Xiao Shu’s hands were very cold and slightly damp. As Lin Mei was held by him, the chill spread from his fingertips into her heart. She felt a sudden chill down her back, and the discomfort made her want to pull her hand away.
Her first thought was that she actually preferred Xing Zheng’s hands… dry and warm.
Lin Mei pulled her hand away. Xiao Shu did not seem angry. In fact, he apologized, “I’m sorry, that was too forward of me.”
“No,” Lin Mei said to Xiao Shu, “Thank you for your help with the news. As for what you just said, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
Xiao Shu understood her refusal clearly, yet he didn’t seem to mind. He said earnestly, “Please consider it. I’m not joking with you.”
“Tiantian really likes you. My ex-wife and I have been divorced for over two years. You’re the first person who’s made me feel that way again,” Xiao Shu said. “I know a second marriage isn’t entirely fair to you, but I still want to fight for this chance.”
“You don’t have to agree right now, just give me a chance. I don’t want you to avoid me or Tiantian because of this,” Xiao Shu reasoned with both logic and emotion, saying all he could. Lin Mei felt cornered and couldn’t refuse too harshly, so she agreed, “I won’t avoid you or Tiantian, but, us…”
“You’ve already rejected me twice, are you going to do it again?” Xiao Shu joked with her, looking somewhat wronged.
Lin Mei fell silent, feeling a pang of guilt. Xiao Shu had done her such a huge favor; refusing him again would seem ungrateful. Moreover, Xiao Shu wasn’t forcing himself upon her. Although he had confessed, he had left her complete autonomy, unlike Xing Zheng, who only resorted to threats and coercion!
At noon, Lin Mei had lunch with Xiao Shu. Tiantian was at her piano lesson, so it was just the two of them.
During the meal, Xiao Shu asked Lin Mei about Xing Zheng. Lin Mei’s expression stiffened slightly upon hearing the name. Xiao Shu noticed and said considerately, “If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”
“It’s nothing, really,” Lin Mei said with a wry smile. “Everyone makes mistakes. One has to come to their senses.”
“Some of that news is true,” Lin Mei never shied away from her feelings. She readily admitted, “I did like him, but I don’t want to anymore.”
Getting close to him brought nothing but scars. She had no energy left to play this game of one slap and one sweet date. He offered no explanation, perhaps believing she didn’t deserve one. Whatever his thoughts, they were irrelevant to her from now on.
Xiao Shu gazed at Lin Mei for a long time. “It seems he hurt you very deeply.”
The way she spoke of Xing Zheng now, the familiar tone, the struggling words, all reminded him of another woman. Her love for that man was no less than Lin Mei’s.
Such a heartless and ungrateful man, hurting them time and again, yet they remained unable to let go. They even had a child, and still, for his sake, she divorced him…
Xiao Shu fixed his gaze on Lin Mei. If Xing Zheng cared so much about Lin Mei, then taking her away would let him experience what he felt when he divorced.
“Am I asking for trouble?” Lin Mei felt uncomfortable. “Can I have a drink?”
Xiao Shu nodded. He called the waiter and ordered wine. As he poured, he cautioned her, “Drink a little less.”
Despite Xiao Shu’s words, Lin Mei didn’t listen. She finished a bottle of foreign liquor in no time. She had a high tolerance for alcohol and ordered a second bottle. Later, Xiao Shu could only watch as she finished two and a half bottles of foreign liquor. Lin Mei got very drunk, unable to walk in a straight line, her speech slurred.
In the end, Xiao Shu helped her out of the restaurant.
After getting into the car, Lin Mei started talking incessantly. Her drunken voice was much softer than usual, like a petulant child throwing a tantrum, fierce but also soft and sweet, posing no real threat. “I hate you! Why did you come back? If you have the guts, never come back!”
Xiao Shu knew these words weren’t directed at him, but he didn’t interrupt, listening quietly. Soon enough, she uttered Xing Zheng’s name. “Bastard, pervert, shameless, you scumbag…”
Xiao Shu listened as Lin Mei cursed Xing Zheng all the way. She wasn’t good at scolding, repeating the same few phrases, but the resentment in her words grew deeper.
Xiao Shu thought she must have been deeply hurt by Xing Zheng. Qiao Wei had been the same. On their wedding night, she had cried in his arms, drunk, and questioned, “King, why don’t you love me? Why can’t you ever remember my name… If I get married, will you care?”
Thinking of the past, Xiao Shu’s face turned cold. The car stopped in front of the villa. Xiao Shu helped Lin Mei inside.
Lin Mei lay down on the sofa and grabbed Xiao Shu’s hand. She closed her eyes, her consciousness completely gone. “I’m sorry, child… It’s my fault for not protecting you.”
Child? Xiao Shu froze, his gaze falling on Lin Mei’s stomach. “You have a child?”
“Yes, I did…” she sobbed. “But I don’t anymore. It’s all my fault…” Tears fell like a broken string of pearls, one after another, onto his hand.
When Lin Mei woke up, her head was pounding. She looked around and realized she was on the sofa in the villa. The sky was darkening, the sunset painting the clouds in beautiful hues. The unlit room was bathed in the reddish glow of the evening sky.
As Lin Mei sat up, she heard the sound of the door opening. Xiao Shu had arrived, holding a thermos. “Are you awake? I asked the housekeeper to make some porridge. You drank too much at lunch, you must not be feeling well now.”
Lin Mei felt a warmth spread through her. “Thank you.”
“I’m pursuing you, so you don’t need to be so polite. Wash your face first, and I’ll meet you at the dining table,” Xiao Shu said, very thoughtfully.
Perhaps it was the post-nap mood, but hearing his words made Lin Mei’s chest ache. It had been a long time since anyone had shown her such genuine care. Xing Zheng had treated her so, and she had believed it was genuine, only to find out…
Enough. Why was she thinking of him again? So unreliable!
That night, Xing Zheng received the information sent by Li Xun. They looked at the documents together and started a voice call. Li Xun had found the information and photos of Xiao Shu’s ex-wife. Upon seeing the photo, he remembered that Qiao Wei had been a prominent figure at Penn University, not only for her academic excellence but also because…
“Qiao Wei, you don’t remember her?” Li Xun asked Xing Zheng.
“Who?” Xing Zheng’s tone was flat. “Should I remember?”
“Once, when your condition flared up and you injured your leg, she carried you to the infirmary,” Li Xun said. “I even commented to you then how a girl could have so much strength.”
“I don’t remember,” he had too many injuries during college to count, and they no longer mattered.
Li Xun wasn’t surprised by his answer but was still curious. “Then do you remember that Qiao Wei liked you? You caught her secretly following you.”