As soon as she got into the car, Susu's phone rang. It was from the mental health treatment center.
"Could it be that Sophie is in trouble?" she thought, quickly answering. The voice on the other end spoke Mandarin with a slight accent, "May I ask if you are Miss Gu? I am Sophie's mother."
"Auntie, hello." Hearing Sophie's mother's voice, Susu felt a bit surprised.
After Sophie's incident, her family had paid no attention to her, and Sophie herself felt too ashamed to face them.
Susu recalled Sophie mentioning that although her family were early immigrants who had settled down, their thinking remained extremely traditional and conservative.
Sophie, born and raised abroad and educated in the West, was considered progressive within her family and the local Chinese community.
Even back then, Sophie hadn't really done anything wrong. She studied art and design and had a fashionable, open style of dress, which already displeased her family. Her parents, in particular, often nagged her.
After her incident, her family felt she had brought it upon herself, a result of her own perceived promiscuity.
Before Susu brought Sophie to Lancheng, she had tried to contact her family. However, they refused to listen to Susu, adamantly stating they disowned their daughter and considered her gone.
At the time, Susu had a fleeting thought: was this abroad or some backward place in China? She hadn't expected the overseas Chinese community to be so feudal.
"Hello, I've returned to China this time to bring Sophie back. Would it be convenient for you to meet me?" Sophie's mother said in a gentle tone.
Susu responded with a soft "Oh," feeling a bit taken aback, but she agreed.
She drove to the chain coffee shop Sophie's mother had mentioned, located not far from the treatment center.
Sophie's mother, with her long, well-maintained curly hair, was seated near the entrance. Recognizing Susu, she waved her over.
Susu walked up, politely greeted her as "Auntie," and sat down.
"Miss Gu, you're still as beautiful as ever. What would you like to drink?" Sophie's mother asked.
Susu smiled and said, "A latte." Noticing her companion had no coffee, she quickly asked, "Auntie, what would you like? I'll order for you."
"I'd like a Blue Mountain, but they don't have authentic Blue Mountain coffee here." Sophie's mother tilted her head slightly upward. She bore some resemblance to Sophie, but her demeanor exuded a sense of innate superiority and arrogance.
Susu replied, "The Blue Mountain here is decent. It's hard to find authentic Blue Mountain anywhere these days. Even in Paris, the Blue Mountain is a blend."
Sophie's mother seemed momentarily embarrassed and murmured, "Oh."
Susu added, "Then I'll go order for you." Without waiting for Sophie's mother to respond further, she headed to the counter.
Before long, she returned to the table with two cups of coffee.
Sophie's mother accepted her coffee and smiled, saying, "China has changed so much since I last visited."
"How many years has it been since you were last here? Actually, China is quite good now. Whatever major cities abroad have, China has too. And whatever abroad doesn't have, China also has."
"Are you saying I'm out of touch?" Sophie's mother finally lowered her head and looked directly at Susu.
"Auntie, I didn't mean that. Have you seen Sophie? Is she doing well?" Susu wanted to avoid further discussion on this matter. She felt that those who had lived abroad for a long time, especially those who hadn't integrated into the mainstream society there, often considered themselves superior to people in China, living in a state of ignorance.
Sophie's mother nodded, saying, "Thank you for taking care of her for so long. However, no matter what I say, she refuses to come back with me. Could you perhaps persuade her?"
"I'm afraid my words might not help. I thought her mental state had recovered, and I wanted to bring her out of the treatment center, but she herself refuses to leave. Honestly, I don't know what's going on with her," Susu said truthfully.
Sophie's mother became somewhat anxious. "What should we do? The family is all waiting for her. Can you try to persuade her again?"
Susu took a sip of her coffee, feeling puzzled. Why had Sophie's family suddenly become so concerned about her?
"May I ask, you previously ignored her, so why do you want to take her back now?"
Sophie's mother smiled and replied, "We've arranged a marriage for her and want her to come back to meet the man. He's the son of her father's friend, someone we know well and can absolutely trust."
Susu said tactfully, "But I heard you were embarrassed by her. Why are you arranging a marriage for her now? Aren't you afraid she'll bring shame upon you again when she returns?"
Sophie's mother sighed, "She's already in this state. It's good if she can get married. We're doing this for her own good..."
"What exactly is wrong with her? Is she missing a limb, or has something gone wrong?" Susu said, unable to contain herself any longer. "She merely went through a painful experience. As long as she can overcome the trauma, she'll be no different from anyone else. And it wasn't something she wanted; she's a victim. As her family, you should comfort and encourage her, not shun her more than outsiders! Your attitude will only push her further into despair!"
"We don't want this either, but at the time, she was rescued by the police and it was reported in the news. Everyone around us knows. Our reputation in the community is ruined, what else can we do?" Sophie's mother complained. "Do you know how long our family has been unable to hold our heads up in front of friends and neighbors! I told her long ago not to wear so much makeup, and to dress less eccentrically and immodestly. And look what happened."
Susu said with a sense of helplessness, "Does wearing makeup and dressing immodestly make someone a bad girl? She was harmed by bad people because she was trying to help me! If you see her this way, then don't arrange any marriage for her, and don't come looking for her again. Your appearance will only increase her psychological burden and pressure. Don't visit her anymore; I will be responsible for her for the rest of my life!"
After saying this, she turned and left, unable to tolerate it any longer.
Sophie's mother was caught off guard and quickly chased after her, but Susu had already disappeared. She began to ponder that since Susu claimed responsibility for Sophie for life, perhaps Susu could help resolve their family's issues.
Susu drove by herself, her heart filled with an indescribable emotion. She realized it was no wonder Sophie had carried such a heavy psychological burden; it was inseparable from her family's disdain and contempt.
She drove directly to the mental health treatment center, wanting to see Sophie.
Over the past half-year, due to Tianyi's disappearance, she had also been feeling low and was entangled with other matters. She had only visited Sophie twice, but she had video calls with her every month.
From the video calls, Sophie seemed to be doing quite well at the treatment center. Every time they spoke, Sophie would smile happily, saying she participated in many beneficial activities and joined positive social clubs.
The doctors here sent her monthly reports, and Sophie's psychological and physical examination data were all normal, so Susu had been at ease.