Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Su Yuerou’s Trump Card

"The Eldest Young Master instructed me to handle something," Ah Qi said respectfully.

"I see..." Su Qingnuan glanced toward the bedroom and lowered her voice, "He just went to take a bath. I don’t know if he’s finished yet."

Ah Qi nodded, "I’ll wait a bit."

Just as he finished speaking, the tightly shut door suddenly swung open.

"Bang—"

Ah Qi turned his head, only to see that the head poking out a moment ago had now vanished.

"Eldest Young Master, Madam..." Ah Qi pointed at the door but hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

Fu Yihan glanced at the shut door and snorted coldly, "I know. Come in."

Ah Qi quickly walked over.

Fu Yihan sat at the small desk, looking at the person across from him.

"How is it?"

"I’ve found out," Ah Qi said, taking out his phone and handing it to Fu Yihan. "The people in the photo have been confirmed not to be Shen Lin’an or the Second Young Master."

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow, examining the photo of the two affectionate people, an enigmatic smile appearing on his face.

"Eldest Young Master, should we inform Madam about this?"

Thinking of her puzzled face, Fu Yihan shook his head, "Not for now."

"Understood."

Fu Yihan placed the phone on the desk and lifted his gaze, "Alright, you’ve worked hard tonight. Go rest early."

"Yes."

Ah Qi picked up the phone, walked to the door, and stopped again.

He glanced back at the man at the desk and asked with a puzzled expression, "Eldest Young Master, earlier Madam said you were taking a bath, so about your pants..."

Fu Yihan’s gaze shifted slightly as he looked at Ah Qi expressionlessly.

A faint smile appeared on Ah Qi’s lips, "I understand now."

With that, the door closed behind him as he left.

Fu Yihan frowned deeply, his hands poised over the keyboard unable to type.

After an indeterminate length of time, a faint chuckle broke the silence of the room, followed swiftly by the relentless clattering of the keyboard.

...

At dawn, Su Qingnuan pushed open the door, looked around the empty room, and sighed in relief. Carrying her bag, she sneaked downstairs quietly.

However, just as she stepped out of the room, the door on her right suddenly opened.

Watching the door still swaying slightly, Fu Yihan’s lips curved into a subtle smile.

"Ah Qi," Fu Yihan called out.

A man emerged from behind him, standing respectfully in front of him.

"Escort Madam to the company."

"Yes."

As Ah Qi departed, Fu Yihan finally shut the door and went back to bed.

Unbeknownst to him, Su Qingnuan had already slipped out of the villa, only to find Ah Qi standing at the entrance when she raised her eyes.

"...Ah Qi," Su Qingnuan forced a sheepish smile, "What are you doing here?"

Ah Qi looked at her impassively, "The Eldest Young Master asked me to escort you to the company."

"What?" Su Qingnuan froze, "Is Mr. Fu awake?"

"Awake."

So he had seen her sneaky behavior earlier?

Covering her forehead, Su Qingnuan suddenly felt too embarrassed to face anyone.

"Madam?" Ah Qi opened the car door and, seeing her standing still, asked in confusion, "Are we leaving?"

"Let’s go!" Su Qingnuan gritted her teeth.

She’d already embarrassed herself—what more could it matter?

With that, she climbed into the car.

After shutting the car door, Ah Qi took the driver’s seat.

Su Qingnuan couldn’t help but look back at the villa’s wide-open door, "Is Mr. Fu not heading to the company today?"

"Mr. Fu is resting today."

"Oh..."

As expected of the boss—he could choose his vacation days at will.

Without Fu Yihan around, Su Qingnuan felt considerably more relaxed.

Arriving at the company, Su Qingnuan hadn’t even reached the elevator when she spotted Gu Xiaoxiao hesitating at the entrance.

"Xiaoxiao!" Su Qingnuan tapped her shoulder.

Gu Xiaoxiao whirled around, her eyes betraying a hint of surprise and fear before she could hide it.

"What’s wrong?" Su Qingnuan frowned, puzzled by her reaction.

Gu Xiaoxiao forced a smile and looked Su Qingnuan up and down. "Why are you at work today? Didn’t I tell you to rest properly at home?"

"I can’t sit still," Su Qingnuan replied with a faint smile, "You know how I am. I’m used to this illness—no need to make a big deal out of it."

For her, visiting the hospital was almost like going home.

Gu Xiaoxiao furrowed her brows, "Even so, you can’t ignore it. What did the doctor say? Did Mr. Fu agree to you coming back?"

"Of course," Su Qingnuan straightened her back and smiled, "He even sent someone to escort me here."

Seeing her proud demeanor, Gu Xiaoxiao smiled helplessly, but then seemed to recall something, her smile fading.

"What’s wrong?" Su Qingnuan’s expression became serious as she asked, "Where’s the lively and cheerful Gu Xiaoxiao who usually loves going to work?"

"It’s nothing..." Gu Xiaoxiao quickly smiled, reaching out to link arms with Su Qingnuan. "Let’s go inside."

"Really nothing?" Su Qingnuan asked suspiciously.

Gu Xiaoxiao chuckled lightly, "Oh, come on, I’m fine!"

Seeing her unwillingness to talk, Su Qingnuan didn’t push further. The two walked inside together.

Taking the elevator, Su Qingnuan noticed that the usually crowded cabin was eerily empty today.

Not only that, but those around them kept their distance, their gazes showing disdain.

What was going on?

Su Qingnuan frowned in confusion until the elevator stopped, and Gu Xiaoxiao led her out.

"Was I imagining it? Why did it feel like the people in the elevator were hostile toward us?" Su Qingnuan asked quietly.

Gu Xiaoxiao gave an awkward smile and shook her head, "It must be your imagination—I didn’t notice anything."

Really didn’t notice?

Su Qingnuan stared at her, her gaze scorching.

After a long pause, unable to withstand Su Qingnuan’s intense stare, Gu Xiaoxiao sighed in defeat, "Let’s clock in first. I’ll tell you shortly."

"Alright."

After clocking in and finishing up their tasks, Su Qingnuan eagerly headed to the break room. noveldrama

She happened to encounter a woman coming out with a cup of coffee. Su Qingnuan stepped aside.

The woman shifted as well, and Su Qingnuan looked up, meeting her confrontational gaze. She froze briefly.

"Isn’t this Miss Su? Why aren’t you resting at home but running back to work?"

That sarcastic tone...

Suppressing her discomfort, Su Qingnuan smiled faintly, "I’ve had enough rest. It’s time to return to work."

"Ha!" The woman sneered, "Please! If you faint at the company again, we can’t take responsibility for that."

"..."

Su Qingnuan remembered this woman—she was the senior manager’s assistant. They rarely interacted, so why was she picking a fight today?

Su Qingnuan frowned slightly and moved aside again, keeping her smile, "The senior manager should be arriving soon, shouldn’t you be busy?"

Hearing the term "senior manager," the woman’s expression darkened. She glared at Su Qingnuan fiercely before leaving with her coffee.

"...Ridiculous."

Su Qingnuan muttered to herself as she entered the break room.

Gu Xiaoxiao was facing away from her, grinding coffee beans.