Director Sun had always been optimistic about Lin Mei and Chen Qi. Upon learning of their breakup, he was quite surprised. After work, he encountered Lin Mei and showed his concern, inevitably asking for the reason. Lin Mei steered the conversation away. Although Chen Qi had acted excessively, she did not want their breakup to cause any further complications at the bank.
Director Sun expressed his understanding and, after asking Lin Mei a few questions related to Shuangmu, inquired about Lin Zhengde's health.
After dealing with Director Sun, Lin Mei drove away from the bank. As her car exited the parking lot, Chen Qi and Zong Zong emerged from a corner.
Chen Qi and Zong Zong had overheard Lin Mei's conversation with Director Sun. Lin Mei had announced their breakup in the cafeteria during lunch, and gossip had been rampant throughout the afternoon.
Among the gossip were various speculations and taunts directed at Chen Qi. Some who were not on good terms with Chen Qi even whispered that Lin Mei had broken up with him because of issues in that department.
Lin Mei was well-liked at the bank and was also beautiful, never lacking admirers. However, with Chen Qi around, others had not dared to be too overt. Now that they had broken up, those who had feelings for Lin Mei began to stir.
Chen Qi and Zong Zong stood there, coincidentally overhearing two colleagues discussing the matter as they approached.
The two colleagues were men from Lin Mei's department. One was a recent graduate who had been placed in the bank by his family, a wealthy second-generation heir named Lu Qi, who was only twenty-two years old.
Lu Qi: "Sister finally broke up with that trash Chen Qi. Do you think it's too soon to start pursuing her tomorrow?"
Lu Qi's friend replied: "Go for it. You're so handsome, and now sisters like younger guys."
Lu Qi curved his lips and smiled, saying, "Let's go pick out a gift for sister."
Lu Qi and his friend walked away, laughing. Chen Qi watched Lu Qi's retreating back with a dark expression, his fists clenched!
He, a mere rich second-generation heir who coasted by on nepotism, dared to look down on him!
Zong Zong said to Chen Qi, "Before Lin Mei reveals the reason for the breakup, you need to seize the initiative!"
Chen Qi: "What do you mean?" Zong Zong: "Publicly release the video of Lin Mei and that Ming Zhou on the internal network. Let everyone know that she's shallow and abandoned you because of your poverty. Since she dared to break up with you, she has to bear the consequences."
"Also, don't say I didn't warn you. All your things are with her. Even if you don't make a move, Lin Mei will target you. It's better for us to strike first!"
Zong Zong's words made Chen Qi fall into deep thought.
The photos Lin Mei had yesterday had caught him completely off guard. He still wasn't sure if Lin Mei had any other trump cards. Instead of waiting, it would be better to ruin Lin Mei's reputation first. Then, whatever she said, people would only think she was making excuses. And that Lu Qi, he didn't believe Lu Qi would still pursue her after finding out about Lin Mei's indiscretions!
"You're right. That ungrateful bitch will deal with me sooner or later." Chen Qi gritted his teeth when mentioning Lin Mei!
Zong Zong: "This Lu Qi is not a simple matter. His family owns a real estate company, and he's probably just playing around at the bank. If Lin Mei really gets involved with him, she'll soar to great heights. The best approach now is to expose her affair with Ming Zhou. Make it widely known, and let Lu Qi and Ming Zhou confront each other."
Lin Mei was unaware of Chen Qi and Zong Zong's plan. After work, she went to the hospital as usual. After having dinner with her parents, she returned home.
Before going to sleep, Lin Mei habitually checked her phone. There had been no news from Xing Zheng all day.
Recalling Feng Feng's mention of his self-harm, Lin Mei became worried again. She opened the chat window with Xing Zheng, deleted and rewrote for a long time, and finally deleted everything in the input box.
Given their current improper relationship, what right did she have to inquire about him?
Just as Lin Mei was about to put down her phone, WeChat beeped. A thought flashed through Lin Mei's mind, and she opened WeChat with anticipation, only to see a message from Lu Qi.
Lu Qi: [Hi, Manager Lin, are you asleep yet.]
Lin Mei and Lu Qi were in the same department, but they had no interaction outside of work. Lu Qi was a rich second-generation heir and not very approachable.
Lin Mei didn't know why he would suddenly contact her today: [Is something wrong?]
Lu Qi: [I'm pursuing a girl recently and am choosing a gift for her. I wanted to ask for your advice.]
Lin Mei was slightly surprised. Although she didn't know much about Lu Qi's private life, he didn't seem this inexperienced.
Lu Qi: [She's older than me, the same age as you, so I'm asking you.]
His explanation made sense.
Presumably, Lu Qi usually interacted with people his own age, and there weren't many women like her with work experience.
It was just a small favor. Lin Mei chatted with Lu Qi for about ten minutes, offering advice based on the preferences of women her age. After the conversation, she went to sleep.
The next morning, as soon as Lin Mei arrived at the bank, she felt that her colleagues' gazes were unusual. Several people, upon seeing her, gathered and whispered amongst themselves. Lin Mei assumed they were discussing her breakup with Chen Qi and didn't pay much attention.
It wasn't until she returned to her office that her subordinate, Xiao Fang, spoke to her with a grave expression: "Manager Lin, please check the bank's internal network!"
Xiao Fang's expression was very bad, and Lin Mei's eyelids twitched. "What happened?"
Xiao Fang: "Someone posted a video of you and another man on the internal network, saying you were cheating..."
Lin Mei's expression immediately turned serious. She put down her bag, opened her work computer, and logged into the internal network. Indeed, she saw the anonymously posted video!
But, there was no need for anonymity; she knew it was Chen Qi who had posted it!
She thought the breakup meant the end of it all, but she didn't expect Chen Qi to be so excessive and try to ruin her reputation at the bank!
No wonder the colleagues had looked at her so strangely on her way in! Lu Qi always arrived at the bank just in time. As soon as he entered the office today, he happened to overhear colleagues discussing Lin Mei.
A: "I really can't believe Manager Lin is like this. That man is Mr. Ming, right? No wonder she didn't want Chen Qi anymore."
B: "She wasn't a good person to begin with, was she? Do you remember when Mr. Zhao's wife came looking for trouble before?"
C: "She's a woman with such good performance. How could she do it without some tricks?"
Lu Qi overheard these people gossiping and stepped forward to ask, "What are you talking about?"
Someone told Lu Qi: "Young Master Lu, you haven't seen the internal network yet, have you? It's very exciting, a video of Manager Lin cheating!"
Lu Qi leaned over to the person's computer and saw Lin Mei and Ming Zhou in the video.
The Lu family had connections with the Ming family, and Lu Qi knew Ming Zhou. He didn't believe Ming Zhou would poach his girlfriend, nor did he believe Lin Mei would cheat.
Lu Qi slammed the person's computer shut with a "snap," shedding his usual carefree playboy demeanor, and walked directly towards Lin Mei's office. The colleagues exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding what he was about to do.