The Substitute Bride: Indulged by the Obsessive CEO

Chapter 259: Who Are You Calling a Homewrecker?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Zhu Fan listened quietly to the Song Zhou and felt the provocation in every word he said. A cold glint flashed across his eyes as he said, “Is Mr. Song Ruan Qi’s ex?”

He was retaliating when he called Song Zhou her ex.

However, Song Zhou wasn’t even his ex.

“No, I’m pursuing her.”

“She’s my girlfriend, Mr. Song. And you are still pursuing her? That’s immoral!” Zhu Fan suppressed his anger, but his face was scarily dark.

“I’m simply reminding you that you have a competitor.” In contrast to Zhu Fan’s furious expression, Song Zhou was very calm.

“Oh, you want to be a homewrecker. Yet you speak so proudly. Mr. Song, you have really thick skin!”

Song Zhou then dropped a bombshell calmly, “Ruan Qi gave her first kiss to

Song Zhou’s words seemed to have triggered Zhu Fan. He wanted to throw the honey he was holding in Song Zhou’s face, but the honey spilled out from the container onto his hands. Zhu Fan immediately threw the whole container away in disgust.

He was a germaphobe, and he couldn’t stand dirty things.

“Mr. Song, are you suggesting that Ruan Qi is promiscuous and two-timing me, that 1 should dump here? Um, Ruan Qi chose me to be her boyfriend, which means that I’m more suitable for her.”

“More suitable,” Song Zhou sneered and continued, “Doesn’t mean more love. The two of you are only together based on a verbal agreement. You can break up any time.”

“Mr. Song, enough is enough. I’m in a relationship with her. Whether we break up or not is none of your business!”

Song Zhou didn’t say more. He had already warned Zhu Fan like he had planned. Arguing with him would just make him look petty.

Zhu Fan noticed that Song Zhou had stopped talking. If he continued to raise his voice, it would look like he had admitted defeat. A look of disgust flashed across his eyes as he turned to find Ruan Qi.

“Tsk, tsk, Song Zhou, you’re too brazen to snatch another person’s girlfriend.” Fang Han’s voice rang out behind Song Zhou.

Song Zhou was unperturbed as he replied, “I’m not snatching, just fighting for her. Ruan Qi doesn’t love that boy.”

“They’re a couple. You know quite a lot as an outsider, huh?” Fu Jin mocked.

He was with Fang Han.

Song Zhou glanced at Fu Jin and knew that he was unhappy with him and Jiang Jingchen because of Tang Beibei.

“A person who truly loves her would pay attention to the things she cares about and people she likes. Don’t you think so, Fu Jin?”

Fu Jin ignored him. He picked up the honey that Zhu Fan had dropped on the floor and threw it into the trash can. The way he looked at the trash can was identical to how he looked at Song Zhou.

“Mr. Song, please respect Ruan Qi’s decision.”

“Of course, I respect her decision. I also hope that she’s made the right one.”

“Are you that confident that you are better for Ruan Qi? Because 1 heard that you have a fiancee overseas!”

Song Zhou narrowed his eyes. Fu Jin had investigated him and even knew that he had a fiancee.

This wasn’t the kind of information people could get simply by searching the internet.

Who was Fu Jin and what kind of power was behind him?

“Fu Jin, you know quite a lot about me. I wonder what else you know about me.”

Fu Jin replied, “Don’t be so nervous. You guys investigated me, so I simply returned the favor. I didn’t find much information about you or Jiang Jingchen but your fiancee doesn’t have a good reputation in the industry. I found dirt about her with just a simple background check.”

Song Zhou’s fiancee was a C- or D-list singer overseas. She had acted in television dramas and movies before, but she was not very popular. However, she was involved in many scandals.

Song Zhou would never talk about his fiancee but he knew very well which rumors about her were true and which were false.

“Fu Jin, knowing all this won’t do you any good. Ruan Qi knows that 1 have a fiancee.”

“She’s not with you probably because she knows that you have a fiancee. Ruan Qi is my friend and a member of my dance studio. I don’t want her to get hurt. Mr. Song, please have some self-respect.”

Fu Jin’s comment about Ruan Qi not being with him really hurt Song Zhou. He secretly gritted his teeth and said, “This is Ruan Qi’s private matter. 1 believe she will handle it well. You don’t have to worry.”

