At this moment, the group chat was abuzz with news of Lin Mei allegedly seducing Xing Zheng back in the day and being caught by Jiang Chu Bi, the "legitimate wife."
"Although all the news has been deleted, everyone remembers, right? Lin Mei is truly scheming; she started back then."
"She's very capable. How many people can reach a manager position after only a few years of work?"
"She's successfully married into a wealthy family. Will she come back to work in the future?"
"She actually managed to push Jiang Chu Bi aside and climb her way up as a mistress. Impressive!"
The group chat was lively, discussing matters Xing Zheng preferred not to mention. He took his phone, locked the screen, and set it aside. "Stop looking."
Lin Mei simply replied, "Oh." After experiencing so much, her mindset was no longer as fragile as before. Even at the center of a storm, she could maintain her composure, making Xing Zheng appear overly agitated.
"I'll have Zhuang Wan notify Shuang Mu's public relations department to issue a statement," Xing Zheng had already made his decision. "We'll announce our marriage now."
He had no intention of hiding it. Lin Mei had suffered too much for him in the past. Now that they were starting anew, he wouldn't repeat the same mistakes. If Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue saw these comments, they would surely blame him.
Lin Mei replied, "Oh." Announcing their marriage publicly was only a matter of time, and she didn't refuse. With more and more slander being thrown her way, she wouldn't let people spread rumors like this.
Xing Zheng quickly notified Zhuang Wan. After discussing with the public relations department, Shuang Mu Group announced Xing Zheng and Lin Mei's marriage on all its official platforms, denying the claims of "mother's virtue leading to son's status" and "mistress's rise."
Xing Zheng's reputation preceded him. As soon as news of his marriage broke, it quickly spread throughout the financial circles. With Shuang Mu openly protecting Lin Mei, even if someone wanted to question it, they wouldn't dare to speak rashly.
Indeed, after the announcement, the internal bank group chat immediately ceased its discussions. Once these matters were settled, Lin Mei posted a photo on her Moments feed. It was a picture of her holding her child's hand. The photo showed her right hand, and the ring on her ring finger was also visible.
There was no elaborate caption, just a heart emoji. However, the content of the photo was enough to convey everything. Lin Mei had been absent from her Moments feed during her leave. Unexpectedly, her first update was such "big news." The child's hand was clearly visible to everyone, effectively announcing that she had indeed given birth.
Not many people knew about Lin Mei's pregnancy, and no one in the bank was aware. As soon as Lin Mei's Moments feed was updated, she received messages from many people. Xiao Fang sent a string of question marks, "You really had a baby?"
Lin Mei: "Mm."
Xiao Fang: "So, during your leave, you were resting and giving birth?"
Lin Mei: "Something like that."
Xiao Fang: "Manager Lin, you're too much! You didn't tell us about such a big event. Where are you? Xiao Fang and the department will come to see you!"
The few people under Lin Mei's management had a good relationship with her, and she didn't doubt their intentions. However, "I'm in my hometown."
Xiao Fang sounded a little disappointed, "Alright then. When you get back, we'll come to give you gifts!"
With Xing Zheng so openly announcing his marriage to Lin Mei, it was impossible for Xing Sha and Xie Qin Jia to not know.
During dinner that evening, Xu Shang said, "They've already gotten the marriage certificate, so the wedding should be on the agenda. I wonder what Ah Zheng is planning."
"How about this, you two take some time to have a good talk with Hua Mei," Xie Jun Yao suggested to Xing Sha and Xie Qin Jia. "Hua Mei is so sensible; she'll definitely help you mend your relationship. Ah Zheng is willing to listen to her, which is much more effective than us trying to persuade him."
Xing Sha agreed with Xie Jun Yao's words. However, meeting Lin Mei alone was not easy. Xie Qin Jia said, "I'll chat with her on WeChat first."
The evening after they got their marriage certificate, Xing Zheng shamelessly stayed at the Lin family's home. Previously, Lin Zhengde wouldn't let him stay overnight. Now, with the marriage certificate in hand, Xing Zheng stood taller and slept in the same room with Lin Mei and the child.
While Xing Zheng went to shower, Lin Mei received a WeChat message from Xie Qin Jia. She hadn't chatted with Xie Qin Jia on WeChat for a long time. Xie Qin Jia proactively asked, "How has the child been these past two days?"
Lin Mei replied, "Quite well."
Xie Qin Jia: "Xing Sha and I want to see the child. Is that okay?"
Xie Qin Jia's way of speaking was no different from before. She would still directly state her requests, and for Lin Mei, it was not easy to answer. She didn't know how to reply for a long time.
At this moment, Xie Qin Jia sent another message, "Xing Sha hopes that his relationship with me can be mended. I've wronged him, causing him to bear things he shouldn't have. Now you have your own family, and I hope we can still get along. Can you persuade him?"
Xie Qin Jia wanted her to plead with Xing Zheng, likely to satisfy Xing Sha's wishes, or perhaps to smoothly visit the child in the future...
Lin Mei asked Xie Qin Jia, "Are you truly seeking his forgiveness, or are you doing this for Uncle Xing's peace of mind?"
Xie Qin Jia quickly replied, asking, "What's the difference?"
Lin Mei smiled. She suddenly understood Xing Zheng's despair a little. This was truly a case of never having loved or paid attention. Otherwise, how could she not distinguish? If it were Xing Yan, she wouldn't be like this.
After a long while, Lin Mei retorted, "Have you ever considered what kind of life he lived from childhood to adulthood? Have you ever thought about how he suffered from illness during the years you sent him to America? Have you ever felt sorry for him? Have you ever felt guilty? If you want to get along well with him, do you genuinely want his forgiveness, or do you want to make yourself feel better?"
As she sent this long message, the bedroom door was pushed open. Seeing Xing Zheng return, Lin Mei immediately put down her phone, her movements appearing somewhat flustered.
Xing Zheng sat down and glanced at her phone. "What illicit thing are you doing behind my back?"
"Don't talk nonsense," Lin Mei glared at him. "I was chatting with President Lan and President Feng."
"It's late, you should sleep." Xing Zheng didn't suspect anything, acting like a busybody, urging her to rest. "You still have to wake up to feed the baby at night. If you don't sleep, you'll be tired."
Lin Mei was pulled into Xing Zheng's embrace and fell asleep with her head on his arm. A bedside lamp was on in the room. Xing Zheng looked at her sleeping form and gently stroked her head.
Feeding the baby at night was too tiring for her. Although the baby was not yet a hundred days old, he was already thinking about weaning. If they switched to formula, he could feed the baby.
As Xing Zheng was contemplating, Lin Mei's phone suddenly rang, its sound loud in the quiet bedroom.
Xing Zheng picked up the phone, intending to silence it. At this moment, he saw the notification on the screen. It was a WeChat message from Xie Qin Jia.
Xing Zheng then entered the password and opened WeChat. Twenty minutes ago, Lin Mei was still chatting with Xie Qin Jia.