The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

Chapter 44: All Men Require Persuasion

“He’s changed.” Jiang Hanchen was appalled that his son would defy him so blatantly. “He’s never dared to disrespect me like this before…”

The butler remained silent. His master had already all but sided with his younger son by demanding that the Young Master get a divorce. It wasn’t his place to comment, but it seemed a bit much–how easy did they think it would be to find a woman willing to be Jiang Shaocheng’s wife, scarred and crippled as he was? He stole a resigned glance at Jiang Ming. It wasn’t unusual for rivalry to exist between brothers in wealthy families, but Jiang Ming’s vendetta against his elder brother–who was already in a pitiful state–went beyond petty spite, bordering on malice.

Jiang Hanchen ordered, “Cut off all his finances!”

Delight shot through Jiang Ming. His older brother had made a habit of throwing his weight around in the past.?What are you going to do now, cripple?

?he thought, taking care to conceal his pleasure. He weighed his words before speaking.

“Are you sure, Dad? How will he live, without us to support him?”

“He only has himself to blame. Do you know how much money I spent on him, trying to find the best doctors? And still, the ungrateful wretch insists upon defying me–for a woman, of all things. No–he’s gone too far. He can fend for himself from now on… unless he comes back and begs for forgiveness!” In Jiang Hanchen’s mind, his son was in the wrong–as a cripple, he ought to be more discerning, especially since that woman Tang Qiu was clearly making use of him. The longer he dwelled on his son’s softheartedness, the more it incensed him.

“Find someone to keep an eye on that woman,” he ordered the butler. “And have them deal with her, if she continues to act like a whore when her husband isn’t watching.”

“Right away, master.” Jiang Hanchen’s voice had lost some of its edge, a fact that didn’t escape the butler’s attention. Just as he expected, his master wouldn’t truly leave his son in the lurch–especially since the accident wasn’t Jiang Shaocheng’s fault to begin with…

When the butler had left, Jiang Hanchen regarded his younger son with contempt. “This is all your fault,” he said coldly. “Whether or not you chose that woman, it was your actions that brought this on us. You ought to reflect upon yourself. If you can’t even get this small thing done right, how can you be capable of handling more important matters in the future?”

The sudden admonishment caught Jiang Ming unawares. He dropped his chin, muttering an apology.

“Next time, stay out of your brother’s affairs. If you persist with your incompetence in the company, even I won’t be able to convince the board of directors to keep you around.”

Jiang Hanchen’s tone left no room for argument. It was such a shame–his eldest son was talented, but crippled, and his second son Jiang Ming was too dimwitted to amount to anything other than a failure, despite having all his limbs intact. His only remaining hope was his fourth son, who was currently studying abroad: Jiang Xianchi.

Outside the mansion, Tang Qiu dared to glance at her husband. His face was a stone mask; cold and hard. When she tried to speak, he said, “We’ll talk about this at home.”

Tang Qiu’s breath caught. The ice in his voice was a block in her chest the entire ride back, bleeding into cold, creeping anxiety. When they disembarked from the car, she moved to push his wheelchair, but he didn’t wait for her to help him.

Tang Qiu let her hand drop. Her husband was angry–truly angry with her. Even He Lei couldn’t resist uttering a prayer on her behalf. When he saw her standing there foolishly, however, he knew he couldn’t just abandon her to his young master’s wrath. “Tell him what happened, Young Mistress,” he advised softly. “Explain everything clearly, and hide nothing from him.”

“I told you, I never–”

“I know, but it’s the young master you need to convince, not me.” He Lei took in a deep breath. “Think about it this way: if you found out that another woman was calling your husband her boyfriend–no matter the reason–how would you feel?”

Tang Qiu let his words take root in her imagination. “Not… good, I guess,” she admitted.

“Exactly. So you understand why the young master is angry. Remember to communicate with him properly. All men require a little… persuasion.” He ended his sentence with a wink.

“Persuasion?” Tang Qiu frowned.

The awkwardness of the moment wasn’t lost on He Lei, but he gestured to his lips, pantomiming a kiss. “Isn’t that how you used to do it? It’s the same thing, just with a little more enthusiasm. Use your tongue, then remove his clothes…”

“Remove… his…?” Heat rushed to Tang Qiu’s face, and she opened her mouth to stop him from taking things any further.

“What are you both talking about?”