Gu Susu woke up and stared at the ornate ceiling for a while, realizing she was lying in Yang Sijie's bedroom, not the guest room.
She had drunk too much last night and had passed out in the car on the way back, having no memory of getting out of the car or how she ended up in Yang Sijie's bedroom.
She sat up and looked around. The bed was empty, and Yang Sijie was nowhere to be seen in the room.
Her mind was a complete blank about what had happened last night, but she had changed into pajamas. However, she could feel that there were no changes in her body; Yang Sijie had not touched her.
As she was lost in thought, Yang Sijie pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing that she was awake, he asked softly, "Are you sober yet? Are you alright?"
Gu Susu saw that he was dressed and looked like he was going out. She ran a hand through her long hair, shrinking back and asked, "Why am I in your room?"
"That alcohol had a strong after-effect. As soon as you got back last night, you started acting crazy and were rowdy until midnight. It was only after you finally quieted down and fell asleep that I moved you here so you could sleep more comfortably. I went to the guest room myself," Yang Sijie said as he walked closer to her, touched her hair, and asked again, "Does your head hurt? I really regret not stopping you from drinking with Wei Yanan last night."
"I was just happy to see Yanan."
Yang Sijie hugged her, pulling her close against him. "Don't drink outside anymore. When you're drunk, you're like a completely different person."
Gu Susu had no memory of her drunken behavior last night, but she leaned into his embrace without moving and said, "It's only because you and Kang Xi were there that we dared to drink so freely. I would never drink if you weren't present."
"That's good," Yang Sijie said gently. "Rest well at home today. I have some things to attend to outside, and I'll come back this afternoon to make you something delicious."
Gu Susu, in a rare display of affection, nuzzled into his arms and said, "Go ahead and do your business. I want to see Xiao Xingxing today. We're leaving in a few days, and I want to see the child before I go..."
"Do you want to see Xiao Xingxing, or Qin Tianyi?" Yang Sijie's voice immediately held a hint of displeasure.
Gu Susu hurriedly said, "I want to see the child."
"Can you see Xiao Xingxing without going through Qin Tianyi?" Yang Sijie let go of her, lowered his head, and lifted her chin. "I told you long ago to let me hire the best lawyer to get Xiao Xingxing's custody back, but you refused. Are you trying to use Xiao Xingxing to maintain an entanglement with Qin Tianyi forever?"
"I don't need to go through Qin Tianyi. Do you remember Chen Ma I told you about? I just need to contact her, and she'll help me."
Yang Sijie let out a cold, uncontrollable laugh. "Whose side is Chen Ma on? How can I trust her!"
Gu Susu bit her lip, unsure how to convince him. Suddenly, she thought of something and said, "How about this? I'll have Chen Ma bring Xiao Xingxing to Allen's shop alone. I'll meet the child there at the dessert shop. Will you be relieved then?"
Yang Sijie stared at her with deep, dark eyes, not relenting.
"Please," Gu Susu said, steeling her resolve. "If you don't trust me or Chen Ma, you should at least trust Allen. With him there at the shop, you'll know if I only met the child."
Yang Sijie's expression softened slightly. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, agreeing, "Alright, you can see the child. I'll talk to Allen."
"Thank you," Gu Susu said, immediately reaching for the phone by the bed. "Then I'll contact Chen Ma now."
"I told you we don't need to say thank you to each other. I don't want to hear those two words from you again."
"Okay, I'll be careful in the future..."
Before she could finish, Yang Sijie gently kissed her lips and said with a determined gaze, "Susu, I never intended to hurt you, nor do I want you to fear me. But please, don't push me anymore, okay?"
Gu Susu suddenly pulled up her pajamas, revealing her abdomen, and said with a wry smile, "Do you think there's any possibility between him and me? Isn't it said that men understand men best? If you were him, and you saw this tattoo after stripping me naked, would you still want to be with me?"
Yang Sijie's gaze fell on her flat abdomen. His fingers traced the pattern he had personally tattooed, his fingertips trembling. He immediately pulled her pajamas down to cover the tattoo and, with a complex expression, turned away, saying, "Take good care of the child. Send me your location at all times."
With that, he strode out of the room, filled with regret and frustration. He had hoped the tattoo would be etched not just on her skin, but into her heart. Yet now, he had only managed to keep her physically. He knew this better than anyone.
Gu Susu watched Yang Sijie's retreating back with a look of profound sorrow. She didn't waste time dwelling on her sadness but quickly sent a message to Chen Ma, fearing that Yang Sijie might suddenly change his mind.
Not long after, Chen Ma replied, saying she could bring Xiao Xingxing to meet her and asked Gu Susu to send the address of the dessert shop.
Gu Susu arranged a time with Chen Ma and went to Allen's dessert shop in advance.
Allen was not surprised by her arrival at the shop and had even reserved the best seat for her.
She knew Yang Sijie had already spoken to Allen and greeted him with a faint smile, "Hi, is business good lately?"
"It's alright. I made some Cantonese dim sum for Xiao Xingxing, his favorite," Allen said, pulling out a chair for her with gentlemanly grace.
Gu Susu sat facing the entrance and said to him softly, "Thank you."
Allen sensed a change in her demeanor; she seemed reserved. He asked directly, "What's wrong? Is there any inadequate service in my little shop?"
Gu Susu looked at his bewildered face and wondered if he wasn't in league with Yang Sijie, if he didn't know what Yang Sijie had done.
"No, your little shop makes one feel right at home."
Allen shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "Do Eastern women always speak so circuitously? If there's anything you're not satisfied with, you can say it directly."
Gu Susu could only smile, "I'm truly not dissatisfied with anything about you. I'm just in a bad mood because of my own affairs."
There weren't many people in the shop at the moment, so Allen sat down opposite her. "Is it about you and your ex-husband's child? Frank told me. Since you're going to be with Frank, why don't you let him try to help you get your child back? No mother can bear to be separated from her child for long. Your ex-husband is so unreasonable. Is it really good to leave the child with him?"
"Is that what he told you?" Gu Susu asked with amusement. "Allen, you've been friends with him for many years. Do you know everything about him?"
Allen was slightly taken aback by her question. "We were closest in Europe back then, almost inseparable. Later, he returned to his adoptive parents. Our contact became less frequent, but he would confide in me when he was unhappy. Anyway, I can only tell you that his journey has not been easy. As for things he doesn't want to talk about, I never pry. But I think he'll be a good father. Even if it's your child, he'll love them by extension."