She took a deep breath, cast a lingering glance at Shao Zhenggang, and without another word, turned and pushed the door open, closing it behind her.
In the ward, only Shao Zhenggang remained.
And the sound of lingering sobs.
...
Back home, Su Ding shut herself in her room.
She found the wooden box her mother had left her again, opened it, and inside were her mother's only遺物 (yíwù -遺物), her most hidden, deepest attachment.
Today, Shao Zhenggang had lost both his legs in a car accident.
Today, Shao Zhenggang finally admitted his past mistakes and apologized to them.
Su Ding gazed at a photograph of her mother in her youth, her mind conjuring up happy family scenes from years ago. Tears couldn't help but well up.
Mom, should I forgive him?
She sobbed softly, her hand caressing her mother's old photograph as if seeking solace and guidance.
Su Ding flipped through her mother's photos and saw her uncle and grandfather, whom she barely remembered. She instinctively reached for the pendant around her neck.
The pendant was warm from her body heat.
The carving was exquisite, the patterns unlike anything she had ever seen, like some ancient symbol. The more closely she looked, the more familiar it seemed.
After a long time, she still couldn't recall, and even felt dizzy.
Su Ding tucked the pendant inside her clothes, tidied the photos back into the wooden box, and then washed her face in the bathroom.
In the following days, Su Ding wrestled with her thoughts.
It wasn't until she heard that Shao Zhenggang's condition had improved and he could return home to recuperate that she let go of her inner struggle. At that moment, her company called.
"Ms. Su, Mr. Shao has transferred all his shares to your name. You need to sign something," said Chen Yang, the current president of Shao Corp.
Su Ding was startled, "What?"
Chen Yang repeated, "Mr. Shao Zhenggang came to the company today to resign and signed an equity transfer agreement. He voluntarily gifted all his shares to you."
"He's in the hospital, how can that be?"
"He must have been discharged today." Chen Yang continued, "Can I mail the agreement to your current address?"
Su Ding fell silent for a few seconds, then finally replied, "Okay."
Although Shao Zhenggang hadn't contacted her, she knew that he was doing his best to atone for his past mistakes.
This time, perhaps he truly regretted it.
Su Ding didn't go to find him immediately. She simply had someone keep an eye on Shao Zhenggang. An old man who had lost his legs was now alone in that villa, and she worried he might do something rash.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another half month had gone by.
Su Ding's belly had grown much larger. Fortunately, the baby was healthy so far. However, the doctor still reminded her to walk more and to relax, without stress.
Perhaps it was due to pregnancy hormones, or perhaps she was too idle.
She couldn't help but overthink, even having pessimistic thoughts. Looking at the scenery and pedestrians outside, she felt a sense of unreality, as if she were living in a dream.
One day, she accidentally clicked on an advertisement and downloaded a live streaming app.
Immediately after, she saw a familiar little face. The hairstyle and the face, it was clearly her daughter, Su Xiaorui!
Even with beauty filters, it couldn't escape her eyes!
Moreover, the little one was wearing the little dress she had just bought for her. Clicking on her profile, Su Xiaorui had apparently been live-streaming for over two months!
Su Ding recalled the child's unusual behavior during this time and suddenly understood.
She had initially thought her daughter was growing up, developing her own thoughts and ideas, and that as a mother, she should respect her child's privacy.
That's why she hadn't inquired about her daughter's activities.
But she never expected...
"Mommy! I'm going upstairs to do my homework~" Su Xiaorui was brought back by the housekeeper and ran upstairs on her little legs, looking quite excited.
"Wait a moment!"
Su Ding called out to her, pulling Su Xiaorui, who was halfway up the stairs, back down.
Su Xiaorui blinked her big eyes, her clear eyes shimmering with confusion. "Mommy?"
"What have you been doing secretively lately?"
Su Ding hugged the little one and sat on the sofa, holding her close. "Tell me honestly."
Su Xiaorui's face turned red, and she said guiltily, "N-nothing."
Su Ding gently pinched her chubby little cheek. "Mommy saw it. Are you still going to lie to Mommy?"
"No, I'm not!"
Su Xiaorui broke free from Su Ding's embrace, picked up her small schoolbag, and ran upstairs.
Seeing this, Su Ding no longer stopped her. She continued to browse Su Xiaorui's profile, which contained edited videos of her past streams.
The profile also listed contact information for collaborations.
Wasn't that Xiao Yuan's?
Just as Su Ding was about to call Xiao Yuan, Jin Ye's call came through. "Pack your things with Xiaorui. I'll be home soon, and I'll take you out."
"Go where?" Su Ding asked.
"You'll know when we get there. I'm going to pick up Xiaoxi first," Jin Ye said briefly, then hung up.
Su Ding frowned in confusion but still went upstairs to get ready.
As she passed Xiaorui's room, she knocked. "Xiaorui?"
Is she live-streaming again?
Thinking this, Su Ding became a little annoyed and knocked harder. "Su Xiaorui!"
Only then did Su Xiaorui come pattering out, still wearing a gorgeous princess dress, seemingly having just changed. She had one shoe on and was dressed like a doll.
"Is Daddy coming to pick us up?" Su Xiaorui said excitedly.
"How did you know?" Su Ding was taken aback.
Su Xiaorui chuckled mysteriously and then pushed Su Ding back into her room. "Mommy, hurry up and put on some makeup."
Su Ding wanted to ask more, but Su Xiaorui had already run off again.
After she applied a light layer of makeup and changed into a purple dress, she looked in the mirror and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
The woman in the mirror was gentle and beautiful.
The elegant makeup highlighted her already bright features, giving her a whole new aura.
Su Ding suddenly realized how long it had been since she had dressed up.
At this moment, Jin Ye returned, holding Jin Xiaoxi.
"Mom," Jin Xiaoxi called up the stairs.
"Coming," Su Ding quickly went downstairs. Seeing her son, whom she hadn't seen in days, a joyful smile appeared on her face.
Jin Ye looked at his wife, beautiful after putting on makeup, his eyes filled with tenderness.
"Daddy, Mommy, Brother!"
Su Xiaorui ran downstairs and threw herself into Jin Ye's arms.
The sky was getting dark now. The family got into the car, and it started to move.
"Where are we going?" Su Ding finally managed to ask.
Jin Ye stroked her hair. "There's a nice restaurant. We'll go have dinner. You've worked hard during this time."
Su Ding was about to say, "Isn't eating at home the same?" but she stopped abruptly.
What was wrong with her now?
She had no flair for life, usually plain-faced at home, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, day after day.
"Okay." She smiled brightly. "Thank you."
"Silly girl, why thank me?" Jin Ye gently tapped her head.