Gu Susu was so lost in his kiss that after it ended, she buried her head in his arms, feeling shy. "What's wrong? Why did you kiss me like that on the street?"
Yang Sijie kissed her forehead again. "I'm sorry. I haven't been able to make you feel the happiness you deserve in that regard. Will you resent me and fall for another man..."
Gu Susu's heart ached. She reached out and covered his mouth, stopping him. "Don't talk nonsense. You'll get better. Sijie, I love you. I love you for who you are. I only feel heartache for you. How could I resent you for this and look for other men? What do you take me for?"
Yang Sijie caught her hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know this worry is unnecessary, but I'm just afraid. I'm afraid that our current sweet togetherness is just a dream."
Gu Susu cupped his face and told him with certainty, "Sijie, this is not a dream. I won't leave you. We will always be this sweet together."
Yang Sijie looked at her, his gaze earnest. "Susu, me too. I never wanted to hurt you. I just want you to stay by my side, to grow old with me. We'll have white hair and a house full of grandchildren..."
"Yes, we will. We definitely will."
The studio was bright and spacious, with lights on all four walls. Elegant fresh flowers were placed in every corner, filling the air with a faint, refreshing fragrance.
Gu Susu was sketching a design for a cheongsam on paper, drawing the pattern for the collar.
Suddenly, someone came up behind her and said, "This cheongsam is so unique."
Gu Susu turned and saw Sophie. "It's not pretty?"
"Of course, it's pretty," Sophie said, pulling her arm. "Look at the time. Aren't you going back to sleep? Are you planning to stay up all night here again?"
Gu Susu put down her pen and stretched her arms, easing her shoulders and neck. "There's nothing much to do back there. I might as well sleep in the studio when I get tired. Teacher Emma gave us a tight deadline, so we should hurry and finish."
Sophie covered her mouth and yawned, complaining, "If I had known it would be this hard, I wouldn't have volunteered."
Gu Susu tapped her forehead. "If you're sleepy, go back to the dormitory and sleep. Who was it that told Teacher Emma during the day that they had learned a lot and broadened their horizons?"
"Mmm, you're right. I was wrong." Sophie smiled and linked her arm with Gu Susu's. "I'll stay up with you, but can you accompany me for a cup of coffee now to wake up?"
Gu Susu was infected by Sophie's yawn and yawned too. "Okay, let's have a cup of coffee and take a break."
They went to the pantry outside the studio. Sophie chattered non-stop from the moment they started brewing coffee.
Gu Susu didn't say much, but with Sophie there, the place was lively. She was glad she had suggested to Teacher Emma that Sophie join them. Having a companion made work less tedious.
Looking at Sophie, she couldn't help but drift off. Subconsciously, she had a vague feeling that she had had a friend like this before, but she couldn't remember her name or what she looked like.
She unconsciously hit her head with her hand, wishing she could remember everything.
Sophie placed the freshly brewed coffee in front of her, startling her. "Susu, what's wrong? Why are you hitting your head for no reason?"
Gu Susu realized she had lost her composure and placed her hands on the long wooden table. "Sorry, my head started hurting again. I thought hitting it a couple of times might help."
"So, you not only have amnesia, but you also have headaches," Sophie said, sitting opposite her, holding the still hot coffee. She looked worried. "I think you should get another check-up at the hospital. If there's a problem, it needs to be treated."
Gu Susu said nonchalantly, "The headaches are infrequent. It's fine. Sijie said that when he goes back to New York this time, after he's done with his business, he'll arrange for Dr. John to video call me and assess my current condition to see if my medication needs adjusting."
"Alright. Your boyfriend is so good. With his careful care, you'll definitely get better." Sophie felt she had been overthinking things when Yang Sijie agreed to let her stay and do what she loved. Her boyfriend was quite respectful of Susu, and their love was truly enviable.
Gu Susu stirred the spoon in her cup. "I also hope I get better soon, like a normal person with a past, a present, and a future... Otherwise, I always feel like something is missing."
Sophie comforted her, "You'll definitely remember."
Speaking of which, Gu Susu remembered she hadn't taken her medicine tonight and got up quickly. "Oh dear, I forgot to take my amnesia medication again." She started to go into the studio to look for her bag.
Sophie stopped her. "You don't take medicine with coffee. I think it's fine if you forget tonight. Missing one dose shouldn't be a problem."
Gu Susu thought about it and sat down, saying helplessly, "Alas, I'm always forgetting. Sijie always reminds me to take my medicine. My memory seems to be getting worse."
"All medicine has some toxicity. Missing a few doses occasionally is fine," Sophie said, smiling as she drank her coffee. "Actually, if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed anything abnormal about you. Don't worry too much."
...
After investigating everything he could in Lancheng, Qin Tianyi came to Paris, wanting to find an opportunity to talk to Gu Susu face-to-face and see how severe her amnesia was. Before coming to Paris, he had already had people investigate. Gu Susu was still at the school in Paris and, for some reason, had not returned to New York with Yang Sijie.
This was a good opportunity for him to approach Gu Susu.
After inquiring around the school, he finally found the studio where Gu Susu was doing her internship during the holiday.
However, as soon as he stepped through the studio door, he was stopped by the receptionist. "Sir, who are you looking for? This is a work area, and you can't just enter."
Qin Tianyi, who knew some French, understood her words and said directly, "I'm looking for Susu."
The receptionist asked him to wait a moment and then went into the work area. She found Susu, who was engrossed in her drawing, and knocked on the glass door. "Susu, a very handsome Eastern gentleman is looking for you."
"Looking for me?" Gu Susu looked up and pointed at herself.
The receptionist winked and nodded.
Thinking that Yang Sijie had come to Paris in advance without telling her to give her a surprise, she put down her work and ran out excitedly. She found that the person waiting for her in the reception area was not Yang Sijie, but he looked somewhat familiar.
Although Qin Tianyi already knew she had amnesia, seeing her completely unrecognizing expression still caused him a pang of pain.
He wanted to grab her and tell her everything – who he was and what they had been through together.
But his reason told him that it would be useless and would only scare her, making her drift even further away from him.