His Addiction - Chapter 43
Liang Jinmo had come to the ski resort for the online ticketing app as well.
After getting into the car, Xu Zhi took a while to compose herself, wiping away her tears. Seeing that he was driving towards the hotel, she wanted to get out again. “Maybe… maybe I should get out. I don’t want to go back to the hotel.”
Her voice was thick with unshed tears. Liang Jinmo, looking straight ahead, didn’t stop the car. “The resort just opened. There are no vehicles going to the city after 7 p.m. You won’t find a taxi at the entrance either.”
Xu Zhi lowered her head and remained silent.
She knew she had left late. The resort was far from the city, and the transportation system wasn’t fully developed yet. She had acted impulsively, wanting only to get away from the hotel. She hadn’t even wanted to book a separate room, just to leave, to get as far away from Liang Mushi and Chen Jing as possible.
This was the first time she had been so wrongly accused. She was furious.
Her nose stung. Liang Mushi hadn’t even considered where she would go, how she would get back to the city.
He hadn’t called or messaged her. She knew this time was different from their past disagreements.
After a while, Liang Jinmo spoke again. “I heard from the manager here that there are some vacation cabins besides the hotel. I’ll ask him if there are any available.”
He put on his Bluetooth headset and made a call.
After hanging up, he turned the car around. Xu Zhi asked, “Are there any cabins available?”
“He said there is one, a small one. It’s a model unit, used for display purposes. The larger ones aren’t ready yet,” Liang Jinmo said. “We can go take a look. But it’s a bit far, at the southernmost end of the resort.”
Xu Zhi: “It doesn’t matter how far it is. I just don’t want to stay at the hotel.”
Liang Jinmo was silent for a moment. “Did you come here with Liang Mushi?”
Xu Zhi shrank back into the car seat. “I didn’t want to come… It was my dad. Our company is having some problems. We need funding for a project. My dad wants me to be with Liang Mushi, saying that a marriage alliance would be beneficial for securing loans and investments. He ordered me to come.”
Liang Jinmo: “Didn’t you tell him Liang Mushi has a girlfriend?”
“Liang Mushi told me not to tell anyone,” Xu Zhi said, her head bowed, her mood still low. “His girlfriend is Chen Jing, the daughter of a corrupt official who was arrested two years ago. Uncle and Aunt Liang don’t know about their relationship. They care about their family’s reputation. They would never accept it. If I told my dad, Uncle and Aunt Liang would find out soon enough.”
Liang Jinmo’s eyes darkened. “You intend to keep Liang Mushi’s secret?”
Xu Zhi looked out the window. After a few seconds, she said, “I don’t know.”
“Liang Mushi and I… we might not even be friends anymore,” she said, a bitter, self-deprecating smile playing on her lips. “Chen Jing fell and injured herself on the ski slopes today. She told Liang Mushi that I pushed her hand away, causing her to fall. Liang Mushi believed her. He…”
She opened her mouth but couldn’t continue.
Although she had been the one to suggest leaving, she knew Liang Mushi had driven her away.
Liang Jinmo didn’t press her further, and silence fell in the car.
The vacation cabins weren’t open to the public yet. The manager on duty at the south section came out of the office to greet Liang Jinmo.
“Director Liang, you’re here. Mr. Chen told me you’re looking for a cabin. I should warn you, there’s only one small one available right now. It’s a model unit, used for display. The larger ones aren’t ready yet.”
Liang Jinmo frowned slightly. “How small?”
The manager glanced at Xu Zhi, then hesitated. “It’s… designed for single travelers. A one-bedroom, one-living room prefabricated steel cabin. But rest assured, it’s fully furnished and equipped.”
Liang Jinmo turned to look at Xu Zhi. “Will this do?”
Xu Zhi hadn’t realized it would be so difficult to find alternative accommodation besides the hotel. She felt bad for troubling him further. “It’s fine,” she said.
They were led to the small cabin.
It was actually quite nice, decorated in a modern minimalist style, spotlessly clean, with fresh linens and bedding. It was just a little cold.
The manager turned on the heating and said, “It’ll warm up soon. There’s a water heater too, so you can take a shower. We’re planning to build more of these cabins in this area, with different sizes and layouts for couples, families, and so on…”
The manager continued talking to Liang Jinmo about the resort’s development plans while Xu Zhi wandered around the cabin.
When she returned to the living room, Liang Jinmo had already dismissed the manager.
He was on his phone, and she overheard what sounded like a conversation with Zhou He.
After he hung up, she asked, “Are you going to see Zhou He? Is he at the hotel with Yang Xue?”
Liang Jinmo’s face darkened. “They’re in their hotel room. All five of them are drunk.”
He had come to discuss work with Zhou He, but how could he talk to a drunk person?
Xu Zhi, thinking of Yang Xue and Zhou He, said, “Zhou He and Yang Xue… they seem to get along well.”
Liang Jinmo put his phone in his pocket and looked at her. “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”
Xu Zhi paused, then nodded.
Her expression was stiff.
Liang Jinmo: “There’s only one bed. I’ll go back to the hotel.”
Xu Zhi nodded again.
Liang Jinmo walked towards the door. She followed him. As he opened the door, she said, “Jinmo Gege.”
He stopped and turned around.
She bit her lip and said, “Thank you.”
Liang Jinmo said, “Although there are security guards here, this area isn’t open to the public yet, so there aren’t many people around. Lock the door and draw the curtains. Call me if you need anything.”
Xu Zhi: “Okay.”
Liang Jinmo stepped outside and closed the door.
Xu Zhi stood by the window, watching him leave.
There were only a few streetlights on, and his figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Xu Zhi’s shoulders slumped. The planned ice city hadn’t been built yet, so the view from her window was of an empty, undeveloped area.
Suddenly, she felt like she was standing alone in a vast wilderness, abandoned by the entire world.
Liang Jinmo got into his car but didn’t start the engine immediately.
He rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and looked out towards the cabin. But…
His view was blocked by the office building. He couldn’t see the cabin where Xu Zhi was staying.
The undeveloped area was desolate and dimly lit. His eyes were unreadable.
Halfway through his cigarette, he put it out and took a paper bag from the glove compartment.
He got out of the car, locked it, and walked back towards the cabin, carrying the paper bag.
As he approached, he slowed down.
The curtains weren’t drawn, and he could see inside.
He saw Xu Zhi sitting on the sofa, hunched over, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking.
He stopped, watching the crying girl from a distance.
He didn’t know how much time passed. His fingers grew cold. He walked to the door, turned the handle, and the door opened.
He had told her to lock the door and draw the curtains, but she hadn’t listened.
Xu Zhi, startled, looked up.
Seeing Liang Jinmo, she was both relieved and embarrassed. She stood up, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “You… why are you back…?”
Liang Jinmo walked in, placed the paper bag on the coffee table, then locked the door and drew the curtains.
He turned to look at her and said, “I’m not leaving.”