She and Yang Sijie had not had any substantial relationship, but she couldn't bring herself to explain this to Qin Tianyi. Nor did she want him to see the tattoo on her abdomen.
Qin Tianyi might not mind for now due to his guilt and remorse, but for any man, over a long period, who could tolerate it forever?
If she were to return to his embrace, she would eventually be despised by him. It was better to maintain the current situation.
"I don't want to talk about relationships right now. I just want to focus on my career. Without Yang Sijie harming you behind your back, you also need to manage the Aoxiang Group well and realize your dreams as soon as possible..."
Qin Tianyi sensed that she was still hiding something from him. He interrupted her, "Susu, what else don't I know? Don't make excuses to fob me off. I don't believe a single word. As for your career and my dreams... they don't conflict at all. Don't you miss Xiao Xingxing?"
Susu suppressed her tears, took a deep breath, and turned to face him. "I'm not a good mother. Take good care of Xiao Xingxing and let him see his incompetent mother. You should leave now and stop disturbing my current life."
Qin Tianyi couldn't believe she was still so heartless. He said, "Do you still blame me in your heart and refuse to forgive me? I was a scoundrel. Back in Paris, not knowing these things, I even wanted to get revenge on you. What can I do to appease you? Just say it, and I'll agree to anything!"
Susu didn't want to listen anymore and directly pushed him forcefully towards the door.
Qin Tianyi leaned his body against the door, refusing to leave.
Susu wasn't as strong as him, so she pleaded, "Don't come to disturb me anymore. Love only brings pain and torment... I just don't want to feel so much pain and suffering again."
Seeing her in agony, Qin Tianyi slowly retreated outside the door, thinking that he couldn't cause her more pain. She just needed time to heal.
Susu quickly closed the door, having thought she could restart everything with him regardless of the consequences.
But she found herself unable to be intimate with him, realizing that she couldn't have a beautiful future with him.
Leaning against the door, she covered her mouth and wept silently, telling herself not to fall into love again and to dedicate all her body and mind to her career.
Qin Tianyi paused outside the door for a moment. He felt her sudden change was because she hadn't emerged from Yang Sijie's shadow and lacked sufficient confidence in him.
He could refrain from disturbing her for now, but this time, no matter how heartless her words were, he would not give up!
He wanted to use practical actions to show her how much he loved her, to give her enough confidence to be with him forever, never to be separated again.
Susu's heart felt constantly constricted. Through a gap in the curtains, she glimpsed him finally getting into the car parked outside and driving away.
She sat down, curled up on a chair with her knees hugged to her chest. How could she not miss Xiao Xingxing? How she longed to go back with him to see their beloved Xiao Xingxing.
But if she couldn't be by his side all the time, seeing him would only make him more heartbroken.
...
Wei Yanan stayed at the stall alone for the entire day. After packing up, she deliberately lingered outside for a few rounds, thinking to give Susu more sweet time to reconcile with Qin Tianyi.
It wasn't until it was completely dark outside that she returned to her residence.
At the door, fearing she might disturb their romantic moment, she sent Susu a message. After waiting for a long time without a reply, she peered through the window and saw that the curtains were drawn, with no light showing.
Had they gone out for a romantic evening?
Amused, she opened the door with her key. The house was dark, and she heard no sounds. She thought her guess was correct and that there was no need to linger outside for too long.
As soon as she turned on the light inside, she suddenly saw Susu sitting silently by the window, startling her so much that she almost screamed. She then noticed Qin Tianyi was not there.
Susu's eyes were red, and her gaze was vacant.
Clutching her heart, which felt like it was about to jump out of her chest, she went to Susu and asked, "My dear Susu, what's wrong? Did Qin Tianyi bully you?"
Seeing her return, Susu realized it was already dark outside. She adjusted her emotions and smiled at her, saying, "No, it's nothing. I was the one who drove him away."
Yanan was a bit confused. "Why? I felt he was quite sincere. Is there something else you're hiding from us? Is Yang Sijie still threatening you?"
She felt Susu had some unspeakable secret.
Susu smiled and said, "Oh, I've wasted a whole day like this. Don't guess wildly. I'm going to wash my face. I don't want to be bothered by relationship matters anymore. How happy it is to live a life without love or desire."
Yanan grabbed her arm and asked, "Really? Is that true? You must be hiding something from me?"
"Do you want me to get back with Qin Tianyi so much? Then who will keep me company here?" Susu said. "I just think things are fine as they are. Do women really need a man? Can't they live well on their own?"
"That's not what I mean. Of course, if you haven't met someone you like and who is suitable, you don't have to date just for the sake of dating, or get married just for the sake of getting married, or marry just to be married. But your situation with Qin Tianyi is different. Do you love each other?"
Susu stood on her tiptoes to turn on the water heater and said, "I really don't want to waste any more energy on these ephemeral emotions. Aren't you tired? Rest for a bit, I'm going to take a shower."
Yanan inadvertently glanced at her abdomen, where her clothes were not tucked in properly, and saw some kind of pattern. She quickly pulled up her clothes, trying to get a clearer look.
Susu panicked inwardly and pulled her clothes down. "Yanan, what are you doing? Even if I don't plan to get back with Qin Tianyi, my orientation hasn't changed..."
"What are you talking about? Don't be so secretive. When did you become so fashionable that you got a tattoo on your abdomen?" Yanan really wanted to see clearly but was pushed out of the bathroom by Gu Susu.
Susu said through the door, "What tattoo? What tattoo are you talking about? You must have seen it wrong."
Yanan felt she wasn't that old and her eyesight was still good. However, the sound of water from the bathroom soon followed.
Feeling a bit tired, she sat in the living room, wondering if she had indeed imagined it. But then she thought that perhaps Susu still had something incriminating in Yang Sijie's hands, something she was unwilling to say.
Since Susu didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't press further. She didn't want Susu to reopen old wounds, which would surely be very painful.
In the bathroom, Susu looked in the mirror and rubbed the tattoo vigorously, hoping to wash it off. But she had tried many times with no success.
She had also quietly asked tattoo artists about removing it with laser treatment, but those professional tattoo artists all said the tattoo was very difficult to fade, and at best, it could only be slightly lighter.
Therefore, all she could do was try not to look at the tattoo and not to think about it. But given this situation, how could she stay with Qin Tianyi for the rest of her life?