Lin Mei’s cheeks immediately flushed hot. She was annoyed, truly having been captivated by his earnest and affectionate gaze. The latter part was what he truly wanted to convey, wasn’t it!
Lin Mei brushed his hand away, cursed him as a lunatic, and walked back. Compared to staying with Xing Zheng, she’d rather go back and watch the elders play mahjong. Though boring, it was at least safe.
Xing Zheng didn’t stop her. He smoked, blowing smoke rings, watching her retreating figure. An unidentifiable emotion churned in his eyes, obscured by the swirling smoke, making them dim and inscrutable.
Lin Mei had expected her parents, Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue, to return home after playing mahjong for a while that afternoon. To her surprise, they were so engrossed that even as dusk settled, they showed no signs of leaving. Lin Mei prompted, "Dad, Mom, it's getting late. We should go back and cook."
Upon hearing this, Xu Shang and Xie Junyao said, "Why cook? Eat here tonight. You can go back after dinner."
Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue agreed, so Lin Mei had no choice but to stay with them. They left only after finishing dinner. Fortunately, Xing Zheng had left early due to prior engagements that afternoon. Although Ruan Yufei and her son were present at dinner, Lin Mei didn't feel as constrained as she had at lunch.
The next morning, as soon as Lin Mei woke up and checked WeChat, she discovered she had been added to a group chat. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be her high school classmates' group, and the former class monitor was organizing a reunion.
Lin Mei chuckled wryly. It seemed one truly couldn't lie, otherwise, everything one said would come true. Lin Mei had been popular in high school, and after graduation, she hadn't attended a reunion with her high school classmates for many years. Seeing the lively messages in the group, Lin Mei joined in.
The reunion was scheduled for the next day. After getting the time and location, Lin Mei thought of Ning Rui. Ning Rui had told her that day that Li Xun didn't allow her to go out. She really wanted to escape that environment and get some fresh air. Lin Mei messaged Ning Rui about the reunion, asking if she wanted to come out. Ning Rui naturally did, so Lin Mei decided to visit Li Xun’s place herself.
Li Xun had mentioned that day that if she wished, she could always visit Ning Rui at the villa. Seeing Lin Mei arrive, Li Xun opened the door and invited her in, smiling as he said, "You've come at the perfect time. Rui Rui isn't in a good mood today. Seeing you will surely make her very happy."
When Li Xun mentioned Ning Rui, his tone was very gentle. If Lin Mei hadn't heard about what he had done to Ning Rui's family, she would have thought he was a good boyfriend who doted on Ning Rui.
Lin Mei said to Li Xun, "Mr. Li, I have a humble request."
Li Xun showed interest, "Oh? Miss Lin, please speak freely."
Lin Mei: "There's a high school reunion tomorrow. I'd like to go with Ning Rui. Is that possible?"
Li Xun smiled and readily agreed, "Of course. I'll have a driver take you both there."
Arranging a driver meant he could monitor their movements at any time. No wonder he agreed. However, being able to go out to a reunion was already a luxury for Ning Rui.
Lin Mei thanked Li Xun and was about to go upstairs to find Ning Rui when Li Xun engaged her in small talk, "Didn't you go to see Xing Zheng today?"
Lin Mei: "..." It was an unanswerable question.
Li Xun chuckled, "He came back specifically to find you. I thought he'd be pestering you every day."
Lin Mei gave a dry smile, thinking that Li Xun probably didn't know her relationship with Xing Zheng. "Mr. Li thinks too highly of me."
Li Xun: "No, I just think he likes you a lot."
Lin Mei: "Mr. Li is such a joker. I'm going to see Ning Rui." It was best to end this meaningless conversation as soon as possible.
Li Xun sat on the living room sofa, recalling Lin Mei's reaction from earlier, and smiled. He took out his phone and dialed Xing Zheng's number.
The driver for the reunion was arranged by Li Xun. Lin Mei and Ning Rui were driven to the restaurant where they were having lunch. As soon as they entered the private room, they were surrounded. Lin Mei chatted and laughed with her classmates. Ning Rui, unlike the outgoing Lin Mei, stood quietly to the side. Having not seen so many people for a long time, she was very excited.
Many of their former high school classmates were married with children. The class monitor had stayed in Xiangxi and became a civil servant. He married early, and his son was already in kindergarten. After the meal, they went to a KTV. The reunion was very lively.
Lin Mei drank quite a bit of beer and needed to use the restroom. When she came out, she happened to run into Zhang Xiao. Zhang Xiao had pursued Lin Mei in high school, but she had rejected him at the time. In their youthful ignorance, Lin Mei no longer dwelled on such matters.
Seeing Zhang Xiao, she still politely greeted him. Zhang Xiao also smiled at her, "You didn't come to the last reunion, so I thought you wouldn't come this time either."
The last reunion must have been a few years ago. It coincided with her first year of employment. At that time, she had spent Chinese New Year with Chen Qi in Nanjiang and naturally had no time to attend. "I was busy last time."
Zhang Xiao: "I heard you're working at Nanjiang Bank now?"
Lin Mei: "Yes. And you?"
Zhang Xiao: "At the tax bureau."
Lin Mei: "That's good. Stable."
Zhang Xiao: "Yes, stable. Your work must be quite demanding, right?"
Lin Mei: "It's alright."
Zhang Xiao looked at the woman before him and praised, "You've gotten so much prettier after not seeing you for a few years. Have you found a boyfriend? Actually, you women don't need to work so hard. It's great to find a man with good conditions and marry him, becoming a full-time housewife."
Lin Mei couldn't agree with his views. "I quite like my job."
Zhang Xiao seemed to sense her displeasure and smiled, saying, "I'm just saying, don't take it to heart. So, do you have a boyfriend now?"
Just as Lin Mei was about to say, "I have no plans for that," she saw Xing Zheng suddenly appear.
She didn't know when he had arrived, but he strode over to her side and forcefully pulled her into his embrace.
Seeing the man with such a powerful aura, nearly a head taller than himself, Zhang Xiao felt a chill down his spine. "Lin Mei, this is..."
"Her boyfriend," Xing Zheng stated.
Zhang Xiao: "Oh, oh, I see. Well, you two chat. I'll be going back now!" His intuition told him the man opposite him was not to be trifled with.
Zhang Xiao left. Lin Mei tried to break free, but Xing Zheng held her tighter, pressing her against the corridor wall. "Quite the charmer. Wherever you go, someone's always thinking of you. How can you be so good at attracting men, huh?"
Lin Mei didn't want to argue with him. His words were clearly meant to pick a fight. Xing Zheng didn't mind her silence. He leaned down and kissed her ear, "Go get your things and come with me."
Lin Mei furrowed her delicate brows. Go with him? To where?
As if sensing her confusion, the man moved closer to her lips, his breath hot, "If you don't want to go to a hotel, you can do it here too." With that, his actions became even more unrestrained.
Lin Mei's breathing became uneven, her head swimming from his teasing. Just as she was feeling dizzy, she suddenly heard a cough. She looked and saw it was a classmate!
Lin Mei wished she could find a hole to crawl into. The classmate, however, smiled and said to Lin Mei, "You two continue, continue."