The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

Chapter 84: You Want to Kill Me?

“Qiu!” Jiang Shaocheng’s expression changed, and he rushed over without hesitation.

When Tang Qiu woke up again, it was in an unfamiliar environment. She sat up in fear. The sudden movement sent a jolt of pain through her arm, and she cried out.

“Did you have a nightmare, Qiu?”

Tang Qiu looked up blankly at the familiar voice and saw Jiang Shaocheng sitting in a wheelchair. Emotions flooded her: surprise, joy, anger, and heartbreak.

“What’s wrong, Qiu?” Jiang Shaocheng saw that her eyes were red and his heart ached. He pushed his wheelchair closer to the bed. “Are you in pain?”

“W-Why am I here? Where am I? I left just now. I didn’t mean to come back and bother you…” Tang Qiu explained herself before he could interrogate her further. She truly didn’t have the strength to listen to his cruel words anymore. She had been so dizzy, she couldn’t walk anymore, so she had found a bench to sit on for a while… and ended up fainting.

“We’re at the hospital. Your wound is infected. You have a fever.” Jiang Shaocheng placed his hand on her forehead, which was still a little warmer than usual. He wanted to kiss her forehead, but Tang Qiu flinched back. Regret twisted in his heart for not controlling his emotions earlier.

“Qiu, I’m sorry…”

Tang Qiu looked at him in a daze. “It’s okay. I want to go back home. If you want a divorce when we return, I won’t stop you.”

“I told you, only death can do us part.” Jiang Shaocheng’s tone became heavier. Even in his rage, he had never once thought of getting a divorce.

Tang Qiu looked at him in disbelief. “So you want to kill me? You can’t ignore the law, even if we’re overseas! I was worried about you and wanted to surprise you, that’s all. I can understand if you told me to get lost. And I did–it’s you who brought me back. What right do you have to want me dead?”

Jiang Shaocheng suddenly felt helpless. How could he ever have believed that Tang Qiu would elope with someone else, when even now, all she could think of was him? “I meant that I won’t divorce you. I didn’t get my facts right. I misunderstood you. I was angry, so I spoke without thinking. You…” He stopped himself, seeing that Tang Qiu was enraged enough to pick up the lamp beside her and hurl it at him. He put his arm around her, kissed her lips, and patted her back to comfort her.

“Let me go…” This time, Tang Qiu wasn’t shy–she was furious. He couldn’t win her back with words, so he was forcing a kiss onto her? Was that any way to apologize?

Right then, the doctor came in to take Tang Qiu’s temperature, and they broke apart. Tang Qiu turned her head away from him, but she still cooperated with the doctor’s treatment; she still needed medicine, even if her fever wasn’t as high as before. The kiss he had forcefully planted on her had changed the atmosphere between them. After the doctor left, Jiang Shaocheng continued to apologize. In Tang Qiu’s mind, misunderstandings were normal.

But she didn’t know just how shocked people would be if they saw Jiang Shaocheng like this–a domineering, paranoid man, swallowing his pride to apologize in humility.

In the evening, Jiang Shaocheng fed her dinner. Only then did she feel a little more energetic and stop looking for a weapon to defend herself with. “You’re ill. Stop paying so much attention to me.” Although she was still angry from today’s events, she hadn’t forgotten that Jiang Shaocheng had come to N Country for treatment.

Jiang Shaocheng–who was faking his illness–chuckled. “It’s my responsibility to take care of you. I wronged you earlier. Let me make it up to you. Otherwise, I’ll feel terrible and won’t be able to recover from my illness…” He couldn’t get more shameless in coaxing his wife, even if he tried.

“But is your condition better? I heard from Doctor Ke that you came here for treatment. I wanted to give you a surprise. After getting off the plane, for some reason, I didn’t receive the address she said she would send me. I couldn’t get through to your phone either. I could only look for you at different hospitals. I didn’t expect someone to steal my bag…” The past two days had been a momentous catastrophe of one misfortune after the other.

“Ke Liuyi said I was in N Country? And she told you she would tell you where to go after you reached…” Jiang Shaocheng narrowed his eyes, but his expression didn’t change. “I’ll get your identification and wallet back for you. My condition is nothing to worry about; I was just here for a checkup.”

“Yes, Doctor Ke told me. You suddenly disappeared, so I could only find out which country you were in from her. I was in too much of a hurry… she said that I should contact her when I reached…” Changing the subject, she asked, “How was your checkup?”

“It went well. Not only will my legs recover soon, but… I can also have a baby with you.”

“That’s good!” Naturally, Tang Qiu was happy for him.

Jiang Shaocheng’s lips curved up. “Are you referring to my legs recovering, or the baby?”

Tang Qiu fell silent for a few seconds and blushed. She avoided his gaze as she replied, “All of it.”

Jiang Shaocheng looked at her cute, doll-like appearance and couldn’t resist leaning in for another kiss. Tang Qiu quickly covered his mouth. “Again? I don’t want to kiss you for the next few days…”