Lin Mei was startled, her heart leaping into her throat. She struggled, but the other person was too strong. She couldn't win against them. With such good security in the hospital, there shouldn't be any bad people.
"Hi."
Lin Mei heard the person behind her make a sound. Just one word, and she couldn't tell who it was. She thought she heard a young voice, likely a young male. Lin Mei asked, "Who are you?"
"No way, Manager Lin doesn't remember my voice anymore?"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Lin Mei thought hard and asked uncertainly, "Lu Qi?"
The person behind her released her eyes, walked around to face her, and looked at her with a smile. Lin Mei rubbed her eyes, which were sore from being covered. The person in the pink t-shirt before her was indeed Lu Qi.
Lin Mei patted her chest, feeling a bit scared. "You scared me to death."
Lu Qi: "Really? I just wanted to see if Manager Lin could guess it was me."
Lu Qi acted like a child who hadn't grown up, and Lin Mei felt there was a generation gap between them. She hadn't felt it before, but with a three-year age difference, the gap was so big. "Why are you at the hospital?"
Lu Qi: "I came to congratulate you. I saw the internal notification."
Lin Mei: "..."
He came all the way to the hospital just to congratulate her. Their relationship didn't seem to be at that level. Lin Mei felt Lu Qi's attitude was a bit off. It wasn't that she was narcissistic, but Lu Qi's actions were too strange.
Lu Qi, with his handsome face, leaned closer to Lin Mei and asked innocently, "Manager Lin, you don't want to see me, do you? I thought we were friends."
Lin Mei was not used to being so close to Lu Qi. As soon as Lu Qi approached, she instinctively stepped back. At the same time, her phone buzzed. It was Xing Zheng calling!
Lin Mei didn't forget that Lu Qi knew Xing Zheng. Fearing that Lu Qi would see, Lin Mei immediately answered the phone and then heard Xing Zheng's cold voice: "Outdoor parking lot at the surgical building, to your front left. Get in the car."
Lin Mei looked up. Xing Zheng's car had appeared there at some point. From his position, he must have clearly seen her interaction with Lu Qi just now...
Before Lin Mei could reply, Xing Zheng had already hung up. Lin Mei said to Lu Qi, "I'm going back to my ward. You go do your thing."
How could Lu Qi be willing? He said solicitously, "I'll escort you up."
"No need. I still need to go to the pharmacy to get medicine later, and it would be inconvenient with you following. Hurry back," Lin Mei urged Lu Qi. "You have work tomorrow!"
Lu Qi's car was parked nearby. After Lin Mei's urging, he reluctantly got into his car and left.
Lin Mei watched Lu Qi's car drive away before walking towards Xing Zheng's Bentley.
Every time she was alone with Xing Zheng, Lin Mei couldn't help but feel nervous.
After getting into the car, the air pressure inside was very low. Lin Mei looked at the man beside her. His features were hidden in the dim light of the car, and his breathing was heavy. She felt his sharp, gloomy gaze, as if he had woven a tight net around her. She was wrapped in the net, her nerves tense, and she found it difficult to breathe.
Lin Mei's lips parted slightly, about to speak to him. The man beside her suddenly grabbed her wrist, roughly pulled her onto the driver's seat, and pressed her body onto his lap.
The movement was perilous, and Lin Mei breathed rapidly. Her red lips parted slightly, making her look even more alluring. Xing Zheng's fingers landed on her lips, roughly rubbing them a few times. Her lower lip appeared slightly swollen, almost imperceptibly. He asked her with a stern face, "What's your relationship with Lu Qi? Hmm?"
Lin Mei suddenly understood. Lu Qi must have been seen covering her eyes and joking with her, and Xing Zheng had seen it all. "No relationship."
He was in a bad mood at the moment. Lin Mei didn't forget that he had an illness and wouldn't be foolish enough to add fuel to the fire. She explained, "The bank's decision has come out. I'm fine. Lu Qi is from my department, and he just came to congratulate me."
"Heh." He gave a mocking laugh, clearly not believing her. The man's dry fingers pinched her chin, his sharp gaze locked onto her. His thin lips moved, and he sternly warned her, "I don't like sharing a place with others."
"I can reinstate you, and I can put you back on the bench," the man's voice sounded as if mixed with ice shards, cold and unreasonable. "If you don't believe me, you can try."
Lin Mei sneered. She believed him. How could she not? After years in society, she had seen enough of human relationships. For someone like Xing Zheng, dealing with her would be as easy as crushing an ant. At necessary times, showing weakness was the right approach.
Lin Mei looked up at Xing Zheng and said softly, "Thank you."
Lin Mei had always been stubborn. Based on Xing Zheng's understanding of her, he expected her to retort after hearing this. To his surprise, she was so docile today. Xing Zheng's temper subsided by more than half. "Hmm? Thank me for what?"
"About work," Lin Mei said. "I'll do everything I promised you."
Xing Zheng raised an eyebrow, took her hand, and moved it lower. "Is that so? Then let me see your sincerity."
Lin Mei's legs felt weak as she got out of the car more than an hour later.
She had only come down to throw away trash. She had been gone for so long, and Xiao Yue was worried, calling her midway. Lin Mei, being tormented by Xing Zheng, forced herself to remain calm and finished the call.
Xing Zheng truly abided by the terms of their transaction. He pulled up his pants and left without any lingering attachment. On her way back to the ward, Lin Mei thought that perhaps this was for the best. Xing Zheng was clear-headed, and she could be too.
If Xing Zheng were too good to her, she might easily become dependent on him.
She could choose Mingzhou, or even an ordinary person, but she couldn't choose Xing Zheng. He was not someone she could handle.
After a few weeks of bed rest, Ruan Yufei's leg injury had improved considerably. Walking with crutches was no longer a major problem. On Yang Shuo's birthday, Xing Zheng arrived at Ruan Yufei's place with gifts. Ruan Yufei, leaning on crutches, opened the door for Xing Zheng. "Azheng, you're here."
Xing Zheng looked down at Ruan Yufei's leg and casually said, "Where's the helper I arranged for you?"
Ruan Yufei: "The auntie went out to buy things. Grandpa and Grandma are coming tonight for Yang Shuo's birthday, and I want to prepare gifts for them."
"Azheng, please sit down. I'll get you a glass of water... Ah!" Ruan Yufei was extremely enthusiastic towards Xing Zheng. He hadn't visited in a long time, so she wanted to fuss over him. However, in a moment of distraction, she lost her balance and stumbled to the side.
Xing Zheng saw this and immediately stepped forward to help her up.
Ruan Yufei thus fell into Xing Zheng's arms. She smelled the scent of him, a cool, damp cedar fragrance that made her feel longing. Ruan Yufei closed her eyes, leaning against Xing Zheng, unwilling to leave.
Over the years, she had rarely had the chance to be so close to him. There were so many women around him, yet she could never be one of them.
She told herself not to be greedy, but the essence of love was greed. Once you loved, you wanted to possess.
Since anyone could be, why couldn't it be her?