Volume 1, Chapter 149: He seemed even more unrestrained than when they had been intimate before.

When Xu Zhi woke up the next morning, she noticed that Liang Jinmo seemed to be in a very good mood.

Though his expression remained largely unchanged and he was still a man of few words, the aura around him was noticeably relaxed.

She wondered if it was because of what happened last night...

As she washed up, the memories of the previous evening made her cheeks flush. He had to go to work today, and they hadn't even had any protection, so she had felt they should have exercised some restraint. But when he became assertive, she found it hard to resist.

Especially when his sweat dripped onto her chest, or when he would bite her ear and whisper her name, "Zhizi," in a husky voice...

Everyone around her called her that, but when it came from his lips, it sounded entirely different. It scrambled her thoughts, leaving her with no choice but to surrender to his every whim.

Last night, he had seemed even more uninhibited than during their previous intimate moments. When she was lost in the haze of his kisses, he had taken her hand and...

She stopped washing her face halfway, staring at her own hand, feeling as though her entire body was burning up.

That heat and firmness were not just branded onto her palm; they seemed imprinted on her mind, impossible to shake off. Her mind had been a blank slate in bed, completely occupied by him. Recalling it now, in the cold light of day, it felt almost decadent. She hadn't resisted at all; she had been so docile, letting him do as he pleased.

And at the end, when he panted frantically into her ear, letting out a low, muffled groan, she realized...

She had actually enjoyed it.

This version of Liang Jinmo belonged only to her.

She covered her face, her ears burning red, and turned the water temperature down before continuing to wash her face.

Xu Zhi didn't know if other girls were like her—waking up the morning after intimacy with their heads full of "dirty" thoughts, feeling their faces heat up just by looking at their man across the breakfast table.

She tried to compose herself and sat down at the table.

The man was more composed than she was. He was dressed in a standard, formal white shirt and dress pants for work, with the buttons fastened meticulously all the way up to his throat. He looked incredibly ascetic.

Yet, in her mind, she was picturing the beautiful collarbones she had touched last night, and the way his muscles had tensed under the strain...

"What are you thinking about?" the man asked suddenly.

Xu Zhi snapped back to reality and looked at him. "Huh?"

Liang Jinmo squinted at her, his deep, dark eyes glinting with a trace of amusement. "Your face is so red."

"I..." Xu Zhi looked down in a panic. "It’s just... the heater is too high, it really is..."

Desperate to find something to do, she reached for the soy milk to take a sip.

"Careful, it's hot!" Liang Jinmo stood up, but it was too late.

Xu Zhi took a sip and was burned, as expected. She stuck out her tongue with a grimace. "It's fine... just a little hot."

She felt like such an idiot.

Liang Jinmo had already circled the table to her side, leaning over to look at her lips. "Stick your tongue out."

"It's really fine," she insisted.

He lowered his head, adamant. "Let me see."

Xu Zhi found sticking out her tongue embarrassing, so she awkwardly poked out just the tip.

Liang Jinmo’s eyes darkened slightly. "Looks okay."

"I told you... it wasn't serious, just a little burn... mm."

Before she could finish, the light in front of her dimmed as the man cupped her chin and leaned down to kiss her.

The kiss was incredibly gentle, a cautious exploration as if he were soothing the spot she had burned. When he pulled away, he asked, "Does it hurt?"

Xu Zhi shook her head, her face flushed.

He straightened up and returned to the other side of the table. "Let the soy milk cool down before you drink it."

Xu Zhi nodded again. She felt as if she had been muted; she couldn't even speak.

It was so unfair, she thought. Even though they had kissed so many times, her heart still raced every single time he kissed her.

She stole a glance at him while using her chopsticks to pick up a soup dumpling. Liang Jinmo had excellent table manners, and his movements were refined. But as she watched his long, slender fingers pick up a wet wipe, her mind flashed back to the previous night: it was these very hands that had caressed every inch of her body, his long fingers even wreaking havoc inside her...

God help her. Why was her head filled with such things? She felt she had more "dirty" thoughts than Yang Xue, who spent her days reading smutty novels.

She forced herself to pull her thoughts back and brought up a serious matter. "By the way, when did you see Liang Muzhi? He... he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Liang Jinmo replied, "What do you think he could do to me?"

Seeing him acting like nothing had happened, she guessed there hadn't been a conflict, but she said anyway, "Stay away from him. He has a terrible temper; he used to get into fights all the time. Also..." She paused. "If you see him again and he mentions me, treat whatever he says like nonsense."

She didn't know what Liang Muzhi had said to put him in such a bad mood yesterday, but she really thought he was asking for a punch.

"In the future, I hope we can be open with each other, just like we were last night," she added. "I told you before, this is my first relationship, and I might not always get things right. Plus, the environments we grew up in... both had issues. How to get along, how to build a life together... I feel like I have a lot to learn. If we don't communicate well, it could lead to many problems."

Liang Jinmo paused.

Xu Zhi’s expression was earnest, her gaze firm. He hadn't really thought about these things. Having another person in his life was entirely foreign to him; he had been alone for too long and had never experienced a normal family environment. He didn't know how to handle intimate relationships, and she was the first person he had ever been this close to.

But after last night, he understood: at least he needed to speak up.

He remained silent for a long time, then nodded at her in response.

In this regard, Xu Zhi seemed like a diligent student, and he felt as if he were being led forward by her.

But that was fine, too.

After breakfast, Liang Jinmo had to head to the company.

With only two days left before the end of the year, the Liang Corporation was busy preparing for the annual meeting, but his workload had not decreased. Work involving online channels was a year-round commitment.

Xu Zhi felt that his job was very tiring. She walked him to the door and said softly, "Come home early tonight."

Liang Jinmo’s hand paused on the doorknob. He turned back to look at her.

She was standing there in casual loungewear, looking so obedient. This was his fiancée—the thought filled his mind.

He was no longer alone.

Everything seemed to gain a sense of reality at this moment; this was not a dream.

He turned back, wrapped his arms around her, and leaned down to kiss her cheek, his lips lingering at the corner of her eye.

He really didn't want to leave, especially after seeing the way she looked at him.

He hummed a response. "Wait for me."