Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire-Chapter 195 The Fool

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow, sneering, "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"..."

Su Qingnuan didn’t dare to respond; she truly didn’t know how to explain to Fu Yihan about this matter.

If she made it sound serious, it would involve internal company issues; if she made light of it, it would be a personal matter.

Either way, neither seemed particularly appropriate to say aloud.

"You got beaten up at the company, didn’t say anything, and you think I wouldn’t find out?"

"..."

Su Qingnuan frowned, lowering her voice, "Mr. Fu, I think I can handle this matter myself. You really don’t need to..."

"You can handle it?" Fu Yihan’s voice turned icy, his gaze brimming with cold malice, "If you could handle it, you wouldn’t be standing before me with five glaring red marks on your face, would you?"

"...It was just an accident."

Had she known Sister Hong would act so recklessly, she would never have stood there.

"An accident? Haha."

Two cold laughs escaped, and Fu Yihan withdrew his gaze.

Seeing that he no longer spoke, an inexplicable unease grew within Su Qingnuan.

The tense atmosphere inside the car continued to linger. Su Qingnuan gritted her teeth, her fingers nervously twisting the edge of her shirt.

The previously smooth fabric was now bunched and wrinkled in her hands.

By the time they arrived at the Fu residence, Fu Yihan still hadn’t uttered another word.

Su Qingnuan’s emotions felt like they were riding a rollercoaster, leaving her deeply unsettled.

When they got out of the car, Su Qingnuan leaned in to help, but Fu Yihan’s icy demeanor fell upon her like an arctic glacier.

"Don’t." Fu Yihan rejected her, coldly pushing her hand away.

"...."

Su Qingnuan stood frozen in place, watching as A-Qi pushed Fu Yihan into the house without acknowledging her at all.

It seemed he was truly angry...

His heart was truly impossible to fathom—like a needle at the bottom of the ocean—he’d get angry for no apparent reason, impossible to predict.

Following behind the two into the house, Su Qingnuan constantly observed Fu Yihan’s expression.

That person, however, remained cold as iron, showing no change in demeanor.

"Mr. Fu?" Su Qingnuan approached him with a faint smile, "Do you feel like having soup today?"

Fu Yihan shot her a cold glance, "I don’t want to see you."

"..."

Though he had been angry before, he’d never been this heartlessly cold.

"Mr. Fu..." Su Qingnuan managed a bitter smile, "I truly didn’t mean to hide anything from you intentionally."

"Not intentionally?" Fu Yihan sneered, "Then deliberately, perhaps?"

"That’s not it either..." Su Qingnuan frowned, resignation washing over her, "It’s just...to speak of it feels quite humiliating, so I didn’t know how to say it."

"Humiliating?" Fu Yihan’s icy smile deepened, "When you were cleaning the company toilets, no one thought you were humiliated then. But now you do?"

"..."

So he’d known about that...

Su Qingnuan let out a sigh, discouraged, "That incident was due to special circumstances; it’s not how Mr. Fu interprets it."

"How do I interpret it? Do you mean to say that since you’re bullied at the company, I’m supposed to help you out?"

"..."

That’s precisely what Su Qingnuan had thought.

She had assumed their relationship...was at least better than what it turned out to be...

"Was it...not?" Su Qingnuan’s already pale face turned nearly translucent.

"Of course not."

Fu Yihan shifted his gaze back forward, his sharp profile directed at her, his stare devoid of feeling fixed on the television ahead.

"Alright..." Su Qingnuan stood up, forcing a weak smile, "I understand now—I was being foolishly sentimental."

With that, she turned and went upstairs.

Pressing her hand against her chest, she breathed heavily.

For some reason, her chest felt suddenly suffocated—the kind of suffocation that was unbearably uncomfortable.

Back in her room, the enclosed quiet space failed to provide Su Qingnuan with any sense of security.

She crouched down, curling tightly into herself.

It’s fine...

Su Qingnuan whispered to herself, trying to soothe her thoughts. Don’t think about these things; it’s all fine.

In the Su family, hadn’t she long grown used to this?

Being ignored; being unloved...

So it’s okay—this is merely the norm. As long as she didn’t care, no grief would accompany it. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She crouched in the corner, her head buried against her knees, her breathing quickened.

Outside, the sunlight slowly dimmed, and the surroundings blurred into indistinct shadows.

She had lost track of time, but eventually, Su Qingnuan’s breathing returned to normal.

She slowly raised her head, gazing at the pitch-black room, feeling a sense of aimlessness.

Bracing her legs, she stood up gradually, only to lose her balance the moment she did, falling sideways.

"Thud—"

Her head hurt...

And then Su Qingnuan lost consciousness.

...

In her dreams, Su Qingnuan returned to her childhood.

She shyly followed behind her mother, with Su Yuerou beside her.

Her mother held Su Yuerou in her arms while leading her by the hand.

The two of them, being close in age, were often mistaken as twins.

But Su Qingnuan knew deep down that they were nothing alike—Su Yuerou had a cute and exquisite appearance, while she lacked such striking features.

This disparity had always made Su Qingnuan feel a certain inferiority around Su Yuerou since childhood.

When Su Qingnuan grew tired of walking, she tried to act spoiled with her mother.

But her mother mercilessly let go of her hand, coldly saying, "If you don’t walk, I’ll leave you here."

Su Qingnuan was terrified, clutching at her mother’s clothes in a panic.

Seeing her frightened expression, her mother showed no compassion but swatted her hand away and sternly said, "Walk by yourself."

That stern, cold face expanded in Su Qingnuan’s mind, growing larger and larger...

She didn’t want to walk alone—no, she didn’t!

Suddenly, her eyes opened wide, her chest rising and falling with agitation, her breathing labored.

"Madam, calm down."

A hand pressed firmly against her shoulder, not entirely gentle, patting her back repeatedly.

Her gaze began to focus on the familiar white surroundings, slowly pulling her back to reality.

So this was... the hospital?

The stark white bedsheets, the smell of disinfectant, and then...

Lianyi held her shoulder, looking at her with concern.

"Lianyi?" Su Qingnuan asked in confusion, "Why are you here?"

Lianyi gave a wry smile, "Madam, you fainted in your room. If Eldest Young Master hadn’t sent me to check on you, we wouldn’t have known until much later!"

Fu Yihan?

Recalling what Fu Yihan had said, the dull pain in her chest returned.

Her face pale, Su Qingnuan clutched her chest.

"What’s wrong, what’s wrong?" Lianyi asked, her concern overflowing.

Su Qingnuan managed a weak smile, shaking her head, "Nothing, just feeling a bit tight in my chest."

"You fainted because of your condition," Lianyi said with exasperation. "The doctor warned you to avoid emotional extremes. How can you still be so reckless at your age?"

She frowned deeply, scolding Su Qingnuan like she was reprimanding a child.

Her tone, although blunt, strangely didn’t annoy Su Qingnuan.

"I understand." Su Qingnuan smiled softly, "I know everything you’re saying, but sometimes, people just can’t control their emotions..."

"True." Lianyi nodded in agreement, sighing, "Just like our Eldest Young Master. Desperately worried about you but too proud to come personally."