His Addiction - Chapter 17

Liang Mushi walked straight up to Xu Zhi. He glanced at the departing car and asked, “Who just dropped you off?”

Xu Zhi’s heart tightened. “You saw?”

Liang Mushi’s brow furrowed, his tone unusually serious as he addressed her formally. “Xu Zhi, what are you doing? You’ve never acted like this before. Going to bars… staying out all night… with a man…”

He trailed off, staring at her, his eyes bloodshot, his expression grim.

Xu Zhi didn’t want to discuss this in front of the school. “Can we… can we go to that coffee shop over there?”

She didn’t want to be seen by any classmates. It would be too embarrassing.

Liang Mushi took a deep breath. “Fine. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

They went to a coffee shop a block away.

After ordering and sitting down, Liang Mushi spoke first. “What was that WeChat message you sent me yesterday?”

Xu Zhi immediately realized he was talking about the message she had retracted.

She said, “Nothing important.”

“What was it?” Liang Mushi clearly had little patience.

“It wasn’t anything important,” she repeated. “Just… I didn’t do well on my exam.”

She used to share these trivial things with him, but now it felt inappropriate.

“Then why did you retract it?” Liang Mushi asked.

Xu Zhi lowered her head slightly. “Mu Zhi, you’ve never been in a relationship, so you might not understand. Although I haven’t either, I… I understand how girls think. If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t want him to have a close female friend he shares everything with.”

Liang Mushi: “So you think Chen Jing would be jealous?”

Xu Zhi: “Whether she’s jealous or not, we should avoid any misunderstandings. It’s best to avoid being alone together like this in the future.”

Liang Mushi laughed in exasperation. “Chen Jing isn’t that petty. It’s you. First, you said you think Chen Jing would be jealous if she were in my shoes, and then you say we should avoid misunderstandings regardless of whether she’s jealous or not. You’re just making excuses to distance yourself from me.”

Xu Zhi opened her mouth, feeling cornered.

Liang Mushi continued, “I know you’re upset. About Chen Jing asking if you were the one who leaked the news about my fight and getting me punished… I figured it out. My mom told me that one of my dad’s friends who works at the police station told him. I cleared things up with Chen Jing. She won’t suspect you anymore. Are you happy now?”

Xu Zhi lowered her head, her thoughts in disarray. She didn’t like complicated relationships, but Liang Mushi was being forceful.

She was soft-hearted and didn’t want to make things too awkward between them. After all, their families were close, they were neighbors, and they would inevitably see each other again.

But she felt a deep, inexplicable ache. She felt like he was making things difficult for her.

How could she move on if they continued their old relationship?

She wanted to completely remove him from her life, to prevent herself from harboring any more illusions, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Silence stretched between them, the coffee on the table growing cold.

Liang Mushi leaned back against the sofa and suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

“I don’t know what I did wrong. Suddenly, you’re like a different person…” He rubbed his forehead. “You went to a place like that last night… You were always so well-behaved. Suddenly, you’re going to bars with men, staying out all night… I just…”

He struggled to articulate his feelings, his voice despondent. “I looked for you all night, Xu Zhi. All night… Yang Xue said I was wrong, but I was worried you’d been tricked. I was being sincere. What you did last night… it made me feel…”

Terrible.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before, a wrenching pain in his chest, as if something precious to him had been trampled on, and he could only watch helplessly.

Xu Zhi remained silent, a sharp pain spreading from her heart.

I’m hurting too, she thought despairingly.

He could express his pain, but she had to bury hers deep inside.

Liang Mushi cared about her as a friend, but she couldn’t accept that care without reservation. She had her own secret, unrequited feelings.

“I don’t know when you started ignoring me, even avoiding me. You told me to mind my own business, but how can I? We grew up together, we’ve been through so much. You’re like…”

Liang Mushi searched for the right words, speaking slowly. “You’re like a little sister to me. Do you understand? I can’t just leave you alone; I can’t do it. You’re family.”

Xu Zhi lowered her head, her vision blurring. His words didn’t warm her heart; instead, they felt like a cruel joke.

The words “little sister” stung. She felt like a clown, having taken those jokes seriously. She wanted to ask Liang Mushi, then why didn’t he clarify things with Grandpa Liang earlier?

If he had, she wouldn’t have been so foolish as to believe they had a future together.

Xu Zhi dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to remain calm as she spoke to Liang Mushi. “Have you considered Chen Jing’s feelings? We’re not bl00d-related. Can she really accept a ‘sister’ like me?”

“She doesn’t overthink things like you do. She said she can accept it. She said that since she’s with me, she’ll treat you like her own sister.” Liang Mushi looked into her eyes, his tone unconsciously taking on a comparative edge. “She’s easygoing, not so nitpicky. We’re similar in that way, that’s why we’re together.”

Although her mind was still foggy, Xu Zhi understood the implication.

He was calling her petty and oversensitive.

She had nothing to say to that.

Liang Mushi asked, “Can we… go back to how things were before?”

His voice was cautious, hesitant.

Xu Zhi had seen this expression many times before. In the past, it would have softened her heart, made her want to comfort him. But now, she just felt tired. She forced a smile, indulging him once again. “Of course.”

“Xiao Zhi Zi,” Liang Mushi looked at her intently. “I hope you don’t change. I hope our relationship never changes. You know, in the adult world, things aren’t always pure, but you’re different… You’re so good, and I want to protect you.”

Xu Zhi didn’t think she needed his protection, but she didn’t argue.

She was tired of arguing with him, wanting only to end this conversation quickly. It was at this moment that she realized, perhaps due to his upbringing, Liang Mushi lived in his own world. He couldn’t understand her feelings, only imposing his unwanted concern on her. Perhaps he did all this simply to satisfy his need for control.

Severing ties completely wasn’t an option for them. She resolved to slowly distance herself from him.

Liang Mushi wasn’t entirely reassured. He hesitated, then changed the subject, bringing up last night. “So, last night… you really went to a hotel with the man you like. Did… did anything happen?”