Susu watched the hospital room door close behind Ya Nan and asked, "What exactly is going on? Did Lu Yuanhong discover we're privately acquiring Shu Corporation's shares?"
"He probably did, and he also guessed we're helping Shu Zhongze, which is why he's in such a hurry to get rid of you," Xiao Anjing said, his voice laced with worry.
Susu, however, was more concerned about the children. "Are Xiao Xingxing, Yu Heng, and Qin Tian in danger?"
"They won't be in danger. Lu Yuanhong's target is you," Xiao Anjing explained. "If something happens to you, no one can reassure those shareholders on behalf of Tianyi. Ao Xiang Group will be in chaos, and without stability, how can they acquire Shu Corporation?"
"Are you saying that if Lu Yuanhong achieves his goal and I die, the children will be safe, and he won't target them anymore?"
Xiao Anjing nodded. The room fell into an unnerving silence as they both remained lost in thought.
Xiao Anjing wanted to suggest she separate from the children for a few months, but he didn't know how to bring it up.
Susu seemed to have figured it out, a faint smile on her lips. "I'm willing to trade my life for the children's safety. I'll just jump from here. If he sees how I die, he'll be at ease."
Xiao Anjing was startled by her words. "You must not do anything foolish. You don't need to find a way to end yourself. Lu Yuanhong has already sent people to the hospital to eliminate you. We just need to make that assassin believe he has successfully eliminated you. You can find a place to hide for three months and not show yourself. During these three months, you won't be able to see the children..."
"Anjing, how do you know so much about Lu Yuanhong sending an assassin? Are you hiding something from me?" Susu interrupted him, more curious about his knowledge than his plan.
"No, I'm not hiding anything from you. Su Kangxi told me everything. The police found out the car accident on your way to the hospital was deliberate, and he has an informant close to Lu Yuanhong."
Susu simply said "Oh" and didn't press further. "Then have you and Kangxi figured out how to deal with Lu Yuanhong?"
"Yes," Xiao Anjing confirmed. "Tonight, we'll quietly transfer you to another location. Officer Su will find a female officer to impersonate you and stay in this hospital room. You will stay in a completely safe place for three months. After three months, you can see the children again, and perhaps the family will be reunited."
Hearing him mention family reunion, Susu's heart fluttered. "Are you saying Tianyi will also return then? Do you know where Tianyi is now or what he's doing?"
"I truly don't know Tianyi's whereabouts. If I did, I would have found him already," Xiao Anjing said truthfully. "I just think that after three months, Tianyi might return on his own. What do you think?"
"Yes, I believe he will return someday," Susu said, still holding onto that conviction.
Xiao Anjing seized the opportunity. "Then you must take good care of yourself so that the day of family reunion can come."
"I know. Just now, thinking about the children's safety, I felt like I could give up my life. But if it's not absolutely necessary, I will cherish my own life."
"So, you agree to cooperate with our plan?" Xiao Anjing asked.
Susu managed a wry smile, her eyes showing determination. "As long as it helps the police punish Lu Yuanhong and his associates, I'll cooperate. But I'm entrusting the three children to you and Kangxi."
"You can rest assured about that. I will protect them, even at the cost of my own life," Xiao Anjing stated with firm conviction.
Susu believed him; he had risked his life to protect Xiao Xingxing before.
Xiao Anjing reminded her, "Then get ready. Officer Su will send someone to replace you tonight. I'll take you to a very safe and secret private hospital."
Susu nodded, now understanding that only by faking her death would they stop targeting the children and using them to threaten her.
As night fell, Susu prepared to be transferred to the private hospital Xiao Anjing had mentioned. After dinner, she asked the nurse who was taking care of the infants to bring her the two children one more time. Their almost identical little faces were so endearing, she could never look at them enough.
After the children were taken out of the room, she lay alone on the hospital bed, her mind drifting back to the fiery spectacle she had seen on the plane, a sense of unease growing within her.
When the lights in the room were turned off, a female officer and Xiao Anjing arrived at her room. The female officer was already dressed in patient's clothes. Xiao Anjing helped Susu down from the bed and into a waiting wheelchair.
Just as he was about to quietly push her out, someone spoke from outside, "Are you asleep? I'm here to take your temperature."
Hearing a woman's voice, they assumed it was a nurse from the hospital. Susu remembered that no one had knocked on her door at this time last night to take her temperature. Had she been asleep and not heard it?
The female officer quickly lay down on the bed, covered herself with the blanket, and gestured for them to hide in the bathroom. Susu glanced at Xiao Anjing, unable to say anything else, and didn't respond to the nurse outside.
However, without a response from the patient, the doorknob was turned by the nurse outside. Xiao Anjing couldn't wait any longer. He quickly pushed Susu into the bathroom and swiftly closed the door, thinking they would quietly leave once the nurse finished taking the temperature.
They stayed in the bathroom, not daring to make a sound, only hearing the nurse enter and call out Gu Susu's name again. The female officer on the bed mumbled a response as if she were still asleep. Then, they heard a beeping sound, indicating the nurse had started taking the temperature. After finishing, she said it was normal.
They expected the nurse to leave the room immediately, but there was no further sound for a long time. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a glass bottle falling to the floor, followed by a bang from the ceiling. They exchanged glances, unable to guess what was happening outside, but still no sound of the nurse opening the door to leave.
Not long after, smoke began to seep through the gap under the bathroom door, stinging Susu's eyes. They covered their mouths, trying to hold on. It was then they heard someone open the door, leave, and then forcefully close the room door, presumably the nurse finally departing.
Susu felt she would suffocate from the thick smoke if they didn't leave the bathroom soon. Xiao Anjing no longer hesitated, opening the bathroom door and pushing Susu out. However, upon seeing the scene in the room, they were immediately filled with terror. The ceiling was on fire, and the flames were spreading along it. Xiao Anjing rushed to the room door, trying to open it to escape, but found it locked from the outside. Susu looked at the female officer who had replaced her on the bed, only to find her motionless, completely unaffected by the fire and smoke. She quickly said to Xiao Anjing, "Quick, check on her! What's wrong with her?" Xiao Anjing, unsure of how to escape, could only go to check on the female officer. At this moment, why was she still pretending to be asleep? As a police officer, she should have already gotten up to help.