Gu Susu didn't know when Qin Tianyi left after his outburst. She shakily got up from the floor and sat at the dining table, her body still cold and trembling.
Ignoring her torn and disheveled clothes, she picked up the half-empty bottle of red wine on the table and drank directly from it, wanting only to get drunk.
If she had been drunk earlier, it might have been easier to bear. She wiped the tears from her face, unable to imagine what she looked like now.
As she drifted into a daze, she only remembered Qin Tianyi's cold withdrawal, his chilling back, and then the deathly silence that followed.
She gulped down the red wine, trying to stop her trembling, and kept telling herself that no matter how much he humiliated her, she wouldn't break. She had to be strong; there was no hurdle she couldn't overcome.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" she almost choked on the red wine.
A girl's voice came from outside the door, "Room service."
Gu Susu got up groggily. Her legs wouldn't move properly, and the few steps she took were incredibly painful.
She opened the door a crack and asked, "What is it?"
The female attendant outside held up a paper bag and said, "Mr. Xiao asked me to bring this before he left."
Gu Susu took the large paper bag. "Thank you." She immediately closed the door.
Mr. Xiao? Did Xiao Anjing send it to her? No, it must have been Qin Tianyi's order. She understood it clearly now; Xiao Anjing was like Qin Tianyi's subordinate, acting entirely on Qin Tianyi's commands.
She hurriedly tore open the bag and poured everything out: a set of clean clothes to change into, and a note that read, "You have half an hour to clean yourself up and take a taxi back."
Gu Susu looked at the handwriting; it was indeed Qin Tianyi's.
She quickly grabbed the clothes and went into the private room's bathroom. Facing the mirror, she tidied her messy hair. She didn't dare to examine the bruises and abrasions all over her body, changed into the clean clothes, and threw the ruined ones into the trash.
As she left the private room, she glanced at the broken laptop. She picked up her bag and left the private club. Standing at the main entrance, she watched people of all kinds entering and exiting, and luxury cars parked at the entrance, but she saw no taxis.
She stood by the corner of the main entrance, anxiously standing on tiptoe and looking for a long time, constantly checking the time on her phone. She felt that there would be no taxis appearing here at all.
Qin Tianyi had given her a time limit, telling her to take a taxi back to the Qin family. He was toying with her!
Just as she was about to try walking away from the private club and walk along the main road, perhaps to catch a taxi, she suddenly saw Qin Tianlang and Ai Yiwei getting out of a luxury car.
Qin Tianlang was wearing a white casual suit, with a roguish smile on his face. He had his arm around Ai Yiwei, who was wearing a backless evening gown. The two of them started to flirt at the entrance.
Gu Susu could hardly believe her eyes. Qin Tianlang and Ai Yiwei were together?
From her understanding of Ai Yiwei, being with Qin Tianlang wouldn't be just for fun. Was her goal to become the young mistress of the Qin family?
So Ai Yiwei also wanted to marry into the Qin family, but she didn't want to marry a fool. Instead, she wanted to marry Qin Tianlang, who currently held the most status in the Qin family.
Ai Yiwei seemed to sense someone staring at them and glanced towards where Gu Susu was standing.
Gu Susu immediately hid behind a potted plant in the corner. She didn't want to encounter Ai Yiwei, lest she attract unnecessary trouble.
Qin Tianlang noticed Ai Yiwei was distracted. He cupped her face with his hand and asked, "Baby, what's wrong? Did you see someone you know?"
Ai Yiwei only saw a lush plant and didn't see anyone. She thought it was her imagination and smiled as she pushed Qin Tianlang's hand away. "It's nothing. There seemed to be a stray cat in the corner."
Qin Tianlang kissed her cheek in front of the attendant at the door. "It's not strange to see stray cats outside, but stray cats aren't as wild as you are." As he spoke, his hand began to roam her waist.
Ai Yiwei broke free from him but wasn't angry. She smiled and said, "You're so naughty." Then they walked into the club.
Gu Susu felt relieved. Hiding in the shadows, she watched Qin Tianlang's frivolous behavior, treating Ai Yiwei beside him completely like those eighteenth-tier celebrity models.
She should leave here on foot as soon as possible. But as she took two steps, someone called out to her, "Hey, miss, are you trying to get a taxi to the city?"
Gu Susu stopped and looked back. She saw a heavily made-up woman calling her.
She nodded at the woman and said, "But I found there are no taxis here."
The woman lit a thin, long menthol cigarette and walked over to her. "Of course, there are no taxis in a place like this. And even ride-sharing cars wouldn't be willing to come here to pick up passengers; it's not cost-effective to drive here empty."
"Oh, then I'll walk along the road, maybe I can find a taxi."
The woman with the cigarette laughed. "Don't dream about it. It would take a whole day to walk to the city along this road."
"Then what should I do?"
Gu Susu thought of Qin Tianyi's half-hour deadline. Qin Tianyi must have known she couldn't make it, but he would probably use it against her again.
"Let's share a ride. Although ride-sharing cars are reluctant to come here, I paid double the price, and I still managed to book a car. My business is not good today, so sharing a ride with you can save me some money."
Gu Susu was naturally willing. "Okay, but when will the car you booked arrive?"
"Are you in a hurry? It should be here soon. Let's add each other on WeChat." The woman with the heavy makeup took out her phone. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
Gu Susu hesitated. Hearing the woman say her business was not good, her intuition told her that this woman was in that kind of business.
The heavily made-up woman said with a laugh, "If you don't add me on WeChat, how will you transfer the car fare to me?"
Gu Susu thought it made sense, so she added her on WeChat. She saw her WeChat name was Linda.
Before long, a ride-sharing car arrived. Once inside the car, Linda specifically showed Gu Susu her ride-sharing order. Gu Susu transferred half the fare to her via WeChat.
When the ride-sharing car dropped her off at the entrance of the Qin family's mansion, Linda exclaimed, "Wow, you live in such a luxurious house. Your family must be very wealthy. But why didn't you drive to the club?"
Gu Susu pulled open the car door, thanked her and the ride-sharing driver, and said to Linda helplessly, "This isn't my home." Then she got out and ran towards the Qin family's mansion.
She ran to the entrance of the old lady's small building and finally stopped, catching her breath and regulating her breathing.
She gently pushed the door open and saw Rong Ma still picking something up on the first floor. She called out, "Rong Ma, you're still awake?"
"Why is the young madam only returning now? The young master is already back, and the old lady has gone to bed." Rong Ma said softly.
Gu Susu hummed, "I was delayed by something."
"Did you eat dinner?" Rong Ma asked.
"I've eaten. I'm going upstairs. Rong Ma, you should rest early too." Gu Susu smiled at Rong Ma and quietly went upstairs to the second floor.
When she reached the door of her and Qin Tianyi's room, she placed her hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open.