Volume 1, Chapter 169: "Brother Jinmo, are you blushing?"

Beichen lifted the ban on fireworks and firecrackers this year. The three of them stayed up to ring in the new year together. As the midnight chimes echoed from the television, the outside world instantly erupted with a thunderous roar of firecrackers and fireworks.

They went out onto the balcony to look outside, where the entire city was illuminated as brightly as day by the dazzling array of fireworks in the night sky.

Xu Zhi edged closer to Liang Jinmo and whispered a soft Happy New Year to him.

He did not catch it clearly, so he leaned down slightly, bringing himself close to her, and asked, "What?"

"I said Happy New Year," Xu Zhi repeated, leaning right against his ear.

As she spoke, her breath gently brushed his earlobe. He saw her beautiful pupils reflecting the brilliant, multicolored lights from the outside, making her look exceptionally captivating.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. He glanced toward Zhao Nianqiao at the other end of the balcony, then retracted his gaze and spoke in a low voice, "Happy... New Year to you too."

Zhao Nianqiao, standing not far away, watched the two of them whispering to each other and couldn't help smiling faintly.

She recalled when they were wrapping dumplings earlier that evening. Xu Zhi had run into the kitchen and asked her quietly, "Mom, did you hide a coin in the dumplings this year?"

In truth, hiding a coin in New Year dumplings wasn't a strict, unbroken tradition in the Xu family. Zhao Nianqiao would only occasionally do it when she was in a good mood, and she had a knack for it—she would use the corner folds to make a mark, ensuring that specific dumpling went to Xu Zhi.

Counting it all up over the past twenty-odd years, Xu Zhi had actually only ever eaten three dumplings with coins in them.

Zhao Nianqiao was in a pretty good mood this year, so she had indeed hidden one. She asked, "I did. Why?"

Xu Zhi looked a bit shy and said, "Well... I was wondering, could you leave the coin for Brother Jinmo?"

Zhao Nianqiao was momentarily stunned.

Xu Zhi hugged her arm, rubbing against her affectionately, and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Can you?"

So she was resorting to acting spoiled. Zhao Nianqiao couldn't help laughing. "Alright, you're the boss."

The dumplings were plated. With three people at the dinner table, two of them knew the secret, and sure enough, Liang Jinmo was the one who ended up eating that dumpling.

Yet in the end, that coin had somehow found its way back into Xu Zhi's hand.

Thinking of this, Zhao Nianqiao couldn't help smiling again. Seeing the two of them whispering to each other now, she chose not to disturb them and turned to walk away.

The fireworks and firecrackers continued for quite a while. Xu Zhi watched them with excitement. Liang Jinmo had never cared much for such things before, finding them merely noisy, but watching them together with her now gave him a completely different feeling.

With the entire sky ablaze with brilliant colors, he suddenly felt that it wasn't all that noisy after all.

When the two returned to the living room, Zhao Nianqiao was already fighting yawns from sleepiness, yet she persisted in handing out two red envelopes to them first.

Xu Zhi received her red envelope happily and thanked Zhao Nianqiao.

As for Liang Jinmo, holding the red envelope left him somewhat surprised. Even when he was a child, Gao Ying and Liang Zhengguo had never given him lucky money. Now that he was all grown up with a stable income of his own, he never expected to receive New Year's money.

Zhao Nianqiao glanced at him and said, "It's not a large sum, just a token for good fortune—to suppress evil spirits and ensure you have a peaceful and safe year ahead."

Liang Jinmo remained silent for a few seconds. "I thought lucky money was only given to children."

Zhao Nianqiao replied, "To me, you two are still children..."

Pausing for a moment, she added, "From now on, we are a family, so you are my child too."

Liang Jinmo froze slightly. Xu Zhi gently poked his arm with her hand. "Hurry up and say thank you."

The red envelope in his palm suddenly seemed to carry weight and warmth. Regaining his senses, he said solemnly, "Thank you... Thank you, Auntie."

After half past twelve, the three of them returned to their rooms to rest.

There were many bedrooms here. When Zhao Nianqiao moved in, she had chosen the southernmost room, and Xu Zhi's bedroom connected directly to hers.

Over the past few days, she had also tidied up another room to serve as a convenient place for Liang Jinmo to rest whenever he visited.

After washing up, Xu Zhi was just about to climb into bed when she heard a knock on the door.

The sound was very faint. She stood still for a few seconds, a possibility flashing through her mind, then walked over to open the door.

