Volume One, Chapter Twelve Xu Zhi had never done anything like this before.

Xu Zhi had never done anything like this before.

While others were still comparing answers after the exam, she got into Liang Jinmo’s car, their destination a bar.

Liang Jinmo was driving. Zhou He sat in the passenger seat, making a phone call—the topic was campus recruitment.

Xu Zhi sat in the back, clutching the strap of her backpack until it creased. She’d only ever seen bars through her phone screen. Those places always seemed smoky and chaotic. In her mind, she rehearsed how to act like she knew what she was doing, determined not to embarrass herself like Grandma Liu’s first visit to the Grand View Garden.

Zhou He finished his call and told Liang Jinmo, “The HR team has to work overtime. They’ll be late. Let’s go ahead.”

Liang Jinmo said nothing. Zhou He turned restlessly to look at Xu Zhi. “Little sister, how’s your alcohol tolerance?”

“Uh…” Xu Zhi mumbled, “It’s okay, I guess.”

She’d never actually drunk alcohol. Even drinks with a hint of alcohol were rare for her.

Liang Jinmo glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

Zhou He laughed. “Our boss never gets drunk—he drinks hard liquor like it’s nothing.”

“Wow, really?” Xu Zhi’s eyes widened as she asked Zhou He, “Do you guys drink often?”

“Not really. We drink much less than we did abroad. Work keeps us busy. Back in school, we’d stay up all night gaming and drinking. Didn’t even feel tired…”

Zhou He rambled on, and Xu Zhi listened intently.

Truthfully, she was curious about Liang Jinmo’s life overseas. She used to worry that he wouldn’t fare well.

She knew, from Liang Muzhi, that during university, Liang Jinmo’s mother, Fu Wanwen, had cut off his living expenses.

How much could he possibly spend? That money was nothing to the Liang family, but Fu Wanwen gave him not a penny.

When he went abroad for graduate studies, she’d heard he got a full scholarship, but he still needed to eat. Thinking of this, before he left, Xu Zhi exchanged her saved pocket money for dollars, tucked them in an envelope, and one day, while visiting the Liang house, secretly slid it under his door.

She had no idea if he was inside, and quickly ran off.

With Liang Jinmo, whether from guilt or sympathy, she’d always hoped he’d have a better life, though what she could do for him was limited. Now, seeing him make friends, she felt genuinely happy for him.

They went to a well-known chain bar in North City called Suger.

Once inside, Xu Zhi felt nervous. The dazzling lights and the dancing crowd were all unfamiliar to her.

Seeing the stylish men and women there, she felt out of place. She’d come straight from her exam, her face bare and natural.

The three of them settled in a booth in the northeast corner of the hall. A waiter approached, paused at the sight of Xu Zhi, and said, “We don’t serve minors here.”

Xu Zhi took a moment to understand, then her face flushed red. “I’m not a minor!”

Zhou He burst out laughing, pounding the table.

“Do you want to see my ID?” Xu Zhi was mortified. “I’m a senior in college, about to graduate.”

Her explanation was overly earnest. Liang Jinmo glanced at her and lowered his head, his lips curving into a slow smile.

Xu Zhi caught his expression out of the corner of her eye and was nearly beside herself with anger.

She’d never seen him smile—this was the first time, and he was mocking her.

The waiter stammered, “Please don’t be upset, miss. You just look so young, that’s why I made a mistake.”

Xu Zhi didn’t feel flattered by the compliment. Instead, she felt underestimated and tried to act like a seasoned bar-goer, asking the waiter, “Do you have tequila?”

Tequila was a hard liquor. Zhou He clicked his tongue. “Careful, little sister.”

Xu Zhi replied, “It’s fine, I drink this all the time.”

Liang Jinmo turned his face slightly to look at her.

Truth be told, Xu Zhi didn’t fit in here at all. The student air clung to her, no wonder the waiter mistook her for a minor.

Xu Zhi was famous for being obedient. In the villa district, in the mouths of Liang’s parents, at school, everyone who knew her would use “obedient” as the first word to describe her.

Now, with her innocent face ordering tequila, she seemed to be putting on airs.

Liang Jinmo’s gaze made her feel exposed, uneasy. She tried to act calm and asked, “What about you two? What are you drinking?”

“Are you really treating us tonight, little sister?” Zhou He piped up. “I won’t hold back then.”

After they ordered, the waiter quickly brought their drinks and a fruit platter.

At that moment, the house band took the stage in the center of the dance floor. It was all new to Xu Zhi. She watched the performance, lifting her glass.

She took a sip and immediately frowned.

This was...

Absolutely awful.

It felt like flames burned her throat all the way to her stomach, her nerves twitching from the sting.

Zhou He raised his beer and leaned over to clink glasses with her. “Little sister, cheers?”

Xu Zhi gritted her teeth, clinked glasses with Zhou He, and took another sip.

Her eyes nearly teared up.

Zhou He tilted his head, watching her. “Your face is all scrunched up. Are you okay?”

Xu Zhi shook her head, unable to speak—it was too spicy.

Liang Jinmo, who had been silent, moved closer, picked up the fruit wine he’d ordered, and handed it to her. “Drink this instead.”

She caught a faint whiff of alcohol—she wasn’t sure if it was from herself or him. Dazed, she felt Liang Jinmo was looking down on her. She gripped the tequila tightly. “No, I’ll stick with this.”

“Hard liquor is bad for you,” his tone was a bit stern. “Don’t push yourself.”

“No, I’ll drink this!” Xu Zhi insisted, taking another gulp.

Liang Jinmo: “…”

Zhou He watched the spectacle. “Boss, looks like you can’t control her.”

Liang Jinmo responded with an icy glare.

Zhou He shrank back. “There’s a beauty at the bar, I’m going over. You two chat.”

With that, Zhou He got up, drink in hand, and left.

Only the two of them remained in the booth. Liang Jinmo no longer tried to stop Xu Zhi. He gave her a cold glance. “Is it only with me that you have an attitude?”

Xu Zhi was the obedient girl in everyone’s eyes, but with him, it was a different story.

When he first arrived in North City, he was abused, his days miserable. He had no impression of Liang Muzhi, his childhood friend, until the time he was bullied.

She looked timid, but caught up in the crowd, she’d torn up his exam paper too.

But later, when he was locked in the attic, she secretly came to find him and gave him a flashlight.

Xu Zhi was about to speak when her phone vibrated in her bag.

She felt a bit dizzy, took out her phone, and saw on the screen: “Muzhi.”