"I'm fine. On the way back, I received several calls from fashion companies wanting to invite me as their chief designer," Sophie said, unable to hide her joy.
"That's good. At least your efforts over the past month haven't been wasted," Susu patted her hand and said, "I'm alright. You've had a long day, go rest. I can manage myself."
"Are you really okay? Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Sophie asked, still concerned.
Susu smiled and replied, "I'm not that fragile. I've been through too many storms over the years, I have enough psychological resilience, don't worry."
Sophie nodded, got up, and left Susu's room, hoping their cold war would continue.
Back in her own room, Sophie looked at the not-so-wide bed she slept in. She couldn't help but recall the feeling of sitting by Susu's large bed earlier, as if she could smell Qin Tianyi's lingering scent. She really wished she could lie on that comfortable, large bed.
How wonderful it would be if she were the one lying beside Qin Tianyi. She knew how difficult it was to win a man like Qin Tianyi, yet she couldn't stop fantasizing about being with him.
She took out Qin Tianyi's shirt and underwear again, neatly placing them on one side of her bed. Then she lay down beside the clothes, as if lying next to Qin Tianyi, her emotions stirring.
Just then, her phone vibrated, jolting her out of her fantasy. She looked at the caller ID on the screen; it was Yu Wei.
A panic seized her. She stared at the incoming number for a few seconds before shakily answering.
"Beauty, you did very well today," Yu Wei's voice, laced with disdain, praised. "I didn't expect you to be such a good actress. The boss who paid saw the situation from the video I sent. He wants you to keep up the act and absolutely don't let Qin Tianyi and his wife discover your disguise."
Sophie didn't need their praise. Her voice trembling, she asked, "Who is the person who paid you to threaten me? Why does he have photos of Yang Sijie? Is he Yang Sijie? Is Yang Sijie alive?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Yu Wei said, uninterested in her questions. "Listen carefully, the big boss wants you to use this opportunity to destroy Qin Tianyi and Gu Susu's marital relationship. Aren't you best at serving men? Then get Qin Tianyi. We need videos or photos of you and Qin Tianyi together."
"I can't. Qin Tianyi isn't interested in any other woman except Gu Susu," Sophie thought she wanted to get Qin Tianyi, but she wouldn't show it to these people.
What's more, her liking for Qin Tianyi and her desire to have him had nothing to do with them.
She didn't want to be threatened like this, taking orders from people like Yu Wei who only looked down on and humiliated her.
"You can't?" Yu Wei sneered into the phone. "Don't forget those photos of yours, and your work as an art model, and how you betrayed Qin Tianyi and his wife... If all this becomes public knowledge, do you know what you'll become?"
"Who is behind you? Is it Yang Sijie himself? Is it!" Sophie's voice rose involuntarily as she lost her patience.
Yu Wei threatened, "I've told you before that you don't need to know who that person is. Just do as you're told. If you can't, you'll end up like a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone!"
Without waiting for Sophie to speak again, he hung up.
Sophie was so angry she wanted to smash her phone. If she hadn't been threatened by them, and had followed her own plan, Qin Tianyi and Susu wouldn't suspect her or disbelieve her by now.
Yu Wei and his group were detestable. And she shuddered at the thought of whether the person behind them could be Yang Sijie.
...
After Sophie left Susu's room, Susu contacted Tianyi.
Susu told Tianyi about her conversation with Sophie and her own feelings, believing Sophie was being used without her knowledge.
Tianyi said, "Right now, we can't rule out anyone or any possibility. We can't completely clear Sophie of suspicion based solely on a few words from her. We still need to understand the whole story and let the facts speak for themselves."
"Okay, I understand," Susu said uncomfortably. "I'll continue to pretend in front of her as you said, but I feel it's not right to deceive her like this."
"This incident originated from her personal press conference, and it was in the slideshow she presented. It seems most likely that she was the one causing trouble. There's nothing wrong with that. If it turns out she's not involved, I'll explain and apologize to her with you," Tianyi said firmly, wanting to dismiss her concerns.
"Okay, okay, don't worry. The person who intentionally publicized these photos is targeting me. I also really want to know who it is, and I will cooperate with your plan." Susu asked him with concern, "But are you planning to spend the night at the club tonight? Is there a place to rest there? Why don't you come back?"
"It's fine, there are resting places here for VIP members. Only by not coming home at night can Sophie be completely convinced that I really care about this matter and that our relationship has broken down. This way, we can see what she does next." Tianyi also cautioned her, "No matter what happens, I'm here for you. Don't overthink it, don't stay up late, and get some rest early."
"Okay, goodnight."
Susu hung up. After showering, she lay in bed, unable to sleep. Those photos pulled her back to the time when she was amnesiac and with Yang Sijie.
She and he were like the most loving couple in the world, completely controlled by him without even realizing it.
In fact, if Tianyi and Huo Jin hadn't appeared back then, even if she had remained amnesiac, problems would still have arisen between her and Yang Sijie.
His possessiveness was too strong. Even though he agreed to let her study in Paris, he was always thinking about how to control her completely and brainwash her.
Fortunately, she escaped later and found herself again.
But Sophie sacrificed herself for her, and thinking about it still made her heart ache.
...
After talking with Susu on the phone, Tianyi vented his frustration by hitting the punching bag furiously again.
In fact, the image of Susu sweetly together with Yang Sijie was deeply etched in his mind.
Before, knowing these things had already caused him unbearable pain, and he dared not imagine what Susu was like when she was with Yang Sijie.
But tonight, those photos suddenly appeared before his eyes, turning what he had dared not imagine into a real picture.
He felt stifled, his chest aching intermittently, but he also knew that this matter had caused Susu even greater harm and pain, and he understood the malicious intent of the person manipulating all of this.
Therefore, he suppressed his most direct feelings. Seeing Susu's panicked and distressed state, how could he bear to blame her or question her?
While he said they were acting together, he also wanted to use this opportunity to be alone to vent his negative emotions and stop holding Susu accountable for past events, which would damage their relationship.