Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire-Chapter 187 What You Want

The two of them played with Xia Xiaoyuan for a while, but seeing that their work still wasn’t finished, they didn’t dare delay any further.

"Xiaoyuan, how about I take you to your dad?" Su Qingnuan asked softly.

Xia Xiaoyuan nodded, holding Gu Xiaoxiao’s hand, her smile radiant: "Can Xiaoxiao-jiejie come with me?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qingnuan looked at Gu Xiaoxiao.

Gu Xiaoxiao laughed cheerfully and stood up: "Then let’s go together. Anyway, sitting for too long means I need a walk."

"Alright."

The two of them, holding Xia Xiaoyuan’s hand, strolled down the quiet corridor, occasionally letting out soft laughter.

...

"Sorry to trouble you two again." Minister Xia took Xia Xiaoyuan’s hand, sighing helplessly: "She likes to wander off after finishing her homework, and I simply can’t keep an eye on her."

Su Qingnuan chuckled lightly: "It’s no problem, Xiaoyuan’s very sweet."

"Yes, Xiaoyuan is super well-behaved; she didn’t disturb us at all," Gu Xiaoxiao chimed in.

Xia Xiaoyuan tilted her head proudly, looking at Xia Xing.

Ruffling her hair indulgently, Xia Xing laughed softly: "You’re not going to thank your two jiejies?"

"Thank you, Qingnuan-jiejie! Xiaoxiao-jiejie!"

The little one’s obedient smile melted the hearts of the two women completely.

"Minister Xia, we won’t take up any more of your time now."

"Alright, thank you again."

Leaving Minister Xia’s office, Gu Xiaoxiao leaned against Su Qingnuan’s shoulder, grinning mysteriously: "I wondered why you’ve been getting close to Minister Xia lately. Turns out it’s because of Xiaoyuan, huh?"

"Yeah," Su Qingnuan replied with amusement, "Remember how they mentioned hearing strange noises while on duty? That was just Xiaoyuan playing in the corridor. They just didn’t have the guts to investigate."

Of course, Su Qingnuan didn’t tell Gu Xiaoxiao that she herself hadn’t dared either; it was only because Fu Yihan was around that she learned it was Xiaoyuan.

Gu Xiaoxiao gave her a thumbs-up, speaking with admiration: "Who knew you had such guts? Next time at the haunted house, you have to come with me."

"...No." Su Qingnuan pressed a hand to her chest and sighed: "I’d like to live a few more years, thanks."

Gu Xiaoxiao nudged her shoulder, laughing: "Quit pretending!"

Su Qingnuan didn’t argue, just smiled helplessly.

The two returned to the office, doing their best to organize their thoughts before tidying up their things and getting off work.

Stepping out of the building, they were greeted by the sight of a car parked nearby.

Grabbing the fleeing Gu Xiaoxiao, Su Qingnuan dragged her toward the car door.

"Ah Qi," Su Qingnuan smiled at the driver as the window rolled down, "Do me a favor and take Xiaoxiao back to campus."

Gu Xiaoxiao awkwardly glanced at Ah Qi: "Sorry for bothering you."

Ah Qi didn’t respond, instead turning to look inside the car.

Following his gaze, Su Qingnuan saw that the car’s interior lights were off, making the backseat dim, so she hadn’t noticed there was someone sitting there.

Meeting the person’s dark, shiny eyes, Su Qingnuan quickly loosened her grip, laughing nervously: "Mr. Fu."

A chilly gaze swept over Su Qingnuan briefly before withdrawing.

"Get in the car."

The deep voice carried no hesitation.

Su Qingnuan gave Gu Xiaoxiao a nudge.

Gu Xiaoxiao pulled a face and reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat.

The car was silent—usually chatty Gu Xiaoxiao was notably quiet.

From the corner of her eye, Su Qingnuan saw Fu Yihan engrossed in his phone, and couldn’t help but marvel at his commanding presence, enough to make Gu Xiaoxiao silent.

"I heard you were assigned a project today?"

