In a New York basement, Yang Sijie, clad in a tank top and shorts, with boxing gloves on, was fiercely striking a hanging sandbag. Despite being drenched in sweat, he showed no signs of stopping. Recent misfortunes had fueled his anger, which he was now channeling into the sandbag before him.
Mark had arrived in the basement earlier and had been standing silently nearby, not daring to disturb Yang Sijie's training.
Yang Sijie finally stopped, his arms almost too heavy to lift, and let out a roar. He removed his boxing gloves.
Mark immediately handed him a towel and water, asking, "Mr. Yang, would you like to rest for a moment?" He then went to fetch a chair.
Wiping his sweat and taking a large gulp of half a bottle of water, Yang Sijie asked, "Is everything handled?" He remained standing.
"It's all taken care of."
"And the mole?"
"Mr. Yang, rest assured, he has completely disappeared from this world," Mark said, lowering his head, afraid to meet his gaze. "It's just, what about the funds lost from the underground bank? The clients are demanding compensation for their losses..."
"According to the rules, compensate them what is due," Yang Sijie said decisively.
Mark replied, "That's a huge sum. If we compensate everyone, our own financial pressure will be immense."
"Compensate them. We'll earn it back," Yang Sijie said, though he was also pained by the loss.
"Alright."
"Wait, re-examine our own people. This kind of thing cannot happen again."
"Understood."
"Also, I have a feeling someone is working behind the scenes. Use this incident to have our people within the police department leak the news that the police have concrete evidence and that I have been arrested."
Mark worriedly said, "But won't this cause panic among our own people?"
"I will be staying in this basement for a while. You handle comforting those people if anything comes up," Yang Sijie said with a grim expression. "Previously, they were in the shadows while we were in the open, which is why everything went wrong. Now, I will hide in the shadows and lure the snake out of its hole, forcing that person into the open. I want to see who dares to oppose me!"
"Mr. Yang, your plan is thorough," Mark had to admire his composure, his ability to remain calm even at a time like this.
"Also, withdraw those who are openly searching for Susu's whereabouts in Lancheng. Leave only one or two to search discreetly," Yang Sijie instructed further.
"Okay."
Yang Sijie waved him away, wanting only to be alone to calm down for a while.
He had worked hard to achieve everything he had today: wealth, status, women... He would not let anyone easily destroy it all. What was his would always remain his!
...
Late at night, Qin Tianyi received an international call. The caller informed him that foreign police had obtained evidence of Yang Sijie's crimes. To make Yang Sijie confess the crimes of other international crime bosses, he had been secretly arrested, and his vast international conglomerate was now facing bankruptcy.
Hearing such good news, Qin Tianyi drove to Dechuan City that very night.
He wanted to tell Susu in person that she no longer needed to fear Yang Sijie's schemes or hide from him.
By the time he arrived outside Susu's residence, dawn was just breaking.
He sat in his car, gazing at the door of the house, waiting for Susu to emerge.
However, he began to feel uneasy. After seeing Susu, he wondered what else he could say to her besides delivering the news.
After an unknown period of waiting in the car, no one had yet come out of the house.
Wearing a gray trench coat, he stood outside the car to get some air, leaning against the vehicle, his eyes never leaving the house.
As the number of pedestrians on the road increased, and the sounds of various people made the small town bustling, his deep, tranquil eyes suddenly lit up.
Susu and Ya Nan emerged from the residence, chatting and laughing. Qin Tianyi strode towards them.
His tall figure blocked their path, his expressionless face and cold gaze fixed on Susu. "Gu Susu, I have something I want to discuss with you."
Susu had rehearsed many scenarios in her mind for the day he would reappear, planning how she would drive him away.
But all her prepared harsh words were in vain. The moment he appeared before her, her heart was thrown into disarray.
Before Susu could speak, Ya Nan, sensing the situation, said smartly, "Then you two have a good chat. I'll head to my stall."
"Ya Nan..." Susu wanted to chase after Ya Nan, to call her back. This was too disloyal, to run off like that without even offering to shield her from Qin Tianyi.
"Why are you avoiding even me? Do you know what kind of life I've had over the past year? Why didn't you tell me the truth sooner?" Qin Tianyi asked, his face dark with anger and heartache.
"Mr. Qin, what are you talking about? I'm sorry, I don't understand at all," Gu Susu said with a polite smile. "Please stop bothering me. It's really quite annoying."
Qin Tianyi gazed at her, a maelstrom of emotions churning within him. "I know everything. Ya Nan told me what happened to you this past year..."
"That's all her nonsense. She just sees that I'm alone now and wants to set us up..."
Qin Tianyi questioned, "And if what she said isn't true? Then why did you return from abroad and hide in such a small city?"
"Because you are in big cities like Lancheng. I came back to avoid you, afraid you would retaliate against me..."
"Then you could have stayed in the gilded cage Yang Sijie built for you abroad. When I went abroad, I lingered outside the luxurious apartment where you were staying. You could have continued to live there with him, living a happy and blissful life. Why did you sneak back without his knowledge?"
Qin Tianyi's words pierced her heart. He had actually lingered outside that apartment in Paris; this made her feel even more ashamed to face him.
"Enough. I don't need any man right now. I just want to live my life on my own and pursue my dreams. I don't need him to control my life, nor do I need you to dictate to me!" Gu Susu said, pushing him away.
"You're a woman who says one thing and means another." Qin Tianyi domineeringly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lips.
She froze instantly, her eyes wide as she looked at Qin Tianyi.
The moment Qin Tianyi's lips touched hers, she felt an electric shock and wanted to pull away, but she couldn't.
His kiss was so passionate that her initial struggles gradually gave way to a loss of reason. She began to melt, no longer able to maintain her strong facade.
In the midst of their passionate kiss, Yang Sijie's suffocatingly gentle image flashed unbidden in Gu Susu's mind. She immediately broke free from him and pleaded softly, "Qin Tianyi, let me go! You can't do this, no, really, you can't. I... I was with Yang Sijie..."
Qin Tianyi stopped kissing her and held her trembling form tightly in his arms. "I rushed over here to tell you some good news. Yang Sijie is finished, completely ruined. You don't have to be afraid anymore, and you don't have to suffer to hide from him."