The old woman looked at Gu Susu gratefully. She affectionately hugged Qin Tianyi and patted his back, saying, "Good grandson, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Grandma is here."
Qin Tianyi grunted and leaned his head on the old woman's shoulder. Gu Susu watched from the side, her eyes full of envy.
Although he had lost parental love, he still had such a good grandmother to protect him. Who was there for her? No one. She could only rely on herself, and on Little Star, whom she had to protect.
Nanny Rong brought out the hot food and said with a smile, "Young Master, Young Madam, come and eat. The old lady specifically asked the kitchen to make pig blood soup to replenish the Young Madam's blood pressure and shock."
The old woman linked her arm through Qin Tianyi's and said, "Yes, yes, Old Fan said you went to the police station right after leaving the hospital. You must not have had dinner yet, you must be starving."
Gu Susu hummed, not mentioning that they had gone for dessert. To reassure the old woman, she sat at the dining table with Qin Tianyi and ate a lot of food.
After returning to the room, she felt her stomach was too full. She stood by the window, looking at the large garden under the night sky, wishing she could go down for a walk to aid digestion.
But it was too late now. Going out from the second-floor room would likely cause too much noise and disturb the old woman and Nanny Rong.
Besides, why was the garden so dark at night, with no lights at all? Walking in the dark would be quite eerie.
The Qin family were top-tier wealthy people, surely they wouldn't be stingy with the money to install a few streetlights in the garden, would they?
"What are you looking at?" Qin Tianyi asked quietly, walking up behind her.
Gu Susu said softly, "Looking at the garden below. If it were lit up at night, it would be a different scene."
"You have an injury on your arm, so you should rest early. Don't go for a walk, we can talk about it later when your injury is healed." Although Qin Tianyi couldn't see the expression on her face, he could guess her thoughts.
Gu Susu closed the window and turned to look up at him. He wasn't just pretending to be foolish; he was highly intelligent, guessing people's thoughts with uncanny accuracy. It was terrifying.
"The old lady genuinely cares for you, so why do you still have to pretend to be foolish in front of her? How happy she would be if she knew you were mentally sound."
Qin Tianyi said dismissively, "Do you think pretending to be foolish is easy? To deceive the other members of the Qin family, I must first make the old lady believe it. Otherwise, I'll be easily exposed."
Gu Susu understood. His situation in the Qin family was so perilous that he had to feign foolishness. Thinking about the scene in the Mi Shang office today, such danger could happen to him at any moment.
"What, are you scared? Afraid that staying by my side will often involve life-or-death situations?" Qin Tianyi asked, frowning.
Just as Gu Susu was about to say she wasn't scared, her phone rang. She quickly found her bag in the room and took out her phone. It was Ai Shunan calling.
She clutched her phone tightly, glanced at Qin Tianyi in a panic, and said, "It's my dad calling. I'll take it in the bathroom." With that, she moved towards the bathroom, intending to close the door, afraid that Qin Tianyi might overhear something.
Qin Tianyi strode forward and blocked her. "Your father-in-law is calling? Is there something I can't hear that makes you so secretive?"
"No, my dad must want to tell me some trivial matters and doesn't want to disturb you."
"It's fine, I don't mind being disturbed. Go ahead and take it." Qin Tianyi said, lowering his head to stare at the phone in her hand, not understanding why she became so nervous upon seeing Ai Shunan's call.
Gu Susu knew she couldn't avoid Qin Tianyi, but she also couldn't not answer Ai Shunan's call, worried that something might have happened to Little Star. So, she swiped the screen in front of Qin Tianyi.
Without waiting for Ai Shunan to speak on the other end, she preempted him, "Dad, what's up? Tianyi and I are about to rest, and he's right beside me."
Ai Shunan, an old fox, immediately understood. In a doting father's tone, he asked, "My dear daughter, how have you been at the Qin family these past two days? Is there anything you're not used to?"
"I'm fine, nothing to get used to," Gu Susu replied perfunctorily, glancing at Qin Tianyi, who was quietly changing his clothes nearby, but actually perking up his ears to listen to their conversation.
On the other end of the phone, Ai Shunan said, "That's good. Tomorrow is the third day after your wedding. According to custom, remember to bring Tianyi back. Your mother is looking forward to your return and is already preparing. What does Tianyi like to eat, so she can prepare accordingly."
"Tianyi is not a picky eater, he can eat anything. Also, I need to ask the Qin family's old lady if Tianyi can go out tomorrow. You don't need to prepare too early. Wait for my call tomorrow." Gu Susu didn't want to go to the Ai family. Ai Shunan's eager request for her to return home according to custom must have a purpose or ulterior motive. She had to find excuses to push it back as much as possible.
Ai Shunan, hearing that she was speaking in an inconvenient situation, didn't say more. "Alright, your mother and I will wait for your call. You should rest early."
Gu Susu breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she hung up. Qin Tianyi looked at her reaction and expression, suspecting that it wasn't Ai Shunan she had just spoken to. How could a biological father and daughter speak so formally and distantly?
He asked, "Your parents asked you to go back tomorrow?"
Gu Susu put down her phone and said, "Yes, my dad said that according to the custom of returning home on the third day, I should take you back. But I think you've worked too hard pretending to be foolish outside, so forget it, there's no need to follow such customs..."
"Since it's a post-marital custom, then I'll go with you. Have the car prepared early tomorrow morning." Qin Tianyi agreed and said, "As my wife, you need to return home. Dress and groom yourself grandly tomorrow, so your maternal family doesn't look down on you."
"Ah." Gu Susu said in surprise, "Actually, you don't need to accompany me back. I can go back alone. Why all the fuss..."
"It's alright, the proper courtesies should be observed. I think Grandma will also agree to this." The more Gu Susu didn't want to return home as Ai Shunan suggested, the more Qin Tianyi wanted to visit the Ai family.
She was not a valued daughter in the Ai family, but compared to other wealthy young ladies, she was too plain.
He had seen the clothes she brought with her dowry; they were all inconspicuous, ordinary clothes, not a single decent designer outfit. Besides the gaudy "three golds" (gold necklace, bracelet, and earrings), she had no impressive jewelry.
The Ai family was considered wealthy in this city. Even if Gu Susu was not favored, she shouldn't be so shabby. He suspected that the Ai family had let a maid impersonate their daughter to marry him.
Gu Susu couldn't strongly object anymore. She was inwardly dejected and silently helped him fold his discarded clothes.
With Qin Tianyi accompanying her tomorrow, she wouldn't be able to see Little Star. She didn't know when she would have another chance. Her heart felt inexplicably heavy, but there was nothing she could do.
That night, Gu Susu had intended to sleep on the sofa, but as soon as Qin Tianyi finished showering, he lay directly on the sofa and said in an irrefutable tone, "You have an injury on your arm. I'll sleep on the sofa, and you sleep on the bed. Until your injury is healed, I won't touch you."
After saying that, he turned his back to her on the sofa, pulled the blanket on the sofa over himself, and covered his head.