"Then, I have to thank Miss Hu." Zhong Mian smiled at Hu Lei.Hu Lei returned the smile even though she saw that the other woman still looked a little tense. Perhaps it had to do with the intense look on Kong Ou"s face. She felt that she should never have come to this disastrous dinner. It was all Zhong Feng"s fault for having a beauty trap face.
"How comes Miss Hu does not remember such a huge incident?" Zhong Mian asked with curiosity, but there was a hint of challenge in her eyes.
Hu Lei began to feel annoyed with the pair. Though she was a patient and perseverant person, she also did not like when people put her repeatedly on the spot. It was her business whether she remembered something or not.
Also, why should she remember such an insignificant incident? With the number of countries she had met, doctors she had met and snakes she had dealt with, this Kong Ou incident would not even make it in the top one hundred of memorable events. It was no wonder that she did not remember him.
"I have killed a lot of snakes." She replied evenly.
Kong Ou"s expression seemed to crumble while Mian"s face became stiff. The latter felt that Hu Lei was calling her a snake while the former felt that she was saying that he was of no importance. How could they know that Hu Lei was speaking literally?
Zhong Feng felt that Hu Lei was adorable like this. He had seen that she was trying not to be involved with these people. However, he did not want her to persevere through anything for his sake. He liked when she became carefree and said and did what she wanted.
He also wished that they were home so that he could pull her fully into his arms.
When the food was served, Kong Ou and Mian concentrated on their meals, probably wishing that the dinner would be over as soon as possible. Zhong Feng prepared a small plate of a range of meats for Hu Lei. Doctor Shui had said that she needed more protein to rebuild her body. He also added some leafy greens to her plate before starting on his meal.
Hu Lei did not want to eat much. However, she knew that it was necessary to begin eating a little more. So far, she had been primarily consuming fruits, congee and pastries. If she continued in this way, she would not get better.
The quiet meal continued without incident except for a few meaningful looks exchanged by the four diners. Each of them was absorbed in their thoughts.
Zhong Mian was wondering whether her brother approved of Kong Ou. She had never been able to read him, especially when his face looked colder than ice. Her boyfriend was wondering whether Hu Lei had finally remembered him. He needed to find an opportunity to talk to her.
The thoughts of the other two were buried too deep. However, their minds were not lingering on the dinner.
"Excuse me." Hu Lei spoke and stood up suddenly.
She walked from the table with steady and even steps, but Zhong Feng could definitely see that she was not well. He immediately started to stand to follow her. However, his sister stopped him.
"Feng"er, I did not know that Hu Lei came back to town." She said in a measured voice.
Zhong Feng"s became sharper as he looked at his sister. Her strange tone was too loaded, as if it was meant to communicate a secret message. Zhong Feng could naturally understand the message, and he did not like it.
"I will get us some drinks." Kong Ou said and left the table.
The siblings did not look at him.
"Is that a threat?" Zhong Feng asked.
Zhong Mian smiled casually. However, inside, there was a voice telling her to stop. Her relationship with her brother could not be considered bad at this point. If she continued with this path, everything could be ruined again.
In her mind, she considered the debt she felt she owed her brother from long time ago paid after he took over the company. But it had still been difficult to get to a place of eating together with him, especially after the last drug incident.
If she used Hu Lei against him, things could get messy. Zhong Feng was a dragon among men but even he had his vulnerability. Hu Lei was his reverse scale.
But she did not want to stop. She had felt like she would erupt since the beginning of this dinner. Even though she could accept everything that had been said by her boyfriend, it was still humiliating seeing her man fawning over that flimsy girl like there was no tomorrow.
She had always believed that Kong Ou liked her strength, power and independence. However, he was almost prostrating himself before a girl who was the complete opposite of her. It caused her mind to be strained to the point of exploding.
"It is not a threat. But you know how mum and dad feel about her. Moreover, if the public got wind of anything, it would be a hundred times worse than my relationship." It was almost as if she was not in control of her body.
"Very well, you can consider me as your support when you decide to make your relationship official." Zhong Feng said unexpectedly.
Naturally, he was not afraid of her small threats. His father probably already knew about Hu Lei"s return. And if he could not even protect his most important person, how could he be considered the unrivalled ruler of Supreme City and beyond? His power was something that Zhong Mian could not fathom.
In Hu Lei"s words, he had agreed because he thought that it was interesting. He wanted to see what his sister hoped to accomplish by threatening him.
Zhong Mian felt a chill when he agreed. Still, she decided to take it as a win even though the dissatisfaction with Hu Lei did not fade away. If anything, the annoyance seemed to grow. She had a.s.sumed that Zhong Feng would refuse her terms. After all, he did not like being forced to do anything.
If he refused, she would feel better because it would be proof that her brother did not care as much. Hu Lei might also accidentally come know that she was not that special. Now, she felt a little lost, and the taste of victory felt bitter.