Lin Mei didn't know how to explain Xie Qin Jia's situation to Xing Zheng. Xie Qin Jia was likely related to Xing Zheng, but someone like Xing Zheng, if he knew she knew Xie Qin Jia, might suspect she had impure motives. To avoid complications, Lin Mei chose to be vague, replying, "She's an elder I inadvertently helped while out on an errand. She's quite kind-hearted."
Xing Zheng asked her, "Do you like Zhao Jiang He?"
Lin Mei replied, "No."
"He's a good person, but I don't like him. You can rest assured, I won't look for anyone else as long as we're together."
Lin Mei assumed Xing Zheng was being possessive and didn't want her involved with other men. She was no stranger to his unreasonable and forceful nature, where he allowed himself liberties but forbade others from doing the same. She figured such a promise would satisfy him.
However, he then laughed mockingly, "He's a good person?"
Lin Mei was confused. What was Xing Zheng's problem now? She had merely said Zhao Jiang He was a decent person, and that somehow displeased him?
"You've only met him once, and you've already decided he's a good person. You've known me for so long, yet I've never heard you praise me, have I?"
He was actually bothered by this. Lin Mei retorted, "Does Mr. Xing lack a word of praise from me?"
"Stay away from Zhao Jiang He," Xing Zheng replied, ignoring her question. His gaze was dark as he stared at her, his tone forceful, "I don't want to see you two having private contact."
Lin Mei remained noncommittal. She hadn't planned on developing anything with Zhao Jiang He anyway, but she didn't want to compromise with Xing Zheng unconditionally, so she stayed silent.
Lan Lan, seemingly sensing its beloved owner was in a bad mood, climbed onto Xing Zheng, nudging his thigh with its little head in a fawning manner. Xing Zheng's attention was diverted by Lan Lan, and he stopped arguing with Lin Mei. Watching Lan Lan act spoiled with Xing Zheng, Lin Mei felt for the first time that the little creature could be useful.
Nevertheless, even after dinner, Lin Mei couldn't escape Xing Zheng's torment. She had been on her period, and Xing Zheng hadn't touched her for about ten days. This time, he made up for it with a vengeance. Lin Mei whimpered, curling up in his arms, just like the spoiled Lan Lan.
The next day, Lin Mei went directly from Zhuhua Villa to work at the bank. Since she often visited, Xing Zheng had prepared many clothes for her at the villa, all in her size. When she changed in the morning, Xing Zheng jokingly said he had measured her size by hand, making Lin Mei blush deeply again.
With the start of the new quarter, Lin Mei's deposit targets also had new goals. In addition to managing the business for Shuang Mu, Lin Mei would also be responsible for deposit and loan tasks.
Competition among banks was fierce, and she had lost some clients. She wanted to develop a new customer base, so Lin Mei arranged to meet with the owner of a small to medium-sized enterprise to discuss business.
After work that evening, she drove to Ru Feng Club, arriving early to wait for the client.
The client, Mr. Liu, was around thirty-five or thirty-six. Although he was from a wealthy family, he wasn't at all greasy and was a pleasant person, willing to establish a long-term cooperation with their bank.
Lin Mei rarely encountered someone as easy to deal with as Mr. Liu in her time out soliciting business. Socializing inevitably involved drinking, and as her conversation with Mr. Liu went smoothly, she toasted him several times. She also toasted the accountants from his company who had accompanied him.
After drinking, she obviously couldn't drive. Lin Mei called for a designated driver and stood by her car, waiting for the driver to arrive. The driver came quickly. Lin Mei handed him the keys and got into the car.
It wasn't Lin Mei's first time using a designated driver, so she didn't pay much attention after getting in. She was recording her work targets on her phone, engrossed in her work. Only after finishing her notes did she notice that this road was not the way back to her apartment.
Lin Mei's slightly hazy mind instantly cleared. She looked at the driver in the front seat and calmly asked, "Who sent you?"
The driver didn't answer. He accelerated, and Lin Mei was thrown forward by the inertia, almost flying out of her seat. She grabbed the front seat to steady herself and took out her phone to call the police. At that moment, the car braked sharply, the driver in front lunged forward, snatched Lin Mei's phone, turned it off, and threw it outside!
"Help, help!" With no hope of calling the police, Lin Mei resorted to the most primitive method of seeking help. She rolled down the window and shouted a few times before someone from outside rushed in and covered her mouth.
Before she could react, the person struck her with a club. Her vision went black, and she collapsed.
When Lin Mei woke up again, her limbs were bound by iron chains, her body ached all over, and her head throbbed with a stinging pain. The spot where she had been hit by the club had already swollen, and even breathing caused pain, indicating that her captors had been ruthless.
Lin Mei looked around. It seemed to be a basement. She was alone in the room. There were footsteps outside the door, but she couldn't hear them clearly.
Lin Mei didn't know what time it was or how long she had slept. She now had only two options: first, to save herself; second, to wait for her colleagues to report her missing and call the police. However, the latter option was not in her control, so she had to try to save herself first.
The closed door suddenly opened. Lin Mei looked up, and as soon as she saw who it was, she understood immediately...
Chen Jing!
Such underhanded tactics were indeed in line with her character. Chen Jing stopped in front of Lin Mei. She was dressed in bright, fashionable clothes and wore heavy makeup. Looking at the disheveled Lin Mei before her, she let out a disdainful laugh, "Bitch, so this is your day!"
As she cursed, her features contorted. Her once rather delicate face was now unrecognizable. Lin Mei looked at her coldly, "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" Chen Jing laughed again. She raised her arm and slapped Lin Mei hard across the face.
Chen Jing's slap was filled with a lot of resentment and was delivered without mercy. Lin Mei's nose began to bleed, and the bright red blood stained her cheeks, making her beautiful face even more disheveled.
Chen Jing still felt it wasn't enough. She slapped her several more times, laughing maniacally, "You tell me, what do I want?"
"You bitch, now that you're in my hands, just wait to die!"
After being slapped several times, Lin Mei's vision went black, and her ears rang. She couldn't clearly hear what Chen Jing was saying, only seeing her ferocious smile.
Early that morning, there was a morning meeting in the department. Lu Qi arrived at the conference room early, waiting for Lin Mei to preside over the meeting. However, Lin Mei did not appear until ten o'clock. Everyone tried calling and texting her repeatedly, but they couldn't reach her.
Lu Qi sensed something was wrong and went to find Branch Manager Sun. When Branch Manager Sun heard that Lin Mei was missing, he immediately contacted Xing Zheng.
Lin Mei was Xing Zheng's person. If anything happened to her during work hours, Xing Zheng would hold him accountable.
The phone was connected, and Branch Manager Sun said urgently, "Mr. Xing, Lin Mei didn't come to work today."