Lin Mei had initially intended to decline, but Xie Qin Jia's persistent invitations eventually led Lin Mei to accept. Xie Qin Jia's birthday was to be celebrated at home, and according to her, only close friends were invited.
Lin Mei was flattered and the following morning, she headed to the mall to buy a gift for Xie Qin Jia. Although Xie Qin Jia had said gifts were not necessary, Lin Mei couldn't overlook such basic courtesy.
Xie Qin Jia's birthday banquet was scheduled for the evening. After purchasing the gift, Lin Mei returned to her apartment with a cup of coffee. Just as she arrived, she encountered a SF Express deliveryman. He was there to deliver a package to her. Lin Mei noticed the sender's address and remembered it was something Xiao Yue had sent her last week.
Lin Mei opened the package and found a large candy jar inside. The jar was made of plastic, and with age, the printed packaging on the outside had faded. Apart from that, there were no other damages, indicating it had been well-protected over the years.
Lin Mei opened the jar and took out the contents one by one. There was a ruler, a pen, small pieces of paper, and some keychains and small pendants. These scattered trinkets were all gifts from Xing Yan back then. Seeing these items, Lin Mei realized she could still vividly recall the scenes of him giving her each gift, and the words he had spoken at the time.
Lin Mei took out a keychain. Attached to it was a piece of jade, about ten centimeters in size, engraved with eight characters: "Bi qi zhi zi, bang zhi yan xi."
Back then, when she received the keychain, she hadn't paid much attention to the inscription. Now that she knew his name, she finally understood the significance of the jade to him. In her youth, she hadn't understood the value of things. Looking at it today, she could ascertain that the jade was of considerable worth.
When a man gives a woman a piece of jade engraved with his name as they are about to part, it signifies a promise. She had been too young to understand then, and had thus missed his heartfelt gesture.
Lin Mei placed the keychain on the coffee table, tying it together with her car keys. She then rummaged through the other items in the jar and found several faded bookmarks. Each bookmark bore the same phrase: "Jian jia qi qi, bai lu wei xi; suo wei yi ren, zai shui zhi mei."
Reading this phrase, Lin Mei couldn't help but recall the moment she first met Xing Yan and introduced herself. He had mistaken her name for "mei" meaning charming, and she had earnestly corrected him, "It's 'mei' with the water radical. Have you studied 'Jian Jia'? It means 'the person you speak of is by the water's edge.'"
Lin Mei smiled faintly. Memories of youth, no matter when recalled, were always incredibly beautiful, untainted by any impurities. It was no wonder so many people cherished the past.
Lin Mei gradually tidied up the items from the jar. Before she knew it, it was time to leave. To show courtesy, Lin Mei changed into formal attire and put on makeup. She took the gift she had bought for Xie Qin Jia and drove towards Xie Qin Jia's villa.
While waiting for the red light on the road, Lin Mei's gaze fell upon the keychain on her car keys. She smiled again. Seeing the piece of jade was like seeing the warm and gentle young man from her memories.
Inside the Zhuhua Villa, Xing Zheng sat on the sofa, his shirt collar unbuttoned, a cigarette held between his fingers. His face was hidden in the swirling smoke, making it impossible to discern the emotions in his eyes. At this moment, Shen Su and Gu Song, seated opposite him, were relaying information they had gathered. "If Zhao Jiang He secures that plot of land in the north of the city through Uncle Xing's connections, Zhao Jiang He's influence will at least double. It will be even harder to bring him down then."
Xing Zheng brought the cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag, exhaling smoke. His gaze was cold. Gu Song said to him, "You can't just stand by this time. You must stop Uncle Xing. Over the years, Zhao Jiang He has benefited more from the Xing family than you, his own son."
Xing Zheng chuckled self-mockingly. He didn't care about the Xing family's fortune. Gu Song and Shen Su, as his brothers, knew he wasn't after these things, and therefore felt even more indignant on his behalf. Gu Song asked, "Have you ever considered trying to tell Uncle Xing the truth about the car accident back then?"
It would be useless to tell Xie Qin Jia, but Xing Sha was not as biased as Xie Qin Jia. Over the years, he had shown some concern for Xing Zheng, but due to consideration for his wife's feelings, he couldn't express it directly. If Xing Zheng told him about this, he wouldn't continue to help Zhao Jiang He in this manner.
"What's the point?" Xing Zheng flicked the ash from his cigarette, his voice devoid of any inflection. "If he believed me, he wouldn't have ended up like this."
Gu Song fell silent. Although they were brothers, he truly couldn't personally experience the pain and despair Xing Zheng had endured over the years. Offering him advice from an outsider's perspective felt somewhat like speaking without understanding the full gravity of the situation. He glanced at Shen Su, who said, "Today is Aunt Xie's birthday, Zhao Jiang He will definitely be there."
Xing Zheng stubbed out his cigarette, his well-defined fingers buttoning his shirt. He stood up and walked towards the shoe cabinet. Shen Su and Gu Song followed him, leaving Zhuhua Villa together.
Lin Mei arrived at Xie Qin Jia's villa with her gift. As soon as she got out of the car, someone came to greet her. Lin Mei was led to the living room, where several ladies of similar age to Xie Qin Jia were already seated. Their backgrounds were clearly not ordinary.
Although Lin Mei didn't know them, she still bowed slightly and greeted everyone upon entering.
Xie Qin Jia came over and linked arms with Lin Mei. Lin Mei presented her gift. Xie Qin Jia playfully chided, "I told you not to be so formal, but you never listen."
"It's your birthday, it only happens once a year. How could I possibly come empty-handed?" Lin Mei said with a smile to Xie Qin Jia. "Please accept it, it's just a small token of my appreciation."
The more Xie Qin Jia looked at Lin Mei, the more she liked her. She invited Lin Mei to sit down, specifically placing her in the seat next to her. After sitting down, Xie Qin Jia chatted with Lin Mei about recent events, inevitably asking about her situation with Zhao Jiang He.
Lin Mei spoke vaguely, skirting around the sensitive points. With so many people present, it wasn't appropriate for her to directly tell Xie Qin Jia that she had no such intentions. After a while, Xie Qin Jia laughed and said, "How could I forget? Jiang He is also coming today. I should have arranged for you two to arrive together."
Lin Mei forced a smile. Zhao Jiang He was coming too?
If she had known he would be here, she would have stayed away. Xie Qin Jia so desperately wanted them to be together, and when Zhao Jiang He arrived, there would inevitably be more attempts to matchmake them...
Thinking of this, Lin Mei felt a headache coming on. She raised her hand and gently rubbed her temples. At the same time, someone else arrived.
Lin Mei followed everyone's gaze and was surprised to see Ruan Yu Fei and her son Yang Shuo. Ruan Yu Fei, usually dressed simply, was wearing an exquisite suit today. She had even worn high heels and makeup. Even without makeup, she was beautiful, and with careful adornment, she was even more elegant and charming.
Lin Mei regretted coming tonight even more. She had forgotten about Xie Qin Jia's relationship with Yang Shuo...
If this mother and son were here, did that mean Xing Zheng would also be coming?
Xie Qin Jia saw Ruan Yu Fei and Yang Shuo and stood up again to greet them. She took Yang Shuo's hand and then looked at Ruan Yu Fei. Ruan Yu Fei, however, kept looking at Lin Mei. Xie Qin Jia then introduced her, "That's Lin Mei, my friend."