The man before her, his expression shifting rapidly, gave Lin Mei her first inkling of being able to gauge his emotions.
She laughed. Compared to what she had endured, this was nothing. Even if she wanted to provoke him, she couldn't say words as hurtful as he did. Lin Mei saw his lips tremble subtly, indicating he was likely furious.
He was always this possessive. Hearing that she had done such a thing to another man, this was bound to happen. The angrier he became, the calmer Lin Mei grew. Reason reminded her, "Let go of me. I don't like anyone touching me except my boyfriend."
Each mention of "boyfriend" struck Xing Zheng's soft spot. His rationality was shattered. Looking at the mouth that only knew how to anger him, an impulse surged, and he lowered his head to bite her.
Lin Mei raised her arm to push him, but he subdued her. They were like fighters, poised for battle.
When Xing Sha emerged, he saw this scene. With a stern face, he walked over and called out Xing Zheng's name. This immediately calmed them both down.
Xing Zheng released Lin Mei. They both looked at Xing Sha. Lin Mei's cheeks burned. Xing Sha had seen that just now. What would he think of her?
"When did you two start?" Xing Sha's tone was calm, not angry, but Lin Mei couldn't shake off her tension. She unconsciously pursed her lips, her heartbeat quickening.
In her nervousness, Xing Zheng was the first to answer, "She and I have no relationship."
Lin Mei pursed her lips tighter, feeling too embarrassed to look at Xing Sha. Xing Zheng continued, "I just saw her acting out, playing around."
Lin Mei's lips turned pale. In terms of hurtful words, she could never match Xing Zheng. "I... I'm going back first."
Before Xing Sha could reply, Lin Mei ran off. Xing Sha saw her unsteady steps and his gaze turned complex. He spoke to Xing Zheng, "Since you're marrying Chu Bi, control yourself. If you can't be faithful to marriage, don't get the license. You're twenty-seven already..."
"We haven't gotten the license yet." Not now, and never in the future. "I'm going back."
"Don't change the subject, wait!" Xing Sha stopped Xing Zheng. He glanced towards the villa gate and lowered his voice, admonishing Xing Zheng, "Don't provoke Lin Mei."
Xing Sha rarely spoke to Xing Zheng in such a lecturing tone. Xing Zheng chuckled meaningfully, "Is it because my mother likes her, or because Ah Yan likes her?"
"You know your mother likes her, and you still provoke her. If she finds out, there'll be no end to it," Xing Sha said. "She's finally stopped causing trouble recently, don't add to it."
"I can't," Xing Zheng's tone was flat, as if he wasn't resisting but stating a fact. "She's already mine. She was, and she always will be."
With that, he returned to the villa, leaving Xing Sha no chance to ask questions. Xing Sha had a headache. His son and mother were alike; he couldn't manage either of them. If Xie Qin Jia found out about Xing Zheng and Lin Mei's affair, the roof would surely be blown off!
Xu Ying's team gathering was in the evening. To blend in with the "youngsters," Lin Mei specifically wore flats, a hoodie, and jeans. She didn't wear makeup and carried a canvas bag before heading to the appointment.
This was the first time Xu Ying had seen Lin Mei dressed like this. He almost didn't recognize her when he saw her. "You look really beautiful today!"
Lin Mei laughed, "Really? I'm not wearing makeup."
"It's precisely because you're not wearing makeup that you look even more beautiful, at most twenty years old." Xu Ying made a "2" gesture. Paired with his bright smile, Lin Mei's mood was lifted, and she laughed with him.
Xu Ying brought Lin Mei to the center of the venue and formally introduced her to the team. The team consisted of people around Xu Ying's age, many eighteen or nineteen, very young. Lin Mei had worried about not fitting in, but she found they had quite a bit in common.
The gathering ended, and they had a great time. After that day, Lin Mei didn't see Xing Zheng for over half a month. During this period, she met Xu Ying very frequently. They played the role of boyfriend and girlfriend so convincingly that they fooled many people.
Even Lan Lan was curious if they were really together. "Are you and Xu Ying going to turn this fake relationship into a real one?"
At that moment, Lin Mei was having brunch with Lan Lan and Feng Feng. Lan Lan was scrolling through her social media and saw a gift Lin Mei had given Xu Ying on his feed – the latest racing suit, costing five figures. "You're like a rich woman keeping a gigolo. Finally know how good younger men are, right?"
That racing suit had cost Lin Mei several months' salary, but she didn't care much. "If you ask someone for help, you have to give them some compensation."
"You think it's compensation, but he definitely doesn't see it that way," Lan Lan said, looking at her phone. "You have quite the potential to be a 'scamming' woman. If you showed this attitude to scam Xing Zheng, it would be so much better."
Scam Xing Zheng? For some reason, Lin Mei recalled the scene at the Xing family villa when Xing Zheng was provoked by her. She remembered his expression to this day. It was indeed exhilarating.
Lin Mei told Lan Lan about it and asked, "Is this considered scamming him?"
"This is at most tit-for-tat, what kind of scamming is this? But, it's not easy for you," Lan Lan advised Lin Mei, "Anyway, it's impossible for you two to be together right now. Since you've already found Xu Ying as a cover, you might as well make good use of him, stimulate Xing Zheng, and settle all the past scores."
Feng Feng nodded in approval and shared the latest news with Lin Mei. "Jiang Corporation and Rong Shi jointly sponsored last quarter's championship. There's an exchange banquet in a few days."
Lin Mei was startled. Xu Ying had told her about this a few days ago and wanted to invite her to attend. She had agreed, but he hadn't revealed who the sponsors were. "Xu Ying told me."
Lan Lan laughed. "I'm going too. Mr. Feng, how about it, want to watch the show together?"
Lan Lan and Feng Feng both had the attitude of not minding a bit of drama. Lin Mei thought that if she didn't perform well, she would disappoint them.
When it came to provoking men, Lan Lan was the most experienced and skilled. She chattered away to Lin Mei, who took it all to heart, planning to select a few moves to deal with Xing Zheng on the day of the banquet.
Lan Lan was right. She couldn't always be the passive one in this relationship. Otherwise, even if Xing Zheng eventually resolved everything and they ended up together, she would still be controlled by him as before. She didn't want to continue like this.
After a day out, Lin Mei was in high spirits. She returned in the evening. As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Xing Sha, who had been waiting for her.
After she and Xing Zheng were discovered by Xing Sha last time, Lin Mei hadn't had the courage to go to the Xing family villa again. Now that he had come looking for her, Lin Mei couldn't help but feel flustered, yet she couldn't escape.
Xing Sha seemed to sense her nervousness and said with a smile, "No need to be nervous, just a casual chat. Do you mind if I come up for a bit?"