Chapter 612 There Are Exceptions to Everything

Chapter 612 Every Rule Has Its Exception

Yu Lan and Fan Daxi got married, but Ding Jianan did not attend.

Only Jiang Yu knew she had left Beicheng in the middle of the night.

Apart from asking Jiang Yu to keep an eye on Yu Lan, she had nothing else to say.

When mentioning Yu Lan, her tone was laced with bitterness and an unspoken resignation.

Jiang Yu remained silent. She was no savior and didn’t believe she could rescue Yu Lan from her suffering.

After quickly stopping by the wedding reception at the steel mill’s housing complex, Jiang Yu headed out.

Unexpectedly, she spotted Ding He at the door.

Ding He spun around and bolted.

“Ding He!” Jiang Yu shouted after her.

The girl halted and stood there, waiting.

“Why are you here?”

Ding He’s expression was cold, her voice flat. “I heard from Mom that Yu Lan gave up her job and was getting married, so I came to see. After all, we came from the same place—there’s still a bond.”

A perfect answer, yet Jiang Yu found it odd.

Ding He didn’t seem like someone who cared about Yu Lan.

Though young, she was smart and clear-headed, always looking out for herself.

“She’s married now. Want to go in and wish her well?”

At Jiang Yu’s words, Ding He’s expression soured.

She seemed disgusted by the thought of Yu Lan’s marriage.

“Why did she get married?” Ding He suddenly asked.

Jiang Yu was startled. “What?”

Ding He’s eyes filled with disgust. “I said, why did she get married? Wasn’t she abused enough by that man back in Yunan? Why would she still want to be with a man?”

Jiang Yu’s expression turned complicated. “I can’t answer that. People are complicated—everyone’s different.”

Same situation, different choices for different people, and that was perfectly normal.

“Will she have children with that man?”

Jiang Yu shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Ding He snorted. “Do people like that even know how to love a child?”

This time, Jiang Yu said nothing.

Ding He wasn’t waiting for a response either and took off.

Jiang Yu stared after her for a long moment, lost in thought.

As she stepped out of the alley, He Tingyue was waiting for her by the roadside.

Seeing Jiang Yu lost in thought, he guessed, "Did you see Ding He?"

Jiang Yu nodded. "Why do you think she's here?"

He Tingyue asked, "What did she say herself?"

"She said it was because of her connection with Yu Lan."

He Tingyue made no comment, only asking, "Darling, do you remember Geng Guohua?"

Jiang Yu naturally remembered—he was the one who saved Yu Lan and the others from that nightmare.

"After we took Ding He back to Beicheng, he never stopped investigating her background."

Jiang Yu’s face darkened. "Didn’t he receive the news that Ding He had already found her family?"

He Tingyue shook his head. "No."

That’s the strange part.

If Ding He was truly Lan Raoping's daughter, if she was taken from Beicheng to Yu’nan, the police in both places should’ve been in contact.

"But Ping Jie said that Captain Liang, who has been handling her daughter’s case all these years, had confirmed it with proof—Ding He is her daughter."

It suddenly hit Jiang Yu. "Captain Liang is lying!"

He must be getting something out of this.

Otherwise, after all these years, why would he suddenly hand Ding He over to Lan Raoping now?

"If Ding He isn’t Ping Jie’s daughter either, think how crushed she’ll be if she finds out."

Jiang Yu, about to be a mother herself, felt for Lan Raoping deeply.

"But what’s Captain Liang’s motive for doing this?"

He Tingyue provided the answer: "Jiao Zongyao."

That name tied everything together.

Ding He was basically Jiao Zongyao’s pawn planted beside Lan Raoping, ready to turn on her anytime.

"All these twisted plans—he must really care about me," Jiang Yu remarked coldly.

He Tingyue took her arm as they walked on slowly.

But Jiang Yu noticed something else.

"I’ve been doubting whether Ding He truly lost her memory. Now it looks like even that was fake."

He Tingyue said calmly, "Probably, but we can’t prove it."

