Su Ding thought about it and finally decided to visit Xie Shanshan in the hospital when she had time. Xie Shanshan was the victim, and her opinion was paramount.
As noon approached, Su Ding called Jin Ye to tell him about Jia'er.
Jin Ye readily agreed, and in his deep voice, Su Ding could detect a hint of joy.
"The two of them are quite a good match. Xue Zhiqiao has really done a proper job this time."
Su Ding chuckled, knowing Jin Ye was still bothered by Xue Zhiqiao's previous closeness to her, which had caused him much jealousy back then.
Now that Xue Zhiqiao was with Jia'er, he no longer had a love rival.
"Right, I'm going back to the old house for lunch. I'll give the bracelet to Mom," Jin Ye reported.
"Okay, but don't tell her I bought it, or she might get upset again and harm her health," Su Ding reminded him with concern. Jin Ye agreed, and she finally felt relieved.
At noon, at the Jin residence.
Zhao Qin returned from shopping and, just as she took off her shoes, saw her son Jin Ye arrive.
She was somewhat surprised and at the same time felt a pang of sadness. She walked over and asked, "Xiao Ye, why are you here?"
Her tone was a little resentful, but her eyes were full of longing.
The last time her son returned from the southern territories, she couldn't hold back and quarreled with him and her husband again over Su Ding. In the end, her son left without even eating, and they parted on bad terms.
She actually regretted it, but at the same time, she felt wronged, wondering why no one understood her.
"Mom, I'm staying for lunch. This is for you."
Jin Ye clearly wasn't very comfortable with the act of giving his mother a gift. He took out the brocade box Su Ding had asked him to deliver from his pocket and handed it over.
Zhao Qin was stunned. She happily accepted it, saying, "Xiao Ye has really grown up, knowing how to buy gifts for Mom. That's wonderful."
She said this with emotion and eagerly opened the box.
Inside the box was a jade bracelet that emitted a lustrous sheen. The jade was of excellent quality, almost translucent, and entirely a clear green, pleasing to the eye.
She took it out with her hand, and it felt smooth and faintly warm to the touch.
"Is it made of Wen Xin Yu?" Zhao Qin, accustomed to a life of comfort and having seen many fine things, recognized the quality of the bracelet at a glance. Her eyes crinkled into a smile.
"Yes, I think so,"
Jin Ye replied. Seeing his mother so happy, he wished even more that she could see Su Ding's good qualities.
Zhao Qin put the jade bracelet on her wrist, which made her fair and tender skin appear even more so.
"It's beautiful, truly beautiful. My son has such good taste."
She admired the jade bracelet with great fondness, clearly pleased with the gift. Although she had seen better bracelets, this one held a different significance – it was from her son.
During lunch, Zhao Qin kept serving her son food, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
However, Jin Ye seemed preoccupied, with a feeling of wanting to speak but hesitating. Seeing his mother so happy, he didn't want to spoil the mood. Yet, he genuinely felt wronged on Su Ding's behalf.
"Mom," he called out. Just as he was about to say something, he remembered Su Ding's earnest words and stopped himself.
Zhao Qin glanced at her son, likely guessing he wanted to talk about Su Ding again.
She sighed, "Xiao Ye, Mom knows what you want to say. You want me to accept that woman, right?"
Jin Ye nodded. "That's right."
"Just as I can't force you to give up that woman, you can't force me to accept her. Moreover, she did something that wronged you, causing you to become… in the entire Jiang City…"
Zhao Qin said, her expression turning unpleasant. At that time, if Su Ding hadn't escaped, she would have wanted to skin her alive and demand to know why she treated her son that way.
"Do you remember? For your wedding, your father and I made concessions and attended personally. That means we gave her a chance. But what did we get in return?"
Chapter 1 The Beginning