The man's voice was devoid of emotion, and Lin Mei felt as if she were being pricked by needles. Even without turning around, she could sense his gaze upon her.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chu Bi stood before her, smiling and seemingly amused, as if witnessing a delightful scene. Lin Mei suddenly felt that Jiang Chu Bi's schadenfreude bore a striking resemblance to Xing Zheng's.
Truly, they were engaged. After spending so much time together, their wicked senses of humor had become identical. What a pair of scoundrels.
As she pondered this, Xing Zheng had already approached. He stopped beside Lin Mei, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. His gaze swept lightly over her before finally settling on Jiang Chu Bi.
His sharp eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked at Jiang Chu Bi, a hint of displeasure in his tone, "Why are you here?"
Jiang Chu Bi continued to smile, "To bring you something."
As she spoke, she exchanged a knowing glance with Xing Zheng. Xing Zheng's gaze shifted, and Lin Mei, unable to comprehend their unspoken communication, only heard Xing Zheng tell Jiang Chu Bi, "Come upstairs with me."
Jiang Chu Bi nodded generously and then solicitously said to Lin Mei, "Then I'll have to trouble Manager Lin to wait downstairs by herself for a while."
Lin Mei couldn't quite place her feelings, only that she felt stifled. Xing Zheng had asked her to come today. If she had known Jiang Chu Bi would be here, she would never have come to be humiliated by them. "Since you two are busy, I'll take my leave."
Lin Mei knew she had no standing to throw a tantrum and simply wanted to leave before her eyes, wishing to be out of their sight. As she turned to go, Xing Zheng grabbed her wrist. "Go to the kitchen and cook. I'm hungry."
Lin Mei scoffed, "Starve to death."
Jiang Chu Bi looked astonished, then raised an eyebrow.
Expecting Xing Zheng to lose his temper with Lin Mei, she was surprised when he merely chuckled softly. He even raised his hand and pinched her cheek, a gesture of utter indulgence. "If I starve to death, who will feed you, hmm?"
Lin Mei thought the scoundrel was probably out of his mind. With his fiancée standing right there, how could he say such shameless words? Lin Mei was curious about Jiang Chu Bi's reaction, but when she looked, Jiang Chu Bi's expression was unchanged, as if she were accustomed to such things.
Lin Mei then recalled what she had said last time and couldn't help but sigh that Jiang Chu Bi and Xing Zheng were indeed a match made in heaven!
"Manager Lin, please go quickly. Ah Zheng's stomach isn't very good; he needs to eat on time." Jiang Chu Bi even chimed in to urge Xing Zheng.
Lin Mei shook off Xing Zheng's hand and went to the kitchen, chopping vegetables with extra force.
Lin Mei felt that if it were a few hundred years earlier, Jiang Chu Bi would surely have been praised as the legitimate wife, embodying the perfect demeanor of the matriarch. Unfortunately, the Qing Dynasty was long gone!
Lin Mei had never understood the relationship between Xing Zheng and Jiang Chu Bi before, only hearing rumors that they each pursued their own interests. After these recent events, she understood it even less.
Xing Zheng led Jiang Chu Bi to the study upstairs. After closing the door, Jiang Chu Bi took a USB drive from her limited edition Hermès bag and placed it on the desk.
Getting down to business, Jiang Chu Bi's expression became considerably more serious. She said to Xing Zheng, "This is the information I've recently obtained from over there."
Xing Zheng took the USB drive, his slender fingers gripping it. He narrowed his eyes, a hint of mystery in his gaze as he examined the item. "What's the Zhao family up to?"
Jiang Chu Bi replied, "Zhao Jiang He is currently interested in the land in the northern suburbs of Nanjiang. Yesterday, he met with leaders from the Land Bureau and the City Construction Bureau. They intend to use this land to open up the Nanjiang market."
"I heard the Zhou family is also very close to them," Jiang Chu Bi informed Xing Zheng of all the inside information she knew, without omitting any details.
Xing Zheng remained noncommittal after listening. He simply spun the USB drive between his fingers, and Jiang Chu Bi couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"I will take on the Jiang Corporation's case. This is your payment." Xing Zheng casually pulled open a drawer, put the USB drive inside, and then dismissed Jiang Chu Bi. "You can go now."
Jiang Chu Bi tightened her grip on her handbag. She asked with a smile, "Are you afraid she'll be jealous?"
Just now, Lin Mei had said that Xing Zheng was worse than a dog in her eyes. Jiang Chu Bi was certain Xing Zheng had heard this. Given his proud nature, how could he tolerate such an ungrateful woman?
Xing Zheng disliked Jiang Chu Bi prying into his affairs with Lin Mei. The moment she brought it up, his gaze darkened. "Know your place."
"Can't I even show concern as a friend?" Jiang Chu Bi smiled. "You went to great lengths to design such a trap to get her. I wonder if she'll be moved when she finds out."
Jiang Chu Bi had successfully angered Xing Zheng. Seeing the fury gathering in his eyes, Jiang Chu Bi restrained herself. "Zhao Jiang He has invited me to dinner tonight. I'll be going now."
Xing Zheng went downstairs with Jiang Chu Bi. After Jiang Chu Bi left, Xing Zheng went to the kitchen. The moment he entered, he saw Lin Mei by the stove, stir-frying. She had cooked here a few times now, her movements much more practiced than the first time, like a young wife cooking for her husband.
Lin Mei turned to look at Xing Zheng and asked mockingly, "Is the fiancée gone?"
Her tone was awkward, and her attitude wasn't very good, but Xing Zheng didn't mind. He even smiled. "What, do you want her to stay and have dinner with us, and then join us tonight as well?"
Lin Mei frowned in disgust. "Are you disgusting or not?"
Though she cursed him verbally, she was thinking in her heart if he and Jiang Chu Bi had truly had such experiences before. As she thought about it, Lin Mei felt a slight discomfort in her stomach.
Xing Zheng noticed Lin Mei's disgusted expression and walked over, cupping her chin. "What are you thinking about?"
"Rotten vegetables," Lin Mei blurted out without thinking, the insult escaping her lips. She felt she should learn some swear words from Lan Lan so she wouldn't be so lacking in vocabulary when cursing Xing Zheng next time.
Xing Zheng leaned down and bit her lip, saying flirtatiously, "Dare you say you don't like it?"
Lin Mei dismissed him with disdain. "That's the only skill you have worth showing off."
"Not to others, but to you..." Xing Zheng deliberately leaned closer. Lin Mei, unable to cope, fumbled, and the spatula in her hand clattered into the wok.
Seeing this, Xing Zheng laughed even more unrestrainedly. "Who told you that you fall for this kind of thing? You curse with your mouth, but you actually like it very much and are just unwilling to admit it."
The saying "shamelessness makes one invincible" was perfectly embodied by Xing Zheng. Lin Mei played along with him. "Yes, Mr. Xing is the most amazing. You should change professions. Someone as capable as you would be the most expensive anywhere, perhaps earning more than you do in investments. I heard that people with good physiques command high prices."
After saying this, Lin Mei regretted it. Given the scoundrel's temper, he was likely to punish her. She prepared herself to resist, but the man before her made no move. Instead, he moved even closer, tempting her. "Is that so? Then why don't you be my first customer? I'll give you a discount."
He seemed to be responding to her words, deliberately shifting his waist and pulling her hand to press against him. Lin Mei's palm pressed against his abs. Even through the layer of shirt fabric, she could trace their perfect shape. His body temperature was high, and Lin Mei's palm quickly felt a burning sensation. She wanted to pull away, but he held it more firmly, refusing to let go.