His Addiction - Chapter 15
Xu Zhi’s eyes held a clear, almost foolish innocence. “I got drunk and fell asleep. You brought me here, right?”
Liang Jinmo didn’t answer. He sat down beside her with his glass of water, taking slow sips.
His attitude made Xu Zhi uneasy.
When she first woke up in the guest room and realized she wasn’t in her dorm, she had been momentarily alarmed. But then she recognized Liang Jinmo’s suite, a familiar place by now. She instinctively felt safe, so her only concern had been contacting Yang Xue.
However, his cryptic words suggested something else had happened last night that she didn’t remember.
Her phone had just finished booting up, and notification sounds erupted one after another.
WeChat messages and text messages.
Xu Zhi’s attention shifted. She opened WeChat first. Sure enough, Yang Xue had sent her a barrage of messages.
Yang Xue: Zhi Zi, where are you? Liang Mushi is looking for you. He called me. Why is your phone off?
Yang Xue: Turn your phone on! Liang Mushi came to school looking for you!
Yang Xue: What’s going on? Message me back when you see this.
Yang Xue: Liang Mushi is really worried. He said you went to a bar with a man. What’s going on?
Before Xu Zhi could finish reading, her phone vibrated in her hand, the screen displaying “Liang Mushi” as the incoming call.
Xu Zhi rubbed her forehead, feeling a pang of guilt, and answered.
As soon as she uttered a “Hello,” Liang Mushi’s voice came through, sharp with anxiety. “Where are you?”
“Hotel,” she answered without thinking.
A strange silence followed. Then, Liang Mushi spoke again, his voice tight with barely suppressed anger. “You… you went to a hotel with that man?”
Xu Zhi’s mind was still sluggish, about to ask “What man?” when Liang Jinmo suddenly asked her, “I’m ordering breakfast. What do you want?”
Liang Mushi clearly heard a man’s voice. Distorted by the phone connection, the words weren’t clear, but it was definitely a man.
He gripped his phone, standing at the intersection of Bar Street. He had searched for her all night.
She had only said she was at a bar, without giving a name, so he had gone looking, bar by bar.
He hadn’t known what she was doing while he was frantically searching for her, but now he had his answer.
Startled by Liang Jinmo’s sudden question, Xu Zhi turned to look at him, mouthing the word “Anything.”
Then she heard the dial tone.
Liang Mushi had hung up.
Perhaps she should call him back and explain, but she didn’t have the energy. Her head still throbbed. She continued to massage her temples, then called Yang Xue to let her know she was safe.
Yang Xue’s voice was full of alarm. “You should have seen Liang Mushi last night. He was like a madman, yelling at me, asking where you were. Is he crazy?”
Xu Zhi thought, He is crazy. Spoiled-rich-kid crazy.
She said, “I’m sorry. I caused you trouble.”
“Don’t mention it,” Yang Xue said. “I’m just glad you’re okay. But I’m speechless about Liang Mushi. He stood downstairs from our dorm for over two hours last night, saying he was waiting for you. When you didn’t come back, he said he was going to find you. You wouldn’t believe it, the other girls in our dorm saw him and said he was so devoted.”
Xu Zhi paused.
It was a winter night in northern China. Standing outside for two hours… For a pampered young master like Liang Mushi, that was practically torture. It was hard for her to imagine.
But she still couldn’t understand this level of concern he displayed for a platonic friend.
Her next exam was tomorrow, so she and Yang Xue discussed potential exam questions for a while. But talking about studying made her head hurt even more.
After hanging up, she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.
She didn’t exactly regret going to the bar, but it was exam week, and she was already stressed. Getting drunk had thrown off her study schedule.
She liked to be organized, to have everything planned out. But now, her life felt completely out of control.
She didn’t know when Liang Jinmo had returned to his bedroom. She got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. Looking in the mirror, she saw her messy hair and disheveled clothes. The stain on her shirt was prominent, and she reeked of alcohol.
Fun for a moment, cremation later. She couldn’t stand looking at herself for another second. Feeling utterly disgusted, she went to find Liang Jinmo and hesitantly asked if she could take a shower.
Liang Jinmo had just finished ordering breakfast. He put down his phone and looked at her. “Do as you please.”
Xu Zhi fidgeted. “Um… could I borrow a shirt or something? My shirt is covered in alcohol…”
Liang Jinmo opened the wardrobe in his bedroom. His hand brushed against a freshly laundered shirt, but in a split second, he reached for a hanger and pulled out a white shirt he often wore.
Xu Zhi took the shirt and turned to go to the bathroom. “Thank you. I’ll buy you a new one later.”
“No need,” he said indifferently. “Just wash it and return it.”
Xu Zhi was eager to shower and didn’t say anything more. It wasn’t until she was standing under the spray of the shower that she fully processed their exchange.
A shirt, from him to her, and back to him again…
It felt strangely intimate.
In her haste to shower, she hadn’t considered the implications of wearing his clothes. Now, she realized how presumptuous she had been.
After showering, she hesitated, unsure whether she should wear her own dirty, alcohol-soaked shirt. But the thought of it made her shudder.
The bathroom was filled with steam. She picked up Liang Jinmo’s white shirt.
It looked new, but she knew it wasn’t. She could clearly smell his unique woody scent, a cool, aloof fragrance, just like him.
But for some reason…
She brought the shirt to her nose and inhaled deeply. She liked the smell.
It was much better than her own dirty, alcohol-ridden shirt.
Finally, she made up her mind. Just wear it. Clean and comfortable is what matters.
By the time she had dried her hair and left the bathroom, the server had already delivered breakfast.
Just like last time, they sat opposite each other in the dining area. This time, breakfast was sandwiches and milk.
In addition to milk, there was also honey water to help with the hangover. Xu Zhi chose the honey water.
Finally, she had the presence of mind to ask Liang Jinmo, “Did something happen last night? I usually don’t turn off my phone. And the alcohol on my shirt… Did someone spill something on me?”
“You answered Liang Mushi’s call last night, told him to mind his own business, then hung up and turned off your phone. You were quite proud of yourself, saying it was the first time you’d ever hung up on him like that.”
Liang Jinmo recounted her exploits from the previous night in a flat tone.
Xu Zhi was first surprised.
So, getting drunk really did cause blackouts. She had no memory of answering Liang Mushi’s call.
Then she felt a flicker of satisfaction. Sober, she was always restrained and would never speak to Liang Mushi so bluntly.
But by the end of his recap, she felt embarrassed.
Hanging up on Liang Mushi wasn’t something to be proud of. It was rather shameful. She silently took a bite of her sandwich.
Liang Jinmo continued, “I advised you to stop drinking. When I tried to take your glass, you wouldn’t let go, and the tequila spilled on your shirt.”
Xu Zhi was quiet for a moment. “And… that’s all?”
If that was the extent of her embarrassing behavior, she could live with it.
Liang Jinmo gave her a knowing look. “If I tell you any more, I’m afraid you’ll jump off a building.”