She hadn't even gotten a chance to properly meet him yet, and she was already accepting his help!
This was perfect! She could use this as an excuse to invite him out for lunch.
Anyone who knew Zhong Jiaming knew he had high standards and didn't want to get married.
Those who didn't know would think he hadn't seen a woman in his life! What a disappointment!
Besides, as a woman, she had been diligently taking care of his father for so long. Didn't he know what that meant?
He didn't even bother with pleasantries. Was he deliberately playing dumb, or was he just a scumbag at heart?
Zhou Jinbei was furious. She took out her phone, found A Zhong's WeChat, and wanted to confront him.
However, when she tapped on it, the profile showed that she was no longer on his friend list.
What did that mean?
Since when did WeChat have this feature?
Had A Zhong unilaterally deleted her?
Her heart pounded, and a strong sense of shame and anger washed over her.
Zhou Jinbei felt like sending him a WeChat message and unleashing a torrent of abuse.
But then she thought, why should she?
He hadn't begged her to come. He hadn't said he liked her. He hadn't said he wanted anything with her. She had come all on her own.
It was like having a secret crush on someone, experiencing all sorts of emotions behind their back, and feeling like she had gone through so much.
In reality, that person knew nothing.
What was his fault?
She could only blame herself for being so pathetic.
Zhou Jinbei swallowed her overwhelming heartache and said goodbye to Father Zhong before leaving the hospital.
She hadn't been to the company in a while, and if she showed up now, they probably wouldn't have anything for her to do.
At this hour, everyone else was busy. She didn't know where to go, so she could only go to the beauty salon to find Chen Jiaojiao.
When Chen Jiaojiao was working, she seemed to forget about men and troubles, transforming into an invincible career woman.
After holding a quick meeting with a few supervisors, she turned to Zhou Jinbei and asked what was wrong.
"Your face is as long as a donkey's. Who upset you?"
Zhou Jinbei said sheepishly, "No one, I just came to see how business has been these past two days."
Chen Jiaojiao didn't believe her.
"Come on, don't hide it from me. I can tell if you're alright or not. It must be about Zhong Jiaming again."
"Did you go to the hospital to see his father again? Was his attitude towards you bad?"
Zhou Jinbei tossed her bag onto the sofa and lay down listlessly.
"Don't mention him. From now on, I'm cutting all ties with this scumbag. I'll never interact with him again. Talking about that jerk brings bad luck."
"Really? Can you promise to do that?"
She remained silent.
Chen Jiaojiao smiled.
"Alright. I'm not your mother, and I'm not forcing you two to break up. Do whatever you want. You don't need to make promises to me."
"We women are all sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. Even if we make promises, they don't always hold up."
"Lu Mingzhe's mother sent me chicken soup again today. Do you want to try some?"
As long as it wasn't about her own situation, Zhou Jinbei was always clear-headed and motivated.
"His mother sent you chicken soup again? It seems Lu Mingzhe hasn't told her about you two. What are you planning to do?"
Chen Jiaojiao sat on the edge of her desk, crossed her arms, and sighed.
"Honestly, I really don't know what to do."
"A large part of why I had a good impression of Lu Mingzhe a while ago was because of his mother."
"She's truly wonderful. She really treats me like her own daughter. Even after my father's situation, she didn't dislike me; instead, she comforted me."
"You know how much she helped me when I opened this beauty salon, recommending many friends to come here. Now that we've fallen out like this, I'm really afraid of embarrassing her."
Zhou Jinbei summarized.
"So, your intention is not to tell her for now?"
"I don't know. It really depends on what Lu Mingzhe thinks. I can't bring myself to say it, and I don't know how to face her."
"See, she still hopes I'll give her a grandson. How can I possibly say it?"
Seeing her look so guilty, Zhou Jinbei sat up from the sofa.
"You're only 20 and already a second-time divorcee because that scumbag Lu Mingzhe bullied you. And you're still embarrassed?"
"Let me tell you, his mother is his mother, and he is him. You need to distinguish between them. Don't forget the harm he's done to you because of his mother."
Chen Jiaojiao: "So, do you have any brilliant ideas?"
"This matter has to be addressed sooner or later. It's better for you to say it than for Lu Mingzhe to say it, lest he fabricate stories about you and damage your reputation!"
"..."
"Since I know you can't bring yourself to say it, how about this arrangement: I'll tell her for you."
After a brief chat, Chen Jiaojiao left the beauty salon.
Zhou Jinbei asked a staff member to call Mother Lu to experience new products, and Zhou Jinbei waited in the lobby lounge.
Before long, Mother Lu arrived with an old friend.
Zhou Jinbei went to greet them, introduced the newly launched skincare products and the newly introduced equipment, and led them to the VIP room.
They started with a basic skincare treatment, then she made an excuse to try a certain project, separating them into two rooms.
Zhou Jinbei asked someone to leave, and she personally gave Mother Lu a massage.
Mother Lu praised her.
"It's so good to have a daughter. Not only are they thoughtful and sensible, but they're also elegant and a pleasure to look at."
"You're the lucky one, Auntie. My life has just been about worrying."
Normally, when someone said such a thing, a sensible person would reply with something like, "How can you say that? Your two sons are so outstanding, handsome, and have good jobs, etc." to comfort her.
However, after she finished speaking, Zhou Jinbei replied,
"Indeed, Auntie Lu, it's a pity you never had a daughter."
"Sons are all unmanageable brats.
I think the two Lu brothers are pretty much like my brother."
Mother Lu, who had been closing her eyes and enjoying the massage, opened her eyes upon hearing this.
"Oh, did something happen with your brother, Beibei?"
Zhou Jinbei smiled, "It's nothing. My brother just doesn't listen to my parents and is a worry."
"In my mother's words, all men are like this. I originally thought Brother Mingzhe was different, but who would have thought..."
Mother Lu realized that she had something to tell her.
"What's going on, Beibei? What happened? Why are you speaking so hesitantly and beating around the bush with Auntie?"
"Did your Brother Mingzhe do something bad? Just say it, don't hide it from Auntie."
Zhou Jinbei appeared hesitant to speak.
"Jiaojiao asked me not to say anything."
The more she didn't say, the more anxious Mother Lu became.
"Jiaojiao knows too? And she told you not to say anything? What on earth happened?"
"This is between a couple. If they don't say anything, I, as an outsider, have no right."
Zhou Jinbei sighed.
"But who made me Jiaojiao's good friend? When a friend encounters such a situation, I truly feel indignant for her."
"You child, you're going to make me anxious to death! Hurry up and tell me, what happened?"
Zhou Jinbei reluctantly continued.
"I only found out this morning. Jiaojiao said Brother Mingzhe asked her to go through the divorce procedures. He has someone else, and that woman is already pregnant."
Mother Lu was so shocked she almost fell off the massage chair.
"What did you say? Mingzhe has someone else and wants to divorce Jiaojiao?"
"It's not that he wants to divorce her, Auntie, they are already divorced."