Lin Mei's feelings towards Xing Zheng became complicated after hearing Wen Ke's words and looking at him again. Today, he was wearing a light gray t-shirt and sweatpants, a casual at-home outfit that lacked the oppressive aura of his usual suits, revealing a hint of his long-dormant youthful charm.
However, even so, it was still impossible to associate him with a state of "degenerated intelligence."
"Do you still think Wen Ke is my new girlfriend?" Xing Zheng, naturally, noticed Lin Mei's conflicted gaze and didn't dwell on other reasons.
Lin Mei remained silent. Xing Zheng moved closer and said to her, "My relationship with her is indeed good, but not in the way you're thinking. I..." The words "I only like you" ultimately couldn't be spoken.
"Oh, I see," Lin Mei replied in a flat tone, as if she wasn't particularly interested in the matter.
Xing Zheng fell silent, and after a long pause, he asked her, "What do you want to eat for lunch?"
"Aren't you busy with work?" Lin Mei countered.
"Not busy." His tone was quite arrogant. "I'm the boss, I call the shots."
"Oh, I want to cook myself for lunch," Lin Mei said, "and I can make yours too." She felt awkward but finally voiced her thoughts.
Unexpectedly, Xing Zheng didn't respond for a long time, which made Lin Mei uncomfortable. Annoyed, she said, "You'd better make it yourself. I don't know what you like to eat."
"Whatever you make, I'll eat," he chuckled teasingly. "I'll even eat dog food you feed me, so what's the big deal with anything else?"
"You're the one who wants to eat it!" Lin Mei angrily corrected him, thinking how he ate so heartily and then tried to blame her!
"Yes, I'm a dog, and I want to eat it," Xing Zheng conceded. "Can I join you for lunch? I'm not picky."
Lin Mei was cutting vegetables in the kitchen, and as she recalled her earlier banter with Xing Zheng, she found herself smiling unconsciously. Xiao Yue and Lin Zhengde often bickered like this. Was this a normal way of interacting?
While looking for cookware, Lin Mei opened a cabinet in the dining room and found two brand-new, unopened boxes of preserved plum candy. Her craving was piqued. The cabinet was deep, and Lin Mei's arm couldn't reach the innermost part, so she agilely crawled inside.
When Xing Zheng entered the dining room, he saw Lin Mei with her head buried in the cabinet, her body sticking out, much like a lazy cat burrowing into a sofa. She seemed absorbed in searching for something, so focused that she didn't even hear his footsteps. Xing Zheng approached her from behind and squatted down, patting her on the back.
"Ah!" Just as Lin Mei popped a piece of candy into her mouth, someone patted her back. She shrieked, her head hitting the cabinet with a loud thud.
The commotion made Xing Zheng serious. He pulled her out of the cabinet and rubbed her forehead. "Why were you crawling into the cabinet? Does it still hurt?"
"You're blaming me? If you hadn't suddenly patted me, I wouldn't have hit it!" Lin Mei felt wronged, her eyes already red from the pain.
Xing Zheng saw the candy wrapper in her hand. "You crawled in just to eat candy?"
Lin Mei: "..." Being caught stealing was embarrassing, leaving her flustered. She lowered her head, unsure how to explain.
Xing Zheng cupped her face and coaxed her, "If you want to eat it, just take it out. Why be sneaky? You don't think I'd begrudge you a few pieces of candy, do you?"
Lin Mei still didn't speak. Xing Zheng picked her up and placed her on a dining chair, then examined the spot where she had hit herself. By then, Lin Mei wasn't in as much pain. "I'll go make dinner."
"Don't move around. I'll do it," he stopped her. "You're injured."
"I'm not injured," Lin Mei felt a pang of sadness in her chest. The way he treated her gave her the illusion of being cherished, yet he had never expressed his feelings. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and stubbornly, she said, "I don't want to eat what you make, I want to cook myself."
Her attitude was resolute, so Xing Zheng could only stand by, preventing any further accidents.
Lin Mei's lunch was simple: rice, a plate of stir-fried beef, a plate of green vegetables, and a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The two sat down to eat as usual.
Lin Mei remained silent, but Xing Zheng initiated the conversation. "The beef is too salty."
Lin Mei glared at him and snapped, "If it's too salty, don't eat it! Go make it yourself!"
After being scolded so fiercely, he actually smiled. Lin Mei was momentarily at a loss. She had never seen anyone so happy after being reprimanded!
Xing Zheng hadn't eaten Lin Mei's home-cooked meals in a long time. He wasn't hungry, but he ate two bowls of rice this time. They finished all three dishes.
After the meal, he didn't go upstairs. He sat with Lin Mei in the living room. Lin Mei ignored him and resumed playing the paused American drama. It happened to be a steamy scene. On the iPad screen, a man and a woman were entangled in bed, rolling around, the two actors panting professionally.
Lin Mei sensed the change in the atmosphere. Even without turning her head, she could hear the man beside her breathing becoming heavier. Her face also felt hot. Normally, when she watched such scenes alone, she felt nothing, but with him sitting beside her, the effect was entirely different...
Lin Mei frantically turned off the player. The next moment, she heard the man's playful laugh. He teased, "It's not like we haven't done it before. It's just watching, and you're getting shy?"
Before Lin Mei could retort, Xing Zheng's phone rang. This time, he actually answered it while sitting beside her.
The surroundings were quiet, and Lin Mei recognized the voice on the other end. It was Li Xun. "I found Qiao Wei. She's in Nanjiang now."
Qiao Wei...? Lin Mei frowned. The name sounded somewhat familiar...?
Xing Zheng's smile vanished. "Where in Nanjiang?"
"She's pursuing a master's degree in sociology at Nan Da, seems like she wants to further her studies," Li Xun asked, "Do you want to see her?"
"Give me the address." Xing Zheng had no impression of Qiao Wei at all. If it weren't for Lin Mei being involved, he wouldn't have met Qiao Wei.
Li Xun said, "I'll send it to you later," and then added, "Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you. Qiao Wei and Ning Rui were high school classmates."
Xing Zheng reflexively looked at Lin Mei and realized she also had a look of surprise. "Okay, hang up for now. ".oγg"
"Xiao Shu's ex-wife... is Qiao Wei?" She had heard Li Xun clearly, but she couldn't accept such a melodramatic coincidence!
Xing Zheng wasn't much better off than Lin Mei. "I'll handle it. Just wait for me."
"How can it be such a coincidence?" Qiao Wei hadn't taken the college entrance examination. She had gone to an IELTS class in her third year of high school, and later, she was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania, which even featured her as a top achiever.
The University of Pennsylvania, wasn't that Xing Zheng's alma mater? The world truly is small!
Qiao Wei was an outstanding person. She was known as the campus beauty scholar, beautiful and academically brilliant, famously aloof, yet she had actively pursued someone.
Lin Mei became curious. "Why didn't you get together with Qiao Wei?"
Xing Zheng: "Why would I get together with her?"
"She's beautiful and a good student," Lin Mei said.
Xing Zheng: "That has nothing to do with me. I already have someone I like."