Huo Zheng scoffed, "Then your standards are too high. If someone like me doesn't catch your eye, your ideal prince charming must not be from Earth."
"Hmph, I don't judge people by their looks. What's most important is that my future boyfriend and husband loves me, understands me, and respects me... We also need to be on the same wavelength, otherwise, how can we spend a lifetime together?" Shishi said with a dreamy expression.
Huo Zheng thought she was daydreaming and said, "Loves you, understands you, and is on the same wavelength? That sounds more like a parasite in your stomach."
Shishi's dream was shattered by his words, and she was so angry she wanted to punch him a few times.
Huo Zheng saw that it was getting late and didn't want to bicker with her anymore. He said, "Let me, your fake boyfriend, take you back. I'll show my face to your mother, and she won't pressure you so much."
"You're quite loyal," Shishi gave him an OK gesture, and they left the restaurant together.
...
Susu and Tianyi got out of the car, chatting and laughing. Before entering the villa, they were still animatedly discussing some boxing techniques Daisy had taught her.
Tianyi encouraged her to practice more with Daisy when she had time, looking forward to her being able to spar with him properly.
As they stepped onto the stairs while talking and laughing, they felt a glaring light behind them. They turned their heads simultaneously and saw a taxi parked at the villa entrance. Sophie pushed open the car door and got out.
Susu hadn't expected Sophie to be back so late. As Sophie approached, she said, "Are you taking a taxi back? Why didn't you tell me? It would be safer to have Xiao Lin pick you up this late."
Sophie glanced at them and saw their beaming faces, realizing they had just returned from outside. She smiled and said, "That would be too much trouble for Xiao Lin. It's very convenient for me to take a taxi myself."
"Did you finalize everything with the sponsor tonight? Have the event flow for the launch been confirmed?" Susu asked with concern.
Sophie linked her arm with Susu's and walked with her, saying with a seemingly good mood, "Yes, everything has been confirmed."
Tianyi walked into the villa with them. Seeing them still chatting, he said to Susu, "I smell like sweat. I'm going back to my room to shower first."
Susu acknowledged him, and he went upstairs.
Sophie asked curiously, "What did you guys do tonight? Go for a night run?"
Susu smiled and said, "No, Tianyi took me to a boxing club to teach me how to box. I find boxing quite fun. It's good for fitness and self-defense for us women. I'll take you with me next time, you can learn too. If you encounter any bad guys, you can knock them all down."
Sophie felt a pang of pain in her heart. Yu Wei, whom she was now dealing with, couldn't be dealt with by a few punches. After staying in the filthy mire, it was hard to wash clean. No matter how hard she tried, it was all in vain.
Susu would never understand because she was too fortunate, never having truly experienced those terrible things.
Although forced, Sophie wanted Susu to taste that feeling of being forever stained. Would Qin Tianyi still cherish Susu then? He would probably find Susu utterly filthy too.
"Okay, take me to learn when you have a chance."
"No problem." Susu then asked her, "Is there anything you need my help with for the launch?"
Sophie smiled at her and said, "Yes, I need you to help me invite guests. I don't know many people in Lancheng. See if you can help me invite more people, so my personal launch isn't too deserted."
"How could it be deserted? It won't be," Susu readily agreed. "Leave the invitation sending to me. I'll make sure your launch is packed and lively."
Sophie happily hugged her. "That's great! I knew you would help me."
"Who told us we're good sisters?" Susu patted her back and said, "Don't work too hard, get some rest. I should go back to my room too. Look, my clothes are all sweaty."
"Mm, goodnight." Sophie waved goodbye with a smile, watching her go upstairs and into her room, her expression turning extremely gloomy.
...
From then on, only a week remained until Sophie's personal launch. After Susu received the beautifully printed invitations, she invited everyone she knew in Lancheng's fashion industry.
When she called Huo Zheng to invite him, before she could even speak, Huo Zheng complained on the phone, "Sister Susu, I've tried to contact you twice recently. Why didn't you answer my calls or reply to my messages?"
Susu said, "I haven't had a chance to talk to Lili Zhou about the matter you asked me to help with last time, so I couldn't reply to you."
"Ah, it's because of that." Actually, his wanting to talk to RJ about business was just an excuse. He just wanted Sister Susu not to be so reserved when they ate together last time.
He found something to ask for her help so that she would feel at ease interacting with him. He never expected it to backfire, making it the reason Sister Susu dared not answer his calls or reply to his messages.
Susu said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely help you when I see Lili Zhou."
"Help if you can, don't feel burdened about it," Huo Zheng said. "If you have time recently, let's grab a coffee or a meal. I have something I want to discuss with you."
"Besides wanting to produce RJ's ready-to-wear, is there anything else you need my help with?" Susu asked.
Huo Zheng quickly said, "Don't worry, this time there's definitely nothing for you to help with. I wanted to talk to you about Sophie..."
"Oh, speaking of Sophie, I'm calling you today precisely to talk about her. She has a personal launch next week. You must attend to show your support."
"I'm not very interested in her launch. I wanted to tell you that she's been contacting your clients behind your back without considering your feelings. You shouldn't be too close to her and should guard against her. Sometimes, you only know a person's face, not their heart..."
"I already knew about what you're saying, and I've talked to her about it. We can discuss it at the launch. I'm very busy lately and can't schedule a time to meet you alone." Susu didn't wait for him to finish and didn't take his words seriously.
Huo Zheng had nothing more to say and could only agree, "Alright, then we'll talk when we meet at her launch. Sister Susu, you need to be more careful with Sophie. I'm afraid she might..."
"Shishi told you, didn't she?" Susu guessed that Shishi must have told him, seeing his sudden concern about Sophie stealing some of her clients.
She knew Shishi had always been indignant on her behalf and couldn't understand her leniency towards Sophie.
Huo Zheng nodded and said, "She just mentioned it to me. However, I met one of your clients, a celebrity and model I also know. She told me, and I'm afraid it's not quite the same as what Sophie told you."
"Forget it, I don't want to pursue this matter anymore. You also know that it was your sister and Sophie who helped me escape Yang Sijie and recover my memory. It's just a few clients. If she wants them, it's fine for her to follow up."
"I understand, this matter can be overlooked, but you need to be more vigilant. I'm afraid the Sophie of today is no longer the righteous Sophie like my sister used to be," Huo Zheng repeated his thoughts.