His Addiction - Chapter 50
At 11 p.m., Yang Xue returned, triumphant after winning at mahjong.
Seeing Xu Zhi’s face buried in the pillow, she went over and pulled it away, then froze. “Zhi Zi, do you have a fever? Your face is so red.”
She reached out to touch Xu Zhi’s forehead. “You do feel a little warm…”
Xu Zhi quickly dodged her hand, touching her own face. “I… I’m fine. The heating is too strong.”
“I think the temperature is perfect.” Yang Xue, oblivious, sat down on the small sofa and noticed the beer cans on the round table and the large stain on the carpet. “What happened here? Did you take a beer bath?”
“No…” Xu Zhi said. “I spilled some beer on the carpet.”
“Were you drinking with Director Liang?” Yang Xue grinned mischievously. “I wonder why he didn’t join us, rushing back here instead. He’s been thinking about you all day, asking for my room key twice, remembering to order food for you… Sigh, I should have just switched rooms with him. He has a suite upstairs. I could have given him my small bed. And if you needed more space, you could have pushed the two beds together.”
“You…” Xu Zhi was mortified. “Stop talking nonsense!”
“I’m not talking nonsense. I’m just stating facts.” Yang Xue paused, staring at Xu Zhi as if she had made a great discovery. “Your face is even redder now… Did something happen between you two?”
Xu Zhi buried her face in the pillow again.
Yang Xue climbed onto the bed and snuggled up to Xu Zhi. “Confess!”
Xu Zhi was too embarrassed to say anything. She mumbled, “Stop teasing me.”
Yang Xue: “Fine, I won’t ask. But let me tell you, you should seize the opportunity. Director Liang is a great guy, much better than that playboy Liang Mushi.”
Xu Zhi: “You’ve only known him for a few days…”
“But he’s a good person. Everyone on the team agrees. He treats his people well,” Yang Xue said. “And he’s so handsome! I’ve been seeing Director Liang so much these past few days that I’ve become immune to Cheng Yu’s good looks. Director Liang has raised my standards. Even my idol can’t compare to him.”
Xu Zhi’s mind went blank. She turned to look at Yang Xue, blurting out, “Why do you keep looking at him…?”
She instantly regretted her words, but it was too late.
Yang Xue laughed loudly. “Don’t worry! I won’t steal him from you. Although Cheng Yu isn’t as handsome as Director Liang, he’s still my number one. Director Liang is all yours.”
Xu Zhi wanted to bury herself in a hole. Hiding her face in the pillow wasn’t enough.
After Yang Xue finished laughing, she patted Xu Zhi’s back. “Seriously, consider Director Liang. I can tell he’s really into you. He kept thinking about you even when we were out. He usually seems so cold and aloof. I didn’t expect him to be so thoughtful…”
She paused. “I heard at the company… that he’s not well-liked in the Liang family because he’s illegitimate. I know you might have reservations about his background, but think about it, your relationship with Liang Mushi is already a mess. What do you have to lose? Besides, Director Liang didn’t choose his background. The Liang family has already been unfair to him. You should be fair to him.”
Yang Xue had raised a valid point. Xu Zhi, who had been reliving the kiss all night, was jolted back to reality.
Lying in bed, she couldn’t help but wonder, What was Liang Jinmo thinking?
Was it just revenge, as Liang Mushi had said?
And if she were to be with him, she would face immense pressure. It would be a betrayal of Fu Wanwen and defiance of Xu He Ping.
She wouldn’t have even dared to consider such a thing before.
The thought doused her budding feelings with cold water.
How could she forget? She had helped Liang Mushi tear up his textbooks and test papers. She had driven him out of her house when he had a fever and nowhere to go. She had done those things many times…
If he really wanted revenge on Liang Mushi, she, as his accomplice, wouldn’t be spared.
Xu Zhi woke up early the next morning.
While Yang Xue was still asleep, she quietly got up, washed her face, and packed her things.
As she closed the door and turned around, she froze.
Liang Jinmo was leaning against the wall, looking at her.
She was mortified. After a moment, she walked towards him. “Why… why are you here so early…?”
Liang Jinmo glanced at her suitcase. “You’re up early too.”
She had woken up early to run away. She couldn’t tell him that.
Liang Jinmo raised an eyebrow. “Running away?”
Xu Zhi denied it. “No.”
“Then let’s go.” He straightened up and took her suitcase, scoffing. “Coward. Who’s afraid of whom?”
Xu Zhi’s feelings were complicated. She was indeed afraid.
She had thought that with each encounter, she would understand him better, but she had been wrong.
Instead, she had discovered a side of herself she hadn’t known existed. Her deep yearning for intimacy, her hidden desires, her longing to be held and kissed by him…
If Liang Jinmo weren’t Liang Jinmo, if he weren’t Liang Mushi’s half-brother, if he weren’t the Liang family’s illegitimate son, she would be willing to pursue a relationship with him. But there were no ifs.
His background was too sensitive. She had been seen as Liang Mushi’s partner. Getting involved with both half-brothers would invite gossip and judgment.
She didn’t have the courage to defy her father and face the scrutiny of others, so she didn’t dare to confess her feelings, afraid of what he might say.
Logically, she didn’t want to have anything to do with the Liang family anymore. And she couldn’t be sure of his feelings for her, whether he was seeking revenge on her or Liang Mushi.
Perhaps it was just a game. A man kissing a woman didn’t necessarily mean he liked her. She thought, After all, men can sleep with women they don’t even like.
Lost in her chaotic thoughts, she felt a pang of sadness. That had been her first kiss…
A first kiss is always special for a girl.
They got into the car. Xu Zhi chose the back seat.
To be farther away from him.
Liang Jinmo, sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Treating me like your chauffeur?”
Xu Zhi quickly lay down in the back seat. “I’m sleepy. I want to sleep. The front is too cramped.”
“You can recline the seat.”
“It’s still cramped!”
Completely unreasonable.
Liang Jinmo narrowed his eyes, then chuckled in exasperation. “Didn’t sleep well last night?”
Xu Zhi’s mind raced. “I slept great.”
She wouldn’t admit that she had been up half the night thinking about him, about the kiss.
Liang Jinmo didn’t argue with her. He put the car in gear and looked away from the rearview mirror. “I didn’t sleep well.”
Xu Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. She pulled her jacket over her head, pretending to be asleep.