"Aren't you surprised to see me?" Yang Sijie stared at her, his gaze intense as if trying to pierce through her.
Gu Susu, unsure of his mood, quickly replied, "Of course, I'm surprised. Have you had dinner? It must have been a long journey."
"I tried calling your phone as soon as I landed, but no one answered," Yang Sijie said, his mood clearly agitated.
Gu Susu took out her phone from her bag and saw three missed calls, all from Yang Sijie. She explained, "I'm sorry, I set my phone to silent and forgot to switch it back to ring and vibrate."
"Then who was the person who brought you back just now?" Yang Sijie asked again.
Gu Susu, feeling a little scared and flustered, said, "It was a friend of Sophie's, I don't know her very well. You can ask Sophie. The three of us had dinner together tonight. He dropped Sophie off first, then he brought me back... I wasn't alone with him..."
Yang Sijie tried to control his emotions, saying, "Where did you go for dinner, and why did it take so long? Do you know how worried I was when I couldn't reach you after landing? I drove around looking for you as soon as I got out of the airport, circling the city several times. I only got back a few minutes before you."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd arrive early. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone out for dinner with Sophie tonight..."
Yang Sijie didn't seem to be listening to her, and continued, "Do you know what it felt like to be driving around looking for you? Anxiety, worry, fear, anger... I was most afraid that something had happened to you! Don't ignore my calls in the future, and don't set your phone to silent!"
As he spoke, he took Gu Susu's phone and started checking her settings, her call history from the past few days, and anyone she had contacted through other chat apps.
Gu Susu frowned, disliking his neurotic behavior, but she also knew it stemmed from his concern for her. Perhaps his care was making him overreact.
"Sijie, I'm sorry. I'll definitely pay attention to my phone from now on and won't miss your calls again. But you don't need to get so agitated. I can handle some things myself. Apart from not remembering some things from the past, I'm otherwise perfectly fine and nothing will happen."
Seeing that there was nothing unusual on her phone, Yang Sijie finally relaxed, his tone softening considerably. "I'm just glad you're back safe."
Only then did Gu Susu dare to approach him slowly, embrace him, and say cautiously, "Didn't you say you wanted to hold me? I want to hold you like this too."
"I'm sorry, I was just too worried," Yang Sijie said, holding her tightly. Only when she was so close and real in his arms could he believe that he truly possessed her.
Gu Susu wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head, and looked at him. "I know. You are the best person to me in this world."
Yang Sijie picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, placing her on the bed. He lay down beside her, holding her tightly, and said, "You must be exhausted these past few days. Let's rest well together."
Gu Susu rested her head on his arm, looked up at him, and touched his cheek. His stubble felt rough against her fingers. She asked, "You've been very busy with your group's affairs these days, haven't you? Have you been eating on time? You haven't been neglecting everything else due to work, have you?"
She had stayed with him in New York for a week. He would leave early in the morning and return very late. Even when he was home, he was busy with video conferences and handling various emergencies. He slept for only about four hours a day, and she felt heartbroken just watching him.
Yang Sijie had already closed his eyes and murmured, "Mmm, it's always those things."
Listening to his gradually steady breathing, Gu Susu knew he had fallen asleep.
But she couldn't sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, the image of Qin Tianyi's son would appear in her mind. For some reason, that child felt incredibly familiar to her.
After an unknown amount of time nestled in Yang Sijie's arms, she finally drifted off to sleep.
In a daze, as if dreaming of Qin Tianyi and the child, she felt someone pressing down on her. The person was thrusting forcefully and fiercely. She couldn't quite distinguish between dream and reality, but the pain she felt was real, causing her to groan and open her eyes.
She bit her lip and looked at Yang Sijie, who was on top of her. She felt no pleasure, only a sudden, overwhelming panic.
"Bear with it, I can do it, I should be able to," Yang Sijie whispered, kissing her neck gently, hoping to soothe her.
Gu Susu woke up completely, staring at the ceiling. She forced herself to endure the pain caused by his haste, meticulously controlling her expression to hide her strong dislike for his behavior.
In the end, his efforts were in vain. He collapsed back onto her, exhausted, and sighed with a hint of sadness, as if murmuring to himself, "Why is it like this? Why still not working?"
Gu Susu turned and embraced him, comforting him. "Don't force yourself anymore. It's really okay. As long as we have each other in our hearts, sleeping together and relying on each other is just as deeply loving."
Yang Sijie remained silent for a while before saying dejectedly, "Susu, do you really have me in your heart?"
Gu Susu smiled and said, "I only remember you. If not you, then who else could it be? Alright, don't be like this..."
"But if you remember everything from the past one day, will you still only have me in your heart?" This was Yang Sijie's greatest fear, because before her amnesia, her heart belonged to someone else.
He had considered confining her, cutting off all contact with the outside world. During their time in New York, watching her loneliness and unhappiness, like a wilting flower, he couldn't bear it.
He still allowed her to attend the academy she had always dreamed of, to pursue her dreams. But this also meant he was taking a huge risk, the risk of losing her at any moment.
His heart was constantly torn between these two choices. Fortunately, so far, Susu's eyes and heart were filled with him. As long as she never regained her memory, she would belong only to him.
"Even if I remember past events, those will be more sweet memories for us. Of course, I will still only have you in my heart," Gu Susu said, pressing closer to him, hoping to ease his anxiety and fear.
Although he was the decision-maker of a multinational corporation, capable of deciding multi-billion dollar deals with a mere word, only Gu Susu knew that he also had moments of sadness, vulnerability, and helplessness.
"Mmm," Yang Sijie turned his face and kissed her forehead, but his heart felt hollow. He remained silent.
Gu Susu could no longer sleep. She quietly pulled the blanket tighter around herself, curling into a ball. As soon as she closed her eyes, fragmented and blurry images would surface, and the face in her mind became clearer and clearer.
...
Before the Lunar New Year, the Oriental New Year themed fashion series designed by Gu Susu with Emma had its finished products.
Today, in a small exhibition hall, some industry insiders were invited to attend this fashion show. Emma wanted to get feedback from experts before the official launch to create anticipation.
Emma was a person who pursued perfection to the extreme; there could be no errors in the fashion she presented.