnuan nodded earnestly. "I understand."

Stopping the conversation there, Fu Yihan stayed quiet.

The car’s interior grew silent again, save for the sound of pages being flipped.

Holding her breath, Su Qingnuan turned back to look out the window.

"Oh, by the way."

Startled by his sudden words, Su Qingnuan turned her head quickly.

She saw Fu Yihan’s lips curve slightly, his focus on the magazine in his hands as he said meaningfully, "There’s a gathering in a few days. Come with me."

"A gathering?" Su Qingnuan said hesitantly. "Mr. Fu, I’ll need to request time off—when is it?"

Fu Yihan shot her an annoyed glance. "I’m your boss. Isn’t granting you time off within my authority?"

"..." She had nearly forgotten about that. Nodding quickly, she replied with a smile, "Alright."

Seeing her agreement, Fu Yihan smiled contentedly and looked away, saying no more.

Su Qingnuan blinked, then let her lips curl up involuntarily.

Though his temperament was odd, there was something almost boyishly childish about the way he smiled. Was it just her imagination? She found herself stealing a few more glances.

Noticing her gaze, Fu Yihan’s face grew stern as he frowned. "What are you looking at?"

"...N-nothing."