Substitute Bride to the Crippled Billionaire

Chapter 170: Chapter 170 Preferences

Under Su Qingnuan’s expectant gaze, Fu Yihan finally picked up his chopsticks.

His movements were slow. From picking up the chopsticks to taking the first bite, Su Qingnuan watched nervously, afraid that if she looked away for even a second, he might just throw the pork rib aside.

Slowly and methodically, he took a bite before setting the chopsticks down.

"It’s alright."

"Alright" was already a decent evaluation. Su Qingnuan let out a sigh of relief.

"Then try this." Su Qingnuan added a piece of shredded meat to Fu Yihan’s bowl. "I think this tastes really good."

It was cooked with baby ginger, carrying a rich fragrance, the kind Su Qingnuan particularly liked.

Fu Yihan glanced at the shredded meat, then looked across at Su Qingnuan.

Those clear eyes were currently filled with anticipation, shining brightly.

Fu Yihan’s lips curled slightly as he picked up his chopsticks again.

Under Su Qingnuan’s attentive service, Fu Yihan finally finished the bowl of rice.

After the meal, Su Qingnuan pushed Fu Yihan into the elevator. As she reached out to press a button, she suddenly heard the man behind her say, "Not the parking garage."

"Huh?" Su Qingnuan turned her head in confusion. "Not the parking garage?"

"Mm, let’s walk around upstairs."

"...Alright."

Su Qingnuan casually pressed a floor button. When the elevator stopped, she pushed Fu Yihan out.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Fu Yihan attracted plenty of sidelong glances as they moved along.

Unbothered by the attention, Fu Yihan sat upright, as if he were at a formal meeting.

Seeing his serious expression, Su Qingnuan frowned slightly.

From her recent observations, if Fu Yihan kept up that expression, a bad mood was likely on the horizon.

Her eyes caught sight of an arcade, and Su Qingnuan stopped, smiling. "Mr. Fu, do you know how to win a stuffed toy?"

"Win a stuffed toy?" Fu Yihan looked at her, puzzled.

Su Qingnuan smiled mischievously and pushed Fu Yihan toward the arcade.

Outside the arcade, the lobby was filled with claw machines, while the interior housed various other game activities.

The noisy hum of machines, mixed with the chatter of children, filled the air.

They stopped in front of a claw machine. Su Qingnuan said excitedly, "This one!"

Fu Yihan gave it a dismissive look. "Childish."

"..."

The person behind her stayed silent, causing Fu Yihan to turn his head.

What he saw was Su Qingnuan standing there, her cheeks flushed, looking rather embarrassed.

Whether it was the dim lighting here or her lowered eyebrows and hesitant demeanor, Fu Yihan found himself unable to say no.

Retracting his gaze, Fu Yihan let out a cold hum. "How does this work?"

Su Qingnuan froze briefly, then was overjoyed. Smiling, she immediately said, "I’ll go ask."

"Ask?" Fu Yihan frowned. "You haven’t played it before?"

Su Qingnuan lowered her head sheepishly. "I wasn’t in great health as a kid, so I rarely got the chance to play these kinds of things."

There was some truth and some embellishment in her words, but Fu Yihan didn’t entirely believe her.

Not until he saw her clumsily exchange game tokens and then bewilderedly search for the coin slot did he finally believe her.

"Mr. Fu, here, you try." Su Qingnuan made space for him, her eyes fixed on him with excitement.

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow and moved his hand to the joystick.

He aligned the claw, then pressed the button.

The claw slowly descended and picked up a stuffed toy, but as it approached the drop chute, it suddenly shook, and the toy fell.

"Ah..." Su Qingnuan sighed in disappointment. "So close."

"Again," Fu Yihan said.

Su Qingnuan inserted two more coins.

But every time, the result was the same. Just before success, the claw would suddenly shake.

Watching as one hundred yuan worth of tokens disappeared, Su Qingnuan said helplessly, "Should we... try something else?"

"No," Fu Yihan said through gritted teeth. "Keep going."

"..."

Knowing Fu Yihan’s stubborn nature, Su Qingnuan refrained from further persuasion. She exchanged another two hundred yuan for tokens, and the two of them continued their battle with the claw machine.

Their relentless token-feeding caught the attention of onlookers, drawing a growing crowd.

Observing their actions, many spectators looked at them as if they were hopelessly extravagant fools.

As the crowd grew larger, Su Qingnuan bent down and whispered, "Mr. Fu, maybe we should play something else?"

Fu Yihan ignored her, his eyes fixed on the claw.

This claw had clearly been tampered with. A slight movement would cause the prize to drop.

"Again," Fu Yihan commanded.

With a sigh, Su Qingnuan bent down to insert more tokens.

This time, with the tokens in place, Fu Yihan gripped the joystick firmly, his eyes unwavering.

The claw successfully latched onto a toy, lifted it, and then...

"Bang—"

Su Qingnuan froze, staring at Fu Yihan in astonishment.

A moment earlier, he had suddenly shoved the machine with great force, creating a loud noise.

"Mr. Fu?" Su Qingnuan cautiously asked, "This is a public place. What are you doing?"

Fu Yihan cast her a sidelong glance, looking quite smug as he gazed at the machine.

Noticing his pleased yet silent expression, Su Qingnuan curiously followed his gaze.

There, in the machine’s prize chute, lay a stuffed toy, quietly resting.

"It came out?" Su Qingnuan exclaimed in surprise.

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow. "If it cheats, I have my ways to deal with it."

Picking up the toy, Su Qingnuan excitedly said, "Mr. Fu, you’re amazing!"

She’d never tried to win from a claw machine, but judging by Fu Yihan’s attempts, it was clear how difficult it was to win.

To succeed even once was quite an achievement.

Watching her hold the toy with a delighted expression, Fu Yihan’s lips curled slightly. "We got the toy, let’s go."

"Alright."

Su Qingnuan placed the toy on Fu Yihan’s lap and began pushing his wheelchair out. noveldrama

Lowering his gaze, Fu Yihan looked at the toy resting on his lap, lost in thought.

Beyond the claw machine, Su Qingnuan suggested trying darts with Fu Yihan.

However, Fu Yihan sternly declined.

Handing the stuffed toy to Su Qingnuan, Fu Yihan used his crutch and got into the car.

On the way back, Su Qingnuan kept playing with the toy, her face lit with joy, unable to put it down.

Seeing her so invested in the toy, Fu Yihan chuckled softly. "Did your family never buy you stuffed toys?"

"..." Su Qingnuan toned down her smile, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "No, it’s just my first time winning a toy like this. I’m surprised..."

More than surprised, she was genuinely happy.

She’d never used a claw machine, nor had she ever managed to win anything from one. This kind of joy wasn’t something easily explained—just pure, simple happiness.

Retracting his gaze, Fu Yihan smiled faintly. "If you like it, we can win more next time."

"Next time?" Su Qingnuan opened her eyes wide in surprise, looking at Fu Yihan.

Fu Yihan raised an eyebrow, giving her a knowing, faintly amused look.

His eyes, usually calm like an ancient, unruffled pool, now stirred with ripples.

Su Qingnuan froze for a moment.

Seeing her staring at him absentmindedly, Fu Yihan averted his gaze, lowering his head with a composed expression.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Su Qingnuan snapped back to reality and quickly said, "No...nothing."