She understood immediately. The last time she saw Gu Susu at the lakeside restaurant, something had felt off. Although Yang Sijie seemed very attentive to Susu, it had made her feel uneasy then.
"That Yang Sijie is too insane. How could he treat you like that? What does he think you are?" Yanan said through gritted teeth. "If I had realized you were forced last time we met, I wouldn't have let him take you away! It's my fault. Even though I felt something was wrong, I didn't think deeply about it."
"This has nothing to do with you, and you can't blame yourself. I was just too foolish and naive, still thinking of him as the Sijie brother from when we were kids." Gu Susu's heart ached as she spoke of it.
Yanan held her hand and said, "Susu, it's not just you. None of us saw it either. Yang Sijie's appearance is truly too deceptive. It's okay now. Fortunately, you escaped. Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you again."
"Yanan, if Yang Sijie finds me later, please don't stand up for me. No one can fight him; he's too dangerous. I'll find a way to deal with him myself." Susu didn't want to implicate anyone else and warned her.
"Don't worry, he won't find you."
Gu Susu nodded, hoping she would never see Yang Sijie again in this lifetime.
...
A month passed, and Qin Tianyi still hadn't found any trace of Gu Susu. Frustrated, he was marking the places on a map where people had been sent to search when his secretary informed him via the intercom that Shu Yan's mother, Jia Nanfang, wanted to see him.
Without thinking, he told the secretary, "Don't see her. Just say I'm not in the company..."
However, Jia Nanfang had already pushed open his office door and barged in. "Qin Tianyi, you've been evading responsibility like this. You're hardly a man!"
The secretary followed her into the office, saying fearfully, "I was going to call security to stop her, but she rushed in when I wasn't paying attention..."
"I understand. You can go now," Qin Tianyi said coldly, waving the secretary away.
The secretary retreated and closed the door.
As a mother, Jia Nanfang couldn't remain as calm as her husband, Shu Zhongze, seeing her daughter suffer repeated emotional blows.
She watched Shu Yan's belly grow larger day by day. The baby would likely be born in another two months.
And Qin Tianyi was still insisting on a DNA test. She couldn't sit still any longer.
"Mrs. Shu, I've explained Shu Yan's situation to you many times. She has delusional disorder," Qin Tianyi said, his voice deep and cold. He no longer wanted to explain further. "You should take her to see a doctor, not come to me."
Jia Nanfang, suppressing her anger, tried to maintain her composure. She glanced around Qin Tianyi's office, noting its impressive environment.
Ao Xiang Group was indeed quite powerful. No wonder Old Shu had been suppressing Ao Xiang all along but hadn't managed to bankrupt it.
She suddenly spotted a photo frame on Qin Tianyi's desk and walked closer to see what picture it held.
Upon seeing it, she gasped. It was a photo of Qin Tianyi, another woman, and a child.
Except for Qin Tianyi, who wasn't smiling and looked a bit reserved, the woman and the child in the photo appeared very happy.
Was this woman Qin Tianyi's ex-wife, the daughter of the fallen Ai family, as rumored?
A truly happy family of three. She wore a mocking smile.
But as she looked at Gu Susu's face, she couldn't help but be secretly shocked. How could this woman resemble her mother-in-law, Old Shu's late mother, so much?
Could it be a coincidence?
Seeing her silent and staring blankly at the photo on his desk, Qin Tianyi suddenly turned the frame face down. "Mrs. Shu, have you seen enough? If you have something to say, say it quickly. I have a video conference soon."
Jia Nanfang looked at him. "Didn't you and that woman from the Ai family divorce long ago? Why is her photo still on your desk? Whose child is this? You shouldn't have had a child when you were together."
"What does that have to do with you? If there's nothing else, please leave." Qin Tianyi began to usher her out.
Jia Nanfang said disdainfully, "I've always heard that woman from the Ai family had loose morals and liked to hook up with people outside before marriage. It seems you became a father by default. The women of the Ai family are all cheap things who rely on their allure to get money..."
"Mrs. Shu, if you've come to badmouth the Ai family, then please leave. I don't have time to listen to you say these things." Qin Tianyi's expression had turned very unpleasant.
He could say such things to Susu, but he would never allow anyone else to speak of her that way.
If it weren't for the fact that Jia Nanfang was an elder, he would have already had her thrown out.
Jia Nanfang knew she had strayed from the topic, but recalling some unpleasant past events, she returned to the point. "I don't care if you and your ex-wife are still entangled. I won't let you bully my daughter. Don't think you can be so arrogant just because Old Shu can't do anything to you for now!"
Qin Tianyi looked at her and said indifferently, "Actually, this matter is very simple. We can do a DNA test now. It's you who insisted on having the child and wanted to hold your grandchild."
Jia Nanfang could no longer maintain her composure and cursed, "You want my daughter to undergo amniocentesis? I won't let her suffer such torment! If you are unjust, don't blame me for being ruthless. We'll see!"
Qin Tianyi found it amusing. Shu Yan was disreputable, but he hadn't expected the two elders of the Shu family to be so out of their minds. "That's her child, it has nothing to do with me. If she wants to keep it, let her. Your Shu family won't be unable to raise a child."
"No matter how muddled my daughter is, she won't recognize the father of the child in her womb!" Jia Nanfang's finger was almost pointing at his nose.
Qin Tianyi curled his lips coldly and pushed her away. "Mrs. Shu, I'll tell you one last time: that child is not mine. If it were mine, I wouldn't deny it! Even if I, Qin Tianyi, were at my worst, I could still afford to raise my own child! Please don't bother me with this matter anymore."
"Impossible," Jia Nanfang said with certainty. "It's you. It can't be anyone else!"
Qin Tianyi had lost his patience and warned her, "Fine, very good. When the child is born, you'll be slapping yourselves in the face. I don't care. There are quite a few people waiting to laugh at your Shu family then."
Jia Nanfang trembled with anger. "How could my daughter fall for you!"
"Mrs. Shu, have you finished scolding? If you're done, please leave." Qin Tianyi's tone sounded polite, but his expression was chilling.
"Qin Tianyi, you wait. I won't let you off!" Jia Nanfang uttered a harsh threat and turned to leave in a huff.
Xiao Anjing had been waiting at the office door as soon as he heard Mrs. Shu was looking for Qin Tianyi, wondering if something would happen.
Seeing Mrs. Shu emerge from the office with a very grim expression, he immediately followed her. At the elevator entrance, he pressed the down button for her.