Why was Xing Zheng here?
Recently, her life had been filled with such melodramatic events, one after another, catching her completely off guard.
While Lin Mei was tense, Xing Zheng remained composed. He smiled and asked Lin Mei, "Manager Lin, are you also here to visit Lu Qi?"
With his demeanor, Xing Zheng intended to play along with her in front of Lu Qi. Lin Mei cooperated, nodding and saying, "Lu Qi is a colleague from my department. It's only right."
After saying it, she felt it was unnecessary. Emphasizing their colleague relationship like this made it sound as if she were intentionally explaining something to Xing Zheng. What was there to explain between them?
Xing Zheng broke into a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. It carried a hint of mockery. Lu Qi's attention was focused on Lin Mei and he hadn't noticed Xing Zheng. He heard Lin Mei say "colleague" and feigned sadness, "Just colleagues?"
Lin Mei: "..."
Xing Zheng also said, "As far as I know, Lu Qi got into a fight with other colleagues at the bank because of you, Manager Lin. That doesn't seem like something ordinary colleagues would do."
Lin Mei understood. The scoundrel was mocking her unusual relationship with Lu Qi. Knowing Lu Qi's feelings for her, she wanted to clarify things as soon as possible. "I usually take care of my subordinates, and Lu Qi was just giving me face."
Xing Zheng raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Qi, "Oh, is that so? Lu Qi will be heartbroken when he hears what Manager Lin said."
Lu Qi wasn't heartbroken. He was thick-skinned and not sensitive. He simply fully embraced his shamelessness. Like a fawning dog, he stuck his head in front of Lin Mei, "Yes, I'm so heartbroken, my heart is shattered. You only see me as an ordinary colleague!"
Lu Qi hadn't noticed the dangerous glint in Xing Zheng's eyes. He had an outgoing personality and didn't mind confessing his feelings in front of a third party. Lu Qi grabbed Lin Mei's hand and produced a ring from somewhere.
While Lin Mei was bewildered, Lu Qi spoke with utmost seriousness, "I haven't officially confessed to you yet!"
"Lin Mei, I actually liked you a few days after I joined the company, but you had a boyfriend back then. Although I'm not much, I have principles. I don't snatch girlfriends from others. Of course, I regretted it when I later found out Chen Qi was scum!"
"I will make you the happiest woman in the world, I won't let anyone bully you, and I'll buy you whatever you want. Please consider it, be my girlfriend!"
Young Master Lu's confession was fitting for his age. Lin Mei felt a mix of amusement and exasperation after hearing it. If she had heard such a confession during college, she might have found it touching. But now, at twenty-six, she no longer believed in fairy tales of being protected. The only person she could rely on in this world was herself. This was the generational gap in age and perspective between her and Lu Qi.
Lin Mei rejected Lu Qi, "Lu Qi, I don't have that kind of feeling for you."
She made her stance very clear, "I just broke up, and I don't plan to date for now. Even if I do in the future, I won't consider you. You're too young, and our views are very different. I'm grateful for what you did today, but I hope there won't be a next time."
After saying all this in one breath, Lin Mei suddenly realized that a gaze, like a torch, was fixed on her. Without a doubt, it was Xing Zheng.
Having him witness such an event made Lin Mei feel somewhat awkward. She had only come to bring Lu Qi some food. The food had been delivered, and Lu Qi seemed to be fine. Lin Mei left first. She left in a hurry, and while Lu Qi was stunned after being rejected, Lin Mei had already disappeared.
Watching Lin Mei leave, Lu Qi felt a sense of defeat. He ran a hand through his hair and asked Xing Zheng, "Zheng Ge, wasn't my confession effective?"
Xing Zheng shook his head, "No."
Lu Qi, "Then why didn't she agree? I've rehearsed it several times. Isn't today, after my heroic rescue, the perfect time to confess?"
Xing Zheng chuckled. He glanced at his watch, walked over, and patted Lu Qi's shoulder. "Rest well. I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
Lu Qi, engrossed in his confusion about Lin Mei's rejection, paid no attention to Xing Zheng's departure.
Xing Zheng exited Lu Qi's ward and strode towards the elevator. The hospital elevator was slow. Lin Mei waited for a few minutes but it hadn't arrived yet. Xing Zheng stood beside her, "You have great charm, don't you?"
Lin Mei couldn't be bothered to bicker with Xing Zheng. She glanced at him sideways and said, "I have something to discuss with you."
Xing Zheng, "Oh, discuss what? Whether you should accept Lu Qi?"
Lin Mei, "You're crazy."
Ding, the elevator arrived. Lin Mei squeezed in. The elevator was crowded. As soon as she entered, she was jostled and stumbled, her face pressing against Xing Zheng's chest.
Xing Zheng generously put his arm around her and leaned close to her ear, smiling, "So eager to throw yourself into my arms?"
Lin Mei was furious. She raised her foot and stepped on his leather shoe. Seeing Xing Zheng wince in pain, she felt a little better.
Xing Zheng wasn't angry about Lin Mei's small action. On the contrary, he thoroughly enjoyed her temper and rebelliousness, finding it much more lively than her submissive demeanor.
Lin Mei and Xing Zheng arrived at the underground parking lot. Xing Zheng followed her into her car and sat in the passenger seat, observing the interior.
This was Xing Zheng's first time in Lin Mei's car. A small white rabbit charm hung inside, the seat covers were also white, and there were rabbit ears on the steering wheel. The car's interior decor didn't quite match her usual outward image, but rather resembled her state in front of him.
Lin Mei organized her thoughts and began speaking to Xing Zheng, "You know about Lu Qi and Zong Zong fighting, right?"
Xing Zheng raised his hand, his slender fingers fiddling with the small white rabbit charm above his head. His index finger poked the ears of the little toy, and he responded nonchalantly, "I know. A hero saving the beauty. It's going to be a celebrated tale in your industry."
The latter half of his sentence was clearly sarcastic, but it also made Lin Mei guess the reason behind Director Sun's actions. "Why did you tell Director Sun about our business?"
"Our business? What business do we have?" Xing Zheng asked indifferently. He pinched the rabbit's ears with two fingers. The small toy's expression instantly became very pitiful, overlapping with the woman in front of him.
Lin Mei was exasperated, "Don't play word games!"
Xing Zheng turned his hand to stroke her face, "What else? Should I just watch him bully you? Do you think someone as cunning as him would protect someone without a background?"
Lin Mei's mind went blank, and she blurted out, "He won't protect people without a background, but can you be my background forever?"
Before her words had even fallen, Xing Zheng let out an ambiguous laugh. He hooked her chin with his finger and looked into her eyes, "Forever? What are you hinting at?"
Lin Mei then realized she had spoken out of turn. Xing Zheng must be laughing at her overestimation of her own abilities, daring to talk about forever with him!