His Addiction - Chapter 12

While others were still comparing exam answers, Xu Zhi was in Liang Jinmo’s car, headed for a bar.

Liang Jinmo was driving, and Zhou He was in the passenger seat, making a phone call that sounded related to campus recruitment.

Xu Zhi sat in the back, nervously gripping her backpack strap so tightly it wrinkled. Her only experience with bars was through a phone screen; they always seemed hazy and smoke-filled. She was already mentally rehearsing how to act like a regular, so she wouldn’t look like a country bumpkin in the big city.

Zhou He hung up the phone and said to Liang Jinmo, “The HR team is working late and will come later. Let’s go ahead.”

Liang Jinmo didn’t respond. Zhou He turned to look at Xu Zhi. “So, how’s your tolerance for alcohol?”

“Uh…” Xu Zhi mumbled, “Pretty good.”

She had never actually drunk alcohol, rarely even touching drinks with alcohol in them.

Liang Jinmo caught her eye in the rearview mirror.

Zhou He laughed. “Our boss can hold his liquor. Hard liquor is like water to him.”

“Wow, really?” Xu Zhi’s eyes widened. She asked Zhou He, “Do you guys drink often?”

“Not really. We drink less now than we did back when we were abroad. We have jobs now, after all. Back in school, we could play games and drink all night without getting tired…”

Zhou He chattered on, and Xu Zhi listened intently.

She was curious about Liang Jinmo’s life abroad. Back then, she had worried he wasn’t doing well.

She had heard from Liang Mushi that Fu Wanwen had cut off Liang Jinmo’s living expenses during university.

How much money could he have had? That small amount was a drop in the bucket for the Liang family, but Fu Wanwen hadn’t given him a cent.

Back then, when he went abroad for graduate school, he supposedly received a full scholarship, but he still needed money for living expenses. Thinking of this, before Liang Jinmo left, Xu Zhi had exchanged all her saved allowance for US dollars, put it in an envelope, and slipped it under his door one day when she visited the Liang house.

She didn’t know if he was in his room or not. She had just turned and run.

Whether out of guilt or sympathy, she had always hoped Liang Jinmo would have a better life. There was little she could do for him, so seeing him with friends now made her genuinely happy for him.

They went to a well-known bar chain in Beicheng called Sugar.

As soon as they entered, Xu Zhi became nervous. The flashing lights and the people dancing on the dance floor were unfamiliar to her.

Seeing the fashionable crowd, she felt a little self-conscious. She had been at an exam that day, and her face was bare of makeup.

The three of them settled into a booth in the northeast corner of the main room. The server came over and, seeing Xu Zhi, paused. “We don’t serve minors.”

It took a moment for Xu Zhi to understand, and her face immediately flushed crimson. “I’m not a minor!”

“Hahahahaha!” Zhou He burst out laughing, slapping the table.

“Do you want to see my ID?” Xu Zhi felt mortified. “I’m a senior in college, about to graduate.”

Her earnest expression as she explained herself made Liang Jinmo look down, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Catching a glimpse of his expression from the corner of her eye, Xu Zhi was furious.

She had never seen him smile before, and this first time, he was laughing at her.

The server backtracked. “Ma’am, please don’t be angry. You just look so young, that’s why I misunderstood.”

Xu Zhi wasn’t pleased by the compliment. Instead, she felt patronized. Trying to appear like a seasoned bar-goer, she asked the server, “Do you have tequila?”

Tequila was a strong liquor. Zhou He clicked his tongue. “Easy there.”

Xu Zhi said, “It’s fine. I drink this all the time.”

Liang Jinmo turned to look at her.

Honestly, Xu Zhi looked out of place. Her student aura was strong, so it was no wonder the server mistook her for a minor.

Xu Zhi’s obedience was well-known. Whether it was Liang Mushi’s parents, or people at school, everyone who knew her would describe her as well-behaved first and foremost.

Now, with her innocent face, ordering tequila, she just seemed to be putting on an act.

Under Liang Jinmo’s gaze, Xu Zhi felt exposed and uneasy. Trying to maintain her composure, she asked him, “What about you guys? What are you having?”

“You’re actually buying?” Zhou He was the first to speak. “Then I won’t hold back.”

After they ordered, the server quickly brought their drinks and a fruit platter.

A live band started playing on the central stage. Everything was new to Xu Zhi. She watched the performance as she picked up her drink.

After one sip, she frowned.

This was…

Awful.

It felt like fire, burning all the way down her throat to her stomach, making her nerves jump.

Zhou He raised his beer and clinked glasses with her. “Cheers?”

Xu Zhi gritted her teeth, touched glasses with Zhou He, and took another sip.

Tears almost sprang to her eyes.

Zhou He tilted his head, staring at her. “Your face is all scrunched up. Are you okay?”

Xu Zhi shook her head, unable to speak. It was too strong.

Liang Jinmo, who had been silent, finally moved. He leaned closer to her, picked up the fruit wine he had ordered from the table, and handed it to her. “Have this instead.”

She smelled a faint scent of alcohol, unsure if it was from her or him. After a moment of disorientation, she thought Liang Jinmo was looking down on her. She clutched her tequila tightly. “No, I’ll drink this.”

“Hard liquor is bad for you,” he said sternly. “Don’t try to be tough.”

“No, I want this!” As she spoke, Xu Zhi took another gulp.

Liang Jinmo: “…”

Zhou He watched the scene unfold with amusement. “Boss, you can’t control her.”

Liang Jinmo responded with a glare.

Zhou He shrugged. “There’s a pretty girl at the bar. I’m going to go check her out. You two chat.”

With that, Zhou He picked up his drink and left.

Now alone in the booth, Liang Jinmo stopped trying to dissuade Xu Zhi. He glanced at her coldly. “Are you only this difficult with me?”

Xu Zhi, the “good girl” in everyone else’s eyes, was completely different around him.

When he first arrived in Beicheng, he was mistreated and lived a difficult life. He had no real impression of Liang Mushi’s childhood friend. The first time he remembered her was during that bullying incident.

She had seemed timid, but caught up in the crowd, she had also torn up his test paper.

But later, when he was locked in the attic, she had secretly come to him and given him a flashlight.

Xu Zhi was about to speak when her phone vibrated in her bag.

She felt a little dizzy. Pulling out her phone, she saw the caller ID: “Mu Shi.”