Substitute Bride: The Young Master's Ultimate Indulgence

Chapter 2: My Husband Has a Fierce Temper

Mo Qien was highly displeased by her intense stare. His eyes darkened, and his gaze alone was enough to force her to look away, compelling her to drop her direct scrutiny.

"Thank you both for saving me…" Shi Chu collected her thoughts and expressed her gratitude to Mo Qien. If he hadn't appeared in time, she dreaded to think what vile things might have happened.

Mo Qien glanced over Shi Chu, a slight frown creasing his brow. Strangely, an inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over him, feeling both distant and long-lost.

His gaze was fleeting. Seemingly unwilling to engage further, he turned to leave.

Shi Chu watched the coldly retreating figure with puzzlement. Was he mute? What a waste of such a devastatingly handsome, almost unnaturally beautiful face.

Watching his retreating back, a thought suddenly struck her. This man had single-handedly, without a word, frightened off a dozen thugs. He must be someone significant, someone influential. Could he possibly know my husband, the one I've never even met?

Thinking this, Shi Chu hurried forward and called out;

"Excuse me, please wait! Um… Could I ask for one more favor?"

Curious, Mo Qien turned back to look at her, one eyebrow slightly raised, his expression saying, "Go on, let's hear it."

"Ah… well… It's about what happened tonight. I sincerely hope you won't tell anyone about it," Shi Chu began, her gaze earnest. "My husband… he has a fierce temper. He's unreasonable, prone to violent rages, and his moods are unpredictable. If he finds out I went out so late at night, he'll literally skin me alive! Since you saved me, you surely wouldn't want me to face mortal danger again, right?" She looked at Mo Qien pleadingly, waiting for his agreement.

"Hmm." Mo Qien gave a cold, non-committal grunt and then turned to walk away without another word. He had merely intervened because he didn't tolerate disturbances in his territory. Anything beyond that was none of his concern.

"So he's not mute…" Shi Chu muttered under her breath as she watched his retreating figure. "Handsome, yes, but unfortunately, I already have a husband." She then turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

The thought of her so-called husband brought a wave of bitterness. Tonight was the second day of her marriage, yet she hadn't even laid eyes on her groom.

She was originally the eldest daughter of the Shi family, Capital City's premier literary and intellectual dynasty. But from the moment of her birth, she had been switched by Ning Shufang, the wife of the Shi family's driver.

Ning Shufang had replaced Shi Chu with her own daughter, who grew up as the cherished young lady of the Shi family.

By the time Shi Chu discovered the truth, Ning Shufang and that biological daughter had already successfully framed her, making her the Shi family's scapegoat, the woman the entire family now viewed as "ungrateful and repaying kindness with betrayal."

Ning Shufang had caused the death of Shi Chu's birth mother, Lady Jian Xi of the Shi family. Both Shi Chu and Jian Xi had the rare Rh-negative blood type.

In her mother's final moments, the entire Shi family waited for Shi Chu to return and donate blood. But on her way back, Shi Chu was knocked unconscious, causing her to miss the chance to save Jian Xi. By the time she woke up, a week had passed, and she hadn't even been able to see her own mother one last time.

In front of the whole Shi family, Ning Shufang falsely accused her of being off carousing with some man, thus delaying the life-saving treatment. This made the Shi family despise her, resent her, loathe and abhor her deeply.

Over the years, Shi Chu had grown accustomed to the various false accusations and slander Ning Shufang, who claimed to be her mother, heaped upon her. Now, she was looked down upon and scorned by the entire literary circle and even high society—all thanks to the "efforts" of her "wonderful mother," Ning Shufang. As a child, she had simply thought Ning Shufang favored boys over girls and disliked her for being a daughter, hence the constant beatings, scoldings, and lack of proper upbringing.

Only now did she realize it was all a deliberate scheme. Ning Shufang wanted her to be despised, scorned, and held in contempt by everyone. That way, even if the Shi family one day discovered the truth, Ning Shufang believed that a respectable family like the Shis would be unwilling to acknowledge Shi Chu as their own flesh and blood.

Soon after this realization, the Shi family faced a forced marriage proposal from Mo Qien.

Everyone in the Capital City knew Mo Qien by his notorious reputation—a man whose name was said to "make children stop crying at night."

