"You useless girl, with such a big disaster at home, you can't help at all. It's one thing if you're ruined, but your brother still has a bright future. We can't let him not even finish university!" Sophie's mother no longer hid her scolding.
Susu gasped, but to prevent Sophie from being stimulated by the family's affairs, she asked, "How much money? How much do you need urgently?"
Sophie tried to stop her, saying, "Susu, you've already helped me so much. I can't owe you more money..."
Before she could finish, Sophie's mother rushed over and slapped her, saying with disappointment, "You ungrateful girl, your friends are more sensible than you. I raised you for nothing!"
She immediately felt a searing pain in her wrist, as if it were about to be crushed. "It's none of your business if I discipline my own daughter. Let go! If you don't let go, I'll report you!"
Susu quickly pulled Tianyi, whispering, "Don't get angry with people like this. She just wants money. Don't you always say that anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem? I want to give her some money and let her leave and go back to Paris."
Tianyi forcefully shook off Sophie's mother's wrist and checked if Sophie was alright after being hit. He didn't want to negotiate with such a shameless person.
Susu coldly asked Sophie's mother again, "How much do you want?"
"Not much, a hundred thousand euros." Sophie's mother had also been calculating for a long time how much to ask for.
In fact, she had inquired with acquaintances here about Susu and her husband's situation. It turned out Susu's husband was a wealthy man here, and a hundred thousand euros was a drop in the bucket for them.
Susu gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, that amount is fine. But you have to sign an agreement with me in the presence of a lawyer, relinquishing your guardianship of Sophie, and never coming to Lan Cheng to find her again."
"No problem, it's just an agreement, I'll sign it." Sophie's mother readily agreed and asked, "When will you give me the hundred thousand?"
Susu replied crisply, "See you at the lawyer's office in two days. Take the money and leave after signing the agreement."
After speaking, she immediately pulled Sophie into the car. Tianyi also got into the front passenger seat and told Xiao Lin to drive.
Sophie's mother no longer blocked the way, stepping aside. Feeling that her plan had succeeded, she watched the car drive away with a hint of smugness.
Along the way, Sophie held her burning cheek and said sadly, "They only remembered me, their daughter, after something happened... Susu, you shouldn't have agreed. A hundred thousand euros! I don't want to owe you so much money... I'll still go back with her and get married..."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I won't let you get married so casually." Susu interrupted her, pulling her hand away from her face. "Let me see if your face is injured. She wants to use you to make money and she's so cruel to you. It's too much!"
"My family is actually very patriarchal. I have a younger brother who is a few years younger than me. They've always only cared about my brother and didn't pay much attention to me. That's why I stayed at school and didn't want to go home."
Susu carefully examined her slapped cheek. Seeing that it was red but without any broken skin, she said with relief, "Good thing the skin isn't broken. It'll be fine after applying a cold compress."
"Susu, are you listening to me? She's asking for too much..."
"It's not too much compared to your safety and happiness." Susu put her arm around Sophie's shoulder and said, "Although your mother acted excessively, something happened to your family, and you're worried about them, right? Let them resolve their current crisis, and you won't have to worry anymore. They'll have no reason to use you again. I think this deal is quite worthwhile."
Sophie didn't know how to express her gratitude and still looked worriedly in the direction where Tianyi was sitting.
Susu understood her concern and asked Tianyi, "Husband, do you think this makes sense?"
Tianyi's face remained facing forward, and he gave a noncommittal "Mm."
Sophie finally relaxed completely, a slight smile appearing on her face.
Back at the seaside villa, after Susu had settled Sophie, she and Tianyi returned to their bedroom. Susu was holding her phone, shaking her head and pondering which law firm's lawyer would be best to contact.
Tianyi put his hand on her phone and said, "Mrs. Qin, is that how you negotiate with people? They name a price, and you just agree. A hundred thousand euros! Sophie's mother is practically asking for the moon, and you didn't even try to negotiate the price."
Susu looked at him and said innocently, "You didn't want to talk to her anymore, so you asked me to talk to her? Earlier in the car, you agreed it was worth it when I asked if it was reasonable."
"That's because I didn't want to upset Sophie any further." Tianyi wasn't blaming her. He pulled her to sit down and said, "It's not that we can't afford this money, but when negotiating with people in the future, you shouldn't agree to everything out of haste..."
"Wait, I've thought about it. This money isn't coming from us. It's coming from me. I can afford a hundred thousand euros myself." Susu said firmly.
Tianyi said with a hint of exasperation, "What do you mean 'I pay' or 'you pay'? Do we have to be so clear about things between us?"
Susu said seriously, "You can't say that. Sophie is my friend, so it's only right that I pay for this. Don't argue with me!"
"Alright." Tianyi said helplessly, "I didn't expect you to be such a little rich woman."
"Don't underestimate me." Susu began to playfully swing his hand again and said, "Don't worry about the money, but do you know any professional lawyers in this field? Who would be a better choice? Help me contact them."
As she spoke, she handed her phone to Tianyi. He was more familiar with legal matters and lawyers than she was.
Tianyi pushed her phone away and smiled, "I'll use my own phone to make the call. I can't waste your phone bill."
Susu heard that he had agreed and smiled sweetly, giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, husband. I'll leave the lawyer matter to you. I'm going to see if the eggs for Sophie's cold compress are ready in the kitchen."
Without waiting for Tianyi to reach out and embrace her, she scurried out of the bedroom.
...
More than a week passed. Unknowingly, summer had turned into early autumn. The cool weather made everyone's mood as bright as the warm sun.
Sophie's mother's issue had been resolved smoothly. Sophie had also become more lively after moving back in with them. Susu seemed to see the Sophie she remembered from her time studying in Paris.
After living together, Tianyi no longer found Sophie annoying.
Sophie had learned to maintain proper boundaries, treating herself as Susu's sister, helping Chen Ma with chores, and playing with the children. This had also made Susu feel much more relaxed.
Moreover, she only stayed on the first floor and never went upstairs, nor did she privately enter Susu and Tianyi's bedroom or Tianyi's study. She no longer experienced the extreme emotional instability she had before.
Tianyi observed her secretly for a few days and felt no more worries. He thought he should trust the doctor's professional judgment. It seemed Sophie had truly recovered.