Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire-Chapter 196 It’s My Fault

Fu Yihan...

Su Qingnuan lowered her head, her smile tinged with bitterness. "I can’t really blame Mr. Fu. He was already angry. How could he possibly come to the hospital to see me?"

"Angry?" Lianyi froze for a moment, then looked at Su Qingnuan curiously. "That can’t be right! When the Eldest Young Master saw you pass out, he was so tense. How could he be angry at you?"

She had always known her cousin to be cold, both in demeanor and heart. Seeing him flustered was a rare phenomenon—she’d been waiting to enjoy the spectacle.

"It’s just..." Su Qingnuan pointed to her own cheek. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Her overly pale complexion made the marks on her face stand out even more prominently.

"Huh? I didn’t even notice that." Lianyi stared at her cheek in shock. "Don’t tell me the Eldest Young Master did that?"

"No." Su Qingnuan chuckled lightly. "Mr. Fu might be cold and distant, but he wouldn’t go as far as physically hitting someone."

"...Is that so?" Lianyi awkwardly smiled and pressed further. "Then what exactly happened?"

Giving a brief recount of the incident, Su Qingnuan sighed helplessly, "That’s all. It’s not really a big deal."

"How can you say it’s not a big deal?!" Lianyi stood up angrily, fuming. "They dared to hit the boss’s wife—are they trying to invite disaster?!"

"Shh." Pulling Lianyi back down, Su Qingnuan whispered softly, "Don’t speak so loudly."

"Young Madam, this won’t do." Lianyi lowered her voice but remained firm, staring seriously at Su Qingnuan. "You’re the Eldest Young Master’s wife—how could you allow people to bully you outside? If word gets out, it’s not just Eldest Young Master’s reputation at stake but also the family’s!"

"But... I have no power or influence now. If I retaliate, it’ll only invite trouble from those above. Besides..."

Besides, it was Fu Yihan’s company. She didn’t want to bring unnecessary trouble to him.

"How could you think this way?" Lianyi, exasperated by Su Qingnuan’s lack of resolve, slapped the bed hard. "Your greatest backing is the Eldest Young Master! Who is he? The company’s owner! You entered the company on merit—no one has the right to make things difficult for you, let alone fire you!"

"But..."

She hesitated, lowering her head. Even though Lianyi was right... would Fu Yihan stand by her?

"What’s there to hesitate about?" Lianyi gripped Su Qingnuan’s shoulders tightly and said emphatically, "Young Madam, you need to return the slap! I guarantee the Eldest Young Master will be pleased and won’t be angry anymore!"

"...Really?"

"Of course, it’s true."

Su Qingnuan stared at her skeptically, and after a long pause, she looked away and sighed. "I’ll think about it..."

"..."

If she rushed to slap someone outright, it would only reflect poorly on her. There had to be an appropriate excuse.

Watching Su Qingnuan lower her gaze in deep thought, Lianyi sighed deeply.

Her sister-in-law was wonderful in every way, except her personality was far too soft—and self-deprecating.

Despite having every advantage, she never knew how to make use of them.

After spending half a day for observation at the hospital and confirming she was fine, Su Qingnuan finally decided to leave.

The person picking her up was Ah Qi. Noticing the empty back seat, Su Qingnuan’s disappointment was painfully obvious, causing Ah Qi to pause.

"The Old Master kept the Eldest Young Master behind," Ah Qi explained.

Su Qingnuan froze for a moment and looked at Ah Qi. "Grandpa wanted to speak with Mr. Fu?"

"Mm. I heard it’s about the company."

Understanding the situation, Su Qingnuan’s disappointment faded as she nodded.

When she got home, she saw Fu Yihan and the Old Master playing chess in the teahouse, just as she expected.

From a distance, she stole a glance at them but didn’t go over to disturb their game. Instead, she settled onto the sofa and waited for them to finish their conversation.

Opening her phone, she began reading Gu Xiaoxiao’s messages.

The earlier messages mostly contained technical questions.

As Su Qingnuan never responded, Gu Xiaoxiao’s tone turned increasingly dramatic.

Gu Xiaoxiao: Did you get hospitalized again?!

Gu Xiaoxiao: Where are you? Why aren’t you answering me?

Gu Xiaoxiao: If you don’t appear soon, I’m calling the police!

Seeing Gu Xiaoxiao’s overly animated messages and emojis, Su Qingnuan couldn’t help but smile.

Su Qingnuan: I’m fine.

Gu Xiaoxiao: If you’re fine, why didn’t you come to work? You’ve changed—you’re slacking off now.

Su Qingnuan smiled faintly: I’m not slacking off. The marks on my face are still too obvious; I don’t want to show up at the office.

Gu Xiaoxiao: ...

Thinking that this would be enough to pacify Gu Xiaoxiao, Su Qingnuan underestimated her sharpness.

Gu Xiaoxiao: Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Did you go off somewhere for fun?

Su Qingnuan: Yes, a stay-at-home day tour. Do you want to experience it?

Gu Xiaoxiao: At the Fu Estate? Sounds interesting. I heard there’s a private swimming pool—is it true?

The swimming pool did exist, but no one in the household seemed to use it much.

Su Qingnuan: You’re welcome to come, but you’ll have to pay entrance fees.

Gu Xiaoxiao: Forget it. I’m not going then.

Mentioning money instantly made the little rascal stingy.

Su Qingnuan couldn’t help curling her lips, laughing softly.

"What are you chatting about that made you laugh so much?"

Su Qingnuan paused and looked up, meeting the Old Master’s amused gaze.

"Grandpa." She quickly stood, flashing a soft smile. "I was just exchanging a few words with a friend."

"Why are you home so early from work today?" The Old Master sat down and asked with a smile.

"I..."

"She’s coming with me tonight."

Su Qingnuan paused in confusion and turned to Fu Yihan.

Fu Yihan sat impassively, his gaze not lingering on her.

"You’re heading out?" The Old Master’s grin widened. "So, you were rushing to leave earlier just to take Qingnuan out? You should’ve told me sooner! I wouldn’t have kept you."

Without further ado, he waved a hand dismissively and urged them, "Hurry up. Don’t waste time with this old man."

"..."

Su Qingnuan stood there awkwardly, while Fu Yihan calmly met her gaze and said, "Aren’t you going to push my wheelchair?"

At his words, Su Qingnuan moved quickly, ushering him out.

As they exited the villa, they ran into Lianyi, who was carrying something inside.

"Eldest Young Master, Young Madam, are you heading out?"

Su Qingnuan glanced at the black bag in Lianyi’s hands and asked curiously, "What’s that?"

"..." Lianyi shot a quick look at Fu Yihan and awkwardly replied, "A courier package I picked up."

She knew she had more leeway in the Fu family than most, but this level of casualness surprised Su Qingnuan.

Fu Yihan gave her a cold glance but said nothing.

Seeing this, Lianyi clung tightly to her package. "Young Madam, I’ll head inside first."

With that, she sprinted indoors, refusing to linger.

Watching Lianyi’s cheerful retreat, Su Qingnuan couldn’t resist a small smile.

"What are you looking at?"

An icy voice sounded in her ears, startling Su Qingnuan into lowering her gaze and stifling her laughter.

"Mr. Fu, where are we heading?" she asked.

Fu Yihan didn’t answer. Instead, he looked toward the car in the courtyard and instructed, "Get in."

Without asking more, Su Qingnuan assisted Fu Yihan into the vehicle.

Once inside, the silence between them was tense and oppressive.

Su Qingnuan didn’t dare speak, while Fu Yihan, being naturally reserved, made the atmosphere even quieter.