Shen Su immediately became serious. "What happened back then has nothing to do with you. You need to stop overthinking right now. I'll come pick you up."
Shen Su had initially intended to let Xing Zheng stay at Lin Mei's for the night. However, Xing Zheng's statement made him feel uneasy. If Xing Zheng were to have an episode, Lin Mei would have neither medication nor the experience to handle it.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Xing Zheng said, a mocking curve to his lips. "I just suddenly thought, if that incident hadn't happened, they would be together by now."
Shen Su: "..."
Xing Zheng: "I'm hanging up. I'll head back to the hospital myself tomorrow morning."
Despite Xing Zheng saying he would return on his own, Shen Su couldn't rest easy. The next morning, he arrived at Lin Mei's doorstep and knocked.
When the doorbell rang, Lin Mei happened to be in the living room. She opened the door and saw Shen Su. Shen Su asked her, "Where's Xing Zheng?"
Lin Mei replied, "He's washing up."
Shen Su then asked, "Did he do anything?"
Lin Mei shook her head. "No."
Shen Su's expression was overly grave, which made Lin Mei reconsider Xing Zheng's condition. Just how severe was it to make someone like Shen Su this flustered?
Shen Su went to the bathroom and saw Xing Zheng after he had finished washing his face. Xing Zheng met his gaze, lazily tugged at his collar, and sneered, "You even came to pick me up personally."
Shen Su observed Xing Zheng, finding him to look exceptionally normal today. His eyes and expression were much like his usual state. Shen Su suspected he was faking it. "She can't see. You don't need to put on an act in front of me."
Xing Zheng replied, "I'm not in the mood to act with you."
Shen Su asked, "Are you really better?"
Xing Zheng tidied his clothes. "Let's go. We'll go see Zhou Yue for an assessment."
He spoke so calmly even when mentioning Zhou Yue, indicating he was indeed temporarily lucid. Yet, Shen Su still found it peculiar. He hadn't taken any medication last night, and just one visit to Lin Mei could lead to such a transformation?
If that were the case, why bother with Zhou Yue in the future? They might as well find Lin Mei to treat him directly!
Lin Mei saw Xing Zheng and Shen Su talking as they walked out. They were discussing stocks. Lin Mei didn't interject. Shen Su asked Lin Mei a few concerned questions about Lin Zhengde's condition. Lin Mei replied politely and thanked him.
"Let's go," Xing Zheng said, unconcerned by Shen Su's presence. While Lin Mei was still talking to Shen Su, he stepped forward and pulled her into his embrace, rubbing her hair with his palm. "Next time something happens, remember to find me."
They had shared this level of intimacy privately many times before, but in front of others, Lin Mei felt unaccustomed, especially since their relationship wasn't something that could be openly acknowledged.
As Xing Zheng was about to leave with Shen Su, and Lin Mei also needed to go to work at the bank, the three of them went downstairs together.
Lin Mei was in front. The moment she opened the building door, she saw Lu Qi standing opposite, waving at her. "Hi, Manager Lin. Good morning."
Lu Qi walked towards Lin Mei with agile movements. He was carrying a Starbucks bag. "Breakfast for you, a Pastries beef sandwich and a latte."
This was a set meal Lin Mei often bought at Starbucks. Lin Mei took it and opened it. "How did you know I liked this?"
Lu Qi replied, "I noticed colleagues often brought it for you, so I remembered." Since he intended to pursue her, he had to show sincerity in the details. "Manager Lin, shall I be your driver today as well?"
Xing Zheng stood behind them. Seeing Lu Qi showing favor to Lin Mei, his eyes gradually turned dangerous. Lu Qi's words confirmed his suspicion that it was him who had brought Lin Mei back last night.
Shen Su remarked, "Isn't that the Lu family's young master?"
Shen Su chuckled playfully. It seemed Lu Qi also had feelings for Lin Mei. He recalled Lu Qi was likely two or three years younger than Lin Mei.
"Why is Young Master Lu here?" Xing Zheng walked towards them generously, a smile on his lips.
Lu Qi looked surprised to see Xing Zheng. "Brother Zheng?"
Afterward, he saw Shen Su. "Second Brother Shen, why are you two here as well?"
Lin Mei was astonished again. Lu Qi actually knew Xing Zheng and Shen Su? Was this world really that small?
"We're here to handle some business with Shen Su. What about you?" Xing Zheng said, then looked at Lin Mei. "Manager Lin is also here? What's going on between you two...?"
"Brother Zheng, please don't misunderstand. I'm here to repay a favor. Manager Lin helped me out greatly!" Lu Qi explained with a smile.
Xing Zheng responded, "Oh, Manager Lin is so kind and helpful in private."
Lin Mei listened to Xing Zheng and Lu Qi chatting, feeling uncomfortable looking at Xing Zheng. Fortunately, Shen Su eventually took Xing Zheng away. After getting into the car, Lin Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
To avoid gossip, Lin Mei and Lu Qi went up separately. However, their exit from the parking garage together was witnessed by Zong Zong, who took photos.
Zong Zong sent the photos to Chen Qi. Upon receiving them, Chen Qi became even more enraged.
Lin Mei, that fickle woman, had only broken up with him a few days ago and was now openly parading around with Lu Qi. Where did this leave his reputation?
He would absolutely not let this go!
When Lin Mei arrived at the office, she first handled her daily tasks and then began organizing the photos in her email.
There were a large number of photos, making it impossible to send them all. Lin Mei could only select the most revealing ones, with clear timestamps indicated below.
Among them were a few photos with bank clients. Lin Mei considered them carefully and decided to remove these. She also blurred the faces of the women in the other photos.
She only wanted to get revenge on Chen Qi and did not want to involve innocent people. If she affected others, she would be no different from Chen Qi.
During lunch, Lu Qi sat at the same table as Lin Mei, with Xiao Fang and other colleagues nearby.
It was a common occurrence for people from the same department to eat together. However, a colleague suddenly said with a smile, "Young Master Lu has been quite close to Manager Lin these past couple of days. I even saw you getting out of Manager Lin's car this morning. Is something going on?"
This colleague clearly had ulterior motives. What was a casual matter was immediately made to sound ambiguous by him.
This colleague was usually close to Manager Chen and seemed to have feelings for him, clearly targeting Lin Mei.
Lin Mei responded calmly, "Team Leader Zhang has quite good eyes. You see everything."
Lu Qi retorted, "Team Leader Zhang, your words are quite interesting. I've also seen you getting out of Manager Chen's car quite often before. What, do you two have something going on?"
Lu Qi's question made Team Leader Zhang retreat sheepishly. However, rumors about Lin Mei and Lu Qi quickly spread. Within just one lunch break, they were the talk of the town.
Those who heard in the cafeteria were discussing it on their way back to the office. They all knew about Lu Qi's special status, and it didn't seem surprising that someone like Lin Mei, who was materialistic, would latch onto Lu Qi.
Lin Mei didn't care about these rumors. As they grew more outrageous, she knew she had to send out the photos she had as soon as possible.
After lunch, Lin Mei returned to her office, uploaded all the selected photos to the internal network, and decisively clicked send.
As soon as the photos were sent, Lin Mei heard an urgent knocking at the door. Before she could say "come in," the door was pushed open.
Two stern-faced staff members stood outside. One of them spoke, "Lin Mei, is that correct? Someone has reported you for suspected serious disciplinary violations. Please come with us for an investigation."