Su Ding walked to her hospital bed and looked at her quietly, feeling a pang of sadness and reluctance. She had already reviewed Xie Shanshan's medical records.
She was severely injured, and it would be difficult for her to become a mother in the future. Her skull was indented, affecting her appearance.
For any woman, such suffering would be unbearable. She hoped she could endure it.
"Who are you?"
Just then, a woman approached, dressed very plainly, her face also looking haggard. She carried a basin of water and asked Su Ding with a puzzled expression.
Su Ding turned around and said to the woman, "I'm Shanshan's classmate. I heard she..."
"It's you!"
When the woman saw Su Ding's face clearly, her eyes widened suddenly. She immediately lowered her head, quickly trying to hide her face with her hair, and clumsily put down the basin of water, seeming afraid to look at Su Ding.
Su Ding walked over with some surprise and asked, "Hello? Do you know me?"
The woman took a few steps back in a panic, bit her lip, and after a long pause, finally managed to look up, saying in a low voice, "Miss Su, long time no see."
Long time no see?
Su Ding became even more confused, scrutinizing the woman before her.
At first glance, she didn't recognize her. Upon closer inspection, she seemed somewhat familiar, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't recall this person from her memory.
"Have we met? I'm sorry, I don't remember," Su Ding said with confusion.
"Ah, really? Heh, it's understandable that you don't remember me," the woman lowered her head and chuckled dryly. "You once gave me a ride to the hospital when I couldn't find a taxi during my pregnancy and delivery, saving the baby. You might have forgotten, but I've always remembered you."
The woman spoke, still not daring to look up at Su Ding.
Su Ding tried hard to recall, feeling a faint impression in her mind, but she couldn't be sure. She smiled and said, "It's okay. Anyone would help in such a situation. Don't worry about it. Are you a relative of Xie Shanshan?"
"Yes, I'm the sister of Shanshan's distant cousin's husband. I've been living in Jiangcheng. I heard Shanshan's father was transferred to Jiangcheng, so I came to help."
The woman visibly relaxed when she mentioned Xie Shanshan.
Su Ding keenly sensed her nervousness but didn't understand why. She simply nodded and said, "I see. Are you taking care of her father as well?"
"Yes, her mother passed away early, and I'm her only relative in Jiangcheng," the woman smiled shyly and lowered her head again.
"You've been working hard during this time," Su Ding sighed.
The woman shook her head and whispered, "Shanshan hasn't had it easy either. Most of her salary over the years went to her father's medical expenses. Even though she appears glamorous on the outside, it's also thanks to her boyfriend who treats her well..."
Su Ding paused, "Her boyfriend is good? The person who injured her was her ex-boyfriend."
"What? Guo Tao did this?"
The woman was startled by this, as if she had no idea about these matters. She only knew that Shanshan had been beaten in a shopping mall, and she hadn't expected it to be Guo Tao!
Su Ding nodded, "The police have taken him away, and there will be results in a few days, so you don't need to worry. I've also covered the medical expenses for them, father and daughter. The surgery will proceed as scheduled."
"Thank you, thank you, Miss Su."
The woman looked at her gratefully, her guilt deepening.
If Su Ding had looked at her more closely, she would have noticed a striking similarity in their height and side profiles.
However, the woman was too haggard, and coupled with her flat shoes and simple, even somewhat dowdy, attire, her sallow complexion made her no match for Su Ding.
Indeed, this was the very person who had been bribed by Shao Lin to impersonate Su Ding in a compromising situation with Wang Yan.