Lin Mei's legs felt as if they were cast in lead, rooted to the spot. She couldn't move for a long time, the words Xing Zheng had spoken to her earlier echoing in her ears, over and over, the wound in her heart tearing deeper and deeper.
If she had asked him, "Are you doing this because you don't want me involved in this matter?" and he had denied it, or said something harsher like "humiliation," she could have, as before, self-hypnotized herself into believing he was doing it for her safety. Though the words were hurtful and the method inappropriate, the intention was care. But this time, he had said, "If you think so, then so be it," coupled with that look in his eyes, making everything she had done feel like a joke!
Her vision blurred as tears fell silently. She stood for a long time, finally regaining her strength. After wiping away her tears, she got into her car and left the scene of turmoil.
She was not a fragile person, yet on the drive back, her tears never stopped. Upon returning home, Lin Mei locked herself in her bedroom and, after crying, eventually fell asleep.
While she was sleeping, news about her interfering in Xing Zheng and Jiang Chu Bi's relationship had already begun to ferment online. Xing Zheng and Jiang Chu Bi had been openly affectionate with each other recently, and people had already selectively ignored their past dalliances. The media had even hailed them as a "model couple." Now, with the sudden appearance of a "third party" intending to break them up, the public opinion against the "third party" was predictable.
Once the media set the narrative, people began doxing Lin Mei, exposing her alma mater and workplace. Some even dug up photos of her dating Chen Qi.
As soon as this matter broke, it spread like wildfire within the bank. The following Monday, when Lin Mei went to work, a colleague with whom she had a strained relationship approached her with sarcasm. "Manager Lin is here. Your psychological resilience is truly impressive. If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to come to work."
Lin Mei was in a bad mood and had no intention of arguing with her. Before work, she knew she would face such things today. She chose to ignore the colleague and walked past her.
After being ignored, the colleague became even more unrestrained, sneering, "I knew it. That's why everyone who offended her before was dealt with. Perhaps she has a sugar daddy backing her up!"
Lin Mei had not been in the industry for long, yet her good performance and rapid promotions had made many envious. While they didn't say it openly, now that she was in trouble, many people were eager to kick her while she was down. "Of course! Otherwise, how could Chen Qi and Zong Zong have been sent in? I heard that Chen Qi's sister was locked up just for saying a few words to Lin Mei!"
"She's relying on her looks and has set her sights on Mr. Xing. She doesn't know her own worth. What kind of person is Mr. Xing? Would he fancy a cheap slut like her?"
"How do you know he wouldn't!" Xiao Fang arrived at the office area just as someone was gossiping and mocking Lin Mei. She usually didn't like to stir up trouble, but these words were truly unpleasant. "Manager Liu, didn't Director Sun say at the last meeting that your performance was still five million short? Have you completed it?"
"You!" The person who had been mocking Lin Mei changed her expression upon hearing about performance. "Are you Lin Mei's lapdog? She herself is too guilty to react, so why are you getting so agitated!"
This person was of a higher rank than Xiao Fang, but not her direct superior. Xiao Fang was not afraid of her and ignored her, going to find Lin Mei. She had seen the news online over the weekend but didn't know how to comfort her.
As Lin Mei stared blankly at her computer, a cup of coffee suddenly appeared beside her. It was from Xiao Fang. "Manager Lin, are you alright?"
Xiao Fang said to Lin Mei, "Don't listen to those people who don't know the truth. What do they know!"
"I'm fine," Lin Mei thanked Xiao Fang. "Thank you for the coffee. Go back to work."
Xiao Fang didn't leave. She hesitated and asked, "Manager Lin, have you and Mr. Xing... really broken up?"
Xiao Fang had seen the news. In the video, Xing Zheng had also implicitly admitted that Lin Mei had seduced him, yet he had shown no interest in Lin Mei, even telling her to respect herself. Xiao Fang felt indignant on Lin Mei's behalf. She had clearly seen Xing Zheng intimately kissing Lin Mei in the restroom before. How could that be interpreted as no interest? It was a case of taking advantage and then shirking responsibility, pushing the woman out to take the blame. It was clearly the behavior of a scumbag!
"Go back to work, I need to get busy too," Lin Mei said.
Unable to get an answer, Xiao Fang returned to work. Lin Mei drank the coffee, her usual Americano, but today it tasted exceptionally sour and bitter.
A breakup? They had never been together, so how could there be a breakup? At most, he had grown tired of her.
How could she have forgotten that when Xing Zheng approached her, he already knew she was someone Xing Yan had liked before his death? He had meticulously designed this chain of events, all to lure her into his carefully laid trap. The moment she truly fell for him, the game would be over.
In the previous encounters, he had still been persistent, likely because she hadn't completely surrendered her heart to him. Now that she had completely submitted, she had become worthless trash, easily discarded. In this conspiracy, he was the winner, and she, at the end of the game, was chewed up until not even the bone fragments remained.
She had actually thought he had feelings for her, that he was faking his relationship with Jiang Chu Bi to protect her. She had even fantasized that "Shuang Mu" was truly her name. Fortunately, she hadn't asked him directly, otherwise, he would surely have thought she was a naive fool.
The news online had not been suppressed and remained popular. Lin Mei's personal information was still being doxxed. In the afternoon, someone dug up photos of Lin Mei participating in a competition with Xu Ying. Car racing was a public event, and the photos were quickly found.
As Xu Ying was involved, the matter was pushed to a new height. Xu Ying was well-known, and soon, people who had witnessed the competition revealed that Lin Mei was Xu Ying's girlfriend, and the team members called her "sister-in-law." Xu Ying's fans erupted, beginning to curse Lin Mei, telling her to stay away from Xu Ying, and flooding Xu Ying's Weibo, urging him to break up quickly and not waste time on a "scumbag woman."
After finishing her work in the afternoon, Lin Mei saw what was happening on Weibo. Xu Ying was innocent, and now he was being dragged into this...
As Lin Mei was about to send Xu Ying a message to apologize, Xu Ying's call came. She answered, and Xu Ying asked, "Are you off work?" his tone as if nothing had happened.
Lin Mei felt even more guilty. If she hadn't asked Xu Ying to pretend to be her boyfriend to cover her tracks, Xu Ying wouldn't have been caught in this public opinion storm. "I'm sorry, I saw what happened on Weibo. I've implicated you."
Xu Ying: "There's nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong. I'm waiting for you at your workplace. When you're off work, we'll go eat together."
Lin Mei refused, "No need."
Unexpectedly, not long after she hastily hung up Xu Ying's call, Xu Ying actually came to the bank's office area to find her!