An Jing opened the photo of Sasha on his phone, letting Tian Yi see it himself.
Tian Yi said in surprise, "Is it her? Is she that film empress who was very popular a couple of years ago, what was her name?"
"Yang Shasha, her English name is Sally," An Jing replied. "A few years ago, she was discovered by a famous director as soon as she returned from abroad, and starred in two blockbusters, becoming an instant hit. At that time, there were rumors that she had a sugar daddy behind her, but no one knew who it was. Coincidentally, when Yang Sijie had his accident, she retired at the peak of her career. Do you know who she is married to now?"
Tian Yi never paid attention to these entertainment industry matters and could not answer him.
An Jing said resentfully, "She is the female celebrity who caused Lan Yu to be kicked out of the Xie family. That's why she is now Mrs. Xie Qining."
Tian Yi was slightly surprised, but some things made sense.
"How old is she this year? Why isn't the orphan adopted by Yang Sijie much younger than himself?" Tian Yi asked.
An Jing replied, "In her twenties. When Yang Sijie adopted her, he was only in his early twenties himself. She was already thirteen or fourteen years old then. This is a photo of her at an orphanage abroad."
Tian Yi looked at Sasha's photos from her teenage years and couldn't help but say, "She bears a slight resemblance to Susu in her features."
"Yes, I think that's why Yang Sijie adopted her," An Jing said, looking at him. "And there's another thing. After Yang Sijie's fall from the cliff, you all returned to China directly. It was she, as his adopted daughter, who handled Yang Sijie's funeral affairs abroad."
"So she obtained some of Yang Sijie's private belongings and items at that time, and didn't immediately attack Susu. It turns out she was planning something bigger," Tian Yi said, realizing.
An Jing added, "And that calligraphy and painting dealer named Yu Wei actually made a living by painting nudes for wealthy individuals abroad, and also bought and sold portraits of young girls. Although the exact relationship between Yang Shasha and this dealer hasn't been determined yet, he's most likely Yang Shasha's man."
Tian Yi felt the signs of an impending storm and said, "Xie Qining is not terrifying. The truly terrifying ones are his wife and his father, Xie Zhendong."
An Jing sighed, "It must be Xie Zhendong who is manipulating public opinion against our Aoxiang. He hasn't appeared himself, but he has already stirred up quite a commotion in the business circles of Lancheng. Ultimately, it's my fault for causing trouble for Lan Yu. Otherwise, I should be the one to go and clarify things with Xie Zhendong, to let him know that we don't want to pick a fight, and that his son started it first..."
"It's useless. Even if we return the two hundred million to him, he won't give up easily. Everyone knows now that their Xie Corporation took a piece of useless land and lost a lot of face. How could they let us off so easily?" Tian Yi said without fear. "The business world is like a battlefield. Only by letting him know that we are definitely not easy to deal with, perhaps he will back down."
"Okay, I understand. As long as we brothers are united, who are we afraid of?" An Jing said, picking up his wine glass and clinking it with Tian Yi's.
In the past, he feared nothing. Now, he worried about Lan Yu and Xiaoxiao's safety. Thinking that Lan Yu was due to give birth in three to four months, he wanted to send her and Xiaoxiao to his mother abroad.
Now that the conflict with the Xie family was becoming more and more complicated, it would be safer to keep them away from Lancheng.
...
At night, Susu was in no mood to do anything. She lay in bed, unable to sleep. She hadn't contacted Tian Yi, nor did she know if he would come back tonight.
She had made up her mind. She could only pretend that nothing had happened. She couldn't and dared not confront him.
If she directly questioned him and Tian Yi admitted it himself, she would have no choice but to divorce him. No matter how much she loved him, she couldn't forgive such a mistake, not even once!
If she didn't speak about it, his affair with Sophie would forever remain her suspicion. If it wasn't confirmed, she would still have a reason to hold onto their marriage.
She found it ironic. She had always demanded equality and respect from Tian Yi, but when faced with such a situation, she became humble because of her love.
She sniffled, trying to hold back her tears, but they came unbidden.
In a semi-conscious state, Susu didn't know what time it was in the middle of the night. She vaguely felt a large hand on her waist.
She closed her eyes, pretending to be fast asleep, and smelled Tian Yi's scent.
Behind her, his breath carried the smell of alcohol. It seemed he had gone drinking again. She wondered who was accompanying him to get drunk tonight.
She suppressed the lump in her throat and felt him holding her tighter and tighter from behind, as if he wanted to absorb her.
She could no longer pretend and said faintly, "Don't be like this. I'm so tired. I'm too tired today."
Tian Yi loosened his grip slightly and asked, "Was the studio very busy?"
"An Jing contacted me at dinner and said they found out that Sophie has returned to Paris," Susu said, trying to keep her tone calm.
"Oh, she grew up there. It's good that she's back. It suits her better there."
Susu listened to his tone, which showed no surprise. Did he know that Sophie was leaving? Perhaps he was the one who made Sophie leave.
She bit her lip and said, "I'm going to Paris to find her."
As soon as Susu finished speaking, Tian Yi grabbed her arm with great force and forcibly turned her around, making her face him. He said, "You are not allowed to go!"
She collided with his eyes unexpectedly. Looking at this man whom she knew so well, her heart pounded faster. She asked, "Why won't you let me go? What are you guilty about?"
Tian Yi's eyes narrowed, and a dangerous glint flashed within them. He felt that she couldn't possibly know that he was keeping Sophie captive, so he patiently said, "What do I have to be guilty about? We need to hold a press conference next to clarify that our marriage is not in trouble, and we also have to deal with the person who has photos of you and Yang Sijie... There are too many things to do, and you don't have time to waste on Sophie."
Susu felt as if a thorn had lodged in her throat. She stared at him, feeling that he could come up with so many excuses to prevent her from seeing Sophie, proving that he was hiding something from her.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tian Yi also sensed that Susu's gaze was not right.
Susu's heart ached fiercely, but she smiled and said, "Okay, I understand. The press conference is more important. I won't go to Paris at this time."
Tian Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that she was no longer being stubborn, he put his arm around her waist again and said, "If you're too tired, go to bed early. I smell of alcohol, I'll go take a shower and change."
Susu hummed in response, her voice gentle. "You go take a shower, I'll make you a pot of hangover tea. It will be more comfortable."
Saying that, she got up before Tian Yi could stop her.
Tian Yi didn't think much of it and walked into the bathroom, believing that as long as Sophie no longer lived in their house and disappeared from their lives for a while, Susu would get used to it and stop paying attention to Sophie's affairs.