In Qin Tianyi's opinion, Gu Susu had always been very good at controlling her emotions. Seeing her cry like a child this time made him feel as if he might have gone too far.
Why did he still feel the urge to tease her?
He reluctantly released her, stood up, and put away the laptop, leaving the apartment with a troubled heart.
Gu Susu cried alone for a while. Knowing Qin Tianyi had already left, she quickly composed herself when she heard the door open again, not wanting Xiao Xingxing to know she had been crying.
She wiped away her tears, took out concealer from her bag to cover the traces of crying on her face.
As soon as Xiao Xingxing entered, he looked around for Qin Tianyi, wanting Qin Tianyi to tell him a bedtime story.
He searched everywhere but couldn't find him. He ran to Gu Susu's room door and knocked, asking, "Mom, is Dad with you?"
Gu Susu forced a smile and said, "He's not in the room. Isn't he outside?"
"There's no one outside," Xiao Xingxing said.
Gu Susu looked at her face in the mirror, then opened the door to let Xiao Xingxing in, saying, "Then where did he go? He must have had an urgent work matter to attend to. Mom will keep you company. Shall we go take a bath first, and then I'll tell you a story?"
Xiao Xingxing said unhappily, "Why didn't Dad wait for me to come back before leaving?"
"It must have been quite urgent, and he couldn't wait." Gu Susu took his little hand. "Come on, let's go take a bath. When you sleep tonight, you'll see him again tomorrow."
Xiao Xingxing obediently hummed and followed Gu Susu to take a bath.
When Xiao Mei returned, she noticed Gu Susu's eyes were a bit swollen and wondered if she had argued with the young master.
The bag the young master had left at the door was also gone, indicating he wouldn't be back tonight.
Qin Tianyi drove back to the seaside villa in anger. As he parked the car and got out, he noticed Shu Yan's red sports car was still parked at the entrance.
He walked into the villa and saw Shu Yan asleep, leaning against the sofa.
Chen Ma approached him quietly and whispered, "Miss Shu arrived at five this afternoon. I told her you had plans and wouldn't be back tonight, but she didn't believe me and insisted on waiting for you at the villa."
Qin Tianyi handed his bag and coat to Chen Ma. "Okay, I understand."
He walked over and patted Shu Yan's shoulder. She woke up and her eyes lit up when she saw him.
Shu Yan immediately became alert and said, "You're back. I knew Chen Ma was lying to me. You would come back."
"Why are you sleeping on the sofa here instead of going home to sleep?"
"I just wanted to see you. Aren't you welcoming me?"
Qin Tianyi didn't answer her directly. He glanced at the time on his phone. "It's getting late. If there's nothing else, I'll drive you home."
Shu Yan didn't seem to want to leave. She asked, "Who are you with tonight? Why did Chen Ma say you might not be back?"
"I usually work too late and stay at hotels outside," Qin Tianyi said, trying to get her up from the sofa so he could drive her home.
Shu Yan stood up on her own, threw herself into his arms, and grabbed his collar, asking, "Are you keeping some woman on the outside? Is she a big star or a model?"
"No," Qin Tianyi pushed her away and asked, "Give me your car keys, and I'll drive you back in your car."
Shu Yan picked up her handbag but didn't give him her car keys. She quickly walked up the stairs inside the villa, heading to the second floor. "Your bedroom is on the second floor, right? Which room is it? I'm not going back tonight. I'll stay here with you."
Qin Tianyi frowned and chased after her. "Shu Yan, stop being difficult!"
But Shu Yan, seeing him chase after her, let out a laugh and started to run, opening the doors of the rooms on the second floor one by one, asking with a smile, "Tianyi, is it this room? Or this one?"
When she opened the door to one room and found it was a children's room, she was stunned. She turned on the light by the door and stared at the room's furnishings, not looking at any other rooms.
Qin Tianyi caught up with her, grabbed her arm, and said, suppressing his anger, "If you don't go back tonight, I'm afraid Mr. Shu won't agree..."
"Who lives in this room? There's a child here? Is it your child? Which woman's child is it?" Shu Yan asked a string of questions in one breath.
Earlier, when her father had expressed his desire to arrange a marriage with Qin Tianyi, he had only mentioned that he was married, but his wife had left home and never returned. He hadn't been able to divorce her as he couldn't find her, and he hadn't mentioned having a child.
Qin Tianyi was losing patience. "No one lives there, it's empty. What do you really want to see? Do you want to see if I've kicked that woman out?"
Shu Yan looked up at him and said with a wry smile, "I just miss you and want to stay with you. We're getting married soon anyway, why can't I live with you?"
"Mr. Shu is a very traditional person. He wouldn't want me to ruin your reputation..."
"It's not my father who's traditional, it's that you simply don't want me to stay here!" Shu Yan asked with a dejected expression, "What else are you hiding from me? Are you afraid I'll discover something by being around you every day?"
Qin Tianyi pulled her forcefully, dragging her towards a room she hadn't yet seen, personally pushing open each door. "Let you see enough. Let you see if I've kicked that woman out!"
Shu Yan saw that the last room was likely his bedroom. The cool metallic design and understated luxurious decor made the entire bedroom look like a cellar, perfectly fitting his style.
She glanced around quickly and didn't notice any traces of a woman. The woman had also slept in separate rooms from him when she was here, which made her feel a bit better.
"When that woman lived here, did she not share a bedroom with you?"
"She lived in the servant's quarters."
If it weren't for Shu Zhongze, Qin Tianyi would have thrown her out long ago. "Now you can go home..."
Shu Yan ignored him, walked directly into his bedroom, and sat on his bed, supporting herself with her hands behind her back, giving him a charming smile. "I'm not going back tonight. I want to sleep in this room."
As she spoke, she deliberately crossed one leg, her hip-hugging short skirt almost revealing her allure.
Seeing that she still refused to leave, Qin Tianyi decided not to bother with her anymore and said with a dark expression, "Whatever you want."
He stood outside the door, closed it with a bang, and went to his study.
Shu Yan remained frozen in the pose she had intended to be seductive, feeling extremely awkward. She realized she had never been rejected like this in her life.
Qin Tianyi made her experience grievance and discomfort for the first time, but she wouldn't give up.
Huo Jin had analyzed it for her: where there's a will, there's a way. Both Qin Tianyi and Chang Qingchuan were the cool type of men; only when a woman took the initiative could their desires be ignited.
That's why she had come tonight specifically to get closer to him. She believed her figure and appearance were no less than his ex-wife's, and she was confident that her charm would make Qin Tianyi fall in love with her.
Shu Yan felt she couldn't be discouraged. She rallied her spirits, picked out a men's shirt from his wardrobe, and walked into the bathroom.