Volume One, Chapter 73 She suddenly leaned down, lowered her head, and a kiss fell lightly on the corner of his lips.
Liang Jinmo parked the car at the temporary stop outside the side gate of the villa district.
It was nearly midnight, and at this hour the streets were almost deserted. Few cars passed by, the day’s bustle had faded, leaving the entire street in a tranquil hush.
He reached for his cigarettes, took one out, but after playing with it between his fingers for a moment, put it back. He didn’t know if Xu Zhi would be able to get out smoothly. He hesitated, debating whether he should go in and fetch her.
But before he could make a decision, the familiar figure he’d been watching for appeared at the side gate of the neighborhood.
Beneath the cold white glare of the streetlamp, the figure was slender and small—and limping.
His brow furrowed. He immediately pushed open the car door and strode toward her.
Xu Zhi had climbed out the window on the second floor, stepping onto the air conditioner’s external unit to jump down. She twisted her ankle upon landing. Her ankle throbbed with pain, but she had no time to check how bad it was. Seeing Liang Jinmo, she quickened her pace.
“Your leg—” Liang Jinmo began, but she interrupted him.
“We’ll talk later. Let’s leave here first.”
There’d been some noise when she jumped down. She didn’t know if anyone inside had heard. Her heart was pounding. In more than twenty years, it was the first time she’d ever climbed out a window to run away from home.
Liang Jinmo caught her by the arm. “You’re hurt?”
“It’s nothing serious. Let’s go,” Xu Zhi replied, her expression tense.
He noticed her cheek was swollen and red as well. He frowned, but after a brief standoff, he gave in to her urgency.
He bent down and scooped her up in his arms.
Xu Zhi gave a soft cry, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms were strong as he carried her to the passenger seat.
He rounded the hood and got in, seeing she’d already buckled her seatbelt. Knowing she was in a hurry, he shifted into gear and drove off.
It wasn’t until they’d left the neighborhood behind that Xu Zhi relaxed a little. “I just… climbed out the window to get away.”
“Wasn’t your room on the second floor?” Liang Jinmo asked.
She nodded.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at her. “We’re going to the hospital first.”
“It’s fine,” Xu Zhi finally looked down at her ankle. “Just a sprain, nothing serious.”
His gaze darkened. “Don’t joke around with your health.”
Xu Zhi pressed her lips together and fell silent.
He asked, “Did your father hit you again?”
Remembering, Xu Zhi raised her hand to cover her face. “Don’t look at me. I must look awful right now.”
Liang Jinmo said nothing for a moment. At a time like this, she was still worrying about her appearance—he couldn’t understand her way of thinking.
He said, “It’s fine. I’m used to seeing you look awful.”
Xu Zhi covered her whole face. As a girl, she always wanted to look pretty in front of the one she liked. But he was right—he’d seen her at her worst so many times…
He asked, “Does it hurt?”
Her long lashes fluttered at his gentle words, warming her heart. “Actually, it doesn’t hurt much.”
The car slowed. Xu Zhi glanced out the window and realized they were pulling into the parking lot of a private hospital.
She wanted to get out and walk on her own, but Liang Jinmo wouldn’t allow it. He carried her straight into the only department still registering patients at this hour—the emergency room.
The young nurse on duty, playing on her phone, looked up at the sound of footsteps and froze. She’d seen plenty of people brought in horizontally at this job, but being carried in a princess hold by such a handsome man—that was new.
Embarrassed, Xu Zhi hurriedly patted Liang Jinmo’s shoulder, murmuring, “Put me down.”
He set her gently on a nearby chair and explained the situation to the nurse.
“Go register at the self-service machine by the lobby,” the nurse said. “I’ll speak to the doctor on duty.”
Liang Jinmo went to register. The nurse sidled up to Xu Zhi. “You twisted your ankle, but your face is swollen too. Did he hit you?”
Startled, Xu Zhi shook her head. “No!”
The nurse clearly didn’t believe her. “I’ve seen a lot of cases like yours. Even if he’s handsome, you have to love yourself more.”
Xu Zhi couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. She knew the nurse meant well. “Really, it wasn’t him. My father hit me.”
The nurse paused, glanced back at the man registering in the distance, then looked at Xu Zhi again. “Ah, I misunderstood. Your boyfriend seems to treat you well.”
Xu Zhi’s cheeks grew hot. She was about to explain that he wasn’t officially her boyfriend yet when the doctor emerged from the exam room.
The nurse quickly briefed the doctor.
The night duty doctor, less formal than daytime staff, knelt and examined Xu Zhi’s ankle. It was swollen into a large lump, looking rather alarming. He pressed and prodded, asking her a few questions.
When Liang Jinmo returned with the registration slip, the doctor stood up. “Just to be safe, let’s get an X-ray to make sure the bone isn’t damaged. As long as the bone’s fine, it’s nothing to worry about.”
The nurse fetched a wheelchair. “Aren’t your arms tired? Use this to take your girlfriend over.”
Liang Jinmo paused at the word “girlfriend,” but didn’t protest—he simply thanked her.
Xu Zhi, sitting nearby, heard the exchange clearly. Unlike her, Liang Jinmo didn’t correct the nurse. She felt a subtle, complicated emotion.
It was her first time in a wheelchair and felt a little over the top—the pain wasn’t that bad. But Liang Jinmo insisted, and she always listened to him. Obediently, she went for the X-ray.
The results came back just before one o’clock.
The doctor examined the images and reassured them, “The bone is fine—just soft tissue injury, nothing major. I’ll prescribe some medicated oil. Apply it twice a day, massage gently to help absorption, and be careful with the pressure. Try to avoid standing or walking too much, and don’t sit for long periods.”
As soon as they left the hospital, before Xu Zhi could say a word, Liang Jinmo scooped her up once more.
He could be quite forceful at times.
Xu Zhi’s feet never touched the ground all the way to the hotel—she was carried in, just as before. Though she’d grown used to it, she was still self-conscious, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
In the elevator, she muttered, “I told you I’m fine. The doctor said so too… Aren’t you tired?”
“The doctor said you should walk as little as possible,” Liang Jinmo replied.
It’s just a few steps, she thought…
“I’ve been meaning to say,” Liang Jinmo suddenly spoke, “please don’t breathe on my neck.”
Xu Zhi’s eyes widened. “I’m not!”
Only then did she realize that, because of their position, her face was pressed to his neck, her breath naturally brushing over his skin.
Noticing this, she saw his Adam’s apple bob.
For the first time, she realized a man could be this attractive.
Embarrassed by her own thoughts, her cheeks burned. She turned her face away. “Then put me down.”
He didn’t answer. The elevator doors slid open. He carried her into the suite, set her down on the sofa, and fetched her slippers, kneeling to help her put them on.
These were the slippers he’d had the staff bring up the first time she’d stayed here.
Feeling shy, Xu Zhi said, “I can do it myself.”
She reached out, but he caught her hand.
Kneeling before her, with her sitting higher on the sofa, he looked up at her and said in a low voice, “About what you said today—I’m taking it as your final decision.”
She gazed back at him, feeling herself once again drawn into those deep, whirlpool-like eyes, but she wasn’t afraid. Instead, she felt safe.
So she let herself fall.
She was willing to believe, just this once, that someone in this world could love her.
“You can have all the time you want,” he said. “But what about what I want?”
Xu Zhi pressed her lips together. After a moment, she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“That’s my answer,” she whispered.