She arrived at the treatment center, where the staff led her to an open activity area and pointed to Sophie, who was sitting on a bench, lost in thought.
She walked over and sat beside Sophie, asking in a light tone, "Why are you here alone? Don't you like being with everyone? I heard from the doctors here that you've been attending a book club recently, often reading French classics to them."
Sophie, however, appeared somewhat dazed and indifferent to her words.
Susu took her hand and continued, "I've met your mother. Do you want to go back and get married?"
Sophie immediately turned to look at her, shaking her head vigorously and saying, "I'm scared. I don't want to go back with her! Can you let me stay here forever?"
"Yes, as long as you don't want to, I won't let her take you away," Susu said, squeezing her hand. "But I don't understand, why do you have to stay here forever? Even if you don't go back with your mother, you can be discharged from here..."
"I'm scared. I'm scared of living alone, and I'm scared that Yang Sijie will come to catch me again! Susu, I get scared just thinking about leaving this place..." Her eyes were filled with fear.
Susu didn't understand what was wrong with her. She had been undergoing treatment here for so long, and the doctors had diagnosed her as mentally and psychologically normal. Yet, every time they talked about leaving, she had this expression.
"What exactly are you afraid of? Yang Sijie is long dead. He will never catch you again..."
Sophie spoke differently now, not rambling incoherently as before. She said quite normally, "He's not dead. He's really not dead. I saw him once when I went to the orphanage. He was sitting in a wheelchair, alive and well."
Susu stared at her, stunned. She recalled that ever since Sophie started treatment here, she had been talking about being afraid of Yang Sijie, saying he was still alive, and Susu had dismissed it as her hallucination or psychological effect.
But now that she was normal in every aspect and still saying this, Susu couldn't help but believe that what she was saying now was true.
"When did you see him? Could it have been someone who looked like him?"
"Before I was admitted here," Sophie said. "Originally, I didn't want you to send me here. I always felt you didn't want to bother with me and wanted to abandon me. But after I saw him, I agreed without a second thought because I was scared. No, I definitely didn't mistake him. I would recognize him even if he turned to dust. There's no one in the world who looks that much alike. I was terrified then, almost collapsing. I also reminded you to be careful, didn't I? Has he troubled you or hurt you since I hid here?"
Susu shook her head blankly. "No. If he were still alive, why wouldn't he have come looking for me and Tianyi? He wouldn't let us off, would he?"
"Is it because he's in a wheelchair? His legs can't walk, so he can't harm us anymore?" Sophie said, a little agitated.
Susu nodded, following her line of thought. She remembered how Yang Sijie, after being shot and falling off the cliff, couldn't have just broken his legs; he should have been smashed to pieces.
If this were true, how did Yang Sijie survive, and how did he go to an orphanage not too far from Lancheng? It was too incredible.
Sophie finally relaxed, a smile appearing on her face. "Yes, why didn't I think of that? If he can't walk, how can he catch me? I'm so stupid."
Susu's heart was in turmoil, but to prevent Sophie from being scared anymore, she calmly said, "Anyway, whether he's dead or alive, he can't do evil anymore. Aren't you planning to get discharged then?"
Sophie became sad again. "But if I'm discharged, I'll be alone again. It's so lively and crowded here..."
"But these are all patients, and you're all better now. After you're discharged, you can still live with me. Now, Tianyi and I have two more babies, so the house is very lively. You can play with the babies when you have nothing to do, and you won't be lonely," Susu said, her heart aching for her. So much time had passed, and she still hadn't recovered her normal life. She couldn't let her continue like this.
"Your husband... President Qin, will he agree?" Sophie let go of her hand, clasped her own two hands, and lowered her head. "He hates me. He won't let me live with you."
"It's not like that. He thought you had some psychological issues and hadn't recovered yet, so he wanted me to let you get treatment first. He doesn't hate you. Like me, he's grateful for your loyalty back then. Don't worry, things are different now. You'll become a part of our family, and we'll all be happy together forever," Susu said with a sincere smile.
Sophie's hands began to rub together nervously, and she said with difficulty, "He didn't hate me wrongly. I tried to sabotage your relationship before... But it wasn't my intention. Yes, someone made me do it. My mental state was not good then, as if I were possessed. I actually listened to that stranger's words and ruined your relationship, wanting you all to myself... I don't deserve you to be so good to me. I'm a bad person, a bad person..."
"You're not a bad person. You never were," Susu believed her nature was kind. Her strange behavior before was indeed not her intention. "Do you know who that person was? How did you meet him?"
Sophie recalled, "He said his surname was Lu, and his hair was all white. He was at least sixty years old. I don't know anything else. But when he spoke words of guidance, it felt very comfortable, and I unknowingly wanted to listen to him."
Susu was astonished. How could there be such a coincidence? That old man's surname was Lu, and he had white hair too.
And she remembered that Lu Yuanhong had studied psychology when he was young, so guiding someone like Sophie with psychological problems would be easy for him.
She quickly found a photo of Lu Yuanhong online and showed it to Sophie. Sophie recognized him immediately after just one glance and pointed at the photo, saying, "Yes, it's him. It's this person."
Only then did Susu understand that Lu Yuanhong had been plotting against her and Tianyi for a long time, and he had even started with her good friend. He was truly insidious.
Sophie told her how she met Lu Yuanhong and that they always met late at night at a bar near the lake greenway in the city.
Susu also told her what kind of person Lu Yuanhong was and how she and Tianyi had been terribly harmed by Lu Yuanhong over the past year or so.
After listening, Sophie realized that while she was here, Susu had encountered many dangerous situations. She couldn't help but sweat for Susu. "Why didn't you tell me anything? You made me think you hated me too and didn't want to see me."
"How could I? I was really tied up with things, which is why I rarely came to see you..."
Before Susu could finish, Sophie suddenly hugged her tightly, apologizing for her previous misunderstanding and feeling indescribably happy.
Susu still cared about her and valued her, and that was enough!
Susu gently patted her back and said, "Silly girl, we are forever good sisters. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would worry about me and wouldn't be able to focus on your treatment here."