“Before you two came back, I saw the little ones. They’re getting cuter and cuter, can already sit in a stroller and play,” Shu Zhongze said with a smile, feeling that Susu’s attitude towards him had improved a lot compared to before.
Susu looked around again and asked, “Where’s Xiao Xingxing? Where did that little guy run off to?”
“Don’t you remember he’s at a boarding school now? He only comes back on weekends, and today is Wednesday.”
“Right, right, look at my memory, I even forgot what day it is.”
Shu Zhongze said, “You don’t need to entertain me. Go and play with your friends. Liven things up to drive away any bad luck, and may you all have great fortune and peace from now on.”
At this moment, her colleagues from the studio, Shishi and Zhang Ting, came to find her and pulled her away to eat the prepared desserts.
Shu Zhongze waved his hand at her, signaling for the young people to have their fun.
Susu chatted with Shishi and the others. Qingchuan and Yifeng came over to greet her, giving her symbolic hugs.
Susu asked Yifeng about his situation after joining Aoxiang, and if he was adapting to his current job.
Yifeng said with great enthusiasm, “The project Director Xiao assigned me is quite suitable for me, and it allows me to fully utilize my strengths.”
Xiao Anjing had already arrived in the lobby. After talking with Tianyi for a while, he happened to hear Yifeng mention him and immediately asked, “What were you two talking about me? No bad-mouthing allowed.”
“My brother is praising you for knowing how to use people’s talents wisely,” Susu said with a smile.
“That’s more like it.” Xiao Anjing wasted no time and took Yifeng away to discuss the ongoing online project.
Susu noticed that Qingchuan was still as taciturn as ever, with a faint sadness in his brows. She handed him a glass of juice and joked, “Qingchuan, why did you change your online username to ‘Fated with Buddha’? Have you started believing in Buddhism?”
“Kind of. Nowadays, only reading scriptures can bring peace to my heart,” Qingchuan smiled, glanced at Qin Tianyi who was not far away, and then looked back at her, saying, “I really envy you. It’s obvious that Director Qin treats you very well. You are truly fortunate.”
“Qingchuan, you should also try to move on…”
Just as she was about to offer some advice to Chang Qingchuan, Huo Zheng, who had adjusted the music, ran over to them, wanting to give Susu a hug too, but Susu dodged him.
“Do you need to perform such a grand gesture? You’re not modeling anymore?” Susu asked, maintaining a proper distance from him.
Huo Zheng spread his hands helplessly and said, “Why did you hug everyone else but won’t hug me after such a long reunion? It’s unfair.”
Susu said with amusement, “Because you’re different from others, you don’t need those formalities.”
Unable to argue with her, Huo Zheng honestly answered her question, “I’m preparing to open a garment factory. When do you have time to come to my factory for guidance?”
“No problem.” Susu noticed that while she was talking to Huo Zheng, Chang Qingchuan had already moved to a secluded spot by himself, appearing indifferent to everything.
Huo Zheng sighed, “Don’t look. I feel like Brother-in-law is about to become a monk. In short, he’s seen through the vanity of the world.”
Susu couldn’t help but think of Huo Jin’s silence as well.
Tianyi saw Shu Zhongze sitting alone on the side and went over to greet him politely.
Shu Zhongze, however, really wanted to chat with him and pulled him aside, talking a great deal.
Yanan and Xiaomei were busy moving back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, with Kangxi helping out. Before long, a table full of delicious dishes was laid out.
Yanan bustled around, inviting everyone to take their seats, wanting to host a welcome dinner for Susu and Tianyi.
Most of the Chinese dishes on the table were made by Chen Ma. Yanan also tried making a few dishes, having learned a lot of cooking skills from Chen Ma during her time here.
There were also some Western desserts, which she had pre-ordered from a cake shop and had them delivered that morning.
As they gathered for the meal, everyone knew what they had been through over the past year and offered them many blessings, hoping that such incidents would not happen again.
Susu remembered something and took out the gifts she had prepared for them from her suitcase. She had originally planned to give them out one by one after they returned.
Unexpectedly, Yanan had organized such a grand welcome party for them, so she took the opportunity to present the gifts to everyone.
Looking at these friends and family, Susu felt she was not alone. Fortunately, despite encountering many people with ulterior motives along the way, she had also gained these close friends.
When Shu Zhongze received her gift, he asked in disbelief, “I have one too?”
“Yes, this shirt was specially chosen for you. Do you like it?” Susu had accidentally seen this polo shirt in a specialty store abroad and felt that the style and color would look good on Shu Zhongze, so she bought it.
Shu Zhongze, without hiding his joy, unwrapped the gift on the spot and unfolded the shirt to compare. Everyone said it looked good, and he himself liked it very much.
“I like it, it suits me very well. I’ll wear it when I go back today.”
Susu said emotionally, “The suit I designed for you earlier never seemed to satisfy you. I’m glad you like this shirt.”
Tianyi also opened a bottle of red wine. Knowing that she was touched, he specifically raised a toast with her to everyone present.
After the meal, everyone dispersed.
Susu and her husband had just returned from abroad, and it was time for them to rest well.
They stood at the door and said goodbye to everyone in turn. Shu Zhongze was the last to prepare to leave. Susu suddenly noticed that his face was pale and he was still sweating on his forehead.
“Mr. Shu, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
Shu Zhongze shook his head at her and shook hands with Tianyi, saying, “I’m fine, just too happy. I haven’t been this happy in a long time…”
But despite saying he was happy, his expression became increasingly uncomfortable. His handshake with Tianyi turned into a firm grip on his hand for support.
Tianyi also sensed something was wrong and quickly supported Shu Zhongze, asking, “Mr. Shu, let me help you to the car. Your driver is waiting in the car, right?”
Shu Zhongze nodded and said with difficulty, “Okay, it’s nothing. It’s an old ailment. I have medicine in the car, and I’ll be fine after taking one pill…”
Susu supported his other arm and asked, “What old ailment is it? Is it your heart? I think it’s better to go to the hospital directly.”
“No need…” Before Shu Zhongze could finish speaking, he lost his strength and leaned towards Susu.
Susu tried her best to support him, preventing him from falling.
Tianyi quickly said, “Could it be a heart attack? Let’s help him into the car, lay him flat, and go to the hospital immediately.”
“Okay.” Susu waved to Xiaolin, asking him to come over and help as well.
After they helped Shu Zhongze into the car together, Tianyi hurriedly called the hospital, contacting the emergency doctor first.
Susu also got into Shu Zhongze’s car and said to Tianyi, “His condition is not good. I’ll accompany him to the hospital.”
Tianyi was about to get into the car too, saying, “I’ll go with you.”
“But you just got back, shouldn’t you stay home with the children?”
Tianyi immediately said, “If I confirm Mr. Shu is fine at the hospital, I’ll come back first.” With that, he got into the passenger seat and, without any delay, told Shu Zhongze’s driver to drive quickly.