"Is something wrong with her?" Su Su felt a lot better knowing Sophie hadn't gone to a hotel with Tianyi last night, but she immediately became worried again. "What kind of car did you call for her? Was it a regular taxi? What if she met bad people..."
"Enough," Tianyi interrupted impatiently. "She's an adult. Where she wants to go is her own business. Stop talking about Sophie all the time!"
"Tianyi, what's wrong with you? I just..."
"Why is your heart only on her? Can't you care more about me?" Tianyi's face showed clear anger as he spoke, and a flicker of pain flashed in his eyes.
Su Su thought Tianyi was being jealous again and quickly said, "Let's not talk about her. Will you come back with me tonight? I don't want to be in a cold war with you anymore."
Tianyi said okay and then forcefully regained his cool demeanor.
He knew that Chen Ma's accident wasn't something Su Su could have predicted, but the thought that she was the one who insisted on keeping Sophie made it impossible for him not to blame her.
In this world, there were very few people who truly cared about him. Chen Ma was like a mother to him, and he still didn't know how she had met such a tragic end at Sophie's hands.
Sophie was Su Su's person, and it was only right for Su Su to try her best to compensate and repay Sophie. He understood these principles.
But in this matter, he still couldn't easily forgive Su Su for not considering the safety of her family, stubbornly believing that Sophie was still the kind and righteous Sophie.
Seeing that Tianyi's mood was still not good, Su Su advised him, "All those things with the Qin family are in the past. Don't think about them anymore. Go back and get a good night's sleep. You'll be better tomorrow."
Tianyi grunted, not wanting to say anything more. After finishing his meal, he returned to the villa with Su Su.
At night, Tianyi fell asleep with his back to her. She leaned close to his back, always feeling that he had some unspoken worries.
The next morning, Su Su woke up earlier than Tianyi. Without disturbing him, she went downstairs first to prepare breakfast for him.
But she noticed that Sophie still hadn't returned all night, and she couldn't help but worry. It had been a day and two nights with no news at all.
Although Tianyi had said that Sophie was an adult and would know how to take care of herself, she felt a sense of responsibility towards Sophie and couldn't just ignore her.
Tianyi slept until dawn. As he walked down the stairs from the bedroom, he thought about Chen Ma, who had lived in this villa for most of her life and was intimately familiar with every step of the stairs.
She wouldn't have fallen down the stairs herself. So how did she roll down?
She must have been pushed down the stairs by Sophie, but rolling down the stairs would at most cause bruises and injuries, not death.
Su Su saw Tianyi walk to the dining table, lost in thought. He absently said good morning to her, didn't notice the change in the breakfast spread, and started eating.
Su Su looked at him, still quite tired, and watched him eat breakfast with concern.
Tianyi was thinking about the cause of Chen Ma's death and regretting not installing cameras in the house.
He had originally thought that the household staff was very simple, and they were all close relatives. Occasionally, on a whim, he and Su Su would have intimate moments in the living room or on the stairs. He felt that with the security system around the villa, there was no need to install surveillance equipment inside the house.
"Tianyi, Tianyi!"
Su Su called out twice before he snapped back to attention.
"Why aren't you eating? Why are you just watching me eat?" Tianyi then looked at Su Su and realized she seemed to have something on her mind, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"Oh, I've already eaten." Su Su still wanted to ask about Sophie's situation when she parted ways with Tianyi that night, but she was afraid that asking too much would make Tianyi unhappy.
Tianyi asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Su Su said anxiously, "Sophie still didn't come back all night. Do you remember the license plate number of the car you called for her? There are always news reports online about single women getting into trouble when taking taxis. I'm afraid something really happened to her, I..."
Tianyi felt helpless. Before she could finish, he agreed, "Okay, I don't remember the specific license plate, but I'll have An Jing check. I'll tell you as soon as there's any news about Sophie."
Hearing that he was willing to help find Sophie, Su Su immediately felt less worried, believing that in Lancheng, there was no one An Jing couldn't find.
Tianyi reminded her, "You should go to the studio today too. Maybe she went back to the studio directly. Also, ask other colleagues if they have any news about her. If we both look for her, we should find her soon."
Su Su immediately nodded. "I took a day off yesterday, and I was going to the studio today anyway. I'll go change and get ready to go. You eat slowly. If you're too tired, take a day off too. Your health is important."
As she spoke, she stood up and walked behind him, massaging his shoulders.
Various emotions churned within Tianyi. Regarding Sophie, he had to consider Su Su's feelings, yet he also wanted to avenge Chen Ma, find the person behind Sophie, and consider whether the group's interests would be affected by his family and personal relationships... Who knew the pain and pressure he felt?
"What's wrong with you? Is it because of the rumors that we're getting divorced, or something happening with Ao Xiang Group?" Su Su lowered her head and leaned close to him, sensing that his mood had been off since yesterday, as if he hadn't been able to cheer up.
He gave a bitter smile at the breakfast on the table and said, "The group is fine. You go ahead and busy yourself with peace of mind."
As he spoke, he reached out and squeezed her hand on his shoulder. There were some things he couldn't confide in her now.
Su Su couldn't see his face and thought he was fine. She said, "Then smile more. You always have a stern face, it's quite scary."
"Got it, Mrs. Boss," Tianyi forced a smile.
Only then did Su Su leave the dining room to change and go out.
After Su Su left and Xiao Mei went out to buy groceries, Tianyi asked the nanny to stay in the nursery and keep an eye on the children, not to let them come out.
He called Xiao Lin in, and the two of them began to meticulously search the area where Chen Ma had fallen, looking for any evidence that Sophie had caused Chen Ma's death.
But they found no clues. Then they went to Sophie's room.
This time, Tianyi knew Sophie wouldn't be coming back, so he and Xiao Lin, without any scruples, turned her room upside down.
Except for the trace of blood that Xiao Lin had found, there was nothing else.
They had been too careless at the time, and with so much time having passed, it seemed difficult to find any evidence.
Xiao Lin said dejectedly, "Young Master, Chen Ma has been gone for about a month. Miss Sophie had ample time to erase any traces. I heard from Xiao Mei that during the time Chen Ma had just passed away, Miss Sophie insisted on cleaning the stairs and the living room several times with her. Alas, who would have thought..."
"Let's go look in the living room again," Tianyi refused to believe it. If Chen Ma had been murdered, he prayed she would manifest, for no one could completely erase all traces of a crime scene.
There must still be something, they just needed to find it.