His Addiction - Chapter 4

The two of them went downstairs together. Liang Jinmo asked Xu Zhi if she needed him to give her a ride.

She didn’t want to trouble him any further and hurriedly waved her hand. “I’ll just take a taxi.”

Liang Jinmo nodded. “Be careful on the way.”

Xu Zhi turned and, now that she was wearing the down jacket, she didn’t feel so cold anymore. She lowered her head as she walked toward the taxi stand, when she suddenly remembered something.

Liang Jinmo’s birthday must be in the summer.

There had been one summer when he couldn’t stand the bullying at school and the cold treatment at the Liang family anymore, so he quietly left the Liang family.

Later, Xu Zhi heard that he went to find his mother.

“I heard it was his birthday that day, and he probably hoped his mom would celebrate with him,” Liang Muzhi had mentioned with a sneer. “But that mistress didn’t hesitate to turn him away. He stood outside all night, and his mom wouldn’t even let him in. The next day, she bought him a train ticket and sent him back to Beicheng. He had to come back, like a stray dog…”

A group of teenagers laughed loudly, and Xu Zhi just quietly lowered her head in the middle of that malicious laughter. She couldn’t laugh.

At the Liang family, of course, no one celebrated his birthday. When he went to find his mom, Xu Zhi didn’t know if he even heard a “Happy Birthday.”

She flagged down a taxi. Before getting in, she thought, It’s too late for this year, but next year, I’ll definitely get him a birthday gift.

The taxi drove off in a cloud of dust, and she didn’t notice that Liang Jinmo had been standing there, not leaving.

His deep, dark eyes had followed her, watching her back, then following the taxi until it disappeared from view. Only then did he look away and turn to leave.

Xu Zhi returned to the school dorm. Her roommate, Yang Xue, teased her: “Stayed out all night, huh, Zhi? Did something new happen with your Muzhi brother?”

They were best friends. When Liang Muzhi had come to the school to visit Xu Zhi, he specifically asked her and Yang Xue to have dinner together. During the meal, he had subtly said, “Yang Xue, do me a favor and take care of Xiao Zhi. If she has any problems, just give me a call.”

Yang Xue had said, “Zhi is so well-behaved, what problems could she have?”

Liang Muzhi had responded, “Exactly because she’s so well-behaved, I need to keep an eye on her. There are so many bad boys in university, don’t let anyone steal our Xiao Zhi away.”

Yang Xue had covered her mouth and smiled with an older-sister look, then poked Xu Zhi lightly. “Did you hear that? Your Muzhi gege is afraid someone will steal you away.”

Who would have thought, now Xu Zhi hadn’t run off, but Liang Muzhi had run off with someone else.

Xu Zhi felt awkward in response to Yang Xue’s teasing, and after a long silence, she said, “No… I… Liang Muzhi and I aren’t that kind of relationship, you know that. He’s never confessed to me.”

Yang Xue didn’t quite get it and kept laughing. “What does confession have to do with it? Anyway, both our parents already think you two are going to get married.”

Xu Zhi sat down on the chair, took a deep breath, and said, “Yang Xue, Liang Muzhi and I really aren’t a couple. He has a girlfriend now. Last night, he got arrested for fighting because of her. I just went to help with his bail, and I didn’t stay with him afterward. He and his girlfriend went to a hotel, and I stayed at another friend’s place.”

Yang Xue was stunned.

It took her a while to react, furrowing her brows. “Liang Muzhi… has a girlfriend?”

Xu Zhi nodded.

“He didn’t tell you?”

Xu Zhi nodded again. “I only found out last night.”

Yang Xue paused for a moment, her voice rising. “What kind of joke is this? He used to come to school and take us all out to eat, and everyone thought you two were together. When boys asked about you or tried to pursue you, we all chased them off, and now he’s with another woman?”

Yang Xue’s words made Xu Zhi feel even worse, and her eyes reddened.

She bit her lip, feeling like a fool.

“I always said Liang Muzhi couldn’t have just been a nice guy, playing around with all these mixed signals, right?” Yang Xue asked.

Xu Zhi shook her head. “I… I don’t know.”

She didn’t think so, at least not until high school when she and Liang Muzhi were at the same school. He wasn’t the warm-hearted guy the girls all thought he was, but now she wasn’t sure anymore. She had thought she understood him, but in the end, he had really played her.

As the end of the semester approached, there were hardly any classes left. Everyone else was busy studying for the exams, while Xu Zhi tried to read her books, but her mind was in chaos. She couldn’t focus on a single word.

The day passed in a blur, and in the evening, she received a WeChat message from Liang Muzhi.

Liang Muzhi: “Did you tell my parents I got arrested for fighting?”

Normally, Liang Muzhi rarely texted her. He preferred calling, and whenever he did, he would always greet her with a warm “Xiao Zhi.”

So when she saw this message, she felt uneasy and quickly typed a reply: “No, what happened?”

Liang Muzhi: “They know. I’m in the car now, heading home to get scolded.”

Xu Zhi’s heart sank. She quickly typed: “I didn’t say anything, how did they find out?”

Liang Muzhi: “Who knows.”

Xu Zhi stared at these words, feeling uneasy. Was she just being too sensitive, or did he mean something more?

Liang Muzhi: “Can you do me a favor?”

Xu Zhi had a bad feeling.

Liang Muzhi: “I heard my parents know it’s because of a girl that I fought. They asked me who she was, and I didn’t dare to say. If they find out it’s Chen Jing, they’ll have a bad impression of her before even meeting her. So, can you back me up and say that I was just protecting you when someone at the bar was bothering you?”

Xu Zhi wasn’t too surprised.

Back in middle school, when Liang Muzhi’s parents wouldn’t let him play games on the family computer, he would secretly go to the internet cafe, and to avoid being caught, he would take Xu Zhi with him, later telling his parents they were just at the bookstore.

That trick worked every time, and by high school, whenever he needed to skip out on studying to play, he would bring her along to act as a cover.

Xu Zhi was obedient, so Liang’s parents trusted her completely. As long as she spoke, they would believe his words.

But this time, it was different. This time, Liang Muzhi wanted her to cover for Chen Jing. Although Chen Jing was also a victim in this situation, the fight had happened because of her.

No one wanted to take the blame. Xu Zhi turned the phone face down on the table and tried to focus on her book.

The phone kept vibrating. She closed her eyes and picked it up again.

Liang Muzhi: “Please. You know how good my parents are to you. If I say I fought for you, they won’t blame me too much, and Chen Jing won’t leave a bad impression on them.”

Liang Muzhi: “I have no choice, Xiao Zhi. Please help me this time. I owe you a favor.”

Liang Muzhi: “If you really don’t want to, then forget it. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Xu Zhi instinctively felt that this last sentence carried his usual spoiled tone.

Liang Muzhi wasn’t an easy person to deal with, but he had always been gentle with Xu Zhi. Her personality was soft, and for so many years, they hadn’t really fought.

Xu Zhi couldn’t remember the last time they had a disagreement, but now, Liang Muzhi was being difficult with her, all because of Chen Jing.

Her finger hovered over the text box for a long time. The screen darkened, and she irritably threw the phone aside.