Su Ding paused, a wry smile touching her lips. She shook her head, gently stroking Xiao Xi's hair. "It's not possible anymore, I'm sorry, Xiao Xi."
Although Jin Xiao Xi was young, he clearly saw the sadness in Su Ding's eyes.
Instantly, he felt a pang of sympathy.
"It's okay, Mom. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You don't have to cling to my dad's tree."
He offered his soft comfort, which made Su Ding laugh.
"Pfft, you little rascal," Su Ding chuckled, shaking her head.
If Jin Ye were present, he would surely be angry enough to pick up his son and throw him out on the spot.
Looking at Xiao Xi's appearance, she felt a surge of affection.
However, she was curious. If his biological mother wasn't Shao Lin, then who saved Xiao Xi?
Could it be...
A woman's face appeared in Su Ding's mind. Wen Min?
During that period, Shao Lin often associated with Wen Min. Perhaps Wen Min intentionally had Shao Lin use her identity to infiltrate the Jin family.
"Breakfast is ready, Ding Ding, Xiao Xi. Come and eat."
Zhang Sao called them at the opportune moment, inviting them to wash their hands and eat.
After breakfast, Jin Xiao Xi followed Su Ding like a shadow. xxs
Su Ding felt a bit drowsy and led the little one into a room for a nap. Cradling her son, her previously unsettled heart finally found peace.
She didn't wake up until late noon.
Seeing that Xiao Xi was still asleep, she didn't rouse him. Instead, she got out of bed quietly, her mind pondering how to discuss Xiao Xi with Jin Ye.
As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw Zhang Sao leading a tall man inside.
The moment Jin Ye entered, he looked up towards Su Ding on the second floor.
She had just woken up, her hair a little messy, but her spirits had improved significantly.
Under his sharp gaze, Su Ding's heart fluttered.
"What are you doing here?"
She slowly descended the stairs, her expression clearly conveying 'unwelcome'.
Jin Ye walked through the living room with a cool demeanor, glancing around.
His aloof and powerful aura was like that of a superior leader inspecting work, causing Su Ding to roll her eyes.
"Tell me, why are you in the Southern Territory?" Jin Ye finally sat down on the sofa.
"My affairs have nothing to do with you," Su Ding replied indifferently.
Jin Ye's icy gaze swept over Su Ding's eyes. "What about Xiao Rui then?"
Su Ding's heart panicked. She didn't understand what he meant.
According to her deductions, Jin Ye should have already learned about that matter from Shao Zheng Gang.
Was he intentionally poking at her wound?
"You guys killed Xiao Rui, and you still have the nerve to ask?!" Su Ding decided to play along with the charade, fully employing her acting skills.
Jin Ye played along with her act, furrowing his brow. "She really..."
"That's right! It was you and Shao Lin. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have... at such a young age..." Su Ding's emotions surged, and tears welled up.
If it weren't for these troublesome matters, she wouldn't have had to live in constant fear and be separated from her daughter.
Thinking of this, she lost control of her emotions even more. "I just want to live my own life. Why won't you let me go? I've already lost my daughter, do you still want my life?!"
Jin Ye stared at her with dark eyes, remaining silent.
If he hadn't seen Su Xiao Rui alive and well in the village with his own eyes, he would have truly believed her lies!
"Why aren't you speaking? Are you guilty?"
Seeing Jin Ye's prolonged silence, Su Ding felt a flicker of unease. "What exactly do you want?"
Jin Ye exhaled heavily. "Do you want to leave me that badly?"
To the point of faking her daughter's death, of secretly hiding in the distant Southern Territory, all just to escape him.
"Yes!" Su Ding answered without hesitation.
Jin Ye's gaze turned colder in an instant. "Su Ding."
His sudden call of her name made her heart skip a beat, a vague sense of foreboding washing over her.
"I'm telling you, without my permission, you won't escape." He looked at her steadily, his voice firm and unquestionable.
Su Ding felt a pang of resentment. Thinking of how she had tried every means to escape, only to be found by Jin Ye, the feeling of despair and powerlessness made her feel even worse.
"I'm all alone now, so it's not impossible for me to hide from you."
Su Ding bravely met the man's deep, cold eyes and said, "Don't think you can cover the sky with one hand. You're not that powerful."
Jin Ye's eyes flashed with coldness.
He narrowed his eyes, which erupted with a dangerous, rampant glint...
Su Ding's words seemed to challenge his dignity, to defy his orders, to be so capricious and heartless.
"You're still lying to me?" His voice was so deep and cold it made one tremble.
Su Ding's heart jolted. "What did you say?"
Jin Ye walked slowly towards her, staring into her beautiful yet uneasy eyes, and said coldly, "Su Xiao Rui is really dead?"
In that instant, Su Ding's heart leaped into her throat.
Her breathing quickened involuntarily, and her mind churned with all sorts of speculations. Could Jin Ye know?
No, that's impossible!
How could he know Xiao Rui faked her death? Even Shao Lin didn't know.
"Yes!" Su Ding gritted her teeth and glared at him hatefully. "If you have any conscience left, let me go!"
"And what if I say no?" Jin Ye suddenly reached out, tightly grasping her slender wrist.
Su Ding struggled to break free, asking uneasily, "You, what do you mean?"
Jin Ye slowly leaned down, closing the distance to Su Ding's face, his cold breath fanning her skin. "Literally."
They were so close, almost about to kiss.
Yet, Su Ding felt an unprecedented shock. "I don't..."
"Su Xiao Rui is not dead at all!"
Jin Ye suddenly interrupted her, his already stern and severe face growing more terrifying and gloomy. "Are you still trying to lie to me?"
Su Ding's heart constricted sharply, her eyes suddenly widening. "You know everything?"