SU MANHUA slept soundly through the night. She rolled over as usual, planning to sleep a bit longer, but a sharp pain in her foot reminded her of her injury. Carefully sitting up, she noticed a crutch leaning against the bed. She smiled, realizing that these past few days had completely changed her impression of Ding Yi.

　　When they first met, Su Manhua found him cold and aloof. Later, when she saw him at Ling Yueh’s house and learned he had been hospitalized for a stomach bleed, she started seeing him as more human. This unexpected return to Hedong, fraught with several near-death moments, made her deeply appreciate Ding Yi’s unwavering support. No matter how slim the chances, he never gave up on her, always trying to find a way out.

　　In those moments, he seemed towering and heroic, her savior. She was filled with gratitude and admiration for him, along with some unspoken, ambiguous feelings. If it weren’t for him saving her at the mall yesterday, she didn’t know if she would still be alive. After her injury, his care had been meticulous. Perhaps he acted purely out of friendship, but she couldn’t control her heart.

　　She found herself moved, seriously considering Jhan Syudong’s suggestion. Since Ding Yi was willing to be her friend, why not take it further and pursue him under the guise of friendship?

　　Su Manhua felt a bit crazy for even contemplating this—planning to chase after a man! It was a bit embarrassing, but she was determined. If she missed out on Ding Yi, she felt she might never find someone who moved her so deeply.

　　Hearing noises from the living room, she slipped on her slippers and, leaning on her crutch, slowly made her way to the door. To her surprise, it was Sia Chingching.

　　“Chingching? What brings you here?” she asked.

　　Sia Chingching smiled broadly and replied, “What? Disappointed it’s not my uncle?”

　　“What nonsense are you talking about?” said Su Manhua. She felt her face flush.

　　Honestly, being teased by her student was certainly not a pleasant experience!

　　With a knowing look, Sia Chingching walked over to help her.

　　“Well, come on. My uncle stayed with you all night! He had to go to class, but before he left, he bought you a crutch and breakfast,” she said.

　　She inwardly complained—after living under the same roof for twenty years, she had never enjoyed such treatment. It seemed a niece couldn’t compare to a future wife. No wonder her uncle sent her over to take care of Ms. Su.

　　“Oh! Thanks. I see,” said Su Manhua. With Sia Chingching’s help, she sat down in front of the dining table. Then she quickly changed the subject. “Could you do me a favor and inform my group of students that the graduation thesis guidance session will be postponed for a few days? I’ll let them know the exact time once I’m able to go out.”

　　“Sure, no problem,” replied Sia Chingching.

　　After leaving Su Manhua’s place, Ding Yi returned Ding Jing’s car. The sudden events of the previous day had left him borrowing her car since she was just getting off work when he needed it. His car was beyond repair, so he had asked Lin Siao to help him find a suitable replacement. Lin Siao, efficient as ever, had a new car delivered to his home early that morning.

　　He switched cars, grabbed his teaching materials, and headed to Hedong University for class.

　　During a break, he received a call from Officer Jhang. They had reviewed surveillance footage from both the Linghai branch and the Anyue service area but found nothing suspicious. The 4S dealership, where his car was serviced, had broken cameras during his car’s maintenance.

　　Ding Yi understood the implication. With the dealership and service area ruled out, it was highly likely that his car had been tampered with at the 4S dealership. However, with no surveillance footage, they couldn’t press charges based on mere suspicion. Moreover, the dealership had a complex staff, and since his car had been submerged in water, they couldn’t find any trace to pinpoint a suspect.

　　Having spent nearly a year in Linghai, Ding Yi had a basic understanding of the local power dynamics. The 4S dealership was managed by Jhao Hu, one of Gu Wei’s trusted associates. Initially unaware of this, Ding Yi had purchased an annual maintenance package from the dealership. When he later discovered the connection, he thought it was merely for car servicing and didn’t pay it much mind.

　　He never expected his car accident to be linked to Gu Wei.

　　At around five in the morning, Jhan Syudong informed him that the two men who had been following Su Manhua were arrested. It was confirmed that one of them was indeed Wang Chyuansheng, a long-wanted criminal.

　　Wang Chyuansheng had a history of imprisonment and had been working under Gu Wei since his release. Many of Gu Wei’s illicit activities were handled by Wang Chyuansheng, who was responsible for several deaths. This made him a key figure in dismantling Gu Wei’s criminal organization.

　　For the past two years, the anti-crime campaign had been in full swing. Gu Wei was cunning, hiding his illicit operatives well, evading solid criminal charges. Capturing Wang Chyuansheng was a significant breakthrough.

