Without any further explanation from Xing Zheng, Jiang Chu Bi understood what he intended to do. However, this was far from enough. After replying to Xing Zheng’s message, Jiang Chu Bi contacted a gossip reporter she had arranged to meet a few days prior and sent him a "scoop."
Lin Mei had a restless night. It wasn't the alcohol that made her uneasy, but the photograph. In the latter half of the night, she had considered every possibility, and the more she guessed, the more frightened she became.
If Zhao Jiang He and Xie Qin Jia were indeed mother and son, then what were Xing Yan and Xing Zheng? Did Xing Sha know about this? How great an impact would this truth have on the Xing family?
At breakfast, Lin Mei looked haggard and had no appetite. Zhao Jiang He didn't find it unusual; women after a breakup were always like this. He even offered her a few words of comfort. Lin Mei thanked him and left Zhao Jiang He's residence after the meal.
Zhao Jiang He was none the wiser and didn't have Lin Mei followed again. With Lin Mei in this state, her breakup with Xu Ying was a foregone conclusion; he didn't need to expend any more effort spying on her.
Lin Mei arrived at Zhuhua Villa. As soon as she parked, she saw Xing Zheng and Jiang Chu Bi emerging hand in hand. Jiang Chu Bi was as usual, linking her arm through Xing Zheng's, her posture intimate. Xing Zheng even had his arm around her waist.
Lin Mei lowered her gaze, feeling a sting in her eyes. But now was not the time to dwell on such details. Lin Mei turned to Xing Zheng. "I have something to say to you."
"Speak," his tone was cold and flat. When he looked at her, it was as if he were looking at a stranger.
Even though she knew he was acting, Lin Mei's heart couldn't help but ache. She took a breath. "I need to speak with you alone. Miss Jiang might need to excuse herself."
"Manager Lin, that's quite interesting," Jiang Chu Bi said with a laugh, her tone laced with mockery. "You want to speak with my future husband alone and want me, his wife, to leave? Is Manager Lin being too presumptuous, or are you so addicted to being a mistress that you believe everyone should make way for you?"
Lin Mei didn't respond to Jiang Chu Bi's sarcastic remarks. She kept her gaze fixed on Xing Zheng, doing her best to ignore his coldness. "It's very important, about the sanatorium. I saw..."
"I have no interest in talking with you. Don't come to me again," before she could finish, the man's chilling voice cut her off. The dark depths of his eyes held undisguised disgust and impatience.
Lin Mei's pain intensified tenfold. She endured it. "Can you, please, just listen to me first?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of camera shutters and flashes erupted simultaneously. Lin Mei reflexively turned her head and saw a crowd of reporters surrounding them.
Before she could react, the surrounding roads were blocked by reporters. Her face instantly turned pale, and she looked at Xing Zheng helplessly.
Xing Zheng didn't look at her; he was looking at Jiang Chu Bi. Jiang Chu Bi said to him, "I didn't know reporters were following me."
With that, she tightened her grip on Xing Zheng's arm and addressed the reporters with poise, "If you have any questions, you can ask me."
"Someone has leaked that Miss Lin interfered in your and Mr. Xing's relationship, attempting to force her way up. Is this rumor true or false?"
Jiang Chu Bi glanced at Lin Mei, who stood frozen as if electrocuted, her face and lips pale. Just looking at her revealed the depth of her humiliation.
Jiang Chu Bi laughed and leaned into Xing Zheng's embrace. She said to the reporters, "Ah Zheng has always been very popular with women. Manager Lin harbors affection for him, which is only natural. Although Manager Lin has frequently shown her interest, Ah Zheng has never engaged in any inappropriate behavior with her. Please don't misunderstand Manager Lin; she still has to get married."
The reporters were sharp. In an instant, they turned to ask Lin Mei, "How has Manager Lin frequently shown her interest to Mr. Xing?"
"Miss Lin, why did you seduce a married man?"
"Is Miss Lin here today to seduce Mr. Xing as well? You were caught by his future wife. What are Miss Lin's thoughts?"
"Does Miss Lin have any explanation for her behavior as a mistress?"
Lin Mei considered herself to have good composure. After years of work, she had seen many major events, but being surrounded by reporters was a first.
She listened to the slanderous and highly pointed questions thrown at her, her brain seeming to shut down. Mechanically, her lips moved, wanting to explain but unable to utter a single word.
In this situation, the reporters naturally interpreted it in another way. "Miss Lin's silence, does it mean she admits to seducing a married man?"
"Miss Lin, don't you have an explanation?"
Lin Mei still couldn't speak. She looked at Xing Zheng. Even after his cold words earlier, in the midst of being attacked, he was still the first person she thought of.
He glanced at her for less than a second before speaking to the reporters. Lin Mei watched with hope as the lips that had kissed him countless times parted. However, the words that came out shattered her rising hope, plunging her heart into an abyss of eternal damnation.
"I have no interest in Miss Lin, and I ask Miss Lin to conduct herself with dignity and stop disturbing my wife and me."
Lin Mei felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She stood there, forgetting even to cry. Privately, she could tell herself that any harsh words he spoke were just him saying the opposite of what he meant. But now, in front of so many reporters, he had solidified her guilt as a third party.
If public opinion wanted to kill her, he had handed them the sharpest knife.
As soon as Xing Zheng spoke, the group of reporters looked at her with disdain. Xing Zheng remained unmoved, while Jiang Chu Bi, displaying her "rightful wife" demeanor, began to "explain" on Lin Mei's behalf. "Manager Lin was just momentarily confused, which led her to do such a thing. Ah Zheng's stance is firm; nothing happened. Please be more lenient with Manager Lin. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."
After Jiang Chu Bi handled the reporters, the group was quite obedient and left when asked.
The farce came to an end. Lin Mei saw Xing Zheng put his arm around Jiang Chu Bi and walk towards the Porsche. She suddenly ran up and blocked their path.
Jiang Chu Bi hadn't expected her to run up again. Wasn't the blow she just received enough? "What does Manager Lin mean by this?"
"You shut up. I'm not talking to you." Her voice trembled uncontrollably, her former assertiveness completely gone. Her eyes were red and swollen, and despite her efforts to hold back, tears streamed down her face. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"What else?" she cried, but he remained indifferent, his coldness tinged with impatience.
Lin Mei wiped her tears. "You did this because you don't want me involved in this matter, right?"
The man before her let out a disdainful snort from his nose. Though he was smiling, there was no warmth in his eyes. He looked down at her condescendingly, as if at a pathetic worm. "If you think so, then so be it."
Lin Mei's legs felt weak, and she almost fell. But he no longer looked at her, getting into the car with Jiang Chu Bi and speeding away.