He found the person described in the magazine bore a striking resemblance to Ai Shunan, but the place names, personal names, and company names were all replaced with fakes. It seemed more like a fictional story than a factual report.
How had Ai Shunan really died? He suddenly wondered if Gu Susu had anything to do with it.
The day Qin Tianyi returned to Lancheng, he used his connections to access Ai Shunan's non-normal death case file. It bore a striking similarity to the magazine article.
The police archive file stated that Ai Shunan had kidnapped a woman and was threatening Yang Sijie.
When the police broke in, Ai Shunan was armed and attempted to shoot, which led to him being killed by the police.
He then contacted the editor responsible for the magazine article to inquire about the situation.
It turned out that after Ai Shunan's incident, Yang Sijie had suppressed all related information, and no media reporters dared to report on it.
A journalist had turned the incident into a story and published an article online, which was later reprinted by some magazines.
It was only now that Qin Tianyi understood the truth behind Ai Shunan's death. The woman he had kidnapped at the time was Gu Susu. The case file contained Gu Susu's medical examination report, which indicated a severe blow to the head, causing her to remain unconscious for days.
After she woke up, her physical condition was mostly fine, with only some residual effects on her head. Yang Sijie insisted on taking her away from the hospital in Lancheng, claiming he would take her abroad for better treatment.
So, Gu Susu's amnesia was not due to a car accident, but rather caused during Ai Shunan's kidnapping.
But why hadn't her amnesia been cured after Yang Sijie took her abroad? Could her after-effects be very severe?
...
As night fell, Gu Susu and Yang Sijie had dinner at a high-end restaurant and then strolled hand-in-hand along the Champs-Élysées.
This was the fashion hub, a gathering place for international luxury brands, with dazzling and overwhelming shop windows lining the street.
Yang Sijie bought her quite a few things, spending lavishly on anything he deemed suitable for her.
As he was about to lead her into another luxury store, Gu Susu stopped him. "Sijie, no more shopping. The skincare products you bought me will last for years, and I can't wear all these clothes. I like to wear the jewelry I already have, and the rest will just sleep in the jewelry box."
She showed him the bracelet on her wrist and the ring on her neck, then added, "If you buy more, I'll take these off and wear others every day."
Yang Sijie said reluctantly, "That won't do. These two items have the most sentimental value for us."
Gu Susu smiled, linked her arm through his, and led him to a cake shop. She gazed at the colorful little cakes in the window and swallowed. "These look delicious, don't they?"
Yang Sijie was completely uninterested in the cakes, even feeling a bit nauseous. He forced a smile and said, "Didn't we just eat? You want more? Aren't you afraid of getting fat?"
"Would you dislike me if I got fat?" Gu Susu asked him with a smile.
"Of course not," Yang Sijie replied immediately.
Gu Susu pointed to several cakes and said, "Then it's settled. I want this one, this one, and this one."
Yang Sijie helplessly asked the staff to pack all her favorite cakes and accompanied her to an outdoor cafe.
He drank his coffee while she ate her cake, leisurely gazing at the Arc de Triomphe in the distance and the passing crowds.
Gu Susu scooped a spoonful of her favorite chocolate cake and offered it to him, wanting him to taste it too.
He blocked her spoon and said, "Don't you remember? I can't stand chocolate cake. Just looking at it makes me feel sick."
Gu Susu put the cake into her mouth and ate it herself, saying with a hint of sadness, "I forgot. Why don't you like cake, especially chocolate flavored?"
Yang Sijie wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth with a napkin and recounted to her the story of how he had eaten too much chocolate cake in the past and become completely sick of it.
Gu Susu was deeply moved and asked, "How long were we apart? We must have missed each other terribly then."
"Not too long, just a few years," Yang Sijie answered vaguely.
Gu Susu tilted her head and looked at him. "Fortunately, neither of us fell for anyone else when we were apart, otherwise we wouldn't be together now."
Yang Sijie's breath hitched, and then he smiled. "Yes."
"By the way, Sijie, after we left the orphanage, did we ever find our parents, or siblings?"
Yang Sijie shook his head. "No. We were all abandoned orphans at a very young age, so finding our birth parents is almost impossible."
Gu Susu said uncertainly, "But I keep having these images in my mind. I don't know if they're my past memories or hallucinations?"
"What images?" Yang Sijie asked, his voice tense.
"A woman lying in a hospital bed talking to me, and then I call her Mom. If they're fragmented memories from my past, but I don't have parents, why would I call that woman Mom?"
"Perhaps you've watched too many soap operas and your mind is playing tricks on you," Yang Sijie said gently, though a string was taut in his heart. "When we return to New York this time, I'll take you to see Dr. John again. Maybe he can find a better way to alleviate your after-effects."
Gu Susu hesitated slightly but then decided to speak. "Actually, the after-effects don't have a major impact on me. After the holidays, I... I want to stay at school. A teacher hopes I can participate in her design project. What do you think?"
"You don't want to go to New York with me?" Yang Sijie asked with a smile.
"It's not that. Of course, I want to be with you, but this opportunity is very rare. I want to learn things from this teacher that I can't learn from books," Gu Susu said, observing his expression. He still wore a warm and charming smile, showing no sign of anger or disapproval.
Yang Sijie said tenderly, "Susu, I'll agree to anything you like. You don't need to be so cautious with me."
"So, you agree?" Gu Susu happily stood up and kissed him on the cheek.
He pulled her onto his lap. Seeing people at the next table, she quickly said, "Don't do this. There are people around. It's so embarrassing."
Yang Sijie held her close and looked around. He laughed, "The couple to our left are making out, and the foreign couple behind us are even more unrestrained. Who will notice us?"
Gu Susu glanced in the direction he indicated and couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, they're all in love."
Yang Sijie affectionately cupped her chin and asked, "Aren't we in love too?"
But before Gu Susu could answer, Yang Sijie kissed her, his kiss so passionate and lingering, as if he would disappear like a bubble if he let her go.