Volume One, Chapter Twenty-six Her fingertip brushed against his lips.

"Take your medicine, please, I'm begging you." Xu Zhi sounded a little aggrieved. "If you don't take it, what if... what if..." She remembered a rumor she'd once heard: a classmate in elementary school had a fever that shot up past forty degrees, and in the end, his brain was fried—he became dull and foolish. She blurted out, "What if you get burned stupid?" She thought, even now, no one wants him; if he really became stupid, then no one ever would.

Finally, Liang Jinmo showed some reaction. He propped himself up, looking at her as if she were the one who was a fool. Xu Zhi, without hesitation, simply shoved the pill into his mouth. Liang Jinmo only felt that little hand darting so quickly—her fingernail even brushed his lips—before he could react, she had pulled away just as fast. The bitterness spread across his tongue.

Xu Zhi brought the cup of water to him. "Hurry, drink some water. It's very bitter." Liang Jinmo didn't move. "Don't you find it bitter?" He averted his face, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the pill. The bitterness trailed from his mouth down his throat, but he barely reacted.

Xu Zhi tried to persuade him again, "Drink some water, you need to stay hydrated when you have a fever." This time, Liang Jinmo didn't resist and took the cup from her hands. Xu Zhi withdrew her hand and silently picked at her fingers. Just a moment ago, her fingertips had touched his lips. The sensation lingered like a ghost, impossible to ignore; she almost wanted to wash her hands. It wasn't that she believed Liang Muzhi's talk about the "dirty blood" of an illegitimate child, but simply because she had never had such contact with a boy before. Her girlish fastidiousness flared up, making her feel uncomfortable.

The fact that her finger had touched a boy's lips made her cheeks burn. But Liang Jinmo clearly didn't care. After finishing the water, he slumped back down onto the table. He didn't speak. After being rebuffed so many times, Xu Zhi felt a bit deflated herself. Her mind spun in confusion: how long would it take for the medicine to work? Ideally, five minutes... no, one minute and the fever would be gone, then she could ask him to leave. Even though her parents weren't home today, it wouldn't be good if a servant saw him here.

In the early summer afternoon, a gentle breeze drifted by their faces. Under the flower trellis, everything was silent. Time slipped by unnoticed, until the housekeeper came out from the main house and called Xu Zhi's name. The trellis was covered in vines; from the main entrance, no one could see them here. Xu Zhi's back tensed. "Coming!" she called, and ran back inside—turns out, it was just her phone ringing.

Back then, she was still using a rather ancient phone. She answered it under the trellis in the yard; it was Liang Muzhi calling. He had gone roller-skating and invited her to join him. Xu Zhi hesitated, glancing at Liang Jinmo. He was no longer slumped over, but sitting up straight, fixing her with a silent stare. She felt uneasy, not wanting to spend any more time with this strange boy, and she was also worried that a servant might find him. So she agreed to Liang Muzhi: "Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up, she said to Liang Jinmo, a little gingerly, "Um, I have something to do, I need to go out..." She was hinting gently: maybe he should leave too? Liang Jinmo opened his mouth, but no sound came out. She scratched her head, not really sure how to be more direct—typical of someone who always tried to please others.

Liang Jinmo stood up, his figure swaying slightly. Xu Zhi's heart tightened. "Can you... walk by yourself?" "If I said I couldn't," his dark eyes locked on hers, "would you let me sit here a little longer?" Xu Zhi bit her lip and said nothing.

"Liang Muzhi called you, didn't he?" he asked again. Xu Zhi still didn't answer. Their roles seemed to have switched: now he was the one questioning, and she the one silent. Liang Jinmo didn't ask again; in truth, they both knew the answer. He gritted his teeth and walked toward the gate. Xu Zhi followed, seeing him out to the entrance. No one spoke again; he simply walked away.

In Xu Zhi's sight, that thin figure grew smaller and smaller, until finally disappearing around the corner of the villa district road. The Liang family had at some point deleted his fingerprints and changed the code to the front gate; he couldn't return there now. Xu Zhi returned to the main house to pack her things, preparing to go find Liang Muzhi. She thought of that cold, unyielding gate—she had no idea where Liang Jinmo, sick as he was, would go now.

She always helped him with trepidation, never daring too much. She couldn't risk offending the Liang family for his sake, but she felt she had done all she could. So many years later, Xu Zhi suddenly recalled this moment. Liang Jinmo never spoke of it, but being driven out like that—surely he must have resented it, too?

The non-major exams were all scheduled for the following week. Those classes had low credit value and weren't difficult; everyone passed easily.

That week, Yang Xue made time to ask Zhou He about the requirements for translation jobs in Liang Jinmo's team, and even submitted her résumé through an internal channel. "It's Liang Corporation!" Yang Xue's eyes sparkled with longing as she told Xu Zhi, "Do you have any idea how many graduates want to get in there? It's really tough, unless you're as brilliant as Cheng Yu. Otherwise, they all want lots of relevant work experience."

Xu Zhi asked, "Are you really going to Liang Corporation with Cheng Yu?" "Following him is just a bonus," Yang Xue explained. "Liang Corp is a great platform. From what Cheng Yu says, the team has a bright future. If I can get in, I'll learn a lot. Of course, chasing after a male idol isn't out of the question either." Then she asked Xu Zhi, "You really don't want to consider it? Zhou He even told me to invite you." The mention of this left Xu Zhi feeling unsettled. "I'll think about it," she replied.

After all these years, she hadn't changed at all, always tortured by her guilt toward Liang Jinmo—even now. Because of the drunken incident, she felt as though she owed him something more. But she still couldn't bring herself to join his team as a translator. That would mean falling out with Liang Muzhi, and not just him—Fu Wanwen and her own parents would be displeased as well.

At such moments, she envied Yang Xue a little. Yang Xue never tried to please anyone. Even when she pursued Cheng Yu, she always dared to speak her mind honestly in front of him, never worrying about whether he would like her for it. But Xu Zhi always worried about what people would say. She never wanted to upset anyone, but in the end, her passive choices always left Liang Jinmo unhappy.

After the holidays began, classmates gradually left campus. Xu Zhi dawdled, her things already packed, but she didn't really want to go home. Xu Heping and Zhao Nianqiao argued all the time—it was exhausting. She also dreaded that Xu Heping might question her about Liang Muzhi again.

As she hesitated, Liang Muzhi sent her a message: "Little Zhi, the holidays have started, right? When are you coming home? I'll pick you up from school." Xu Zhi realized he'd been calling less often lately—though they still talked every day, it was mostly through messages now.

She replied: "I'm on break, but I don't have much stuff, and I'm about to head home. No need to pick me up." She decided to leave right away, so there'd be no time for Liang Muzhi to fetch her.

Liang Muzhi replied: "That's perfect, I'm right by your school's south gate. Just come over." Inwardly, Xu Zhi sighed... Young Master Liang was as assertive and presumptuous as ever. With a deep sigh of resignation, she dragged her suitcase toward the south gate.

Liang Muzhi was still driving that flashy blue Ferrari. Before Xu Zhi got close, someone got out of the back seat. Chen Jing came over. "Little Zhi, let me help you with your luggage." At that moment, Liang Muzhi also got out, smiling, "That's alright, Chen Jing. Let me do it. What can you do with that little strength of yours?" Xu Zhi's face stiffened. She no longer wanted to get in the car at all.