Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire
Chapter 51: Good Friend Gu Xiaoxiao

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Good Friend Gu Xiaoxiao

On the first day of the month, Su Qingnuan woke up early, quickly tidied up, and went out.

The airport in City A has several exits. Su Qingnuan stood outside the largest one, tiptoeing as she scanned the crowd.

"Qingnuan!" A tall, ponytailed girl in a white tracksuit raised her right hand, waving it repeatedly, her face beaming with a cheerful smile.

Su Qingnuan smiled and opened her arms, as Gu Xiaoxiao ran over, chuckling lightly, "As expected of my best friend, you’re so punctual!"

"Missy, you’ve already issued your orders, how could I not come?"

"That’s more like it!" Gu Xiaoxiao draped her arm over Su Qingnuan’s shoulder, pulling her luggage as they walked out together. "I called for a car. Are you coming back to school with me?"

"Yes, I’m taking you to school today." Su Qingnuan nodded with a smile.

"Hmm?" Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly stopped and looked at her in confusion. "Today? Aren’t you coming back to stay in the dorm?"

"I..." Su Qingnuan’s lips curled into a subtle, almost imperceptible bitter smile. "This semester, I might not stay in the dorm. I’ll probably be commuting."

"Commuting?" Gu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched her.

Although the school didn’t explicitly forbid commuting, living in the dorms made getting to class much more convenient. Generally speaking, most students opted for dorm life.

Most people found commuting too inconvenient and chose to return to the dormitory, but cases like Mu Chenxue, who switched from living in the dorms to commuting, were rare.

"Yep!" Su Qingnuan helped push her suitcase forward. "There are some things going on at home right now, so I need to go back every day."

"...Alright then." Gu Xiaoxiao tilted her head back and sighed. "My dear roommate is commuting now? Who’s going to bring me breakfast in the future? Just thinking about it makes life feel so hopeless suddenly."

"So you’re only worried about your breakfast, huh?" Su Qingnuan rolled her eyes at her, mock-annoyed. "I was thinking about how commuting might let me bring you some extra snacks, but now it seems... never mind."

"No, wait!" Gu Xiaoxiao quickly grabbed her sleeve, nervously pleading with her. "I didn’t realize there’d be such benefits. I completely support your decision to commute!"

Su Qingnuan chuckled softly, giving her an up-and-down look. "Swayed by the food?"

Gu Xiaoxiao grinned sheepishly. "People live for food after all."

What a little food lover, Su Qingnuan couldn’t hide her amusement as her lips curled involuntarily, her eyes sparkling faintly.

"Alright, let’s head back. Didn’t you say you’ve been craving that chicken dish from the restaurant across from the school gates?"

"Yes, yes! Let’s go!"

...

Su Qingnuan didn’t have many places she liked to go, and the school ranked high among them.

Here, she could enjoy unfettered freedom, unbothered by judgmental stares or ulterior motives, immersing herself completely in her studies.

She loved this simple way of living, but reality rarely allowed her that luxury.

That’s why Su Qingnuan cherished her time at school all the more.

After helping Gu Xiaoxiao organize her dorm room, the two went to the old shop across from the back gate to eat the famous chicken dish.

As they parted at the school gate, Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly grabbed Su Qingnuan’s hand.

"Qingnuan, will I see you at school tomorrow?"

Su Qingnuan paused for a moment. Seeing the worry in her eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh.

"Don’t worry." She held her hand reassuringly. "I’ll definitely come."

Her determined gaze eased Gu Xiaoxiao’s concerns.

"Alright then, I’ll wait for you at the school gate tomorrow."

"No need," Su Qingnuan smiled warmly. "Just wait for me in the classroom. Don’t worry, tomorrow I promise you’ll see me swaggering into class."

Gu Xiaoxiao chuckled softly. "Alright."

After bidding farewell to Gu Xiaoxiao, Su Qingnuan returned home, feeling unusually cheerful.

As soon as she stepped into the Fu household, Su Qingnuan stopped abruptly.

The air was filled with a faint fragrance—the calming incense that the old man liked to use.

But this scent was normally confined to the old man’s room. How could it be lingering in the living room now?

Cautiously, she stepped further inside. When she saw the people confronting each other in the living room, she quietly ducked into a corner, keeping her distance as she observed from afar.

"Fu Yihan, today you’d better give me an explanation. This matter isn’t over!"

Fu Yixing’s indignant voice rang out.

Across from him, Fu Yihan appeared calm, seemingly unaffected.

"Fu Yihan!" Fu Yixing’s voice was laced with barely concealed rage. "Do you really think I’m an idiot?"

The man finally raised his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he glanced at him. "Aren’t you?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Fu Yixing stepped forward.

Before he could approach, Ah Qi suddenly appeared and blocked him.

"Second Master, I’m just a crude man. My fists don’t have eyes."

Ah Qi’s sharp gaze carried an undeniable sense of intimidation as he stared coldly.

Fu Yixing frowned and took a step back, his expression turning unpleasant.

"Don’t think just because Grandpa supports you, you can do whatever you please. If you’re not willing to return to work at the company, then stop interfering!"

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Yixing!" The old man stood up, his brow furrowed. "You’ve gone too far this time. If it hadn’t been for Yihan stabilizing the staff’s morale, do you think they’d still be working quietly now?"

"We followed the procedures. Even if they have objections, they can only tolerate it!" Fu Yixing insisted with an air of righteousness.

The old man frowned slightly, his expression conflicted as he looked at him.

"Grandpa, since you’ve handed the company over to me, you should trust me!"

"...I’d like to trust you, but just look at the things you’ve done since taking over."

"This is all normal. Gains require sacrifice."

"..."

Watching Fu Yixing turn red with frustration, Fu Yihan chuckled softly. "I think he’s right. Grandpa, since you’ve given him the company, you should trust him. I won’t interfere in the company’s matters anymore."

With that, Fu Yihan turned his wheelchair and began to leave.

"Yihan!" The old man quickly grabbed the wheelchair, frowning deeply. "You’re just going to leave things like this?"

"Yixing is still young. He needs opportunities to prove himself. Let him handle it."

"Hmph!" Fu Yixing sneered. "How pretentious."

The old man frowned and glared at him.

Fu Yixing looked away with displeasure.

"You said it yourself: Yixing is still young. There are many things he won’t be able to handle on his own, and he’ll need his big brother to guide him."

"I’m tired." Fu Yihan ignored the old man and looked to Ah Qi. "Ah Qi, take me upstairs."

"Yes."

Ah Qi gently but firmly took the wheelchair’s handles from the old man, nodded slightly, and then pushed Fu Yihan toward the elevator.

The old man watched them leave with a deeply furrowed brow.

"Grandpa! Why won’t you trust me?" Fu Yixing demanded irritably.

The old man turned around and spoke sternly. "You’ve only been in charge of the company for a short time, yet already you’re acting this impetuous. Your big brother is competent—you have much to learn from him!"