The kiss ended, and Lin Mei’s lips were red and swollen from his nibbling and sucking, yet her arms remained entwined around his neck. “Xing Zheng, I’ll be with you.”
She revealed her deepest thoughts without reservation, holding nothing back. He had never heard anyone say such a thing to him before, and a pang of bittersweet emotion consumed him.
After holding each other for a long time, Lin Mei finally said, “Shall I start cooking? Will you help me?”
Xing Zheng grunted, and embracing her, he stood up. They walked to the kitchen together.
After their meeting that day, Xie Qin Jia’s mood became increasingly unstable. As the doctor had said, it was worse than her previous worst state. How could Xing Sha bear to see her like this? Apart from surgery, there was no better solution. Even if the surgery carried risks, there were no better options at the moment.
After a week of this situation, Xing Sha finally made the difficult decision to take Xie Qin Jia for surgery. However, Xie Qin Jia’s resistance was strong, and she refused to cooperate. No matter what Xing Sha said, she would not yield.
Her episodes became more frequent, smashing things and hitting people becoming commonplace. If it were only this, Xing Sha could still accept it, but she began to engage in many actions that harmed herself.
Seeing the wounds on her arm, Xing Sha was heartbroken and said to her, “If you’re unhappy, take it out on me. Don’t hurt yourself.”
His entire life, he had tried his best to shield her from harm, willing to suffer himself rather than let her experience even the slightest unhappiness. However, when Xie Qin Jia’s illness flared up, how could she remember these things? She pushed Xing Sha away, “Get lost! Stay away from me. I want Ming Zhe. Ming Zhe is the only one in this family who is on my side…”
Recently, Xie Qin Jia had been mentioning Xing Yan. Previously, even during her episodes, she had never reached this state. This was also not a good sign. Xing Sha hugged Xie Qin Jia and said, “Calm down first, okay? Lie down and rest.”
Since he couldn’t give her what she wanted, Xing Sha could only temporarily soothe her emotions. Xie Qin Jia was no longer swayed by such tactics and became even more agitated.
During her manic episodes, her heart rate would soar, and it became unmanageable. In the end, sedatives had to be used again. For several days, the same scenario played out almost every day.
After administering the sedative, the attending physician told Xing Sha, “The surgery cannot be delayed any longer. Her body cannot withstand it.”
The attending physician urged Xing Sha almost daily to take Xie Qin Jia for surgery. Xing Sha struggled for several days before finally making his decision today.
The surgery could not be postponed any further; if they didn’t proceed, her life could be threatened. “Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.”
The attending physician said, “When she regains consciousness, talk to her about the surgery so she can be prepared.” Surgical procedures naturally require the patient’s cooperation; they could not be performed without the patient’s knowledge.
Xing Sha replied, “Mm, I understand.”
It was the weekend, so Lin Mei and Xing Zheng took Jiaozi to the pet hospital for vaccinations and a check-up. Raising a pet was like raising a child.
Dogs required much more attention than rabbits. Lin Mei had done a lot of research these past few days. Fortunately, her “son” was very filial; Jiaozi only stuck to her and rarely sought out Xing Zheng.
Seeing Lin Mei doting on Jiaozi all day, Xing Zheng felt a sense of rivalry towards the dog. Lin Mei could only attribute this situation to “like repelling like”; they were both dogs, after all, and it was inevitable they would dislike each other.
After Jiaozi received its vaccinations, Lin Mei picked it up and gently cooed at it, as if comforting a child. “Good boy, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m here with you. Shall I give you a treat today as a reward?”
Jiaozi seemed to understand. It burrowed into Lin Mei’s chest, burying its face in the soft mounds, whimpering affectionately. Lin Mei’s heart melted, and she reached out to stroke its soft fur.
Jiaozi was still young and needed a lot of cuddles. When it grew older, she probably wouldn’t be able to hold it anymore. She was busy comforting Jiaozi and didn’t notice the man beside her with a dark expression, especially when Jiaozi buried its head in her chest. Xing Zheng’s patience had reached its limit! He stepped forward and took Jiaozi from Lin Mei’s arms.
Jiaozi, who had been affectionately nuzzling its mother, was forcibly separated and whimpered in dissatisfaction. Upon seeing Xing Zheng’s fierce expression, it drooped its ears and quietly closed its mouth, like a child being scolded by its father.
“Don’t scare Jiaozi. It’s still young!” Lin Mei reminded Xing Zheng, urging him to be gentler.
Xing Zheng was dismissive, but in his heart, he regretted bringing Jiaozi home. He had originally thought it would be a gift for Lin Mei since she liked it, but he had inadvertently brought himself a big problem!
In the afternoon, Lin Mei was replying to work messages in a group chat when she suddenly received a private message from Xiao Fang: [Boss Xing’s birthday is coming up. What are you getting him?]
Birthday? Lin Mei had never paid attention to Xing Zheng’s birthday before, nor had he ever mentioned it. She didn’t know when Xing Zheng’s birthday was.
Lin Mei asked Xiao Fang, [How do you know his birthday?]
Xiao Fang replied, [It’s in Boss Xing’s profile!]
What Xiao Fang was referring to was likely the client information provided by the bank. Lin Mei found it in her emails and discovered that Xing Zheng’s birthday was indeed approaching. It was late September now, and Xing Zheng’s birthday was on October 26th…
Before, she had never heard him mention anything about birthdays. Lin Mei guessed that he probably didn’t have a habit of celebrating them. However, now that they were together, she wanted to celebrate it for him.
Lin Mei had little experience with planning birthday surprises. When she was with Chen Qi, they had simply gone out for dinner and exchanged gifts. With Xing Zheng, it couldn’t be so simple.
Lin Mei spent the entire afternoon contemplating this matter. Xing Zheng had spoken to her several times, but she hadn’t heard him. This greatly displeased Xing Zheng. He could no longer tolerate it. He grabbed her wrist and pinned her beneath him. “I’m talking to you. Didn’t you hear me? Hmm?”
After speaking, he bit her earlobe, causing Lin Mei to cry out softly, “It hurts.”
“If it didn’t hurt, how would you learn your lesson?” Although his expression softened slightly, he didn’t release her. He scooped her small body up by the waist and sat her on his lap, their bodies pressed tightly together.
Lin Mei felt his heartbeat and his burning body temperature. He was agitated to an almost exaggerated degree. “How could you…”
Xing Zheng didn’t give her a chance to ask. He lowered his head and found her lips, and they became entangled.
Before long, Lin Mei was breathless from his kisses, her hands wrapped around his waist. The rapid sound of their breathing was like a thousand claws scratching at his heart.
The atmosphere grew more intense.
Just as they were about to reach a climax, Xing Zheng’s phone suddenly rang, interrupting the escalating intimacy.
He hadn’t intended to answer, but the screen clearly displayed Xing Sha’s name. Xing Zheng finally released Lin Mei and reached for the phone.
“Come to the hospital. I have something to discuss with you.”
Lin Mei also heard Xing Sha’s tired voice. Whatever he wanted to discuss with Xing Zheng must be about Xie Qin Jia.
Lin Mei’s eyelids twitched. An ominous premonition crept into her heart.