　　It was evident now that the fingerprint found in Huo Yanjhih’s loan documents also appeared in Honglin’s loan case, which led to connections with Fonghan Real Estate. Lin Chian’s case brought up links to Gu Wei and Li Lesi, and Ding Yi’s car accident also traced back to Gu Wei. Although these clues didn’t directly intersect, they were intricately intertwined.

　　A crucial point was that details of cases like Honglin and Fonghan were confidential within the bank. Even if Gu Wei could control Honglin and Fonghan, he couldn’t know who within the bank was making decisions unless he had an insider.

　　Ding Yi realized that the phone he lost in the water had been bugged. His phone had only been out of his sight once during a meeting, and it was Lee Mu who had returned it to him. Noticing something odd about the phone, Ding Yi had deliberately mentioned during a call with Jhao Chin that he was Huo Yanjhih’s son, hoping to provoke a reaction.

　　Perhaps the Honglin case had enraged the other side, and they decided to eliminate him, thinking he would relentlessly pursue Huo Yanjhih’s case.

　　But what role did Lee Mu play in all this?

　　Knowing Lee Mu, who valued power and status above all else, Ding Yi doubted that Gu Wei, who used money to manipulate people, could either buy or satisfy Lee Mu.

　　Ding Yi had a hunch that there was a hidden hand manipulating the events, a hand powerful enough to control a criminal like Gu Wei and a well-known entrepreneur like Li Lesi. At this point, it all depended on whether Jhan Syudong could get Wang Chyuansheng to talk and provide some useful clues.

　　The next day, Jhan Syudong escorted the two arrested men back to Linghai, promising to update Ding Yi as soon as there was any progress.

　　Over the following week, Ding Yi kept to his routine of teaching classes, occasionally sending messages to check on Su Manhua’s injured foot and chatting with her to keep her spirits up. With Sia Chingching taking care of Su Manhua, Ding Yi felt assured and didn’t visit her again. Despite his desire to see her, he restrained himself, opting instead to maintain his presence through frequent conversations.

　　Meanwhile, as Ding Yi’s seminar was nearing its end and his return to Linghai loomed, Su Manhua grew increasingly anxious. Her plan to pursue him hadn’t even begun.

　　As soon as she was able to walk without a crutch, albeit slowly, Su Manhua couldn’t stand staying at home any longer. She asked Sia Chingching to notify her students to gather in the classroom for thesis design guidance.

　　On the day of the tutorial, as Ding Yi’s class was about to end, Su Manhua hurriedly concluded her session. While she was tidying up the materials on the podium, the students left one by one. Sia Chingching came over to check if Su Manhua needed a ride home, but Su Manhua declined, and Sia Chingching left as well.

　　She packed her things, slung her bag over her shoulder, and hobbled slowly towards the classroom door. As she neared the exit, she noticed a cellphone lying on the first row desk. She vaguely remembered a girl sitting there but couldn’t recall who exactly.

　　Taking the phone with her, she left the classroom. She didn’t have time to wait around, so she decided to keep the phone until its owner called to retrieve it. Otherwise, she might miss her chance to run into Ding Yi.

　　Since she didn’t have the courage to directly ask him out, she could only pretend it was a coincidental meeting.

　　The Economics Building was quite a distance from the Continuing Education Building. Su Manhua exited the teaching building, retrieved her electric bike from the shed, and rode towards the Continuing Education Building.

　　Ding Yi had just finished his class and was about to cross the road in front of the teaching building to the parking lot when he heard a horn honking in the distance. Assuming he was blocking someone’s path, he stopped and looked around, only to see Su Manhua approaching on her electric bike.

　　Seeing him look her way made Su Manhua nervous. Her left foot wasn’t fully healed, so she could only use her right foot to stop. Panicking, she lost control of the handlebars, and her bike wobbled towards Ding Yi. He quickly reached out and steadied the bike, helping her to come to a stable stop.

　　Though the scene didn’t unfold as naturally as she had hoped, she mustered her courage and delivered her prepared line.

　　“Mr. Ding, what a coincidence!” she said.

　　“Yeah, it is quite a coincidence,” Ding Yi replied and smirked. Noticing her foot wasn’t fully healed yet, his expression turned serious, showing a mix of concern and reproach. “It seems that you can ride a bike now?”

　　“The campus is so big. If I didn’t ride, my left foot would be ruined from all the walking,” Su Manhua explained. She had taken a taxi to campus, but after walking a bit, found it too strenuous and rented the electric bike instead.

　　Ding Yi’s expression softened a bit and said, “Return the bike. And I’ll give you a ride home.”

