Su Ding was slightly stunned, momentarily confused.
She carefully considered her words and looked at Jiang Chu seriously, "I'm very grateful for your care and help these past few days, but I only see you as a friend. I'm sorry."
Jiang Chu's heart sank, his face turning a little pale.
He lowered his eyes, taking tens of seconds to digest the meaning of her words. Although he had anticipated it, the pain was still unbearable.
"Okay, it's fine. I know your focus isn't on this right now."
He gave a wry smile and took a sip of tea, "Let's not talk about this. Let's eat."
Su Ding glanced at him, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, but this was not a trivial matter, and it had to be clarified.
After dinner, Jiang Chu went straight to the airport by taxi.
Su Ding bought some KFC on the street before returning to the Jin residence, contemplating how to discuss her moving out with the two children.
"Mommy, this is so delicious."
Jin Xiaoxi gnawed on a chicken wing, pushing a piece of chicken to Tang Tang, "Tang Tang, you eat too."
Tang Tang's mouth watered, her eyes narrowing happily at the fragrant chicken, and she gave Su Ding a big smile.
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
Su Ding smiled gently and dotingly, clearing the crispy crumbs from their bodies.
She inserted straws into the cola and distributed it to the two little ones, "Mommy has something to tell you."
"Mhm, mhm." The two children said in unison.
Su Ding looked at them, "Mommy is moving out tomorrow. You two need to be good. When the house is repaired, I'll bring you back to live."
As soon as she said this, tears welled up in the children's eyes.
They looked at Su Ding pitifully, "Mommy (Auntie), you don't want us anymore~"
"No, no," Su Ding quickly used tissues to wipe their tears, "Mommy is a guest after all, it's not good to stay here all the time."
"Mommy isn't a guest," Jin Xiaoxi said aggrievedly.
"Uh," Su Ding sighed, "Xiaoxi, be good. You know Mommy actually doesn't want to be here..."
Jin Xiaoxi sobbed a few times but didn't say anything else.
Tang Tang's greasy little hand held Xiaoxi's hand, and she called out in a soft voice, "Little brother Xiaoxi?"
Su Ding looked at them gently, "Listen to Mommy, okay?"
Finally, Jin Xiaoxi agreed.
In the evening, Grandpa Jin took the two children to a nearby square to watch a light show.
On her way back to the attic, Su Ding heard rhythmic music from a house not far away, with occasional cheers.
She then remembered it was Jin Miaomiao's class reunion.
It sounded like there were many men and women, and the clinking of glasses...
Su Ding shook her head; young people were indeed like this.
She returned to the attic to pack her luggage. After washing up, she was watching television when someone suddenly entered the room.
"Sister Su Ding, come join us."
Jin Miaomiao, wearing a hot short skirt and glamorous makeup, invited her with her female companion.
Su Ding frowned, "No, thank you."
"Come on, come on," Jin Miaomiao walked over enthusiastically.
Her female companion, also dressed up, said, "Sister Su Ding, my name is Zhang Jing. Several of my classmates really like you. Can you say hello?"
Saying this, she took out a postcard from her bag, "I also want you to sign it."
"Come on, it's nothing anyway. Let's have a drink. I also want to formally apologize again and clarify the rumors I spread about you during my livestream in front of everyone."
Jin Miaomiao said sincerely, blinking her big eyes, and added coaxingly, "Sister Su Ding, please come. I believe Grandpa, cousin, and Xiaoxi will be very happy to know we've made up."
Zhang Jing stepped forward and took Su Ding's arm, "Sister, please!"
"I can testify, they really like you."
Jin Miaomiao continued to persuade her in a flattering tone, "I'm sorry about what happened before~"
Su Ding was in a difficult position. Her arm was being held by the girl, and facing Jin Miaomiao's sincere apology, she really wanted to leave, but...
It was hard for her to refuse someone kindly extending an olive branch.
She hated her own soft-heartedness; this feeling of being a bit of a saint made her dislike herself, yet she found it hard to escape.
"Okay."
Su Ding's expression was troubled, and she reluctantly agreed.
Soon, she was pulled by Jin Miaomiao and her friends to the gathering in the small building ahead.
The deafening music could be heard from a distance.
Su Ding felt a little nervous, her brows constantly furrowed. Soon, they reached the entrance.
