Lin Mei looked over when she heard the sound. Xing Zheng walked out, wearing only a bath towel. His hair was still wet, dripping water down his chest and tracing the lines of his muscles.
Lin Mei swallowed, forgetting to reply to Ming Zhou.
"Lin Mei?" Ming Zhou vaguely heard the sound of a door opening on Lin Mei's end. "Are you in trouble?"
"No!" Lin Mei snapped back to reality, quickly saying to Ming Zhou, "Senior, this has nothing to do with you. I'm sorry for getting you involved, and I'll clear your name as soon as possible."
Ming Zhou: "This was my oversight. If it weren't for me..."
"It's okay, Senior. Let's talk another day. I have some things here," Lin Mei said before hanging up.
Xing Zheng was in a bad mood. He had a wicked habit of causing trouble when she was on the phone. Lin Mei feared that if she delayed for another second, Xing Zheng would take action. Lin Mei looked at Xing Zheng; he had already walked to the bedside.
Without waiting for her to respond, Xing Zheng pulled her over, pressed her head down, and pushed her face against his lower abdomen.
Lin Mei felt his firm muscles. Her face burned, the heat almost scorching her. She tried to pull back, but he held her with immense force, making escape impossible.
The man looked down at her, his eyes tinged with red. "What did Ming Zhou call you about?"
He had heard her say something like "Chen Qi wants to ruin my reputation." Had she encountered something significant while he was gone?
Lin Mei had no intention of telling Xing Zheng about the intranet incident proactively, but she also wouldn't hide it. Given the cooperation between the bank and Shuang Mu, the matter would reach him sooner or later.
"Chen Qi posted a video of me and Senior Ming Zhou on the intranet, trying to ruin my reputation," Lin Mei said calmly, without anger. "Senior called just now to help me resolve this matter."
"When did this happen?" Xing Zheng asked.
Lin Mei: "Today."
Xing Zheng: "Was it resolved?"
Lin Mei: "Director Sun approached me and asked for a guarantee. Later, the video was deleted."
Xing Zheng: "Do you think this is the end of it?"
Lin Mei: "No."
She wasn't one to be easily bullied. For some reason, Xing Zheng's question made the vengeful thoughts in her mind intensify.
It seemed that being with him often stirred up the hidden dark sides within her heart, allowing them to grow wild and unrestrained.
Xing Zheng released her head. His long fingers brushed across her cheek, finally resting on her lips. "Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"An eye for an eye," her lips, which had just been kissed red and swollen by him, parted to utter these words.
"Hmm, I didn't teach you in vain." Xing Zheng finally revealed his first smile of the evening, clearly satisfied with the answer.
"Do you have the electronic versions of those photos?" Lin Mei remembered that her phone only had blurry copies. She wanted the original, even more explicit ones.
Xing Zheng said, "Yes," and then, "Give me my phone."
Lin Mei reached out and took his phone. Xing Zheng fiddled with it for a few moments and then said, "I've sent it to your email."
Lin Mei instinctively wanted to ask, "How do you know my email?" But then she realized the question was rather uninspired. When she exchanged emails with Shuang Mu's finance department, she always CC'd Xing Zheng on important messages. If he saw them, he would naturally know her email address.
Lin Mei saw a large attachment and planned to organize it properly on her computer the next day. She remembered Shen Su's call earlier. "I took a call for you just now."
Xing Zheng: "Who?"
Lin Mei sensed Xing Zheng's tone becoming somewhat somber and decided to explain. "I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy. It was Mr. Shen calling, and I was afraid he had something urgent."
"What did he say?" Xing Zheng's tone was even more somber than before, sending a chill down Lin Mei's spine. "He didn't say anything, just asked where you were. I said you were here and that I'd call him back later."
"Mm." He seemed much better now. Lin Mei breathed a sigh of relief. She guessed Xing Zheng probably didn't want her to know about his illness.
This wasn't surprising. Their relationship was far from that intimate, and he was likely proud. Mental illness was not something to be proud of.
Xing Zheng put down his phone and got into bed, pulling Lin Mei into his arms again. He leaned down to kiss her, his actions forceful and passionate.
His kisses grew more unrestrained. Lin Mei quickly pushed against his shoulder, saying haltingly, "Don't, don't do this, I can't..."
Her plea for mercy made the man on top of her chuckle. He actually stopped, then gently stroked her head as if teasing a small pet. "Sleep."
Lin Mei: "..."
Sleep like this? In his arms?
Given their relationship, this position was far too intimate. Unfortunately, the man on her didn't give her any chance to refuse. Lin Mei was held tightly in his embrace, her waist gripped, their bodies pressed together.
She was exhausted, worn out physically and mentally from the day's events. Soon, she fell asleep, but the man holding her was wide awake.
Once Lin Mei was sound asleep, Xing Zheng finally loosened his grip. He took his phone and walked out of the bedroom barefoot. Fearing he might wake her, Xing Zheng went to the kitchen. He dialed a number.
The other end answered very quickly: "Mr. Xing." Xing Zheng: "Did something happen at the bank?"
The person on the other end said, "Yes. I just got the news tonight and went to sort out Chen Qi's violations over the years. It took some time, and I was just about to call you."
The person on the other end, judging by their tone, had worked for Xing Zheng for many years and was well aware of his methods.
Xing Zheng gave a deep "Mm" and instructed, "Find a suitable person to report to the bank."
"Yes, Mr. Xing," the person replied respectfully.
Xing Zheng: "Make it clean. Also, send the specific details of the bank's intranet incident to my email."
Not long after the call ended, Xing Zheng received an email from the other party. The email contained screenshots of the original intranet post, the complete video, some anonymous discussions within the bank, and finally, a clarification email from Director Sun.
Xing Zheng had seen the content of the video before. If he remembered correctly, Chen Jing had filmed it. Chen Qi was likely desperate, having devised this method to threaten Lin Mei.
Xing Zheng looked at the anonymous discussions in the email, the slander and malicious speculation directed at Lin Mei, which made his already somber expression grow increasingly dangerous.
After a while, Xing Zheng remembered to call Shen Su back. Shen Su also answered quickly: "I know you're with Lin Mei. Remember to come back to the hospital tomorrow morning."
Xing Zheng: "What did you say to her?"
Shen Su: "I didn't say anything, but your behavior is so unusual, won't she suspect something?"
Xing Zheng did not answer.
Shen Su: "Never mind, I won't say anything to provoke you. Come back tomorrow morning. Your current condition requires hospital monitoring."
Xing Zheng saw the fruit knife on the table. He stared at it. "If she finds out I caused his death, she'll want to kill me too, won't she."