"She wasn't lying about that. I'll apply for the pediatric leukemia charity fund for the child, so stop worrying yourself sick. And don't trust strangers so easily again. You went all the way to an abandoned factory with someone you barely know. Do you have any sense of self-preservation at all?" Qin Tianyi questioned her with anger.
Gu Susu listened as Qin Tianyi spoke about how he would even figure out the treatment costs for the child with leukemia. She felt a great sense of relief, realizing that Qin Tianyi wasn't as cold and heartless as he appeared on the surface.
Her head nodded incessantly, like a pecking bird. "No, I won't. I promise this won't happen again. I'll protect myself."
"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. You rest, I have other matters to attend to." With that, Qin Tianyi resolutely got up and left the room.
They had been in the same room, talking for a long time, but he hadn't touched her again. The way he looked at her was also different from before. It seemed he was truly no longer interested in her.
For some reason, she vaguely felt that he found her dirty.
During the month she had lived with him, Gu Susu had discovered that he was a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder regarding cleanliness. Everywhere he stayed, everything he used, he liked it to be spotless and pristine.
Even a speck of dust would make him discard something as if it were trash. Let alone a woman like her, who was no longer pure. He was merely experiencing a fleeting novelty, and once that wore off, there would be nothing left.
She felt this was for the best, allowing them to live together with mutual respect.
Gu Susu's thoughts wandered. In the unfamiliar environment, on the unfamiliar bed, she couldn't sleep. She got up and walked to the window of the room, looking out. In the darkness, she saw a lighthouse standing by the sea, the vast dark ocean indistinct, the sound of the waves clearly audible. This house was truly close to the sea.
However, building houses by the sea in Lan City required special approval. This was because Lan City's coastline, with its rolling waves and undulating mountains, had already been designated as a natural cultural heritage landscape. Private houses could not be built casually along this coastline.
For the Qin family to own a villa by the sea, it meant they truly had immense influence in Lan City.
The sea in the night looked like a raging monster. Staring at it for too long made one feel afraid. She closed the window. Just as she was about to lie back down on the bed, she felt hungry and wanted to find something to eat. However, after searching the entire room, she couldn't find any snacks or anything edible.
She gently pushed open the door, wanting to find something to eat in the villa. Stepping out of the room, she found herself in the living room, with only the wall lamps lit.
As for where the main light switch was, or where the kitchen was, she had no idea. She could only follow the wall of the living room to look for the main light switch.
But her hands fumbled along the wall for a long time without finding anything. She really wanted to call out to Qin Tianyi, to ask him to help her find something to eat.
But then she thought that if she called Qin Tianyi out like this, he would surely have a bad expression on his face. She decided to find it herself.
Distracted for a moment, as she walked forward, she bumped into something hard and felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She reached out to touch it and realized it must be a narrow table.
She was wondering why this table was placed against the wall. Could it be the shoe cabinet by the entrance? She continued to feel around, and suddenly, all the main lights in the living room flickered on.
She looked up and saw a woman's portrait hanging above the table where she was standing, which sent a shiver down her spine.
Upon suddenly seeing the woman in the portrait, she paused for a moment, then felt a strange sense of familiarity. The woman in the photo had a gentle smile, and one could feel her tenderness and grace just from the picture.
Looking closer, she realized the woman in the portrait bore some resemblance to Qin Tianyi, and she already knew who it was.
"Young Madam, is there anything you need in the living room?"
Hearing the voice, Gu Susu noticed an elderly woman standing in the corner of the living room, speaking to her. The main light switch was also on the wall in the corner.
Gu Susu placed her hands on her stomach and said sheepishly, "I... I'm just a little hungry."
Chen Ma smiled and said, "Come with me to the kitchen. The young master had already instructed me to prepare some supper, just in case the young madam needed anything."
Gu Susu felt her rumbling stomach was saved and quickly followed Chen Ma to the kitchen.
Chen Ma laid out the still-warm almond porridge and some pastries, asking, "Is this enough?"
"It's enough, it's enough." Gu Susu picked up a pastry and popped it into her mouth. As she swallowed, she found it incredibly delicious. But seeing the elderly woman smiling and watching her from the side, she felt embarrassed to ask, "Are you also part of the Qin family? I've never seen you before."
Chen Ma's smile instantly vanished, and she disdainfully spat, "I'm not a servant of the Qin family at all. None of them in the Qin family are good people!"
Gu Susu dared not ask further. She wondered if this person had a grudge against the Qin family. But wasn't this villa owned by Qin Tianyi? Wasn't it Qin family property?
Also, she hadn't seen Xiao Yongmei's portrait at the Qin residence, but there was one here. It seemed this place might not be Qin family property after all.
Seeing Gu Susu's reaction, Chen Ma thought that perhaps Young Master Tianyi hadn't told the Young Madam anything. Her tone softened slightly as she said, "The young master calls me Chen Ma. I started working for the Xiao family when I was young. After the eldest daughter married into the Qin family, I stayed with her in the Qin household for a while. Later, when the eldest daughter passed away, the Xiao family also declined. I've been living here ever since, guarding the house that the eldest daughter cherished the most during her lifetime."
After speaking, Chen Ma looked towards Xiao Yongmei's portrait, her eyes glistening with tears.
Gu Susu put down the pastry in her hand, understanding that the elderly woman before her had served Qin Tianyi's mother. So, this house must have been left behind by Qin Tianyi's mother.
"Chen Ma, are you alright?" Gu Susu didn't know how to comfort her. It was clear from her expression that she had a deep bond with Xiao Yongmei. "Although I've never met Tianyi's mother, seeing her photo today, I can tell she was a very beautiful and kind person during her life. You must have had a very good relationship."
Chen Ma hummed, her tears not falling, and sighed helplessly, "The eldest daughter was simply too kind-hearted. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been bullied to death by them."
Gu Susu didn't know what to say. As far as she knew, Xiao Yongmei had died in a car accident. How could she have been bullied to death?
"This is the first time the young master has brought you here, so I shouldn't be rambling on. Eat quickly, drink the porridge first, or it will get cold."
"Thank you, Chen Ma." Gu Susu picked up the porridge and brought it to her lips.
Chen Ma tidied up the kitchen and said to her, "Young Madam, after you've eaten, go back to your room and rest early. Tomorrow, you'll go with the young master to visit the eldest daughter. If the eldest daughter saw the young master had a wife, she would surely be happy."
"Okay, you go to sleep first. No need to stay with me." Gu Susu smiled at her. Hearing Chen Ma say this, she guessed that Xiao Yongmei's grave might be near this villa?
Chen Ma then pointed out the kitchen light switch to her and went back to her room to sleep.
Left alone, Gu Susu felt more at ease. She curiously looked around and even opened the refrigerator to see if there was anything she could cook.
"None of this is enough to fill your stomach?" A hand reached out and helped her steady the refrigerator door.