Her guess was confirmed; Liang Jinmo was indeed standing outside.

Just as she opened her mouth to ask why he had come, he raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet.

He stepped straight inside and closed the door behind him. Then, shifting his body, he unceremoniously pinned her against the wardrobe beside them and lowered his head to kiss her.

Xu Zhi was slightly dazed, but she remembered not to make a sound.

The bedroom was far too quiet, causing the subtle sounds of their lips and tongues entangling to be magnified countless times, vibrating directly against her eardrums.

His kiss was profound.

With her chin tilted up and her heartbeat racing, she felt his burning warmth and instinctively grabbed his pajamas, clutching them tightly.

After an unknown length of time, he finally left her lips.

Their ragged breaths remained intertwined as their foreheads rested gently against each other.

Xu Zhi could clearly sense that he was deeply stirred.

She wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking his back, and whispered in a voice so soft it was barely audible, "Why did you suddenly come over?"

Liang Jinmo remained silent, holding her tighter with his lips pressed against the tip of her ear as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Just now... I wanted to do this."

The tips of Xu Zhi's ears burned bright red. She was silent for a few seconds before she couldn't resist turning her head slightly to press a light kiss to his cheek.

Liang Jinmo turned his face as well, looking at her.

The bedroom was lit only by the dim, warm glow of a wall lamp. The two of them stared into each other's eyes at close range, the undercurrents of their deep affection flowing silently yet surging with immense passion.

Suddenly, Liang Jinmo averted his gaze and murmured, "Stop looking at me..."

Curiosity got the better of her. Was he feeling shy? A mischievous gleam danced in her eyes as she continued in a soft voice, "Brother Jinmo, are you blushing?"

"No..." His voice grew even huskier. "I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back."

Before she could respond, his arms tightened, bringing their bodies even closer together, and she instantly felt the physical change in him.

"Don't tempt me," he added, "I've been holding back for a very long time."

Xu Zhi's face felt as though it were on fire, and she promptly behaved herself.

He held her a little longer before saying, "Zhi Zi, thank you."

Xu Zhi was startled. "What are you thanking me for?"

"Today... I was very happy."

Xu Zhi smiled. "Mm, I was very happy too."

In the past, there had been many occasions during the New Year when she went to the Liang family home to play. No matter how lively the downstairs living room was, he was never among them; she always knew he was sequestered upstairs in his own room.

She had once thought about going upstairs to knock on his bedroom door and wish him a happy new year, but she had never possessed the courage to do so.

Now, she had finally found a way to make up for those past regrets.

This New Year brought many experiences to Liang Jinmo that could only be described as entirely fresh and new.

Meanwhile, back at the Liang household, this spring night was proving to be unlike any before it.

Elder Liang's health was failing day by day, and he had not stayed up to ring in the new year. Liang Muzhi, who had been living in a state of dispirited despondency, forced himself to muster a shred of energy to keep Fu Wanwen and Liang Zhengguo company as they watched television in the downstairs living room.

The infallible phrase that Chinese people constantly had on their lips—"It's the New Year, after all"—did not hold much power in the Liang household. After sitting there and exchanging only a few perfunctory words, Fu Wanwen and Liang Zhengguo began to argue.

The core of their dispute was the illegitimate son who hadn't even lived here for a long time.

Bringing up past grievances under the guise of Liang Muzhi's injured hand, Fu Wanwen demanded that Liang Zhengguo drive Liang Jinmo out of the company as punishment. In response, Liang Zhengguo calmly analyzed the current situation for her.

Liang Muzhi also understood after listening: a significant portion of the sales channels for the Liang Corporation currently relied on the technical support provided by Liang Jinmo's team, which was why Liang Zhengguo refused to let Liang Jinmo leave the company.

Fu Wanwen could not wrap her head around it. Wasn't he just a technical talent? Could they not simply poach someone else? Was this Liang Jinmo truly irreplaceable?

The two of them quarreled fiercely. Suddenly, Liang Muzhi felt as though he had been thrust back into his childhood.

During the days when Gao Ying used to bring Liang Jinmo over to make scenes, Liang Zhengguo and Fu Wanwen had acted the exact same way—bickering endlessly because of Liang Jinmo.

He sat numbly on the sofa like an utter outsider, watching his parents scream at one another.

Right at that moment, the housekeeper came flying down the stairs in a panic, shouting at the top of her lungs, "This is terrible! The master has collapsed! From the look of his symptoms, it appears he's gone into shock!"