　　“You’ve saved me so many times, and I have no way to repay you. Since we ran into each other today, why don’t we have a meal together? My treat, as a small token of my gratitude,” said Su Manhua. Internally, she prayed he wouldn’t refuse. She wasn’t sure if she’d have the courage to ask again.

　　“There’s no need to treat me,” he said, but seeing the hopeful look in her eyes dim, he added with a smile, “If you really want to thank me, wouldn’t it be more sincere to cook the meal yourself?”

　　Su Manhua blinked at him, her heart bursting with joy as she tried to keep her smile modest.

　　“Shall we go grocery shopping now? I don’t think I have much food at home.”

　　“Another day. When your foot is better.”

　　“Another day? You won’t forget, will you?” she asked and wondered if he was just putting her off.

　　“Today, let’s just eat at your school’s cafeteria,” Ding Yi chuckled and replied. He had been eating most of his lunches there recently and found the food quite decent.

　　“Alright,” she finally agreed.

　　Seeing her somewhat deflated demeanor, Ding Yi felt unexpectedly cheerful. Her behavior at least indicated she had feelings for him too.

　　“Don’t worry. Before I go back to Linghai, I’ll definitely give you a chance to show your sincerity,” he said.

　　Su Manhua finally smiled and said, “You better keep your word!”

　　“Of course,” said Ding Yi.

　　“Then let’s go to the cafeteria now,” said Su Manhua. She was still on her bike and didn’t feel like walking. “But the cafeteria is quite far. How about I give you a ride?”

　　However, Ding Yi didn’t respond, just looked at her with a smile.

　　Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Su Manhua took a moment to realize his meaning. She couldn’t help but grumble internally, what’s wrong with a woman giving a man a ride?

　　“Then how about this, I ride to the cafeteria and wait for you there?” asked Su Manhua.

　　Ding Yi didn’t respond. He put his bag in the bike’s basket, walked around to the other side, and put down the kickstand.

　　Su Manhua’s right foot was on the ground, causing the bike to lean slightly to the right. When Ding Yi put down the kickstand, the bike tilted to the left, throwing her off balance.

　　Before she could cry out, Ding Yi lifted her onto the back seat, then swung his leg over to sit in the front.

　　“Hold on tight, we’re off,” he said.

　　Su Manhua was wearing a long skirt today, sitting sideways on the bike behind Ding Yi. When Ding Yi announced they were leaving, she was still adjusting her skirt. As soon as the bike moved, her body tilted backward, and she clung tightly to Ding Yi’s waist, pressing herself against his back.

　　She let out a breath of relief, unaware that Ding Yi was smiling cheerfully in front of her.

　　They chatted as they rode towards the cafeteria, completely oblivious to the two people standing by the road near the Information Technology Academy.

　　Liou Yan exited the contacts screen on her phone and tossed it back into her bag.

　　“Let’s go! It looks like he’s busy today,” she said expressionlessly.

　　Lin Siao, watching Liou Yan stride quickly ahead, found himself at a loss for words to comfort her.

　　When it comes to matters of the heart, outsiders often see things more clearly. To him, Liou Yan’s feelings for Ding Yi didn’t seem particularly deep, more like an obsession.

　　This obsession had blinded her, preventing her from seeing the good in others and blocking others’ affections for her.

　　Su Manhua had never been to the cafeteria during a holiday before and was surprised to find it quite crowded.

　　Ding Yi went to order food while Su Manhua waited at a table. The cafeteria’s public television was broadcasting news about the United States adding a batch of Chinese high-tech companies to its entity list.

　　When Ding Yi returned, they discussed the news as they ate, and their conversation flowed seamlessly throughout the meal.

　　Ding Yi found that despite their different professional fields, he and Su Manhua shared remarkably similar views on many topics. Every conversation seemed endless, their rapport reminiscent of old friends who had known each other for years.

　　Their discussion was interrupted when the phone Su Manhua had found earlier rang. It was a girl on the other end. Since it was getting late and Su Manhua was on the bike, she arranged to meet the girl at the entrance of the girls’ dormitory to return the phone.

　　After leaving the cafeteria, Ding Yi rode the bike with Su Manhua to the girls’ dormitory. Given her injured foot, he rode all the way to the entrance. The girl came down to retrieve her phone and stood at the entrance chatting with Su Manhua.

　　Ding Yi, feeling somewhat idle, watched the young faces coming and going from the dormitory. Suddenly, he felt a sense of aging.

　　Before he could dwell on this thought, he noticed a familiar figure descending from the upper floors, heading towards the dormitory entrance. The hallway’s lighting flickered, making it hard to see clearly. It wasn’t until the figure reached the dormitory supervisor’s desk that he recognized the face.

　　She looked much older than he remembered, but there was no mistaking her. It was his biological mother, Ru Mong!