Gu Susu dragged her suitcase out of the Qin family mansion and arrived at the Ai family residence. No one noticed anything amiss, nor did anyone suspect her.
When asked, she would say the suitcase contained souvenirs that the Ai family had asked her to buy online as gifts for the bride's bridesmaids and relatives.
Qin Tianyi had even opened the suitcase and seen it filled with exquisitely packaged gift boxes, so he hadn't bothered to unpack them.
Arriving at the joyous Ai family residence early in the morning, Gu Susu took out a few genuine souvenirs from the suitcase and handed them to Ai Yiwei, who was trying on her wedding dress and getting her makeup done.
Ai Yiwei didn't even take them, instead instructing someone to place the gift boxes aside.
Gu Susu closed the suitcase and pushed it into a corner.
The bridesmaids and some relatives and friends Ai Yiwei had invited paid no attention to Gu Susu, all crowding around the bride.
Gu Susu couldn't have asked for anything more. She sat to the side, waiting for Qin Tianlang's party to arrive to pick up the bride.
As soon as the bride was picked up, she would immediately put her plan into action.
While Gu Susu sat alone, bored, she noticed Ai Yifeng standing at the doorway, gazing at Ai Yiwei, who was having her makeup done. His expression was terrifyingly unsettling.
Even Gu Susu felt a chill run down her spine. It was understandable for a brother to feel a bit sad at his sister's wedding.
But for the first time, she felt that Ai Yifeng's gaze at Ai Yiwei wasn't that of a brother towards his sister. It was more like… like someone reluctantly letting go of the person they loved to marry someone else.
She could suddenly understand Ai Yifeng's gaze because Qin Tianyi sometimes looked at her in the same way.
Thinking about it, she was shocked to realize that Ai Yifeng had feelings for Ai Yiwei that went beyond sibling affection. Recalling Ai Yifeng's past words and actions towards Ai Yiwei when she was at the Ai family, she gasped. Ai Yifeng and Ai Yiwei definitely had romantic feelings for each other.
As she had this astonishing realization and looked at Ai Yifeng, he was also looking at her. He beckoned her with a finger, "Come out, I need to ask you something."
Gu Susu hurriedly pointed to herself, confirming he was talking to her.
Ever since she had come to the Ai family, Ai Yifeng, as her brother, had never treated her like a sister and had disdained speaking to her.
When she first arrived at the Ai family, she was happy to know she had a biological brother. But every time she tried to talk to him, he would ignore her.
Now that he was actively asking her to come out and talk, she didn't know what he wanted to ask. But judging by his expression, if she didn't go out and talk to him, he would likely lose control immediately.
She had no choice but to get up and walk to the doorway. Ai Yifeng, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a corner of the Ai family's small garden before letting go.
Gu Susu rubbed her wrist where he had grabbed her, feeling the pain, and said, "Why did you drag me here? What do you want to ask me?"
"How can Yiwei be three or four months pregnant? Did you force her to marry Qin Tianlang?" Ai Yifeng asked, his face filled with anger.
"Why would I want her to marry Qin Tianlang, to be in the Qin family with me, and to continue harming me?" Gu Susu retorted without politeness.
Ai Yifeng said disbelievingly, "If you weren't causing trouble in between, how could this have happened?"
"She likes Qin Tianlang herself and insisted on marrying him. What could I do?" Gu Susu felt he was being completely unreasonable. "Qin Tianlang didn't want to marry her at all, so she found me to help her, and even threatened me..."
"No, that's impossible! The person she likes is me, me!" Ai Yifeng's emotions were indeed starting to spiral out of control. He grabbed Gu Susu's shoulders tightly and shook her.
Gu Susu felt dizzy from his shaking. She wondered if he had gone mad. They were siblings, so how could he think Ai Yiwei liked him?
"She's your sister. Her liking you is sibling affection, which is different from her feelings for Qin Tianlang!" she said loudly. "Are you crazy?"
Ai Yifeng stopped shaking her but still held her shoulders tightly, his ten fingers seeming to dig into her shoulder blades. He said, "She doesn't just like me as a sister likes a brother. She loves me, and we've long surpassed the brother-sister relationship. She gave me her purity..."
Gu Susu gasped in shock. So their relationship was this messy. "Ai Yifeng, what are you talking about? You and Yiwei… you two, right here in the Ai family… under our noses, surpassed the brother-sister relationship? But Yiwei never told me she loved you. Then the child in her belly…"
"That child might be mine?"
"Let go! You're hurting me!" Gu Susu broke free from him, unable to believe they had been so reckless under the eyes of so many people in the Ai family. "I don't know, but she had two DNA tests done on the fetus, and it was confirmed to be Qin Tianlang's."
After Ai Yifeng released Gu Susu, not knowing where to put his hands, he grabbed his hair and shook his head, saying, "Is this fate? She didn't conceive my child, but Qin Tianlang's!"
Gu Susu felt they were utterly chaotic and couldn't help but ask, "Do you know she's still dating Qin Tianlang at the same time? Ai Yifeng, you've been deceived by her. You're truly foolish!"
Ai Yifeng's eyes turned red as he looked at her and said, "Didn't you also say we're siblings? She always uses this excuse to prevent me from publicizing our relationship and to stop me from eloping with her!"
Gu Susu saw how deeply he was in love and, considering he was her brother, advised him, "You've been tricked by her. I don't know why she's with you, but the person she wants to marry is definitely not you. You can't give her what she wants."
"What does she want?" Ai Yifeng asked, confused.
Gu Susu didn't answer him. She was surprised that Ai Yifeng, who had grown up with Ai Yiwei, understood Ai Yiwei less than she did.
He didn't even know what Ai Yiwei wanted. Blinded by love, he was no different from a fool.
"Qin family's bridal procession will be here soon. We should go to Yiwei's side," Gu Susu said, knowing she couldn't make him see sense instantly. She wanted to turn and return to the crowded, lively area.
Ai Yifeng blocked her path, his eyes filled with despair, and pressed, "What does she want? Tell me, why can't I give it to her?"
Gu Susu retreated in a panic and said, "She wants… to be the young madam of the Qin family heir, to become the most prominent noble lady in Lancheng. With the Ai family's strength, they can't give her that, and you certainly can't."
After saying that, she turned and ran, wanting only to get away from Ai Yifeng, who was blinded by love.
She ran all the way back to the living room. Fortunately, Ai Yifeng didn't follow her.
The living room was already filled with Ai family relatives and friends. She thought about her own wedding day when the entire Ai family was deserted, and no groom came to pick her up. She had simply hired a makeup artist to dress her up and then went to the wedding venue herself.
Today, Ai Yiwei's wedding showed the importance the Ai family placed on it. Ai Shunan had personally decorated the Ai family villa, with red "囍" (double happiness) characters pasted everywhere and beautiful colorful lanterns hung, creating a festive atmosphere.
Gu Susu couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness. Even though she had long known she was the one not being valued, she still felt an indescribable sadness every time she found herself in such a situation.