Zhuang Wan: "..."
Had he been too busy with work for too long to date? Why couldn't he understand the direction of Xing Zheng and Lin Mei's argument? Lin Mei refused to eat, and Xing Zheng's way of getting angry was to kiss her? Did he really not consider him an outsider?
Zhuang Wan was not the only one surprised. Lin Mei had not expected Xing Zheng to kiss her in such a situation, with Zhuang Wan standing right beside them. Lin Mei froze for a moment, and when she came back to her senses, she struggled violently.
In her desperation, she slapped Xing Zheng hard. The ward was deathly quiet, and the slap sounded exceptionally loud.
The plot was becoming increasingly absurd. With that slap, Zhuang Wan's heart leaped into his throat. He regretted it immensely; he should have delivered the food and left immediately. Why had he stayed to watch them argue?
Zhuang Wan had expected Xing Zheng to lose his temper this time. He had already prepared himself to mediate, but Xing Zheng did not retaliate. Instead, he used his thumb to wipe Lin Mei's lips and said hoarsely, "Can you eat now?"
Lin Mei understood Xing Zheng's meaning. If she didn't eat, he would continue to kiss her. Now, she was too weak to move and could only be at his mercy. Xing Zheng picked up the insulated container again and handed it to her. Lin Mei took it and buried her head, starting to eat.
The rice noodles had a flavor she liked, but when she was in a bad mood, she had no appetite to savor even the most delicious food. She ate purely on instinct, swallowing without tasting, as if chewing wax.
Zhuang Wan had witnessed their entire exchange, and his jaw was almost on the floor. He thought he would need time to digest it. "Mr. Xing, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Xing Zheng replied with an "Mm," and said, "Go ahead."
Zhuang Wan left as if freed from a burden. Xing Zheng sat by the hospital bed, watching Lin Mei eat. After half the bowl, Lin Mei couldn't eat anymore. Xing Zheng brought over egg soup. Before Lin Mei could express her unwillingness to drink it, she heard him say, "If you want, I can feed you with my mouth."
Lin Mei certainly wouldn't agree. She took the bowl and drank it all in one go, then tossed the bowl aside. Xing Zheng probably felt guilty, because even with her arrogant outburst, he didn't react much, a stark contrast to his ferocious demeanor the previous night.
He was always like this, sometimes in a very good mood, as if nothing she did could make him angry. Yet, at other times, when she hadn't provoked him at all, he could do such terrifying things. The scenes from last night were still vivid in her mind.
Now that she was alive, she could only be grateful for her good physical condition. If she had been frail and sickly, she might have already passed away.
"Does it still hurt?" After a long silence in the ward, Xing Zheng abruptly broke the quiet.
A sneer flashed in Lin Mei's eyes. Her voice lacked conviction but was full of sarcasm. "What do you think?"
"Don't ever mention that request to me again," Xing Zheng told her. "I can agree to anything else. Don't even think about separating."
Even with his face, such unreasonable lines were incredibly ridiculous. "You can agree to any other request? Alright, then marry me."
Lin Mei certainly didn't expect him to marry her. Even if she were naive, she wouldn't entertain such a foolish thought. She said it only to provoke him.
As expected, as soon as she said that, Xing Zheng fell silent. Lin Mei's expression became even more sarcastic. She pressed her advantage, "Didn't you say you could agree to anything except separating?"
Xing Zheng saw the emotion in her eyes – the arrogance and triumph of gaining the upper hand in an argument. This meant she was merely using the request to marry her as a tool to provoke him.
Xing Zheng then smiled. He raised his arm, his thumb and index finger pinching her chin. His sharp gaze appraised her, as if she were a commodity.
Lin Mei felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. She tried to pull away, but the man tightened his grip, turning her face back. Then, he looked down at her with mockery. "Marry you? Are you worthy? You're just a fling I found on a whim. You really think you're someone important."
Lin Mei's head buzzed. She didn't know how to react. These were likely the most hurtful words Xing Zheng had ever spoken to her. Although he had always spoken without boundaries, he had never insulted her so cruelly. After he finished speaking, he let her go, picked up his phone, and left the ward.
Lin Mei watched the ward door close. Her vision darkened, and a sharp pain shot through her abdomen again. She clutched her stomach in agony, but Xing Zheng's words kept replaying in her mind.
Yes, was she worthy?
To him, she was merely a tool to find a sense of existence. If it weren't for her past with Xing Yan, if it weren't for his twisted jealousy of Xing Yan, how could an ordinary person like her catch his eye?
Although his words were harsh, they were likely his true thoughts. This further solidified Lin Mei's resolve to sever ties with him. Even if she couldn't leave him for now, she wouldn't indulge him as she had before. The past feelings of gratitude and warmth had been shattered by his words, "Are you worthy?" leaving nothing behind.
Xing Zheng returned about half an hour later. He carried the scent of smoke with him, likely having gone to the smoking area downstairs. Lin Mei lay with her back to him, neither of them speaking.
Lin Mei had never expected that after such an ugly scene, Xing Zheng would actually stay overnight at the hospital. There was another bed in the ward, and he slept on it. They spent the night without incident.
The next morning, Zhuang Wan brought breakfast again. After Xing Zheng finished his morning routine, he left with Zhuang Wan. Lin Mei didn't ask him what he was doing and ate her breakfast alone.
After leaving the ward, Xing Zheng contacted Shen Su, asking him to inform Feng Feng and Lan Lan to come to the hospital to accompany Lin Mei. Upon hearing that Lin Mei had been hospitalized again, Feng Feng and Lan Lan each drove over.
Lin Mei was pushed back to the ward after her ultrasound. She saw Lan Lan and Feng Feng waiting by the ward door. Lan Lan, holding back until the nurse left, finally couldn't help but ask, "How did you end up in the hospital again? Did Xing Zheng do this?"
While Lan Lan was asking, Feng Feng had already picked up Lin Mei's ultrasound report. She saw the examination results and her expression became unusually serious.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Lan Lan also stepped forward to look. After reading it, Lan Lan cursed, "Damn Xing Zheng, that pervert! What's the difference between this and being mentally ill?!"
Lan Lan held the ultrasound report, and just looking at the diagnostic terms made her feel pain. Feng Feng asked, "Did you two argue last night?"
Lin Mei replied, "Yes, he refused to break up."
"Just because of that? Damn it, he really is mentally ill!" Lan Lan began to scold loudly. "Does it still hurt now?"
Lin Mei answered, "It's a little better."
Just as she finished answering Lan Lan's question, she heard a knock on the door. Lin Mei thought it was a nurse coming to administer medication, so she replied, "Please come in."
To her surprise, the person who entered was not a nurse, but Ruan Yufei. She held Yang Shuo's hand in one hand and a thermal container in the other. Seeing Ruan Yufei, Lin Mei recalled the unpleasant experience from yesterday and couldn't help but frown.
Ruan Yufei walked up to Lin Mei, her eyes red, and said guiltily, "Miss Lin, I've come to bring Yang Shuo to apologize to you."