In the evening, Su Ding rubbed her head and got up from the sofa.
"Achoo!"
She sneezed violently, feeling dizzy, clearly catching a cold.
The time was now eight o'clock in the evening.
She put on a mask, went out to the clinic to buy cold medicine, and dropped off her trash on the way.
Her rental was in an old residential building with no elevator.
The dark stairwell was pitch black, making it eerie. Her footsteps echoed.
Su Ding, carrying her bag, fumbled for her keys as she was about to open the door.
Suddenly, an arm clamped around her neck, flipping her over and pinning her against the door!
"Ah!"
Su Ding was suppressed. A man's rough fingertips brushed her chin…
"Get lost!"
Su Ding attempted a sneak attack but was easily evaded.
The next second, her mouth was sealed by the man. Her lips were pried open, and a nimble tongue forcefully plundered her sweetness…
The cold, domineering presence was so familiar it made her heart ache.
It was him!
The man pressed her waist into his embrace, their bodies grinding together, and kissed her more deeply.
Nibbling, licking.
With a punitive, vengeful flavor…
Su Ding was kissed into a daze, her reason teetering on the edge of collapse. Her hands weakly pushed him away.
No.
She couldn't go on making this mistake!
Su Ding regained her senses, gritted her teeth, and refused to let him advance.
The man's breathing grew heavier and more passionate. He forced her to lift her head, trying to pry open her teeth, but was repeatedly pushed away.
"Open your mouth!"
Jin Ye squeezed a sensitive spot on her waist, and Su Ding couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
Enraged and humiliated, she stomped hard on Jin Ye's foot!
Jin Ye cried out in pain and relaxed his grip.
Su Ding seized the opportunity to break free from his hold and glared at the man in front of her, "What are you doing?!"
Jin Ye pursed his lips, looking at her coldly.
Unable to get an answer, Su Ding ignored him and picked up her keys to open the door.
As she pushed the door open, the man behind her automatically entered.
"What do you want?"
Su Ding stared at the handsome man before her, her heart still aching.
What was he doing here?
Hadn't he just reconciled with Shao Lin? Was he here to gloat again?
Jin Ye remained silent, walking into the small rental apartment.
His cold eyes swept around the room, confirming no other man was present, before finally settling on Su Ding. "Where's your new lover?"
Su Ding thought she saw a hint of a smile on his cold face.
Impossible.
He hated her so much; how could he smile at her?
Hugging her arms, she stood by the back of the sofa and retorted, "Does Shao Lin know you're here kissing your ex-wife?"
Jin Ye's face darkened completely. "Before we get the divorce finalized, I can still exercise my rights as a husband."
As he spoke, he moved closer to her step by step.
Su Ding panicked and backed away, "Jin Ye!"
"Scared?"
Jin Ye hooked his lips into a smile that didn't reach his eyes, laced with mockery.
Su Ding felt a sting, a flicker of pain flashed in her eyes, then vanished. "Please conduct yourself with propriety, Mr. Jin."
She took a deep breath. "We're over."
"Heh, you don't think I'm still infatuated with you, do you?"
Jin Ye walked slowly to her, raised his hand, and playfully picked up a strand of hair from her shoulder.
Su Ding looked at him steadily, not retreating.
"Don't flatter yourself. I just want to have some fun with you in the last few days of our marriage."
Jin Ye said indifferently, his eyes devoid of emotion.
As he spoke these words, Su Ding's past words echoed repeatedly in his mind.
"I was just playing around, I didn't expect Mr. Jin to take it seriously…"
Heh, his true feelings treated as a joke.
He had his pride; he would never be played and abandoned by her again!
Su Ding almost lost her composure, all strength draining from her body.
She raised her tear-filled eyes, staring at the man before her in disbelief…
"You're not going to cry, are you?"
Jin Ye leaned in with a wicked smile, approaching her face and gazing into her eyes.
He had cried for her once.
All the tears he had shed in his life had been after her betrayal.
Su Ding quickly wiped her eyes, turned away, and dug her nails into her palm. "And you, don't flatter yourself. Are you free tomorrow? We can get the divorce finalized."
Jin Ye narrowed his eyes, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. "Do you think everyone is like you, unemployed? Oh, right, don't forget the penalty clause."
"Don't worry, I won't. When are you free?"
Su Ding asked with feigned lightness, her heart already bleeding.
Jin Ye smiled faintly. "I'm busy with official business. You can wait for my notification. Also, tomorrow, please take all your belongings from my place. It will affect the new mistress's move-in."
"...Okay."
Su Ding uttered with difficulty, quickly walked to the door, pushed it open, and said, "Please leave my apartment."
Jin Ye didn't linger, leaving like the wind.
The moment the door closed, Su Ding felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Tears streamed down her face.
She covered her mouth to stifle any sound, leaning weakly against the door.
Just then, her phone on the coffee table vibrated.
Su Ding's body trembled. She felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation. The phone continued to ring.
She finally got up and picked up her phone.
The screen displayed Jiang Chu.
Her anxious heart gradually settled, and her mood calmed considerably.
"Hello? Su Ding."
"What's up?" Su Ding asked, sensing Jiang Chu had something to say.
"It's like this, remember that makeup box you bought at the h.0 show before?"
"Mhm."
The pattern on that makeup box was the same as the one on the trunk her mother had left her.
This pattern was very mysterious; she couldn't find anything about it online.
She believed this pattern was somehow connected to her mother's maternal family.
Hearing that Su Ding remembered, Jiang Chu quickly said, "Yes, the owner of the makeup box is a relative of my friend. That relative's friend asked him to find me, hoping I could act as a go-between to talk to you."
The relationship was quite convoluted. What was there to talk about?
Su Ding frowned. "What's wrong with the makeup box?"
"Nothing's wrong with the makeup box. It's just that the other party seems interested in you." Jiang Chu felt that saying it this way might be a bit inappropriate. "My friends are all trustworthy. It's just a chat."
Seeing Su Ding remain silent, he added, "It's okay if it's inconvenient."
Su Ding hesitated for a moment, thinking that perhaps there really was some secret to this makeup box.
If she could find out about the pattern, wouldn't that be even better?
"Okay, I can."
Jiang Chu quickly said, "Do you have QQ? I'll have him add you?"
Su Ding was somewhat speechless. She thought it would be a more formal meeting, but it turned out to be an online chat?
She gave him her number.
After noting it down, Jiang Chu asked with concern, "Are you feeling better now?"
"What?" Su Ding asked, confused.
"I know you were feeling down after what happened during the day. A breakup, it's normal."
Jiang Chu sincerely comforted her. "Though it may sound cliché, it's true that time is the best medicine for heartbreak. Once you move on, the world will open up."
"Mhm, thank you."
Su Ding had never been comforted like this before, and it was from a semi-acquainted friend.
Jiang Chu smiled. "You're welcome. We're friends, aren't we?"
Su Ding also smiled. "Yes, we're friends."
After hanging up, Su Ding's mood inexplicably improved.
Life had to go on.
She boiled water for her medicine, tidied up the room, and prepared the luggage for the next day.
Before sleeping, she opened her computer to check the status of selling her company.
At that moment, the little penguin icon in the lower right corner flashed.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Su Ding walked over. There was an add friend request.
The remark was "Makeup Box."
She clicked to accept, and the other party quickly sent a message—
devil: Hello, may I ask if you are Ms. Su?