The Substitute Bride and the Cripple - Chapter 79
Chapter 79: I’m Looking For My Husband
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Senior, why are you here?”
Ning Mufan’s skin was ashen, and he looked haggard. When he heard Tang Qiu’s voice, he thought it was an illusion… until he looked up and saw her walking towards him, illuminated by the light, a bright smile on her face.
“Qiu…” Ning Mufan was about to ask her why she was here, but he saw blood on her sleeve and quickly walked up to her. “You’re injured. I’ll take you to treat your wound.”
Tang Qiu looked down at the wound on her arm. It had already scabbed over, but when she raised her arm, it still hurt a little. She turned to say goodbye to Duan Qingman, who smiled and said, “Her husband is really young and handsome…”
“He’s not…” Tang Qiu wanted to explain, but Duan Qingman had already turned around and left.
When Ning Mufan heard that she had mistaken him for Tang Qiu’s husband, he was delighted. Qiu must have feelings for him. Otherwise, why would she chase after him with an aggrieved heart, even getting herself injured in the process?
“My wound isn’t serious.” Tang Qiu was a medical student; she knew her injury was nothing to fret over. “I’m looking for my husband.”
“Your husband…” Ning Mufan almost asked if he was the husband her heart yearned for. He smiled and looked at her tenderly. He had been beaten by his grandfather for his disobedience and had injured his back, so he was here to see a doctor. So he was the husband she was referring to. “Haven’t you already found him?”
“No. I searched several hospitals last night, all to no avail.” Tang Qiu felt a lingering trace of fear when she thought of what had happened last night.
Ning Mufan felt his heart ache with regret at her troubled tone. He had gone home to his mansion to rest last night, and only came down to see a doctor today. If he had arrived earlier, he might have bumped into her and saved her all that trouble. “It’s been hard on you, Qiu. I’ll take you to rest after you’ve treated your wound.”
“No thank you, Senior. I want to find my husband first.” Tang Qiu went to the front desk to ask if there was a patient named Jiang Shaocheng.
When Ning Mufan heard her utter Jiang Shaocheng’s name, he looked at her with heartache. So she had only come to look for that cripple Jiang Shaocheng. He nearly turned around and left, but when he saw her face etched with worry, complete with her injured arm, his heart softened. “I’ll help you look for him, Qiu.”
The two of them looked around and checked the hospital records, but they found no trace of Jiang Shaocheng.
Ning Mufan comforted her with the suggestion that her husband wasn’t in this hospital. He would take her to treat her wound and then go to his place to rest for a while. Otherwise, even if she found her husband, she would be in no position to take care of him if she was unwell herself.
Tang Qiu felt depressed, but there was nothing else she could do. Her wound needed treating, and she was frightened, not to mention nursing a cold and a growing fever. She couldn’t persist in a futile search that yielded no signs of her husband.
Ning Mufan had her lean on him. “Let’s go to my villa, Qiu. You’re not in a good state now. If anything happens to you, at least I’ll be around to help you.”
Tang Qiu didn’t have any identification on her, nor her wallet and phone. She didn’t have the means to stay in a hotel, so she could only nod in acquiescence. When they arrived at the Ning family mansion, Tang Qiu took a shower, changed her clothes, and ate lunch. Her head was dizzy, making her uncomfortable. She lay on the sofa for a short rest.
“Don’t sleep here, Qiu. I’ll help you to the bedroom.”
With effort, Tang Qiu sat up and tugged at his arm. “It’s a good thing I met you, Senior. Otherwise, I would be at my wit’s end. Last time when we met in the library–I… I was too impulsive. I’m sorry…” No matter the circumstances, she shouldn’t have hit him.
Ning Mufan chuckled. “It must be fate that we met. Let’s go. You need to rest. It’s all in the past–I was wrong, anyway, acting so rashly and scaring you.”
He covered her with a blanket and murmured softly, “Sleep well. I’ll be right here. Don’t be afraid.”
Tang Qiu was a little embarrassed. “Sorry to trouble you. Senior. Please, don’t let me keep you from your work. I sleep quite soundly.”
Ning Mufan wanted to stay by her side, but he couldn’t tell her that. He nodded. “I’ll leave when you’re asleep.”
Tang Qiu closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.
Ning Mufan knelt by the bed and watched her sleep peacefully. He smiled and wished that time would stop so he could savor this moment. He reached out to caress her forehead…
And was interrupted by a loud bang on the door downstairs.