Su Ding saw the message from Zhang Hou as soon as she woke up.
After sending Shao Lin back to the hospital, Zhang Hou had someone leak Shao Lin's whereabouts to the police the next morning.
The police swiftly arrived at the hospital and took Shao Lin away.
Although they were surprised by the injuries on Shao Lin's body, they were too wary of the Jin family's influence and could only take her to the police station first to prevent her from escaping.
Moreover, the evidence of Shao Lin's crimes was conclusive, so arresting her was only right.
After the police apprehended her, they contacted Jin Ye.
"The police said Shao Lin had injuries, suspected of being beaten."
Jin Ye frowned. The police's words implied: Mr. Jin, we'll cover up your abuse of power for you.
But Jin Ye was completely clueless.
Soon, he thought of Su Ding, who had returned late the previous day, and a guess formed in his mind.
Su Ding smiled, "It's not surprising she was beaten, given all the bad things she's done."
Seeing Su Ding's mischievous smile, Jin Ye couldn't help but smile helplessly. Fine, he'd take the blame.
Shao Lin was beaten by people he had sent.
"With Shao Lin caught, she should be able to confess to quite a few things."
Jin Ye said. He knew that the bad deeds Shao Lin had done behind their backs were far more than they knew.
Su Ding nodded, "The law will naturally bring her to justice. I'm not in a hurry."
Afterwards, Su Ding walked Jin Ye to the door. She inadvertently noticed some suspicious figures near their home, appearing to be reporters.
Su Ding shook her head and turned back inside.
After tidying up a bit, Zhao Qin's WeChat call came through, "Hello, Su Ding, you didn't tell Xiao Ye that I'm staying with you, did you?"
Zhao Qin got straight to the point, her tone softened despite the questioning nature of her words.
"No," Su Ding replied, placing her phone aside as she tidied her clothes in the room.
Zhao Qin responded with an "Oh," and after a moment of silence, she added, "I saw the news yesterday. When you and Xiao Ye got married, were you really kidnapped?"
Even though the news last night had made it clear, she still wanted to ask in person.
"Yes, I was kidnapped."
Su Ding replied calmly.
Since Shao Lin had been arrested and the truth was out, she was no longer as resistant to talking about it.
"Wh-who was it?" Zhao Qin's voice weakened slightly.
"Shao Lin," Su Ding answered directly, adding, "She has already been arrested by the police. The subsequent evidence chain will be gradually perfected. If you don't believe me, you can ask the police."
Su Ding wasn't worried about Zhao Qin helping Shao Lin escape.
Firstly, this matter was settled, the evidence was clear, and Shao Lin was a lawbreaker; secondly, Zhao Qin's current situation seemed awkward, and she probably wouldn't intervene; lastly, with Jin Ye backing her, it would be difficult for Shao Lin to turn the tables.
"Shao Lin..."
Zhao Qin murmured softly, as if with some regret, and some confusion.
For such a likable girl like Shao Lin to do such a thing, why did she do it? Why?
"By the way, I have something else to tell you. The child Shao Lin gave birth to is not Jin Ye's..."
Su Ding paused before saying, "We knew this early on."
Hearing this, Zhao Qin's expression showed surprise and confusion, "Not... not Xiao Ye's?"
Zhao Qin had known how much Shao Lin liked Jin Ye years ago, but now Shao Lin was pregnant, and the child wasn't Xiao Ye's? It was too strange.
However, Su Ding had no intention of explaining anything and simply responded with an "Mm."
"Is there anything else?"
Su Ding asked.
Zhao Qin was momentarily speechless. She frowned, finding it difficult to process these facts.
Distractedly, she replied, "No."
Just as Su Ding was about to hang up, she suddenly remembered He Qing. She had heard that after the kidnapping incident, He Qing had become good friends with Zhao Qin.
This made her curious, what was He Qing's motive?
If it was aimed at Jin Ye and herself, why not be more direct, but use such a circuitous method?
Thinking this, she couldn't help but ask, "Do you know where He Qing is?"
Instead of being schemed against in the dark, it was better to take the initiative. He Qing, who was Jiang Jiayi, what was her purpose?
"He Qing... I don't know..."
At this moment, Zhao Qin recalled He Qing's face and inadvertently felt a sense of unease.
From her limited careful observations, she noticed that He Qing seemed to be very attentive to Jin He, especially her gaze, which held a hint of ambiguity.
Whenever she had this suspicion, He Qing would jokingly tease her, making her think she was overthinking.
But was she really overthinking?
After she ran away from home, she had WeChat messages with He Qing. If He Qing was truly so good to her, why didn't she reply?
Wasn't she worried about me?
The more Zhao Qin thought about it, the more suffocated she felt. In this state of mind, she couldn't help but suspect, had He Qing not left home?
He Qing wouldn't be so shameless, would she? She had run away from home, yet she was staying behind with her best friend's man?
Su Ding had hoped to get some news from Zhao Qin, but it turned out she knew nothing. So she said, "Okay, I'm hanging up."
Just as she was about to hang up, Zhao Qin's voice suddenly rang out, "Wait a moment!"
Su Ding didn't hang up.
"Su Ding, could you please help me ask Aunt Zhang if He Qing is still at home? And your father-in-law... what has he been up to recently..."
Zhao Qin's voice held a hint of pleading.
She desperately wanted to know these things but couldn't directly ask due to pride, so she could only inquire indirectly through a third party to understand the situation at home.
Because in the past, if she had run away from home, Jin He would never have let her stay out overnight, nor would he have stopped sending her messages. But this time, he was truly so resolute, as if he was determined to divorce her.
This feeling made her uneasy.
Su Ding was stunned. She clearly hadn't expected Zhao Qin to seek her help one day.
Even more unexpected was that in Zhao Qin's words just now, she had used the term 'your father-in-law,' implying an acknowledgment?
While she wouldn't feel any great joy from this, it was indeed an unexpected development.
"Su Ding, help me this once. At worst, I won't object to you and Xiao Ye anymore."
Seeing Su Ding's silence, Zhao Qin thought she still resented her for past events and could only say this.
In fact, she had prepared these words before making the call, but she had hesitated for a long time, not knowing how to start, and now there was an opportunity to speak them.
Through the misunderstanding at the wedding earlier, coupled with her excessive contact with the media this time, Su Ding's help after running away from home, and her husband and son's disappointment in her... all these factors had caused a shift in her mindset.
Perhaps, as an elder, she shouldn't interfere so much.
Especially since Su Ding had already passed Old Master Jin's test. Old Master Jin was a keen judge of character; if Su Ding had any major flaws in her character, she would definitely not pass Old Master Jin's scrutiny. Moreover, Jin He had also said that Su Ding was a good girl.
Although she had married into a wealthy family, she had never bullied others with her status; instead, she was very low-key.
Since everyone said so, Zhao Qin was no longer willing to resist everyone single-handedly.
"Alright."
With Zhao Qin having said it to this extent, Su Ding felt she couldn't say anything more.
Besides, the clue that He Qing might be at the Jin family's was also something she wanted to know.
After reaching an agreement, Zhao Qin specifically warned, "Absolutely don't say it was me who asked."
Su Ding reluctantly agreed.
This old lady was quite concerned about her reputation.