Susu breathed a sigh of relief and hugged him tightly, trying to warm each other. She said, "Actually, I want to tell you that even though Sophie owes me a favor, I won't forgive her for killing Auntie Chen. I just feel that in a society governed by law, even the most heinous criminals should be punished by the law. We are not God and have no right to judge anyone, don't you agree?"
"Alright, do as you see fit, and don't talk to me about this anymore. It's getting a bit cold outside, let's go back to the ward."
Susu hummed in agreement and stood up with him, walking back to the ward.
As they reached the ward door, Tianyi suddenly asked, "It's almost Chinese New Year, can I apply for discharge and go home for the holiday?"
Susu frowned. Seeing that he was unwilling to rest properly in the hospital, she said irritably, "Mr. Qin is not allowed to act on his own. Listen to the doctor. You can only be discharged if the doctor says so."
Tianyi smiled at her, "I was just saying it casually. You got angry just because I said that. Do you need to be so nervous?"
"Qin Tianyi!" Susu chased after him as he entered the ward and began to nag, "Nothing is more important than good health. You must stay in the hospital honestly this time. You are not allowed to discharge yourself until you are fully recovered! And why are you walking around all day? Patients should be lying in bed sleeping..."
Tianyi's ears were almost calloused. He realized that Susu's nagging skills were no less than those of the aunties and grandmas. However, her incessant chatter made him feel incredibly happy.
...
The next day, Susu did not go to Aoxiang Group, nor did she manage the studio's affairs. Instead, she asked Xiao Lin to drive her to the Qin family mansion.
When Xiao Lin learned that Qin Tianyi had told Susu the whole story about Sophie, he no longer concealed anything and revealed where Sophie was being held.
He accompanied Susu to the basement of the flower room. As she heard Sophie's frenzied cries through the door, she couldn't help but feel a little scared.
"Has she always been like this?" Susu asked.
Xiao Lin lowered his head and replied, "When I bring her water and food, she is sometimes like this, and sometimes she is asleep."
"Open the door," Susu said.
Xiao Lin hurriedly stopped her, "Don't go in. She's completely mad now, and it's terrifying."
Susu couldn't help but ask, "Then how do you deliver food and water? Will she attack you after the door is opened?"
"There's a small window on the door, I just push it through."
Susu took a deep breath and said, "Open the small window on the door."
Xiao Lin reached out and opened the small window on the door, but he was unwilling to look inside.
Sophie inside suddenly quieted down and brought her entire face close to the small window.
"Sophie, why did you kill someone?" Susu saw her hollow and terrifying eyes and said with a heartache, "You could have started over."
"Susu, Susu, is that you?" Sophie's eyes sparkled with light, and she pounded on the door with her hands, "You're here to save me, let me out!"
"Sophie, you can't go out yet, but someone will come to take you away soon." Susu just wanted to say her final goodbye.
After she was taken away by the police, no matter what Sophie's outcome would be, Susu would never see her again.
"I don't want to. Take me out now. I only trust you, only you!" Sophie's tone turned pleading.
Susu said sadly, "I'm sorry, I ruined you. I shouldn't have accepted your help back then, let alone brought you to Lancheng. If it weren't for me, your life would have been completely different. But no matter what, you shouldn't have killed Auntie Chen. I told you many times, as long as you let go of the past, you can start over, but..."
"Don't talk to me about starting over," Sophie said with a smile at Susu outside the window, "No one wants to help me, no one genuinely wishes me well..."
"How can you think that? Everyone is helping you, everyone wants to see you get better!"
"It's all fake, all fake. Even your feelings for me are fake," Sophie said with amusement, "Actually, everyone is laughing at me. You're laughing at me, Qin Tianyi is laughing at me, Wei Yanan, Xu Shishi, they are all happier than me, and they are all laughing at me!"
"Heavens, so in your heart, everyone is your enemy, and you resent everyone." Susu didn't know when she had developed an antisocial personality.
Sophie cried and said, "Isn't it? You always say you want to repay me and help me, but in your heart, I'm not as important as Wei Yanan. You two are best friends, what am I?"
"It's not like that. You and Yanan are equally important to me. Why didn't you say these things earlier? If you had told me sooner, I would have, I would have treated you better."
Susu felt regretful. If she had known that Sophie felt this way, perhaps she could have guided her and prevented her from reaching this point.
Sophie said dissatisfiedly, "I don't want to be equally important. I want the most important position in your heart, but you gave the most important position to Qin Tianyi. I compromised. You love Qin Tianyi, and I will love him the same way. That way, the three of us can be together forever. Whoever obstructs me, I will kill them!"
After saying that, she burst into laughter.
Xiao Lin's face clearly showed anger. He clenched his fists tightly, "Madam, don't reason with this lunatic. Let's go. Let her go mad to her heart's content."
Sophie heard Xiao Lin's words and realized Susu was about to leave. She began to pound on the door with all her might, shouting, "Susu, open the door, open it! I know you won't bear to see me locked up here. As long as you open the door and let me out, I will listen to you, pull myself together, and start over. I will, I really will! We'll discuss design drafts together, choose fabrics together, have coffee together, and watch the Seine River at night, just like before..."
Susu held back her tears and interrupted her, "I'm sorry, we can't go back, we can never go back."
She then said to Xiao Lin, "Close the small window."
Xiao Lin glared at Sophie hatefully and unceremoniously closed the small window.
Sophie roared madly from inside, "Gu Susu, you are despicable, you are hypocritical! You and Qin Tianyi are birds of a feather! Qin Tianyi is a man who pretends to be good. He clearly fancies me, he even kissed me, but he doesn't dare to have me! Useless coward..."
Susu resolutely walked upstairs, ignoring Sophie's subsequent vulgar shouts.
As soon as she reached the flower room above, she instructed Xiao Lin, "Send her a clean set of clothes. I know her size. Let her change into clean clothes from inside out. Also, send her some Western food. Order her favorite steak..."
"Madam, you don't need to feel guilty. Someone like her, who is ungrateful and can find many excuses, is not worthy of sympathy." Xiao Lin had worked with Auntie Chen for many years, and he was still resentful that Auntie Chen had died at the hands of such a person.