Xing Zheng seemed not to hear. He took out two crystal wine glasses, expertly opened the bottle, and asked her, "Care for a drink with me?"
Lin Mei had a good tolerance for alcohol, but she didn't want to indulge in his recklessness at the moment. She tried to stop him, "Don't you have any sense? Drinking after being injured, are you tired of living?"
Her tone wasn't exactly pleasant, but it carried a hint of concern born from agitation. Xing Zheng's long fingers held the wine bottle, paused, and his gaze fixed intensely on the slightly annoyed woman opposite him. He teased, "You care about me so much?"
Seeing his shamelessness, Lin Mei decided to ignore him. She said petulantly, "Don't flatter yourself. Drink however you want!"
She was annoyed, thinking she must have lost her mind to care about him and offer him a chance to mock her.
Lin Mei said she wouldn't interfere, and she truly didn't. She sat opposite him, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating. Xing Zheng, without touching his food, downed a glass of liquor in one go.
Watching him drink like that made Lin Mei's stomach burn. Forty-seven percent proof liquor downed in one gulp – what normal person drank like that? Lin Mei had drunk with Xing Zheng several times, but this was the first time she saw him guzzle liquor like this. His posture clearly indicated he was drowning his sorrows.
But what sorrows could a man like Xing Zheng have?
It couldn't be his career. Could it be, as she suspected, his romantic life?
Xing Zheng poured a second glass of wine before picking up his chopsticks to eat. He ate the green beans, smiling and praising, "Not bad, I like it."
Lin Mei felt his mood was off, but he had only had one glass; he shouldn't be that drunk yet. She remained silent, and Xing Zheng asked again, "Who taught you?"
Lin Mei replied, "These three dishes are specialty dishes from my hometown, Xiangxi. Anyone who can cook knows them."
If it wasn't a coincidence, it should have been her feeling touched. The three dishes Xing Zheng had casually ordered happened to be ones she had eaten since childhood. If he had ordered something else, she might not have known what to say.
"Your hometown is in Xiangxi?" Xing Zheng took a sip of wine. This time, he didn't gulp it down like before, but he still drank a fair amount. He held the wine glass lightly, his pajama collar open, exuding a wild, unrestrained aura, a stark contrast to his usual abstinent image.
But one thing was undeniable: this man had the ability to carry off any style, whether it was a suit-clad powerhouse, a clean-cut boy in a basketball jersey, or his current unrestrained and flamboyant demeanor. He navigated them all with ease.
It was hard for any woman to remain clear-headed when interacting with such a man, which explained why so many women were willing to throw themselves at him.
"Am I that good-looking?" Lin Mei, lost in thought, heard his teasing again. She quickly averted her gaze and answered his question, "I am from Xiangxi. I came to Nanjiang for university."
Xing Zheng: "Why did you come to Nanjiang?"
Lin Mei: "Because I liked it."
Lin Mei had become interested in the city of Nanjiang when she was in elementary school. The reason was that two grandchildren of her neighbor, Grandma Lin, had come to visit. Lin Mei remembered the older brother was very handsome and treated her very well.
Grandma Lin had said her daughter and son-in-law were too busy with work to look after the children, so they had sent them to her.
Lin Mei's parents happened to be middle school teachers, and the older brother was assigned to her mother's class at the time. Grandma Lin had specifically brought him to their home for a visit.
It was a weekend. Lin Mei, in fifth grade, was reading "Dream of the Red Chamber" at home. The older brother also enjoyed reading, and they quickly found common ground. Afterward, they often played together.
At that time, Lin Mei didn't understand what liking someone meant, but she knew she enjoyed talking and reading with him. He often spoke of Nanjiang, and because of him, Lin Mei gradually developed a special affection for Nanjiang.
However, he soon finished junior high school and was admitted to a boarding school in Xiangxi for high school. Lin Mei, having entered junior high herself, was also busy with her studies, and they couldn't see each other as frequently as before.
His younger brother, on the other hand, later attended the same school as her. Unfortunately, Lin Mei knew very little about him; they had never even spoken a word.
This was a long time ago. Everyone has phase-specific playmates when they are young. Later, as she grew up and gained some understanding of romantic relationships, Lin Mei finally realized what her vague feelings for that neighbor boy had meant.
The memories of her youth were very lighthearted. Lin Mei had a happy childhood. Whenever she recalled things from her childhood, she would smile. This smile fell into Xing Zheng's eyes. He finished the remaining half glass of wine and asked, "Who were you thinking of?"
Her expression just now clearly showed she was lost in thought.
"Some childhood memories." Lin Mei recounted her youthful experiences to Xing Zheng, "When I was in elementary school, my neighbor Grandma Lin's grandson visited. They were both from Nanjiang. There was an older brother, and I often played with him. He always talked about Nanjiang."
"So you fell for him?" Xing Zheng scrutinized her eyes with a smile. "Love me, love my dog?"
Lin Mei retorted, "What 'love me, love my dog'? I was only thirteen then, what did I know? I just thought he was very nice, and he liked reading as much as I did, so we often played together."
"Oh, childhood sweethearts." Xing Zheng asked again, "Then why didn't you date him, and instead found a man who cheated on you?"
Lin Mei glared at Xing Zheng. This scoundrel never missed an opportunity to mock her about Chen Qi's infidelity. "I wanted to, but he soon went to a boarding school for high school. By his second year, he and his brother were brought back to Nanjiang."
Xing Zheng: "Brother?"
Lin Mei: "Oh, he had a younger brother, who seemed to be in the same year as me."
For some reason, Xing Zheng's tone suddenly became sarcastic, "You only remember the important people."
Lin Mei: "What else? I didn't know him."
Xing Zheng: "You don't know him, yet you know he was in the same year?"
Lin Mei: "My mom told me. Same year, different class. I don't even know his name."
Xing Zheng let out a cold chuckle. Irritated by something she said, he poured another glass of wine and downed it in one gulp. Finishing one glass wasn't enough, so he poured a second. Watching the large bottle of strong liquor disappear, Lin Mei was stunned. She thought he would stop after one bottle, but then he took another bottle from the wine cabinet. Even an iron stomach couldn't withstand such drinking, let alone Xing Zheng, whose steps were already unsteady. No matter how good his alcohol tolerance, drinking so quickly would easily lead to intoxication.
Lin Mei had intended not to interfere anymore, but seeing him like this, she couldn't help herself. She slipped under his arm, blocking the wine cabinet, and stopped him from reaching for it. "You're already drunk, you can't drink anymore."
"Get out of the way." Xing Zheng was so drunk that his speech was slurred and indistinct.
Hearing his voice, Lin Mei became even more certain that he was quite drunk, and she was no longer afraid of him. She raised her voice and scolded him, "Look at the mess you've made of yourself, and you still want to drink! You go back to bed right now!"
Perhaps her scolding had an effect, for the man in front of her actually stopped and became remarkably compliant for a moment.
Lin Mei seized the opportunity to support his arm, her tone softening slightly, "I'll help you back to your room."