He shouldn’t have believed her. He shouldn’t have held out hope. She was just a woman, not a savior.
He thought of his parents’ students, who had all kicked them when they were down. Jie Jingling was the only one who hadn’t. But Qin Mei was just Jie Jingling’s sister-in-law, not one of his parents’ students. Why would she possibly risk anything to save him?
"Zhang Haoyuan." Qin Mei appeared at the mouth of the alley, riding a bicycle.
Zhang Haoyuan jolted and looked toward the mouth of the alley. His vision was blurry. He had to blink several times before he could make out Qin Mei’s face, and he jumped in shock. "You?"
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and take me." Qin Mei waved at him, urging him on.
Zhang Haoyuan walked over to Qin Mei, his eyes fixed on her face. Her once fair and flawless skin was now covered in a red rash that looked frightening. "Your allergic reaction is severe. You should go to the hospital."
Qin Mei paused, then smiled at Zhang Haoyuan. The rash on her face made her smile look quite gruesome. "Your family has practiced traditional Chinese medicine for generations. Can you treat this?"
"I can," Zhang Haoyuan nodded, then added, "But I don’t have the medicine."
"Tell me what herbs you’d use." Qin Mei wanted to test him. When Zhang Haoyuan listed the names and quantities of the herbs, and even told her where they could be gathered, Qin Mei was immensely satisfied. ’Risking it all to pull him out of this mess was the right decision.’
She was extending a helping hand, expecting him to repay the favor in the future. Whether it was by promoting traditional Chinese medicine or by going into the medicinal herb business, he would be a great asset to her.
"If you know where to gather the herbs, why don’t you go yourself? Why force your elderly, disabled father to do it?" Qin Mei asked curiously.
Zhang Haoyuan snorted arrogantly. "He owes me."
Qin Mei’s lip twitched. ’So he’s the type to bleed his father dry.’ "He’s your father. He gave you life and raised you. He doesn’t owe you a thing. You’re the one who owes him."
Zhang Haoyuan said nothing. Qin Mei had a way with words; he was no match for her. More importantly, he was worried that saying the wrong thing would tick her off and she’d leave him to his fate.
"Let’s go. Lead the way." Qin Mei tossed her bicycle aside without locking it. ’A strong person could just carry it off, so locking it is pointless.’ The bike she and Jie Jingchen had lost at the hospital had been locked. The one she and Qin Xiang had lost outside the black market had been locked, too. They were stolen all the same.
"Aren’t we taking the bike?" Zhang Haoyuan asked.
"Is it far?" Qin Mei retorted.
"Not far," Zhang Haoyuan said, shaking his head.
"Then that’s fine. Come on, we’ll walk," Qin Mei said.
"It would be faster on the bike," Zhang Haoyuan suggested.
"Do you have a bike?" Qin Mei asked. When Zhang Haoyuan shook his head, she didn’t bother explaining. Whether he gave her a ride or she gave him one, even if they didn’t touch at all, Jie Jingchen would never let him hear the end of it. Her husband was incredibly petty; he even got jealous of Qin Xiang, let alone a guy like Zhang Haoyuan.
Zhang Haoyuan wasn’t an idiot. The aversion in Qin Mei’s eyes was obvious. ’This girl looks down on me. She doesn’t want to share a bike with me.’
He remembered the malicious thoughts he’d had about her yesterday and was overcome with shame. ’I have to take this to my grave. She can never find out, or I’ll be in for a world of hurt.’
"If you leave the bike here, it’ll be gone in minutes," Zhang Haoyuan said. Instead of rushing to lead Qin Mei to where he needed to go, he first rode the bicycle back to his parents’ house to leave it there.
Qin Mei didn’t go with him, waiting at the mouth of the alley instead. Before Zhang Haoyuan returned, an older woman walked toward her.
The woman was carrying a basket of eggs. As she passed Qin Mei, she couldn’t help but stare, yet she didn’t recognize her at all. She remembered Qin Mei’s face as fair and clear, but this person’s was covered in a red rash.
Qin Mei had been about to greet her, but when she saw the woman didn’t recognize her, she figured it was best to avoid the hassle. Not only did she stay quiet, she even bared her teeth and made a frightening face at the woman.
"Ah! Where did this cursed thing come from?" The woman was thoroughly spooked. She clutched her chest, carefully guarded the basket of eggs, and hurried away.
"Heh." Qin Mei couldn’t help but chuckle.
That chuckle sounded familiar. The woman couldn’t resist looking back, only to see Qin Mei making threatening gestures at her. A chill ran down the woman’s spine, and she clutched her basket and fled.
A few moments later, Zhang Haoyuan returned.
"To save time, think of a shortcut. Preferably a wide one that a car can drive on," Qin Mei said.
’If a car can get through, we won’t have to walk, which will save Jie Jingchen time. I haven’t seen the people he’s dealing with. If they’re a bunch of vicious thugs, every second counts.’
Zhang Haoyuan’s lip twitched. "There’s a shortcut, but it’s a narrow path. Even riding a bike on it would be tough."
Hearing this, Qin Mei immediately shot it down. "If that’s the case, there’s no hurry. We’ll just take the main road."