"Susu, you know how much I miss you, how much I want to hold you like this, how much I want to be with you forever. You will always be mine, you will be my wife, and we will never be separated again."
Yang Sijie's words echoed in her ears like a curse, making her tremble and nowhere to escape.
She covered her ears tightly, unable to bear it, but the voice still penetrated her mind.
She completely broke down, like a fish dying on shore, gasping for air, struggling with all her might but to no avail.
After an unknown amount of time, she fell asleep on the cold, hard floor, only to be awakened by the ringing of her phone beside her.
Without even looking, she reached out and pressed the button. She heard Yang Sijie's voice from the phone: "Susu, why aren't you back yet? Don't forget what we agreed upon. I can give you freedom, or I can keep you locked in the castle anytime."
Gu Susu silently shed tears, but her voice was extremely calm as she said, "I'm still packing up at the previous residence. I got sleepy just now and fell asleep here. I'll stay here tonight. You've always known my whereabouts, so you should know I'm here alone. What else are you worried about?"
"You've just recovered, and you're already this tired on your first day back at work. Why don't you come back and be my princess instead of working outside..."
"And don't forget what you promised me, to give me three years to pursue my dreams and become a world-class fashion designer."
"Alright, then you go back to sleep. I'll have Mark pick you up when you get off work tomorrow."
Gu Susu didn't say anything more. Just as she was about to hang up, Yang Sijie on the other end of the phone suddenly told her, "Qin Tianyi is back. His flight just landed tonight."
She remained motionless on the floor, her fingers stiffly hanging up.
She tried to tell herself that she had no right to think of Tianyi anymore, nor the face to fight him for the child. Only by focusing on her career and becoming stronger could she escape Yang Sijie and the nightmare he brought.
...
In the study of the villa, Yang Sijie confirmed once again with Mark if Susu was alone at her rented place.
Mark confirmed, "Qin Tianyi took the child straight back to the seaside villa as soon as they landed. Miss Gu also went directly to her residence after work and hasn't left her former place since. They couldn't possibly have met."
Yang Sijie nodded with satisfaction.
"Mr. Yang, Qin Tianyi's flight abroad has changed completely from the original booking. We can't track his movements. Has he discovered anything detrimental to us?" Mark asked worriedly.
Yang Sijie smiled and said, "Don't mind him. He's just a defeated opponent. I don't believe he can find anything of value."
"Indeed."
"By the way, prepare to book our tickets back. I don't plan to stay in Lancheng any longer," Yang Sijie said, leaning back. "As for this house, find someone to look after it and handle the daily maintenance. If we have the chance to come to Lancheng again, Susu and I will still live here. We won't sell it for now."
"Okay." Mark didn't ask further. He knew they had come as two people, and they would need to book another ticket for Miss Gu to return.
Mr. Yang never failed in his endeavors. No matter how unwilling Miss Gu was, she couldn't escape.
...
Hearing Yang Sijie's last words that Qin Tianyi and Xiao Xingxing were back, she could no longer sleep.
She got up from the cold floor, used her laptop to go online, and couldn't help but search for Qin Tianyi's name, wanting to see everything about him again.
During these years of their on-again, off-again entanglement, she never felt how precious their time together was, always feeling that there was plenty of time left in the future to be together.
She gently stroked Qin Tianyi's face in the photo on the laptop screen and couldn't help but smile. "Please take good care of Xiao Xingxing. One day I will tell you in person what really happened."
She painfully closed the pages related to Qin Tianyi, wanting to find something to relieve her depression. She randomly browsed online content and clicked on her email, which she hadn't opened in a long time.
She found that her inbox had accumulated many emails, most of which were advertisements. As she was about to delete them all, she noticed a letter from a foreign fashion design school. Upon opening it, she saw it was an admission notice.
The email stated that the school's invitation for her to study years ago was still valid, and she was welcome to report to the school at the start of the new semester. It also provided a teacher's contact information.
Gu Susu hadn't expected such an opportunity. The last time she replied to the email from years ago was just to try, and she had actually received a response.
She wanted to study abroad, so she wouldn't be constantly monitored by Yang Sijie, but she had to find a way to get him to agree.
No one knew what she had gone through in the past half-month. She had fought and negotiated with him with all her might.
He had driven her to desperation, leaving her no choice but to stall for time and secure the three-year agreement.
Within these three years, asking him for one year to study should be something he could agree to.
She closed the laptop, preparing to take the laptop that Qin Tianyi had given her years ago and had been using for so long.
This was probably the item Qin Tianyi had given her that she carried with her and used the most, no matter where she went.
Her hand slipped sadly, and she almost dropped the laptop. Fortunately, her other hand caught it in time, and she inadvertently discovered a few faint characters engraved on the base, along with a date.
"Fly together." A certain year, month, and day. Between the characters "Yi" and "Su," there was also a heart-shaped pattern.
Gu Susu hugged the pink laptop tightly to her chest, tears streaming down her face.
...
Qin Tianyi returned to Lancheng on the last flight. He had originally booked this flight hoping to spend a rare vacation with Gu Susu, wanting every extra second of vacation time together.
But this vacation ultimately turned into him accompanying the child alone. However, as long as Xiao Xingxing had fun, he was content.
As he pushed his luggage and walked towards the exit, he saw Xiao Anjing waiting to pick him up.
Xiao Anjing greeted him, smiled, and patted Xiao Xingxing's head, asking, "How was it? Did you have fun on the way?"
Xiao Xingxing held up the toy in his hand and said, "Uncle Xiao, I had a lot of fun. This is a toy Daddy bought me at Disneyland. He's the most powerful warrior in the universe. Look how powerful he is!"
"Wow, let me take a good look." Xiao Anjing seriously looked at the toy in his hand and said, "Impressive, this is the most powerful one!"
Qin Tianyi picked up Xiao Xingxing and handed the suitcase to Xiao Anjing, asking, "How has the company been while I was away?"
"We've weathered the storm, and we might have an opportunity to fight back against the Shu Group," Xiao Anjing winked at him with a smile.
Qin Tianyi didn't show much joy and said, "Good, let's talk in the car."
Xiao Xingxing hugged Qin Tianyi's neck and looked at Xiao Anjing, asking, "Uncle Xiao, is Mommy on another business trip? She didn't come with us."
Xiao Anjing was taken aback, his mouth agape. He hadn't expected Tianyi to take Gu Susu on vacation this time.
But seeing the child's wronged expression, Qin Tianyi's face darkened. He immediately grinned and said, "Yes, Mommy is busy with work and is on a business trip."
As soon as he finished his lie, Qin Tianyi, holding the child, walked past him and straight ahead.