Jin Ye looked at the woman in his arms, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shy and flustered. He curved his lips and chuckled.
It seemed his overt display of affection this time was not mistaken. No woman could refuse such romance. After yesterday's argument, he had done a lot of thinking; he was also feeling insecure in this relationship. He was confined by his mother, bound by his work. He had chosen this woman with firm resolve, promised to take good care of her, yet over time, he had forgotten his initial intentions. Wasn't Su Ding's outburst a release of her long-held grievances? Wasn't it a declaration of his neglect?
"I love you, my wife," Jin Ye said earnestly, staring into her eyes. He leaned in and kissed her lips. As she shyly closed her eyes, her beautiful and delicate face was etched clearly in his heart. At this moment, Jin Ye felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and peace. Seeing Su Ding dressed so elegantly, he realized how long it had been since he had truly looked at this woman who loved him so deeply, his wife.
Someone cheered, and the atmosphere instantly became electric! The sight of Jin Ye and Su Ding kissing sweetly instantly went viral online. Netizens were captivated by this couple, finding their real-life romance far more compelling than any imagined pairing!
"I told you Su Ding wasn't being kept, but I was wrong! That's her husband!"
"I thought she wasn't that type of person when I watched the reality show..."
"Her rumored affairs were probably just malicious gossip. She's already married, and her husband is the patron of Huang Qi Group. She doesn't bother with those people!"
"Yeah, what resources doesn't she have? Besides..."
"I'm so envious! What kind of divine love is this!"
...
Unaware of the rapidly forming online fan base, Su Ding felt as if she were dreaming. She felt like she had said something, yet perhaps hadn't. It wasn't until Jin Ye led her off stage and they sat in the pre-arranged luxurious suite, the surrounding noise ceasing and everything falling into silence, that she slowly came to her senses.
"Are you still angry?" Jin Ye removed his suit jacket and walked over to her, then knelt down in front of her.
Su Ding looked at the man's handsome face, and somehow, she wasn't as angry anymore. She felt a little awkward and embarrassed. After a few seconds of silence, she asked dryly, "Why the sudden public announcement?"
Jin Ye clearly detected a hint of playfulness in her tone. He chuckled and took Su Ding's hand. "It's to prevent some ill-intentioned women from pining after me and making you unhappy."
"Hmph," Su Ding snorted softly. "Don't be so full of yourself."
Jin Ye's smile deepened, the corners of his eyes forming shallow arcs. "Okay, no boasting. I don't want to make you unhappy." Seeing the man's warm smile, Su Ding's heart gradually began to thaw. She blinked and softly hummed, "Get up. It must be uncomfortable to kneel." She reached out and pulled Jin Ye to sit on the bed.
Jin Ye stood up and then embraced her tightly, stroking her soft, fragrant long hair. He said gently, "The surveillance that night was tampered with. It was a deliberate setup."
"Mhm," Su Ding hugged his waist, burying her face in his chest. Smelling the faint, cool fragrance of Jin Ye, she felt a sense of satisfaction both physical and emotional. She said in a muffled voice, "And then?"
"Last night, I had Luo Zhu acquire that hotel and reorganize it. The owner quickly confessed. Fortunately, he had kept some evidence, otherwise, I would have been unable to clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River." Jin Ye gently pinched her ear. "You just didn't want to believe me."
Su Ding looked up, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion. Her voice was so soft it could melt hearts, "So, what exactly happened?"
"It was Jiang Jiayi," Jin Ye stated. "This hotel is a property of the Jiang family. The owner was instructed by her to disable the corridor surveillance. The wine I drank was tampered with, and Jiang Jiayi had a room key to my room."
"She, why would she..." Su Ding remembered Jiang Jiayi saying as she left, "Why don't you ask Jin Ye what he did to me?" as if she were the victim.
"You can listen to this recording," Jin Ye patted her and took out his phone to play it.
The recording soon began:
"You must get Jin Ye drunk and keep him at the hotel tonight. I don't care how you do it. Also, disable the corridor surveillance outside the room. No one must know,"
"Give me a copy of the room key, and don't tell anyone I was here. Otherwise, you won't get this hotel."
Su Ding immediately recognized Jiang Jiayi's voice, but her tone was completely different from her usual speech. In the recording, Jiang Jiayi's voice was arrogant and domineering, as if she were in control of everything.
"I've also retrieved the surveillance footage," Jin Ye pressed on his phone, opening a video.
In the video, Jin Ye was clearly drunk, mumbling incoherently, and was eventually taken to his room. After the room door closed, about two hours later, Jiang Jiayi appeared outside the room. She looked left and right, then cautiously entered the room. What followed was a long night; there were no staff members or other guests on this floor. It wasn't until morning that someone appeared in a distant corner of the surveillance area, quietly taking photos with a camera aimed at Jin Ye's room door.
Soon, Jiang Jiayi emerged from the room, her clothes disheveled, looking haggard. She walked away down the corridor with her head bowed, seemingly covering her face and crying. The camera in the corner captured this scene.
After Jiang Jiayi left the surveillance area in tears, Jin Ye retrieved another video. Following on from the previous footage, Jiang Jiayi walked to a corner and spoke to the person taking photos. The photographer then left. Jiang Jiayi stood in the corner, staring at her phone for a long time, then made a phone call. About half an hour later, she hung up and entered the elevator.
Soon after, Su Ding arrived by elevator. She knocked on Jin Ye's door, argued loudly with him, and was then dragged into the room...
Seeing this, Su Ding finally understood. She was stunned into silence for a long time. Jiang Jiayi's acting skills and scheming shocked her, but also filled her with a chilling sense of dread and fear. If Jin Ye hadn't gone to such great lengths to investigate, no one would have known the truth. This hotel was a Jiang family property, and it was easy to tamper with things on their turf. However, she hadn't expected Jin Ye's influence in Jiang City over so many years to be even more immense than she had imagined. She could threaten the owner's interests, but Jin Ye could easily ruin the owner's entire career. The Jiang family was still insignificant in front of the Jin family.
"I really didn't expect her to be that kind of person," Su Ding felt a chill run through her.
"I've had people keeping an eye on her," Jin Ye embraced her. "Don't alert her for now. I want to see why she dared to plot against me."
"Then, did anything happen between you that night?" Su Ding asked anxiously.
"No. Although I lost consciousness that night and had no idea someone entered the room, I'm certain nothing happened," Jin Ye's steady voice gave Su Ding a sense of reassurance. He had no interest in other women, and moreover, he had been completely drunk. It would be strange if anything had happened, not to mention that he had no recollection of anything.
Su Ding eyed him suspiciously, "I'll believe you for now." Jin Ye chuckled. "You can check online. Does a drunk man have any 'interest' unless he's faking it?"
Su Ding sighed. "She must have taken a liking to you, otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths."