Su Ding was concentrating on driving and didn't hear Zhao Qin clearly at first.
But she knew Zhao Qin had spoken.
She couldn't help but feel a bit surprised, "What did you say?"
Zhao Qin clenched her fists, her expression a little uncomfortable, but she took a deep breath before saying, "I'm not going back, just drop me off on the roadside."
She still couldn't bring herself to beg Su Ding for help.
Su Ding seemed to understand her unspoken difficulty, but she was puzzled. How could Zhao Qin have fallen to such a state that she wouldn't even return home?
In the middle of the night, with Zhao Qin's phone dead, where else could she go?
However, Su Ding also knew that if she asked, Zhao Qin might not tell the truth, so she wouldn't bother herself.
Instead, she said, "Where do you want to go? I'll give you a ride."
Zhao Qin glanced at her. Her pride wanted her to refuse, but her current situation made refusal impossible.
Because at this moment, she was truly at her wit's end.
She had thought about finding refuge with her girlfriends before, but remembering how much she usually liked to show off, how everyone knew how well her husband Jin He treated her, she felt ashamed of her current predicament.
Coupled with the recent incident of her bringing reporters to find Su Ding.
It made it even harder for her to face them.
At this point, she still didn't know that Su Ding had been cleared of wrongdoing.
"I'll stay at a hotel."
Zhao Qin didn't specify a hotel name, and Su Ding guessed she was looking for a place to stay.
She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll take you. Do you have your ID?"
"ID..."
Zhao Qin remembered her wallet being snatched by that driver and was momentarily at a loss for words.
Her expression was a little distressed, and biting her lip, she said softly, "Just take me to a motel that doesn't require an ID."
Hearing this, Su Ding couldn't help but frown.
The mother of the chairman of Huang Qi Group, reduced to wandering the streets and having to stay in a rundown motel, was too shocking to be spread around.
"Those places aren't safe."
"If you really don't want to go home, I can take you to my place."
Su Ding had no choice but to say this. She couldn't bear to leave an elderly woman in a shady motel.
If anything happened, it wouldn't be something she could bear.
But Zhao Qin immediately shook her head and said firmly, "I'm not going to your place."
The thought of her son's disappointed eyes from earlier that day made her heart ache.
Now, she was the sinner of the entire Jin family.
She didn't want to see them. Since they all thought she was a bad person, a grave sinner, then she would leave, depart from here.
Seeing Zhao Qin trying hard to suppress her sadness, Su Ding truly didn't understand.
"I'm telling you, you're not allowed to tell my son that he saw me, otherwise, otherwise..."
Zhao Qin tried to utter a threat but couldn't come up with anything substantial, as she had fallen to such a sorry state.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but shed tears again. She carefully wiped them away to maintain her composure.
"Stop the car, just leave me here."
Zhao Qin's voice was laced with a hint of a sob. She lowered her head, trying to calm her emotions.
Su Ding saw all this. She sighed inwardly, turned the car around, and started driving.
As the car drove off in an unfamiliar direction, Zhao Qin began to panic.
Could it be that Su Ding was trying to take advantage of her situation?
Zhao Qin panicked. She sat up straight and glared at Su Ding angrily, "Where are you taking me?"
Su Ding continued driving with an unchanged expression, replying calmly, "To find you a place to stay."
"What?"
Zhao Qin's eyes were still filled with suspicion, after all, her prejudice against Su Ding wasn't a day or two old.
Su Ding was too lazy to explain, only saying, "We're almost there."
The streets were deserted late at night, and the car drove very fast.
About ten minutes later, the car pulled into an apartment building. This was a property that Zhang Hou, on behalf of her uncle Ouyang Kai, had given her after she returned to Jiangcheng. She had visited it before but didn't come often. She had planned to find an agent to rent out the apartment recently but hadn't found a suitable tenant yet, so she might as well let Zhao Qin stay.
"This is my place."
Su Ding stopped the car and took out the luggage from the trunk.
She led the nervous and uneasy Zhao Qin into the apartment building elevator.
Zhao Qin maintained a tense and anxious expression throughout, as if she was afraid Su Ding would plot against her.
Su Ding didn't say much, remaining silent. They reached the eighth floor, and she pulled her suitcase out.
She walked to a door and unlocked it with her fingerprint.
Then she turned on the living room light. The bright light illuminated the dark room, revealing a three-bedroom, two-living room apartment decorated in warm tones. Although it had all the necessary furniture, it was evident that it hadn't been lived in for a long time.
"Madam Jin, please come in."
Seeing that Zhao Qin hadn't followed her in, Su Ding turned back to look.
She then noticed Zhao Qin still standing at the doorway with a wary expression. Su Ding felt a bit speechless, but she still said to her, "There's no one else inside, you can relax."
Zhao Qin hesitated for a few seconds before walking in with an uncomfortable expression.
Looking at the interior decoration and furniture, Zhao Qin's expression gradually shifted from initial wariness to surprise, and then she frowned, looking displeased.
Su Ding didn't pay attention to this. She sat on the sofa and started ordering water and instant meals on her phone.
After placing the order, she looked up again and saw Zhao Qin staring at her with displeasure.
"Tell me the truth, did Xiao Ye give you this place?"
Zhao Qin had recognized the furniture earlier. All of it was valuable and not something an ordinary person could afford.
Even the vases displayed looked like works of art.
Upon closer inspection, they even seemed more refined than the antique vases cherished in collectors' homes.
Given Su Ding's background, she definitely couldn't afford it.
Therefore, it must be her own son who was willing to spend so much money on her.
"Madam Jin, this is my apartment. The property title is in my name."
Su Ding was speechless to the point of being utterly speechless.