Chen Jing's slap came unexpectedly, leaving a red mark on Lin Mei's face. The pain rendered her mind blank, and she couldn't react for a long time.
Lan Lan was the first to recover. With her fiery temper and long-standing dislike for Chen Jing, she grabbed Chen Jing's collar and slapped her back!
"You little slut, watch your mouth! If you touch Lin Mei again, I'll slap your mouth until it's swollen!"
Lin Mei might give Chen Jing some face, but Lan Lan wouldn't stand for it. Bullying her best friend in front of her deserved a slap!
"You dare hit me?" Chen Jing covered her face, looking at Lan Lan in disbelief.
Lan Lan chuckled and raised her hand to slap her again. Chen Jing quickly dodged. Lan Lan raised an eyebrow, "Believe me now? I thought I'd have to slap you a few more times for you to believe me."
"Lin Mei!" Chen Jing couldn't afford to offend Lan Lan, so she turned her aggression towards Lin Mei, "You told her to hit me, didn't you? You were found seducing a man and got angry, didn't you? I'll have my brother break up with you, you slut!"
"What's all the shouting?" The commotion outside had alerted the police. A police officer walked over and, seeing the slap mark on Lin Mei's face, asked, "Who hit her?"
"I did! She was seducing another man behind my brother's back, what's wrong with me hitting her!" Chen Jing straightened her back and boldly admitted it herself.
The police officer: "..."
Lin Mei: "It's nothing, we are Chen Qi's family, here to pay the fine."
After understanding the situation, the police officer was about to take Lin Mei to complete the procedures. Chen Jing was unhappy, "I'm the direct relative, why are you looking for her?"
Lin Mei, annoyed by Chen Jing's clamor, turned and coldly glanced at her, "The fine is nine thousand eight hundred. If you have the money, you go ahead."
Upon hearing the amount, Chen Jing immediately quieted down. Lan Lan and Feng Feng exchanged a look and cursed, "Idiot."
Chen Jing felt indignant but dared not provoke Lan Lan again.
Lin Mei signed the papers, paid the fine, and brought Chen Qi out of the detention room.
Chen Qi looked exceptionally disheveled. His custom suit was terribly wrinkled, his white shirt collar had bloodstains, and his eyes were red. Seeing Lin Mei, Chen Qi's gaze was complex, "Mei Hua, I..."
"The senior's injuries are not serious. I've paid the medical expenses, and he said he wouldn't pursue it, but you should apologize to him." Lin Mei didn't want to talk to Chen Qi. She finished speaking in one breath and turned to leave.
Chen Qi followed Lin Mei and eagerly grabbed her wrist, "Are you speaking up for him?"
Lin Mei: "Do you want to argue with me here?"
Chen Qi saw the police officers standing nearby and finally fell silent, his momentum deflating. He followed Lin Mei out.
Chen Jing saw Chen Qi coming out and immediately went to find him, "Brother, are you okay?"
Chen Qi saw Chen Jing's swollen face and his expression changed, "What happened to your face?"
Chen Jing immediately complained to Chen Qi, pointing at Lan Lan, and said, "She hit me!"
Chen Qi looked at Lan Lan with displeasure. Lan Lan was not afraid of Chen Qi, "Why don't you ask your stupid sister what she did first? Didn't you see the mark on Lin Mei's face when she was paying the money for you?"
Chen Qi immediately looked at Lin Mei and indeed saw the handprint on her face. Chen Qi asked Chen Jing, "You hit her?"
Chen Jing: "She was seducing other men, if not for that, would you be in here? What's wrong with me hitting her?"
"Alright Jingjing, you take a taxi back first." Chen Qi didn't blame Chen Jing after all. He transferred five hundred yuan to her via WeChat and let her leave.
After leaving the police station, Chen Qi blocked Lin Mei's path and said, "Let's talk."
Lin Mei thought it was time to talk. She let Lan Lan and Feng Feng leave first, then took a taxi with Chen Qi back to the apartment.
—
Chen Qi had slept in the guest room at Lin Mei's place before, so he had clothes there.
After showering, they sat in the living room.
Chen Qi questioned Lin Mei, "When did you start contacting Ming Zhou?"
He sounded like a husband whose wife had cheated on him, his tone full of resentment. Lin Mei thought of the videos he made with other women and found it amusing. What right did he have to ask her that?
Lin Mei replied indifferently, "Ming Zhou and I are innocent."
"Innocent?" Chen Qi clenched his fist, "Dare you say he has no feelings for you?"
"He does have feelings for me, but I haven't done anything with him." There was a fundamental difference between the two. Lin Mei reminded Chen Qi, "Don't accuse me without reason."
Chen Qi: "If you hadn't done anything, why would he like you?"
Lin Mei: "So, you think I seduced him?"
Chen Qi couldn't answer, but judging by his expression, he had already made up his mind.
As things stood, Lin Mei was no longer willing to waste her breath arguing with him. Men were all hypocritical, only allowing themselves what they forbade others.
Chen Qi himself was not clean, yet he expected her to suppress her desires.
Chen Qi hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm not saying you seduced him, but you have a boyfriend now. You need to keep your distance from other men, otherwise, how will others see me?"
"Do you know that many classmates already know Ming Zhou likes you? They're all saying I've been cuckolded. Have you considered my feelings!" Chen Qi recalled the gossip he heard at the alumni reunion and was furious.
"And you?" Lin Mei remained silent for a while, then smiled and asked him, "Chen Qi, have you never done anything to betray me?"
Chen Qi answered without hesitation, "Of course not! Don't you know who I am? We're talking about you and Ming Zhou, don't change the subject!"
Lin Mei chuckled. Chen Qi's righteous demeanor made it seem as if he had never done anything wrong. She wondered why she hadn't noticed his superb acting skills before.
"Since you don't trust me like this, let's just break up." Lin Mei seized this opportunity to propose a breakup.
Chen Qi was stunned, "What breakup? Don't say it out of anger."
Lin Mei: "I'm serious."
Chen Qi was flustered by Lin Mei's determined gaze. He moved closer to her, hugged her, and softened his tone, "Wife, I was wrong. I was impulsive today. Tell me a time, and I'll go apologize to Ming Zhou."
Lin Mei pushed him away, not engaging.
Chen Qi: "I promise I won't misunderstand you again. I was out of my mind just now, don't hold it against me... Wife, we've been together for almost six years, can you bear to end it?"
Lin Mei remained silent.
Chen Qi: "Don't be angry. Mom and Dad were just saying the other day that they'd come over for your birthday this year!"
Chen Qi's words reminded Lin Mei of her parents back home. She pushed Chen Qi away and said, "You go apologize to Senior Ming Zhou tomorrow. I'm tired, I'm going to rest."
—
Lin Mei returned to her room. After all the commotion tonight, she had a terrible headache. As soon as she lay down, she felt a wave of nausea.
Lin Mei rushed into the bathroom and leaned over the toilet, gagging. However, since she hadn't eaten much that evening, she only threw up sour liquid after a long time.
As she flushed the toilet, Lin Mei caught a glimpse of the sanitary napkins in the box next to it.
Her eyelids twitched. She suddenly remembered that several times before, Xing Zheng hadn't worn a condom, and she hadn't taken any medication afterward...