Ruan Yufei brought Yang Shuo home. The mother and son didn't speak the entire way. Upon arriving home, Ruan Yufei, with red-rimmed eyes, admonished Yang Shuo, "How could you hit someone so casually? Do you still want a father?"
She could tell that Xing Zheng was particularly attentive to Lin Mei. He rarely visited her side of town anyway. If Lin Mei were to go to Xing Zheng and whisper poison in his ear, Xing Zheng would likely visit her even less in the future.
Yang Shuo felt extremely wronged. He wiped his tears and said, "She took Daddy away. I hate her."
"No, no matter what, Daddy will always love you," Ruan Yufei crouched down and gently placed her hand on Yang Shuo's shoulder, softly persuading him, "Yang Shuo, listen to Mommy, okay? Mommy won't let Daddy abandon you."
Yang Shuo didn't quite believe her. "Really?"
"Yes, Yang Shuo. Call Daddy now and admit your mistake. We'll pick a time to apologize to Auntie, alright?"
She had to strike first. She had to tell Xing Zheng about this before Lin Mei did. Admitting fault first wouldn't cause any problems. Once she and Yang Shuo apologized, Xing Zheng would likely not pursue the matter further. No matter how much Lin Mei fussed then, it wouldn't be of much use.
After Ruan Yufei spent over ten minutes talking Yang Shuo around, Yang Shuo finally agreed to apologize and admit his mistake to Xing Zheng. Once mother and son were in agreement, Ruan Yufei then called Xing Zheng.
After a few rings, the call connected. "Azheng."
"Mmm, is something wrong?" Xing Zheng's voice was indifferent and distant.
Ruan Yufei sniffled, her voice tinged with a hint of crying. Upon hearing this, Xing Zheng's voice finally showed a slight fluctuation. "You're crying?"
Ruan Yufei began to sob, saying intermittently, "Azheng, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Xing Zheng: "Don't apologize yet. What happened? Tell me."
"I... I didn't teach Yang Shuo well. He didn't mean to hurt Miss Lin." Ruan Yufei took all the blame upon herself. As soon as she finished speaking, Xing Zheng's tone became more serious than before. Ruan Yufei knew it was because she had mentioned Lin Mei's name.
Xing Zheng: "What did Yang Shuo do?"
Ruan Yufei cried, "This morning I took Yang Shuo to the supermarket, and we unexpectedly ran into Miss Lin and her friend. Yang Shuo had seen you and Miss Lin together a few times before and misunderstood Miss Lin, so he threw a toy at her."
"I really didn't know something like this would happen. Miss Lin's head is injured, and she seems very angry. I wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused... I'm really worried something will happen to Miss Lin."
Ruan Yufei cried harder and harder, sobbing, gasping for breath. Her voice was extremely weak, "I'm sorry... I've already disciplined Yang Shuo."
Xing Zheng remained silent for a long time, and a quiet descended upon them. Ruan Yufei was extremely nervous. She couldn't fathom what Xing Zheng was thinking. Her heart pounded as she waited for a long time, finally hearing him say, "I know."
Ruan Yufei couldn't discern the meaning behind his words. She licked her dry lips and choked out, "I'll have Yang Shuo apologize to you."
Yang Shuo was standing beside Ruan Yufei. Ruan Yufei handed the phone to him the next moment, giving him a meaningful look.
Ruan Yufei had already told Yang Shuo what to do. After taking the phone, Yang Shuo first called out, "Daddy." Yang Shuo's voice was also hoarse. Xing Zheng knew he had been crying. This child didn't cry often, so Xing Zheng softened his tone. "What did you do?"
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Yang Shuo mumbled. "I shouldn't have hit Auntie."
Xing Zheng was never the image of a doting father. For unprovoked assault, no matter how much he doted on his child, he would not tolerate it. "Why did you hit her?"
Yang Shuo said aggrievedly, "I was afraid she would take Daddy away, and then Daddy would spend time with her and not with me."
Xing Zheng: "No, don't hit people casually from now on, okay?"
Yang Shuo obediently said, "Okay," and didn't forget to apologize to Xing Zheng again, his attitude extremely humble. Xing Zheng reprimanded Yang Shuo a few times but didn't scold him severely.
Ruan Yufei, listening to Xing Zheng's words from the side, felt a slight sense of relief. After Yang Shuo admitted his mistake, Ruan Yufei took the phone back. "Azheng, will Miss Lin hold it against you because of this?"
"Yang Shuo and I both owe Miss Lin an apology... If necessary, I'll bring Yang Shuo to call on her and apologize."
"No need. I can handle her issues myself." Xing Zheng's refusal was within Ruan Yufei's expectations. Seeing that she had gained some ground, Ruan Yufei stopped bothering Xing Zheng after apologizing.
Seeing Ruan Yufei hang up the phone, Yang Shuo asked, "Mommy, will Daddy come to see us?"
"Yes," Ruan Yufei hugged Yang Shuo and closed her eyes, thinking that he should be coming soon.
Lin Mei ate her lunch until three or four in the afternoon. During this time, she didn't look at her phone. When she returned to the living room and picked up her phone, she discovered that Xing Zheng had called her many times. Because she didn't answer, he sent a WeChat message saying he would come to the apartment to find her after his business dinner that night and told her to wait.
That entitled tone was exactly like an emperor summoning his concubines; with just a command, the concubines had to wait, no matter how late it was.
Lin Mei replied with "Okay." She would wait. Tonight was the best time for her to end things with him. After replying to the message, Lin Mei told Lan Lan and Feng Feng about it. The two of them immediately sat around her, offering many suggestions, both gentle and firm.
Lin Mei noted them all down. Battling with Xing Zheng was time-consuming and draining; she had to be fully prepared.
In the evening, Feng Feng was going to a banquet with Shen Su, and Lan Lan received a hook-up message from Liang Yufeng and was also going to meet him. They left one after another.
Lin Mei returned to the bedroom and stared blankly at the bookshelf. Her gaze fell on the old copy of "Dream of the Red Chamber." She picked up the book and opened it, revealing an old photograph.
This book had been with her since college, but she hadn't opened it much in recent years. She hadn't looked at this photograph in a long time either. Seeing it again, her mood became particularly complex. Such a vibrant and passionate life had simply vanished...
Lin Mei also saw the words "Wait for me" written on the back of the photo. She curved her lips slightly. Back then, she truly yearned for the city he was in. Young admiration was like spring rain, like summer wind, lingering and beautiful, crossing the long river of time, her memories carrying the taste of preserved plum candy.
Lin Mei couldn't help but fantasize. If he were still alive, would her life be different now? She wouldn't have Chen Qi, let alone Xing Zheng. Her days would be as she had imagined in her youth: she would come to Nanjiang, attend the same school as him, and have a romance...
A phone ring interrupted Lin Mei's thoughts.
She put the book down. The phone call was from Xiao Yue. Lin Mei answered.
Xiao Yue told her that she and Lin Zhengde had visited Grandma Xu's house today and had asked Grandma Xu about Mingzhe's birth name.
As Xiao Yue mentioned this, Lin Mei's heart leaped into her throat. She gripped the phone tightly, holding her breath, "What is his birth name?"