His methods were ruthless, his nature arbitrary, cruel, and violent.

Rumors said Mo Qien "devoured people without spitting out the bones."

Rumors said the Mo family had a cellar full of venomous snakes specifically for dealing with those who defied him.

Rumors said Mo Qien's hands were stained with blood, and he reveled in brutality.

Rumors said Mo Qien knew nothing of loyalty or affection, only believing that those who opposed him must perish.

Rumors said Mo Qien believed violence was the fastest solution to any problem.

Faced with such a man, how could the Shi family bear to marry their precious daughter to him? In the end, it was Shi Chu who voluntarily offered to take the place of the bride. Her condition was to have her household registration officially transferred into the Shi family, under the identity of their long-lost daughter. She would not allow Ning Shufang and Shi Yun (the impostor daughter) to continue their evil deeds. She wanted to return to the Shi family, to protect it, to let her birth mother Jian Xi's soul rest in peace, even if it meant sacrificing her own marriage.

"Master Mo, are you returning to the residence tonight?" Under the night sky, Mo Qien and the man in black sat in a black Rolls-Royce. The man in black inquired respectfully.

Hearing this, Mo Qien frowned slightly, visibly annoyed. Instead of answering, he asked, "Any news?"

The man in black, Jin Yan, sighed. "Still nothing."

Mo Qien had been searching for a girl for over ten years. For more than a decade, not a single day passed without him looking for her. He had practically turned the world upside down, yet she remained elusive. Every night, his dreams were filled with her blurred image and the distinct heart-shaped scar on her right shoulder.

"Master Mo," Jin Yan ventured with concern, "now that you've married the Shi family girl, if we do find her, what if she minds this marriage?"

It was fortunate, at least, that there had been no wedding ceremony. They had simply fetched the girl directly from the Shi family. Aside from the Shi and Mo families, no one else knew.

"Consider this Shi girl a mere placeholder," Mo Qien replied, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a hint of sorrow. "The day we find her is the day this one disappears… Marrying her was only to fulfill my mother's dying wish. It was her one lifelong hope, after all."

That night, the stars shone brightly.

Shi Chu sneaked back into the Mo family villa—Yu Gardens—as quickly as possible.

She changed her clothes and rushed into the bathroom, hoping no one would discover she had been out.

After her shower, she stood before the dressing table mirror. The delicate face reflected back was already swollen and red. The portly man had really put his strength into that slap. Shi Chu frowned anxiously. What should I do?

It would definitely be noticed at breakfast tomorrow morning. She couldn't very well claim she'd been slapping herself for fun in her room, could she?

And it was on her face, making it hard to pass off as an accidental bump. Annoyed, Shi Chu pursed her lips. She thought about going out to find some foundation to see if it could cover the mark, only to realize she had been in such a hurry that she hadn't brought her pajamas in with her.

"Probably no one else comes in here besides Mo Qien, right? And Mo Qien isn't back anyway…"

Thinking this, Shi Chu simply wrapped a small towel around herself—barely covering anything—and opened the door to go out, mentally praying that no one would come in at this moment…

But just as she stepped out of the bathroom and was nearing the bed, she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Shi Chu's heart nearly stopped. Panicked, she hurried towards the bed, intending to pull the covers over herself…

"Ah…!"

It was too late. A man walked in. His eyes met Shi Chu's in this incredibly awkward situation. Shi Chu's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, not daring to look.

"Who are you? You are not the Shi family's daughter…" Mo Qien saw clearly that the woman before him was not Shi Yun. Instantly, fury at being deceived surged within him. He strode purposefully towards Shi Chu.

Hearing this, Shi Chu's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't let the Shi family fall into danger! In her panic, she opened her eyes. "I am the genuine daughter of Shi Yizhou! Would you like a blood test to prove kinship?" After all, she was the real daughter of Shi Yizhou; she wasn't afraid of a paternity test.

But the moment she opened her eyes, her heart skipped several beats. The man standing before her was none other than the handsome hero who had saved her from the portly thug's clutches just hours before!

Could he be… Mo Qien? Oh no, no, no… She had said to his face that her husband was "irritable, unreasonable, prone to violent rages, and unpredictable"…

Shi Chu felt as if heaven was deliberately toying with her. A profound sense of helplessness washed over her.