Her head rested against his lower abdomen, her chin on his thigh, like a frightened pet hiding in its owner's arms. Xing Zheng's smile widened, and Lin Mei, oblivious to the change, remained in that position, afraid of being seen by colleagues. After a while, Lin Mei asked Xing Zheng, "Are they gone?"
Xing Zheng replied, "No."
Lin Mei had no choice but to continue to crouch. The position was uncomfortable. After a while, Lin Mei's neck stiffened, and she asked again, "Still not gone?"
Xing Zheng answered, "Mm."
Lin Mei caught sight of his smiling lips and the teasing in his eyes. Sensing something was amiss, she suddenly sat up and looked outside. The surroundings were empty, with no sign of any colleagues. Only then did she realize that Xing Zheng had been playing a trick on her!
"You did that on purpose?" Lin Mei asked.
Xing Zheng replied, "If you weren't afraid, I couldn't have tricked you."
Lin Mei retorted, "You're crazy!"
Despite being scolded, Xing Zheng smiled even more. He seemed to enjoy bickering with her like this. Lin Mei thought of calling him a masochist but then considered that she had never won an argument with him, so the term didn't apply. However, Xing Zheng had been acting quite normally when he sought her out in the past few days, leading Lin Mei to believe he was in a good mood recently.
Lin Mei and Xing Zheng arrived at the restaurant. As they got out of the car, they saw Lan Lan and Feng Feng's cars parked there, suggesting they had already arrived. The private room was on the second floor. After Lin Mei and Xing Zheng went upstairs, they saw Shen Su standing outside. He was on his phone, talking to someone. It wasn't unusual, but he mentioned Xie Qin Jia in his conversation.
Upon hearing the name, Lin Mei immediately looked at the man beside her. Within seconds, the smile in his eyes vanished. His formerly upturned lips tightened, and his eyes churned with complex emotions: resentment, unwillingness...
Xing Zheng walked towards Shen Su. Shen Su had just finished his call and looked slightly surprised to see Xing Zheng. "Old Xing?"
"What's wrong with her?" Xing Zheng had heard words like "Aunt Xie" and "recuperating" earlier.
His question indicated that he had overheard. Shen Su said seriously, "Aunt Xie is ill and recuperating at home, but she's already... Old Xing!"
Before Shen Su could finish speaking, Xing Zheng had already turned and left. His steps were rapid, and as he passed Lin Mei, he stirred up a gust of wind. Lin Mei saw his reddened eyes, and the air was filled with the scent of cypress and a faint smell of tobacco.
Lin Mei expected Shen Su to chase after Xing Zheng, but Shen Su remained where he was. Lin Mei, confused, asked him, "Aren't you going after him?"
Shen Su smiled faintly. "It seems you really don't understand him at all. No one can stop him when he sets his mind to something."
Lin Mei was speechless.
Upon reflection, Shen Su's words made sense. She was only worried that since Xie Qin Jia disliked Xing Zheng so much, Xing Zheng might return injured this time.
"Are you worried about him?" Shen Su saw through Lin Mei's thoughts. Caught off guard, Lin Mei vehemently denied it. "No."
Many people would worry about him: Jiang Chu Bi, Ruan Yu Fei, even Xu Yi. In any case, it wasn't her turn. "Have Feng Feng and Lan Lan arrived? I'll go in first."
Shen Su didn't press Lin Mei further, only saying, "Be good to Old Xing."
Lin Mei frowned, not understanding Shen Su's intention. "Shouldn't you be saying that to someone else?"
What was her relationship with Xing Zheng, and what were Xing Zheng's intentions in approaching her? Shen Su, as Xing Zheng's good friend, should be perfectly aware. Since Xing Zheng didn't truly care for her, how could she reciprocate his feelings?
Shen Su asked Lin Mei, "Have you ever thought about why he approached you?"
"Why are you two standing at the door?" Gu Song opened the private room door and came out. "Where's Old Xing?"
"I called Zhou Yue, and he overheard me," Shen Su told Gu Song. "He's gone back to the Xing family to find Aunt Xie."
Gu Song rubbed his forehead, a headache starting. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"Can we stop him?" Shen Su retorted.
Gu Song fell silent. Lin Mei returned to the private room with them and sat with Lan Lan and Feng Feng. Noticing Xing Zheng's absence, Lan Lan asked about it. Shen Su simply said he had a family emergency and said no more, as it was clear he didn't want to discuss Xing Zheng's family matters.
Lan Lan inwardly scoffed, thinking what a loyal friend. No wonder Feng Feng had tried so hard before but couldn't get any information out of him. Xing Zheng wasn't favored by his parents, but his friends were all reliable, caring for him more than his own mother.
During Friday evening rush hour, the roads were completely gridlocked. Xing Zheng sat in his car, staring at the vehicles ahead, his frustration growing. He turned off the engine and punched the steering wheel. After several blows, he still felt unsatisfied.
The pain wasn't enough to bring him pleasure. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and after a few puffs, used the burning end to sear his palm. The pain of burning flesh was all too familiar. He clenched his fist, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back.
This stretch of road took twenty-five minutes to clear. Xing Zheng sped up and, within twenty minutes, drove back to the Xing family villa. As he got out of the car, he happened to encounter the housekeeper, Old Zhang, returning from a procurement trip.
Upon seeing Xing Zheng, Old Zhang's expression turned panicked. Xie Qin Jia had been ill for the past few days, and the entire villa had been walking on eggshells, carefully managing her emotions. Everyone knew that Xie Qin Jia least wanted to see Xing Zheng. His arrival now would be like adding fuel to the fire.
Old Zhang blocked Xing Zheng's path. "Second Young Master, perhaps you should come back another day. Madam she..."
Looking at Xing Zheng's dark and terrifying eyes, Old Zhang suddenly found himself speechless.
"Move aside," Xing Zheng told him. "Don't make me do it."
Old Zhang was in a difficult position. After hesitating, he still tried to block Xing Zheng. Xing Zheng easily broke free and pushed Old Zhang to the ground before walking into the courtyard without looking back.
The maid in the living room downstairs saw Xing Zheng and her speech became stammered in surprise. "Se-Second Young Master..."
Before she could finish, Xing Zheng, ignoring them, headed directly for the second floor. By the time those below tried to stop him, it was too late.
Xing Yan emerged from his bedroom and, as he closed the door, saw Xing Zheng storming upstairs. Xing Yan frowned upon seeing him. "What's wrong with you?"
"Where is she?" Xing Zheng looked at the bedroom door, attempting to bypass Xing Sha and enter. Xie Qin Jia had finally begun to recover, and Xing Sha couldn't possibly allow the mother and son to meet. If they met, there would likely be bloodshed. Xing Sha quickly stopped Xing Zheng, saying, "She's just started to feel better. You shouldn't see her for now. I'll go to the study and talk with you."
Xing Zheng was silent for a moment, then followed Xing Sha to the study. Xing Sha sat in his chair, looking at Xing Zheng, who stood with his body rigid. He couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt. Xing Zheng asked him, "What's wrong with her?"
Xing Sha did not answer, instead asking him, "Haven't you always wanted to know why I sent you abroad at her request?"