"I don't regret it," Shu Yan said firmly.
Xiao Anjing said helplessly, "Alright, I'll help you contact a reliable welfare institution."
Xiao Anjing could completely understand her feelings. The Shu family was to Shu Ya what the Aoxiang Group was to him; losing it meant losing everything.
Seeing that he had agreed to help, Shu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then asked him, "Do you think I'm too heartless? Why aren't you trying to persuade me anymore?"
Xiao Anjing looked at her and said, "We are the same kind of people. In my heart, I value Aoxiang very much."
Shu Yan put down the milk bottle after seeing the child had finished eating and said, "Qin Tianyi doesn't care about Aoxiang as much as you do, does he? For him, that woman is the most important..."
"I'm different from him. If he loses Aoxiang, at most he won't be able to revive the Xiao family. He still has the inheritance his mother left him, so he won't be penniless. But I can't let my mother go back to the hard life she had before." Xiao Anjing couldn't help but recall his childhood, when his father passed away early, and his mother struggled to raise him.
At that time, his mother endured many scornful glances and sought help from well-off relatives, barely managing to support his education and send him abroad for studies.
Shu Yan, from the bottom of her heart, disdained people from humble backgrounds like him, but now she only needed Xiao Anjing's help.
"It's good that you understand. When I return to the Shu family, I will definitely help you and Aoxiang. Besides, if I leave the Shu family and take the child, living the kind of life you had as a child wouldn't necessarily make the child or me happy."
"I understand. I'll make arrangements. When do you plan to have the child sent away?"
Shu Yan glanced at the child and handed her to Xiao Anjing, saying, "Today, send her away today... You must send her away today."
Xiao Anjing asked in surprise, "Isn't today too sudden? I still need to contact the welfare institution. How about I contact them now and pick up the child tomorrow?"
He held the child, feeling a little reluctant. The child smiled at him after finishing her milk, and he felt his heart melt. He couldn't bear to hold the child any longer and returned her to Shu Yan.
Shu Yan's mind was filled with the tragic death of Huo Jin last night. She feared that once someone found Huo Jin's body and car, they would find her. She could only leave here as quickly as possible.
"We've agreed. You must come to pick up the child tomorrow."
Xiao Anjing promised, "Leave this to me. You can rest assured."
...
On Christmas Eve, Susu brought Sophie to the seaside villa.
Their family warmly welcomed Sophie and prepared a sumptuous dinner. To make Sophie happy, Susu had taught Chen Ma and Xiao Mei some Western Christmas customs in advance, trying her best to make Sophie feel as if she were at home in Paris.
Sophie, who had been a bit reserved in a strange place, gradually relaxed during dinner and exchanged a few jokes with Xiao Xingxing.
Seeing her mental state improving, Susu finally felt less guilty.
Qin Tianyi was also filled with emotion when he saw Sophie again. She had lost her usual personality; even when she smiled, it lacked that natural happiness.
He felt deep sympathy for her and was willing to help her along with Susu, hoping she would fully recover one day.
Throughout the meal, he not only took care of Susu attentively but also considered Sophie's feelings, intentionally chatting with her about matters at Mishang Company to make her feel at ease.
"How do you feel about working at Mishang these past few days? Are you adapting well?" Qin Tianyi asked with a smile.
Sophie regained her playful demeanor and said, "President Qin, the work atmosphere at Mishang is good, no different from large foreign companies. I can adapt."
"That's good. If you have any design-related matters, you can communicate more with Chief Chang. He is very experienced." As Qin Tianyi spoke, he added more salad to Susu's plate, serving her favorite.
Susu said with a hint of embarrassment, "I can eat by myself. Sophie is a guest, you should take more care of her."
But Qin Tianyi's eyes were only on Susu. He said to Sophie, "Don't be polite. Eat whatever you want, and treat this place as your own home." He was still worried that Susu wasn't eating enough, and continuously added food to her plate.
Sophie looked at the beautiful couple with envy, feeling that she had done the right thing by helping Susu escape from Yang Sijie and had no regrets.
After dinner, they gathered around the Christmas tree. It was time for Xiao Xingxing's most anticipated gift-opening.
As Susu took out a wrapped gift from her stocking, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Chang Qingchuan calling, she said to Tianyi, "You accompany the child to open gifts. It's Qingchuan calling, I'll have a word with him."
She took her phone and walked to the relatively quiet backyard, swiped the screen, and said, "Qingchuan, Merry Christmas Eve..."
"Susu, has Huo Jin contacted you in the past two days? Have you seen her today?" Chang Qingchuan asked anxiously.
Susu thought for a moment and said, "No, I haven't seen Huo Jin since we had dinner together last time. I texted her a few days ago and we chatted for a while. I haven't seen her today, and she hasn't contacted me. What's wrong, did something happen?"
"She's missing," Chang Qingchuan said with great worry. "I haven't been able to reach her mobile phone for the past two days. When I went to her shop, the employees said she hadn't been there for three or four days. Today is Christmas Eve, and her phone is still unreachable."
Susu also found it strange. Logically speaking, no matter how important the matter, Huo Jin should have spent Christmas Eve with Qingchuan.
"Is she at home then? Have you contacted her family?"
"I asked Huo Zheng, and he said Huo Jin hasn't returned home in the past two days. They thought she was with me, so they didn't think anything was wrong."
Susu felt this was too abnormal and said, "If she's missing, it's been over forty-eight hours. Tell Huo Jin's family to report it to the police immediately."
"Okay." Chang Qingchuan hung up.
Unknowingly, Qin Tianyi walked up to her and asked, "Report what to the police? What happened?"
"Qingchuan said Huo Jin is missing and unreachable tonight on Christmas Eve." Susu felt a vague sense of panic, always feeling that something might have happened to Huo Jin.
But Huo Jin was a grown woman, what could happen to her? Why would she suddenly go missing? Could it be pre-wedding jitters? But that seemed unlikely.
Sophie also walked over and asked, "Susu, is the Qingchuan you're talking about Chief Chang? Did something happen to him?"
"He's fine, it's his fiancée who suddenly disappeared," Susu explained.
Qin Tianyi put his arm around Susu's shoulder and comforted her, "Huo Jin will be fine. She's smart and shrewd. Perhaps she went on a trip to clear her head."
"Yes, Miss Huo is more composed and calm than I am when facing problems. She should be fine." Sophie had interacted with Huo Jin in Paris. At that time, all of Susu's escape plans were devised by Huo Jin, and she merely played a supporting role.
Back then, both of them were bold in love and hate. Unable to bear seeing Susu being deceived, they cooperated tacitly to help Susu escape.
"Yes, perhaps she's gone on a trip," Susu comforted herself with Tianyi's words.
Sophie smiled and guessed, "Maybe she met a better man and went missing to ditch her fiancé?"