He smiled and waved at Susu, who rushed into his arms without waiting another moment.
He picked up Susu, who had crashed into his embrace, and spun her around. "Why are you all here?"
Susu looked up at him, her face etched with concern. "You've gotten thinner. You haven't been eating or sleeping well in there, have you?"
Tianyi lowered his head slightly. "Not at all. I think I even gained weight inside. I haven't done anything wrong, so I ate and slept perfectly fine. But you have such dark circles under your eyes. Did you not sleep last night?"
Susu let go of him and immediately touched her face. She remembered rushing out without even using powder to cover her dark circles and lowered her head. "I must look so ugly right now. Don't look at me, just get in the car..."
Tianyi playfully pinched her chin, his mood lifting. "Silly girl, no matter how ugly you are, you can't be uglier than I look right now. If you don't mind me, why would I mind you?"
"But I forgot to put on makeup when I left..."
Tianyi silenced her with a kiss, and Susu closed her eyes, holding him tightly and responding to his kiss.
They kissed passionately outside the detention center, oblivious to their surroundings.
Xiao Anjing stood by the car, watching the couple openly display their affection without regard for time or place, wishing he could cover his eyes.
However, he was married now, and their display wouldn't affect him.
It's just that his marriage to Lan Yu hadn't been publicized yet.
Just a few days ago, they had simply signed an agreement and registered their marriage. Lan Yu had said that due to her mother's serious illness, she didn't want to announce their marriage.
Moreover, having been married once before, she didn't want a wedding. He respected all her wishes.
However, after registering their marriage, she had moved into his residence. He was now a man with a wife and a warm hearth.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile to himself, not noticing Tianyi and Susu approaching him.
"What are you grinning about to yourself, you brat?" Tianyi extended a hand towards him.
"Nothing," he replied, snapping back to attention. He shook hands with Tianyi, a gesture they used to celebrate winning fights together.
Tianyi commanded him impatiently, "Aren't you going to open the car door and take us back? You just stand there spacing out."
"Yes, young master." Xiao Anjing grinned and opened the car door for them.
Once they were all in the car, he started it and said seriously, "Tianyi, it's great that you're alright. You have a family now. Don't do anything so risky again."
"You worry too much. Of course, I know that." Qin Tianyi and Susu sat in the back, and he held Susu's shoulder tighter.
Xiao Anjing drove, chuckling, "Alright, I'll mind my own business. Your chauffeur will take you back now. Please sit tight."
Susu and Tianyi exchanged a smile. Hearing Anjing's teasing, they knew the police wouldn't bother Tianyi anymore, and everything seemed to be back to normal.
Back at the apartment, Susu rebooked their flights and cooked Tianyi's favorite dishes.
That night, they lay beside each other. Tianyi gently played with her hair and asked, "After the police took me away, you were trying to help me, weren't you?"
"I couldn't think of any other way, except to try my best to stop Lu Yuanhong from framing you." Susu felt a tickle in her nose and grabbed his hand. "Alright, stop messing around. The beds in the detention center must have been uncomfortable. You should rest quickly."
Tianyi asked curiously, "What method did you use to make Lu Yuanhong confess? While I was inside, I heard the guards saying that before Lu Yuanhong was extradited, he admitted to all the crimes he committed in Lancheng. It's estimated that after a brief process in Southeast Asia, he'll be sentenced to hanging."
"Oh, he deserved to die for killing so many people in his pursuit of wealth."
Qin Tianyi's expression turned grim. "That's the fate he deserves, but did you suffer any mistreatment from him while trying to help me?"
Susu rubbed her nose, which had felt ticklish earlier, and her eyes started to water. "I spoke to him through the cell door. What could he do to me? Besides, I just showed him something left by the old Mrs. Shu, so he could at least die with some understanding."
Tianyi chuckled and flicked her nose. "That's what you call psychological warfare. Not bad, that move was brilliant."
Susu buried her head in his chest, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're still laughing? I was so afraid that move wouldn't work and you'd still have to go to jail. I've been to prison before, and I know how miserable it is in there. You've been accustomed to a life of luxury since you were young, how could you endure that suffering? Besides, you were helping the police, yet you had to be put on trial. I just couldn't accept that!"
Tianyi gently stroked her head, his heart aching for her. "I found it quite boring just being in the detention center for a few days. How did you manage to stay in prison for three years? If I had exhausted all my resources to find you then, I would have found you sooner, and you wouldn't have had to suffer like that."
"Let's not talk about the past. You have a lifetime ahead of you to make it up to me." Susu rested her head on his arm, trying hard not to be too sad.
Tianyi's heart stirred, and he held her tighter, kissing her hair.
They spent this night of rebirth gently and intimately.
...
Half a year later, they landed at Lancheng Airport on an international flight. Seeing the familiar city, they felt a sense of long-lost familiarity.
Qin Tianyi had already resumed his original identity. When he went through customs with his old passport, the staff compared his face to the photo on the passport. Finding no discrepancies, they let him pass.
Susu followed behind him and also passed through smoothly.
During the period he was undergoing plastic surgery, she had witnessed firsthand the pain he endured with skin grafts as doctors gradually restored his facial skin.
As they walked out of the airport with their luggage, they saw Xiao Anjing waiting to pick them up.
Tianyi waved at Anjing.
Xiao Anjing saw them, walked over, opened his arms, and gave Tianyi a strong hug. He then took a closer look at Tianyi's repaired half of his face and exclaimed, "Tianyi, the hospital you found truly has peak expertise. They've basically restored your face to its original appearance."
Tianyi touched his face, where faint scar marks remained. "It's acceptable. I'm very satisfied with how it's recovered." He then looked at Susu affectionately.
They had been inseparable and deeply in love for the past six months, never apart for a moment.
Susu took a breath of Lancheng's air and smiled, "It's so good to finally be home!"
Xiao Anjing gestured for them, "Young master, young madam, please get in the car. Everyone knows you're returning today and is waiting to surprise you."
Susu immediately got into the car. Although Chen Ma and Xiao Mei sent her videos of the three children every day, she missed them terribly and longed to see them quickly.