Su Kangxi quickly called back, "Sister Susu, there's one more thing I want to ask you."
"Ask away."
"Remember that time we were supposed to see Yang Sijie off?"
Susu replied hoarsely, "Of course, I remember."
"I couldn't make it that time due to a last-minute issue. Did anything happen between you and Yang Sijie when you ate alone that night?"
Susu was speechless, holding back tears that threatened to fall.
"What happened that night?" Su Kangxi felt that something must have happened based on Susu's attitude.
"Yang Sijie drugged my drink, and he... he kept me under house arrest for half a month." She had kept this bottled up, never telling anyone.
As she spoke it out to Su Kangxi over the phone, recalling those entire two weeks brought back a feeling of desperate agony.
"So he used those despicable methods all for you," Su Kangxi murmured into the phone, as if to himself. "He's a madman, a terrifying madman..."
"Who are you talking about? Yang Sijie?" Susu asked hurriedly. "Did he play tricks on you too?"
Su Kangxi didn't want to elaborate on the experience that had nearly cost him and Deng Rui their lives. "Yes, Sister Susu, I'll have a few colleagues in plain clothes go to your place to protect you twenty-four hours a day."
"No need. Please don't let anyone know you've found me. We should be fine. If anything truly happens, he's after me, and I won't let him harm Yanan." Gu Susu advised him, "Having the police protect us now would only draw his attention and he'd discover we're here."
"Alright, you two be careful. But thankfully he's not in Lancheng during this period, so you don't have to be too on edge."
"Okay, thank you. I won't talk to you for long, to avoid Yanan finding out we're in contact." As soon as she finished speaking, Su Kangxi hung up.
Susu pondered Su Kangxi's questions, wondering if his inability to come that night was also related to Yang Sijie's schemes.
Yang Sijie was like a master chess player, thinking ten moves ahead with every move. They had all become pawns on his board, manipulated at will, which was truly chilling.
Although she had narrowly escaped his control this time, what about the future? Su Kangxi, who was unaware of the truth before, now saw his true colors.
She didn't know if she would implicate Su Kangxi, or if Su Kangxi could help her deal with Yang Sijie.
Even if more people helped her, what were her chances of defeating Yang Sijie? She still felt uncertain.
She still lacked complete confidence and certainty. She could only take things one step at a time. If she could never escape Yang Sijie, she would sacrifice herself to protect those around her, ensuring that those who kindly helped her would not be harmed or put in danger.
"Susu, are you done with your lovey-dovey phone call?" Wei Yanan's voice came from outside the door.
"Oh, oh, what is it?" Susu snapped back to attention and asked.
Wei Yanan's voice was cheerful, "Done chatting. Come out for a bit, I have something for you."
"Okay." Susu rubbed her cheeks, trying to relax her expression so Yanan wouldn't notice anything amiss.
She walked out of the room and saw that the dining table had been cleared. Yanan was sitting there, holding something and deliberately concealing it from her view.
She sat down and asked, "What's the occasion? It's not my birthday yet, why so mysterious? What are you giving me?"
Yanan stood up, walked over to her, and returned a bank card, saying, "Here's your card back. I've returned every cent I withdrew from it. Susu, thank you. I'm so glad I met you when I was at my most helpless and desperate."
Susu didn't take the card. "Keep it. Since you're managing the accounts now, you can withdraw from this card if we need to make any expenses."
Yanan insisted on placing the card in her hand, saying, "I've already set up a dedicated account for our business, and it contains the money we've earned recently. This card is your own money, so you should keep it. If we happen to lose everything in business someday, we can use our personal savings then."
Susu looked at the bank card and smiled, "You have personal savings now, that's great."
"Of course. I've saved some money by dividing the profits as we agreed," Yanan said proudly.
Susu praised her, "You're good at accounting and financial management now. Now you understand how happy it is to spend money you've earned yourself."
Yanan nodded repeatedly and then remembered something. "By the way, how did you get this bank card? I went to the bank to ask. Although it's a globally accepted VISA card, it's an affiliated card, not a bank card under your personal name. The primary cardholder who got this card for you can cancel your affiliated card at any time. The bank staff suggested you can turn this card into your own by presenting your ID. Do you want to go to the bank and change it?"
Susu suddenly understood why Qin Tianyi could find her, and why Yang Sijie hadn't discovered her whereabouts.
She remembered that Qin Tianyi had given this card to her through Xiao Anjing before. Qin Tianyi had been collecting her design patent royalties for her, and had gotten the card issued in her name without her knowledge. At that time, it was likely only possible to issue it as an affiliated card.
It was precisely because of this that Yang Sijie couldn't trace the withdrawal and spending records of this card in her possession.
"I won't change it. The primary cardholder won't cancel this card," Susu said, finally understanding why Qin Tianyi had told her to stay here with peace of mind when he left.
And Su Kangxi's ability to find her here was likely due to this bank card.
Su Kangxi used the police department's internal investigation system to locate her affiliated card. As long as Su Kangxi didn't tell Yang Sijie, she would remain safe here.
Yanan asked curiously, "Who got this affiliated card for you? Qin Tianyi?"
Susu didn't answer her, smiling instead. "Your online class is about to start, hurry and get ready."
"Looking at your lovestruck eyes, it must be him. It's okay, you don't have to tell me, I can guess." Yanan made a face at her and returned to her room for her online class.
Susu also returned to her room, looking at the pink notebook on the desk. She didn't open it immediately, but flipped it over and looked at the small inscription carved on the back. It turned out that from the very beginning, Qin Tianyi had intended to fly through life together with her.
Unfortunately, she hadn't understood it then. If Qin Tianyi had been unable to understand how to love or express his love for her, then she had been completely unaware that Qin Tianyi loved her.
Recalling it now, they had both been so foolish and ridiculous back then. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at that inscription.
After the smile, however, came endless heartache. By the time she understood, that person had already departed...