Volume One, Chapter 60: She felt her heart flutter, clear and unmistakable.

The next morning, Xu Zhi woke up very early.

She hadn’t slept well. Too many things had happened these past few days—sometimes she worried about what to do next, and sometimes her mind drifted back to the embarrassing moment she’d had in front of Liang Jinmo.

She would alternate between anxiety and distress, then bashfully pound her pillow in embarrassment.

After washing up, she took her clothes from the dryer—she’d washed them the night before—and hurriedly put them on.

Liang Jinmo emerged from his bedroom to find her already sitting in the living room.

He was a little surprised, but quickly guessed the reason and asked, “Are you not feeling well again?”

As he spoke, he walked over to the sofa and bent down, raising his hand to touch her forehead.

Xu Zhi quickly dodged. “I’m not running a fever. I just woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.”

She looked up, met his gaze, and quickly looked down again.

What should she do? Her mind kept replaying last night—how much had he seen?

Surely it wasn’t too bad? She thought it wasn’t as revealing as Yang Xue’s camisole, just a hint, nothing more…

Even so, her face grew warm. Flustered, she said, “Um… I’ve thought it over. I… I need to go home.”

Liang Jinmo wasn’t surprised. He only asked, “Are you sure?”

Xu Zhi had always been the obedient type, disciplined and rule-abiding. In over twenty years, this was the first time she’d stormed out after an argument with her parents, staying away for two days and nights. Even she found it unbelievable.

She nodded. “I’ll go back and talk to my dad again. If it really doesn’t work out… I’ll move out. I think Yang Xue is renting a place. I’ll ask if maybe we can be roommates.”

Liang Jinmo hummed in response. “Do you need me to take you home?”

Xu Zhi shook her head immediately.

Xu Heping might still be angry, and if he saw her with Liang Jinmo right now, wouldn’t that just make things worse?

Liang Jinmo was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly gave a self-mocking smile. “Are you afraid your parents will see us together?”

Though she no longer cared if Liang Muzhi saw them, she still had to worry about the elders. It was as if being with him was something shameful.

Xu Zhi paused, realizing she might have hurt him. She explained, “I’m just afraid my dad will overthink things and argue with me again…”

Liang Jinmo didn’t seem to buy the explanation. He merely gave a light “mm,” then took out his phone to order breakfast as he walked toward the dining room.

He thought, dreams really are just dreams. In dreams, she was much bolder.

Xu Zhi felt a little uneasy. She could probably guess what he was thinking, but…

They hadn’t established any real relationship. At this point, they were still just friends. There was no need for Xu Heping and Zhao Nianqiao to know about any of this.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. As it was ending, Liang Jinmo received a call from Yang Xue.

After listening for a moment, he handed the phone to Xu Zhi. “Yang Xue wants to talk to you.”

Xu Zhi pressed the phone to her ear.

Yang Xue’s voice was loud: “Zhi, your mom is looking for you! She couldn’t find you anywhere yesterday. In the end, she went to the school and got my number from the dorm supervisor, then called me.”

Xu Zhi froze.

Her nose tingled. After a couple of seconds, she asked, “What… did she say?”

“What else could she say? She just asked if I’d been in touch with you lately, if I knew where you were. I didn’t dare tell her you were staying with Xiao Liang—otherwise, Auntie would definitely jump to conclusions. She sounded pretty anxious… Honestly, you should go home.”

A lump formed in Xu Zhi’s throat. She didn’t speak for a moment.

“Zhi?”

Only then did Xu Zhi manage a quiet “mm.” “I was planning on going back anyway.”

Yang Xue said, “Just talk things through with your parents. They’re your family—there’s no knot that can’t be untied.”

Yang Xue had grown up in a not-so-wealthy but very warm family, with a loving older brother. Xu Zhi never expected Yang Xue to truly understand her situation, so she simply said, “I know.”

She hung up and handed the phone back to Liang Jinmo.

Liang Jinmo saw her eyes were a little red and softened his tone. “It’s a good thing someone’s looking for you.”

Xu Zhi pressed her lips together. Perhaps only he would truly understand how much it meant to her that Zhao Nianqiao was searching for her.

Suddenly, she thought of the woman who existed only in rumors—Liang Jinmo’s biological mother.

That woman had never come to Beicheng to look for him. Not only that, when he’d gone to find her, she’d turned her own son away and sent him back to Beicheng.

Liang Jinmo got up and left the dining room for the living room. Xu Zhi watched his back and suddenly wondered how many times he had experienced the loneliness of waiting to be missed and found.

To her surprise, she felt an ache in her heart for him.

But pity or not, she still had to leave.

Liang Jinmo had to go to the company today. They went downstairs together. He headed to the parking garage on level B2, while Xu Zhi pressed for the first floor.

Inside the elevator, only the two of them stood in a silence that felt almost unnatural.

Xu Zhi felt she had to say something. “Um… thank you for everything these last two days.”

Liang Jinmo handed her a paper bag. “Take the cold medicine for another couple of days before stopping. There’s fever medicine in there too—if you get a fever, take it right away.”

Xu Zhi accepted the bag and nodded.

The elevator was about to reach the first floor.

A deep sense of reluctance rose within her, but she knew that was wrong.

Reason told her that she and he should never get too entangled. Being friends was already the best outcome.

As the elevator doors were about to open, Liang Jinmo suddenly said, “If things don’t go well, don’t run off alone again. My door will always be open for you.”

Xu Zhi felt as if her heart had been struck.

The elevator doors opened. Liang Jinmo said quietly, “Go on.”

Xu Zhi glanced at him, then stepped out.

She walked a few steps, then turned back. The elevator doors had already closed and were descending.

Beyond the elevator, there was nothing to see, but she still stared at it for a long time.

Only when her eyes grew sore and wet did she turn away and head out of the hotel.

She hadn’t really treated Liang Jinmo well—not just because of things from their childhood…

In the past, she would always choose Liang Muzhi over him. Now, facing a choice between her parents and him, she still leaned toward her parents. She even thought old Mr. Liang’s words made some sense. She didn’t want to be saddled with the reputation of being entangled with two brothers because of him.

She hesitated and looked back because she was selfish.

But Liang Jinmo was different. He accepted everything about her. She didn’t know if it was because he had another motive.

She was clearly suspicious of him, yet never had she felt her own heart so clearly as she did now.

For a brief moment just now, she truly wanted to turn back, run into his arms, hold him tight, and never let go.

She had never once felt that way about Liang Muzhi.