The Substitute Bride -- CEO's Secret Darling Wife

Bai Geng smiled but said nothing.

The manager nodded and waved the two security guards out of the box, and they followed suit.

"Thank you." Emily bit her lip, deciding to show her gratitude to Bai Geng.

Bai Geng paused, slightly taken aback. Was "Luo Aiqun" actually speaking to him? Every time he visited the Lu family, she never even acknowledged his presence. She had always come across as reserved, almost like a gentle, docile lamb.

"Second sister, do you know him?" Luo Chenguang asked, stretching his shoulders, clearly unaware of the awkwardness between Emily and Bai Geng.

"Yeah," Emily nodded, her tone quieter than usual.

In truth, she didn't really know if they could be called "friends" in the first place.

Luo Chenguang raised an eyebrow. So, this is just some rich fool pretending to be a relative? He shrugged it off.

"You're welcome," Bai Geng said with a casual wave, turning to leave.

"Wait a minute..." Emily quickly took a few steps toward him, hesitant. She felt a sudden urgency to say something more.

"Is there something?" Bai Geng raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled as he turned back to face her.

"I will pay you back the 800,000... when I earn the money," Emily finally managed to say, the words feeling heavy in her mouth. The thought of ever being able to pay that amount seemed impossible.

Bai Geng simply nodded, not seeming to take it seriously.

"800,000, huh? Don't worry about it." He turned and left, dismissing the matter like it was nothing.

Emily stood there for a moment, stunned. Pay him back? She didn't have that kind of money, and she wasn't sure how she'd ever manage to get it. But Bai Geng didn't seem to care.

Luo Chenguang, still trying to process the whole situation, spoke up again, his confusion deepening. "Second sister, if you can't take out the 800,000, and you say your brother-in-law can't either... and your parents can't help, what's really going on?"

Emily sighed softly, looking down at her feet. It was hard to admit, but her family had fallen apart.

She finally decided to tell him everything—about the scam that ruined their family, about Alexander's betrayal, and the divorce. She told him the whole truth: how the company had collapsed, how their father was in a coma, and how her marriage had been a lie from the beginning.

Luo Chenguang froze, unable to process the words. He stood there, silent for what felt like an eternity, before muttering, "This can't be true, second sister. You're lying to me, right?"

But Emily's solemn expression told him otherwise.

"Chenguang, this is true. I'm not lying to you," she said quietly, hoping against hope that somehow it wasn't real.

The truth, however, was undeniable. Alexander had lied to the whole family, and now they were all left to pick up the pieces.

"I don't believe it!" Luo Chenguang snapped, his face reddening. "I'm going to ask my parents!"

Before Emily could stop him, he bolted out of the box and rushed toward the hospital.

"Chenguang—" Emily called after him, but she couldn't bring herself to run after him. Not with the baby inside her.

She let him go. Right now, she had to focus on earning money. She couldn't afford to worry about him.

Private Hospital

Alexander hadn't slept much the entire night. He had been by Dong Nianxue's side, watching over her as she struggled to wake up for the third time.

Bai Geng entered with breakfast and handed Alexander a Qingfeng bun. "Would you like something to eat?" he asked, settling down beside him.

Alexander glanced at the bun and, feeling exhausted and hungry, took it from him without much thought.

Bai Geng pulled up a chair and sat down, watching him closely. "By the way, guess who I saw at the Royal Nightclub this morning?"

"Who?" Alexander asked, still chewing the bun.

"Luo Aiqun. Your wife," Bai Geng said casually, taking a sip of his soy milk.

Alexander froze. He stopped chewing, suddenly losing his appetite. The words hung in the air like a bombshell.

"She and I are divorced," Alexander said flatly, as if saying the words made them somehow more real.

Bai Geng's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Huh? You're... you're serious?" His voice carried disbelief, and the soy milk in his mouth came to an abrupt stop.

Alexander didn't answer right away. He simply stared at Bai Geng, his gaze distant, as if trying to shut out everything that was happening.

"I'm not joking," he said after a long silence. "I'm serious. We're divorced."

Bai Geng blinked, still trying to process the news. "Why? What happened?"

Alexander didn't speak at first, his lips pressing into a thin line. Finally, he said, "She's not Luo Aiqun. She's Emily, Luo Aiqun's twin sister."

Bai Geng's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wait... what? Emily? You're telling me the woman you've been living with for the past two years isn't even the one you thought she was?"

It took a few moments for the words to sink in, but the reality hit him like a punch. "So, this means... you've been married to Emily, the substitute bride, all this time?"

Alexander nodded but didn't elaborate.

Bai Geng looked utterly bewildered. "But why? Why did you marry her in the first place?"

Alexander's eyes darkened. "Two years ago, Luo Aiqun ran away from her marriage. The Luo family asked Emily to impersonate her and marry me."

Bai Geng took a deep breath. "So that's how it was..." He finally understood. Luo Aiqun had run away, and Emily had stepped in to fill her place. But the deception was clear, and now Alexander was paying the price.

"Did she... cheat on you or something?" Bai Geng asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

Alexander didn't respond immediately. His attention shifted toward Dong Nianxue, still lying in the bed, unaware of the conversation.

Bai Geng glanced from Alexander to Dong Nianxue, then back to him. It was clear what had happened. The real reason for Alexander's divorce from Emily wasn't betrayal—it was because of Nianxue.

Bai Geng sighed, a small frown creasing his face. "I see," he murmured, his eyes lingering on Dong Nianxue. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for Emily. As the substitute bride, she had been discarded without a second thought, left to fend for herself with nothing—not even the 800,000 yuan to pay back her brother's debt.

People's Hospital

Luo Chenguang had been asking around the hospital, and finally, he found his father's ICU. As he stepped inside, he saw his mother sitting beside Father Luo's bed, her face etched with worry.

He hesitated at the door, still in shock, unable to take a step closer. Everything Emily had said started to make sense now. But the more he learned, the harder it was to accept.

"Chenguang? What are you doing here?" Luo's mother turned, startled to see her son standing there.

"Mom, is it true? Is everything Emily said true?" Luo Chenguang's voice was unsteady, his heart pounding. "Our company is gone... we're broke?"

Luo's mother frowned, clearly frustrated that Emily had told him everything.

"Is it true?" Luo Chenguang asked again, his voice rising in disbelief.

"Yes," Luo's mother replied quietly, unable to deny the harsh reality.

Luo Chenguang's face twisted with emotion as he turned and stormed out of the ICU.

"Chenguang, where are you going?" Luo's mother called after him, trying to stop him, but then she saw her husband stir. His eyes fluttered open.

"Old Luo, are you awake?" She rushed to his side, forgetting everything else for a moment. She quickly poured water and offered it to him, helping him take a sip.

Father Luo's voice was weak. "Where am I?" he asked, confusion clouding his eyes.

He was still disoriented from the car accident the day before. The last thing he remembered was stepping on the gas pedal, running through red lights, and crashing...