Xing Zheng remained where he was, his gaze fixed on the figures of the "family of four" in the distance. Only after they had walked away did he continue forward. The driver hurried to follow, unaware of why Xing Zheng had paused. The driver picking up Xing Zheng at the airport had been arranged by Li Xun.
Xing Zheng settled into his hotel. Li Xun came to see him during dinner. Xing Zheng smoked in silence, and Li Xun asked, "What's wrong? Is work bothering you?"
Xing Zheng still said nothing. Li Xun then began to talk about matters in Runcheng.
Xu Ying was cheerful and intelligent, earning him the affection of elders. Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue had initially been reserved about him, but after that evening's dinner, their concerns vanished. "This child, Xu Ying, is more mature than we imagined. He's also caring and quite good."
Xu Ying did not stay at the Lin family's home that night. He had booked a hotel in advance, which was another point of praise from the elders. He was polite and knew his boundaries. At such a young age, he could think so thoroughly; in relationships, he would certainly not be immature.
Lin Mei chuckled at her parents' praise. "You're not worried about his childishness anymore, are you?"
Lin Zhengde said, "He's indeed better than I thought. Mature university students like him are rare nowadays. I was initially against your age-gap relationship, but since you're happy, then go ahead for now and see how he plans for the future."
As parents, when their children are in love, they naturally desire a stable future. Xu Ying had not yet graduated, and Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue were not rushing them to settle down. However, if they were to marry in the future, they should know Xu Ying's plans for his future. "Huamei, have you discussed this with him?"
"Not yet," Lin Mei replied, shaking her head. "I'll find time to talk to him."
"Yes, you should talk about it sooner rather than later. If you're going to be together, you should discuss your respective developments," Xiao Yue said to Lin Mei. "Your situation is different from Chen Qi back then. You're not in the same industry. He'll likely have to travel for competitions in the future, leading to infrequent meetings. If you want to settle down, one of you will definitely have to make a sacrifice."
Lin Mei nodded, also considering this matter for the first time. She hadn't thought as far ahead as her parents. Her agreement to date Xu Ying had been influenced by external factors, a result of impulse. After several months of interaction, although she had gradually settled down, she still hadn't considered marriage and children with him.
Li Xun and Ning Rui's wedding was scheduled for October 4th. According to Xiangxi City's tradition, the bridesmaid, or the bride's best friend, had to eat dumplings with the bride at midnight the night before the wedding. Therefore, Lin Mei arrived at Li Xun's villa early on the 3rd.
Ning Rui had no relatives in Xiangxi; Li Xun was her only support in the entire city. Many traditional customs were omitted. For example, according to tradition, the bride and groom were not allowed to see each other the day before the wedding. Li Xun and Ning Rui did not adhere to this rule.
Lin Mei came with Xu Ying. As they entered, they happened to run into Li Xun. Li Xun shifted his gaze to Xu Ying beside her. Lin Mei introduced him, "This is my boyfriend, Xu Ying." After speaking, she introduced Li Xun to Xu Ying.
Li Xun smiled and shook hands with Xu Ying. At this moment, Xing Zheng also arrived. Upon seeing him, Lin Mei pulled Xu Ying along and said, "We're going in to find Ning Rui." She said this to Li Xun but did not wait for his reply.
Li Xun intended to comfort Xing Zheng with a few words, but seeing no change in his expression, Xing Zheng spoke before Li Xun could. "Let's go in."
His tone was as usual, indicating he hadn't been affected. When Xing Zheng and Li Xun entered, Lin Mei was no longer in the living room. Xu Ying was still there, busy with the villa's servants, helping them inflate balloons.
The servants were all elders, and they doted on a young man like Xu Ying. Within five minutes of Xing Zheng's arrival, he had heard no less than three people praise Xu Ying, and Xu Ying, unfazed by the praise, continued to help.
Upstairs, Lin Mei and Ning Rui were talking in the bedroom. The bedroom's floor-to-ceiling windows were open and bright, offering a clear view of the floor below.
The courtyard was decorated enchantingly, with white and red roses interspersed. Balloons floated in the air, creating a scene from a fairy tale. Lin Mei watched for a long time before asking Ning Rui, "Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
She had asked this before, but Ning Rui had not answered directly. With such deep-seated hatred, how could she compromise so easily?
"Unwilling," Ning Rui said softly to Lin Mei, sharing her thoughts.
The marriage was forced upon her by Li Xun. She had struggled with Li Xun for a long time, but their powers were unequal. Even with her resistance, she was ultimately no match for Li Xun.
Ning Rui, having realized this, decided to play along. She would marry Li Xun, gain his trust, find loopholes in his business, and just as he had schemed against her parents back then, ruin him and leave him with nothing overnight. Lin Mei listened quietly, unsure how to respond.
Ning Rui then asked her self-deprecatingly, "Do you think I'm naive?" Ning Rui's idea was indeed a bit naive, but as a friend, Lin Mei did not want to discourage her. She simply told her, "To execute these plans, the prerequisite is to protect yourself. People like them are very cunning."
Would Li Xun not think of what Ning Rui could think of? Although Lin Mei had not had more in-depth contact with Li Xun, based solely on his friendship with Xing Zheng, she was certain he was not an ordinary person.
She even considered whether Li Xun already knew Ning Rui's plan, whether he was also playing along, releasing bait to lure Ning Rui into revealing her true intentions. The two of them had already begun a game of chess in unknown corners.
"Perhaps he already guessed your plan," Lin Mei reminded Ning Rui. "Even if you have such intentions, you must not act rashly. Don't fall into his trap!"
Ning Rui replied, "Mm, I know. I have plenty of time." When she agreed to marry him, she had already prepared for a protracted battle.
Lin Mei changed the topic and chatted with Ning Rui. After their casual conversation, they both went downstairs. As soon as Xu Ying saw Lin Mei, he smiled and spoke to her. Lin Mei introduced Ning Rui to Xu Ying.
That evening, Lin Mei was to stay overnight with Ning Rui. Xu Ying had returned to his hotel in the afternoon. In the evening, the villa became busy with various ceremonies. Lin Mei went to the courtyard to call Xu Ying.
After they finished talking, Xu Ying reminded her, "Remember to take your medicine and get some sleep first. That way, you won't be too tired in the latter half of the night."
After finishing the call with Xu Ying, Lin Mei was about to go back to take her medicine. She didn't notice that in the shadows in the distance, a man had been staring at her. After Lin Mei left, the man emerged from the shadows, his slender fingers touching his tie as he recalled her words about "going back to take medicine." The man's gaze gradually deepened.
Has her illness not yet healed?
He raised his head and saw a graceful figure by the kitchen window. The next moment, he strode towards the main door.