Xing Zheng, dragging his suitcase, could recognize the man fawning over Lin Mei from several meters away. It was the same man who had fed her cake at the hot spring resort last time, introduced by Lan Lan, he thought. He hadn't expected them to still be in contact.
First Zhao Jiang He, now another one. She was very popular with younger men; Lu Qi hadn't been old either. Xing Zheng withdrew his gaze and went to the VIP lounge.
Lin Mei was not on the same flight as Xu Ying. After drinking his coffee, Xu Ying was due to board. Lin Mei sat alone at Starbucks for over twenty minutes after he left. It wasn't until the airport announcement that she was supposed to board that she finally got on the plane.
More than three hours later, the flight landed at Xiangxi Airport. Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue were already waiting at the arrivals gate. Lin Mei collected her luggage and met up with them. The family of three got into the car, all smiles.
Xing Zheng stood in a corner not far away, witnessing the scene. Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue had been discussing what delicious food to make for Lin Mei while waiting for her. Their eyes were filled with longing and affection for their daughter. As soon as Lin Mei appeared, they started waving at her and chattering away as soon as they met.
In Xing Zheng's memory, he, Xing Sha, and Xie Qin Jia had never interacted like this. Xing Sha treated him better than Xie Qin Jia, but they didn't talk much. Xie Qin Jia, though not short of words, didn't speak to him. He didn't know that family members could have so many topics to discuss.
It wasn't until he came to Xiangxi to study and saw how Lin Mei interacted with her parents that he realized he had been living a dysfunctional family life.
He had once seen Lin Mei go grocery shopping with her parents. They had met by chance that day. The family of three was pushing a shopping cart. Lin Mei saw snacks and picked them up to put in the cart. Xiao Yue, from behind, chided her to eat fewer unhealthy things. She pouted and playfully said, "I got all my math homework right today." Lin Zhengde spoke up for her, "It's okay to eat them occasionally; her good mood is what's most important."
Xiao Yue eventually agreed, and Lin Mei bought many snacks, giggling as she ate them. Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue were amused by her playful demeanor, and although they called her "unpromising" with their mouths, their brows were full of doting affection.
At that moment, he finally understood that this was how parents and children should interact.
That day, after the family of three left, Xing Zheng bought all the snacks Lin Mei had bought.
When he brought the snacks back, Xing Yan was very surprised and asked him, "Why did you buy so many potato chips and candies?" He didn't say anything.
He didn't like snacks, and those snacks were later distributed to the neighborhood children. Once, when Lin Mei visited, Xing Yan gave her a bag of potato chips, which happened to be her favorite flavor.
At that time, he was reciting his lessons in an inconspicuous corner of the street and saw Lin Mei feeding Xing Yan a piece of the potato chips he had bought.
A year later, returning home, Xiangxi had changed a lot. The roads had been repaved and were much wider than before. The commercial center near the residential area had also been completed, and a five-star hotel had been built nearby.
Passing by, Lin Mei couldn't help but say, "It wasn't finished when we came back last Lunar New Year, and it's already built so well this year. It's so fast."
Xiao Yue said, "Yes, the development speed of our Xiangxi in the past two years is no less than that of big cities. I don't see much difference from Nanjiang."
Lin Mei chatted with her parents and returned home. Xiao Yue and Lin Zhengde had prepared a lot of food for her. It was like this every time she returned home for the Spring Festival holiday. They would start eating as soon as they entered the house and continue until the day she went back to work.
A Porsche stopped in front of the Bulgari Hotel. Xing Zheng and another man of similar build got out of the car. The man walked up and teased him with a smile, "You're something else, booking a hotel right next to her house."
The man speaking to Xing Zheng was named Li Xun. He had become Xing Zheng's friend while studying in Xiangxi. Li Xun also went to the University of Pennsylvania to study, and they were alumni. After graduation, they worked together for a period, after which Li Xun returned to Xiangxi to inherit his family business.
Li Xun and Xing Zheng checked in together and sat down in the room. Li Xun asked Xing Zheng, "How's the investigation into your brother's matter going?"
Xing Zheng shook his head. Li Xun understood and said, "If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime."
Xing Zheng replied, "Mm," and "Thanks."
Li Xun said, "If you keep being so polite, I won't get used to it. How about coming to my house for the New Year?"
"No," Xing Zheng said, "I'll be with my grandma."
Returning home for the Spring Festival, although there were no important matters to attend to, the schedule was still full. One day, they would visit relatives, and the next day, they would play cards with friends.
Lin Mei spent her days accompanying Xiao Yue visiting friends and relatives, inevitably being questioned about her love life. Xiao Yue had already told her friends and family about Lin Mei's breakup with Chen Qi. While they didn't mention Chen Qi, they didn't forget to urge Lin Mei to find someone new.
An enthusiastic elder had already arranged a blind date for Lin Mei. "My husband's friend's son also works in Nanjiang. He seems to be in the internet business, owns a house and a car, and is about Hua Mei's age. The young man has good character and is handsome, just a bit introverted, and hasn't found a suitable partner all these years."
When introducing blind dates, the introducers always liked to exaggerate the other party's conditions. Lin Mei had often heard her colleagues complain about the "mismatched" situations during blind dates, so she didn't take the elder's words seriously. However, given the elder's enthusiasm, she saw no reason to refuse.
After much persuasion, she had to agree to the elder's request and meet this rumored blind date.
Before meeting, they added each other on WeChat and chatted for a while. Lin Mei was approaching the blind date with a perfunctory attitude, so she didn't chat too seriously and didn't look at the other person's social media.
The other person was quite polite and, unlike those overly confident blind date guys, didn't immediately ask for photos or measurements, nor did he lecture her with condescending words. Because of this, Lin Mei's impression of him improved significantly.
The blind date was set for the second day of the Lunar New Year, for dinner. The restaurant was in the mall near the residential area. Lin Mei chose to walk there.
She wore a white woolen coat, carried a classic black Chanel chain bag, and her long hair was casually let down. She walked with her hands in her pockets. She wore a bright red lipstick, but it didn't give a sense of oppression; instead, it had a hint of playfulness.
As she walked along the road, many people turned to look at her. Lin Mei paid no mind and continued walking. However, she noticed that someone seemed to be following her. When she turned to look, there was no one behind her.
Lin Mei patted her chest, perhaps she hadn't slept well last night and was hallucinating.
When she reached the restaurant entrance, Lin Mei met her blind date. They greeted each other at the door, and the man extended his hand to Lin Mei.
Just as Lin Mei was about to shake his hand, she was suddenly pulled backward with great force.
She gasped and looked up, only to see those all-too-familiar eyes.