Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire-Chapter 189 Ambiguous Relationship

With Aqi’s help, Su Qingnuan assisted Fu Yihan into the car.

His cold, rigid face softened quite a bit once he was back in the vehicle.

From this, Su Qingnuan fully understood—Fu Yihan could tolerate these street snacks, but he couldn’t stand crowds, and above all, hated being touched by random people.

By gathering this crucial information, Su Qingnuan figured she could better care for Mr. Fu in the future.

When they arrived home, to her surprise, the house was completely empty.

Puzzled, Su Qingnuan looked around. "Grandpa’s not home today either?"

The old man rarely went out and was usually home. Why would he be gone?

"Don’t know," Fu Yihan replied indifferently. "Let’s go back."

"Alright."

Back in their room, Su Qingnuan naturally took the clothes Fu Yihan handed her and softly asked, "Mr. Fu, do you want to take a bath now?"

Fu Yihan nodded, his eyelids twitching slightly as he gave Su Qingnuan a meaningful look.

After hanging up the clothes, Su Qingnuan turned around and was immediately met with Fu Yihan’s gaze. Feeling odd, she lowered her head to inspect herself.

"What is it? Is there a problem?"

Fu Yihan glanced at the door and said, "Go outside and call Aqi in."

Su Qingnuan froze momentarily before responding quickly, "Mr. Fu, I can help you take off your pants."

With that, she reached out her hand.

"...." Startled, Fu Yihan hastily turned his wheelchair away, his back now facing her, his brows furrowed tightly. "What are you doing? I told you to leave!"

His tone was hurried and sharp, as if he were angry.

"...Fine then."

Not daring to test Fu Yihan’s boundaries, Su Qingnuan left and called Aqi into the room.

Aqi walked in with a puzzled expression. "Eldest Young Master."

"Mm." Fu Yihan pointed at his crutch. "Help me to the bathroom."

Aqi quickly grabbed the crutch and assisted him inside.

After settling him in the bathroom, Aqi exited the room.

Seeing Su Qingnuan standing outside the door, Aqi nodded and said, "The Eldest Young Master is taking a bath."

Su Qingnuan nodded and sighed lightly. "Do you think Mr. Fu is mad at me again? Why wouldn’t he let me help him to the bathroom?"

"Hmm?" Aqi looked at her, his eyes brimming with confusion.

Seeing his blank expression, Su Qingnuan laughed and explained how she had been helping Fu Yihan to the bathroom these past few days.

She thought she’d get a response, but Aqi’s expression only grew stranger.

"What’s with that look?" Su Qingnuan chuckled. "Did I do something wrong?"

"...Madam." Aqi suddenly said, "Do you know what the Eldest Young Master dislikes the most?"

"What?"

Aqi gave a serious look toward the bedroom door. "The Eldest Young Master hates being touched by others the most—even when I help him, it’s only to assist him into the bathroom."

"...."

But all she had done was help him into the bathroom! That didn’t seem like an issue.

"As for taking off clothes, he does that himself."

"...."

She hadn’t taken off all his clothes. It was just... his pants...

Realizing what seemed off, Su Qingnuan suddenly looked up at Aqi.

Aqi nodded confidently, letting out a breath of relief.

"Looks like, in the Eldest Young Master’s eyes, Madam isn’t so much of an outsider anymore."

"...." Su Qingnuan lifted the corners of her lips and chuckled softly. "That really is worth celebrating."

She had always assumed that beneath Fu Yihan’s cold and distant demeanor, his indifferent treatment of her was merely due to their partnership, not personal dislike. He simply hadn’t bothered to express it.

Hearing Aqi’s words today, Su Qingnuan’s understanding of their relationship deepened.

When Fu Yihan emerged from the bathroom, Su Qingnuan once again displayed her gentle and considerate side. Not only did she help dry his hair, but she also trimmed his nails. Fu Yihan kept giving her peculiar looks as she did so.

"Mr. Fu, anything else you need?" Su Qingnuan’s smile was so broad it almost reached the back of her head. Late at night, it came across as somewhat eerie.

Fu Yihan frowned, pointing at the chair opposite him. "Sit down."

"Alright!"

Sitting down obediently, Su Qingnuan looked at Fu Yihan expectantly.

"Are you... particularly happy about something?" Fu Yihan asked cautiously.

Su Qingnuan blinked, a glimmer of amusement flashing through her clear eyes.

"Yes, something very happy indeed."

"...Let’s hear it," Fu Yihan said.

"It’s just..."

She suddenly stopped. Staring at Fu Yihan, she seemed thoughtful.

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"I can’t," Su Qingnuan said, her smile fading. "Please forgive me, Mr. Fu, but this is something I have to keep to myself for now."

She planned to wait until Fu Yihan wasn’t as icy—or until their relationship became more harmonious—before telling him. Otherwise, he might get embarrassed and angry, and his expression would sour again.

"You won’t say?" Fu Yihan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Su Qingnuan.

Clutching the corner of her clothing, Su Qingnuan nodded firmly.

His once soft gaze turned cold, and the temperature in the room plummeted.

Under his frosty stare, Su Qingnuan almost gave in, ready to wave the white flag.

But just as she was about to break, Fu Yihan averted his gaze.

"Sleep."

The ice in his tone reflected his mood in that moment.

Watching his retreating back, Su Qingnuan hesitated to speak.

Even as they lay in bed, she couldn’t muster up the courage to reveal what was on her mind.

The next morning, Su Qingnuan woke to find Fu Yihan was already gone.

She got up in a hurry, searching for him everywhere.

But after combing through the entire villa, she found no sign of him.

"Maybe he’s busy with work," the old man reassured. "It’s alright, Aqi is with him. Don’t worry too much."

Su Qingnuan nodded, though her mind wasn’t at ease.

After breakfast, the old man arranged for a car to take Su Qingnuan to the office.

Compared to Fu Yihan’s car, the old man’s vehicle was significantly more luxurious. When it stopped at the street corner, it attracted quite a crowd.

Su Qingnuan stepped out of the car, shielding her face with her hand as she hurried to circle around before entering the office.

"Qingnuan." Gu Xiaoxiao spotted her and quickly came over, lowering her voice. "Brace yourself, the supervisor wants to see us in a bit." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan asked, confused. "First thing in the morning, what for?"

"It seems to be about the project," Gu Xiaoxiao said, shaking her head with a furrowed brow. "I really don’t know the details."

"...Alright, guess we’ll find out."

Back at her workstation, Su Qingnuan had barely warmed her seat when a shadow fell across her desk.

Looking up, she found the supervisor standing there, gazing at her with a somewhat complicated expression.

"Supervisor." Su Qingnuan stood up, smiling. "What brings you here?"

"You," the supervisor said, raising an eyebrow before glancing at Gu Xiaoxiao. "And you—both of you to my office."

"Alright."

Calling Gu Xiaoxiao, the two of them followed the supervisor to the office.

The supervisor sat down in their chair, leisurely eyeing them. "Do you know why I called you in?"

The two shook their heads in unison.

With a sly smile, the supervisor tossed a document onto the desk. "Take a look."