"There's nothing unusual, she's just been in a bad mood. But then again, who wouldn't be in a bad mood if they were stuck in that kind of place with no family to look after them?"
"I understand," Qin Tianyi said. Seeing that he knew nothing about Shu Yan, he added, "Be careful yourself. No matter how miserable she is, it's all her own doing."
Xiao Anjing disagreed, saying, "In your heart, besides Gu Susu, you can't see the good qualities of any other woman."
After speaking, he didn't want to linger and left Qin Tianyi's office.
As soon as he returned to his own office, feeling somewhat angry about Qin Tianyi's deep prejudice against Shu Yan, he received a message from Shu Yan.
It said she wanted to meet him tonight. He hadn't expected her to finally contact him proactively.
Shu Yan hadn't contacted him since returning to Lancheng.
He had tried calling her mobile phone twice, but no one answered. He hadn't seen her at any social events lately and had no idea what had happened to her after she returned home or how she was doing.
"No problem, see you tonight," Xiao Anjing replied immediately.
...
In the evening, Susu had arranged to meet Sophie to discuss hiring a nanny.
When they were shopping that day, Susu had suggested Sophie move in with them. However, Tianyi didn't quite agree, and Sophie couldn't live in their home.
She had to tell Sophie about it and be careful with her words.
They met at a French restaurant, where Sophie's favorite French dishes were served.
While dining, Susu brought up the idea of hiring a nanny.
Sophie's expression immediately turned somber. She asked, "Mr. Qin doesn't agree to me living at your place, does he? He must think I'm crazy after I accidentally hurt him last time."
"No, he went with you for the check-up, and the results were normal. He knows that," Susu tried her best to explain. "He's just jealous and afraid that if there are too many people at home, I'll neglect him. If you don't want to hire one, I'll talk to him again tonight."
"Forget it, Mr. Qin will definitely be unhappy if you bring it up again. Don't let me affect your marital relationship." Sophie drank her juice, though she really wished she could see Susu every day and have Susu accompany her.
But she also knew that Susu wasn't hers to keep, and couldn't always be with her.
"Our relationship isn't that fragile. Don't worry, I'll discuss it with him again tonight, and he'll definitely agree."
Sophie said, "I'm so envious of you, meeting a man like Mr. Qin. Does he not mind your past with, with Yang Sijie?"
This question made Susu pause slightly. She had worried about it before, fearing that Qin Tianyi wouldn't be able to get past it and would never let go.
But now, it seemed she had worried too much. Tianyi truly loved her and had completely put those things behind him. They were too happy now.
They were so happy that it felt unreal, but this time she would hold onto this hard-won happiness tightly, never to miss or let go again.
Seeing her silent, Sophie noticed her unconcealable sweetness and happiness. She said, "Are there really men in this world who don't mind your past?"
"Of course there are. Don't lose faith in the future or in love. As long as you meet the right person, you'll be as happy as I am," Susu said with certainty.
"But me, where is my right person?" Sophie actually had no longing for men or love anymore. From body to soul, she only felt disgust and revulsion towards men.
She didn't believe what Susu was saying and wasn't interested. In her eyes, the only people she could rely on and trust in this world were Susu.
She just hoped to stay in Lancheng and be friends with Susu for a lifetime, comforting and caring for each other. That would be enough.
Seeing her lost look, Susu comforted her, "He will appear. All beautiful people and things are worth waiting for, don't rush."
Sophie smiled, "You're right. Let's eat quickly, the soup will get cold. You don't need to discuss it with Mr. Qin anymore. I don't want to disturb your life. I like being alone."
Susu's heart ached. She asked, "Are you sure you don't want a nanny, and you won't come to my place? But when you're alone, won't you..."
Before Susu could finish, Sophie voluntarily rolled up her sleeves and showed Susu her arms. "See, there are no new scars, right? I'm fine now. After you took me to see a psychologist last time, if I couldn't figure something out, I just wouldn't think about it. I'd stay in my place, watch comedy movies, and my mood improved a lot."
"Really?" Susu grabbed her arm and looked closely. Indeed, there were no new scratches. She happily put her sleeves down for her.
They had a pleasant dinner. After Susu sent her back to her residence, she drove home herself.
Her mood instantly became much lighter. As soon as she returned to the villa, she called out, "Husband, Little Star, I'm back."
Little Star, with his sharp ears, heard the sound and came running downstairs from his room in his doggy pajamas, throwing himself into her arms.
"Mommy, I'm so glad you're back! Come tell me a story quickly. Xiao Mei's stories aren't as good as yours," Little Star said, pulling her hand and acting spoiled.
"Naughty boy, aren't you both just reading storybooks? Why are Xiao Mei's stories not good?" As she spoke, she looked around, not seeing Qin Tianyi.
Chen Ma came over and asked if she had eaten dinner. Seeing her looking for the young master, she said, "The young master hasn't returned yet. He said he has to work overtime at the company."
Susu said "oh" with a bit of disappointment.
Recently, Qin Tianyi had been returning punctually and never late. Tonight, he suddenly said he was working overtime, and she felt a little unaccustomed to it.
Little Star pulled her upstairs and said, "Daddy's not here, but you can still tell me stories. I just think your stories are better."
"Okay, okay," Susu kissed his forehead. "My little darling, you go wait in your room first. I'll change my clothes and come to accompany you."
"Okay, hurry up then," Little Star said in his childish voice and went back to his room first.
Susu returned to her room and changed into loungewear. She couldn't help but send Qin Tianyi a voice message, "Is hubby still working overtime? When will you be home?"
A moment later, Qin Tianyi replied with a voice message, "I'm in a meeting. It should end within an hour."
Susu didn't reply again. She just replayed his voice message repeatedly, listening intently. There was no woman's voice, nor any strange sounds. It seemed he was in the conference room.
After identifying it, she felt ridiculous. What was she doing?
She always said Qin Tianyi was jealous, but what was her own behavior? It was much more suspicious than jealousy. Truly, the more she cared, the more flustered she became.
She couldn't help but smile at herself and quickly went to accompany her son.
Qin Tianyi was still in a meeting with the group's senior management late at night, discussing the investment attraction plan for the second phase of the amusement park project.
After several hours of discussion, no consensus had been reached. Some favored cooperating only with the Huo Corporation, some favored cooperating only with the Shu Corporation, and some, like his own thoughts, hoped for tripartite cooperation.