The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

Chapter 4: See If I Don't Kill You First

“The little minx bites back. I like that.” Jiang Ming ran his tongue over his lips and slowly cornered Tang Qiu against the wall. “Why not give me a chance? You’ll find I’m a far better catch than my washed out weakling of an older brother. I could give you a house, a car, a fancy designer bag, and, of course, lots of pleasure…”

Uncle Wang witnessed the scene from the corner of the stairwell on the second storey. In a low voice, he asked, “Young Master, shall I do something?”

Jiang Shaocheng glanced at Jiang Ming’s hands groping Tang Qiu’s hips. A glint entered his mild, gentle gaze. “Look again.”

Beneath them, Tang Qiu took in the sight of Jiang Ming’s body trapping hers. With finality, she said, “For the sake of your older brother, I’m warning you one last time: get away from me.”

Paying her threat no mind, Jiang Ming gripped her chin again, savoring the texture of her soft porcelain skin. He had had his fun with countless daughters of noble families, but never one like Tang Qiu, whose doelike appearance belied her feisty temper. He allowed himself to contemplate what she would be like between the sheets. “Isn’t a life with me better than one in the kitchen, pretty thing? The work here gets all dirty and tiring, come with me, and I’ll–”

Without hesitation, Tang Qiu kneed him between the legs, cutting him off.

Jiang Ming let out a howl of pain, doubling over and staggering back. “How dare you…” he seethed. “I’ll kill you, you little slut!”

Tang Qiu whirled around and snatched up a knife lying on the chopping board, pointing it at Jiang Ming. Despite her small frame, in that moment, her ferocity was unmatched. “Try it. See if I don’t kill you first.”

Watching from upstairs, Uncle Wang thoughtlessly clenched his thighs together. Tang Qiu could clearly knee a man where it hurt with a vicious amount of force. “Young Master, look how wild this woman is. She incapacitated Jiang Ming just like that!”

Jiang Shaocheng was shocked that Tang Qiu was bold enough to attack his brother, but… “Get me downstairs.” If Jiang Ming had dared to lay a hand on his wife, he deserved whatever he got.

Uncle Wang raced to push him towards the elevator. Before Jiang Ming had even recovered from the attack to his groin, Tang Qiu was already advancing on him, pressing her knife to his throat. He nearly vomited blood right there and then.

In that instant, he heard the noise of a wheelchair approaching from behind him, and he knew it could be no one but his feeble wretch of an older brother. His pride would not let him display such weakness before that worthless creature, so he bit back the pain and straightened himself to his full height. “Your servant girl is out of hand, brother. She dared to raise a hand against me. You’d best teach her a lesson.”

At the sound of the wheelchair, Tang Qiu had put away her knife. When she heard Jiang Ming’s accusations, however, she hurled it down on the chopping board with a violent clatter. “I’m out of hand? Your hands were all over me within seconds of us meeting! I’d say you got off lightly, you sick bastard.”

“You…” Jiang Ming could scarcely believe the audacity of this servant girl.

“Come here.” Jiang Shaocheng beckoned to Tang Qiu, who hesitated before walking to his side. He looked at his brother with concern. “Where did she hurt you, brother? Are you alright?”

The question made Jiang Ming choke. How was he supposed to tell his brother that this tiny girl had kneed him in a man’s most… vulnerable area? Would he still have any dignity left to spare? “It’s nothing.” He forced himself to lie. “But the fact remains that she dared to attack me. You ought to put her in her place, brother. If it’s any trouble, I’ll gladly assist you.”

It was clear from Jiang Ming’s manner of speech that he held a certain disdain for his older brother. That must mean that there was little love between them both… Tang Qiu considered this for a moment. The stubborn set of her features suddenly melted into distress as she tugged on Jiang Shaocheng’s arm, her chin jutting out. “He started it, husband. He spoke to me like I was some kind of pet, offering to buy me expensive gifts, and even grabbed my chin with his filthy hands.”

Hearing Tang Qiu call him ‘dear’ in that soft, sweet voice of hers gave Jiang Shaocheng pause. He raised his hand in a gentle caress over her chin, as though to remove any imprints that Jiang Ming had left on her skin.

“I know.”

Jiang Ming’s eyes bulged out of his head when he heard her refer to his brother as her husband. “What did you say? How shameless can you get, woman? My brother is a married man!”

Jiang Shaocheng took Tang Qiu’s hand in his, and after a cough, he said in a hoarse voice, “Brother, she is my new wife.”

Jiang Ming was doubly taken aback. How could this be? When he had heard from his father that his brother was to be married, he had deliberately suggested the ugly, unruly Feng Lu for a bride.