His tall frame leaned entirely against her. Lin Mei reflexively grabbed his shoulders. The significant difference in their height and weight meant she could barely support his weight. Her legs were already weak, and now she could barely stand. But he was lifeless; if not for the faint breath she could feel, she might have thought he was already a corpse.
Lin Mei trembled, trying to call his name, "Xing Zheng, Xing Zheng?"
There was no response.
She remembered that Xie Qin Jia would also faint like this when her condition flared up, but she couldn't be sure why Xing Zheng had collapsed. Lin Mei used all her strength to help Xing Zheng onto the bed, then called Shen Su.
Shen Su was surprised, "Lin Mei?"
"I'm at Zhuhua Villa," Lin Mei didn't have time to explain much. "Xing Zheng had an episode and fainted. I don't know what to do."
"I'll be right there! Look after him!" Shen Su's tone immediately became serious.
After hanging up with Shen Su, Lin Mei finally stopped feeling so lost and helpless. It was the first time she had seen Xing Zheng unconscious. His face was haggard, his lips dry and tinged with purple, making him look incredibly fragile.
Lin Mei's self-reproach intensified. If he had truly fainted because of the few words she had just spoken…
Shen Su did not come alone; Zhou Yue accompanied him. Lin Mei had researched Zhou Yue's information before and recognized him at a glance.
Zhou Yue entered the bedroom and began examining Xing Zheng's condition. Shen Su stood with Lin Mei, his expression grave. Zhou Yue spent a few minutes examining Xing Zheng and then told Shen Su, "He seems to have been provoked."
After speaking, Zhou Yue looked at Lin Mei. "What happened before he fainted?"
Lin Mei found those words difficult to say and remained silent. Later, Shen Su asked her again, "When did you find out about his illness?"
When Lin Mei had called him earlier, she had blurted out "Xing Zheng had an episode." As far as he knew, Xing Zheng had never told Lin Mei about his illness; he had even wanted to keep it from her.
"His symptoms are very similar to Aunt Xie's. I know this illness can be hereditary, so I guessed," Lin Mei offered a seemingly plausible reason. Shen Su listened, observing her for a moment, and it was unclear if he believed her.
Zhou Yue asked again, "What did you say? Did you mention his mother in front of him?"
Lin Mei's expression changed slightly. So, Xing Zheng had indeed fainted because of her words. She felt guilty, knowing she shouldn't have said them, but she didn't hide anything and recounted the conversation to Zhou Yue. "I'm sorry, we were arguing, and I wasn't thinking."
Although Xing Zheng had been excessive, she genuinely felt remorse. After hearing Lin Mei's account, Zhou Yue remarked, "You really know how to twist the knife."
His words were not accusatory; Zhou Yue said them in an extremely ordinary tone, yet Lin Mei felt a pang of guilt. She was a kind person by nature, and Xing Zheng had angered her so much today that she had spoken without thinking. She pursed her lips and remained silent. Zhou Yue then said to her, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not blaming you. From another perspective, this is also a sign of you understanding him."
Lin Mei: "..." She hadn't expected such an interpretation. "Is he alright? When will he wake up?"
Zhou Yue: "Tonight or tomorrow. Can you stay to look after him?"
Lin Mei had intended to say "it's inconvenient," but seeing the unconscious man on the bed, those three words couldn't be uttered. She nodded gently, agreeing to Zhou Yue's request to stay and care for Xing Zheng, also wanting to formally apologize to him when he woke up.
Zhou Yue had other matters to attend to. After confirming that Xing Zheng was not in serious danger, he left. Shen Su stayed behind, and the two sat down in the living room.
Shen Su asked Lin Mei, "Did you two argue today?" If they hadn't been arguing, with Lin Mei's temperament, she wouldn't have said such hurtful things.
Lin Mei nodded but didn't tell Shen Su why they had argued; it was not convenient to discuss such matters. Shen Su was also a person of discretion and didn't pry, merely saying to Lin Mei, "His condition has been fluctuating. When he has an episode, he might say some things. Just pretend you didn't hear them."
Lin Mei knew very well what kind of things he was referring to. "Does he treat you all like this too?"
"Like what? Say unpleasant things?" Shen Su asked, puzzled. Lin Mei nodded, curious if Xing Zheng treated his friends the same way.
Shen Su chuckled, "If you knew what he did during his most severe episodes, you'd realize that saying unpleasant things is nothing."
Shen Su's smile was not a joking one; it carried a deep sense of helplessness and bitterness. Lin Mei asked him, "What did he do?"
"Do you know how many conditions he's been diagnosed with?" Shen Su said to Lin Mei. "Borderline personality disorder, with bipolar disorder, severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and pronounced suicidal and self-destructive tendencies."
Lin Mei remembered these; she had seen them on a diagnosis report in the study. What truly shocked her were Shen Su's subsequent words: "Back then, he had just gone to Philadelphia. When he was undergoing treatment, Gu Song and I went to see him. The first time we saw him, his lower legs were covered in cuts from knives; there was hardly any intact skin. He would even cut off pieces of flesh. Have you noticed? There are many scars on his left lower leg."
Lin Mei hadn't noticed, but just listening to Shen Su's description made her heart ache…
"He would also use saline solution to irritate those wounds. Whatever self-harming or self-mutilating methods you can think of, he's used them all," Shen Su said. "So, I'd rather he say hurtful things."
Lin Mei was speechless. Shen Su then asked her casually, "Do you know why he cut his left leg?"
Lin Mei: "Why?"
Shen Su: "During the car accident that year, Brother Xing Yan used his left leg to shield him."
Lin Mei was speechless. She knew very little about that car accident. She had only heard Xie Qin Jia mention it before, and she thought Xing Zheng hadn't been in life-threatening danger during that accident.
Shen Su asked Lin Mei, "Do you also think the car accident was intentional?"
Lin Mei shook her head and denied it, "No."
Shen Su: "Aunt Xie probably didn't tell you that after the car accident, he was in the ICU for nearly half a month. He had a severe comminuted fracture in his right leg and almost became crippled. He used crutches for a whole semester in his first year of university."
This detail coincided with what Lan Lan had learned from Liang Yu Feng.
Xing Zheng woke up at seven in the evening. The bedroom was empty. His mouth was dry and parched. He took his medicine and swallowed it dry, then stumbled downstairs to find some water.
The lights in the living room downstairs were on. Xing Zheng frowned. As he approached the kitchen, he heard movement from inside. After a few more steps, he saw Lin Mei busy in the kitchen. She had just finished stir-frying a dish and was plating it. As she turned, their eyes met.
During severe episodes, he often experienced hallucinations. He touched his temples, but then he heard a voice, "I made dinner. Let's eat together."
His movements froze. He looked at her again… wasn't it a hallucination?