Su Ding looked at Jin Ye in surprise, his suit soaked with water, his mouth agape in embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry!"
She fumbled to wipe away the water droplets with a clean cloth from behind the door. The water splashed onto the floor, soaking a large area.
Jin Ye looked down at the flustered woman and pulled her up. "It's fine."
He turned to Su Xiaorui, who was at the door, and gently raised his hand.
Su Xiaorui obediently trotted over and gently offered her head for Jin Ye to stroke her hair, like a well-behaved kitten.
"Are you hungry?" Jin Ye's heart softened considerably upon seeing the little girl.
Although she resembled his son, she possessed a cute and gentle charm that his son lacked. He could also feel that the girl was affectionate towards him.
Su Xiaorui blinked her big eyes and nodded. "I'm hungry."
Watching the two of them, who had never met before but were already acting like a father and daughter, Su Ding felt a pang of jealousy.
Her daughter, having just returned home and woken up, had rushed to someone else instead of her.
It felt a little heartbreaking.
She sighed helplessly. "Dinner will be ready soon. Xiaorui, wait for Mommy in the living room for a moment."
"Okay!" Su Xiaorui called out crisply.
Then, she looked at Jin Ye and slyly winked at him, "Daddy, stay and help Mommy."
Su Ding caught this glance, her face flushing with embarrassment and losing composure. She quickly waved her hand. "Don't talk nonsense, little one. Go outside now."
Su Xiaorui made a face at her and skipped away.
Su Ding finally breathed a sigh of relief, her flushed cheeks calming down.
However, her heart tensed again as she caught sight of the man.
She dared not meet his gaze, instead pointing to the door with her finger. "You should go change your clothes first."
"Alright." Jin Ye glanced at her flushed earlobes, his lips curving upwards.
Soon, Jin Ye pushed the door open and left.
Alone in the kitchen, Su Ding finally exhaled, the oppressive feeling vanishing with the man's departure.
She turned off the gas stove, served the steamed eggs onto a tray, and prepared three bowls of red bean soup. It was done!
Carrying the tray to the dining table outside, she called, "Xiaorui, come and eat."
Su Xiaorui quickly scampered over. Having not eaten hot food in a long time, she was too hungry to be picky.
As Su Ding placed the bowls and chopsticks, Jin Ye also sat down at the dining table.
The three of them were seated, and despite the simple meal, there was an indescribable warmth.
While sipping her soup, Su Xiaorui looked up with her big eyes, observing Jin Ye and Su Ding. "Daddy, Mommy, are you really married?"
She still found it hard to believe.
Her mother had never revealed this before. She had only heard her brother mention wanting her mother to be his mother too. She hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
Hearing her daughter call him "Daddy" made Su Ding feel ashamed.
She said with forced composure, "Eat your meal, go to bed early, and we can talk about things tomorrow."
Su Xiaorui pouted, her expression dejected. Why was Mommy suddenly so fierce?
Seeing her daughter unhappy, Su Ding felt a little apologetic. After all, her daughter hadn't seen her for so long and had suffered because of her. She shouldn't have treated her this way.
Just as Su Ding was about to speak, Jin Ye said, "Yes, just a few days ago. Daddy will show you the marriage certificate tomorrow."
Su Xiaorui's dimming eyes lit up. "Wow!"
She instinctively trusted this daddy. If he said so, it must be true!
Jin Ye continued, "Xiaorui, do you want to move to a bigger house?"
Su Xiaorui bit her chopsticks, seriously looking at their small living room. She recalled classmates at kindergarten talking about living in villas, and other children envying them.
Living in a big house...
She glanced at her mother, her little head imagining children envying her. She asked timidly, "Can we?"
Su Ding put her hand to her forehead. She never knew Xiaorui liked big houses before.
Jin Ye's lips curved upwards at this, and he immediately nodded. "Of course. If Xiaorui wants a big house, Daddy will take you to choose one."
Su Xiaorui had never experienced the privileges of having a father before. Hearing this, she became even more delighted. She clapped her little hands, her big eyes sparkling. "Will there be a garden, and a swimming pool... and maybe lots of pretty dolls?"
Jin Ye nodded. "Whatever you want, Daddy will give it to you."
Su Ding was speechless. Looking at Jin Ye beside her, it was as if she had never met him before. His rich aura was overwhelming.
"Daddy, you're so nice!" Su Xiaorui beamed.
"Good girl," Jin Ye smiled contentedly.
The adult and child smiled at each other, then turned their gazes to Su Ding. Their similar faces, their similar smiles...
They looked just like father and daughter.
Su Ding realized what she was thinking and quickly shook her head, pushing away her unrealistic speculation.
Could the results of a scientific鉴定 be wrong?
Besides, many people in the world looked similar. It was just a coincidence.
Guessing blood relations based solely on appearance was completely unreliable.
Soon, after the supper was finished, Su Ding urged Xiaorui to wash up and go to bed while she tidied up the dishes.
"Let me do it. You go take care of your daughter." Jin Ye proactively rolled up his sleeves to clean.
"No, no," Su Ding quickly stopped him. He was the head of the Jin family, the top magnate Mr. Jin, how could he handle these trivial matters?
"Listen to me."
Jin Ye leaned in and whispered these two words in her ear with tenderness and ambiguity, and Su Ding's ears visibly turned red.
"Mommy, come quickly. I want to take a bath," Su Xiaorui called softly.
Su Ding had no choice but to take her daughter's hand to the bathroom. As she left, she reminded Jin Ye, "Just put them away. I'll clean up later."
Jin Ye, however, left her with a confident back.
Su Ding took her daughter to the bathroom. She had intended for the child to sleep first and regain her energy before cleaning up the next day. However, since she had woken up in the middle of the night and just eaten, she couldn't rest for a while and decided to take a bath.
While bathing her daughter, her mind replayed the events of the past few days.
She had thought Shao Lin had killed Xiaorui, and in her rage, she had exposed Wang Meilan's scandal. This not only damaged Shao Zheng's reputation but also helped her use public opinion to gain the position of Chairman of Shao Group. Furthermore, it had caused Shao Lin to lose face in front of the Jin family...
But what about the path forward?
She believed Jin Ye's promises, but many things were not as smooth as imagined, especially since she had already broken ties with the Shao family. The road ahead would only become more difficult.
Shao Group was nominally hers, but many of its core elites had followed Shao Zheng for a long time. If Shao Zheng decided to oppose her and poach all the elite talent, Shao Group would suffer a severe blow.
This was the hidden danger brought about by her impulsiveness.
Wang Meilan and Shao Lin were not to be trifled with. Moreover, the Jin family was not easy to deal with. Although she was married to Jin Ye, she had not received his genuine blessings.
Such a marriage would be very difficult in the future...
Was Jin Ye the right person?
Su Ding had not relied on anyone for a long time; she had faced all difficulties on her own. But now, for the first time, she wanted to trust and depend on a man.
Yet, her instincts made her doubt.
Everything would have to be tested by time. At least for now, they had feelings for each other.