For some reason, Lin Mei heard a lot of complex emotions in his short two words. She told Xing Zheng the process of how she met Xie Qin Jia, concisely, finishing in a few sentences.
After hearing this, Xing Zheng did not react. He was as indifferent as if nothing had happened. Lin Mei fell silent again, and the only sounds in the restaurant were the two of them eating noodles.
Xing Zheng finished eating first. He got up and left. Lin Mei unhurriedly finished the remaining half bowl of noodles, cleaned the kitchen, and then went out. When she got outside, Xing Zheng was nowhere to be seen. Lin Mei looked at the shoe cabinet, and his shoes were also gone. He must have left.
Lin Mei let out a long sigh, feeling exhausted. It was good that he left; she had wanted him to leave anyway. It would be better for both of them to break up sooner and be free. Lin Mei returned to the bedroom and went to look for the jade. She had intended to have it repaired by a reliable person tomorrow, but she found that the jade was gone, and only the car keys were left on the bedside table.
Lin Mei immediately thought of Xing Zheng!
Lin Mei went to find her phone, intending to call Xing Zheng. When she reached the desk, she found that a space on the shelf of the desk was also empty. This was the spot she had cleared that afternoon while tidying up the small items Xing Yan had given her. Now, everything on the shelf was gone!
Lin Mei's eyes turned red with anger. She picked up her phone and called Xing Zheng, but the call indicated that the other party had turned off their phone. Lin Mei had no choice but to send him a WeChat message. To get her things back, she spoke to him politely, sending several messages. However, the messages were like stones cast into the sea, with no reply.
Lin Mei, exhausted, fell asleep. She kept dreaming throughout the night. The next morning, she was woken by the ringing of a phone. Lin Mei, who had been drowsy, became instantly clear-headed upon hearing the ring.
She thought it was Xing Zheng, but when she looked at the screen, it was Xie Qin Jia. Lin Mei answered, "Aunt Xie."
"I made a fool of myself last night," Xie Qin Jia's emotions had improved considerably after a night. Her voice had returned to its usual gentle tone when she spoke. Lin Mei could not associate her with the hysterical person she had seen.
"It's alright, are you okay?" Lin Mei asked, concerned about Xie Qin Jia.
Xie Qin Jia replied, "Whether I'm okay or not, I've gotten through these years."
Lin Mei choked, not knowing how to comfort her, nor whether she should tell her about her acquaintance with Xing Yan. After finishing her conversation with Lin Mei, Xie Qin Jia ended the call. Lin Mei lay on the bed, opened WeChat, and the messages she had sent last night still had not received a reply from Xing Zheng.
Helplessly, Lin Mei had to call him again. This time, his phone was not turned off, but there was no answer. Lin Mei sent another text message to probe. When she saw that the status of the sent message changed to "Read," she knew that Xing Zheng had not ignored her phone, but was deliberately not answering calls or replying to messages.
Feeling restless, Lin Mei arranged to meet Lan Lan and Feng Feng for brunch. Lin Mei, who had organized the gathering, was the last to arrive. She hadn't even put on makeup, and her face was pale.
As soon as she sat down, Lan Lan propped her chin on her hand and examined her. "What's wrong with you? A cold or a fever?"
Saying this, she reached out to feel her forehead. "Your temperature is normal. Why do you look so sickly?"
Lin Mei touched the water glass and said, "The wealthy lady I unintentionally helped a few days ago is Xing Zheng's mother."
Lin Mei had mentioned Xie Qin Jia's situation to the two of them before. When she went to Xie Qin Jia's birthday banquet last night, Lin Mei had even asked them for advice on gifts. Therefore, as soon as she mentioned it, Lan Lan and Feng Feng understood. "What?!"
Lan Lan couldn't help but raise her voice. Her face was filled with shock. "This is so dramatic. Then you saw him last night, didn't you?"
Feng Feng asked, "Does Ms. Xie know about your relationship with Xing Zheng?"
If it were just a chance encounter at such an event, Lin Mei wouldn't have such an exaggerated reaction. Something else must have happened. Feng Feng thought for a moment and suddenly hit upon a key point: "So, Xing Yan is also her son?"
"Holy crap, what a coincidence. Last night you guys..."
"She really dislikes Xing Zheng," Lin Mei told them what she had seen and heard last night. "Zhao Jiang He said that when Xing Yan had his car accident, Xing Zheng was driving. There were three people in the car: Xing Zheng, Xing Yan, and their cousin. The other two died, only Xing Zheng survived."
Lan Lan exclaimed, "Wait, does that mean my previous guess was correct? Xing Yan was really killed by Xing Zheng, which is why his mother has this attitude towards him?"
"Was it really him?" Feng Feng asked. Such a matter could not be joked about.
Lin Mei shook her head and nodded. "I don't know either."
She was conflicted, having suspicions but not really wanting to face them. Even though she had known for a long time that Xing Zheng was not a good person, the gap between "not a good person" and "murderer" was still very large.
"His illness should be related to this matter. Have you asked him?" Feng Feng said to Lin Mei. "Since you now know his identity, you should talk to him. What is his purpose in approaching you? Is it just because you had a relationship with Xing Yan that never started?"
If it was truly just for that reason, then Xing Zheng's jealousy towards Xing Yan would have twisted to an extreme, wanting to possess everything and everyone related to him.
Lin Mei nodded under Feng Feng's gaze. "He wasn't raised by Aunt Xie since he was young. Zhao Jiang He said he grew up with a nanny. Aunt Xie only took care of Xing Yan and didn't pay much attention to him. She rarely spoke to him. Later, when Xing Yan had his accident, he was kicked out and still can't go back."
This level of favoritism astonished Lan Lan and Feng Feng. They all said that parents couldn't be perfectly fair, and it was normal to favor one child, but to this extent, it made one suspicious.
Lan Lan blurted out, "Could Xing Zheng be an illegitimate son his father had outside the family?" This seemed to be the only explanation.
However, Lin Mei shook her head. "Xing Zheng asked his father the same question last night."
Lan Lan was speechless.
With such a huge disparity in treatment between biological brothers from the same parents, she could somewhat understand why Xing Zheng's psychology had become twisted. If it were her, she might have been even more extreme than Xing Zheng. "Why do I feel like this whole family is not quite normal?"
The scene of Xie Qin Jia confronting Xing Zheng last night flashed through Lin Mei's mind. She shared the same thought as Lan Lan. Mental illnesses often have genetic factors, and Xing Zheng's illness was by no means accidental.
On Sunday evening, Lin Mei tried calling and messaging Xing Zheng again, wanting to retrieve Xing Yan's belongings, but Xing Zheng still did not respond. Lin Mei had no choice but to go find him during the week when she went to Shuangmu for settlement.
With this matter in mind, Lin Mei finished her work early that afternoon. Zhuang Wan did not come to find her this time, so she went to Xing Zheng's office herself. After receiving permission, she walked in.
Seeing Xing Zheng again after four days, he had returned to his usual unapproachable demeanor. When he saw her, his gaze was as cold as if he were looking at a stranger. He unceremoniously told her to "Get out."