She took a deep breath and, as she stepped inside, her foot slipped, and she fell heavily onto the hard floor!
"Ah!" She gasped in pain.
The boys and girls in the sofa booths immediately let out screams, "Wow! It's Su Ding!"
Su Ding's arm was bruised from the fall. In everyone's gaze, she looked particularly disheveled and helpless. She pushed herself up from the floor.
Jin Miaomiao could barely suppress a smile; it was too satisfying!
She subtly gave a classmate over there a look, indicating good job and that a reward was coming!
Meanwhile, Zhang Jing's face turned pale, and she quickly stepped forward to help Su Ding.
"Sister Su Ding, are you okay? Ah Cheng accidentally spilled some wine here just now, and hadn't had time to wipe it..."
Su Ding's lips turned white from the pain. She shook her head with difficulty and was helped inside by Zhang Jing, "Everyone, move aside and let Sister Su Ding sit."
Soon, a vacant spot on the sofa was made for Su Ding to sit.
Su Ding rubbed her sore arm and, after a moment of reaction, saw everyone looking at her with strange expressions.
"Sister Su Ding, you're really beautiful in person!"
"Yes, you're a big star after all!"
Hearing these words, Su Ding didn't feel very happy; instead, she felt a bit awkward.
After all, her previous affairs were all over the internet. Praising her as a star felt like a veiled taunt.
She thought she was overthinking it, but then she heard a boy say, "If she weren't pretty, could she attract two bosses at the same time?"
Su Ding's expression changed, and she glared at him coldly, "What did you say?"
"Heh heh, nothing," the boy mumbled evasively with a playful grin.
Then, a girl gossiped as she leaned closer, "Sister Su Ding, I saw your private video online. Is it true? You were pregnant..."
Su Ding's gaze turned colder, and her body tensed, "If you're going to say these things, then I won't keep you company."
"Lu Qing, what are you talking about!"
Jin Miaomiao concealed the smile at the corner of her lips, rushed forward, and lightly hit the girl. Then she turned to Su Ding, "I'm sorry, Sister Su Ding. She always speaks without thinking."
Su Ding coldly stood up, "I think it was intentional."
Jin Miaomiao quickly said, "How could it be? If not, I'll kick them out right now."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she imperiously pointed at the boy and girl from before, "You two, get out! I told you to speak so vulgarly!"
The pair quickly came to apologize to Su Ding, "We're sorry, we're sorry, we know we were wrong."
Zhang Jing, the girl who had invited Su Ding with Jin Miaomiao, spoke up, "Sister Su Ding came over to give Miaomiao face. You guys are really too much!"
"We admit our mistake, we're sorry. We're young and easily influenced by online opinions..."
Su Ding listened to their apologies, frowning. Seeing that they looked like college students, she thought, forget it.
"You need to learn to respect people in the future."
The boy and girl nodded repeatedly, holding back their smiles, "We understand, we're sorry, Sister Su Ding."
Everyone looked at Su Ding as if she were a clown.
Some even curled their lips disdainfully, "Who do you think you are, acting like you're someone important?"
Respect her?
"You guys are really something. Can't you see Sister Su Ding is back with Mr. Jin? She'll be the young madam of the Jin family soon. Be careful you don't get taught a lesson later!"
A girl said sarcastically to her classmates from before, but the meaning behind her words was extremely targeted.
Su Ding clenched her fists and glanced at everyone looking at her.
Their eyes were full of schadenfreude and mockery, as if they were watching a joke.
"Isn't that right? Sister Su Ding is so beautiful and has a good figure. Her skills in bed must be good, tsk tsk. I really want to learn how to keep a man's heart."
A boy immediately chimed in, smiling lewdly.
"You'll never learn in your next eight lifetimes! Judging by Sister Su Ding's figure, you can imagine how tightly she can hold onto a man, tsk tsk. Don't say it, the more I talk about it, the more I..."
All the boys let out veiled, evil laughter in unison.
Their gazes swept over Su Ding's chest and her fair, straight legs, causing Su Ding to suddenly stand up and splash the drink in her face.
"Bastards!"
She reprimanded them coldly and turned to leave.
Now she realized that Jin Miaomiao inviting her here was nothing but a banquet of death!