Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire

Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Strength

"They’re saying it in a rather roundabout way..." Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly paused, then bent down to whisper in Su Qingnuan’s ear, "I heard the department head plans to promote Jiang Yuan."

"Jiang Yuan?"

Although the two of them had only been here for a short time, they had heard of the name Jiang Yuan.

The department’s beauty, bright and cheerful personality, bold and generous nature—mentioning her often brought an envious look to people’s faces.

Her good personality, solid family background, and considerate nature made people admire her rather than resent her.

But Su Qingnuan had only heard about her and had never actually met her.

"Jiang Yuan isn’t part of our department, is she?" Su Qingnuan asked with some confusion.

Even though she stayed in their department, she wasn’t officially part of it and was brought in temporarily.

"She’s not." Gu Xiaoxiao’s voice grew softer as she chuckled lightly, "Isn’t someone thinking of using this opportunity to officially bring Jiang Yuan into the department?"

The ’someone’ was worth pondering.

Su Qingnuan nodded vaguely, amused, "I still need some time to think about this. Let’s not worry about what they say. We just need to focus on doing our own work well."

"Fine, you take your time thinking. I do think it’s a great opportunity anyway."

"Mm."

Gu Xiaoxiao returned to her desk, while Su Qingnuan leaned against her chair with a hint of contemplation. Although Gu Xiaoxiao’s words were somewhat blunt, there was really nothing wrong with them.

If Su Qingnuan could use this opportunity to learn more, it would always be useful to find work no matter where she went in the future.

But if she were to be promoted, it might be difficult to earn others’ respect.

After all, work isn’t something one can complete alone—it requires teamwork.

After thinking it through for a while, Su Qingnuan still hadn’t made up her mind, yet it was already time to leave work.

Forget it. She’d deal with it later at home.

Knowing Ah Qi would definitely be waiting downstairs, Su Qingnuan didn’t linger.

The two parted ways at the company entrance as usual. Across the road, Su Qingnuan found the familiar car at its usual spot.

She carried her bag and was about to jog over.

"Su Qingnuan?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned around.

A woman in a long green dress was looking at her with an expression of curiosity.

She held a work badge in her hand and kept sizing up Su Qingnuan.

Su Qingnuan looked down at the badge hanging on her chest—it still had the outer casing, but the badge inside was missing.

"Ah!" Su Qingnuan exclaimed hastily, "It’s me! It’s me!"

She ran back, grateful as she looked at the woman. "Thank you! I didn’t even realize where I dropped it." noveldrama

The woman handed her the badge and smiled softly. "It was at the company entrance. I called you several times, but you didn’t hear me, so I chased after you."

"...I see." Su Qingnuan smiled awkwardly. "Sorry about that, there were so many people earlier, I didn’t hear you."

The woman chuckled lightly. "No worries, as long as you didn’t lose it."

"Yes, yes."

She placed the badge back in its casing and looked up again, noticing the woman across from her was still studying her.

Su Qingnuan asked hesitantly, "Excuse me, may I ask who you are...?"

The woman gave a mysterious smile and waved her hand. "I have something to do, so I’ll take my leave now."

With that, she turned and left.

Watching her depart so gracefully, the man next to her couldn’t help but feel moved.

Sure enough, there are still many beautiful and kind-hearted people in this world.

Once inside the car, Su Qingnuan looked down at her badge again, checked that it was safe, and said, "Ah Qi, I’m ready. Let’s go."

"Alright."

They returned home peacefully, where Su Qingnuan walked through the rooms but didn’t see Fu Yihan’s figure anywhere.

"Ah Qi, isn’t Mr. Fu home?" Su Qingnuan asked the man who had followed her in.

Ah Qi shook his head. "The Eldest Young Master is still at the company. He asked me to bring you home first."

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan turned back in surprise. "He went to the company today? Then why didn’t we wait for him to come back together?"

Before Ah Qi could answer, the phone suddenly rang.

He paused, turned around to take the call, and didn’t address Su Qingnuan’s question.

Watching Ah Qi busy with the call, Su Qingnuan didn’t press him further.

She put down her bag and walked into one of the rooms.

The room had been newly remodeled—it was now a small study.

Su Qingnuan walked around the space. Her belongings were still placed in the same spots, with a few new additions here and there.

She sat down and opened a drawer.

Inside were several kneepads she had made herself, all unused.

Thinking back, she had given Fu Yihan a new set of kneepads a while ago. Quite some time had passed since then—she wondered how his legs were doing.

Taking out one of the kneepads, Su Qingnuan decided to make another one for him tonight.

However, she waited all evening and still didn’t see Fu Yihan return.

Before going to bed, she specifically found Ah Qi and asked when Fu Yihan might come back, but Ah Qi didn’t give her a definitive answer.

"Probably soon."

That was Ah Qi’s original reply, and given his straightforward nature, Su Qingnuan guessed even he wasn’t sure.

Deep into the night, Su Qingnuan woke once. The space beside her was empty.

Where had he gone?

Ever since Su Qingnuan had moved into the Fu family’s home, she had never seen Fu Yihan stay out late and not come back.

Could something have happened at the company?

But it didn’t make sense...

Lost in her thoughts, Su Qingnuan drifted off to sleep again.

...

The sky was still dim and gray when Su Qingnuan woke up.

She stared at the empty bed beside her for a moment, then got up and began washing up.

The person in the mirror wore an expression of doubt. Without any clear thoughts, she brushed her teeth mechanically and changed her clothes without emotion. Then, she headed out.

The living room was empty except for the sound of pots and pans coming from the kitchen—it seemed the housekeeper was preparing breakfast.

Su Qingnuan poked her head into the kitchen and smiled. "Auntie, what’s on the menu this morning?"

"Oh my, is the Eldest Young Madam awake so early?" The housekeeper turned back with a surprised look, revealing a steamer behind her as she smiled. "Steamed buns for breakfast."

"Buns, huh?" Su Qingnuan sniffed the air and grinned. "Can I pack a few to go?"

"Of course!"

The housekeeper quickly brought out a food container and packed some buns according to Su Qingnuan’s request before handing them to her.

Knowing Su Qingnuan wouldn’t eat at home, she even prepared some congee.

Feeling pleased, Su Qingnuan carried her breakfast and sent a message to Gu Xiaoxiao before heading out.

Ah Qi didn’t know Su Qingnuan would leave so early, so he wasn’t waiting outside.

Su Qingnuan wasn’t in a hurry. She left the villa and strolled leisurely along the empty street.

Morning air always felt fresh after a night’s rest, and as Su Qingnuan breathed it in, she felt invigorated.

After a bit of walking, she began to feel tired.

She panted lightly, looked at the increasing flow of vehicles, and finally sent Ah Qi a message. Then, she hailed a taxi and headed for the office.

When she arrived at the company, it was only 8:00 a.m. The official start time was 9:00 a.m., meaning she was an hour early.

The cleaning staff looked at Su Qingnuan with surprise.

"Why are you here so early?"

Su Qingnuan smiled politely and nodded. "Yes! Thank you for your hard work."

The cleaner smiled, then returned to her tasks.

Not long after Su Qingnuan arrived, her phone rang. It was Gu Xiaoxiao asking where she was.