"Let me continue telling you some interesting stories from the entertainment industry," Huo Zheng said, wanting to steer everyone toward happier thoughts. His purpose for being invited today was to cheer up Susu.
Ya Nan immediately chimed in, "Great! I love hearing these things the most."
Huo Zheng began recounting gossip he'd heard as a model, blending truth with fiction, telling the stories in the most amusing way he could.
Ya Nan asked questions and interjected, trying to keep the atmosphere light and lively. The others listened half-heartedly, lost in their own thoughts, their laughter polite and perfunctory.
After dinner, Chang Qingchuan and Huo Zheng left together. Chang Qingchuan hadn't driven himself, so he had ridden with Huo Zheng and would be returning in his car.
As Huo Zheng drove, he asked sheepishly, "Brother-in-law, you're not thinking about Susu again now that her husband is gone, are you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" If Chang Qingchuan weren't driving, he would have punched Huo Zheng a few times. "I'm telling you not to lose your composure in front of everyone. Susu and I will only ever be confidants."
"But my sister is gone. You have to find someone to marry eventually, right?" Huo Zheng asked disbelievingly.
Chang Qingchuan seemed to have seen through everything. "I will only have one wife in this life, and that is your sister, Huo Jin."
"Then you truly, truly loved my sister."
Chang Qingchuan put away his affectionate thoughts of Huo Jin and said seriously, "Didn't you notice the strange atmosphere during dinner?"
"You all weren't cooperating with me. Only Ya Nan and I were playing along, which made me feel so awkward."
"I'm not talking about that. Don't you think President Xiao and that policeman, Mr. Su, don't seem very sad? Especially President Xiao. He built the company with President Qin and they were like brothers. But I didn't sense any sadness from him."
Huo Zheng didn't think it was a big deal. "Even if they are sad, they're probably holding back. They don't want to make Susu even sadder in front of her. They're probably trying to be discreet."
Chang Qingchuan shook his head, lost in thought. "It doesn't seem like they're holding back. President Xiao seems very concerned about our attitude towards Susu."
"Huh? I didn't notice that. Are you overthinking it?"
Chang Qingchuan firmly believed his judgment. "There's definitely something fishy going on. Qin Tianyi is exceptionally resolute and decisive when dealing with enemies and rivals. He's absolutely the kind of ruthless character who can laugh all the way to the end. How could he just die like this? I won't believe he's gone until I see his body."
"A speedboat made of steel was blown to pieces like that. How could there still be a body?" Huo Zheng, though he didn't want Susu to be sad, had seen videos of the explosion online and didn't believe Qin Tianyi could have escaped under those circumstances. "Are you worried that without Qin Tianyi, Mishang will be impacted?"
Chang Qingchuan didn't say anything further. It was just a feeling he had, and whether Huo Zheng believed it or not was irrelevant.
Nowadays, he rarely paid attention to external matters, focusing solely on his work and design. If it weren't for the fact that this matter concerned Susu and Qin Tianyi, he wouldn't have specifically come to visit.
Recently, in his spare time, he had been studying Buddhism to cultivate peace of mind. He had also made a few friends online who shared his interest in Buddhism, and he had begun to consider converting to Buddhism.
...
After Chang Qingchuan and Huo Zheng left, Xiao Anjing and Su Kangxi did not leave the villa immediately.
Xiao Anjing followed Susu to the hall and said, "Young Madam, I know you are still very sad right now, but there is something... Shall we go to the study to talk?"
Ya Nan and Kang Xi were nearby. Seeing that Xiao Anjing seemed to have something important to tell Susu, she discreetly said to Kang Xi, "Do you have to rush to work right now? If not, will you accompany me for a walk in the back garden? It's been so long since I've seen you."
Kang Xi nodded with a hint of guilt, took Ya Nan's hand, and left the hall.
"There's no one else here, so you can say whatever you need to say here," Susu said, sitting down and gesturing for Xiao Anjing to do the same.
Xiao Anjing, however, remained standing respectfully. He said with deep self-reproach, "Young Madam, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let Tianyi chase after Lü Yuanhong at that time, or perhaps I should have had him wait in the car while I pursued. I don't have a wife or children; I'm just a bachelor with a life that's not worth much..."
"Don't say that. If anything happened to you, Tianyi would feel guilty for the rest of his life." Susu couldn't help but shed tears again. "This has nothing to do with you. It was my fault from the beginning. I shouldn't have told him that Ai Shunan wasn't my biological father and that I regretted not being able to find my biological father. It was only because of this that he helped me investigate. If he hadn't found out that Shu Zhongze was my biological father, he wouldn't have gotten into trouble. Also, Yang Sijie was my friend back then, and he almost lost his life in a boxing match because of me... I am a jinx in his life; I am a harbinger of disaster..."
"Young Madam, no one knows better than I do that Tianyi did it willingly." Xiao Anjing only wanted to express his apologies, but he didn't expect it to make her so sad. He quickly comforted her, "Please don't blame yourself. In reality, there's no right or wrong between you two. Nothing can outweigh the words 'willingly'."
Susu looked at him, her expression somewhat dazed. "Willingly? But I don't want him to be gone like this. I really want to see him again."
"Young Madam, listen to me. Tianyi did everything for you willingly. Now that he's gone, you absolutely cannot fall apart. You still have many things you can do for him. As a precaution, he had already instructed that if he were no longer around, you would take charge of the group's affairs, and I would fully assist you. After you raise the children, you can hand over the group's power to Xiao Xingxing. As for the twins he hasn't met yet, if they want to help in the group when they grow up, or if they want to pursue their own interests, it's all up to you to decide..."
Susu interrupted him, asking, "Did Tianyi know he would encounter misfortune? When did he make this will?"
Xiao Anjing paused slightly, then quickly said, "Oh, he made it after the mudslide incident last time. That incident made him feel that life and death are impermanent."
"But why did he never mention it to me?" Susu still asked, feeling taken aback.
"Perhaps he was afraid you would worry." Xiao Anjing felt he was losing control of Susu's incessant questions and got to the point. "Considering the current situation and the overall picture, I'd like to formally announce tomorrow that Tianyi has gone missing in this explosion, not that he is deceased for now. What do you think?"
Susu immediately replied, "I agree. He's not dead, he will come back, right?"
Xiao Anjing avoided Susu's earnest gaze. "A person must be missing for two years in an accidental incident before they can be officially declared dead. Since you agree, I will have the media announce that he is missing. Also, from now on, all important documents and decisions within the group will require your review or signature. I will also arrange for you to represent Tianyi at a board meeting as soon as possible. You need to stabilize the directors at the meeting to ensure that the group doesn't fall into chaos..."
Susu listened as Xiao Anjing explained what she needed to do, one by one. These were all things that had previously seemed very distant and that she didn't need to worry about.