“It’s best if she can handle it. I’m just afraid that someone will confuse her and deliberately lead her down the wrong path.”

“Alright, you two. This is Ruan Qi’s life. Why are you two men gossipier than a girl like me? Ruan Qi is an adult, so she knows why she made her decisions.” Fang Han saw the two of them quarreling and raising their voices, so she smiled and tried to ease the tension.

“Fu Jin, let’s go for a walk too. Leave Song Zhou alone to do his thing.”

Fang Han quickly pulled Fu Jin away, afraid that the two men might make a scene.

After a while, Tang Beibei came back to their picnic spot with a bucket of mantis shrimps, crabs, and clams.

Ruan Qi couldn’t wait to wash the mantis shrimps and cook them over the fire so she could taste them.

Zhu Fan stopped Ruan Qi, telling her not to eat the mantis shrimps and clams because they were full of parasites that couldn’t be removed simply by washing.

But Ruan Qi wasn’t too particular about that even when she was a medical student and understood these things. She wasn’t going to stuff herself with them anyway; she just wanted a taste.

She said with a smile, “Eating small amounts of these won’t make me sick. Don’t worry.”

Zhu Fan wanted to deter her, but Song Zhou said, “Get rid of the insides and pull out the heads. They are edible.”

He wouldn’t stop Ruan Qi from doing the things she wanted to do. He would think of ways to support her and help her achieve her goals.

He calmly deveined the mantis shrimps, put them on skewers and smeared a layer of oil on them. He then placed the skewers on the fire and sprinkled salt over the shrimps. He did everything with ease. It was obvious that he could take care of people.

Zhu Fan was left alone, feeling extremely awkward. His face was especially dark when he saw Ruan Qi eat the mantis shrimps.

Ruan Qi was only focused on food and did not care about the competition between the two men. When Song Zhou finished barbequing the shrimps and handed a few skewers to her, Ruan Qi’s eyes lit up in surprise.

“This is quite tasty. Song Zhou, you are a pretty good cook.”

“Glad to be of service.”

Tang Beibei also wanted to barbeque the shrimps. Jiang Jingchen wanted to help, but Tang Beibei pushed him away. He was not good at these things. Besides, there was soot on the grill, and she didn’t want him to get dirty. She told him that she would be fine on her own.

Jiang Jingchen felt helpless. He was indeed not very good at these things. Since she wanted to do it on her own, he did not interfere.

He took a plate of meat that Song Zhou had cooked earlier and sat down at the picnic table. He opened a few bottles of beer and handed one to Fang Han.

Fang Han thanked him but didn’t drink it. She passed the beer to Fu Jin instead.

But Fu Jin had already cracked open a bottle of beer himself and was eating barbequed meat while watching Tang Beibei and the others busy themselves.

It was quite windy by the man-made river, but eating barbecue, drinking beer and admiring the scenery in the distance was quite a pleasant experience.

People usually spoke more freely after a few beers. The group chatted about many things and avoided the minefield of relationships.

Tang Beibei saw Jiang Jingchen drinking beer and picked up a bottle and tasted it. She liked it and gave Ruan Qi a bottle too. The two girls toasted each other and finished a bottle of beer each.

They were not good drinkers and their faces turned bright red after just one beer.

Ruan Qi wanted to go to the toilet, so Tang Beibei went with her.

They used the bathroom at the hotel lobby. Ruan Qi patted her burning face as they washed their hands.

“Qiqi, are you drunk?”

“Possible. I have a low tolerance for alcohol but the barbequed meats were excellent today.”

Tang Beibei nodded with a smile. “Are you complimenting Song Zhou’s cooking?”

The two of them walked out of the bathroom and saw Song Zhou smoking not far away.

He put out his cigarette when he saw them and said to Tang Beibei, “I have something to say to Miss Ruan. Why don’t Young Madam go ahead first?” “Okay.” Tang Beibei glanced at Ruan Qi and left first.

Ruan Qi crossed her arms defensively as she said, “What do you have to say? Didn’t you make things very clear last time?”

Song Zhou walked up to her and stared silently at her for a long time.

Ruan Qi was a little irritated by his stare and took two steps back. “If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t play psychological games with me.”

“Miss Ruan, I like you..”