His Addiction - Chapter 14

Liang Jinmo knew some people only acted tough in their own territory, but Xu Zhi wasn’t one of them.

She was obedient in front of her parents, only defiant with him.

True to her word, she refused to wear the jacket, clamoring for more alcohol.

As she stood up, swaying unsteadily towards the bartender, he lost his patience. He grabbed her and pulled her into a side corridor.

It was empty and much quieter, lit only by simple incandescent lights. He tried to reason with her again. “Xu Zhi.”

Xu Zhi’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes glistening. Rubbing her wrist where he had gripped it, she said in a childish voice, “That hurt.”

Her skin was delicate, the skin around her wrist already red. He stared at it for a few seconds before returning his gaze to her aggrieved face. Two thoughts warred in his mind:

Regret at having used too much force.

And a desire to cover her in such marks.

Xu Zhi held up her wrist for him to see. “Look, there’s a red mark.”

Liang Jinmo’s dark eyes deepened, his voice losing its usual calmness. “If you keep this up, I’ll cover you in red marks.”

Xu Zhi’s eyes widened, seemingly genuinely intimidated. She stared at him blankly.

Liang Jinmo tugged at his collar, feeling hot. He was about to take her away when he heard footsteps approaching.

A sleazy-looking man emerged from the restroom at the end of the corridor, walking towards them. He glanced at Xu Zhi, his eyes immediately drawn to her dampened shirt.

Liang Jinmo shifted, putting his arm around Xu Zhi’s slender waist, blocking the man’s view.

After the man walked away disgruntled, Liang Jinmo looked down. The front of Xu Zhi’s white shirt was partially see-through, the damp fabric clinging to her skin, outlining the pale pink of her bra. The soft curves of her breasts rose and fell with each breath.

His throat tightened. He quickly averted his gaze, but forgot about his hand still resting on her waist.

Encircled by his arm, the alcohol amplified Xu Zhi’s hidden yearning for intimacy. She instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Liang Jinmo’s body stiffened.

She nuzzled her face against his chest, oblivious to the alcohol dampening his shirt as well, murmuring, “No one has ever hugged me…”

That wasn’t entirely true, but she couldn’t remember.

Xu He Ping never hugged her. But when she was very young, Zhao Nianqiao used to.

Later, when Zhao Nianqiao became pregnant, her attention shifted to the second child. Then she miscarried, and the constant arguments with Xu He Ping began. Xu Zhi never received another hug from her mother.

Liang Jinmo was silent for a moment. He draped the down jacket, which he had been carrying over his elbow, around her shoulders. “Let’s go. I’ll take you back.”

This time, Xu Zhi didn’t resist. The jacket was loosely draped around her, but she clung tightly to him, making it impossible to walk.

The alcohol had soaked through the thin fabric where their clothes touched. Her embrace was so tight he could feel her soft curves against him, a sensation utterly foreign and distracting. He let her hold him for a moment, then realized his shirt was also wet against his chest.

Looking down, he saw Xu Zhi’s face buried in his chest, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Liang Jinmo had seen people go crazy when drunk, confess their deepest secrets, or dissolve into tears and snot. But today, he was witnessing all three at once.

His hand clenched, then relaxed. He slowly raised it, finally resting it on her head, gently stroking her hair. “Let’s get you back to school, okay?”

Xu Zhi appeared to have run out of her dramatic flair. With tears still clinging to her lashes, she nodded quietly against his chest.

But she still didn’t let go.

He realized he had to be the one to end the embrace, but it was difficult.

He said, “I can’t walk like this.”

“We can,” she said, shuffling sideways. “We can walk sideways.”

Liang Jinmo: “…”

Exasperated by the drunk woman, he sighed. Just as he raised his hand to gently pull her away, she suddenly covered her mouth.

Alarm bells went off in his head. He finally remembered another type of drunk person – the one who vomits.

Almost the instant he stepped back, Xu Zhi retched, throwing up.

Liang Jinmo wanted to scream.

He dragged Xu Zhi to the restroom and cleaned himself up at the public sink, calling for a rideshare service while he was at it.

After a quick wash, the front of his shirt was completely soaked. He glared at Xu Zhi.

She had impeccable aim. The vomit was all over him, not a speck on her. He forced her to rinse her mouth and wash her face.

He was firm, showing no gentleness. After washing her face, Xu Zhi mumbled, “So mean.”

“Liang Mushi isn’t mean. Why don’t you bother him?” His tone was sharp, then he realized it was pointless.

What was the point of reasoning with a drunk person?

Xu Zhi seemed stung by his words. She pursed her lips, lowered her head, and fell silent.

Liang Jinmo took her out of the bar. He had initially intended to take her back to school, but changing his clothes was now a more urgent matter. He told the driver to go to his hotel.

Upstairs, he pushed Xu Zhi into the guest bathroom. “Wash up here.”

Then he went to his own bathroom, quickly showering and changing.

When he came out, the living room was empty. The guest bathroom was also empty. Xu Zhi was gone.

His heart tightened. He strode towards the door, but before he could bend down to change his shoes, he noticed the guest bedroom door was ajar.

He went in immediately.

The light was off, but the living room light spilled in, illuminating the figure lying on the bed.

Xu Zhi was curled up, her breathing even and deep.

He felt a wave of relief.

Leaning against the doorframe, he watched her sleep for a long time.

Perhaps because the alcohol-soaked fabric was uncomfortable against her skin, she tugged at her collar, distorting the neckline. A line of light and shadow fell across the soft curve of her breast, and she was completely unaware.

Liang Jinmo didn’t look away. His sharp eyes, like a hawk’s, seemed to silently measure his prey.

He didn’t know how much time passed.

He straightened up, quietly approached the bed, and pulled the covers over her before turning to leave.

The next day.

Xu Zhi opened her eyes, her head pounding.

She had no tolerance for alcohol and had blacked out. She could only recall going to the bar with Liang Jinmo and Zhou He, ordering tequila pretentiously. She couldn’t remember anything after that.

So this was what being drunk felt like.

She squinted, taking a moment to recognize her surroundings. It was the guest room in Liang Jinmo’s suite. She had been here before.

Reaching for her phone to check the time, she couldn’t find it.

She got up and hurried out to the living room.

Liang Jinmo was just emerging from his bedroom, fastening his cufflinks with one hand.

Seeing him, she immediately asked, “Where’s my phone? I promised Yang Xue I’d meet her at the library to study today.”

Liang Jinmo pointed at the sofa.

Her down jacket was lying there, discarded from last night. She rushed over, retrieved her phone from the pocket, and pressed the power button.

As she waited for it to boot up, she rubbed her temples and sat down on the sofa, gathering her messy hair.

Now sober, she felt acutely aware of how reckless she had been last night.

Liang Jinmo asked her, “Is that all you care about? Your phone?”

She looked at him, puzzled. “Library seats are hard to get. I need to tell Yang Xue, otherwise she’ll save a spot for me, and I won’t show up. That would be rude. And I should explain why I didn’t come back last night.”

“You know what ‘rude’ is.” Liang Jinmo looked away.

Xu Zhi was completely confused. “What do you mean?”

Liang Jinmo filled a glass of water at the water dispenser before continuing, but he didn’t answer her question. “You wake up in my room with a hangover, and that’s all you have to ask about last night?”