Xiao Yue saw the wound on Xing Zheng’s neck, bitten by Lin Mei. Lin Mei felt guilty and immediately lowered her head. Lying was not something she was as adept at as Xing Zheng. Xing Zheng calmly replied, “A mosquito bite, I scratched it open.”
“Oh, there are many mosquitoes lately, be careful,” Xiao Yue didn’t suspect anything and even reminded him, “There’s medicine in the plum drawer, put some on later.”
“Mmm, thank you, Teacher Xiao.” Xing Zheng was on his best behavior in front of Xiao Yue, nothing like the rogue and stud he was in private. Lin Mei glanced at him from the corner of her eye, thinking to herself, his acting skills are quite good!
The weekend arrived in a flash. Lan Lan and Feng Feng came to visit Lin Mei, staying for two meals. They both loved the cooking of Lin Zhengde and Xiao Yue, having often dined at the elders’ home over the years. Lin Mei’s apartment was bustling with activity.
Lin Mei, Lan Lan, and Feng Feng sat on the balcony, basking in the sun. As they chatted, Feng Feng’s phone kept vibrating with incoming calls, but she ignored them all, casually dismissing each one.
Lin Mei couldn’t help but ask, “Whose calls are they? Aren’t you going to answer?”
“Harassment calls.” As soon as Feng Feng finished speaking, her phone vibrated again. Lin Mei leaned over and saw Shen Su’s name on the screen. “Shen Su’s calls, you’re not answering those either?”
Feng Feng hung up again. “It’s the weekend, no work talk.”
Lin Mei: “……” She wondered if work was the only thing she and Shen Su could discuss.
Feng Feng’s demeanor seemed a bit off. While she had always treated Shen Su with a similar attitude, she had never ignored so many calls from him before, or rather, Shen Su himself wouldn’t have called her this many times.
A woman’s intuition is often accurate. Lin Mei asked, “Did you and Shen Su have a fight?”
“No,” Feng Feng shook her head, her posture very casual. If they hadn’t fought, why wouldn’t she answer his calls?
As Lin Mei was pondering, she heard Lan Lan say, “Strictly speaking, their friends-with-benefits relationship is over. Ms. Feng got tired and wants to sleep with someone else.”
Lin Mei suddenly understood. She had forgotten that Feng Feng never had a steady partner before. Perhaps because she had been entangled with Shen Su for so long, she had unconsciously assumed they were dating. But when it came time to part ways, Feng Feng was so decisive. It had been over two years in total…
Lin Mei asked curiously, “Ms. Feng, aren’t you even a tiny bit reluctant?”
“Not really,” Feng Feng said indifferently. “He’s not an irreplaceable role.”
Alright, Feng Feng was as carefree as ever, so carefree it was enviable. If Lin Mei had such an ability, she wouldn’t be stuck in one place by a relationship.
“Oh dear, if Shen Su heard that, wouldn’t he feel his male dignity was challenged? He’s had so many women, how come you’re not moping around?” Lan Lan joked.
“There are plenty of people moping around, I’m not one of them.” She seemed to recall something and laughed mockingly. Lin Mei read something else into that laugh.
Indeed, Lan Lan began to gossip with her, “Plum, you don’t know yet, but Shen Su’s ex-girlfriend is back and is currently attempting suicide over him.”
Lin Mei: “Ex-girlfriend?” She hadn’t inquired about Shen Su’s romantic history, but from the sound of it, his ex-girlfriend seemed to hold significant weight in his heart.
“Yes, they dated back in high school and broke up after college graduation. Apparently, the ex-girlfriend went on a trip and fell for another man. When they broke up, she was already pregnant with someone else’s child.” Lan Lan recounted the gossip with relish. “Now the ex-girlfriend is divorced, came back alone, and wants to reconcile with him.”
Lin Mei furrowed her brows. “Does Shen Su want to reconcile?”
“I think it’s close,” Lan Lan said. “People are perverse; they only like those who have dumped them. Isn’t Liang Yufeng, that dog, the same?”
There was some truth to that. Lin Mei looked at Feng Feng again. Although Shen Su’s ex-girlfriend had been mentioned, Feng Feng’s expression remained unmoved.
Lin Mei suddenly felt fortunate. Fortunately, her relationship with Shen Su was purely physical and not a real romance. Otherwise, facing the existence of such an ex-girlfriend would be incredibly painful.
“In that case, someone like Xing Zheng, a virgin, is easier to handle,” Lan Lan mused, glancing towards the living room where Xing Zheng was tidying the coffee table. “He’s quite good, very considerate.”
Lin Mei smiled. While people with no dating experience had their advantages, they also had their drawbacks. Asking him to say something nice was like asking for his life. Except when he begged her not to break up, he wouldn’t utter a single “I love you.”
“Hasn’t he proposed to you yet?” Feng Feng suddenly asked.
“Not yet.” Lin Mei shook her head. It had been half a month since he mentioned proposing, and there had been no action. She had gone from eagerly anticipating it daily to being indifferent, almost forgetting about it.
“Maybe he’s thinking about it. Mr. Xing’s proposal can’t be too shabby!” Lan Lan laughed. “Shouldn’t he arrange a box of ten-carat diamond rings?”
The three of them basked in the sun on the balcony, chatting and laughing.
In the evening, an uninvited guest arrived at the apartment. Upon seeing Shen Su, Lin Mei and Lan Lan both looked at Feng Feng. Feng Feng’s expression was normal, her gaze not lingering on Shen Su, as if he were a stranger.
Shen Su, however, stepped forward and blocked her path. “Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
Before Feng Feng could react, Xiao Yue happened to come into the living room and called them for dinner. She recognized Shen Su and asked, “You’re here for Feng Feng, aren’t you? Stay for dinner before you leave!”
Feng Feng had been with Shen Su for the past two years, so Xiao Yue assumed they were a couple. Feng Feng found it awkward to explain to Xiao Yue, so she said, “Teacher Xiao, I have some work to attend to back home. I’ll come again tomorrow to freeload.”
Hearing that it was work, Xiao Yue didn’t insist. Feng Feng put on her high heels, picked up her bag, and walked out, not glancing at Shen Su the entire time. Shen Su followed her.
Seeing this, Xiao Yue couldn’t help but wonder. She asked, “Did Feng Feng and Shen Su have a fight?”
“She’s like that when she’s busy with work,” Lan Lan cleverly smoothed things over. “I’m starving, let me taste Teacher Xiao’s cooking quickly!”
Feng Feng went downstairs. As she was about to get into her car, an arm appeared in front of her, blocking her way. She didn’t get angry. “Let’s part amicably, Mr. Shen.”
“She had an accident that night. I wouldn’t stand by and do nothing, no matter who it was,” Shen Su explained to her. “You left when I got back, and you’ve been avoiding me for days. Won’t you even give me a chance to explain?”
“Mr. Shen is joking. Our relationship doesn’t require such a heavy word as ‘explanation.’ Whatever you do is none of my business. I’m just informing you that our personal relationship ends here. If there’s any work-related interaction in the future, I’d appreciate your continued support, Mr. Shen.”
She said this calmly, then looked at his arm. “Can you let go?”
“Stop making excuses,” Shen Su said condescendingly. “The person you’ve been longing for is back, and you’re going to sleep with him, aren’t you?”