Su Ding was stunned, a sense of bewilderment washing over her as she heard the voice.
Was that Zhao Qin?
Jin Ye’s mother? Her nominal mother-in-law?
“Hello.” Su Ding quickly regained her composure, as if nothing had happened.
“Hmph, what are you playing at? You don’t know who I am? That’s not what you were saying when you were scolding me just now!” Zhao Qin snorted, still speaking indignantly.
Su Ding calmly explained, “I’m sorry, I mistook you for someone else. Mrs. Jin, is there something I can help you with?” She decided to maintain a non-confrontational attitude with Mrs. Jin. However, she hadn’t expected her to call her directly, especially since Jin’s mother found her eyesore and disliked her the most.
“Mistook you for someone else? You can just brush it off with a single sentence, Su Ding, you’ve really got it in you!” Zhao Qin continued to scold, still displeased. But no matter what she said, Su Ding on the other end of the line remained unresponsive, giving her the feeling that the call had been hung up. After she spoke a few more sentences with no reply, Zhao Qin became angry, “Hello? Is anyone listening?”
It was then that Su Ding finally responded.
“I’m here, what is it?” Su Ding asked faintly, as if she hadn’t heard the scolding at all. She knew that confronting Zhao Qin directly would only lead to more fierce attacks. It was better to ignore her, continue with her own affairs, and let her exhaust herself.
Zhao Qin indeed stopped scolding and got straight to the point. “Yesterday, I asked Xiao Ye to tell you to come with me to Qingfeng Temple tomorrow. This morning, Xiao Ye said you couldn’t go. I’m calling to ask why. I’ve invited you personally, why won’t you come? Do you look down on me?”
This barrage of questions made Su Ding’s expression sour. *You expect me to go just because you invited me? Who do you think you are? Being a mother-in-law isn’t like being the Jade Emperor, you sure do have broad authority, and your expectations are sky-high.*
“I can’t go because I have something to do. If you have a problem, just ask your son,” Su Ding replied coolly.
Zhao Qin directly snorted, “Ask him? He’ll definitely still be protecting you. I’m calling again just to tell you, when are you free to accompany me to Qingfeng Temple? Since you are still Xiao Ye’s wife, you are my daughter-in-law. It’s not too much to ask you to accompany me, is it?”
Su Ding was speechless. “Don’t you dislike me very much? Why are you insisting on bringing me along?” She decided not to be polite and asked directly.
Zhao Qin seemed surprised that she would say that so openly. *Very well, then I won’t beat around the bush.* “I do dislike you, but for Xiao Ye’s sake, I’m willing to get to know you again. Some of my friends also bring their daughters-in-law. So, come with me.”
Su Ding hadn’t expected Zhao Qin to suddenly speak so politely. This left her completely flustered. *Willing to get to know me again?* With Zhao Qin, this was like offering an olive branch.
“Say something, are you going or not? Are you afraid I’ll make things difficult for you again?” Zhao Qin tried a provocation. Su Ding saw through her intention immediately. She hadn’t wanted to deal with this woman, but seeing Zhao Qin’s earnest invitation, her curiosity overcame her reason. She wanted to see what Zhao Qin was up to that was making her so secretive.
“Yes, tomorrow then,” Su Ding said directly.
“Good, I’ll send a driver to pick you up tomorrow. Goodbye.” Zhao Qin hung up the phone abruptly. After hanging up, she was still very unhappy, quite angered by Su Ding’s attitude. Normally, many people wanted to marry into the Jin family, and they were all respectful to her. But this Su Ding insisted on opposing her, which was truly annoying! However, thinking that tomorrow at the temple, she could have the eminent monk break Su Ding and Xiao Ye’s karmic relationship, she felt a bit of anticipation. Although this call had made her unhappy, her objective had been achieved.
On the other side, Su Ding felt very puzzled. She immediately called Jin Ye to tell him. Jin Ye was also a bit confused, but his thoughts about his mother were rather limited. “Since you’ve agreed, then go to the temple and walk around. Think of it as relaxing,” Jin Ye comforted Su Ding. Su Ding couldn’t say anything more. “Okay, I’ll go with her tomorrow. Xue Zhiqiao’s concert is tonight. I’ll drive to pick you up then.”
“Alright,” Jin Ye agreed. After Su Ding hung up, she didn’t dwell on it further and continued with her own tasks.