Su Ding slept for a long time and woke up the next day.
She got up and pushed open her door. Xin Jia'er was making breakfast and smiled at her, "Ding Ding, you're finally awake. We'll be eating soon."
This scene made her feel a sense of disorientation.
She almost believed that the events of the past few months were just a nightmare, that she had friends and warmth.
"Jia'er," Su Ding called softly.
"How are you feeling? Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?" Xin Jia'er turned off the gas stove and placed the plates on the dining table.
Su Ding shook her head, her face still pale.
Xin Jia'er pulled her to sit at the dining table. "Don't think about anything. You can stay here with me for a while and rest well."
"Thank you." Su Ding's heart was filled with gratitude, which was conveyed in those two words.
After the meal, Su Ding's condition improved considerably.
She didn't mention her recent experiences to Xin Jia'er but returned to her room to think.
It seemed all her tears had been shed.
Her face was tense and numb, devoid of any excess emotion.
That child was a pain etched deep in her heart.
But she could not succumb to her grief; she had to stand up on her own and live on.
No one could save her, no one.
It was the same as it had been a few years ago, and it was the same now. If she didn't save herself, darkness would consume her entirely.
Wang Yan was dead. It must have been Shao Lin and her group. Why did they kill him?
And where had they imprisoned Xiao Rui?
Su Ding had seen the recent news and knew that Jin Ye and Shao Lin were about to get engaged. It was impossible not to feel pain.
But it didn't matter.
He no longer trusted her, and it was only fitting that she suffered such a fate after putting him in that position.
But she hated him!
Jin Ye could have chosen anyone, but he chose Shao Lin again. Was it to take revenge on her?
Su Ding fiercely pinched her thigh, trying to calm her breathing. She needed to recover her health to have the energy to find Xiao Rui.
Once she found Xiao Rui, she would leave.
Let people say she was scared or that she had given up. She would rather admit she was weak than put Xiao Rui at such risk again.
...
Two days later, Xin Jia'er found a note left in the house.
"Thank you, Jia'er. I've left. I will visit you in the future. Don't worry. -- Su Ding"
She sighed with worry and could only accept it.
After Su Ding left, she secretly contacted Fu Qing's people.
In a rented apartment.
The young man with the yellow hair looked anxiously at Su Ding. "Miss Su, our boss has been missing ever since Shao Lin was captured and then escaped last time. What should we do?"
"He's likely with Shao Lin," Su Ding said with a grave expression. "There's an organization helping Shao Lin, and Fu Qing might have been captured by them."
The young man with yellow hair worriedly asked, "Is his life in danger?"
Su Ding shook her head. "It's hard to say."
Fu Qing had seduced Shao Lin's mother, so Shao Lin must have hated him to the bone. If he were truly in her hands, he would surely suffer greatly.
Thinking of this, her heart sank further.
"Continue to investigate their whereabouts in secret, and be extremely cautious. I will go to Wang Yan's house tonight."
The young man with yellow hair could only nod.
With Fu Qing gone, Su Ding was their leader.
With Su Ding living there, they felt a sense of direction. Following orders, they were no longer so panicked.
That evening, Su Ding, dressed in a simple t-shirt and with makeup that made her look older, arrived at Wang Yan's villa.
Since Wang Yan's death, the Wang family villa had become much quieter.
Wang Yan's wife, Xu Rong, wept in the bedroom, unable to accept the news of her husband's sudden death.
"How could this happen? Wang Yan, you've abandoned us, your wife and son, just like this..."
Her sobs were continuous, showing no regard for her six-year-old son.
Wang Siwei's eyes were red, his young face full of bewilderment. He no longer had the spirited and cute look he once did. Now, he was timid and didn't dare to speak much.
"Mom..."
"Why are you shouting!" Xu Rong glared angrily at her son. "If you hadn't insisted on attending that wedding ceremony, would your father have been in a car accident? Gone missing? Died? Why are you still so disobedient! Do you want to anger me to death too? Huh? Do you?"
Wang Siwei's small body trembled, his lips quivering, and tears began to fall.
It wasn't like that.
He had explained many times these past few days, but his mother had only cursed him fiercely. He felt guilty, he didn't want his father to die, and he was also very sad...
Seeing her son crying, Xu Rong became even more agitated. She slammed the cup in her hand onto the floor. "Shut up! Don't cry out loud! You're the one who caused your father's death! It's you!"
"Wuwuwu..." Wang Siwei was just a child, after all, and couldn't hold back his tears, crying loudly. "It wasn't me. Dad wanted me to attend the ceremony, not me... I want Dad..."
"Siwei..." Xu Rong suddenly rushed forward and hugged her son, crying hysterically. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mom shouldn't have blamed you..."
Saying this, her expression suddenly turned ferocious. Her eyes were malicious, and her lips parted like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "It's Jin Ye! It's that damn Jin Ye! They beat your father to death! It was him!"
Outside the door, Su Ding's heart trembled. At that moment, the wind happened to blow a vase on the windowsill, shattering it onto the ground with a crash.
"Who!"
Xu Rong seemed to glimpse a figure outside. She grabbed her son's hand and quickly walked out.