Sophie asked her, "You and Susu were very close before. Do you know everything about her?"
"Yes, we were friends before she went abroad, so I know a little about her."
"That's good. She probably needs your help with something. Can you find a way to have her quietly return to Lancheng?"
Huo Jin found her words nonsensical. She asked inexplicably, "With how developed transportation is now, she can just buy a plane ticket if she wants to go back. Why would she need me to find a way?"
"Someone wants to strip her of her freedom. Never mind, let her tell you herself." Sophie then cautioned her, "When we get to the studio later, you must chat and laugh with me, and act naturally."
"Okay."
Huo Jin didn't understand why they were being so secretive, as if they were on an underground mission.
Sophie led her to Emma's studio. In the work area, Huo Jin finally saw Susu again.
As soon as they met, she took Susu's hand and said happily, "The work environment here is great! Susu, that New Year's collection you designed last time was so brilliant. When can you design some fashion for my boutique? That way, I won't have to negotiate so hard with those fashion brands."
Gu Susu led her to the small sofa next to the work desk and readily agreed, "That's no problem, as long as you don't mind that my designs aren't famous yet."
"Good things will always shine. You'll become famous in the fashion industry here sooner or later. Don't try to charge me more then," Huo Jin said with confidence.
Gu Susu smiled bitterly, unsure if she would even live to see that day healthy and normal.
"Susu, do you remember me a little? Do you know who I am?"
Gu Susu shook her head, "I still can't remember, but I know you must be telling the truth when you say you know me. Can you tell me what kind of person I was in the past?"
Huo Jin didn't answer immediately. Instead, she asked with concern, "How did you lose your memory? How did you manage to study and live here after losing it?"
"I don't remember how I lost my memory either. It was probably after a car accident," Gu Susu said somewhat sheepishly. "After I lost my memory, someone was always taking care of me..."
"Qin Tianyi? Is it him? How did he make you lose your memory? He's not even human!" Huo Jin said indignantly.
Gu Susu couldn't remember what Qin Tianyi was like before, but judging by Huo Jin's attitude towards him, he probably wasn't a good person. "It wasn't him, it was Yang Sijie. Do you know Yang Sijie?"
Huo Jin thought for a moment. "Yang Sijie, the big boss Yang... Oh, I don't know him, but I know of him. You were quite close at the time; you must have been a couple."
"Were we really a couple before?"
"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but that's what people said," Huo Jin asked anxiously, "What happened to you later? Why did you lose contact after going abroad? You never contacted Qingchuan, and he's been very worried about you."
"Some things happened, and I lost my memory." Gu Susu also wanted to know what she was like before, so she asked, "Can you tell me what I went through, and what exactly happened between me and Yang Sijie?"
Huo Jin looked at her and said, "I don't know what happened between you and Yang Sijie, but I do know about you and Qin Tianyi. Do you really want to know?"
She suddenly felt that Gu Susu's amnesia might not be a bad thing. Her past experiences were too tragic and made people sigh with pity. Huo Jin felt a pang of reluctance to reveal them.
Gu Susu said with certainty, "Tell me. No matter what happened in the past, I have the right to know my own history."
Huo Jin nodded and told her everything she knew about her, as after all, whether good or bad, it was her experience.
Imprisonment, childbirth, marriage, divorce, and then getting back together with Yang Sijie... it all shocked Susu to the core. She could hardly imagine her past.
No wonder she had such a severe headache when she saw that paternity test photo with Qin Tianyi.
The child... that was her child. Even though she couldn't remember anything herself, her heart ached at the thought of that child.
She had to go back, she absolutely had to return to Lancheng!
She also told Huo Jin about her current situation. Huo Jin was equally shocked, unable to imagine that a prominent figure like Yang Sijie would resort to such methods to confine a woman's freedom.
With trembling hands, Gu Susu took out her passport from her bag and showed it to Huo Jin. She could no longer calm herself. "No, I can't stay here any longer. I need to go back to Lancheng immediately. I'll book a ticket now."
Huo Jin was also thinking about how to help her. She felt that booking a plane ticket directly was too risky; it would be too easy for Yang Sijie to track her movements.
"I heard my father mention that Yang Sijie has a significant background overseas. He's involved in both legitimate and illegitimate businesses. If you book a ticket with your passport, even if you can get rid of this nanny, it will be very easy for him to find you."
"Then what method is there that would allow me to return to Lancheng quietly without being found by Yang Sijie?" Gu Susu looked at Huo Jin with a pleading expression. "Can you help me?"
Huo Jin had a bold idea. "Don't rush. I'll ask my father if there's a way to get you a new identity and buy a plane ticket with it. That way, he won't be able to find your trace online. Once you're back in Lancheng, I'll arrange everything for you. If he doesn't have your exact whereabouts and doesn't know where you went, it will be very difficult for him to find you again in this vast world."
Gu Susu's eyes lit up. If this were possible, she could escape the invisible cage Yang Sijie had woven for her.
"Is it really possible?"
Huo Jin was unsure herself at the moment. "I'll do my best. For now, you must stay calm and don't let him discover anything."
Gu Susu nodded. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. Qingchuan and I will do our utmost to help you."
...
After a more than ten-hour international flight, Yang Sijie arrived at his residence in Paris.
It was past eight in the evening, and there was no one at the residence. Gu Susu had not yet returned.
He lit the fireplace and sat on the sofa in front of it, picking up his phone to call Wendy.
"Where are you?"
Wendy saw it was Yang Sijie calling and walked outside the studio door, reporting in a low voice, "Miss Gu is still busy at the studio."
"Has she shown any unusual behavior recently? Whom has she met?" Yang Sijie asked coldly.
Wendy reported truthfully, "Nothing special. Miss Gu spends her days attending classes and working on designs at the studio. She's only met a woman named Sophie. They seem to be classmates and had coffee together once. She hasn't met anyone else alone."
"Has Qin Tianyi come to look for her?" Yang Sijie asked again.
Wendy said with certainty, "No."
"Are you sure?"