Two years later, Gu Susu woke from a nightmare, breaking out in a cold sweat. She found herself still lying in the small cabin's bed, with Xiao Xingxing sleeping soundly beside her.
The year she left Lancheng with Xiao Xingxing, she hadn't disembarked at the place arranged by Ai Yiwei, but had gotten off two stops early.
Arriving in this unfamiliar small city, she finally managed to settle down. Her income from designing online during the day was just enough to cover basic living expenses, food, and rent.
A year ago, she sent Xiao Xingxing to a full-day kindergarten here. She applied for a job at a beer company and sold beer at different entertainment venues in the evenings. Her income increased significantly, and it was more than enough to cover Xiao Xingxing's kindergarten fees.
Now, she started having a surplus each month, saving some money for Xiao Xingxing's future education.
She glanced at the time on her phone by the bedside. It was only four in the morning. She held Xiao Xingxing in her arms, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.
For two years, she and her child had not encountered anyone familiar in this small town. No one knew they were here, and no one could find them.
Yet, she still had frequent nightmares. The past events always swirled in her mind without reason, good or bad, unforgettable and lingering.
Fortunately, she had her child by her side. She focused all her energy on earning money and her child, which made life feel a little easier. However, whenever the night was deep and quiet, a certain person's figure would appear in her mind, or in her dreams.
She tried to fall asleep again but couldn't. She got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower, at least to bring herself back from the nightmare to reality.
Though the night was long, dawn would eventually break.
The next morning, as soon as Xiao Xingxing opened his eyes, she had already prepared breakfast.
Xiao Xingxing rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked at the sandwiches and milk on the table. He said coquettishly, "Mom, it smells so good."
Gu Susu smiled at him and said, "I put eggs in the sandwiches this morning, and your favorite bacon too."
"Yay!" Xiao Xingxing happily jumped out of bed.
"Hurry up and wash up. After breakfast, it's time to go to kindergarten. If you don't hurry, you'll be late."
Xiao Xingxing jumped off the bed and, being sensible, went to brush his teeth and wash his face himself.
Gu Susu stood at the bathroom door, watching him act like a little adult. At his age, four or five, children were usually doted on and cared for by their parents, not brushing their teeth and washing their faces on their own.
But he tried his best to do everything himself and never caused her trouble. Sometimes, his capability was heartbreaking.
"Let Mom help you wash," Gu Susu reached out to take the small towel from his hand, but he dodged it.
He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Mom, you have to work to earn money and take care of me. You're already working hard enough. Let me do the things I can do myself."
Saying that, he quickly washed his face and grinned.
Gu Susu couldn't help but feel guilty. This child had experienced too much at such a young age, especially being locked up in the Ai family's house for more than half a year. It made him particularly afraid of being without his mother again, and he became exceptionally sensible.
As they sat down to breakfast, Xiao Xingxing obediently offered her the milk first. "Mom, you drink some milk too. You work night shifts and overtime every day, so you need to replenish your body's nutrients."
"You drink this cup first. After you go to kindergarten, I'll heat it up and drink it myself," Gu Susu pushed the milk back to him and said, "Xingxing, you're just a child in kindergarten. It's Mom who should be taking care of you. You don't need to be so sensible and think about Mom all the time. You should be like other children, argue when you want to argue, and make noise when you want to make noise..."
"The teacher says children like that are not good."
"Mom doesn't mean that... I mean, at your age, you should be... you should be a naive and carefree child. Adults don't need you to worry, understand?" Sometimes Gu Susu wished Xiao Xingxing would act unreasonably with her, cry and fuss like other children.
Xiao Xingxing nodded, seemingly understanding, and said, "Then can Mom pick me up from Auntie's house early tonight?"
Seeing Xiao Xingxing make a request, she immediately agreed, "Okay, Mom will definitely finish work early tonight, pick you up sooner, and watch your favorite cartoons with you."
Hearing Gu Susu say that, Xiao Xingxing immediately became elated and shouted, "Great! I love Mom the most!"
...
As night fell, Gu Susu planned to finish selling two cases of beer and then call it a night, so she could pick up Xiao Xingxing earlier and catch the eight o'clock cartoon.
In a karaoke room filled with dazzling lights, Gu Susu, holding half a dozen beers, pushed open the VIP room door unsteadily and with great effort.
"Hello, your beer has arrived," she politely greeted the guests with her head down and placed the beers on the low coffee table, feeling a sense of relief in her hands.
There were about ten people in this VIP room, some chatting, some playing finger-guessing games, and some singing... No one noticed her.
As she prepared to straighten up and leave the room to deliver beer to the next one, she suddenly stood up and felt dizzy. For a moment, she couldn't stand steady and almost knocked over the beers on the table.
Fortunately, a kind person quickly steadied a bottle of beer on the table, preventing it from falling.
Gu Susu quickly regained her balance and said, "Thank you."
"Gu Susu?" the kind person exclaimed with surprise and confusion.
Gu Susu found the voice familiar too. She looked up at the person. His handsome features, lazy yet elegant demeanor, and casual attire made him stand out in a crowd. It was Xiao Anjing.
"What are you talking about, you've mistaken me for someone else." Gu Susu, reacting quickly, pretended not to know him.
But at that moment, the music in the entire room suddenly stopped, and everyone turned to look at her.
Xiao Anjing said loudly and with certainty, "It's you, I haven't mistaken you."
Gu Susu, in a panic, just wanted to escape the room quickly. But someone suddenly turned off the flashing neon lights in the room and turned on the overhead white lights.
She felt like a monster whose disguise had been revealed. Even covering her face with her hands, there was nowhere to hide.
"What's going on? I'm just a sales representative selling beer here. If I say you've mistaken me, you've mistaken me. I need to get back to work." Gu Susu still insisted on denying it.
"Then what's your name?"
Hearing this voice, Gu Susu froze as if she had been acupunctured.
Only then did she realize that Qin Tianyi was sitting in the furthest corner of the sofa. His features were still deep and handsome. No longer feigning foolishness, he now possessed a more steady and profound charm. Even in a black casual outfit, he was as eye-catching as the sun.
"If you think there's a problem with the beer, you can report it to our after-sales customer service. Why are you asking for my name?" Gu Susu tried to speak with a suppressed voice, lowering her head even further, hoping that such a coincidence wouldn't happen. She didn't want to encounter this person she shouldn't meet.