Unable to be intimate with her in Nanjiang, Zhao Jianghe had been using Lin Mei to test him. To avoid exposure, he hadn't dared to look at her much when they met. Now, in Xiangxi, there was no need to worry about such things. He was already impatient to claim her as his own.
Lin Mei's mind was in a chaotic mess. On her way home, she had messaged her blind date, apologized, and wanted to explain. The other party, however, had replied: "No need to explain. I'll tell the elders that we're not a good match."
Lin Mei breathed a sigh of relief and didn't forget to thank him. The blind date issue was resolved, but what about going to the hotel to find Xing Zheng tonight…
Lin Mei opened Xing Zheng's chat window. It contained the hotel room number he had sent earlier. He was staying at a hotel right next to her residential complex, his intentions clearly visible.
Lin Mei's back grew cold. She remembered his words, "I know more than you think," and shivered involuntarily. How much did Xing Zheng know about her, and why wouldn't he let her go?
He had successfully inherited Rongshi. In his definition, this should have been a complete "victory" over Xing Yan. Lin Mei didn't want to go to the hotel to meet him, but she couldn't afford to gamble. If Xing Zheng went mad and came to her home, saying wild things, Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue would surely worry about her again.
Lost in thought, she returned home in the blink of an eye. As soon as she entered, Xiao Yue and Lin Zhengde took turns asking about the blind date. Lin Mei told them, "The person was quite nice, but we didn't click at all. After dinner, we felt it was more appropriate to remain friends."
These were the lines she had rehearsed with her blind date, and likely the common excuse for a failed blind date.
Xiao Yue felt a bit regretful. "Why not try to get to know each other better? Perhaps after a few more encounters, you'll develop feelings? You can't stay single forever."
Xiao Yue was afraid that Lin Mei had been hurt by her relationship with Chen Qi and was hesitant to open her heart to others. Lin Mei saw her parents' concern and assured them, "Mom, Dad, what happened with Chen Qi is in the past, and it hasn't affected me that much. I won't lose confidence in love and marriage because of him. But this kind of thing can't be rushed; I need to find the right person slowly."
"That's right, find someone slowly," Lin Zhengde nodded. "It's good that you think this way. Your mother and I were just afraid that after the last incident, you'd lost confidence in yourself."
"How could that be?" Lin Mei replied. "It wasn't me who made the mistake, so why should I lose confidence in myself because of someone else's error?"
After chatting with her parents for a while, Lin Mei used the excuse of a class reunion to leave home. Xiao Yue asked, "Why do you have to go to a class reunion in the middle of the night?" Lin Mei, with a forced smile, said she was going with the class monitor to help with preparations.
Lin Mei rarely lied, so her parents didn't suspect anything. Thinking of Xing Zheng's malicious nature, Lin Mei, being prepared for the worst, packed a change of clothes.
Lying always made her feel guilty. After leaving home, Lin Mei began to take deep breaths. After several breaths, she finally calmed down a bit. Carrying her shopping bag, she walked towards the hotel.
The hotel was very close to the complex, about a kilometer away. Lin Mei entered the hotel and walked to Xing Zheng's room. Before she could raise her hand to ring the doorbell, the door in front of her opened.
The man, wearing a dark gray knitted sweater, looked at her with a relaxed demeanor. He casually glanced at his watch and said, "Exactly one hour. You're very punctual."
Lin Mei was pulled inside by him and pinned against the door. He smiled, leaned in close, and sniffed her scent. His large hand traced her waistline, moving lower, his actions becoming increasingly intimate.
Unable to evade him, Lin Mei closed her eyes. "What exactly do you want?"
She was the one who told him to leave, and after she left, he was the one who dictated her life.
"You don't know what I want?" His hand patted her buttocks, his voice grating, the implication more than obvious.
However, Lin Mei didn't want to know that. She opened her eyes to look at him. "I mean, you've achieved your goal, so why aren't you letting me go?"
"What goal?" He sneered, raising his eyebrows. "Tell me."
Since it had come to this, Lin Mei stopped playing coy. "You're looking for me because Xing Yan always said he liked me, right? Because Aunt Xie was biased, you were jealous of him, and you wanted to snatch everything he liked. Now that you have control of the Xing family's lifeline, I shouldn't have any value to you."
Xing Zheng's playful smile turned increasingly sinister. The truth he had known all along was still so piercing when spoken by her. "Why wouldn't you have value?"
He pressed her body against his and flirtatiously said, "Your body is still quite to my liking."
Lin Mei's face flushed with embarrassment, but he didn't stop his humiliating words. "After all, only I can satisfy you, right? My little mermaid."
Lin Mei: "..."
My little mermaid. She had heard this joke from Lan Lan before! That scoundrel was teasing her again!
Lin Mei, enraged, began to struggle against him. Her anger gave her more strength than usual, but it was still insignificant compared to his. In a few moments, she was subdued. His hands skillfully removed her jacket, and disregarding her resistance, he slung her over his shoulder and walked towards the bathroom.
They arrived under the showerhead, and the water turned on, drenching them both. Lin Mei tried to reach for the valve to turn off the water, but the man beat her to it, pinning her against the tiles.
His sexy, hoarse voice, muffled by the sound of the water, reached her ears. "We haven't tried showering together yet. Are you looking forward to it, hmm?"
Lin Mei was no match for Xing Zheng. She was carried into the bathroom by him and carried out by him as well. When she emerged, she was only wrapped in a bath towel, which Xing Zheng had helped her put on.
After being placed on the bed, Lin Mei opened her eyes to look at him. Compared to her disheveled state, the man by the bed appeared much more composed. He wore a dark bathrobe, with the neckline open, revealing a glimpse of his chest muscles. The dripping hair reminded her of the first time she had gone to find him at the hotel…
As she was lost in thought, the man suddenly leaned over her. Unexpectedly, water droplets from his hair fell onto her collarbone, tracing the delicate curve downwards until they disappeared. "Staring at me like that, are you wanting more?"
Without giving her a chance to answer, his hot lips and tongue descended. Her breath was stolen, her head felt feverish, and her body felt as soft as cotton.
The temperature in the room rose. At a critical moment, however, it was interrupted by a sudden ringing sound. Xing Zheng's phone was right by Lin Mei's ear. She looked towards the sound and saw the man on top of her stop kissing her and answer the call.
On the other end, Jiang Chubai's voice said, "Azheng, the design for the wedding venue is ready. I've sent it to your email. Remember to check it."
These words stimulated Lin Mei. Her mind went blank, and she unfastened his bathrobe, her hand reaching inside.