Lin Mei was silenced by Xu Ying's question, a wave of embarrassment washing over her. She couldn't refute him. These past few days, she had found the answer in her heart, perhaps it had been the truth all along, but she had refused to face it until she fell ill in the capital and he had meticulously cared for her for several days. She could no longer escape this reality.
Xu Ying, being so astute, had already read the answer in her silence. His smile grew even more bitter. "Why do you like him?"
Such a heartless and ungrateful man, who treated her poorly, had a fiancée he was about to marry, and was constantly embroiled in scandals… She didn't seem like someone who couldn't see clearly.
Xu Ying's question stirred Lin Mei's thoughts. Why did she like Xing Zheng? She had never considered it. She wasn't even sure when she had fallen for him. He was like an invisible poison; by the time she realized it, she was already incurably ill. Lin Mei took a breath and said to Xu Ying, "Wasting your time on me is not worth it."
"Do you intend to continue like this?" Xu Ying cruelly reminded her, hoping she would wake up. "He has a fiancée. He said it himself, they are getting married soon. How will you carry yourself then?"
The questions were too sharp, and she still couldn't answer them. Perhaps she should seriously consider how to navigate the path ahead. Being with Xing Zheng now was already a great self-inflicted torment. If he truly married Jiang Chubbi… she would despise herself more than anyone.
Xu Ying saw her struggle and said, "If you truly like him, why not talk to him clearly?"
Lin Mei was stunned, not expecting Xu Ying to offer her advice. "Talk clearly? About what?"
Xu Ying: "Clarify your feelings, tell him you don't want him to get married. If he also cares about you, he won't ignore your feelings."
Lin Mei was troubled. To say such words would be to cast her pride aside… What would Xing Zheng's reaction be if he heard them? She lacked the courage to find out.
Xu Ying spoke to Lin Mei at length, advising and encouraging her. On her way back to the apartment, Lin Mei replayed Xu Ying's words in her mind. He said she had to try. If Xing Zheng truly cared about her, he wouldn't ignore her feelings. If he didn't, she should realize her mistake even more.
Xu Ying possessed a more mature mindset than his peers, his words were pearls of wisdom, hitting the mark directly. However, Lin Mei had never "confessed" to anyone before, and the object of her affection was Xing Zheng…
Lost in these thoughts, she blinked and found herself standing before the apartment door. Lin Mei opened it and suddenly saw Xing Zheng sitting on the sofa. She was startled, almost crying out. Why was he suddenly here?
Yesterday, he had been showing affection with Jiang Chubbi…
"Why did you come over?" Lin Mei started to change her slippers but noticed a pair of women's high heels by the shoe cabinet. They weren't hers, and judging by the style… they looked like Jiang Chubbi's.
"The coffee is ready. Do you want to drink it in the dining room, or should I bring it to you?"
Lin Mei heard the voice and turned to see Jiang Chubbi walking out from the kitchen. She was elegant and composed, attentively asking about Xing Zheng's needs, playing the role of a wife to perfection.
Lin Mei froze on the spot, her movements coming to a halt. She looked at Xing Zheng, not understanding his intentions. Was he arranging her here and then bringing Jiang Chubbi to live with them? Was he not satisfied with Jiang Chubbi's previous humiliation of her?
Lin Mei felt that the thoughts she had pondered on the road had become a joke. She had actually dared to fantasize about him drawing a line with Jiang Chubbi for her sake. It was sheer delusion!
"Oh? Manager Lin is back?" Jiang Chubbi greeted Lin Mei with a smile. She said generously, "The coffee beans you bought taste very good."
Lin Mei didn't know how to respond. Their relationship was unequal; Jiang Chubbi was the "legitimate wife." Even if she was dissatisfied with Jiang Chubbi's actions, she couldn't lose her temper with her. After enduring for a long time, Lin Mei could only manage to utter, "I'm leaving."
She couldn't stay in the same space with the two of them any longer, feeling awkward and pained.
As Lin Mei tried to leave, Jiang Chubbi warmly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Jiang Chubbi glanced at Xing Zheng on the sofa and said with a smile, "Manager Lin, don't go. Don't worry, I'm not staying here. I'll just have a cup of coffee and leave."
"Azheng, you two chat. I'm going to have coffee." Jiang Chubbi emerged to seek some presence and then returned to the dining room, leaving Lin Mei and Xing Zheng alone in the living room.
Xing Zheng, who had been silent, suddenly came before Lin Mei and hooked his finger under her chin. "Where did you go last night, hmm?"
His tone was like a husband interrogating a cheating wife, making Lin Mei very uncomfortable. "What does it matter to you where I go? You should pay more attention to Miss Jiang."
His future wife was sitting in the dining room, separated by a wall, yet he was asking the underground lover who was kept in the shadows where she had gone last night. If this got out, it would be a laughable matter!
With just a few words, Lin Mei successfully angered Xing Zheng. He remembered her seductive voice on the phone last night. His gaze focused on her collarbone, his fingers fumbled with her buttons, and he began to tear them.
Lin Mei's mind sounded an alarm. Her first reaction was to stop him. This madman, with Jiang Chubbi still present, didn't show any restraint. She resisted, but it only made Xing Zheng angrier. With a few swift movements, he subdued her.
Lin Mei was forced back step by step by him, finally collapsing before the sofa. The man pressed down on her shoulders, tore open her shirt, and checked her body. He found no ambiguous marks, then his hand moved to the waistband of her pants.
Lin Mei's embarrassment made her ears burn. Due to humiliation, tears welled up. "What do you want?!"
"Did Xu Ying touch you?" Seeing her cry, his movements softened slightly. He wiped away her tears with his finger. "I don't like you being too close to him. Why do you always forget what I say?"
He didn't want to treat her this way either; it was always her provoking him that led to such loss of composure.
"If you don't like it, do I have to listen to you? Who are you to me?" Her rebellious streak was ignited. She felt even more like a joke now. "Let go of me, you disgust me!"
Tap, tap, tap. As soon as her words fell, footsteps were heard again. It was Jiang Chubbi coming out. She saw the two of them entangled on the sofa, still composed and elegant, even with a smile on her lips.
At that moment, Lin Mei admired her and truly felt the gap between them. If she were in such a situation, she couldn't be as calm as Jiang Chubbi was now. "I'll go back to the hotel first. Azheng, you be busy. We'll have dinner tomorrow."
She put on her shoes and left with a flourish.
As the door closed, Lin Mei finally reacted. She pushed the man off her, her emotions fluctuating. The grievances in her chest surged like a breached tide, engulfing her reason.
She cried uncontrollably, beating his shoulders as she wept.