After all, she keeps claiming she has amnesia, and no one can say for sure she’s lying.

Jiang Yu frowned. "So who is she, and why won’t she go home?"

He Tingyue looked down at her, his dark eyes sharp and intense.

"Wife, perhaps Yu'nan is her home."

Jiang Yu immediately stopped in her tracks and looked up in shock.

"But according to the locals, they don't raise baby girls! Otherwise, all these years, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to traffic women from elsewhere to bear children."

He Tingyue's expression turned cold. "There are exceptions to everything."

Perhaps Ding He was that exception.

As a woman, she disguised herself as a victim, appearing in everyone’s sight. No one would suspect her, much less associate her with human traffickers.

Using amnesia as an excuse, she left Yu'nan, came to the capital, and attached herself to Lan Raoping.

And now, colluding with Jiao Zongyao, she posed as Lan Raoping’s biological daughter.

If all this were true, then despite her young age, Ding He was surprisingly resourceful.

A haze had clouded Jiang Yu’s mind; no matter how hard she tried to dispel it, it wouldn't clear.

Only after He Tingyue pointed it out did this perplexing question gradually become clear.

"Could Ding He… be Yu Lan’s daughter?"

The moment this thought emerged, Jiang Yu was stunned.

It seemed far-fetched, yet made sense.

"Ding He wasn’t a ‘victim’ discovered in the cellar. She showed no signs of abuse. The villages abducted women to bear children, yet Ding He is so young. In fact, all of this fits a pattern."

At the time, no one suspected her simply because everyone instinctively believed those villages didn’t keep baby girls—Ding He couldn’t be from there.

"Let’s go home."

Jiang Yu glanced back at the alley behind her. The debris of used firecrackers littered the ground, mixed with melted snow and dirty slush, trampled into a soggy, filthy mess.

The truth uncovered today pressed on Jiang Yu like a boulder, leaving her downcast for days.

By the end of December, Jiang Yu’s pregnancy was further along.

The weather grew colder, making trips outside harder. He Tingyue even considered asking her to take maternity leave early from the factory.

However, the Propaganda Section had no Deputy Section Chief at the moment. If she took leave, no one could replace her.

Coincidentally, Factory Director Zheng mentioned something to her.

"After New Year’s, it’ll be near your due date, right?"

Jiang Yu nodded. "Around mid-month, but the doctor said during the last two checkups that it could come early."

Factory Director Zheng said, "Management has recommended a new candidate to assume the role of Deputy Section Chief of the Propaganda Section."

Jiang Yu had recommended Wu Jinshun twice, but both times he was rejected.

The first time, it was Wei Nan—she wondered who it would be this time.

"May I know who it is in advance?" Jiang Yu asked.

Factory Director Zheng replied, "Someone transferred from the Women’s Federation, a woman named Sun Shuixian."

"Did Jiao Zongyao recommend this?"

Factory Director Zheng paused. "Yes."

Jiang Yu lowered her gaze, seemingly deep in thought, though she saw right through it.

These past few days, He Tingyue had already dug up everything about Captain Liang.

His wife, Sun Shuixian, had been in the Women's Federation for many years but never got promoted.

This time, by leveraging Jiao Zongyao's influence, they pushed Sun Shuixian into the propaganda department, just to switch her to a different track.

Ideally, they wanted to use Jiang Yu's maternity leave as an opportunity to force her out.

"Director, can this be postponed? At least until I return from maternity leave—don’t let Sun Shuixian enter the Second State Cotton Mill before then."

Factory Director Zheng frowned. "But if you leave, the propaganda department will be left shorthanded."

Jiang Yu said solemnly, "This is the perfect time for you to see Wu Ge's capabilities. Just because he keeps to himself doesn’t mean he lacks ability. When I return, if the higher-ups still insist on promoting Sun Shuixian, I won't object."

Seeing her determination, Factory Director Zheng had no choice but to nod.

"Then we'll deal with it after the New Year."

It's only a month or two anyway.