Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire-Chapter 197 Hope

To ease the awkwardness, Su Qingnuan could only turn her head to look out the window.

The rapidly passing scenery felt like a blur, an endless stream that couldn’t be taken in clearly.

"Cover your face."

A mask suddenly appeared on her lap.

Su Qingnuan was momentarily stunned and turned her head to look at Fu Yihan.

His gaze was deep, as if he were looking at Su Qingnuan, yet not truly focused on her.

Obediently, she put on the mask, and the car came to a halt.

It was still the same villa as last time, with two figures lounging lazily by the entrance, their expressions carefree.

"Oh! You’re here." Gong Qi approached, helping Fu Yihan out of the car, smiling warmly as he greeted Su Qingnuan, "Hi, sister-in-law!"

Su Qingnuan awkwardly nodded and replied with a smile, "Hello."

Her voice was muffled, her face still covered by the mask, making her look rather unusual.

Qin Chuan’s cool gaze swept over her briefly before retracting just as quickly.

"Why are you all standing at the door?" Fu Yihan’s icy tone sounded. "Go inside and sit."

"We were bored sitting inside the house, so we came out here to wait for you."

Gong Qi pushed the wheelchair forward, and after a few steps, he stopped and turned to Su Qingnuan, who was still standing there, puzzled. "Sister-in-law, aren’t you coming?"

"Ah... I’m coming."

Su Qingnuan lowered her head and followed quietly.

The four of them went directly to the basement.

Fu Yihan lay down, undergoing tests with the equipment.

Su Qingnuan and Gong Qi stayed outside, watching Qin Chuan operate through the glass.

"Sister-in-law, you’re unusually quiet today."

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan smiled politely. "Am I?"

She always spoke very little when dealing with them.

"Yes, you are." Gong Qi rubbed the corner of his eye helplessly. "And here, you didn’t cover it."

"....."

Su Qingnuan turned, pulled out her phone, and used it to hide the exposed red mark.

"Yihan wouldn’t do something so inconsiderate, right?" Gong Qi tentatively asked.

"No!" Su Qingnuan waved her hand frantically, her voice urgent. "It wasn’t Mr. Fu."

Gong Qi breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s fine then. Don’t worry, Yihan will make sure justice is served for you."

"..."

Su Qingnuan didn’t dare to continue the conversation, afraid that if Fu Yihan found out, he’d only get angry again.

After Fu Yihan finished the tests, Qin Chuan pushed him back out.

"You all go upstairs and wait for me."

So the three headed upstairs.

Fu Yihan sat on the sofa, his eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap.

Gong Qi enthusiastically made coffee for the group.

"Here, sister-in-law, have some coffee."

Su Qingnuan smiled and reached out to take the cup.

"No coffee."

Her hand froze mid-air, and both she and Gong Qi turned to look at Fu Yihan.

Still keeping his eyes shut, Fu Yihan spoke slowly, "We’ll have tea. Go make tea."

"..... Why the sudden change of preference?" Gong Qi asked in confusion.

"Changed, that’s all. Why ask why?"

"... Fine, your tastes dictate everything."

Resigned, Gong Qi got up and went into the kitchen.

Su Qingnuan turned her head to look at Fu Yihan, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as she whispered, "Mr. Fu, thank you."

He knew she couldn’t drink coffee.

The eyes that had remained shut finally opened slowly, squinting as they looked at Su Qingnuan.

Meeting her gentle smile, he let out a cold snort and closed his eyes again.

Su Qingnuan’s smile faltered slightly, and she lowered her head in silence.

Before Gong Qi returned, Qin Chuan came back first.

Holding an X-ray in his hand, his face was full of joy.

"Good news." Qin Chuan placed the X-ray on the table, beaming, "Look here, this section is starting to heal and fuse together. Our previous observations were correct."

Fu Yihan abruptly sat upright, his eyes blazing as he stared at the X-ray.

"Does this mean Mr. Fu’s leg can stand again?" Su Qingnuan’s face lit up with joy as she asked excitedly.

Qin Chuan gave her a deep look and nodded, "Yes."

"That’s wonderful!" Su Qingnuan turned to look at Fu Yihan, her expression full of excitement. "Mr. Fu, you can stand again."

Fu Yihan’s hand, resting at his side, suddenly clenched tightly, gripping the pillow as his expression remained unchanged.

Seeing his lack of joy, Su Qingnuan asked in confusion, "Mr. Fu, aren’t you happy?"

"He’s not unhappy, he’s overwhelmed with happiness." Gong Qi placed the tea down and pointed to his fingers, laughing. "This guy keeps such a stern face he’s forgotten how to smile."

Fu Yihan turned and shot him a glare.

Looking at Fu Yihan’s whitening fingertips, Su Qingnuan understood and smiled.

With this good news, the subsequent conversation became much easier.

Qin Chuan outlined multiple rehabilitation tasks, requiring Fu Yihan’s cooperation.

One particular task involved Fu Yihan walking along a rail for an hour each day, which had to be completed daily without fail.

"I’ll arrange for the necessary equipment to be installed at your home. Tomorrow..."

"No." Fu Yihan interrupted Qin Chuan, "Install it here."

Qin Chuan frowned and said, "But it’s something you’ll need to do every day. Installing it at home would be far more convenient. You can’t come here daily, can you?"

Fu Yihan didn’t speak, his gaze unwavering.

Seeing this, Qin Chuan tried to persuade him further but was stopped by Gong Qi.

"Alright, you know how Yihan’s leg ended up like this. A bit of extra caution doesn’t hurt. I support having follow-ups here too."

"..... But who’ll come with him every day? It’s impossible for him to manage alone."

Fu Yihan turned his gaze toward Su Qingnuan, a deep and complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

Noticing his stare, Gong Qi chuckled, placing his hands on Su Qingnuan’s shoulders with a light laugh, "Sister-in-law, accompanying Yihan for his follow-ups is now your responsibility."

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan looked up in shock, meeting Fu Yihan’s gaze.

His expression carried hints of probing and regret.

Seeing Su Qingnuan’s reaction, Fu Yihan withdrew his gaze and said coldly, "No need. I can do it on my own."

"..."

Intending to speak, Gong Qi glanced at Fu Yihan’s rigid demeanor and sighed, choosing to stay silent.

Leaving the villa, Su Qingnuan could clearly sense that Fu Yihan was even less inclined to interact with her.

Despite his cold attitude, Fu Yihan persisted in having a meal outside before heading back.

In the private dining room, it was just the two of them, making the atmosphere even more tense.

Su Qingnuan nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, sneaking glances at Fu Yihan.

Noticing her stare, he raised his head.

Their eyes met.

Su Qingnuan quickly looked away, bowing her head and silently berating herself for her lack of courage.

"What do you want to say?" Fu Yihan asked calmly.

Upon hearing this, Su Qingnuan raised her head cautiously, looking at him. "Mr. Fu, could I discuss something with you?"

"Speak."

His tone brimming with impatience.

Su Qingnuan pouted, her expression aggrieved. "I know you don’t like me following you, but rehab is something you simply can’t do alone. Please allow me to accompany you, will you?"

Her demeanor was pitiful, and as she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, gazing at Fu Yihan with anticipation.

His hand, in the middle of reaching for his tea, paused briefly as his expression grew complicated while he looked at Su Qingnuan.

"You want to go?" he asked.

Su Qingnuan nodded frantically, answering with conviction, "Of course I do."

From Qin Chuan’s earlier words, Fu Yihan’s healing was partly associated with her experimenting with herbs.

As this was her first "patient," Su Qingnuan naturally hoped to be there for the entire process.