In the hotel room, after Tianyi had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Susu found herself unable to sleep.
She sat on the sofa, contemplating how to prevent Yang Shasha from causing further harm.
She knew that Xie Qining's target was Lan Yu and Xiao Anjing, not her.
Furthermore, a pampered rich kid like Xie Qining would at most seek petty revenge and wouldn't be excessively ruthless.
Yang Shasha, however, was different. As Yang Sijie's adopted daughter, she had likely witnessed a great deal with him and possessed sinister methods.
Susu pondered, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the sofa.
As she drifted in and out of sleep, she felt someone pick her up. Opening her eyes, she saw Tianyi carrying her into the bedroom.
"Sleeping on the sofa like that, with nothing to cover yourself, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" Tianyi's words were a gentle reprimand.
Susu woke up, feeling cold and sneezing.
Tianyi quickly covered her with the quilt from the bed and said, "You don't even take care of yourself. If you catch a cold here, it's not like in Lancheng; it's so troublesome to see a doctor."
Susu sat up, hugging the quilt, and said with a smile, "It's fine, it was just a sneeze. Have you contacted An Jing? How is Lan Yu? Has she woken up after the surgery?"
"I just contacted him. Lan Yu is awake. She lost a lot of blood, so she's asleep again now," Tianyi said, sitting by the bed.
"That's good," Susu felt there were still many things to do and couldn't stay in bed sleeping. "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I'll call room service to bring some food."
Tianyi pressed her hand and said, "No need, I've already ordered. It'll be here soon."
"Then, after we eat, let's go to the hospital to visit Lan Yu," Susu suggested.
Tianyi calmly replied, "It's not too late to visit her tomorrow. There's something I want to discuss with you."
Susu looked at him. "Go ahead."
"We'll fly back to Lancheng on a private jet the day after tomorrow," Tianyi said. "An Jing just told me that he won't be running around looking for Xiaoxiao anymore and will take care of Lan Yu. We don't have anything else to do here, so we might as well go back."
Susu didn't agree or disagree. She also had something to tell him.
"Tianyi, we can't let Yang Shasha continue to harm people. We need to find a way to bring her to justice. She's doing illegal things behind the scenes now."
Tianyi asked, "How do you know? Do you have any evidence?"
"Not yet." Susu told Tianyi all her suspicions.
Tianyi thought for a moment and said, "Then let's not go back to Lancheng for now. Let's go to New York and investigate properly. After Yang Sijie is gone, what exactly did Shasha inherit as his adopted daughter? We need to find evidence."
Susu worried about him and said, "But if we both stay here to investigate, and Aoxiang Group is left unattended, will Xie Zhendong do anything detrimental to the group?"
This was also what Tianyi was worried about. Lan Yu was seriously injured and would likely not recover for at least a month.
An Jing would have to take care of Lan Yu, so he definitely wouldn't be able to go back either.
Seeing his silence, Susu voiced her idea, "You go back to Lancheng as planned the day after tomorrow. I'll go to New York to investigate this matter."
"But..."
Before Tianyi could object, Susu added, "I used to stay in New York with Yang Sijie and I'm familiar with some of his businesses there. I also know some people he was close to. If I act alone, I won't attract attention, and it will be much more convenient."
Tianyi understood that this was the best solution for now and had to agree. "Alright, but let Daisy accompany you. After I return, you wait for Daisy's injuries to heal and for her to be discharged before you go there together. Also, if you find any clues or evidence, you must inform me immediately."
"Okay, stop fussing. Don't worry, I'll protect myself and won't be so useless again." Susu stretched her hands out from the quilt and hugged him tightly.
It was Yang Sijie who had come for her in the first place, and it was her lingering feelings in this relationship that had led to all the subsequent events.
Now that she was going to resolve it, it was only right that she didn't burden Tianyi and Aoxiang Group.
Tianyi hugged her tightly and reiterated, "Take care of yourself. I'll be waiting for you to come back."
The next day, they went to the hospital together to visit Lan Yu.
Susu felt very guilty for not protecting Lan Yu during the kidnapping.
Lan Yu didn't blame her, understanding that in such a dangerous situation, no one could possibly take care of everything.
At that time, she herself was so terrified that she didn't know what to do, didn't dare to move, and couldn't think at all. She didn't dare to run with Susu and the others.
An Jing also didn't blame Susu, understanding that some things were just accidents that no one could have predicted.
Instead, Lan Yu and An Jing comforted her with their words, which made her feel a little better.
Once she found evidence of Yang Shasha's crimes, she would be able to avenge Lan Yu.
After Tianyi and Susu left the hospital, they wandered around, cherishing the brief time they had together, as they would be parting again tomorrow.
After getting tired from their stroll, they found a coffee shop to sit in.
"The environment here is really nice, suitable for retirement," Tianyi said, looking out at the green mountains and clear waters outside the window.
Susu sipped her coffee and said, "Yes, no wonder An Jing's mother has always lived here and refused to go to Lancheng."
Tianyi said, "Actually, Lancheng is Auntie's place of sorrow. When they were a widowed mother and son, they were ostracized by the Xiao family and not accepted by them, which is why they left Lancheng and went far away."
"Why would the Xiao family treat An Jing and his mother like that? It's too much!"
Tianyi had also learned a little from the older generation and said, "My aunt was a minor celebrity back then. An Jing's father liked her very much and insisted on marrying her against his family's wishes. At that time, the elders of the Xiao family made it clear that if they got married, they would sever ties with the Xiao family."
"Ah, so An Jing's father really cut ties with the Xiao family?"
"Yes, after they got married, they no longer interacted with anyone from the Xiao family. An Jing's father ran a small business himself, and their lives were pretty good." Tianyi sighed. "Who would have thought that An Jing's father would later contract a terminal illness? After he passed away, they lost their source of income. Auntie planned to make a comeback as an actress to earn some money for living expenses, but the Xiao family wouldn't allow her to show her face again. They gave them a sum of money for travel expenses and drove them here, forbidding them from returning to Lancheng."
Susu said indignantly, "Haven't they already severed ties? What right do the Xiao family members have to interfere with An Jing and the others? Besides, Auntie relies on her own abilities to make a living as an actress. Why is that not allowed? This is too unreasonable!"
"There's nothing we can do. In that era, actors weren't considered a respectable profession." Tianyi also took a sip of coffee and said, "However, the Xiao family collapsed later, so they could have returned to Lancheng if they wanted to. But Auntie has always been unwilling to go back. The year An Jing and I returned to Lancheng, he moved his uncle's ashes here."
"Oh, I see, that explains it," Susu said. "I think Auntie has good relationships with people here, but she hasn't found anyone else. It's probably because she loved An Jing's father too much. With love in her heart, even if she lives here alone, she won't feel lonely."