Chapter 322: This Matter Is Too Disgusting

Ding Surong, however, could keep her composure: "Dad, the thing still hasn't been found. I secretly asked around about that place with quite a few people, and it's true, just as you said — there really was a spot against the cliff on the mountain that used to have a crooked-neck tree, but they don't know when it disappeared, probably cut down for firewood."

Ding Youwen rubbed his face: "Didn't you look around that area again?"

Ding Surong was a little displeased at her own father's tone: "Of course I looked, and more than once, but I didn't find anything."

With those words out, both fell silent for a moment, and Ding Youwen, brows furrowed the whole time, muttered: "How could that be?"

Thinking he still needed his daughter to put in the work to look again, he quickly changed tack: "Alright, I got it. I'll ask around some more later and see if there are any other leads."

Just thinking about having to go deal with that old woman made his heart sour, but to get those things, he had no choice but to go over and play up to her.

Once that matter was done, Ding Surong finally pulled the pregnancy test slip from her pocket and handed it over: "Take a look at this?"

Ding Youwen, not understanding, took it and opened it. When he clearly saw what was written on it, his face darkened at once: "Whose child is this? How dare you?"

Ding Surong, however, said unhurriedly: "Look at the date on it."

Ding Youwen lowered his head to look at the slip: "This was before you went down to the countryside. You, you—"

Saying so, he looked his daughter up and down, only then noticing something off: "What on earth is going on?"

Ding Surong had nothing to hide from her own father, so she laid the whole thing out plainly: "Dad, this concerns my reputation. Even if Hu Liru's doing this doesn't actually hurt me, it's still disgusting."

"What do you want to do?"

"Now that we know about this, naturally we have to get to the bottom of it. If after I marry someone, people bring this up, I'm afraid I couldn't clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River."

Ding Youwen was furious too. He understood what his daughter meant — right now she was still an untouched maiden, so even if the matter were laid out in the open, there'd be no fear of not being able to explain it. But in a few more years, once she married, this really would be impossible to clear up.

Just as his daughter said, this matter was too disgusting.

If it really was Hu Liru who did it, then this absolutely couldn't just be left at that.

While he was still dazed, he heard Ding Surong say: "Investigating this is simple — just go to her workplace and check whether she issued that letter of introduction on those days, then go to the hospital and check the carbon copy. Once we've got this clear, then we'll go find Hu Liru."

Ding Youwen glanced at his daughter — worthy of being his own flesh and blood; she never fought a battle without preparation: "Alright, don't you worry about this one. Leave it to me."

Ding Surong glanced at the watch on her wrist: "Dad, don't tell my mom about this for now. We can't trust her to keep her mouth shut — if she gets angry and spills the beans early, and Hu Liru gets wind of it ahead of time, it'll work against us."

Ding Youwen glared at his daughter: "Watch how you talk. Surely you two can still tell who's close and who's distant?"

Ding Surong gave a light "hmph": "Ever since my Yulan Auntie passed away, every time Hu Liru shows up in front of my mom, she plays the pitiful act. You saw with your own eyes how much of my stuff my mom has given her. If my mom finds out about this ahead of time, the woman will probably just cry a little, and the whole thing will get swept under the rug."

Seeing his daughter was truly angry: "Alright, Dad's on your side on this one. I'll do as you say, happy?"

(End of chapter)