Volume One, Chapter Sixteen: She found herself caught between Liang Muzhi and Liang Jinmo, torn in both directions.
Xu Zhi’s first reaction was, “Impossible. Even if I’d had a drink, I wouldn’t have become a different person.”
Liang Jinmo’s lips curled faintly, saying nothing.
It was a cold sneer, and Xu Zhi felt a twinge of guilt. She decided not to pursue last night’s events any further. “Thank you for taking care of me last night,” she said. “I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”
She always used this approach, and Liang Jinmo was used to it. “Considering what you did last night,” he said, “one meal might not be enough.”
Xu Zhi was stunned. “Huh?”
Liang Jinmo replied, “You’ll have to make it a monthly subscription.”
Xu Zhi closed her eyes. “I might as well just transfer you money. You can eat on your own.”
“You think I lack money for food?” Liang Jinmo paused, remembering something. “Actually, before I went abroad, you hid money in my room.”
Xu Zhi’s eyes widened. “How did you... know it was me?”
Liang Jinmo didn’t answer right away.
During university, Fu Wanwen had cut off his allowance, forcing him to juggle work and study. When it came time to go abroad, Fu Wanwen had no intention of giving him any money, and he couldn’t possibly ask Father Liang about it.
That holiday, he worked tirelessly to save up, and one day, returning home, he found an envelope lying on the floor of his room.
Upon opening it, he discovered a neat stack of dollars.
The number of people who could enter the Liang household could be counted on ten fingers. Apart from Xu Zhi, the others all looked down on him, so who else would have slipped him money?
He took the money with him but never spent it, keeping it at the bottom of his suitcase. Whenever he faced difficulties, he would take it out to look at it, and he would imagine how Xu Zhi had gone to the bank to exchange the money, how she had placed it in the envelope and tucked it into his room. What was she thinking? Did she imagine he would starve in America?
After asking, Xu Zhi realized she’d posed a foolish question.
If the Liang family wanted to give him money, there was no need for secrecy.
She spoke again, her words coming a bit awkwardly. “I… didn’t mean anything else. Just thought, in case you encountered difficulties in America, you could use it…”
She was afraid of hurting Liang Jinmo’s pride; after all, her gesture looked very much like a condescending act of charity.
Liang Jinmo made a sound of acknowledgment. “You helped me. I took care of you. We’re even.”
He seemed to have thought nothing more of it, and Xu Zhi breathed a secret sigh of relief.
After finishing her meal and drinking the honey water, her headache eased considerably.
She needed to return to school. Liang Jinmo glanced at his watch. “I happen to be heading to the branch office. I’ll drop you off.”
Xu Zhi didn’t refuse.
She had her own principles about safe distances in her social circles. After last night, she felt that Liang Jinmo and Zhou He could also be considered her friends.
On the way, she asked Liang Jinmo, “Are you and Zhou He close?”
Liang Jinmo drove, eyes straight ahead. “Not really.”
Xu Zhi felt he was being disingenuous. “I’ve never seen you this close with anyone.”
Liang Jinmo replied, “You call that close?”
“Mm,” Xu Zhi recalled, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips. “It’s great. You’re quiet, so having a lively, talkative friend is nice. I think Zhou He is quite fun.”
Liang Jinmo frowned slightly, stealing a glance at her. “Zhou He is quite the flirt.”
Xu Zhi didn’t understand why he brought that up. “His flirtations don’t affect you. You’re friends, not lovers.”
Liang Jinmo fell silent.
He felt he was saying too much.
Xu Zhi remembered something else. “Let me ask you something, but don’t get angry.”
Liang Jinmo said, “Go ahead.”
Xu Zhi took a deep breath. “About Liang Muzhi’s fight—after I told you, did you mention it to anyone else?”
Liang Jinmo said, “No.”
After he said it, he realized what she was getting at. “You suspect I caused Liang Muzhi’s punishment.”
“No!” Xu Zhi shook her head hurriedly. “I was just asking. Honestly, I don’t think you told Uncle Liang or Aunt Liang.”
Liang Jinmo’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “You trust me?”
“Of course.” Xu Zhi saw no reason to doubt him. Liang Jinmo’s relationship with the Liang family was already strained; if he were the tattler, Fu Wanwen would have targeted him first.
Liang Jinmo’s thoughts were simple at this moment—just four bright words in his mind: She trusts me.
He couldn’t suppress the smile on his lips.
Xu Zhi looked at him curiously. “Why are you smiling?”
“I’m not.”
“I saw it!”
Liang Jinmo said nothing.
Xu Zhi was in high spirits. From last night until now, everything felt unprecedented, but right at this moment, she felt the novelty and delight of making a new friend.
Although she had known Liang Jinmo for many years, it seemed it was the first time she had seen this other side of him.
As the car approached the south gate of the school, Xu Zhi gazed out the window and suddenly spoke up. “Stop the car.”
Liang Jinmo slowed down. “You’re getting off here?”
There was still some distance to the gate, and Xu Zhi looked anxious. “Yes, hurry and stop.”
Liang Jinmo pressed the accelerator and followed her gaze.
He finally understood why she was suddenly so nervous and insisted on getting out here.
A striking blue Ferrari was parked outside the south gate, with Liang Muzhi leaning against its side.
The car stopped at the curb. Xu Zhi unfastened her seatbelt, immediately reached for the door, but felt it rude to leave so abruptly. She said, “Once I finish my major exams, I’ll treat you and Zhou He to dinner. This weekend—on my birthday. I even received your gift.”
Liang Jinmo thought she was eager to rush over to Liang Muzhi as soon as she saw him, and it felt rather cheap.
He didn’t respond to her words, instead shifting the topic. “You’re very afraid Liang Muzhi will see you with me.”
It was a statement, not a question.
Xu Zhi froze, realizing he had seen Liang Muzhi as well. She said, “I… I just think it’s better to avoid trouble. If he sees, he’ll definitely make a fuss.”
Liang Muzhi’s temperament, spoiled to the point of not tolerating a grain of sand, made him detest Liang Jinmo and insist that everyone around him avoid dealing with Liang Jinmo.
Liang Jinmo made a sound of acknowledgment. “Go ahead and get out.”
Xu Zhi hesitated for two seconds but still pushed open the door.
She sensed that Liang Jinmo’s mood had soured, even though the atmosphere in the car had been good just moments before.
She knew the problem was hers. Upon seeing Liang Muzhi, she hurried to get out, treating Liang Jinmo as if he were a taxi driver. He was her friend, kindly giving her a ride, yet she seemed eager to shake him off.
But there really was no better solution for her—if Liang Muzhi got impulsive, fighting Liang Jinmo at the school gate was not impossible.
She never expected to find herself caught between Liang Muzhi and Liang Jinmo, torn in two directions.
Closing the door, she walked forward a few steps, then stopped and turned back.
However, Liang Jinmo had already turned the car around. All she saw was the vehicle speeding away.
A vague frustration welled up inside her. She stood there for several seconds, then turned around to see Liang Muzhi striding toward her.