Gu Susu didn't know how to ask him about her background, nor whether he would tell her the truth.
"Yuan Shuna passed away in the hospital the day before yesterday," she said, lowering her voice, her grief overwhelming.
Ai Shunan's tone was devoid of any emotion. "I know. Your mother is finally dead."
Hearing him say that sent a chill down Gu Susu's spine.
When she had lived with the Ai family before, Ai Shunan and his wife, while not inseparable, seemed to have a good relationship. She never imagined it was all a facade, that they had long been estranged.
"She told me something before she died, and I want to know if it's true," Gu Susu asked, mustering her courage.
Ai Shunan turned back, his expressionless face approaching her. He sat on a chair beside her, picked up the purple clay teapot from the small table, and poured two cups of freshly brewed tea for himself and Gu Susu.
"She told you everything. For so many years, every time I saw her, it reminded me of those dirty deeds."
Gu Susu could now be sure that what Yuan Shuna had said on her deathbed was true.
"She had an affair during her marriage and that's how I was conceived? When did you find out? Was it when I was born, or... or when you found me and did the DNA test?"
Ai Shunan's face showed a moment of daze, then he burst into laughter. "You want to know who your biological father is, don't you? Do you think I would tell you? You colluded with that Yang to cheat me out of the Ai Group, which I poured all my efforts into. You're as lowly as your mother. Don't even think about finding out who your birth father is from me!"
"I never intended to sell the Ai Group to anyone. I originally planned to return it to Ai Yifeng, but I just hoped you would cooperate with Xiangyang to recover Qin Tianyi's losses..."
"Enough. Do you think I would still believe you?" Ai Shunan said, picking up his teacup and draining it. He then slammed the empty cup onto the ground. "You don't understand how much I've sacrificed and given up for the Ai Group in my life. You've ruined my Ai Group like this, and you think I'll let you off!"
Gu Susu knew he was angry and wouldn't tell her anything. She got up to leave, saying, "I'm sorry, this was my mistake, but I really can't help you. I should go."
"Come out now!" Ai Shunan shouted. "Tie her up for me!"
At that moment, two men rushed out from the closed bathroom door, pinned Gu Susu down, twisted her hands behind her back, and tied them.
"Ai Shunan, tying me up is useless. I can't return the Ai Group to you!" Gu Susu struggled with all her might, but the two burly men Ai Shunan had hired were very strong, and she couldn't break free.
Ai Shunan said with a laugh, "You can't, but getting the Ai Group back only requires a word from Yang Sijie. Don't think I don't know that you're not with Qin Tianyi anymore, but with Yang Sijie. You were childhood sweethearts. If I threaten him with you, I don't believe he won't return the Ai Group to me!"
"You'd better not do this. Yang Sijie is not someone you can afford to provoke..." But before Gu Susu could finish, a towel was stuffed into her mouth.
The two men who tied her pushed her to the balcony, towards the railing.
Gu Susu looked out from the balcony, and her hair stood on end. The building was built along the mountainside, and beyond the balcony was a deep, sheer cliff. If she fell, she would be utterly crushed.
...
Yang Sijie had been busy in his study processing official documents from abroad and hadn't paid much attention to whether Gu Susu had returned from the supermarket.
When his eyes started to ache and he felt tired, he walked out of the study and looked around, seeing no sign of Gu Susu in the villa.
He checked the time again. Given how long it would take to go to the supermarket and buy things, she should have returned by now.
He couldn't help but worry and opened the tracking function on his phone.
The car Gu Susu had driven was equipped with a satellite tracker. Yang Sijie looked at the location on his phone and realized something was wrong. She hadn't gone to the supermarket but to a suburban resort.
Yang Sijie's first thought was whether she might be meeting Qin Tianyi in secret. Just as he was about to go out to find her, an unfamiliar number appeared on his phone.
He answered, activated the speakerphone and recording, and heard the caller say, "Mr. Yang, Gu Susu is in my hands. If you don't want to collect her corpse, spit out the Ai Group you swallowed."
"Are you Ai Shunan?" Yang Sijie guessed from the voice.
"Never mind who I am. Just tell me if you want Gu Susu to live or die?" Ai Shunan's voice was urgent and fierce.
Yang Sijie immediately said, "Where is she? Let me talk to her."
"Don't try any tricks with me. Since you don't care about her life or death, I won't care either..."
"Wait, calm down. Where exactly is Gu Susu?" Yang Sijie stabilized him. "If you want me to agree to your terms, you have to at least let me see her. Otherwise, how can I know you're not lying to me?"
"Qingfeng Mountain Villa, Room 404," Ai Shunan said before hanging up.
Yang Sijie hadn't expected Ai Shunan to dare to threaten him with Gu Susu. This old man was greedy and ended up with nothing, yet he hadn't repented.
He took a gun from the drawer, tucked it into his waist, and immediately headed for Qingfeng Mountain Villa, as Ai Shunan had said.
When he arrived at the door of Room 404, he sent a text message to Mark, asking him to call the police. Then, he silenced his phone and entered the room.
Ai Shunan was sitting in the room, leisurely drinking Kung Fu tea. Yang Sijie did not see Gu Susu in the room and unceremoniously sat opposite Ai Shunan.
"You're playing games with me. Susu isn't even here. Where is she? What have you done to her?"
Ai Shunan unhurriedly poured him a cup of tea, gesturing for him to try it. "This is this year's new tea. It has a mellow fragrance and a sweet aftertaste."
Yang Sijie glanced at the tea in front of him and said uninterestedly, "I don't like tea, nor do I understand tea. I'll just be wasting your tea."
"Oh, I remember now. You returned from abroad, so it's no wonder you don't understand tea culture." Ai Shunan said with a mocking tone, taking a slow sip himself.
"Where did you hide Susu?" Yang Sijie said impatiently. "No matter what, she's your daughter. You'll regret playing with your own daughter's life."
"Shh, don't be so noisy. Listen carefully." Ai Shunan saw Yang Sijie's reaction and knew he had made the right move by tying up Gu Susu.
Yang Sijie looked around the room again, wondering what Ai Shunan wanted him to listen to.
"Stop being so mysterious. Susu must be in this villa. Her car is parked in the parking lot here."
Ai Shunan smiled somewhat hysterically and said, "I told you not to be noisy. What does a daughter count for? Do you know that for the Ai Group, I could even give my own wife to others to play with? Let alone Gu Susu, she's just a bastard. Be quiet and listen carefully to the sounds of her dying struggle."
Yang Sijie fell silent, his eyes fixed on Ai Shunan with a deep gaze. For the first time in his life, he felt a fear of losing someone forever.