"Okay," Sophie became exceptionally happy, having always wished for Susu to accompany her like this.
Now, she trusted only Susu, harboring reservations about everyone else.
After eating, Sophie put on some music, opened a bottle of red wine, and chatted intimately with Susu.
Susu looked at the swirling red wine glass in Sophie's hand and said, "Just this small glass, don't drink too much."
"It's fine, I haven't been this happy in a long time, and you can be with me like this, and we can chat like this."
"If you have anything bothering you, you can always talk to me. We're in the same city, and not far from each other." Seeing her in good spirits, Susu tentatively asked, "Why didn't you take the medicine the doctor prescribed last time?"
Sophie looked at her wine glass and said, "I've taken too much medicine before, I don't want to take it anymore. Do you still think I'm a lunatic?"
"No, I think you're very normal." Susu was careful with her words, saying, "You just have some emotional fluctuations, and sometimes you feel a bit depressed, right? Those medicines are just to regulate your emotions, you can take them with peace of mind."
"Okay, I understand. I'll take it daily as instructed."
Susu clinked glasses with her and said, "During our time in Paris, what I miss most are the moments we sat by the Seine, drinking coffee and basking in the sun."
Sophie took a sip of red wine and said, "I also really miss those carefree days."
Susu felt a pang of guilt and said, "You shouldn't have been friends with me back then, I dragged you down."
Sophie finished her wine and leaned towards her, wrapping her arms around her neck and saying, "You don't need to blame yourself. I wanted to help you, and I don't regret it."
Susu placed a hand on her arm. "Sophie, thank you. I'm truly grateful to heaven for letting me meet you."
"Susu, if it weren't for President Qin, would you be with me every day? Could we two unfortunate souls comfort each other and keep each other company..."
Susu inexplicably felt the atmosphere turn strange. She removed Sophie's hand and said with a smile, "If you feel lonely and need someone to talk to, you can always find me. Tianyi won't object either. In fact, he also wants to visit and care for you, but I stopped him from coming, so as not to disturb you."
Sophie remained noncommittal and looked out the living room window at the darkness that filled her with dread under the night sky.
She couldn't help but shiver and said, "After experiencing those things, I've realized that there isn't a single good man in this world. Yang Sijie was a devil... Those men who spend money to satisfy themselves are not good. Is President Qin an exception? Does he love you, or does he love the possessiveness of dominating you..."
"Sophie, it's not like that. For every bad thing in the world, there's good. You can't generalize all men." Susu reasoned with her, "It seems you still haven't emerged from the shadows of the past. It's okay, this takes time."
"Susu, why don't you understand? No man is worth trusting or relying on. Why don't we comfort each other..."
"Sophie, there are still men in this world who can be trusted and are worth loving. You just haven't met them yet..."
"Self-deception. I saw you there back then." Sophie questioned her, "Why were you in a place like that? Did Yang Sijie also force you to work there?"
"No, I was kidnapped by others. Yang Sijie, he was the one who came to take me away..."
Sophie didn't listen to her explanation and interrupted, "Does President Qin know about this? If he knew you had worked in a place like that, would he still love you so much?"
Susu's eyes widened as she looked at her, not understanding what she was trying to convey.
"He doesn't know, does he?" A hint of smugness appeared in Sophie's eyes. "So, his love and kindness towards you are all unreliable. If he knew, he would surely abandon you..."
"No, he wouldn't." Susu put down her wine glass and took away Sophie's as well. "Stop drinking. What do you think about when you're alone? You can't go on like this."
"I'm not thinking nonsense, I'm just afraid you'll get hurt again. Why don't you distance yourself from men like I do? We can start over together..."
"You're still too lonely and isolated staying in your place alone. I've already arranged for a nanny; she'll be here early tomorrow morning. She's very professional, you can keep her on a trial basis first."
"I told you I don't need a nanny."
Susu placed her hands on Sophie's shoulders and said earnestly, "You never tidy this place up. You're here all alone with no one to talk to. I think you need a nanny."
"But didn't you say I could find you anytime I felt lonely?"
"Yes, but I have my own work and family, and I can't stay with you twenty-four hours a day." Susu said with a serious expression, "If you want to escape from past pain, I can help you anytime, but I can't replace you. You still have to rely on yourself, understand?"
Sophie asked timidly, "If I don't use that nanny, will you stop caring about me?"
"Of course not. Try her out first, and you can dismiss her anytime if you're not satisfied." Susu wished she could return to her old self immediately, but she knew it was impossible.
Therefore, she wanted to jolt Sophie into realizing things, but she couldn't be too hasty or speak too harshly.
However, she noticed that Sophie's psychological problems weren't improving; they were getting worse. It seemed she would need to continue seeing a therapist.
"Okay, I'll listen to you and try her out first." Seeing the smile disappear from Susu's face, Sophie finally agreed.
Susu checked the time and said, "I'll be here with you tomorrow morning to wait for her. I need to vet her for you too. It's getting late, you should go back to your room to sleep."
"What about you? Aren't you sleeping with me?" Sophie still hoped to sleep together tonight.
Susu smiled and said, "I'll sleep on the sofa. Your bedroom bed is too small; it's too cramped for two people."
For some reason, she felt Sophie's gaze tonight was strange, making her hesitant to get too close to Sophie.
"Oh, alright then." Sophie dejectedly returned to her bedroom.
Susu lay on the living room sofa, unable to sleep for a while. She replayed Sophie's words from earlier, as if they were hinting at something.
And about being kidnapped by Yang Sijie's enemies, she indeed hadn't told Tianyi.
It wasn't that she was afraid to tell Tianyi about it, but she felt there was no need to tell Tianyi every single detail of her time with Yang Sijie.
After hearing Sophie say it tonight, she realized she wasn't entirely sure if Tianyi would be angry or misunderstand her if he knew.
Susu was too tired for the day and didn't think further. She quickly fell asleep on the sofa.
In the middle of the night, she suddenly felt someone pressing against her back, and a hand touched her chest.
She woke up startled. "Sophie, what are you doing?"