His Addiction - Chapter 10

The dark room was suddenly lit up.

Xu Zhi was holding a small flashlight, black in color, about eight to nine centimeters long, casting a soft orange-yellow light that wasn’t harsh on the eyes.

She handed the flashlight to Liang Jinmo. “Here, take this.”

Liang Jinmo didn’t move. His gaze shifted from the flashlight to her face, filled with wariness.

Xu Zhi’s hand lingered in the air awkwardly. “It’s really dark here. You should keep this. In case you get locked in here again, it’ll help you not be scared.”

She couldn’t stop Fu Wanwen from locking Liang Jinmo away, but this was the only thing she could do for him.

Liang Jinmo remained silent.

Xu Zhi didn’t know what else to say, so she placed the flashlight on the ground. She had intended to apologize for tearing up his test papers earlier, but since he was ignoring her, it felt pointless to keep talking to herself.

“I’ll go now,” she hesitated for a moment, then looked at him one last time, “Don’t just sit on the floor. It’s damp.”

Still, Liang Jinmo said nothing. Xu Zhi awkwardly backed out of the room, torn between the thought of letting him out or not.

But what was she? Just a kid, not part of the Liang family. She’d never go against the adults. If Fu Wanwen found out she let Liang Jinmo out, she would definitely be furious.

In the end, she closed the door and locked it behind her.

It felt like she was doing something sneaky. Back downstairs, she couldn’t blend into the cheerful atmosphere with her classmates. All she could think about was that dark room and Liang Jinmo curled up in the corner.

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That night, Xu Zhi didn’t sleep well, and was woken early the next morning by a phone call.

Liang Muzhi had come to the school to find her.

It seemed like Liang Muzhi never ran out of energy. He didn’t even sleep in.

Xu Zhi, still feeling tired, got up, washed up, and went downstairs. Her eyes immediately caught sight of a blue Ferrari parked below the dorm building.

The color and model were eye-catching, and passersby could hardly avoid glancing at it.

Liang Muzhi was leaning against the car, tall and handsome, radiating an effortless charm as he openly enjoyed the attention from the students passing by.

Xu Zhi suddenly didn’t want to approach. She even felt like running away.

“Xiao Zhi!” Liang Muzhi waved at her.

“…” She forced herself to walk over. “How did you bring the car into the school? And is this a new car? I’ve never seen it before.”

“I made a bet with someone and won the race. Pretty cool, right? It’s a limited edition,” he said proudly, patting the car, “Come on, I’ll take you out to eat.”

Xu Zhi quickly declined, “No need.”

She already had a psychological block about eating with him, afraid that Chen Jing might show up again.

Liang Muzhi saw right through her, “Just the two of us today.”

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and rejected the offer again, “Forget it. I have to study. Finals are coming up, and I’m busy.”

His expression softened slightly, “Still angry?”

Xu Zhi didn’t feel angry, just a bit helpless.

Liang Muzhi, seeing her silent, said, “I came specifically to apologize on behalf of Chen Jing. She’s straightforward and doesn’t watch her words, don’t take it to heart.”

Xu Zhi remained silent for a few seconds before replying more seriously, “Liang Muzhi, can you please stop coming to the school to find me?”

Liang Muzhi froze.

“You have a girlfriend now. You should keep a distance from other female friends. And…” she glanced at his proud car, “If the students here see you driving in and out, what do you think they’ll think? For the past few years, they’ve all thought you were my boyfriend. I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.”

Liang Muzhi was still a little stunned. Xu Zhi was like a docile lamb, always easy to coax, and he hadn’t expected her to be so blunt with him this time, especially after he’d come all the way to apologize.

He furrowed his brows, about to speak, when someone called out.

“Zhi Zi!” Yang Xue, who had just finished her morning run, walked over. She acted as if she didn’t even notice Liang Muzhi and spoke to Xu Zhi, “Did you have breakfast? I’ve saved a seat at the library. Let’s go study together.”

Xu Zhi saw this as the perfect opportunity. She quickly said to Liang Muzhi, “I’m going to study.”

Liang Muzhi glanced at Yang Xue. As the young master of the Liang family, he had never been ignored like this before, and he couldn’t help but speak out, “Yang Xue.”

Yang Xue, as if just noticing him, looked at him with a smirk and sarcastically replied, “Oh, it’s Young Master Liang. How does a busy man like you have time to come here?”

Liang Muzhi, already losing his patience, shot back, “What’s your point? If you have something to say, just say it, don’t be all passive-aggressive.”

Xu Zhi, who was gentle by nature and preferred peace, tugged on Yang Xue’s sleeve, signaling her to let it go.

But Yang Xue wasn’t one to hold back. She looked straight at Liang Muzhi and bluntly said, “What do I have against you? I’m not the victim here. In the past three years, there were plenty of nice guys who wanted to chase Zhi Zi, but they were all discouraged because of you. Other girls are enjoying sweet romances, but Zhi Zi’s been living like a nun at school.”

Xu Zhi thought, it’s not that bad…

She wasn’t upset about being single these past few years. It was that the one person she thought might like her, the person she believed shared her feelings, didn’t have her in his heart at all.

She took Yang Xue’s hand, “Let’s go upstairs and grab our books to study.”

Xu Zhi tried to smooth things over, but Liang Muzhi wasn’t having it. He felt that Yang Xue was being unreasonable, but he still felt the need to clarify, “Wait, let’s talk this through. I’m only worried about Xiao Zhi being deceived by random guys. I’m doing this for her sake.”

“Wow,” Yang Xue scoffed, “What noble intentions! Have you ever thought about her feelings? You act like you’re her boyfriend. What if she likes someone else? Are you going to ruin that for her? You’re destroying her chance at happiness!”

“She doesn’t like anyone!” Liang Muzhi was truly upset now.

He had come all the way here early in the morning to invite Xu Zhi to eat and apologize, only to be shut down twice and now being attacked by Yang Xue. He couldn’t take it anymore.

Students passing by started to look, but he didn’t care.

Yang Xue wasn’t backing down either. She glared at him, “Just because she doesn’t like anyone now doesn’t mean she won’t in the future!”

“When she does like someone, I…” He paused.

This was something he hadn’t considered. To him, Xu Zhi was like a little sister, and he couldn’t imagine her liking any man.

But the situation was escalating, and he blurted out instinctively, “If she does, I’ll of course wish her the best…”

At that moment, Xu Zhi, who had been silent, finally spoke: “I do.”

Liang Muzhi froze.

Yang Xue turned to look at Xu Zhi as well.

Xu Zhi met Liang Muzhi’s gaze and said in a clear but calm voice, “I have someone I like.”

Liang Muzhi’s brow furrowed. He looked confused and bewildered, then his lips twisted in an effort to smile, “Xiao Zhi, what nonsense are you talking about…”

“I said I have someone I like. Is that really so hard to understand?” Xu Zhi’s tone was steady. “You’ve found someone you like now, so you should understand how I feel.”

Liang Muzhi’s mind went blank, and he reflexively replied, “Impossible, you’ve never told me about anyone.”

Xu Zhi sighed. “We’re just friends. We don’t have to tell each other everything. Didn’t you also only tell me about you and Chen Jing after things went wrong?”