Gu Susu smiled dismissively. They hadn't been in contact for over ten years. Childhood friendships, no matter how close, faded with time.
"What are you thinking, little one? Even if we meet now, we're just acquaintances. I doubt we're even friends anymore."
"Sister Susu, I don't think so. I believe Brother Sijie still has you in his heart. Otherwise, why would he suddenly say he wants to invest in Lancheng..."
Gu Susu interrupted him, "Stop guessing. How is he now? Is he doing well? You said he's coming to invest, so is he in the finance industry?"
"He's doing very well. A few years ago, he inherited his adoptive parents' company and became the CEO of a multinational corporation. He's extremely busy."
Gu Susu's mind conjured images of Yang Sijie from their childhood: tall and slender, with tanned skin, and a fondness for sports.
She remembered he loved playing basketball the most, and he could always be seen on the court, coolly shooting hoops.
To be honest, she had sometimes wondered if he had European ancestry.
He had high brow bones, a pair of captivating light amber eyes, a prominent nose, and naturally curly hair.
But she didn't know what he looked like now, or if he had changed much.
"That's great, becoming a big boss! Has he changed much since childhood?"
Su Kangxi said, "I haven't seen him since I visited him at the orphanage six years ago. He must be quite different from when he was a child, but I can't pinpoint exactly where. I have his Facebook. How about you both follow each other? You can see his photos on Facebook."
Gu Susu quickly replied, "No need. I was just asking casually. We can talk about it another time if there's an opportunity."
Su Kangxi smiled at her, "You two are so alike. When you didn't know each other's whereabouts, you both wanted to see each other again. Now that you know, you don't even want to add each other as friends."
Gu Susu wasn't unwilling to follow Yang Sijie on Facebook, but it was too sudden. She hadn't figured out how to face him yet.
He had inherited a wealthy couple's company, so he must have become wealthy himself.
And what about her? She was nothing. She had been to prison, had a child, and was now Qin Tianyi's mistress.
If Yang Sijie knew all this, he probably wouldn't even want to look at her, let alone meet her.
Gu Susu took a large sip of coffee and said, "You're telling me this too suddenly. I don't want to presume to follow him and make him think I'm annoying."
"That won't happen. Even if Brother Sijie has achieved great success, he wouldn't treat you like that. It's just a shame..." Su Kangxi trailed off.
Gu Susu found his words curious today. "A shame for what? When did you start being so hesitant?"
Seeing her genuine confusion, Su Kangxi lowered his head and looked at the foam in his cup. "It's a shame you're already married. Your husband is also a prominent figure in Lancheng's business world. He probably just doesn't want to disturb you."
Gu Susu gave a wry smile and said, "Knowing he's doing well puts my mind at ease. By the way, he's married too, right? Is his wife foreign? Does he have any children?"
Su Kangxi replied, "He's not married yet. He's been single all along."
"A golden bachelor," Gu Susu said, surprised. "His standards must be quite high then."
Su Kangxi gave her a meaningful glance and said, "Perhaps."
They chatted idly in the coffee shop, spending the entire afternoon there.
Having someone to talk to eased her anxiety considerably.
She returned to her apartment in the evening. The apartment was empty. By this time, Xiao Mei should have picked up the children from school.
After Su Kangxi mentioned Yang Sijie, it brought back many long-buried memories for her.
In her room, she rummaged through a tin biscuit box, opened the lid, and took out childhood photos.
Some of the color photos had slightly faded corners, and she had even added protective sleeves.
She picked up a photo of herself and Yang Sijie. It was taken the day before Yang Sijie left with his adoptive parents. They had asked the院长 to take it for them.
In the photo, she was wearing her favorite pink sweater and had two braids tied with red ribbons.
Yang Sijie was wearing a blue and white tracksuit, with a dark blue plaid baseball cap tilted on his head. His expression was cool, and one of his hands rested on her shoulder.
She remembered that the foreign couple took him away the very next morning after the photo was taken.
She had cried and chased them all the way to the orphanage's main gate, until the large iron gate was locked, separating them.
"Brother Sijie, Brother Sijie..." Her hand reached out through the gap in the iron gate, not wanting Yang Sijie to leave!
At that time, she always thought that once they were separated, they would never see each other again.
Yang Sijie broke free from his adoptive parents' hands and ran back to the iron gate, gripping her hand tightly. "Susu, I'll come back for you. When we're both grown up, no one will be able to separate us!"
Childhood promises were always made so easily and firmly, but life was unpredictable. Only after growing up did she realize that sometimes, once separated and missed, it could be a lifetime.
Looking at their younger selves in the photo, she couldn't help but smile faintly.
"What are you looking at? Is it that funny?"
Qin Tianyi's voice sounded behind her, startling her. She turned to look at him and asked, "You're here."
"It seems I'm not very welcome," Qin Tianyi said, snatching the photo from her hand and examining it closely.
Gu Susu tried to grab it back, saying, "Give it back."
Qin Tianyi threw it back at her, "You were really ugly as a child. Who is that boy next to you? He doesn't look like that little policeman."
Gu Susu quickly put the photo away and closed the box. "He was also from the orphanage. He took care of me like an older brother."
Qin Tianyi sat down, unbuttoned his jacket, and said with a laugh, "Not bad, you found both older brothers and younger brothers in the orphanage. How did you meet this boy again? Oh, wait, he looks older than you. He must be a man now."
Gu Susu ignored his sarcastic remarks, not understanding why he couldn't speak properly. "No, I was just looking through old photos."
"Has the Guo Mei matter been resolved?" Qin Tianyi had left the group on time today and came to see her because of what she had said to him on the phone that morning. It made him realize what she had been thinking all along, and it had put him in a bad mood.
Gu Susu was also about to talk to him about Guo Mei's matter and ask for his help.
She consciously sat next to him and said softly, "It can't be resolved. The evidence is conclusive."
"Didn't Xiao Anjing's lawyer go? Did they offer any solution?" Qin Tianyi put his arm around her shoulder.
"The lawyer said the only way to resolve this is if Yimei drops the charges against Guo Mei, and they clarify that Guo Mei is innocent."
"What kind of lawyer is that? This is no different from having no solution," Qin Tianyi doubted if Xiao Anjing's lawyer was the most experienced in handling such cases. He said decisively, "Let's find another lawyer tomorrow. There will always be other ways."