Xing Zheng looked puzzled, and Zhuang Wan was even more bewildered. The woman eating at the table with the man was Lin Mei. Why was Liang Yufeng the one who became angry?
Lan Lan cut a piece of cake and offered it to Lu Xiao. Lu Xiao opened his mouth and ate it, then obediently said, "Sister, you feed me so sweetly." His alluring demeanor made Lan Lan's heart flutter. She hooked Lu Xiao's chin, intending to kiss him.
Suddenly, a powerful force yanked her from the chair. Lan Lan exclaimed, "What the hell!" and then clearly saw who it was!
Who else could this dead-faced man be but Liang Yufeng? Why was he here?
The incident happened so suddenly that Lin Mei and Feng Feng took a while to react. Liang Yufeng's face was grim, as if he had come to catch them in the act. If looks could kill, Liang Yufeng would have killed Lan Lan and Lu Xiao several times over.
"Are you stalking me?" Liang Yufeng's presence here made Lan Lan's first thought be, "Are you bored out of your mind?"
This scoundrel man, did he really think of her as his pet canary?
"Let her go." Lu Xiao, seeing Lan Lan being controlled by this man, wanted to protect her. Liang Yufeng glanced at Lu Xiao upon hearing his voice, not taking him seriously at all.
The atmosphere was tense. Feng Feng took the initiative to speak to Liang Yufeng, "We're just friends having a meal. Lan Lan likes to have fun, you should know that."
Lin Mei intended to chime in with Feng Feng but saw Xing Zheng walking over. Her words got stuck in her throat. Why was he here too?
Lin Mei saw Xing Zheng stop beside Liang Yufeng. His gaze swept over Liang Yufeng's hand, and she understood a bit. Xing Zheng asked Liang Yufeng, "An acquaintance?"
Liang Yufeng said, "We'll talk later," and left, dragging Lan Lan with him. Lu Xiao was anxious and tried to chase after them, but Xing Zheng raised his arm to stop him.
The twenty-six-year-old man and the twenty-year-old male student were not on the same level in terms of aura. Even though Lu Xiao was bold, facing Xing Zheng, he didn't dare to act rashly again. Xing Zheng glanced at Lin Mei across the way, and the man beside her who was an eyesore. He warned, "Don't covet what doesn't belong to you, understand?"
After Xing Zheng and Liang Yufeng left, Lin Mei watched the direction they went, replaying his words in her mind. Although the words were directed at Lu Xiao, she felt that the intention was not as simple as it seemed.
Lu Xiao was worried about Lan Lan. As soon as Xing Zheng left, he asked, "Manager Feng, Sister Mei, will Lan Lan be in danger?"
Neither of those two men seemed easy to deal with.
Feng Feng told Lu Xiao, "No, you two go back and wait."
Liang Yufeng was still infatuated with Lan Lan. Even if he was truly jealous, he wouldn't harm Lan Lan. And Lan Lan wasn't someone who would suffer in silence.
Lin Mei and Feng Feng returned to their room and sat on the tatami, waiting for Lan Lan to return. Although Feng Feng had told Lin Mei that Liang Yufeng wouldn't do anything to Lan Lan, Lin Mei was still a little worried. Liang Yufeng was not the same as before, and his methods were certainly more forceful now.
The only thing to blame was this damned coincidence: Liang Yufeng and Xing Zheng had actually connected!
Lin Mei muttered to herself, "How did Liang Yufeng get mixed up with Xing Zheng..."
"A strategic alliance," Feng Feng had seen through it all. "Liang Yufeng snatched the Zhou Corporation, his foundation is unstable. Xing Zheng now has Shuang Mu and Rong Shi, and countless people want to connect with him. Liang Yufeng has latched onto Xing Zheng, and he'll be able to establish a firm foothold in Nanjiang from now on."
Feng Feng understood business matters better than Lin Mei. With her explanation, Lin Mei finally understood. When she saw Xing Zheng coming up earlier, she had felt a pang of guilt and subconsciously moved a little further away from Xu Ying beside her, perhaps due to the "servility" cultivated in Xing Zheng's presence. If Xing Zheng went mad and targeted Xu Ying, wouldn't she become a sinner?
However, Xing Zheng didn't trouble her when he came over. He just left that warning and departed. Lin Mei couldn't guess what he was thinking.
Lan Lan didn't return until evening. When she was taken away by Liang Yufeng, she was wearing a suit. When she returned, she was wrapped in a bathrobe. What happened in between was self-evident.
After returning, Lan Lan kept cursing Liang Yufeng. Lin Mei and Feng Feng joined in to help her vent. Lan Lan was resilient and wouldn't be upset by such things. After scolding, they ordered a lot of food and ate sushi and drank hot sake together in the room. In Lan Lan's words: "We came out to relax. If a scoundrel ruins your mood, you've lost!"
It was always easy to be happy with good friends. After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them fell asleep, sleeping until the next morning.
Lin Mei was woken by the vibration of her phone. Her family called. She put on her coat and went into the corridor to answer. She chatted happily with Xiao Yue for a few minutes. After the call, as she turned to go back, she bumped into Xing Zheng.
She didn't know when he had appeared there. He was wearing a dark bathrobe, his hair was wet, and his well-defined fingers rested on the tie of the bathrobe, as if he were about to untie it at any moment.
Lin Mei smelled danger. Her eyelids twitched, and she took a step back. A hint of darkness flashed across Xing Zheng's expressionless face. He advanced step by step, pinning her against the wall. His thumb and forefinger pinched her chin, "Are you afraid I'll deal with you here, hmm?"
Lin Mei struggled desperately to push him away, but her strength was insufficient. The more she struggled, the harder he gripped. In the struggle, her coat and the buttons of her pajamas were pulled open, exposing a large patch of skin below her neck. The corridor was cold, making her shiver. "What exactly do you want..."
Before she could finish speaking, the man suddenly leaned down and kissed her lips. After the kiss, he left.
Until he left, Lin Mei couldn't guess the motive behind his abnormal behavior. She tidied her clothes and returned to the room, not mentioning the incident again.
The rest of the day was peaceful. Nothing happened. Neither Xing Zheng nor Liang Yufeng caused any trouble. This hot spring trip could be considered a satisfactory end.
After the holiday, Lin Mei began to busy herself with year-end performance. Once that was done, she could return to Xiangxi to celebrate the New Year with her parents. On her first day back at work, Xing Zheng and Jiang Chubi came to the bank together. They didn't know why they were there, but after arriving, they went straight to Manager Sun's office.
Xiao Fang saw this and instinctively looked at Lin Mei's expression. Lin Mei's expression was not good, not because she was jealous of Xing Zheng and Jiang Chubi being together, but because she felt embarrassed. Manager Sun knew about her past with Xing Zheng...
When Xing Zheng and Jiang Chubi came out of Manager Sun's office, it happened to be lunchtime. As he came out, he saw Lu Qi solicitously inviting Lin Mei to have lunch, and Lin Mei did not refuse.
Xing Zheng's eyes deepened, and the temperature around him dropped.
As Jiang Chubi leaned in to remind him to be careful, Xing Zheng's phone rang.
He answered it and heard Xing Sha say, "Your mother is missing."
"I'm coming back now."
Lin Mei didn't know who Xing Zheng was talking to. She saw him walk past with a murderous aura. She shivered at his appearance.