His Addiction - Chapter 21

Yang Xue leaned in, curious. “What kind of short video are you watching?”

Xu Zhi quickly turned off her phone screen. “It’s nothing!”

Her reaction was so intense that Yang Xue froze, frowning as she stared at her. “What’s with you? Hiding something scandalous?”

Xu Zhi bit her lip. “I… really, it’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Then why is your face red?” Yang Xue suddenly lowered her voice, grinning. “Don’t tell me you just finished reading some ABO smut and were watching some naughty videos afterward.”

“It’s not like that!”

Xu Zhi was about to lose her mind. She ran her hands through her hair. “The other day, when I got drunk… someone took a video of me. I… I think I was acting crazy drunk in it.”

Yang Xue’s face lit up with excitement. “Let me see!”

“No way. It’s so embarrassing, I…” Xu Zhi’s eyes filled with despair. “I think I need to move to another planet.”

Yang Xue waved it off. “It’s no big deal. So you got drunk and acted a little crazy. As long as you didn’t hook up with some random guy, it’s nothing to worry about. So come on, let me see!”

Faced with this kind of friend, Xu Zhi grew even more distressed. “I… I’m going back to the dorm. You can listen to the lecture on your own.”

There were still a few minutes left of the break. She glanced forward and spotted Liang Jinmo on the stage.

Though there were several people standing there, her eyes went straight to him.

He hadn’t noticed her. He was focused on speaking with the professor. From this angle, she could see his profile—his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his lips, his jawline… every feature was flawless.

Her heart started pounding erratically. She quickly averted her gaze and began packing her things.

Yang Xue tried to stop her, but Xu Zhi still ran off.

Before the break ended, she left the large lecture hall and returned alone to the dormitory.

Her roommates were all out having fun, leaving the dormitory completely empty.

She set her things down, lay on her bed, and touched her cheeks with her fingers. They were still burning.

Why did she hug Liang Jinmo? What was she thinking at that moment? She couldn’t recall it at all.

After a while, she picked up her phone again and opened the video.

With no one around, she turned up the volume, hoping to catch the audio.

But the recording seemed too distant. She still couldn’t make out what they were saying.

This time, she watched the video all the way through, and it only made her feel worse.

Not only had she hugged Liang Jinmo for a long time, but she had also…

She had thrown up on him.

Lying facedown, she pressed her phone against the bed and buried her face in the pillow. She stayed like that until she couldn’t breathe and had to lift her head to gasp for air.

Frustrated, she thought, *What should I do? Moving to another planet isn’t practical. At this rate, jumping off a building seems like the only option.*

She tugged at her hair, muttering softly to herself, “What do I do…”

Then she looked at her hands. It had been these reckless, unrestrained hands that had clung tightly to Liang Jinmo that night.

What did it feel like to hug him? She couldn’t remember at all. She didn’t think she’d ever hugged any other guy like that.

In the video, she looked completely out of control, while Liang Jinmo didn’t show any sign of disdain. Even when she threw up on him, he just dragged her to the bathroom with a grim face.

He must have been really angry… But the next morning at the hotel, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual about his demeanor.

She had even confidently told him that she wouldn’t act like a different person, even when drunk.

Once again, she buried her face in the pillow, rubbing it back and forth in frustration.

And Zhou He, that guy, had actually recorded the whole thing…

It was maddening.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she picked up her phone again and paused the video at a specific moment.

On the screen, Liang Jinmo’s hand was raised, gently falling on her head.

He ruffled her hair softly, a gesture full of comfort.

It wasn’t the Liang Jinmo she thought she knew.

He rarely spoke to her, and sometimes he was even cold. But thinking back, he had helped her several times already.

She suspected that if she had thrown up on Liang Mushi, that spoiled young master, he would’ve killed her.

Like someone under a spell, she watched the few seconds of Liang Jinmo ruffling her hair over and over again.

The video, despite causing her so much embarrassment, also stirred something else in her—a subtle, indescribable feeling. She felt as though she had discovered a side of Liang Jinmo that he rarely showed, a rare kind of gentleness.

By the evening, Xu Zhi received a call from Yang Xue.

Yang Xue sounded thrilled. “I’m going to dinner with Cheng Yu!”

Xu Zhi replied, “Congratulations.”

Yang Xue said, “You’re coming too.”

“I don’t want to be the third wheel,” Xu Zhi said.

“No, you have to come,” Yang Xue insisted. “Do you know why this dinner is happening?”

Without waiting for Xu Zhi to respond, Yang Xue continued, “I told Zhou He that today is your birthday. Zhou He insisted on organizing a celebration for you. Cheng Yu will be there, and so will his boss, Xiao Liang, from his company. Zhou He even said you could invite other classmates if you wanted.”

Xiao Liang?

Xu Zhi thought for a moment before realizing Yang Xue was referring to Liang Jinmo.

Clutching her phone, Xu Zhi felt conflicted. On one hand, she was a little afraid to see him and felt embarrassed. On the other hand…

She kind of wanted to see him. Just a little.

After all, it was her birthday, and she had already planned to treat him to a meal and had even accepted his gift.

Yang Xue urged from the other end, “We’re already waiting for you outside your dorm. Hurry up!”

Xu Zhi was startled. She hadn’t expected Yang Xue and the others to act so quickly. She hurriedly said, “I… I haven’t even agreed yet!”

“You can’t ruin this dinner for me,” Yang Xue said in a quieter voice. “This might be my only chance to have a meal with Cheng Yu. Come on, sister. If you don’t come down, I’ll wait here until the end of time.”

Xu Zhi felt exasperated as Yang Xue hung up the call.

She got up quickly, rushed to comb her hair, and changed her clothes.

Downstairs, she spotted Yang Xue waving at her from afar.

Gathering her courage, Xu Zhi walked over, greeted Yang Xue, Cheng Yu, and Zhou He, and finally glanced at Liang Jinmo.

She opened her mouth to speak but realized she didn’t know how to address him.

Fortunately, Yang Xue grabbed her arm and started walking.

Without saying a word to him, she felt both relieved and slightly disappointed.

Zhou He had reserved a private room at a high-end Chinese restaurant downtown.

The group got into the car. Zhou He drove, Liang Jinmo sat in the passenger seat, and Cheng Yu, Yang Xue, and Xu Zhi sat in the back. Throughout the drive, Cheng Yu and Liang Jinmo discussed work while Xu Zhi remained quiet.

She hadn’t greeted Liang Jinmo, and he hadn’t spoken to her either. It was entirely natural since he wasn’t a talkative person. But now, she couldn’t help wondering if he was still upset.

After all, she had abruptly left the car that day after seeing Liang Mushi.

And the night before, she had caused him so much trouble with her drunken antics…

Her thoughts were a mess, and she couldn’t stop herself from stealing glances at him out of the corner of her eye.