The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

Chapter 104: His ‘Illness’ Should Be Cured

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Now that Madam Tang knew that Tang Linxi was still fine, she felt even more hatred and panic. If this jinx wasn’t dead, why didn’t she come to find her? Was she waiting to take revenge on her? On her son?

In contrast to Madam Tang’s hysteria, Tang Qiu was quiet–so much so that Jiang Shaocheng was afraid.

“Qiu, are you okay?” Jiang Shaocheng didn’t know how to comfort her. He just held her in his arms and said solemnly, “You still have me. I’ll always protect you from harm.”

However, he hadn’t expected this matter to unravel all at once.

“My mother is alive…? Is she okay? I…” Tang Qiu wanted to see her, but how? She had believed she was born out of wedlock, but it turned out to be a tragic lie. Would her mother want to see her? If she did, she wouldn’t have avoided Tang Qiu for years, right?

“She… seems to have lost her memory! The private investigator found out that when you were five years old, she was chased by Feng Guo’an’s wife and fell into the sea. She was a foreigner from M Country who was out adventuring at sea… When she woke up, she had lost her memory. Now she’s living a good life. She married the man who saved her and had a child with him…” Jiang Shaocheng was at a loss for words. Tang Qiu had a knot in her heart about her mother; after so many years, she still couldn’t face her. And now her mother had a separate life of her own.

However, it wasn’t Tang Linxi’s fault. The first half of her life had been miserable. She should have had a better life, but her biological mother had ruined it. Now, her suffering was finally over.

But what about Tang Qiu? How could she leave in peace? She was separated from her biological mother, and mistreated by others…

Both their lives, as mother and daughter, had truly been…

Tang Qiu was silent for so long that Jiang Shaocheng thought she couldn’t accept the truth. Finally she spoke up, sounding forlorn. “Is there a photo of her now? Can I see it?”

Jiang Shaocheng looked at her and showed her the tablet. It was a photo sent back by the private detective.

The woman in the photo looked to be in her early thirties, well-maintained, with gentle eyes and an elegant demeanor. Even without asking, he could tell she’d been living a decent life for the past few years. Standing beside her was a little blond mixed-race boy who looked about five or six…

“She’s doing well.” Tang Qiu looked at the photo, expression torn. She wanted to reach out and touch the woman’s face in the photo, but she retracted her hand, as if afraid to disturb her. She hadn’t forgotten the nature of her birth; she must be a blemish on her mother’s life.

“Qiu, I already know her address. I’ll book a plane ticket now. We’ll go to M Country to find her immediately! Don’t be sad… If you’re afraid of causing your mother any pain or trouble, we can go look for her discreetly.” Jiang Shaocheng didn’t know how to comfort her. In his opinion, no one was more important than Tang Qiu. If Tang Linxi’s husband proved too stubborn, he had his ways–and he wouldn’t let off anyone who made Tang Qiu suffer.

Tang Qiu shook her head. She put down the tablet and hugged Jiang Shaocheng, causing him to fall silent. “Let’s go home. I’m tired. I want to sleep for a while.”

Instead of speaking, Jiang Shaocheng hugged her tightly. His heart ached for Tang Qiu. “Qiu, you’re my wife and my family. You’re the most important person in the world to me. No one can compare to you.”

He didn’t know what else to say. It didn’t matter what he told her, and neither did her past. He just wanted her.

But sometimes physical comfort meant more than words.

After some trouble, Tang Qiu managed to be excused from school for the next few days, which she rarely allowed herself to do. Jiang Shaocheng wanted to bring his wife out to relax, so the two of them went to M Country!

Of course, Jiang Shaocheng had other motives too: He was about to tie up all loose ends with his family! If he stayed in the country, he was worried that Tang Qiu would be implicated. After all, if he succeeded, the Jiang family would lose everything and be driven to desperation. Jiang Shaocheng did not want Tang Qiu to see his cruel side. When Tang Qiu returned to the country, she would only see the news of the Jiang family’s bankruptcy.

Plus, it was time he recovered from his ‘illness’.

“Qiu, do you want to feed the seagulls like them?” Jiang Shaocheng looked at Tang Qiu, sitting on the bench facing the sea. The people around him were holding small pieces of bread and waiting for the seagulls to come. Although he didn’t find it interesting, he couldn’t help but make a suggestion when he saw Tang Qiu’s depressed expression.

“I…” Tang Qiu was about to say no when a small rubber ball rolled by her feet. She looked up and saw a little blond boy looking at her shyly.