Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire
Chapter 143: Unbearable Heartache

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Unbearable Heartache

Fu Yihan looked into those clear eyes, and the initial surprise vanished in an instant.

"What? Disappointed?"

"No." Su Qingnuan forced a smile. "Mr. Fu’s visit already makes me very happy."

Even when she was hospitalized before in the Su family, her mother wouldn’t necessarily visit her.

Her defeated yet helpless expression was completely taken in by the others. Fu Yihan frowned slightly, gazing at her in thought.

"Oh!" Su Qingnuan suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and looked toward the door. "What about Xiaoxiao? Wasn’t she the one who brought me to the hospital?"

"She went back." Retracting his gaze with composure, Fu Yihan looked down at the book in his hand. "She’ll come back to watch over you tomorrow."

"Then tonight...?"

"I’m staying here."

"What?" Su Qingnuan’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Fu Yihan.

"What’s wrong?" Without lifting his head, that man calmly asked, "Don’t believe me?"

"No, it’s not that..." She nervously twisted the hem of her clothes and said softly, "Mr. Fu, your health isn’t good either. If you stay here and something happens..."

Fu Yihan abruptly lifted his head, his sharp gaze falling directly on Su Qingnuan.

Her words gradually trailed off.

"You’re in this state yourself, and you still have the mind to worry about others?"

His tone wasn’t pleasant, and his expression was even less so.

Su Qingnuan lowered her head, helplessly fidgeting with the edge of the blanket.

Fu Yihan only saw her hands moving back and forth under the covers and furrowed his brows slightly.

"What? Was I wrong?"

His tone was a bit aggressive, and Su Qingnuan silently lowered her head.

Seeing her aggrieved expression, Fu Yihan couldn’t help but feel a pang of softness in his heart.

The harsh words he originally planned to say were forcibly swallowed back down.

With a light sigh, Fu Yihan diverted his gaze. "Enough, you’ve just woken up. Don’t think about these things. The doctor will be here for a check-up soon. Just rest properly."

"Mm...."

The atmosphere in the hospital room was stifling.

Su Qingnuan didn’t dare to speak, while Fu Yihan sat there, motionless.

Who knows how much time had passed when the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed, followed by the door being pushed open.

Hearing voices, Su Qingnuan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Madam, how’s your body feeling?" The doctor looked at Su Qingnuan with concern and asked with a smile.

Su Qingnuan instinctively pressed her hand to her chest and said in a low voice, "Just feeling a bit of tightness in my chest..."

"I understand." The doctor smiled gently. "Madam, you’re somewhat aware of your physical condition, right?"

Su Qingnuan nodded. "I know."

"From now on, you must be careful, avoid excessive emotions—no extreme joy or sorrow."

"Okay..."

After conducting the examination, the doctor left Su Qingnuan’s room.

Once again, only the two of them remained in the room.

Stealing a glance at Fu Yihan, who was engrossed in reviewing documents, Su Qingnuan realized that he didn’t seem to notice her gaze.

What was he so focused on? Was it work-related?

She wondered to herself, hesitating before speaking softly.

"Mr. Fu, has the system... been repaired?"

Without lifting his head, the man responded with a curt "Mm."

Hearing this, Su Qingnuan exhaled in relief.

Thank goodness it was fixed...

Seeing the relaxed expression on her face, Fu Yihan frowned slightly. "That’s all you care about?"

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan looked at him in confusion, unsure of where his sudden displeasure was coming from.

"You disregard your own health but seem very concerned about the company. Should I give you a Best Employee Award?"

"It’s not like that..." Su Qingnuan smiled bitterly. "I just don’t want the company to lose face."

"Is the company asking you to risk your life to save its reputation?" Fu Yihan shot back.

Su Qingnuan froze for a moment, then lowered her head in shame. "I’m sorry, Mr. Fu. It’s my fault."

Her repeated apologies inexplicably made Fu Yihan feel a stifling discomfort in his chest, igniting a strange urge to lash out.

After glaring at her for a while, he huffed coldly and wheeled himself out of the room.

Hearing the commotion, Su Qingnuan looked up, catching only a glimpse of his retreating figure.

Just when she had managed to calm him down, he was angry again...

Su Qingnuan sighed lightly. This man’s moods... truly harder to predict than a woman’s.

She thought he had left, but after a moment, he returned.

Compared to earlier, his expression had softened significantly.

Following behind him was A Qi, holding a set of bedding in his arms.

A Qi laid the bedding on the spare bed in the room and looked toward Fu Yihan for confirmation.

Fu Yihan nodded. "This will do."

"Understood."

After A Qi left, Fu Yihan wheeled himself over to the bedside and glanced at Su Qingnuan.

She quickly shut her eyes and lay down.

"Stop pretending." Fu Yihan’s voice was cold. "Come here and help me."

"..."

Gingerly, she climbed out of bed and went to help him onto the bed.

As she exerted some force, a wave of dizziness washed over her, almost causing her to collapse.

Fortunately, Fu Yihan reacted quickly and, though seated on the bed, reached out to steady her.

"Are you feeling unwell?" he asked.

Su Qingnuan quickly shook her head. "No, probably just from lying down for too long."

"...Then stand there."

"..."

Watching Fu Yihan lie down nonchalantly, leafing through a magazine he had seemingly conjured from nowhere, Su Qingnuan stood at his bedside in her hospital gown.

An uninformed passerby would genuinely have trouble distinguishing which of the two was the patient.

After standing for a while, Su Qingnuan began feeling lightheaded and rested a hand on the edge of the bed.

Noticing this, Fu Yihan frowned. "Go lie down."

She nodded and climbed back into her bed.

Once lying down, she felt slightly better and closed her eyes.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of pages flipping as Fu Yihan read his magazine.

Surprisingly, she didn’t find the sound intrusive. On the contrary, it was oddly comforting, very much so.

Gradually, Su Qingnuan closed her eyes and, before she knew it, drifted off to sleep.

After finishing his magazine, Fu Yihan turned to look at her.

She was sound asleep, curled up tightly.

That sleeping posture could easily put pressure on her heart...

Fu Yihan picked up his phone and made a call. Shortly after, a nurse came in quietly, adjusted her sleeping posture, and left just as quietly.

At first, Su Qingnuan’s expression seemed resistant, but as her position stabilized, she soon fell back into deep sleep.

Such a delicate little thing...

The corners of Fu Yihan’s lips turned up slightly. Lying back down, his gaze lingered on her profile for a moment before he slowly closed his eyes.

...

Su Qingnuan had a dream. In the dream, everything was warm and soft, like lying beneath a radiant light, relishing a rare sense of comfort.

But suddenly, the warmth dissipated, and Su Qingnuan awoke with a jolt.

The stark white surroundings pulled her memory back to reality.

Turning her head slightly, she caught sight of a sleeping face.

Fu Yihan was still lying there, his profile facing her.

It was the first time Su Qingnuan had seen such an unguarded side of him while he slept.