His Addiction - Chapter 7

After leaving home, Xu Zhi walked out of the villa area on foot.

Her head lowered, her mind still reeling from Xu Heiping’s words.

She had never been disrespectful to her elders, never. Everyone always said she was well-behaved, but no one knew that the reason she was always so obedient was because of something deeper.

She remembered when she was a child, during her parents’ constant fighting. Aside from cursing each other, they frequently brought up divorce. Xu Heiping and Zhao Nianqiao’s marriage certificate had long been torn up.

At that time, Xu Heiping, while tearing the marriage certificate, shouted at Zhao Nianqiao, “If you keep going like this, take Xu Zhi and get out. If we divorce, let’s see how you can live with a child!”

Zhao Nianqiao, not willing to back down, retorted, “You think I’ll just leave with the child? Not a chance. Xu Heiping, the more you don’t want me, the more I’ll stick around. After we divorce, I won’t take the burden, I won’t raise a child! Anyway, she’s your Xu family’s child, not mine!”

Little Xu Zhi stood quietly at the corner of the staircase on the second floor, listening to the arguments below.

She was a little scared. If her parents really divorced, would anyone want her?

She couldn’t become the son her father wanted, so all she could do was be a little more obedient, just a little more.

Later on, this obedience became deeply ingrained, and she had never defied Xu Heiping or Zhao Nianqiao.

But now, Xu Heiping had given her a task she didn’t know how to accomplish.

Xu Zhi walked absentmindedly, exiting the villa area. Just as she turned the corner and looked up, she saw someone.

Liang Jinmo was standing by the roadside, the snow in the green belt not yet cleared. He wore a black long coat with a high collar, the black and white contrasting sharply.

With his eyes downcast, he lit a cigarette with one hand. His features were handsome, but his expression was distant and indifferent, giving off a cold, almost unapproachable aura, yet at the same time exuding an air of aloofness, as though standing apart from the world.

This version of Liang Jinmo felt even more foreign to her.

A wisp of smoke rose, and he lifted his eyelids, meeting her gaze.

Xu Zhi wasn’t sure why she was frozen, but when their eyes met, she snapped back to reality and quickly averted her face, realizing it was rude.

She still owed him a meal, a gift.

She looked back at him and walked over. “Are you heading home?”

Liang Jinmo replied indifferently, “Came back to grab something, then leaving.”

Xu Zhi felt like his mood wasn’t great, but their relationship wasn’t close enough for her to ask about it. She didn’t know what else to say, so she made small talk, “Do you have plans this weekend?”

He took a drag of his cigarette and simply stared at her without speaking.

Xu Zhi felt like she was talking to herself but continued anyway, “If you’re free, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Liang Jinmo removed the cigarette from his mouth, didn’t answer her question, but instead asked, “Are you going back to school?”

Xu Zhi froze for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I’m just picking up some things and leaving.”

He mercilessly exposed her, “You came back to speak up for Liang Muzhi, didn’t you?”

Xu Zhi was stunned, her mind blank for a second. How did he know?

Perhaps it was because he had heard about it when he returned to the Liang house. This person…

He didn’t need to say it out loud. She felt conflicted. She had little contact with Liang Jinmo before. After he went abroad for studies, she hadn’t seen him for years. Now, encountering him again felt strange, and she wasn’t used to his sharp way of speaking.

She touched the tip of her nose, feeling embarrassed, and awkwardly tried to cover, “Mainly came back to get something from home, and just happened to mention it.”

“Two nights ago, he left you outside all alone.”

Liang Jinmo seemed to be reminding her, but it hit a sore spot.

— Yeah, Liang Muzhi left her outside for his girlfriend, and here she was, shamelessly trying to speak up for him.

Her heart seemed to be sucked out, and she felt incredibly humiliated. Too humiliated.

Everyone was making things difficult for her. Today, she had been scolded by Fu Wanwen, scolded by Xu Heiping—wasn’t that enough?

She blurted out, “What does this have to do with you?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

Wasn’t this just like getting angry out of embarrassment?

She pursed her lips and carefully lifted her eyes to look at Liang Jinmo, who had slightly lowered his head, his deep, dark eyes firmly locked on her face.

The atmosphere became tense. Xu Zhi wanted to say something, but couldn’t bring herself to.

In the silence, a familiar male voice rang out. “Xu Zhi!” Liang Muzhi’s voice was filled with urgency as he ran over, immediately grabbing Xu Zhi’s wrist and pulling her behind him.

He stood in front of Liang Jinmo like a protector, his tone harsh as he questioned Liang Jinmo, “What do you want?”

Xu Zhi was momentarily dazed, then quickly responded, “Liang Muzhi, it’s nothing. We just bumped into each other and were talking.”

“Talking to someone like him?” Liang Muzhi’s face turned dark as he glared at Liang Jinmo, his eyes almost spitting fire. “Stay away from Xu Zhi. If you dare to bully her, I won’t let you off!”

Liang Jinmo remained silent the entire time.

He looked at Xu Zhi, but when Liang Muzhi blocked his gaze, he nonchalantly withdrew his eyes and turned to leave.

Xu Zhi heard his footsteps and anxiously craned her neck to look, but was blocked again by Liang Muzhi’s turn. “Are you really fine? He didn’t do anything to you, right?”

Xu Zhi sighed in helplessness, “It’s broad daylight. What could he do to me?”

Liang Muzhi let out a breath of relief, “Don’t talk to people like that in the future. Stay away from him.”

Xu Zhi frowned. She knew Liang Muzhi looked down on Liang Jinmo, but Liang Jinmo had helped her before. Hearing Liang Muzhi speak like this made her uncomfortable.

She remembered something and couldn’t help but move a few steps toward the street ahead. Liang Jinmo was alone, his back already turning the corner.

Her chest felt heavy. He had helped her, and now she had spoken harshly. Now Liang Muzhi’s intervention would only make him upset.

Liang Muzhi took a few steps, blocking her view. “Why are you still looking at him?”

Xu Zhi glanced at him, not knowing what to say, so she just replied, “I’m going back to school.”

She wanted to hail a taxi, but he grabbed her hand. “Why didn’t you answer my calls? I went to your house to find you, and Xu Uncle said you were leaving, so I came after you.”

He glanced at his watch. “It’s already noon. Let’s go eat.”

Liang Muzhi was stubborn. Xu Zhi tried to refuse, but he still pulled her toward a restaurant on the roadside.

She was really scared of him now, so she quickly said, “Fine, let’s eat, just let go of my hand.”

Liang Muzhi had always been like this—when he was in a hurry, he would grab her hand.

She was used to it, but now… he had a girlfriend, after all.

Liang Muzhi seemed to realize this too and released her, leading her into the restaurant.

This tea restaurant at the entrance of the villa complex was a place they often visited. The waiter, familiar with them, was about to take them to a private room on the second floor, but Xu Zhi said, “Let’s just sit down here in the main dining area.”

Liang Muzhi, with his carefree personality, was as casual as ever, leaving Xu Zhi to manage the distance between them—a responsibility that left her feeling drained.

After they sat down and ordered, Liang Muzhi glanced at her expression and asked, “Still mad?”