In the afternoon, inside Gu Nanzhou's office.
The assistant transmitted the nursing home's surveillance footage to President Gu, and handed him the report.
He organized his words and said earnestly, "President Gu, the box of pastries that Madam Su ate indeed had a problem, someone put pollen in it, it was…" he paused, hesitating, "Miss Gu En and Miss Shen Lin."
"Madam Su's caretaker also admitted that she took money from Miss Gu En and Miss Shen Lin, placed the box of pastries laced with pollen in Madam Su's dinner, and left her post without permission. So when Madam Su had an asthma attack, she rang the bell, but there was no one to hear it, and in the end, she was saved by a passing cleaner."
Gu Nanzhou's eyes grew darker and darker, his pitch-black pupils were coldly fixed on the computer screen displaying the faces of Gu En and Shen Lin, his thin lips lifted into a mocking curve.
He wasn't sure if he was mocking his good little sister, or if he was scoffing at himself for doubting the girl when she was most helpless.
The assistant was startled by the sudden drop in air pressure and sneakily glanced up, noticing that although President Gu's expression remained unchanged, he could feel that he was angry.
And seemingly very angry.
When Su Wan woke up, the person Gu Nanzhou had left there informed her that her mother was awake.
The young girl was stunned for a second, just one second, before she leaped out of bed and ran all the way to her mother's hospital room.
Standing at the door, she saw her mother sitting on the bed, with a nurse administering an IV beside her.
Madam Su turned her head at the sound and smiled at her daughter, "Wanwan is here."
Although Madam Su's complexion was still pale, her spirits seemed much improved, indicating that she was likely out of danger.
Su Wan's eyes reddened, and she stepped forward, softly calling out, "Mom."
"Did I scare you, baby?"
Madam Su stroked Su Wan's head, and when she saw her daughter's bloodshot eyes, she knew she must have been very worried about her.
She sighed, her own eyes becoming misty.
"Yeah," Su Wan sniffled, nodding her head.
"Sorry for making our Wanwan worry."
Su Wan hung her head, staring at her fingertips. It took her a long while to speak, "Mom," her voice was soft and full of grievance, "I almost thought I'd be alone from now on."
Her father was already gone, and she had experienced the pain of losing a loved one before; that's why she was so terrified and broke down after Gu Nanzhou told her to calm down.
The more Su Wan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, her tears never having stopped these past few days. She lay down by the bedside, burying her face in her arms.
Madam Su felt a pang of heartache; she was just as afraid, thinking before she fainted that she couldn't let anything happen to her. If something happened to her, what would become of her Wanwan?
Madam Su felt that her awakening was all due to her strong will to live.
She looked down and touched her daughter's hair, pulling her into an embrace, her voice gentle, "Mom won't leave Wanwan alone."
Su Wan responded with a nasal "hmm."
After calming her emotions, Su Wan didn't forget what was important. She looked up earnestly at her mother and asked, "Mom, do you remember what caused your sickness?"
Seeing her daughter's serious expression, Madam Su thought carefully, "I remember I was having dinner..."
Something suddenly came to her, furrowing her brows, her tone also becoming grave, "There was pollen in the dessert that was delivered."
It was indeed that, Su Wan felt a heaviness in her heart, it seemed this incident was indeed Shen Lin's doing.
If Shen Lin did this, she was certainly targeting her.
Realizing she was indirectly responsible for her mother's condition, Su Wan's eyes reddened again, "I'm sorry, Mom. It's all because of me."
After the Su Family's downfall, Su's mother had already recognized the dangers of human nature and was aware that her daughter wasn't being treated well in the Gu Family. Even though the status of Mrs. Gu was honorable, in other's eyes, the destitute Su Family was no longer a match for the Gu Family. At times of severe illness, she even thought about just letting go. However, the thought of her daughter made her heart unable to bear it.
"It's all because Mom is useless," she sighed. "Su City is gone, your father is gone, and Mom's health is like this. It's all my fault for dragging you down."
"Mom, I won't let you talk like that," Su Wan held her mother's hand and shook her head, her expression very serious and solemn, "I will definitely not let anyone bully our Su family."
Su Wan didn't want to continue this topic. Since her mother had just woken up, it was better to keep things happy. She didn't speak, and Su Wan didn't ask further. The two talked about other things instead.
When Gu Nanzhou arrived at the hospital, the door to the sickroom was open, and the first thing he saw was the young girl's smiling face.
It seemed like a long time since he had seen her smile.
It had only been two days, but to Gu Nanzhou, it felt much longer.
Su Wan's eyebrows were curved, her long lashes enchanting, and her almond eyes were clear and bright, with a faint halo of haze beneath them.
Perhaps because she felt much better, her complexion wasn't so pale anymore. When she smiled, it was soft and sweet, making her whole presence clean and warm.
Gu Nanzhou, carrying the sorted data from the surveillance video, suddenly hesitated, unsure of how to face her.
His steps faltered, his long lashes cast down, his hand holding the bag tightened grip by grip, but in the end, he still sent the young girl a message.
"I'm at the door. There's a result."
Su Wan, who had been talking inside the room, heard the notification sound on her phone. She opened it and paused, the smile in her eyes fading slightly.
When she looked up again, her smile returned, "Mom, I have something to take care of. I'll step out for a moment but will come back to see you soon."
"Alright, go ahead," Su's mother nodded.
After making sure her mother was covered with the blanket, Su Wan turned and walked out.
Gu Nanzhou was waiting for her in the fire escape.
His eyes were deep, his expression somewhat weary.
Su Wan stopped a few steps away from him, taking the document bag the man handed over. She opened it and began looking through the contents one by one.
The space between them was very quiet, with only the rustling sound of paper being handled.
Although she had guessed it, the reality of seeing the evidence and knowing that Gu En was also involved caused Su Wan's heart to wobble, as if a flame had been lit on the tip of her heart.
After she finished reading, she took a deep breath, handed the documents back to Gu Nanzhou, and smiled faintly, "Thank you, Mr. Gu."
She continued, "I would like Mr. Gu to ask your Gu Family and Shen Family to give my mother an explanation."
She deliberately used the words "you" and "I", clearly separating their relationship.
Gu Nanzhou didn't like this emotional distance. His gaze narrowed slightly, and he instinctively lowered his voice as he called out her name, "Su Wan."
Su Wan pursed her lips and, without speaking, maintained an unwavering gaze with him.
The young girl's eyes were bright, her gaze clean and clear. Yet, as she stared at him, there was none of the tender warmth she had shown while talking with her mother.
A sense of helplessness suddenly surged in Gu Nanzhou's heart. He looked down, his voice a bit hoarse, "Do you really want to make the distinction between you and me… between you and the Gu Family that clear?"
Su Wan lowered her head and pinched her hand, "I haven't."