Lin Mei's anger flared even more intensely. What did he mean by locking her up?
He truly believed that he had the final say in everything in this world. When his flimsy excuses failed, he resorted to threatening her. Lin Mei pushed against his shoulders but couldn't budge him at all.
Likely enraged by her resistance, he bit her lips again. This time, Lin Mei didn't back down. She bit him, breaking his lips in several places. The taste of blood filled their mouths, sickeningly so.
When their lips parted, they were both stained with blood. He ignored his own injury and used a tissue to wipe her lips. "Remember what I said earlier."
"Absolutely not." Not only would she not comply, but she was determined to defy him. He didn't want her to contact Xiao Shu? Then she would contact him. Why should her right to choose her friends be restricted by him?
"Try me." Her rebellious demeanor successfully infuriated him. He was now glaring at her with a dark expression. She felt apprehensive but refused to show it, sticking her neck out defiantly. "Fine, I'll try."
With that, she broke free from him and walked out of the conference room. Xing Zheng remained, touching the corner of his lip that she had bitten, and fell into deep contemplation. If she continued to be disobedient, to ensure her safety, he would have to resort to extreme measures.
Because of the unpleasant incident in the conference room, Lin Mei desperately needed to vent. That evening, she arranged to have hot pot with Lan Lan and Feng Feng. The early autumn weather was accompanied by rain. Eating hot pot on a cool, rainy day should have been a delightful experience, but Lin Mei couldn't bring herself to be happy.
She recounted Xing Zheng's words in the conference room to Lan Lan and Feng Feng, and they were so infuriated they almost laughed. "Does he really think I'm an idiot? He can't even come up with a decent excuse. He's like a dog, marking its territory everywhere. I really regret not hitting him!"
Lin Mei rarely cursed like this, which surprised both Lan Lan and Feng Feng. However, it also showed how truly annoyed she was by Xing Zheng. Lan Lan chimed in, "He thinks you won't fall for his forceful approach, so he's changed tactics? Why are men so full of themselves? As if every woman who's ever been with him and divorced is doing it because of him? Did he write Liang Jingru's song 'Courage'?"
Even the usually calm Feng Feng found such an excuse unbelievable. How could someone as intelligent as Xing Zheng come up with such a flimsy reason?
Lin Mei continued to complain, "Even if Xiao Shu really wants to get revenge on him because of his ex-wife, why involve me? He not only thinks I'm stupid but also that I'm overestimating myself, right?"
"Then what do you think of Xiao Shu?" Feng Feng asked Lin Mei.
"He's alright." Lin Mei told them about Xiao Shu helping her suppress the news last time.
Feng Feng was surprised. "He helped suppress the news?"
Lin Mei nodded. "He used a lot of connections. I owe him a favor."
"It wasn't Xing Zheng?" Lan Lan was also astonished. After the news was suppressed, Shuang Mu had issued a statement. At the time, Lan Lan had even remarked that Xing Zheng, that dog, had finally done something decent. Now, she realized that this one decent act wasn't even his!
"No," Lin Mei said. "The media bringing up old news was instigated by him or Jiang Chu Bi. He wants to use me as a shield for his new lover."
Speaking of Jiang Chu Bi, Lin Mei also told them about the inexplicable conversation they had at the coffee shop. When discussing Jiang Chu Bi's accusations against her, Lin Mei became agitated again. "Jiang Chu Bi doesn't dare to confront his new lover, so she's taking it out on me. She's sick!"
"New lover?" Feng Feng frowned. She hadn't heard of Xing Zheng having another woman around. "Who?"
Lin Mei explained Wen Ke's identity. Feng Feng and Lan Lan exchanged glances, not quite believing it. "Generally, professional ethics dictate that psychologists cannot date their patients."
"Do you think Xing Zheng cares about that?" He's a mad dog; he disregards all professional ethics and moral principles.
"That's true. The standards for people and dogs are different," Lan Lan mused, nodding.
"It doesn't add up," Feng Feng analyzed. "Why would he want you to be a shield for this woman? Even if it were true, after you became the shield, shouldn't the news be allowed to fester? That way, it would serve its purpose as a shield. Since he didn't suppress the news, why did he issue a statement afterward? To consider your feelings?"
Lin Mei casually replied, "He probably wants Xiao Shu to target me. That way, his beloved will be safe."
Feng Feng sharply retorted, "Didn't you say you don't believe the story about Xiao Shu's ex-wife?"
Lin Mei was speechless.
She seemed not to have connected these events and thought about them. Feng Feng's question made her realize many inconsistencies. She was probably so confused by Xing Zheng that her own thoughts were muddled. "I've never understood what he's thinking."
"I'm confused too. Ms. Feng, what about you?" Lan Lan's mind couldn't keep up, so she turned to Feng Feng for help.
Feng Feng said to Lin Mei, "There are two possibilities now. First, he knew long ago that Xiao Shu wanted revenge for his ex-wife. To protect his beloved, he pushed you out as a shield. The subsequent statement was to make Xiao Shu believe he cared about you, thus drawing Xiao Shu's attention to you, and his beloved would also be safe."
"The second possibility is that he only recently found out about this. But Xiao Shu's plan to get revenge through you has been in the works for a long time. Those news reports were Xiao Shu testing his attitude. By stepping in to clarify for you, Xiao Shu would be convinced of your importance in his heart."
"So, what Jiang Chu Bi said is true?" Lan Lan only grasped the second possibility. "That dog Xing Zheng likes Mei Mei?"
"It's possible." Feng Feng wasn't certain of the answer, but based on her deductions, it was highly likely.
The information was overwhelming, and Lin Mei couldn't process it all at once. She had indeed fantasized about Xing Zheng's feelings for her, but reality had slapped her in the face time and again, making her afraid to hope. Feng Feng's second deduction aligned perfectly with what Xing Zheng had told her in the conference room that day.
But if he truly liked her, why hadn't he ever confessed his feelings?
Even if he hadn't confessed, he had hurt her repeatedly and kept secrets from her. What kind of affection was this?
"Be careful with Xiao Shu," Feng Feng advised Lin Mei. "It's best not to be alone with him, just in case."
Lin Mei nodded. "I know. Besides work, I have no contact with him." That was her plan anyway.
Unexpectedly, just as she finished her hot pot and returned home, Lin Mei received a notification from her supervisor. Tomorrow, Xiao Shu would be coming to Nanjiang on another business trip. The task of receiving him was again assigned to her. It was Xiao Shu's specific request.
Lin Mei couldn't refuse work matters. After work, she went to the hotel to find Xiao Shu. She parked her car in the underground garage and was getting out, tidying her bag, when her path was blocked.
Before she could cry for help, the burly man covered her mouth and struck her on the back of the neck. She immediately lost consciousness.