"A wonderful scene?" Did he mean her conversation with Ming Zhou?
Xing Zheng's tone made it sound as if she had done something wrong. Her interactions with Ming Zhou were perfectly innocent, yet he made it seem otherwise.
However, Lin Mei couldn't be bothered to argue with him. She pushed Xing Zheng away and headed towards the ward. To her surprise, Xing Zheng followed her in. By the time Lin Mei tried to stop him, it was already too late.
Xiao Yue happened to be coming out and, upon seeing Xing Zheng, invited him in for a chat. Lin Mei couldn't stop him and could only watch.
"Why has Mr. Xing come?" Lin Zheng De greeted Xing Zheng warmly upon seeing him and personally invited him to sit down.
In front of the elders, Xing Zheng shed his usual flippancy, appearing elegant and courteous. "Teacher Lin, please don't be so formal. Lin Mei and I are friends, you can just call me by my name."
Lin Mei almost blurted out, "Who said we are friends?" He was really putting himself in the limelight!
"Lin Mei, quickly pour Mr. Xing a glass of water. I'll go wash some fruit!" Xiao Yue reminded Lin Mei to entertain their guest.
Lin Mei hummed in response and went to pour Xing Zheng a glass of water. Soon, Xiao Yue returned with the washed fruit. Xing Zheng graciously took a nectarine and took a bite, his gaze drifting towards Lin Mei.
Sensing Xing Zheng's gaze, Lin Mei lowered her head and looked at her phone.
Just then, her phone rang. She saw it was Li Min calling. Even without answering, Lin Mei knew why she was calling. Lin Mei didn't really want to answer, so she let it ring.
Lin Zheng De saw this and asked, "Why aren't you answering the phone?"
Lin Mei replied directly, "It's Chen Qi's mother calling. I don't want to answer."
Xiao Yue let out a sarcastic laugh, disdainfully saying, "They still have the nerve to call!"
Although Lin Zheng De didn't speak, his expression had already turned quite grim. The previous night, Chen Jing had suddenly come over to provoke them, spewing a lot of disrespectful words that had agitated him to the point of fainting. Xiao Yue had also been rushed to the emergency room. If it hadn't been for the timely arrival of the medical staff, the couple might have suffered a serious accident.
The first call went unanswered, but Li Min did not give up and made a second call, as if she would continue calling until Lin Mei answered.
Seeing this, Lin Zheng De reminded Lin Mei, "Answer it. Explain things clearly to them and tell them not to contact us again."
Lin Mei picked up the phone but remained silent. Li Min spoke first, "Lin Mei, can you do us a favor regarding Chen Qi's matter? Please don't report him."
Lin Mei found it amusing. Li Min hadn't even asked a single question and had immediately assumed she was the one who reported Chen Qi. "I didn't report him. He offended someone himself; it has nothing to do with me."
"On the contrary, Chen Qi reported me, and I've been suspended and am under investigation." Li Min knew Lin Mei was suspended and under investigation, but she didn't seem to care much. It was just a suspension. Chen Qi had been taken away and couldn't return. Were the severity of their situations the same?
"Do you have any connections who can help Chen Qi? Lin Mei, I know Chen Qi made a mistake, but you can't be so ruthless. After all, he saved your life."
Hearing such manipulative words from Li Min, Lin Mei was not surprised at all. In fact, before even taking the call, she had already anticipated what Li Min would say.
"I'm sorry, I can't help with that." Lin Mei maintained her final shred of decorum. "If Chen Qi is truly framed, the authorities will investigate and clear his name. I am grateful for him saving my life back then. I will transfer the money to you. Please also refrain from disturbing my parents in the future."
Xing Zheng listened to Lin Mei's entire conversation with Li Min without missing a word. She was neither servile nor overbearing, polite yet resolute, and did not waver with sentimentality.
The corners of Xing Zheng's lips curved upwards. The young woman seemed soft-hearted, but when she was stubborn, no one could sway her.
After Lin Mei finished the call, Lin Zheng De asked her, "Is Chen Qi's situation very tricky?"
At Lin Zheng De's question, Xiao Yue also looked over. Although Chen Jing had come to cause trouble yesterday, they didn't know the exact situation with Chen Qi that had made the Chen family so flustered.
Lin Mei pondered for a moment before replying, "He was reported. The authorities likely have evidence. The bank manager was also taken for investigation. He probably won't be able to work at the bank anymore."
Not long after the call with Li Min, Lin Mei received a WeChat message from Chen Jing. Chen Jing had likely learned about the phone call and had come specifically to taunt her.
[Mr. Xing has agreed to help my brother. Just you wait!]
Lin Mei suddenly looked up at Xing Zheng. He was chatting and laughing with Lin Zheng De. Lin Zheng De seemed to like him a lot, and his conversations with him were much more animated.
When they left the hospital, Lin Mei personally saw Xing Zheng out. She also had something to say to Xing Zheng. As they walked out of the ward area, Lin Mei stopped and asked him, "Did Chen Jing contact you?"
Lin Mei didn't quite believe Chen Jing's boast. If Xing Zheng had really been the one to get Chen Qi into trouble, he wouldn't be helping him.
"What did she say to you?" Xing Zheng asked. Lin Mei replied, "She sent a WeChat message saying you would help her." Xing Zheng smiled mischievously, gazing into her eyes, "Do you believe her?"
Lin Mei shook her head. Xing Zheng was very satisfied with her reaction. "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
"Chen Qi's situation was your doing, wasn't it?" Lin Mei stated it as a certainty.
Xing Zheng's gaze remained fixed on her face, as if trying to see through her soul. "Do you think I was too harsh?"
"No." Lin Mei shook her head. Kindness should be reserved for those who deserve it, and Chen Qi did not. "Thank you."
"I thought you would remember his life-saving grace towards you."
Xing Zheng mentioned this matter from time to time, and Lin Mei had grown accustomed to his sarcasm, accepting it without protest.
Xing Zheng seemed somewhat surprised by this and raised an eyebrow, asking her, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Lin Mei replied, "I wouldn't be so foolish as to abandon my senses for the sake of 'repaying a favor'."
Xing Zheng smiled with satisfaction. He suddenly pinched her cheek and, pulling out some preserved plums from somewhere, stuffed them into her hand. "Wait for my call."
Lin Mei returned to the ward holding the preserved plum candies. Xing Zheng had given her a total of six. After returning, Lin Mei unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth. Xiao Yue happened to see it and immediately recognized the familiar packaging. She exclaimed in surprise, "You can still buy this candy in Nanjiang?"
Lin Mei nodded. The sweet and sour candy stimulated her saliva glands. "It tastes the same as when I was little."
"We still have a jar of this candy at home. The brother you used to play with gave it to you, and you treasured it for a long time." Xiao Yue recalled the past and chatted with Lin Mei, smiling.
Lin Mei asked, "The jar is still here?"
Xiao Yue replied, "I brought it with me when we moved. It's in your closet in your room. You treasured it so much back then, I didn't dare to throw it away."
With the preserved plum candy in her mouth, Lin Mei sat on the sofa. The familiar taste plunged her back into memories, but she was too young then, and many details were unclear.
After a while, Lin Mei asked Xiao Yue, "Mom, are you still in touch with Grandma Xu?"
The Grandma Xu Lin Mei mentioned was the grandmother of the little brother from back then.
Xiao Yue, eating an apple, replied, "Yes."