Series: The Substitute Bride: A Mute Boy Cherished by a Disabled Tycoon

The Li family’s car had already arrived. Just one door away, across the wide foyer, Su Fengxian was formally acknowledging an illegitimate child— and that child was Su Pu. Seated in the center of the sofa, Su Fengxian got straight to the point. He said that after watching him all these years, he believed Su…

“Xiao Chuan!” Uncle Wang hurried in, his tone half-scolding as he broke the awkward tension hanging in the bathroom. Su Pu’s vision went white for a moment. When he refocused, Li Jichuan was already wrapped tightly in a bath towel from shoulders to knees. “Mr. Su just moved in. The servants were busy unpacking his…

Though he had said he would wait for his husband, the moment he sank into bed, sleep washed over him like a tidal wave. Before he could struggle, he was pulled into a dark nightmare. Someone grabbed his hair and clamped his entire jaw with two fingers, forcing him to open his mouth. “Speak! Speak!…

After his mother’s passing, Su Pu’s entire life plunged into a never-ending nightmare. Beyond the recurring bad dreams each night, even when awake and quiet, he suffered from auditory hallucinations. Sometimes it was a woman’s piercing cries, sometimes harsh reprimands, sometimes the sound of water dripping from the roof onto the floor. Tick-tock, tick-tock… They…

So Li Jichuan knew from the start that it was Su Pu coming—and that he was mute. He had already prepared… That meant last night, when Li Jichuan saw him, he wasn’t completely disappointed… right? Su Pu blinked slowly, still in disbelief. So… it didn’t matter that he was mute? Could Li Jichuan really be…

Those deer-like eyes blinked at him, corners glistening with moisture, as if they could see straight through his soul. Li Jichuan had always hated being stared at—especially after the accident—but being looked at like this by Su Pu sparked an unbidden urge to tease. “What are you doing here?” he cleared his throat, finally speaking.…

This was the first time in his life that Su Pu stepped into the CEO’s office. And the owner of this vast office was his husband. Once inside, Li Jichuan gestured for Su Pu to place the coffee on the desk. Su Pu ran over to set it down, then hurriedly took the chance to…

It was peak afternoon-tea hour, the café buzzing with chatter. Su Hui sat with his arms crossed, frowning at him. “Why’d you take so long? You drag your feet too much…” Su Pu sat on the sofa opposite him, a low table separating them. Before he could ask anything, Su Hui tossed a bank card…

After Su Hui left, Su Pu stayed seated for a long while before he could finally calm the churning in his stomach. Lowering his eyes, the damned bank card came into view again. He really was terrified of being poor. When he was barely a teenager, he couldn’t pay a 300-yuan materials fee, and his…

The car traveled a while before merging into the evening rush-hour traffic. Li Jichuan had just finished replying to two emails on his phone when he finally couldn’t ignore the burning stare from the seat beside him. “Do you need something?” He couldn’t hold back anymore. A phone immediately slid into view—of course the little…

Li Jichuan had always been indifferent to desire. When his grandfather was still in decent health, the old man worried something might be wrong with him and even secretly had a famous doctor prepare an herbal tonic, which Uncle Wang coaxed him into drinking. Li Jichuan cooperated, and also proved—tonics were useless. He really just…

Li Jichuan and Su Pu rode in silence. Su Pu quietly observed Li Jichuan’s iron-blue expression. Strangely, he could sense that both Li Jichuan and his grandfather wanted to be closer to each other. But why is it that when the two of them were truly together, they kept pushing each other further away? At…

Dreams wove around him, both real and illusory. Familiar classroom buildings, the rooftop storage room balcony—Li Jichuan had just received a phone call. The voice on the other end was calm, matter-of-fact: “Xiaochuan, the house wasn’t secured. There’s nothing I can do.” Li Jichuan’s heart skipped a beat, then flared with anger. “But you promised…

By eight o’clock, the café staff were gradually arriving. Every time Su Pu opened the shop, there was hardly any fuss; all that was needed was for him to show up. The store was spotless and orderly. The little mute smiled quietly, doing all the tasks without complaint. Today, the morning shift manager was also…

The next day was Sunday. Even though he didn’t have to work, the little mute still got up on time to accompany Li Jichuan for rehabilitation. And Li Jichuan noticed that after only two sessions, Su Pu had already grown familiar with the two rehab therapists. The therapists instructed him on exercises while explaining to…

After autumn arrived, the nights grew much darker. By 7:30 p.m., the sky was half-black as Su Pu and Li Jichuan arrived at A University’s football field. Li Jichuan still felt a bit dazed and kept confirming with him, “You… really just wanted me to come here?” Su Pu nodded, pushing Li Jichuan’s wheelchair through…

The grilled cold noodles were delicious. Although Li Jichuan had no idea what they were called, since Su Pu fed them to him, he just opened his mouth and ate. As far as he could remember, no one had ever fed him like this before. Or maybe someone had, when he was very, very small—but…

“The prince’s kiss…” The girls standing nearby joked, teasing one another. Su Pu draped an arm across Li Jichuan, shielding the back of his head. A couple behind them kissed with such abandon they nearly stumbled toward Li Jichuan—but Su Pu was there to guard him. The girls quietly apologized, while the boy looped an…

Fortunately, Li Jichuan didn’t mind such things at all. He found it amusing instead, teasing Su Pu a few more times until the little mute turned completely red and twisted away, finally stopping. After making sure Su Pu’s stomach pain had eased, he turned off the bedside light, and the two of them fell asleep…

But that calm, peaceful feeling lasted only a few seconds. Afterward, the deafening DJ music, the overwhelming stench of smoke and alcohol, made Li Jichuan frown in annoyance. The music was so loud that speaking required yelling. Ouyang: “Mr. Li, I want to work at your company after graduation. You… you won’t look down on…