Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire
Chapter 54: The Sponsored Person

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Sponsored Person

A sharp pain came from her back, but Su Qingnuan couldn’t care less. She quickly bent down to help the person up.

"Are you okay?"

The person got up, shrugged off Su Qingnuan’s hand, and frowned. "Stay away from me!"

"..."

Her hand froze mid-air before slowly retracting.

"What’s your problem?" Gu Xiaoxiao walked over, positioning herself between Su Qingnuan and the person. "She kindly helped you up, and you behave like this? What’s wrong with you!"

"... Who asked for her help? She dirtied my hand!"

The harsh words made Su Qingnuan’s already troubled expression instantly more unpleasant.

Seeing Su Qingnuan’s pale face, Gu Xiaoxiao frowned. "What did you say? If you’ve got guts, say it again!"

"Fine, I’ll say it!" The girl stood up, raising her chin to look at Su Qingnuan with contempt. "Afraid to hear the truth about what you’ve done? Isn’t our esteemed ’school flower’ just someone else’s mistress?"

Su Qingnuan’s complexion turned pale, her large black-and-white eyes growing wide.

"Classmate! What are you talking about?" Su Qingnuan snapped angrily. "Don’t spread nonsense when you don’t know the facts."

"Exactly, what do you know anyway? Those pictures you’re gossiping about—it’s her family’s car! Who gave you the right to claim she’s being kept as a mistress?! Laughable!" Gu Xiaoxiao wrapped an arm around Su Qingnuan and pointed at the girl, scolding her loudly.

"Us making stuff up? We all know what Su Qingnuan’s family situation is like. Do you think we’re clueless? When could your family ever afford a car like that? That one’s globally limited edition!"

Gu Xiaoxiao’s hand tightened suddenly.

She lowered her head and saw the trembling Su Qingnuan, her body shivering uncontrollably. Unable to restrain herself, Gu Xiaoxiao tightened her grip even further.

"What’s the problem? That’s her husband’s car....."

Su Qingnuan swiftly covered Gu Xiaoxiao’s mouth and dragged her away.

The two of them practically fled in embarrassment, rushing out of the cafeteria.

"What are you doing?" Gu Xiaoxiao shook off Su Qingnuan’s hand and glared at her unhappily. "Those people are so annoying—why don’t you just tell them the truth? At least that would stop their endless gossiping."

Su Qingnuan looked ghostly pale, forced a helpless smile, and said, "Let it go. If they want to talk, let them talk."

"Why?" Gu Xiaoxiao stared at her, confused. "Why not tell them your husband is Fu Yihan? Let’s see who dares to doubt you then!"

"Shh!"

Su Qingnuan grabbed Gu Xiaoxiao’s arm and glanced around to ensure no one was near. Then she whispered, "Apart from you, no one else must know about this, understand?"

"Why not? It’s nothing shameful, so why can’t you say it?" Gu Xiaoxiao glanced at her slyly, smirking as she said, "Didn’t the school rules say marriage could earn extra credit?"

"Enough already. Just remember what I said: don’t tell anyone else!"

Gu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and sighed reluctantly. "Fine, I got it."

"Alright, stop caring about what those people say. The innocent don’t need to justify themselves." Su Qingnuan pushed Gu Xiaoxiao forward lightly. "Let’s go. I’ll take you out for a nice meal—we don’t need to put up with this nonsense!"

"You!" Gu Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly. "You’re too timid. What if I wasn’t around? God knows how people would bully you."

"But you are here." Su Qingnuan smiled faintly. "So I’m not scared."

Gu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but laugh and draped an arm around Su Qingnuan’s shoulders, striding forward.

"Good answer! Let’s go. Big Sis has got your back!"

The two walked out with smiles, as if the earlier tension had completely dissolved.

Time at school always passed by in a whirlwind.

After the final class ended, Su Qingnuan said goodbye to Gu Xiaoxiao and left.

Outside the school gate, as expected, the familiar car stood in the distance. Su Qingnuan walked over.

"Hey, did you see that? Isn’t that our ’school flower’?"

"Did you see the photos on the forum? That car looks just like this one."

"Yeah, I saw it! What kind of car is this? I’ve never even seen the logo."

"Of course you haven’t! This is....."

Su Qingnuan quickly opened the car door and climbed in.

The car moved slowly along the road.

Night had fallen, but the Gu household was brightly lit.

Su Qingnuan walked into the house carrying her backpack and spotted the old man sitting in the living room.

"Grandpa," Su Qingnuan greeted politely.

"Yuerou is back." Grandpa Fu put down the remote control and gestured to Ah Qi. "Ah Qi, go about your business. I’ll chat with Yuerou for a while."

Ah Qi bowed and left.

"Come here, Yuerou. Sit with Grandpa."

Su Qingnuan smiled and walked over to sit down.

"Yuerou," Grandpa Fu began warmly, his eyes full of kindness. "Now, as adults, it’s difficult for us to interfere in matters between married couples. But as you know, Yihan’s circumstances are special. He....."

"Grandpa!"

A cold voice interrupted him.

Both turned toward the source of the voice, noticing Fu Yihan by the stairs, sitting in his wheelchair and staring at them.

"Yihan!" Grandpa Fu lifted his hand with a smile. "Why are you downstairs? Didn’t you say you’d read for a while?"

Fu Yihan raised his eyebrows, his expression a mix of amusement and disdain. "If I hadn’t come down, what exactly were you planning to say?"

"....." Grandpa Fu’s smile disappeared, his brows furrowing. "That troublemaker Ah Qi must have tattled again!"

"Su Yuerou," Fu Yihan called coldly. "Come here."

Su Qingnuan hurriedly stood up and walked over to Fu Yihan.

Seeing this, Grandpa Fu also stood up, laughing lightly. "Yihan, I was just chatting with Yuerou. No need to get so worked up."

"Am I worked up?" Fu Yihan smirked mockingly. "Why would I be? Whether my health worsens is something you’d worry about anyway."

Grandpa Fu’s expression shifted and he fell silent.

Fu Yihan withdrew his icy gaze and turned his wheelchair around.

Su Qingnuan quickly stepped forward, taking over the motion and pushing him toward the elevator.

The elevator ride was quiet, the atmosphere heavy. Su Qingnuan stole glances at Fu Yihan, noticing his dark mood.

"What are you looking at?"

His low voice startled Su Qingnuan, making her lower her head quickly.

"Nothing..... nothing."

Fu Yihan gazed at her timid demeanor, his brows furrowing.

Back in their suite, Su Qingnuan quickly retreated to her room.

She had barely set down her backpack when Gu Xiaoxiao’s text popped up.

Gu Xiaoxiao: OMG! I’m about to lose it!

Su Qingnuan: What happened?

Gu Xiaoxiao: Go look at the forum. Everyone’s talking about your photos. The comments are infuriating—I’m fuming!

"..."

Normally disinterested in forum chatter, Su Qingnuan opened the app reluctantly and skimmed through the posts.

But after clicking on the thread, she exited within two minutes.