Volume One, Chapter 83 He was still damp, moisture clinging to his skin, his upper body bare.

Liang Jinmo kept the kiss brief, a fleeting touch, but it was suffused with tenderness.

Xu Zhi followed him all the way to the dining room, and he looked at her with a hint of confusion.

She explained, “I… I want to keep you company while you eat.”

He didn’t refuse. He pulled out a chair by the table, sat down, and opened the lunchbox.

Xu Zhi sat across from him, simply watching him eat.

Liang Jinmo had impeccable table manners, like a young nobleman. Her mood lightened a little, and she asked, “Do you like these dishes?”

“They’re all right,” he replied.

She actually wanted to know more about his preferences, not believing anyone could be completely indifferent to food. So she asked, “Is there anything you really dislike?”

He thought for a moment. “Cilantro.”

“But it’s not that I can’t eat it,” he added. “I told you before, when I was little, there was a time when I often went hungry, so food is precious to me. Whether I like it or not, I never waste it.”

Xu Zhi found it hard to imagine what his childhood had been like—suffering with Gao Ying and then, after arriving at the Liang household, things only got worse.

And she, she had once been one of those who bullied him…

She drifted off, regret washing over her. Regret was useless, yet the pain was real. She wished she could travel back in time, pull her younger self out from amongst Liang Muzhi’s crowd, and slap her twice.

When Liang Jinmo finished eating and was about to clear the trash, Xu Zhi suddenly spoke, “Jinmo… This… this is my first time in a relationship.”

His movements stilled. Leaning back against the chair, he looked at her sideways and said, “Mine too.”

Xu Zhi’s heart raced. “I might need to learn… If I do something wrong, you have to tell me.”

He gazed at her, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Nervous, she swallowed hard. “I… I want to stay by your side. Always.”

At last, he couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you want to move out?”

Xu Zhi was startled.

Liang Jinmo realized he’d let that slip. She hadn’t told him about it; he’d overheard outside the door.

He shouldn’t have brought up something he’d learned by eavesdropping.

It took Xu Zhi a moment to react. “Did you overhear me talking to Yang Xue?”

He lowered his eyes and said nothing.

“I wanted to move out, not because I want to leave you, just…” Xu Zhi frowned, searching for the right words. “Ever since I left home, I’ve been staying here with you, relying on you for everything… It makes me feel useless, like a dodder vine. I want to be a bit more independent.”

Liang Jinmo heard the voice in his heart—he didn’t want her to be independent at all.

Being a dodder vine wasn’t so bad, he thought. At least then, she wouldn’t leave.

He knew this wasn’t quite right. Xu Zhi was correct; this was both of their first relationships, and navigating intimacy was new territory for them.

After a while, he said, “I don’t think you’re useless. You, here… it’s just right.”

He had always been alone. Even in a crowd, he often felt isolated. Those closest to him always left him nothing but cold shoulders. To him, just not being abandoned, just not being given up on, was already precious.

Xu Zhi felt as though something struck her chest—her defenses softened before she knew it.

These days, she had been haunted by Xu Heping’s words, telling her she was worthless, useless. She desperately wanted to prove she had worth.

But Liang Jinmo was not Xu Heping. Someone who truly cared for her didn’t need her to be useful at all.

Seeing her silent, Liang Jinmo’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Maybe it was all just an excuse. Like Gao Ying, who claimed she sent him to the Liang family for a better life, but really just found him a nuisance.

As for the real reason… Earlier, when she went out to eat with Yang Xue, he’d smoked and thought it through.

“I was careless this morning. Your leg’s injured, and I was in a bad mood then, so I didn’t take care of you. It won’t happen again,” he said, looking up to meet her eyes. “About moving out—could you reconsider?”

Xu Zhi was momentarily confused—what did that have to do with their previous conversation?

Then she realized he’d misunderstood.

She was no stranger to such misunderstandings. As a people-pleaser, she spent much time guessing at others’ thoughts. Whenever someone frowned, she immediately wondered if she’d done something wrong.

She knew Liang Jinmo was different; he didn’t go out of his way to please others. But…

Clearly, wounds from Gao Ying had left him with a pattern of self-blame even in intimate relationships.

She saw herself in him. After a brief daze, her eyes reddened with sudden emotion.

They both walked on eggshells, so careful, for so many years…

Suddenly, she regretted not reaching out to him sooner, not getting to know him better.

Seeing her silent for so long, on the verge of tears, Liang Jinmo frowned. “If you insist—”

“I… I won’t move.” Xu Zhi finally spoke, looking at him. “Can I stay here, always?”

He was stunned for a moment; then, his gaze softened. “We can look for a place together. Once we buy a home, we won’t have to stay in a hotel anymore.”

Xu Zhi nodded, and despite the tears, she couldn’t help but smile.

Maybe, she thought, one day they would truly have a home together.

That night, Xu Zhi received a call from Zhao Nianqiao.

As soon as she answered, Zhao Nianqiao asked if she was safe.

“Mom, I’m fine. I just… I don’t want to be engaged to Liang Muzhi,” Xu Zhi said.

Zhao Nianqiao sighed, “I understand how you feel, but shouldn’t you at least have told me? You just left without a word—I was worried. Where are you staying now? Do you have friends helping you?”

“Yes,” Xu Zhi replied quickly. “My friends are all very kind. You don’t have to worry, Mom.”

Zhao Nianqiao was silent for a few seconds. “It’s not just you who doesn’t want to come back—I don’t either. Your father is losing his mind lately… He insists I find you. Tonight he told me that if I can’t, he’ll call the police.”

Xu Zhi frowned. “He’s the one who kept pushing me until I had to leave.”

“He doesn’t care about that,” Zhao Nianqiao said. “As long as you’re safe. But if you really want to avoid this engagement, running away isn’t enough. You have to think about what comes next. The way your father is, he’ll eventually go to your school and look for your classmates.”

Xu Heping was relentless. After hanging up, Xu Zhi opened her phone’s blacklist.

She had already blocked Xu Heping’s number, and any recent calls from unknown numbers—she hadn’t answered a single one.

Didn’t he realize why she disappeared? And now he wanted to call the police.

She had to admit, the idea of the police involved did intimidate her. She’d always lived by the rules; being the subject of a police search was so inconceivable that she could already picture herself found by officers and marched back like a criminal.

What if Xu Heping really stirred things up and the police came to her school? How could she face the rest of the semester?

She couldn’t help but go looking for Liang Jinmo.

The master bedroom had its own bathroom. Liang Jinmo had just showered and walked out.

He still carried the scent of water, dressed only in lounge pants, his upper body bare.

The door was open, and as Xu Zhi approached, she caught sight of him.

He stood in profile, water tracks glistening as they slid over the taut lines of his chest, lingering at his waist, leaving a damp patch on his pants.