Yang Sijie walked to her side, bent down, cupped her face, and said, "I don't know anything you're good at, so how could I interfere? Once we're abroad, we'll each focus on our careers. I just hope to be by your side often and talk like this occasionally."
"I hope so too, but I feel that not interfering means respecting my choices. I want to go to Paris to study fashion design for a year. It's always been my dream to learn and improve myself in the best place..."
"You still want to escape?"
Gu Susu overcame the deep fear she had of him, pulled his hands away from her face, and said, "I never thought of running away. Are New York and Paris far apart? We can still talk like this occasionally. The three years I want aren't just about time, but also space, so I won't be afraid when I see you like this. If you keep me tightly controlled by your side, my fear of you will never disappear..."
"Alright, I'll help you contact the best fashion design academy there."
"No need. I've already received my admission letter. I only saw it yesterday when I logged into my email." Gu Susu's tone became firm.
Yang Sijie stroked her head again, smiling, "I knew Susu was always the most capable. Okay, I promise you. I'll arrange everything for your life during your year of study."
"Thank you. I need to rest."
"Why don't you call me 'Brother Sijie' anymore? Why have you become so polite to me?"
Every time she said thank you, his heart ached.
He had kept her physically, but the unclear distance between them seemed to have grown even wider.
Gu Susu stood up and, feeling a little scared, stepped back. "Because I'm afraid, still very afraid of you."
Yang Sijie, however, moved closer to her again. He suddenly picked her up and, with utmost tenderness, smiled, "You know I won't do anything. I just want you to stay with me."
Gu Susu's face instantly turned pale, and her heart panicked. Even if he didn't do anything, she was still very afraid of this Yang Sijie. kanδん
"Don't be afraid," Yang Sijie carefully placed her on the bed, simply holding her gently, and whispered in her ear, "You're afraid of me because you're not used to being this close to me yet. You'll get used to it slowly."
Gu Susu closed her eyes, and a tear trickled from the corner of her eye.
...
It was late summer, and the weather was still hot. Gu Susu submitted her resignation to Lu Zhiming.
She walked out of the trend company with a small cardboard box. She hadn't wanted to leave this city again, but now she had no choice.
It was noon, and the sun was high in the sky. Outside the building, she looked up at the sky. The strong sunlight pierced her eyes, instantly drying her tears.
At that moment, her phone in her pocket vibrated. She couldn't help but feel nervous, afraid of hearing Yang Sijie's gentle voice.
Even though she was reluctant to answer his call, she still had to put down the box, take out her phone, and seeing it was Chang Qingchuan's number, she felt a sense of relief.
"Susu, Lu Zhiming just told me you resigned," Chang Qingchuan asked as soon as he spoke. "Why? Weren't you doing a good job?"
Gu Susu replied, "Qingchuan, I plan to go abroad to study for a year. I didn't study properly in college, and I always feel I lack in my major. It's always been my dream to pursue further studies."
Chang Qingchuan could accept her reason but still found it strange. "Didn't you tell me you reconciled with President Qin last time? Does he approve of you going abroad to study this time? You'll be gone for a year; can he bear to part with you?"
Gu Susu's eyes immediately reddened, but she didn't want to cry anymore. She had cried so much lately that her tears were almost all gone.
She sniffled and said, "He and I will never be together again, so please don't tell anyone about me going abroad to study."
"Did you two argue again? You're such a bickering couple." Chang Qingchuan sighed for them.
Gu Susu forced a smile and said, "This time it's not just a simple argument. It's my fault. He will never forgive me." wΑp.kanshu伍.net
"What happened?" Chang Qingchuan felt something was amiss.
"Nothing happened to me, I'm fine..."
Chang Qingchuan knew her well and didn't quite believe she was fine, asking, "What about Xiao Xingxing? Is he going abroad with you?"
Thinking of Xiao Xingxing made her heart ache even more. She pretended to be relaxed and said, "He's with Qin Tianyi. I'm always moving around and can't give him a stable life. It's better for him to be with Qin Tianyi. Qin Tianyi will be a good father."
"That's true." Chang Qingchuan still couldn't understand her current actions. "But you always took Xiao Xingxing with you when things were tough. Now you're so easily giving up custody to President Qin. Have you found out you have a terminal illness? Are you going abroad to study or for treatment?"
Chang Qingchuan's guess was far beyond her expectations, but she actually wished she had a terminal illness. At least then she could look forward to dying sooner, which would be better than living a life worse than death.
"What are you thinking?" She smiled, pretending to be relaxed. "Your imagination is incredible. Don't curse me anymore. I'm in good health."
Chang Qingchuan just hoped she wasn't hiding anything difficult. "It's good that you're healthy. I was overthinking. When are you going abroad? Before you leave, I'll call Huo Jin, and we can get together."
"Forget it. I'll contact you after I get abroad. And don't tell Huo Jin yet. I'll contact her myself when I get there." At this moment, Gu Susu didn't want to see any familiar faces; she just wanted to hide and lick her wounds.
"That's fine too. Studying abroad is a big deal, and there are many preparations to make before you leave. Once you're settled there, we'll be in touch."
"Okay." Gu Susu quickly hung up, afraid that if she said any more, she wouldn't be able to control her emotions.
She bent down, about to pick up the box again, when a tall figure appeared before her, blocking the sun and casting a shadow.
"Let me," the tall figure took the box from her and deliberately used his body to shield her from the scorching sun.
Gu Susu's heart tightened. "Why are you here? Don't you have company business to handle today?"
Yang Sijie naturally held the box in one hand and put his arm around her. "There's nothing much to handle anymore. My investments here aren't that large. Anything else can be handled by the people below."
Gu Susu said "oh" and followed him to the parking lot.
Yang Sijie first placed the box in the trunk and then opened the car door for Gu Susu.
Only then did Gu Susu notice that Mark wasn't with him today. Seeing that his clothes were all sweaty and his face was covered in sweat, she took out a tissue, stood on tiptoe, and wiped the sweat from his face. "On such a hot day, you didn't need to come pick me up personally."
Yang Sijie grabbed her hand that was wiping his sweat and said happily, "You're finally starting to care about me again."