Ming Zhou looked at Lin Mei and said, "I heard you like to eat snow pears, Teacher Lin. My partners just sent some, so I brought them for you to try."
Lin Mei tidied her hair self-consciously, but this subconscious movement revealed marks on her neck. Ming Zhou's gaze paused for a moment, his eyes gradually darkening. He was no longer an ignorant child; the crisscrossing marks on Lin Mei's neck were clearly love bites.
Ming Zhou asked Lin Mei, "Did you rest well last night? How did you sleep?"
Lin Mei didn't find anything amiss with the question and replied, "Very well."
"But you don't look very well, as if you're tired," Ming Zhou observed her closely and cautioned, "You should still pay attention to resting. Your health is important."
Lin Mei nodded and thanked Ming Zhou. After a brief chat, Ming Zhou prepared to leave. Lin Zhengde intended to matchmake Lin Mei and Ming Zhou, so he asked Lin Mei to see Ming Zhou out. Lin Mei also wanted to inquire about Xing Zheng with Ming Zhou, so she accompanied him downstairs.
Once they reached the ground floor of the hospital building, Ming Zhou asked Lin Mei, "Have the bank matters been resolved?"
Lin Mei replied, "Yes, I'll go back to work after my father's surgery. I have a lot of work piled up."
Ming Zhou said, "Don't rush. Teacher Lin's surgery is the most important thing right now. Everything else can wait."
"Shuang Mu is urging me quite a bit. It's rare for the bank to have such a large client. If I don't pay attention, what if they switch banks?" Lin Mei casually brought up Shuang Mu's matters with Ming Zhou.
Ming Zhou smiled, "That won't happen. Since Ah Zheng has chosen your bank, he'll definitely want to cooperate long-term."
The conversation turned to Xing Zheng, and Lin Mei knew this was a good opportunity to gather information. She smiled and asked, "Do you know Mr. Xing well, Senior? Have you known each other for a long time?"
"At least ten years. We were in the same school in junior high. He transferred in when he was in the second year," Ming Zhou recalled. "Ah Zheng used to be very quiet. In middle school, I barely heard him speak. But his grades were always excellent. He could have gone to T University for college, but I don't know what he was thinking, he applied to Nanjiang University."
Lin Mei asked, "Did he study at Nanjiang University for college?"
"Yes, for over a semester, and then he went abroad," Ming Zhou told Lin Mei. "When he was at Nanjiang University, he majored in Economics and Management, the same department as you."
Lin Mei had only known that Xing Zheng had studied at Nan Da before, but she hadn't expected him to be from the School of Economics and Trade. The School of Economics and Trade often had classes that were shared among several majors, and freshmen and sophomores had many general education courses. She had never seen Xing Zheng even once!
Ming Zhou had the same thought as Lin Mei. He studied Lin Mei and asked, "Didn't you see him in college?"
"No," Lin Mei shook her head. "I thought Mr. Xing graduated from Penn, I didn't even know he had studied at Nan Da."
"He went to Nan Da due to some family reasons, it wasn't his intention," Ming Zhou recalled. "His personality only changed after he went abroad. Before, he barely spoke, but now he handles social events with ease. It hasn't been easy for him all these years."
Lin Mei fell into thought. Ming Zhou said Xing Zheng barely spoke before and only changed after going abroad. She immediately thought of Xing Zheng's illness.
It seemed that what people said about mental illnesses causing drastic personality changes was true. Lin Mei's mind flashed to the medications in Xing Zheng's bedside cabinet, and her brows furrowed.
Ming Zhou looked at Lin Mei, also lost in thought. He had never suspected anything between Lin Mei and Xing Zheng before, but the last time Xing Zheng came to the hospital, Ming Zhou felt something was off. Coupled with Lin Mei's inquiries about Xing Zheng today, and those marks on her neck…
Ming Zhou knew that Xing Zheng had no scruples when it came to women. If Lin Mei was also tempted by him, she would surely get hurt.
"Why did you suddenly think of asking about Ah Zheng today?" Ming Zhou asked Lin Mei with a smile. His tone was normal, betraying nothing, but Lin Mei felt guilty without realizing it. She forced a smile, "Just asking casually, perhaps out of gossip for a client, hehe."
Ming Zhou raised an eyebrow, "I didn't expect junior sister to have such a wicked curiosity."
Lin Mei replied, "We're all ordinary people. If others have it, I naturally do too."
Ming Zhou said, "That's true. But you and Ah Zheng are quite familiar, why don't you just ask him directly?"
Lin Mei sensed something was wrong. Ming Zhou seemed to have hidden meanings. He was so intelligent; could he suspect something? "Mr. Xing is a client. How would I dare?"
With that one sentence, she clarified their relationship and stance. Lin Mei saw Ming Zhou to the parking area. After Ming Zhou left, Lin Mei racked her brain again to recall her college days, still finding nothing.
Ming Zhou had just mentioned that Xing Zheng went abroad due to family reasons. Lin Mei suddenly remembered that she didn't seem to know much about Xing Zheng's family background. The information Lan Lan had gathered for her in the past was all about Xing Zheng's powerful acquisitions abroad, and besides that, there was his fiancée, Jiang Chubbi.
Jiang Chubbi's family background was easy to investigate. The Jiang family owned the Jiang Group, and Jiang Chubbi had always been high-profile, often appearing in the media. With a family like Jiang Chubbi's, her fiancé would certainly not be an ordinary person…
Lin Zhengde underwent another pre-operative examination that afternoon. All indicators were normal. The attending physician scheduled the surgery for the day after tomorrow. Before the surgery, Lin Mei was called to the office to sign the consent form.
The consent form listed all potential risks during and after the surgery. Lin Mei was already a bit nervous, and after reading the form, she became even more so. But no matter how nervous she was, she still had to sign.
After signing, she waited for the surgery.
The day of Lin Zhengde's surgery was a Saturday. Early in the morning, Lan Lan and Feng Feng arrived to help.
The surgery lasted over four hours, from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon. The process was very smooth. When the doctor announced that the surgery was a complete success, Lin Mei breathed a sigh of relief, while Xiao Yue was moved to tears.
Lin Zhengde underwent minimally invasive surgery, so he didn't have any major wounds. Post-operative recovery didn't require much care. Lin Mei stayed at the hospital for two days and then returned to work at the bank.
During the period Lin Mei was suspended for investigation, the bank had been turned upside down. As soon as she returned, the gossip followed.
During lunch, a female colleague who had always disliked Lin Mei walked over and sarcastically said, "Manager Lin is indeed capable. Having someone to back her up makes all the difference. Her position is more stable than anyone else's. I wonder how Manager Lin found such a powerful patron? Can you introduce me?"
Lin Mei glanced at her. She didn't even want to waste words on such a clown. Xiao Fang wanted to retort for her, but Lin Mei stopped her.
No one else chimed in, leaving the woman in an awkward silence. At this moment, Zong Zong stepped in and said, "If you offend Manager Lin, you'll be the next one to be fired."