Gu Susu paused slightly, knowing he had indeed noticed something at the Ai family’s today. She and Ai Yiwei were not truly sisters, and the Ai family’s kindness towards her was all an act, and a very poorly executed one at that.
She hadn't expected Qin Tianyi to mistake her for a servant of the Ai family. This only proved that even Qin Tianyi could see that in the eyes of the Ai family, she was no different from a servant, perhaps even less.
"Your imagination is too vivid! Is this like Wang Zhaojun leaving the frontier? The Emperor bestows a princess's title, and she comes to your Qin family for a marriage alliance?" Gu Susu smiled, her expression unchanged. "Let me tell you clearly again, I am Ai Shunan's biological daughter, and Yuan Shuna is my biological mother. It's the genuine article! Please stop being so suspicious."
Qin Tianyi still didn't believe her. If Ai Yiwei was their biological daughter, he had no doubts. The way Ai Yiwei interacted with Ai Shunan and Yuan Shuna clearly indicated she was their own flesh and blood.
Except for Ai Yifeng, who was a bit strange, his gaze towards Ai Yiwei wasn't that of a doting elder brother, and he seemed to have no feelings for Gu Susu at all.
To be honest, Gu Susu’s features did bear some resemblance to Yuan Shuna. Judging solely by their looks, it was plausible to call them mother and daughter. However, the feeling between them was anything but that of a mother and daughter. Could his perception be wrong?
Qin Tianyi sneered, "Ai Shunan is not fit to be Emperor. What kind of person is he!"
"Yes, he truly is not a person!" Gu Susu felt her jawbone was about to break from his grip. "Let go of me, you're pinching my chin so hard it hurts!"
"You know pain too!" Qin Tianyi released her chin, his voice filled with anger. "The things I gave you, you just gave them away to someone else without my permission! Gu Susu! In your heart, you completely disregard the things I give you! You couldn't repay me even if you worked your whole life. You must go and get that dress and those jewelry back from her..."
Gu Susu knew that the diamonds on that dress alone were an astronomical sum. In order to see Xiao Xingxing, and to make Ai Yiwei treat Xiao Xingxing better, she had no choice but to agree to Ai Yiwei's unreasonable demand.
Getting those items back from Ai Yiwei would be harder than ascending to heaven. Besides earning money to repay Qin Tianyi later, she could think of no other solution. "I can't get back what I've already given away. When I earn enough money, I'll buy you the exact same ones. Will that be acceptable?"
"No!" Qin Tianyi's insistence was relentless. "Even if you worked your entire life, you couldn't afford that dress..."
Gu Susu proactively stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips, trying to stop him from speaking further.
But the moment her lips touched his, he stiffened as if electrocuted for a second, then immediately pushed her away. "Are you trying to seduce me?"
"Is this how I repay you?" Gu Susu could no longer hold back, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's useless to force me no matter how much you do. I have nothing. Besides relying on my own ability to work, all I have left is this body..."
Qin Tianyi let out a cold laugh. "Who do you think you are? Is your body worth that much? You didn't even want me to touch you before, but now you're willing to offer yourself for that hypocritical Ai Yiwei. You truly have no shame."
His harsh words almost broke Gu Susu. She looked at him and said, "You guessed correctly. I didn't willingly give the dress and jewelry to Yiwei, but whatever she asks for, I have to give. I have no choice..."
She was sobbing uncontrollably and couldn't continue. She kept telling herself to be strong! Be strong!
But she couldn't hold it in. The thought of how many more nights Xiao Xingxing would spend without her mother by her side twisted her heart like a knife.
The Ai family wouldn't let them off easily, and Qin Tianyi was not someone to be trifled with. Caught in the middle, she had long felt suffocated, and it all came pouring out in a torrent of tears.
Seeing her cry, Qin Tianyi felt an inexplicable irritation. He still spoke sternly, "Gu Susu! Don't think that by not pretending to be strong, by crying and acting pitiful, you can tolerate moving things belonging to our Qin family to the Ai family right under my nose! What benefit do you get from giving Ai Yiwei a dress and jewelry worth millions? What did the Ai family promise you? Is it worth more than millions?"
Gu Susu didn't respond, still weeping softly.
"No crying!" he commanded. Her crying bothered him.
He had seen everything at the Ai family's today. Gu Susu's attitude towards the Ai family members was distant, much like Ai Yifeng's attitude towards them. If one were to say they were siblings, who would believe it? They were more like strangers.
The others were attentive, but their concern was too hypocritical. Their kind words were not heartfelt; even he, an outsider, could sense it.
"If it wasn't a financial promise, then it means they have something on you, and Ai Yiwei is threatening you?" Qin Tianyi suddenly considered this possibility, his tone softening. "If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. Since you are my woman, I can help you solve any problem. I will not allow my woman to be bullied and threatened like this by others!"
Gu Susu stopped crying. His words struck her deeply. It was the first time someone had spoken to her like this.
She raised her tear-swollen eyes to look at him, the secret she had been holding back, afraid to tell anyone, almost spilling out.
But then she thought, if she really said it, would he accept it? Would he help her solve it?
It was impossible. No man could accept that the woman he married had been to prison and had a child. She would only be the dirtiest trash in his eyes.
"I've told you many times, I am the Ai family's biological daughter, I wasn't lying to you! Yiwei is the youngest and always the most pampered by the family. Giving her the dress and jewelry was my own will. Because I didn't grow up with them, my relationship with my family isn't very close, what's so strange about that? Your relationship with your biological father in the Qin family isn't much better. Every family has its own issues, especially wealthy families like ours. It's normal for some family members to be close and others not. Don't overthink it..."
Before she could finish, Qin Tianyi's brows furrowed with obvious anger. He reached out and pinched her cheek, which Ai Yiwei had slapped, and said with a smile, "Very well, you want to repay me with your body? I'll grant your wish!"
With that, he forcefully pushed her onto the bed, no longer caring about the healing wound on her arm, and pressed her down with his solid chest, looking as if he wanted to tear her apart.
He was about to forcefully take what he wanted from her again, but her heart ached terribly tonight, and she resisted him with all her might. However, her struggles couldn't move him in the slightest.
As she was about to lose the strength to resist, she cried out, "Stop! You said you could grant me one request, does that still count?"
"It counts," Qin Tianyi replied vaguely, still kissing her.
"Let me go tonight, just don't touch me tonight, okay?" she said, her eyes blurry with tears. "This is the request I have for you. Just for tonight, this request is not excessive, and it's something you can do."