Upon seeing Xing Zheng, Lin Mei’s eyelids twitched. She clutched the hem of her clothes and met the man’s half-smiling eyes, feeling inexplicably nervous. Yet, the owner of those eyes remained as calm as ever. He was wearing a dark gray sweater today, with sunglasses perched on his nose, exuding an air of unrestrained charm. Even so, it couldn't conceal his distinguished, aristocratic demeanor.
Xiao Yue recognized Xing Zheng. She didn't notice Lin Mei's unease and asked with a smile, "Mr. Xing, you're here too?"
Xing Zheng walked a few steps forward and stopped in front of Xiao Yue, smiling politely. "I heard Shen Su say you were cooking tonight, so I shamelessly came over for a meal. I hope Teacher Xiao doesn't mind."
Xing Zheng spoke with such magnanimity, and with his face, who would truly mind? Especially since he had helped them before. Xiao Yue waved her hand and said, "You're too kind. It's just a meal."
Xing Zheng nodded slightly and then looked back at Lin Mei. His gaze fixed on Lin Mei's face, and he asked with a smile, "What about Manager Lin? You don't mind, do you?"
Lin Mei was certain the scoundrel had noticed her nervousness and was deliberately asking her this. Unwilling to concede, she pinched her palm hard and put on a professional smile. "I don't mind. It's our honor that President Xing graces us with his presence. It brightens our humble abode."
Xing Zheng immediately detected the sarcasm in Lin Mei's words, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he smiled and said to Lin Mei, "Manager Lin, you're too polite. We're all friends."
He emphasized the word "friends," as if deliberately stressing something to her. How could Lin Mei not understand his meaning? When Xiao Yue wasn't looking, she shot Xing Zheng a fierce glare, which Shen Su happened to see.
Seeing Shen Su smile, Lin Mei felt a bit awkward. Then, she resigned herself to it, thinking that Shen Su already knew about her relationship with Xing Zheng, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Xiao Yue enthusiastically invited Xing Zheng and Shen Su upstairs. Lin Mei entered her password to open the door and immediately heard the voices of Lin Zhengde and Ming Zhou conversing. Lin Mei's movements stiffened. Xing Zheng and Ming Zhou had run into each other...
It was inappropriate to ask anyone to leave now. She could only silently pray that the scoundrel wouldn't cause trouble. Ming Zhou didn't know about her and Xing Zheng's situation, which made Lin Mei a little more at ease. Her worry was Xing Zheng.
As she was thinking, Xiao Yue had already brought Xing Zheng and Shen Su in. Lin Zhengde in the living room stopped his conversation with Ming Zhou and looked across. "Mr. Shen, Mr. Xing, you're here."
"Teacher Lin, you're too kind. Just call me by my name," Xing Zheng said gently to Lin Zhengde with a smile. Because he was wearing glasses today, he appeared refined and his smile was particularly sunny.
Lin Zhengde, unaware that the three of them knew each other, was planning to introduce Ming Zhou to Xing Zheng and Shen Su when Ming Zhou spoke to Xing Zheng first. "Ah Zheng, you're here too."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue exchanged surprised glances. "You know each other?"
Xing Zheng replied, "Yes, Shen Su, Ming Zhou, and I are all old friends. I didn't expect him to be here tonight."
Ming Zhou smiled calmly and looked at Xing Zheng. "I didn't expect you to come today either. Did Lin Mei invite you?"
"I invited him," Shen Su said, catching the underlying meaning in Ming Zhou's words. He guessed that Ming Zhou was likely starting to suspect Xing Zheng's relationship with Lin Mei. "Old Xing also helped a lot with Teacher Lin's transfer previously."
"I see. I remember now. Lin Mei mentioned it to me before. I must have been too busy recently and forgot," Ming Zhou said with a smile. His tone was amiable, and there was no hint of anything unusual.
Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue busied themselves with seating them. Lin Mei went to the kitchen to wash some fruit and brought out some drinks, placing them on the coffee table. The atmosphere in the living room was quite awkward. She wasn't good at acting, and she certainly didn't want to be caught between Xing Zheng and Ming Zhou. If Lin Zhengde noticed anything amiss, it would be a loss. Thus, Lin Mei chose to help Xiao Yue in the kitchen.
About ten minutes later, Lan Lan and Feng Feng also arrived. When they saw Xing Zheng and Ming Zhou at Lin Mei's apartment, they immediately exchanged glances. Feng Feng sat next to Shen Su and whispered to him, "Did you bring Xing Zheng here?"
Shen Su was present when the elders invited Ming Zhou today. He must have reported to Xing Zheng. Not afraid of stirring up trouble, he even brought him over. With Lin Mei's psychological state, how could she handle these two meeting? She wasn't as skilled at acting as Xing Zheng.
Shen Su heard the displeasure in Feng Feng's voice. He pulled her into his arms and said with a smile, "I was discussing a proposal with him this afternoon, and he had nowhere to eat tonight."
Feng Feng couldn't be bothered to say more to Shen Su. Did Xing Zheng really have nowhere to eat? He had clearly come to cause trouble upon hearing that Ming Zhou would be there. What were his intentions towards Lin Mei? She still couldn't figure it out. This man was simply too unfathomable.
Although Feng Feng and Shen Su were whispering, Xing Zheng was well aware of what Feng Feng would say to Shen Su. He chuckled playfully, "Your relationship is getting better and better."
Shen Su continued to hold Feng Feng, smiling without speaking. At this moment, Ming Zhou smoothly picked up Xing Zheng's words. "Your relationship with Chu Bi is also quite good, isn't it? I heard Uncle Jiang the other day saying he wanted to hold an engagement banquet for you. You should hurry up."
Lin Zhengde was not aware of Xing Zheng's romantic situation before. Although Xing Zheng's relationship with Jiang Chu Bi was public, Lin Zhengde was not from Nanjiang and was unaware of these matters. Hearing Ming Zhou mention this, Lin Zhengde asked Xing Zheng, "You're getting engaged so soon?"
Xing Zheng smiled, gently holding the bridge of his glasses with his slender fingers, his gaze flicking towards Ming Zhou. How could he not understand the intention behind Ming Zhou's previous statement? He had only suspected that Ming Zhou knew about his relationship with Lin Mei. Now, it seemed certain.
In the exchanges between masters, only they could understand each other's intentions. There was no visible conflict, yet it was filled with subtle maneuvering. Xing Zheng smiled and remained silent. Ming Zhou then took over from Lin Zhengde, speaking to Lin Zhengde in the tone of Xing Zheng's good friend. "It's not that soon. Teacher Lin, you might not know, but Ah Zheng and his fiancée's engagement was set in the United States a few years ago. However, he was always busy with his career, and they were in a long-distance relationship. It's only recently that things have stabilized."
Lin Zhengde nodded. "That must have been difficult for so many years. It's time to settle down."
Xing Zheng smiled, saying nothing about it. He jokingly said to Ming Zhou, "I didn't expect you to care so much about me."
Ming Zhou replied, "Of course. I only have a few good brothers, so how could I not care?"
Xing Zheng continued to smile. "You're making me feel bad. I should care about your romantic situation too. Don't just urge me on; you're older than me."
"You know my romantic situation, don't you?" Ming Zhou glanced at Lin Zhengde beside him and joked with Xing Zheng, "I've been waiting for my junior schoolmate for so many years. I need to pursue her properly now, and I'll need the help of you brothers then."