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan quickly sat up straight, nodding: "Yes, Xiaoxiao and I are in charge of one section."

"Are there any issues?" Fu Yihan asked again.

Su Qingnuan was taken aback, looking at him uncertainly.

Was he offering help, or...

Seeing no response, Fu Yihan blinked slightly, turning his head toward her.

Su Qingnuan furrowed her brows, hesitation written clearly in her eyes, as though she wanted to speak but held back—perhaps pondering something else entirely.

"What?" Fu Yihan spoke again with a cold expression, "Is my question too hard to answer?"

"...No," Su Qingnuan quickly said, "I was just thinking about how best to answer your question, Mr. Fu."

"Answer honestly, of course," Fu Yihan replied irritably, flipping his phone casually.

"...Well, it’s pretty challenging," she chose a middle ground response, hoping it wouldn’t cause issues.

Feeling more relaxed, Su Qingnuan exhaled softly.

"If it’s tough, consult the more experienced staff," Fu Yihan advised. "They have the know-how."

"Got it."

"And if you still don’t get it, come to me," he added, his tone strict yet tinged with faint disdain.

Su Qingnuan silently sighed, nodding, "Alright."

With that, the conversation lulled into silence once more.

Just as this happened, Su Qingnuan’s phone buzzed.

She glanced at the screen, her eyebrows arching briefly before covertly sneaking a peek at the person riding shotgun.

Gu Xiaoxiao: Look at you acting all submissive—is it not possible to be more assertive?

Su Qingnuan curled her lips and quickly typed back.

Su Qingnuan: If you think you can do it, be my guest.

Gu Xiaoxiao: Thanks for inviting me, but your family’s domineering CEO isn’t someone ordinary folks can handle.

Su Qingnuan: Glad you understand. Only God knows how much I’ve been suffering.

Gu Xiaoxiao: Pat-pat on the head! I’ve had enough dog food; no more showing off your miserable act in front of me.

Su Qingnuan: ...Where do you see any "dog food" here?

Gu Xiaoxiao: Thanks, I saw it with both eyes.

Weren’t they just witnessing Fu Yihan unilaterally roasting her earlier? How did that turn into "dog food"?

Confused, Su Qingnuan tilted her head reflexively, wanting to glance at Fu Yihan.

Their eyes met, and Su Qingnuan froze momentarily.

His deep gaze settled on her, calm as an ancient, tranquil pond.

His eyes flickered slightly, trailing down to her hand.

Startled, Su Qingnuan instinctively flipped her phone over, offering Fu Yihan a quick smile.

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow, eyeing her with a hint of amusement.

This man was already exceptionally handsome, but his usual cold demeanor only added to his aloof charm. Now, his faintly different expression lent his features a touch of warmth.

Lost in those deep eyes, Su Qingnuan quickly averted her gaze.

Lowering her head, she could still distinctly feel the heat of his gaze lingering.

Her phone became off-limits at this point, leaving her to fidget idly with her fingers.

Finally, the car reached Gu Xiaoxiao’s school, and Su Qingnuan took advantage of saying goodbye to her friend to breathe a sigh of relief.

Driving away from the school’s main entrance, they passed through a small alley lined with food stalls.

The air was heavy with mouthwatering aromas, and Su Qingnuan’s nose twitched as she glanced toward them.

"Stop the car."

The sudden command snapped Su Qingnuan out of her thoughts.

"Mr. Fu?" Su Qingnuan asked, confused, "Are you hungry?"

"Mm."

Ah Qi hurriedly said, "Eldest Young Master, let me go buy something for you."

"No need," Fu Yihan pressed the unlock button. "We’ll eat here."

Catching on, Su Qingnuan quickly got out of the car.

Fu Yihan stood by the car, leaning slightly on his cane.

"No wheelchair?" Su Qingnuan asked softly.

Shaking his head, Fu Yihan gritted out, "It’s for the exercise."

Limited by Fu Yihan’s leg, they chose a nearby small eatery to dine in.