Su Ding's martial arts were taught by an old Chinese man she met abroad.
When she first started learning, the old man told her to remember kindness while protecting herself, and that helping others in times of danger was also accumulating good karma for herself.
She remembered his words and thus developed a habit of stepping in to help.
The burly men heard her words and turned to look.
"Little girl, don't meddle in other people's business!"
They were too preoccupied to pay attention to her, continuing to wear down the old man's strength.
Su Ding quickly stepped forward, kicked one of the burly men causing him to stagger, then snatched the old man's cane and accurately struck the arms of the other two.
The two men cried out in pain and withdrew their hands.
Su Ding swiftly pressed her advantage, and just as they braced for a defensive move, they saw her suddenly change direction and grab the neck of the leading burly man.
"Let him go!"
A captured leader meant the king was caught; it was clear the one who spoke first was their leader.
Su Ding's sudden move caught them off guard, and the burly man holding the bodyguard and driver hesitated.
Then, Su Ding unhesitatingly tightened her grip.
The leader immediately choked, his eyes rolling back, his face turning ashen, without exaggeration.
The instinct for survival made him desperately wave his hands.
Seeing this, the burly men finally released the bodyguard, and the moment the bodyguard regained control, he struck and knocked out the person holding him.
Instantly, two burly men collapsed softly.
The bodyguard then dealt with the remaining three, while Su Ding held tightly onto the leader, who was on the verge of suffocation.
How could the leader have imagined a seemingly weak woman possessed such great strength? Just as he felt he was about to die, he was suddenly thrown away.
The old man had been observing everything coldly from the beginning.
"Take them away."
With a command, the bodyguard and driver immediately bound the defeated burly men and stuffed them into the car.
Su Ding looked at all of this with a frown, suddenly feeling a pang of regret.
It seemed the old man wasn't exactly a good person either.
Perhaps she had helped the wrong person.
The old man slowly walked towards her, his dignified face looking at her, "Thank you, young lady, for your help."
Su Ding felt a cold sweat break out on her back under his gaze.
What a powerful aura!
She handed the cane back to him, "Your cane."
The old man nodded slightly, "Farewell."
With that, he led the bodyguards away without any hesitation, and the two cars quickly disappeared down the quiet, secluded road.
In a daze, Su Ding felt as if she were dreaming.
She lingered no longer, quickly driving her small car home; it was getting late.
Upon returning home, she first called her daughter, then reported her safety to Xin Jia'er.
Xin Jia'er, however, seemed to have something to say but held back, "Ding Ding..."
Su Ding instinctively felt something was wrong with Jin Ye. Her heart grew anxious, but she forced herself not to ask directly.
After a long period of hesitation, Xin Jia'er finally didn't say anything, "It's nothing. I heard the scenery in the Southern Region is very nice, and the climate is pleasant. Is it really that great?"
She changed the subject.
Since Ding Ding had already left Jiangcheng, it was best not to worry about Jin Ye's car accident anymore.
"Yes, it's quite nice. The pace of life is slow, very suitable for retirement."
Su Ding replied earnestly, but her mind was still preoccupied with what Xin Jia'er had left unsaid.
Xin Jia'er smiled, "That's good. I'll find time to visit sometime."
Su Ding said gently, "Okay."
They chatted a bit more about Xin Jia'er's recent life, and then the call ended.
However, a sense of unease settled in Su Ding's heart.
She leaned against the headboard and couldn't help but search for news related to Jin Ye.
There was nothing particularly significant.
Shaking her head, she got up and opened her computer, sending a QQ message to Devil.
Su Ding: [Are you there?] xxs壹贰
There was no immediate reply; the avatar remained gray.
She left another message: [I've arrived in the Southern Region. Let's meet and talk when you have time.]
After sending it, she logged off.
She tidied up her mother's belongings, then got up to wash herself.
When she returned, she saw that Shao Lin, who hadn't appeared in a long time, had given her a voice call.
She tried three times, but it didn't connect.
Then came a barrage of WeChat messages...
Su Ding, you're still looking for your daughter, aren't you?
How pathetic. Then I'll generously share a photo with you.
[Image]
See this girl at the bottom of the cliff? Doesn't she look familiar? Perhaps it's your precious darling.
Seeing these messages, Su Ding's anger flared up again.
She could imagine how arrogant and smug Shao Lin was right now, but she had to endure it.
As long as she could protect Xiao Rui, she could endure anything.
Su Ding composed herself and immediately called back, her voice trembling with tears as she blurted out, "Shao Lin! Where exactly have you hidden my daughter? The photo is fake, it can't be, she wouldn't be in danger!"
On the other end of the line, Shao Lin chuckled triumphantly.
"Sorry, it's real. She had a thin fate, to have a mother like you."
Su Ding continued to press her frantically, "I admit defeat. I've already given Jin Ye to you, so why won't you let me and my daughter go!"
"I refuse to!"
Shao Lin declared loudly, "Jin Ye was always mine; you snatched him away from me!"
But in the next moment, her laughter returned, "And thanks to you, Jin Ye was willing to accept me. That night, he was really fierce, and it hurt so much."
Su Ding's performance was instantly doused with cold water.
Her heart turned icy cold.
Even though she already knew about this, hearing Shao Lin describe it personally still felt heartbreaking.
Shao Lin faintly heard the silence on the other end, assuming Su Ding had muted herself and was crying.
She laughed triumphantly, "If I tell you one more thing, will you be unable to take the shock and go looking for death? Ahahahaha!"
Su Ding could no longer imagine anything that would make Shao Lin more triumphant.
She asked numbly and indifferently, "What is it?"