Xing Zheng chuckled again, his tiger's mouth gripping her chin. He saw her calm and confident eyes and asked, "Where did you find out? Hmm?"
"Do you really want to know?" Lin Mei countered.
"What, you can't make anything up?" he retorted, his tone still mocking.
"Do you remember what was hidden in the wardrobe of the guest room at Zhuhua Villa?" Lin Mei asked with a smile. As soon as she finished, she saw a fleeting panic in his eyes. The man who had been full of mockery suddenly changed his expression.
His eyes turned red, and he tightened his grip on her chin. "What did you see?"
"When I was in elementary school, for a while, all my extracurricular books were swapped," Lin Mei answered irrelevantly. "I was very confused back then. Who would be so bored to buy identical books and swap them for my old ones... It turns out it was because of a secret crush."
"And my homework notebooks, those would be discarded by the teacher at the end of each school year, right? Why did you keep them for so many years?"
Question after question struck Xing Zheng's mind, bringing his thoughts to a halt. Those things hidden in the wardrobe, he had never shown them to anyone else, let alone imagined that one day, Lin Mei would see them herself!
"Also, why are the letters I wrote to Mingzhe ge with you?" she asked, though her eyes held a hint of a smile. "You were afraid he would get that letter and get together with me, so you secretly took the letter away."
Xing Zheng was speechless for a long time. After a while, he finally managed to ask, "When did you see them?"
"You answer my question first, and then I'll answer yours," Lin Mei said, setting conditions for Xing Zheng. "Do you still want to be my boyfriend?"
Xing Zheng gazed at her. He hadn't realized before that she could be so formidable when she wanted to be.
Under her persistent questioning, Xing Zheng nodded slightly, as if in agreement. However, she was not satisfied and demanded more forcefully, "I want to hear you say it yourself."
Xing Zheng frowned, slightly displeased. "Say what?"
"Say that you want to be my boyfriend," Lin Mei urged. "Hurry up and say it."
Xing Zheng was reluctant. "Didn't I already agree?"
"A nod doesn't count; only saying it yourself does," Lin Mei insisted, playing a role she had never played before. "If you don't say it, I'll assume you don't want to."
Xing Zheng let her go and lay down, closing his eyes as if pretending not to hear. He looked very awkward. Was it really that difficult to say such a simple sentence?
Lin Mei's desire to conquer was piqued. She leaned closer, pressing against his ear. "Say it or not?"
He remained motionless, not even lifting an eyelid. Lin Mei kissed his ear. "Is it that hard for you to say one sentence?"
Still no reaction.
Lin Mei tried every possible tactic. Finally, she placed her face against his lower abdomen, her fingers tracing his hip line. "If you don't say it, I'll go find someone who is willing to say it."
She threatened him. "Anyway, it's easy for me to find a boyfriend, um..."
Before she could finish, the man on top of her grabbed the back of her head. His action showed a hint of exasperation. "You dare?"
"What do I not dare to do? Who are you to me that you can control me?" Lin Mei provoked.
Xing Zheng pulled her up, flipped her over, and pressed her down. "You're getting bolder."
Lin Mei secretly thought that if she didn't act like this, how could she deal with him? With his stubborn nature, there was no other way.
"I am your boyfriend," he finally said the words, as she wished.
Hearing this, she smiled. "It's good that you're my boyfriend, then you can control me."
"You truly are in need of discipline," he said, and then he kissed her again, moving lower.
Lin Mei had provoked him so much earlier that she wouldn't be let off easily. Although he didn't do anything serious again, it was more overwhelming for her than if he had. Lin Mei later became disoriented and forgot how she fell asleep.
When she woke up again, it was already half-past ten the next morning. Xing Zheng was nowhere to be seen beside her. Lin Mei took a shower and went downstairs, where she met him.
Xing Zheng had made her breakfast. As Lin Mei drank her milk, she chatted with him. "How long will you be staying in New York?"
His birthday was just a few days away. She had never spent his birthday with him before, and this year she didn't want to miss it, especially in this state of "lost and found."
"I'm not sure," Xing Zheng hadn't bought a return ticket.
Lin Mei said, "Oh. I want to visit Aunt Xie today, can I?"
She wanted Xing Zheng to go with her. Now that Xie Qin Jia had recovered, they needed to make their attitudes and positions clear.
After breakfast, Lin Mei followed Xing Zheng to the hospital. Unexpectedly, they ran into Jiang Chu Bi in Xie Qin Jia's ward. They happened to be chatting happily when they arrived.
Xie Qin Jia was initially very happy, but when she saw Lin Mei and Xing Zheng appear together, she became cold. Her attitude towards Lin Mei was no longer as warm as before.
"Aunt Xie, I came to see you," Lin Mei said to Xie Qin Jia. Xie Qin Jia merely nodded slightly in response, offering only a few simple replies, a far cry from her usual enthusiastic demeanor.
Lin Mei didn't mind and said to her, "I came to tell you that Xing Zheng and I are seriously together."
Xie Qin Jia asked her, "Then what are your feelings for Xing Yan?"
As soon as she said this, Jiang Chu Bi also looked at Lin Mei. Lin Mei didn't understand why Jiang Chu Bi had such a strong reaction. She answered Xie Qin Jia seriously, "When I was young and ignorant, I had a vague feeling for Mingzhe ge. That's all. Even if he were still here now, we might not have ended up together."
"You've made up your mind, haven't you?" Xie Qin Jia confirmed.
Lin Mei nodded without hesitation. Xie Qin Jia then said to her, "Alright, I understand. Handle your own affairs, and don't come to see me again."
Xie Qin Jia asked them to leave. Xing Zheng glanced at her, then took Lin Mei away from the ward. The two stopped at the hospital entrance. Lin Mei thought of her assertive attitude just now and felt a bit ashamed.
By stating her position so clearly, it meant that Xie Qin Jia would no longer have any concern for Xing Zheng in the future...
"Will you blame me?" Lin Mei blamed herself. "I think I was too impulsive."
"If you weren't impulsive, would the outcome change?" Last night, he had thought through the cause and effect. Even if he had given up Lin Mei as Xie Qin Jia had imagined, Xie Qin Jia would not have shown him any concern.
She didn't love him, never had. This was a foregone conclusion. No matter what he did to please her, it was useless.
Lin Mei heard despair in Xing Zheng's words. She hugged him tightly. "We will have a home."
As they hugged each other, Jiang Chu Bi appeared. She stopped in front of them, and when she looked at Lin Mei, her eyes held a hint of sarcasm.
She had always been like this, and Lin Mei was not surprised. She didn't speak to Lin Mei but looked at Xing Zheng. "Congratulations."
Xing Zheng replied, "Mm." Just as he was about to speak, Lin Mei suddenly grabbed his hand.