Lin Mei withdrew her hand. Chen Jing's affairs were all handled by Xing Zheng. She didn't know what had happened, but one thing was certain: "It's not that I won't let her go, she did all this herself."
If Chen Jing hadn't repeatedly challenged her bottom line, she wouldn't have pushed things to such extremes.
Lin Mei hadn't seen Chen Qi's parents in a while. They had broken up, and the separation had been so unpleasant that Lin Mei saw no need to see them again. Moreover, she now knew that the person who had saved her back then wasn't Chen Qi, so she didn't even owe him a debt of gratitude for saving her life. She didn't know if Li Min and Chen Dong were aware of this; if they were, it made her feel like a joke all these years.
Seeing Lin Mei's attitude, Li Min and Chen Dong's expressions soured. Li Min even brought up the past, "Chen Qi saved your life back then, at least. If you hate him, just target him alone. Chen Jing is still a child; she's bound to make mistakes. Can you not be so petty with a child? Haven't we treated you well all these years?"
Lin Mei was very familiar with emotional blackmail. If she hadn't known the truth, she might have been moved. Now, she was unmoved. "The person who took me to the hospital back then wasn't Chen Qi."
Li Min's face changed drastically, and she pressed further, "How do you know?" Her tone made it clear she knew.
Lin Mei looked at Chen Dong again. His expression was identical to Li Min's, which meant they both knew about it. For all these years, their family had played her for a fool, watching her "repay kindness" and frequently using the so-called debt of gratitude to emotionally blackmail her. Recalling the past few years, Lin Mei felt like she had lived as a joke. She had even thought that Li Min and Chen Dong treated her well...
"Chen Jing's situation is her own doing. She committed more than just kidnapping," Lin Mei told them. "I won't be entertaining you any longer. Please be careful on your way."
This was her final courtesy. As she turned to leave, Li Min suddenly grabbed her again and knelt before her!
Lin Mei was startled by the sudden action and took a step back. Li Min grabbed her thigh again. Passersby outside the apartment building all looked over. Seeing the crowd, Li Min seized the opportunity, "Lin Mei, please, Auntie is humbling herself to beg you. These years, I've truly treated you like my own daughter. Uncle Chen and I only have two children. Chen Qi has already been ruined by you. If Chen Jing also goes to jail, what hope will we have left in our lives... You are magnanimous, please don't be so hard on Chen Jing!"
Chen Dong also chimed in, "Lin Mei, Uncle has always thought you were a generous young woman. Chen Jing is just a bit willful. We will educate her properly. You are fine now and unharmed. We'll bring her to apologize to you later. Can we let this matter pass?"
The passersby, not knowing the truth, didn't come forward to mediate. The residents of Lin Mei's apartment were mostly around her age. Young people didn't fall for this kind of emotional blackmail, and the scene Li Min and Chen Dong had envisioned didn't materialize.
Lin Mei didn't consider herself heartless, but kindness had principles. She wasn't a saint. "She's an adult. She has to bear the consequences of her own actions. You two don't need to pay for her. I've said what I needed to say. You two can do as you please."
Lin Mei brushed Li Min aside and entered the apartment building. Li Min's attempt to elicit pity failed, so she stood up. With a displeased expression, she said to Chen Dong, "I really misjudged her. I didn't expect her to be so ungrateful. All the kindness we showed her before was for nothing!"
Li Min and Chen Dong had been good to Lin Mei previously because they fancied her circumstances. Lin Mei came from a scholarly family; both her parents were teachers. She was beautiful, had a good job, and a compliant personality. Their Chen family needed a daughter-in-law like her. Who would have thought she could be so ruthless when pushed!
Back home, Lin Mei still thought about Li Min and Chen Dong's words while showering. The more she thought about it, the more ironic it felt. For the past few years, the Chen family had probably treated her like a joke. They all knew Chen Qi wasn't the one who saved her but refused to say anything, accepting the money with a clear conscience.
Lin Mei thought about the 1.2 million yuan and felt a pang of regret. Since there was no debt of gratitude, there was no need to repay it. It was her hard-earned money that had benefited the Chen family. However, since she had signed an agreement, it wasn't easy to get it back.
After showering, Lin Mei contacted Xing Zheng on WeChat. Xing Zheng had previously said that Chen Jing's matters were all being handled by him. Since Li Min and Chen Dong had come looking for her today, it was likely that Xing Zheng had already taken action.
Lin Mei sent Xing Zheng a text message, but he called her via video. After some thought, Lin Mei answered. She saw Xing Zheng in his pajamas, with Lanlan perched on his shoulder. He must have also just showered, as his hair was still wet. This casual attire gave him a touch of unrestrained youthful charm. Lanlan on his shoulder didn't look out of place at all.
Lin Mei asked, "What's the situation with Chen Jing?"
"She was taken away today and is temporarily detained. She'll be charged with multiple offenses, starting with a five-year sentence." When sending Chen Jing in, Xing Zheng had already had lawyers assess her crimes. If he wasn't confident of a conviction, he wouldn't have let Chen Jing off so easily.
Five years was not a short time. Chen Jing was twenty-four this year. Even if she was only sentenced to five years, she would be nearly thirty when she got out. If it was longer, it would be even harder for her to recover. No wonder Li Min had been willing to kneel to beg her to let Chen Jing go. "What are you thinking about?"
Lin Mei heard Xing Zheng's voice and casually told him about Li Min and Chen Dong coming to see her. The man let out a sneer, "Are you feeling soft-hearted?"
"How is that possible!" Lin Mei glared at the man's handsome face on the screen. "I'm not some saintly white lotus who repays kindness when others bully me. I don't have such noble sentiments."
Lin Mei was angry, but with her face, even when angry, Xing Zheng only saw cuteness. He gently tugged Lanlan's ear with his long fingers and said faintly, "Angry little rabbit."
Although he was looking at Lanlan when he said it, Lin Mei felt that the scoundrel was alluding to her. "I'm going to sleep." Their relationship wasn't suitable for video calls at night.
This week, Lin Mei was busy signing loan contracts with Zhao Jianghe. During the process, she naturally had to dine with Zhao Jianghe.
On Friday, Zhao Jianghe personally came to the bank to complete the signing. After the process was finished, it was exactly quitting time. Zhao Jianghe invited Lin Mei to dinner. Zhao Jianghe had completed the entire quarter's performance target for her this time. How could she refuse his invitation? So, she went with him.
Zhao Jianghe learned that Lin Mei was from Xiangxi and chose a Xiangxi cuisine restaurant. As they walked into the restaurant, chatting and laughing, they ran into Ruan Yufei and her son Yang Shuo.
Both mother and son recognized her, especially the child, whose gaze towards Lin Mei was not friendly.
Lin Mei knew the reason in her heart. Just as she decided to ignore them, she heard Zhao Jianghe say, "Yufei, what a coincidence. How have you been lately?"