"A pity, even in death, you are mine," Xing Zheng sneered, looking down at her. "After following me for so long, do you think he'll still want you?"
Lin Mei was thoroughly enraged. She released his hand and slapped him across the face. The blow didn't land fully; he reacted with lightning speed, dodging effortlessly. Lin Mei's fingertips merely brushed his face, a threat less potent than an itch.
In an instant, her hands were pinned above her head by the man before her. He then pushed her onto the sofa. "Touched a nerve? If you like him that much, why can't you stop clinging to me?"
"Pervert, lunatic." Lin Mei could tolerate Xing Zheng's teasing, even his disdain, but he shouldn't have brought Xing Yan into this. Xing Yan was gone. No matter how jealous Xing Zheng was of him, he should have shown him basic respect. "He's your own brother. You already killed him. Can't you show him some respect?"
The air fell silent for a few seconds. Lin Mei watched the man pinning her down, a raging fire burning in her eyes. The veins on his head were clearly visible, bulging as if about to burst. His once handsome features were now contorted.
He was furious.
A chill crept up Lin Mei's spine. Such a terrifying gaze – she just wanted to escape. If she didn't run, she might very well be killed by Xing Zheng.
She had, in a moment of impulse, uttered the words "killed Xing Yan," directly hitting his sore spot. Lin Mei had witnessed his madness before, and the memories made her tremble.
None of those experiences were something she was willing to endure again.
Even now, with him doing nothing but looking at her, she felt suffocated. His gentleness could drown a person, and his anger could kill.
Just as Lin Mei was suffering, the enraged man suddenly released her, pushing her off the sofa. She landed on the carpet, unhurt, her body leaning against the sofa.
"Get out." The man walked past her, spitting out a single word before coldly heading upstairs.
Lin Mei, still shaken, trembled uncontrollably. She hugged her knees, watching his grim, imposing back. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a powerful hand, causing unbearable pain.
After calming herself for over ten minutes, Lin Mei put on her coat and left Zhuhua Villa with her keys. Getting into her car, she saw the car key in the ignition and was reminded of the jade. She wondered where Xing Zheng had hidden them.
She was determined to find a way to retrieve everything Xing Yan had given her. Those were the only remaining memories between them.
After their confrontation, he likely wouldn't bother her for the rest of the weekend.
On Sunday, Lin Mei went shopping with Lan Lan and Feng Feng. The three of them had agreed to meet at a cafe in the mall. Lin Mei and Feng Feng arrived and waited for nearly twenty minutes before Lan Lan appeared, her hairstyle a mess and her lipstick smudged.
Lin Mei and Feng Feng looked at her simultaneously, their gazes turning knowing. Lin Mei asked, "Manager Lan, so busy early in the morning? You should have said so. Knowing you were busy, we wouldn't have asked you to meet."
Feng Feng added, "It's too much trouble for Manager Lan. She who needs to maintain her most exquisite state even when using the restroom, is actually coming to meet us with her makeup smudged."
Lan Lan was arguably the most meticulous about her appearance among the three of them. Even on weekends, she would put on makeup just to take out the trash. The fact that she came out like this to meet them was indeed surprising.
"Alright, you two, stop teasing me. Damn it, I'll kill him sooner or later!" Lan Lan grumbled. She opened her handbag, rummaging for her cushion foundation and lipstick, but couldn't find them after a long search. "Damn it, where did it go? So unlucky!"
Lin Mei asked, "What's missing?"
Lan Lan replied, "Did either of you bring cushion foundation or lipstick? Lend me some to touch up my makeup."
"I brought mine." Feng Feng was already reaching for them.
However, at that moment, a tall man approached their table. He wore a dark gray trench coat over an off-white sweater and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His handsome face showed little emotion, exuding an air of cool, noble refinement. Yet, the item in his hand seemed incongruous with his appearance.
Lan Lan, having just received the cushion foundation and lipstick from Feng Feng, looked up and saw the very person responsible for her current state. Her annoyance flared. "What are you doing here?"
"I left your things in the car." Liang Yu Feng ignored Lan Lan's temper. He placed the items in his hand on the table. Lin Mei looked closely – weren't those Lan Lan's compact and lipstick? This man claimed they were left in the car.
Lan Lan forced a smile, looking at the aloof man. "Thank you, Mr. Liang, for your entire family. You may leave now!"
The man in the trench coat left without another word. Lin Mei and Lan Lan, brimming with questions, waited until he was far away. Lin Mei then asked Lan Lan, who was touching up her makeup, "Who was that? Did you find someone new?"
Feng Feng also found it peculiar. "Have you started liking men who can barely utter three words recently?"
Lin Mei and Feng Feng had known Lan Lan for many years. Lan Lan's taste in men was similar to her personality. In her own words, she liked them wild, flamboyant, and uninhibited. The man just now clearly didn't fit any of those criteria.
Lan Lan finished applying her lipstick, closed the mirror, and said to them, "That's Liang Yu Feng."
Lin Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't help but glance in the direction the man had left. "Liang Yu Feng? Is it the same Liang Yu Feng from before?"
Lan Lan rolled her eyes. "Who else could be so dog-like?"
"After three days, one should look at him with new eyes," Feng Feng said, looking out the window. At that moment, the man in the trench coat was getting into a Porsche, his every movement exuding a cool demeanor. "What does he do now?"
Lan Lan changed boyfriends so rapidly in college that even as close friends, Lin Mei and Feng Feng often forgot the names of Lan Lan's boyfriends. They remembered Liang Yu Feng because he had been extremely fawning over Lan Lan back then.
The most vivid memory was when Lan Lan broke up with him. He had stood under her dormitory building in the pouring rain, begging for her to take him back, while that very day, Lan Lan was chatting with a junior she had just met. Lin Mei and Feng Feng had felt a moment of pity for Liang Yu Feng, thus remembering his name.
They hadn't interacted much with Liang Yu Feng back then, but according to Lan Lan, Liang Yu Feng shouldn't have been like the person they saw today.
"I'm so annoyed by him!" Lan Lan complained to Lin Mei and Feng Feng. "Originally, it was just a few nights, and neither of us owed anything. But this dog-like man actually wants to control me?"
Lin Mei asked, "Does he have anything on you?"
Mentioning this made Lan Lan even angrier. "Last week, I told you I'd found a major sugar daddy. I was so happy like an idiot, but when I went to meet him, the boss turned out to be this dog-like person!"
The contract was a must-have, and Liang Yu Feng now had a legitimate reason to coerce her.