His Addiction - Chapter 45

Xu Zhi didn’t know why she had so readily used such a suggestive word. Her face flushed crimson. “I… I mean, you’re taller!”

She wanted to slap herself. Stupid mouth!

Liang Jinmo paused. “Do you talk to everyone like this?”

Xu Zhi: “No!”

“Then you only make suggestive jokes with me?”

Xu Zhi wanted to scream. “No!”

“Then…” Liang Jinmo paused. “You make them with other people too?”

“Ah!” Xu Zhi was exasperated. “I mean I didn’t mean to say it like that! I meant you’re tall! Tall!”

She was mortified. “You’re deliberately twisting my words. Your mind is filled with dirty thoughts!”

Liang Jinmo didn’t respond, simply staring into her eyes.

Xu Zhi felt exposed under his gaze. She quickly looked away.

But then she sensed something was off and looked back at him.

Liang Jinmo’s lips were curved into a faint smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“You… what are you smiling about? You…” Xu Zhi couldn’t take it anymore. She had completely forgotten why she had come out. She turned and ran back to the bedroom. “You’re so annoying! I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”

She slammed the bedroom door shut.

Liang Jinmo sat on the sofa, the image of her flushed face still vivid in his mind. He lowered his head, chuckling.

Back in the bedroom, Xu Zhi had successfully banished all thoughts of Liang Mushi and Chen Jing. Her mind was now completely filled with Liang Jinmo.

He seemed so cold and aloof, but why did he have so many dirty thoughts? She tossed and turned in bed, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.

It grew quiet outside. The lights were turned off. She didn’t know how much time passed when she quietly got out of bed in the darkness.

Besides the duvet, there was also a new blanket on the bed. She took it and tiptoed to the living room.

The room was quiet. She could hear his breathing. Liang Jinmo seemed to be asleep.

It was too dark to see clearly. She unfolded the blanket and gently covered him with it.

She stood there for a moment, making sure he hadn’t woken up, then quietly returned to the bedroom, feeling like a thief.

Now she could finally relax. She closed her eyes, and sleep quickly claimed her.

Liang Mushi didn’t have a good night.

Having lived a pampered life for over twenty years, he had never taken care of anyone. Chen Jing, lying in the hospital bed, whined about the pain and constantly asked for water.

These tasks weren’t part of the private nurse’s duties, and Liang Mushi was exhausted from being up half the night, attending to her needs. At this time and place, even if he wanted to hire a caregiver, he couldn’t.

Chen Jing, seeing his exhaustion, finally quieted down and fell asleep.

Liang Mushi lay on the accompanying bed, wide awake.

He remembered Xu Zhi’s accusations before she left, her tear-stained face, her trembling shoulders.

She had left late. It was unlikely she had returned to the city. He guessed she had probably booked a separate room at the hotel.

He had brought her here, and he had driven her away.

He closed his eyes, a tightness in his chest. He still couldn’t understand how things had come to this.

Thinking back, there were indeed many inconsistencies. Xu Zhi hadn’t seemed to be lying, but…

How could Chen Jing have fallen down the slope on purpose? She had no reason to do that.

She had always been an understanding girlfriend, never minding his relationship with Xu Zhi. He didn’t believe a word of what Xu Zhi had said about Chen Jing’s words before the fall.

He couldn’t make sense of it. He finally drifted off towards dawn. After waking up, he discussed the situation with Chen Jing.

This was a resort medical center, after all. It wasn’t convenient. He suggested they return to the city.

Chen Jing’s injuries didn’t require hospitalization. Hiring a live-in private nurse and a housekeeper should be sufficient.

Chen Jing agreed. But before leaving, Liang Mushi told her he needed to find someone at the ski resort and left briefly.

He went to the resort’s main security office.

They had all the surveillance footage. He went directly to the head of security.

The head of security, a portly middle-aged man, was surprised when Liang Mushi identified himself and explained his purpose. “Director Liang just came by with a young lady, looking at yesterday’s surveillance footage from the ski slopes. They were looking at the same area you’re interested in.”

Liang Mushi was taken aback. “Director Liang?”

“Yes, the one who…” The head of security hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “The one who works at Liang Corp.”

Liang Mushi’s face darkened.

These people called him “Young Master Liang” and called Liang Jinmo “Director Liang,” even though he was the rightful heir to Liang Corp.

He had been unhappy when Liang Jinmo joined the company. He had asked Liang Zhengguo why he had allowed it, suspecting ulterior motives.

Liang Zhengguo had countered, “Then why don’t you join the company?”

Of course, he didn’t want to. He wasn’t done having fun yet. He didn’t want to be busy all day like Liang Zhengguo.

Liang Zhengguo had said, “If you don’t join, someone from the family has to. Someone has to do the work.”

So, in his mind, Liang Jinmo’s role was simply to “do the work.” He had never asked about Liang Jinmo’s position at Liang Corp. He hadn’t expected that, in just over two years, Liang Jinmo would be addressed as “Director Liang,” indicating a high-ranking position.

He needed to talk to Liang Zhengguo about this.

But there was another pressing matter. Why was Liang Jinmo looking at the surveillance footage from yesterday? And who was the girl with him?

He had a suspicion, but he dismissed it as unlikely.

Although Xu Zhi had left with Liang Jinmo that day, right in front of him, he had assumed it was out of spite, a deliberate attempt to provoke him.

After all, they had been close for so many years, sharing everything. He had never heard her mention Liang Jinmo.

When he was younger, he had torn Liang Jinmo’s textbooks out of spite, and Xu Zhi had even helped him.

It was impossible for those two to be involved.

He decided to go to the monitoring room to find out.

The head of security had someone escort him there. The door to the monitoring room opened, and Liang Mushi froze, his fists clenching.

The room was large, filled with screens displaying surveillance footage from the entire ski resort. Staff members were monitoring the live feeds, while Liang Jinmo and Xu Zhi were watching yesterday’s footage on a computer on one side of the room.

It was Xu Zhi who had suggested reviewing the footage. She was unwilling to accept the false accusation.

With Liang Jinmo’s position, they had easily gained access.

There were many cameras, and they had to search carefully. They were just about to find the relevant footage when the unexpected visitor arrived.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Xu Zhi turned around and saw Liang Mushi. She froze.

Their eyes met. Liang Mushi immediately noticed her swollen eyes, a clear indication that she had been crying.

He felt a pang of guilt.