"It's getting late. I'll take you back first, then I need to go to the company. I have to take another day off tomorrow to handle some matters." As he spoke, he took her hand and kissed the ring on her finger.
Huo Jin hummed, her happiness not yet fully subsided. She thought of Gu Susu's situation again, her heart filled with extreme unease. "Qingchuan, do you think Sophie will be alright? Will Yang Sijie... will he hurt her?"
Chang Qingchuan suddenly thought of a solution. "Why don't we call the local emergency number now and report it for Sophie? Maybe it will help her."
"Yes! How did I not think of that?" Huo Jin's eyes lit up. She quickly took out her phone and dialed the international emergency number.
...
Gu Susu stayed alone in the room, starting to pack her things, not wanting to trouble Huo Jin and Chang Qingchuan anymore.
In fact, during those days of splitting headaches, she had recalled a lot of past events. Therefore, she knew very well that if she continued to stay here, she would not only trouble them but also implicate them.
After packing all her belongings, she left them a note and wrote a long letter, placing it in a white envelope. The envelope was addressed: "To be forwarded to Yang Sijie."
She believed this letter might help Chang Qingchuan and Huo Jin, and prevent Yang Sijie from bothering them in the future.
From before her amnesia until now, her experiences with Yang Sijie made her realize that Yang Sijie would not let her go easily.
She just wanted to find a place to hide where not only Yang Sijie couldn't find her, but others wouldn't either, so she wouldn't implicate anyone.
It was all her own foolishness, her own fault. She had trusted Yang Sijie too much back then and hadn't listened to Qin Tianyi's advice. Therefore, she should bear the consequences herself.
In the dead of night, she dragged her suitcase and left the seemingly safe little nest. Walking in the darkness, she thought there must be a place where she could hide herself very well.
...
Chang Qingchuan accompanied Huo Jin to meet her parents. The Huo elders still looked at him with a critical gaze, but they didn't make things too difficult for him, maintaining a polite and courteous demeanor on the surface.
He repeatedly promised them that he would cherish Huo Jin for a lifetime, but Huo Jin's parents were not interested in these words at all.
For Huo Jin's sake, he was willing to go all out.
In front of Huo Jin's parents and everyone present, he knelt down and promised them that he would only be good to Huo Jin in this life and the next.
His actions completely surprised the Huo family members present. Huo Jin also didn't expect him to do this. He was usually so proud, and a man's knees are made of gold. Heartbroken, she wanted to help him up. "Qingchuan, no, get up quickly!"
Chang Qingchuan, however, held her hand tighter. "Jin, for you, I won't care about my pride anymore."
Huo Jin's parents were not satisfied with the man their daughter had chosen, but seeing Chang Qingchuan's full sincerity, they knew that the more they objected, the more this foolish girl would rush headlong. They could only ease the situation for now and make Chang Qingchuan retreat later.
Huo Jin's father nodded and said, "You may get up, but remember your promise to us today, and treat her well in the future."
Chang Qingchuan still showed no intention of standing up, stubbornly saying, "Uncle, Aunt, if you don't agree to Jin's and my marriage, I will keep kneeling..."
"Silly, my parents have already agreed." Huo Jin, seeing that he hadn't understood her father's meaning, laughed and pulled him up forcefully.
He stood up foolishly, asking in disbelief, "Uncle, Aunt, you agree?"
Huo Jin's mother, seeing his somewhat honest demeanor, could only go along with them for now, smiling and saying, "A daughter grows up and doesn't always listen to her mother. If she likes you and you are happy together, that's all that matters."
Chang Qingchuan felt his suspended heart finally land. He hadn't expected that as long as he bravely took this step, it wouldn't be as difficult as he had imagined.
He felt fortunate in his heart. If it weren't for seeing the many misunderstandings between Gu Susu and Qin Tianyi escalate to an unmanageable point, he might have given up on Huo Jin in despair. He had mustered the courage and taken out the ring he had bought long ago to propose to Huo Jin.
After having dinner at the Huo family's house, he was happy and elated. As soon as he returned to his residence, he called Susu, wanting to share this good news with her.
If Susu hadn't advised him before, he might have given up on Huo Jin in despair. But when he dialed, her phone was always off.
Seeing that it was already very late, he assumed Susu had turned off her phone before sleeping and decided to contact her in the morning.
The next morning, as soon as he arrived at the company, he called Susu's phone again. It was still off, and that's when he started to feel that something was wrong.
However, there was a lot of work at the company that morning, so he contacted Huo Jin and asked her to go to Susu's place first to find out why Susu's phone was always off.
Huo Jin didn't know Susu's phone was unreachable yet. Hearing Chang Qingchuan say this, she also tried calling a few times, but it was still off.
Just as she was about to drive to Susu's place, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, so she answered it in a hurry.
"Miss Huo, I am Yang Sijie. Can we meet?"
Yang Sijie's cold voice came from the other end of the phone. Her heart tightened slightly, and she replied calmly, "Mr. Yang, we don't seem to be very familiar with each other. We don't have any business dealings with my boutique either, and I'm quite busy today, so I'm afraid I can't meet you."
"I also know that Miss Huo runs a successful boutique, so it's normal to be busy every day. However, please make some time..."
Huo Jin interrupted him impatiently, "I don't have time. Mr. Yang, if you have anything to say, you can say it over the phone. Why bother meeting?"
"Do you think I have anything to say to you? Don't you know?" Yang Sijie said with a terrifyingly calm tone, "If you don't come to see me, then I'll have to go find your boyfriend. By the way, what's your boyfriend's name again? It seems to be... Chang Qingchuan, Susu's university alumnus."
"Alright, I'll meet you."
...
Huo Jin arrived at a luxurious suite in a hotel and saw Yang Sijie sitting alone inside.
He was elegantly eating steak and drinking red wine. Upon seeing Huo Jin, he looked up and smiled gently at her, asking, "Would you like me to order one for you too? We can eat and chat."
Huo Jin stood in front of him without moving, refusing, "Thank you for your kindness, I'm not hungry. What is it that you must see me for?"
When she came out to meet Yang Sijie, she had sent a message to Chang Qingchuan, saying that she also couldn't reach Susu, but she suddenly had something urgent and asked him to try and go to Susu's place if he had time.
"Tell me, where is Susu now?" Yang Sijie put down his knife and fork, picked up the glass of red wine in front of him, and took a slow sip.
Huo Jin's first reaction was to question him, "What did you do to Sophie?" From the situation, it seemed Sophie had told him everything.
And there was only one possibility for Sophie to tell him everything: she was forced to.