"I'm fine. Actually, I've long been accustomed to living and raising my child on my own," Gu Susu smiled and asked, "Chief Chang, did you specifically call me out for some important work?"
Chang Qingchuan looked at her. "Of course. The theme for this season's women's wear fashion show has been chosen, and the design drafts are almost complete. I'll send them to your email. See if you have any better suggestions. If changes are needed, there's still time."
"They're all designed? It might not be good to make changes now."
"It's fine. Our company's women's wear sales haven't been able to improve, and they're even worse than some second-tier or small brands. As long as your new plan can boost sales, you don't need to worry about anything else."
"Okay, I understand."
Just then, a waiter brought in the dishes and set them down, saying, "Everything is here. Let me know if you need anything else."
Chang Qingchuan said thank you and let the waiter leave.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's eat first," Chang Qingchuan gestured for Gu Susu to eat.
Gu Susu took a bite of plain rice, unsure how to ask some questions.
Chang Qingchuan, who had been holding something back, also wanted to take this opportunity to speak. He secretly glanced at Gu Susu a few times but still couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Susu, eat your vegetables. Don't just eat plain rice," he said, using clean chopsticks to pick up food for her.
"Senior Brother, thank you." Gu Susu couldn't see Chang Qingchuan as someone who would do anything despicable. She thought Qin Tianyi was just talking nonsense.
She shouldn't believe Qin Tianyi's words and asking those meaningless questions.
But she remembered Chang Qingchuan saying he had something to tell her, and it was best to say it in person. What could it be? Was he in trouble?
She looked up at Chang Qingchuan and asked, "Senior Brother, you called me out for dinner, did you have something else to tell me?"
Seeing that she had asked, Chang Qingchuan mustered up his courage and said, "There's something I want to tell you, and I hope you won't blame me."
"Senior Brother, what is it?"
Chang Qingchuan put down his chopsticks and said, "Not long after you left Lancheng, my mother fell seriously ill, and it required a lot of money. In desperation, I asked the company for an advance on my salary."
"Ah, did you manage to raise the money later? How is your mother? Is she better now?" Gu Susu asked, surprised and worried.
"My mother is much better. The doctor said her condition is temporarily under control."
"That's good."
Chang Qingchuan cleared his throat and said guiltily, "But at that time, Mr. Qin gave me some much-needed money, so I told him everything about your past. Following what I said, he must have investigated everything about your past. Did I hurt you by doing this... I..."
"It's okay, it's okay," Gu Susu saw how guilty he looked and quickly comforted him, "Even if you hadn't told him, he would have found out about my past scandals sooner or later. It was worth it to get the money to save your mother."
Chang Qingchuan looked at her in disbelief and asked, "You don't blame me? Really don't blame me?"
Gu Susu nodded. She finally understood what was going on and could completely understand why Chang Qingchuan had done that at the time.
This was probably why Qin Tianyi said Chang Qingchuan wasn't so upright. But she didn't think it was a big deal.
People like Qin Tianyi, who never lacked money, would never understand the hardship of ordinary people trying to protect their families but being stretched thin and having to bow to reality.
"It's not a big deal, Senior Brother. You don't need to worry about it. It's fine if Qin Tianyi knows about this. I'll handle it, don't worry."
Hearing Gu Susu say this, he felt relieved but also regretted missing such a good woman. He just hoped she would have fewer hardships in the future and live a happier life.
"Are you and Mr. Qin doing well now? Can he accept Xiao Xingxing? I'll be at ease if you can live well."
Gu Susu's expression froze slightly. "Let's not talk about this. Let's eat quickly, or it will all get cold."
"Okay, our lunch break is almost over. You go first."
After finishing lunch, Gu Susu got up to leave. She suddenly remembered something and asked, "Senior Brother, in the two years I was away, how exactly did Qin Tianyi manage to bring down the Qin family and take over Ao Xiang Group?"
Chang Qingchuan was silent for a moment and said, "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but it definitely wasn't something that could be done in just two years. He must have been planning for many years. Besides himself, I think the person who knows the inside story best is Xiao Anjing, who has an unusual relationship with him."
"Okay, I understand."
"By the way, now that you're back by his side, you must be extra careful. I see that although the Qin family has fallen, none of them are easy to deal with."
Gu Susu had already experienced Qin Tianlang's terrifying nature last time. Moreover, the Qin family used to have many relatives, and there might be other people who would jump out and do unexpected things.
"Thank you, I'll be careful." Gu Susu left the private room of the restaurant first.
As she passed a small eatery near the company, she ordered a drink and sat there for a while.
She was afraid there might be Qin Tianyi's informants in the company. A perfectly normal meal with Chang Qingchuan might turn into something else if it reached Qin Tianyi's ears.
She returned to the company with her unfinished drink. Zhuang Ying had also finished her meal and saw her return. Seeing the drink in her hand, she kindly said, "Sister Susu, the things from the shop next to the company are quite good."
Gu Susu hummed and said, "Let's get back to work quickly. Don't work overtime again."
Zhuang Ying made a funny face and quickly got back to work.
Gu Susu opened her computer and saw that there was no email from Chang Qingchuan yet. She browsed the internet for the trending fashion styles for spring and summer to make predictions in advance.
While she wasn't paying attention, a woman in her thirties walked up to her desk and slammed a thick stack of files onto it, saying, "You must be the new Gu Susu. Chief Chang asked me to give you these materials. He said you'll be in charge of the spring women's wear new product launch."
As soon as she said this, the entire design department's office area erupted in a buzz, with people starting to whisper and discuss.
Gu Susu looked up at the woman in the black business suit with a stern expression and quickly said, "Okay, thank you."
The woman said in a not-so-friendly tone, "You're quite something. You've only just arrived and you're already trying to curry favor and snatch projects."
Gu Susu looked confused, not knowing what she was talking about. Chang Qingchuan had told her beforehand to give some suggestions for the spring fashion show, and she didn't think this would be considered currying favor.
"Hello, we're all colleagues. I'm just following instructions from my superiors. You don't have to say it so harshly."
The woman snorted and said, "You seemed very familiar with Chief Chang as soon as you entered the company. Who knows what your relationship is? Stop pretending!"