Gu Susu looked at him and asked strangely, "You're looking for me? Do we know each other?"
"Yes," Qin Tianyi forced a smile onto his face. "Last time on campus, don't you remember?"
Gu Susu had a slight impression and recalled, "Oh, you knew my name directly then. Did we know each other before?"
"We could say so. When you were in Lancheng before, you worked as a designer in my company. I saw you sometimes during company meetings, so I recognized you immediately that day," Qin Tianyi tried to jog her memory. "But you don't seem to remember me at all."
Gu Susu had no memory of working as a designer in Lancheng. Not wanting to explain too much, she vaguely said, "May I ask your surname? I really don't recall much about the past."
"My surname is Qin, and my name is Tianyi," he said, deliberately slowing down as he spoke his name, watching her reaction.
Her face showed no reaction, as if she were hearing his name for the first time. She smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Qin. Is there something specific you came to see me about today?"
Qin Tianyi paused. He hadn't expected Gu Susu to have no memory of him at all. He quickly came up with a reason and said, "I want to find some design inspiration for our brand's fashion. I asked around on campus, and a teacher introduced you to me. They said we're from the same place, so there wouldn't be any language barriers, and I could communicate with you..."
"Which teacher introduced you?" Gu Susu asked.
Qin Tianyi casually mentioned a familiar teacher's name. Gu Susu thought about it; she had attended two of that teacher's lectures, but they were large classes. She hadn't expected him to remember her.
"What do you need my help with?"
Qin Tianyi hoped for more opportunities to interact with her. He said, "I'd like to hire you as a design consultant for our company. Oh, you wouldn't need to commute to the Lancheng office, of course. I can send you some of our company's designs online, provide you with sketches and photos, and you can help my company with some designs. What do you think?"
"But I have important designs to complete right now, and I'm afraid I don't have time to be a consultant for your company," Gu Susu felt her energy was limited. She had promised Emma the best possible design and couldn't afford to be distracted by being a design consultant. "Mr. Qin, I'm truly sorry, but you'll have to find someone else."
"How about this? Just give me two hours, and we can find a place to talk," Qin Tianyi changed his strategy, thinking that if he could just spend two hours alone with Gu Susu, she might remember him.
Gu Susu immediately looked at him warily, her suspicions about his intentions growing. "Mr. Qin, it's not realistic for me to solve your company's design problems in two hours. I'm sorry."
"Miss Gu, please wait," Qin Tianyi said, not giving up. "Just spare two hours of your free time to help me review our company's designs for this season and see where the problems lie. I'll pay you one thousand US dollars per hour..."
"I'm sorry, it's not about the remuneration," Gu Susu didn't want to waste any more time; she needed to finish her current design quickly.
Qin Tianyi blocked her path and said, "Miss Gu, I really need your help. My French isn't very good, and if I find someone else, there will be communication barriers. It's not easy for me to come all the way from China. It's just two hours of your time, and you even worked as a designer in my company before. Don't you owe me this favor?"
Gu Susu felt he was being too unreasonable, but she suddenly also wanted to know about her past as a designer. She glanced at her watch and said, "Alright, but you'll have to wait until I finish this sketch. If you don't mind, you can wait here."
"How long will that be?" Qin Tianyi asked.
Gu Susu estimated the time and said, "Perhaps two or three hours, maybe four or five. If you can't wait, you should find someone else."
"It's fine, I can wait," Qin Tianyi said, immediately finding a place to sit down. He took out his laptop from his bag and then said to her, "I'll just handle some work while I wait for you."
Gu Susu smiled helplessly and said to the receptionist, "Get him a cup of coffee." Then she quickly returned to her studio.
Qin Tianyi watched her efficient departure, his heart still aching. In all his years, no woman had ever regarded him with such apprehension and caution, as if he were a scoundrel.
Gu Susu buried herself in her sketching again, not paying much attention to the time.
After an unknown amount of time, Sophie entered the studio with a backpack and exclaimed in surprise, "Susu, I saw that person when I came in. He's here for you, isn't he?"
Susu grunted, too preoccupied to chat.
Sophie put down her backpack and stood beside her, a wide smile on her face. "Did that person see you? Didn't he say he knew you? Did he say anything to you?"
"That person has a name, his surname is Qin, and his name is... Tianyi..." As Gu Susu uttered these words, she felt a strange pang of pain, and the brush in her hand trembled.
Sophie smiled and said, "So you've met. But why is he still outside? Is there anything else?"
"He wants me to help look at their company's design drafts, but I don't have time, so I told him to wait," Gu Susu continued drawing.
"Ah, but did he say what his relationship with you was before?" Sophie asked again.
"He did. The relationship of boss and employee. He said I used to be a designer in his company."
"Is that all?"
"What else do you want?" Gu Susu looked at her and asked. "Did you get the fabric samples back? Hurry and help me with the color matching. Emma will be here tomorrow, and we'll finalize the designs together."
"Oh, okay." Sophie quickly took out the fabric color swatches and samples from her bag and began matching them to the completed design, making notes.
After working for a while, she suddenly asked Gu Susu, "Are you just going to let him wait outside like this?"
Gu Susu sighed and said, "What else can I do? I wanted him to give up, but he insisted on waiting until I finished."
Sophie asked with some suspicion, "Is it really just about looking at design drafts?"
Gu Susu bit the end of her pen, glanced at Sophie, and had an idea. "If he can persist until we finish, will you help me look at his design drafts with me?"
"I don't think so," Sophie made a face at her. "He's probably here specifically for you."
"That's what I'm most worried about. If he has any ulterior motives, having two of us won't be a problem."
"I'm afraid he'll just chase me away. This, if I go, won't I be a third wheel?" Sophie still felt a bit intimidated remembering Qin Tianyi's intimidating gaze last time.
"Good grief, don't talk nonsense. I have no relationship with him, so how can I be a third wheel? If Si Jie heard this, he'd misunderstand me, wouldn't he?" Gu Susu couldn't stand Sophie's constant romantic fantasies, and how she could imagine a romantic love story whenever she saw a handsome man. This was deeply influenced by the romantic sentiment of the French.