Lan Lan and Feng Feng watched the drama unfold from the side, exchanging glances. The men's passive-aggressive sparring was truly more dramatic than any harem drama.
Xing Zheng knew Ming Zhou's feelings for Lin Mei, and Ming Zhou knew about Xing Zheng and Lin Mei's situation, yet neither of them dared to break the unspoken understanding, resorting to veiled insults and indirect conversations.
While Lan Lan was complaining about the two men, she also started to worry about Lin Mei. If these two escalated their conflict, what if Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue also became suspicious of Lin Mei and Xing Zheng?
Feng Feng shared the same concern. She smiled and chimed in after Ming Zhou, "Senior, if you want to pursue our Lin Mei, you can't rely on your brother; you have to rely on yourself."
Lan Lan added, "Exactly, exactly. We don't accept tricks; less trickery, more sincerity!"
The back-and-forth struggle between Ming Zhou and Xing Zheng was broken by these mood-lifting remarks. Lin Zhengde didn't suspect anything and agreed with Feng Feng and Lan Lan's words. To pursue Lin Mei, one must rely on a sincere heart; techniques and tricks were insignificant.
Lan Lan interrupted the men's palace-style drama and also assured Lin Zhengde, "Teacher Lin, please rest assured. With Feng Feng and me here, we will definitely help Huamei make good choices."
Lin Zhengde chuckled, "Good, good. With you two helping her strategize, I am very relieved."
Lin Mei and her mother, Xiao Yue, were busy together in the kitchen. With Xiao Yue present, Lin Mei could only do some assisting work. Xiao Yue took charge of the cooking, preparing classic dishes from Western Hunan cuisine: stir-fried green beans with minced meat, braised bamboo shoots, braised pork ribs, and beef with potatoes. It was almost a Lunar New Year's Eve feast. After they were done, the large dining table in Lin Mei's restaurant was filled.
Lin Zhengde brought the guests to eat. As soon as Lan Lan entered, the aroma made her mouth water, "It smells so good! I haven't tasted Teacher Xiao's cooking in so long, I'm practically drooling!"
Xiao Yue beamed at Lan Lan's praise. She took off her apron and beckoned them, "Don't be shy, everyone sit down, make yourselves comfortable. You are all Huamei's friends, so no need for formalities."
As the hostess, Lin Mei couldn't choose her seat first. She had to let others sit first. Once most people were seated, Ming Zhou smiled and beckoned Lin Mei to sit beside him. Lin Mei sensed a gaze fixed on her from across the table. Even without looking up, she could feel the intense stare, and her efforts to ignore it were futile.
Xing Zheng acted as if he had caught his wife cheating. He was clearly warning her with his eyes not to sit next to Ming Zhou. Lin Mei hadn't intended to sit there anyway and was about to refuse Ming Zhou when Lin Zhengde suddenly urged, "Huamei, what are you waiting for? Come and sit!"
Lin Zhengde wanted to set up Lin Mei and Ming Zhou, so arranging for them to sit together was only natural. Lin Mei couldn't refuse Lin Zhengde, so she had no choice but to go and sit beside Ming Zhou.
The moment Lin Mei sat down, Xing Zheng followed, naturally taking a seat next to her. Lin Mei's heart pounded. She turned her head to look at Xing Zheng, her eyes filled with intense wariness. Xing Zheng, however, acted as if he hadn't seen her guardedness and asked with a smile, "Manager Lin, you don't mind me sitting here, do you?"
He looked refined and elegant in his sweater and glasses, and his question was extremely gentlemanly. Lin Mei then realized that the scoundrel actually had the ability to feign innocence. Could she say she minded in front of her parents?
Lin Mei forced a smile and shook her head at him, "I don't mind."
"That's good." Xing Zheng gently rolled up the sleeves of his sweater, revealing his lean forearm. The well-defined muscles made one's mouth dry. For some reason, Lin Mei's mind was filled with inappropriate images. She nervously shifted her gaze elsewhere and started talking to Feng Feng, "They have your favorite braised bamboo shoots today. You've been talking about it for a year."
Feng Feng smiled and said, "Indeed, I've been talking about it for a year, and it's finally here. Teacher Xiao, you must give me some pointers later; I can never achieve that taste."
Feng Feng chatted naturally, easily easing the awkwardness for Lin Mei. Shen Su witnessed this and asked Feng Feng with a smile, "So you can cook?"
"Not much," Feng Feng replied calmly.
Shen Su, "Then I'll try your cooking next time."
Given their relationship, such a remark was somewhat presumptuous. However, it wasn't the time to remind Shen Su of his place. Feng Feng gave a perfunctory reply and steered the conversation away.
After dinner started, everyone ate heartily, except for Lin Mei. Seated between Xing Zheng and Ming Zhou, Lin Mei felt uneasy. No matter how much she tried to tell herself not to care too much, it had no effect, especially the oppressive feeling Xing Zheng gave her, for which she could never find a solution.
When people are nervous, they lose their appetite. After sitting for so long, Lin Mei had only picked up her chopsticks a few times.
Ming Zhou noticed Lin Mei wasn't eating and thoughtfully picked up a piece of pork rib for her, placing it in her bowl. This gesture was particularly intimate, making Lin Mei even more uncomfortable. She quickly said to Ming Zhou, "Senior, please don't trouble yourself. I can do it myself..."
Before the last syllable had fallen, Lin Mei suddenly felt a hand on her thigh. The hand traced the line of her thigh, its touch ambiguous. Her skin felt a ticklish sensation, as if she had been bitten by something, and she desperately wanted to scratch it.
Lin Mei bit her lip lightly and glanced sideways at Xing Zheng. He was calmly drinking water. What a hypocrite!
Lin Mei cursed Xing Zheng in her heart. Meanwhile, Ming Zhou offered her another dish, saying with concern, "You've been working too hard lately. Eat more to nourish your body. It's the change of season, and you can easily get sick."
Xiao Yue liked Ming Zhou more and more. Hearing him care for Lin Mei like this, she couldn't stop smiling and chimed in with Ming Zhou, "Yes, Huamei, listen to Ming Zhou and eat more."
Prompted, Lin Mei picked up her chopsticks and took the pork rib Ming Zhou had given her. Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, the hand on her thigh suddenly became more daring. Lin Mei's nerves tensed, and the chopsticks in her hand clattered to the floor.
She pressed her legs together, trying to stop the man's actions, but he was unfazed and continued to do as he pleased. Fearing suspicion, Lin Mei couldn't move too much. She was on the verge of humiliation and wished she could bite Xing Zheng to death!
Ming Zhou, sitting beside Lin Mei, naturally noticed her movements. He casually glanced down, "Why are you so careless? I'll help you pick up your chopsticks."
"No..." Lin Mei panicked, but before she could refuse, Ming Zhou had already bent down. Perhaps Xing Zheng also felt guilty, as he finally withdrew his hand just as Ming Zhou bent over.
As Ming Zhou bent down to pick up the chopsticks, he saw Xing Zheng's hand under the table, right beside Lin Mei's thigh. His gaze immediately dimmed.
"I'm going to change my clothes." Lin Mei cleaned off the pork rib from her clothes, stood up, and hurried away from the restaurant, this place of trouble.