Volume 1, Chapter 135: He took her chin in his hand and kissed her.
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Fang Wanwen never expected that asking Xu Zhi for help would backfire, with the young girl turning around to lecture her instead. Xu Zhi’s words were clearly meant to defend Liang Jinmo. Fang Wanwen’s face darkened to an extreme, her fingers gripping the phone tighter and tighter. If it weren’t for her son, how could she possibly endure such humiliation?
She said, “Xu Zhi, what’s the point of all this hindsight now? The past is past. Why didn’t you say anything before? Now that you’re with that illegitimate son, you stand on a moral high ground and lecture me?”
Xu Zhi came out of the room and looked up at the sky in the courtyard. She felt regretful and frankly told Fang Wanwen, “I didn’t speak up before because I lacked courage. I always thought elders must be respected, but now I realize not all elders deserve respect.”
“You…” Fang Wanwen was so angry she was momentarily speechless. After a long silence, she snapped, “Do you think I want to call you? It’s all for Mu Zhi! You and Mu Zhi grew up together for over twenty years. Even as friends, you can’t just stand by! Besides, Mu Zhi has always treated you well!”
Xu Zhi retorted coldly, “Leaving me alone at such a grand engagement ceremony—is that how he treats me well?”
“You can’t deny his kindness over one matter!” Fang Wanwen was furious. “Besides, he was only misled this time by Chen Jing. Chen Jing threatened to commit suicide, so he went!”
Xu Zhi was silent for a few seconds. “Auntie, if a man always blames others for his mistakes, he will never grow up.”
The line fell silent for a moment before Fang Wanwen hung up.
Xu Zhi put away her phone and stood quietly beneath the warm winter sun, reflecting on Fang Wanwen’s words. She wished she had gotten closer to Liang Jinmo sooner. She truly regretted not standing up for him when he was mistreated back then. Even if it was useless, at least he would have known someone was willing to speak for him.
She recalled that summer day when she had kicked out the feverish boy from home.
Guilt once again enveloped her. She had been so terrible in the past.
That night, Liang Jinmo came home late, bringing news.
He was going on a business trip.
He had to wake up at six the next morning to catch a flight, leading a team of several people to another province.
Xu Zhi was worried. “Does Uncle Liang have a grudge against you? Is he trying to pressure you through work?”
Liang Jinmo didn’t deny it. “Maybe. He asked me to lead the team to attend a competitive exhibition, but it’s about smart home technology—a field I have little experience in. Still, he wants me to bring back a prize.”
Xu Zhi was shocked. “How can he do that? Isn’t that bullying?”
They sat on the sofa. Seeing her angry face, Liang Jinmo almost smiled. “Maybe he wants to teach me a lesson. But don’t worry too much; though I haven’t done much in this area, my team has some experts.”
Xu Zhi suddenly remembered that he and Zhou He had gone to their school to recruit Cheng Yu, a top computer talent. She couldn’t help but say, “Your team must be impressive.”
Liang Jinmo was uncharacteristically confident. “In this country, my team is among the top tier. Don’t be fooled by Zhou He’s antics—he’s actually a top technical talent.”
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He was impressive, and so were the people around him. Xu Zhi, a novice, felt deeply inadequate. Through hardship, Liang Jinmo had been tempered and grown, while she, with her lovesick mind, had only followed behind Liang Mu Zhi.
She recalled the events of the day. “By the way, Aunt Liang called me today. She said Liang Mu Zhi is on a hunger strike and wants me to persuade him.”
Liang Jinmo’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened slightly. “What did you say?”
“Of course, I refused,” Xu Zhi said, looking at him. “If I go see him, you’d be upset.”
Liang Jinmo asked, “If you exclude me, would you want to go?”
Xu Zhi was firm. “I can’t exclude you. If it upsets you, I absolutely won’t do it.”
Liang Jinmo was silent, quietly watching her.
Their eyes met, and his hand reached out. Xu Zhi obeyed, placing her hand in his palm.
He pulled her close, and she sat on his lap.
He held her hand, gently stroking it. “If you don’t want to stay alone, you can go stay with Auntie these few days.”
“I won’t. I want to wait for you to come home.”
Liang Jinmo was momentarily stunned, then his lips curved slightly. “A hotel isn’t home.”
“No,” Xu Zhi corrected him, “It doesn’t matter where. Wherever you and I are—that’s home. Even if it’s under the open sky, as long as it’s you and me, it’s home.”
“You…”
Liang Jinmo opened his mouth to say something but paused for a few seconds.
He let it go, cupped her chin, and kissed her.
Xu Zhi was sweet-tongued now, in every sense. She had said many harsh words before, but she had the talent to coax him, making it hard for him to hold grudges.
Their kiss was complicated. She didn’t know when the man had pinned her down on the sofa. Her loungewear was in disarray, her top pushed up, and his lips delicately kissed the tender skin, making her shiver.
The living room was too bright. She shyly curled up and softly called, “Jinmo…”
“Hm?”
“It’s too bright…” she softly reminded him, “And you have to get up early tomorrow.”
The man paused, then exhaled gently.
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Xu Zhi couldn’t help trembling again. She felt overly sensitive—his breath brushed over the places he had kissed, cool and tingling. Her heart fluttered, an inexplicable emptiness swelling inside.
Liang Jinmo straightened her top and carried her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed.
The business trip wasn’t the issue; the problem was he hadn’t had time to buy a new set of clothes today.
He was about to get up, but Xu Zhi’s hand still clutched his collar.
He had only taken off his jacket before washing his hands and hadn’t changed yet. Now, the collar of his white shirt was wrinkled under her pale fingers.
She refused to let go. At this moment, she didn’t even want him to move far away. Thinking that he would be gone for days on this trip, she felt reluctant. “Stay with me a while.”
Liang Jinmo’s Adam’s apple rolled; his voice was low, “I’m going to wash up.”
Xu Zhi realized something and looked down.
Liang Jinmo raised his hand to cover her eyes, speaking helplessly, “Why do you love looking so much?”
Xu Zhi knew he was shy. She couldn’t see anything with her sight blocked and mumbled softly, “I’m not looking at anything else, just you… isn’t that okay?”
Liang Jinmo still didn’t let go.
The bedroom light was off, but the living room’s glow spilled in. In his view, her lips, swollen and wet from his kisses, were still moving.
“You said you don’t know if what I feel for you is sympathy or guilt, but…”
She tilted her face, trying to get closer.
Though she couldn’t see, as if lost in darkness, the familiar scent from him seemed to pinpoint her pheromones. Her hand touched his firm, heated chest through his shirt, instinctively wanting to be closer.
“Even if it can’t be otherwise, I still want to make you comfortable in bed... Can sympathy and guilt do this?”
Darkness swirled in Liang Jinmo’s eyes. After a few seconds, he withdrew his hand, lowered his head, and kissed her again.
His kiss was deep and intense. Xu Zhi couldn’t think anymore; her mind was a haze.
His hand traveled downward, meeting her without resistance. Her body trembled heavily.
“Zhi Zi,” he murmured, lightly biting her earlobe, “But I want to make you more comfortable…”