Volume One, Chapter 38 Liang Muzhi said she was a very boring goody-two-shoes.

Liang Muzi took Chen Jing downstairs to the restaurant.

Chen Jing’s expression remained unpleasant the whole way. After they sat down and ordered, she asked Liang Muzi, “Is Xu Zhi still angry? She’s so cold when we’re out together—it’s really uncomfortable to watch.”

“She was upset at my house. It’s normal for her to be unhappy,” Liang Muzi replied, feeling a little irritated. “Don’t provoke her these next couple of days, and don’t be overly friendly either. She’s slow to warm up.”

“It’s so hard for me…” Chen Jing complained bitterly. “If that’s the case, why did we have to bring her along? Couldn’t we just apologize and have a meal together? Now we have to spend several days at the hotel with her.”

Liang Muzi was silent for a moment before explaining, “My parents are angry with me and won’t let me see you. If I said I was coming to the ski resort alone, they’d be suspicious and might even have people here keep an eye on who I’m with. But if I bring little Zhi along, it’s different. As long as I say I’m with her, my parents feel reassured and I don’t have to worry about being monitored while I’m out.”

Chen Jing understood, but then she pouted, “I’m actually a bit jealous of Xu Zhi—your family likes her so much.”

“Because she’s obedient,” Liang Muzi said indifferently. “My parents and grandfather like girls like her.”

Chen Jing leaned closer and asked, “What about you?”

Liang Muzi pinched her cheek and smiled, “I like bad girls—the worse, the better. Good girls are so boring.”

Chen Jing laughed sweetly.

Just then, Liang Muzi sensed a gaze, strong and persistent.

He turned and saw a familiar face.

Though the restaurant was spacious, there weren’t many guests at the moment. Yang Xue stood a few steps away, glaring at him as though he were her enemy.

Liang Muzi’s chest tightened. He had no idea why Yang Xue was here, how long she’d been standing there, or how much she’d overheard.

Yang Xue marched over, full of indignation, and got straight to the point: “Zhi is here too, isn’t she?”

Liang Muzi managed to stay calm. “Yes. Why are you here?”

They used to be polite to each other, but after Yang Xue had confronted him so bluntly outside the dormitory last time, he couldn’t muster any warmth toward her now.

“That’s none of your business. I heard everything you just said,” Yang Xue declared.

Liang Muzi’s hand slowly clenched. “So?”

“I’m telling Zhi!” Yang Xue had never seen someone so shameless; she shouted in anger.

“Go ahead.” Liang Muzi was never one to be threatened.

Yang Xue was infuriated. “Did Zhi dig up your ancestors’ graves? Why do you treat her like this? Even as friends, it shouldn’t be one-sided exploitation! You’re dating, and you want her to cover for you?”

Liang Muzi frowned, glanced around, and said, “Yang Xue, are you out of your mind? Zhi can have fun here—she’s not here for nothing. If you want, you can hang out with her. Just don’t come making trouble for me.”

Yang Xue pulled out her phone. “Fine, I’ll call Zhi right now. If you have the guts, say those things to her face, instead of gossiping behind her back. Did the good girl ever offend you? Disgusting!”

With that, she strode away quickly.

Liang Muzi watched her retreating figure, feeling annoyed as he saw her bring the phone to her ear.

So she really was going to snitch. He felt unlucky—how had he run into Yang Xue here? Who knew if she’d embellish the story?

Chen Jing looked at him, worried. “What should we do… If Xu Zhi finds out you only brought her here so you could see me, won’t she be angry?”

Liang Muzi withdrew his gaze. “We’ll deal with it later.”

He’d come here to have fun, but now, things were off to a bad start.

Meanwhile, still in the suite’s bedroom, Xu Zhi soon received Yang Xue’s call.

“Liang Muzi is disgusting! He said he brought you so you could cover for him and that girl while they date…” Yang Xue recounted the conversation almost word for word, voice vivid and animated. “He even said good girls are boring, and he only likes bad girls. Ugh—I can’t stand it. The two of them are just shameless!”

Xu Zhi listened calmly, then asked, “Why are you at the ski resort?”

Yang Xue was taken aback. “Did you hear anything I said? Why are you only asking about that?”

“I heard you,” Xu Zhi replied. “Liang Muzi is always like this. I’m used to it.”

She wasn’t naive; from the moment she saw Chen Jing, she realized Liang Muzi was using her as a cover once again.

She just didn’t want another argument, so she pretended everything was fine.

Still, hearing Liang Muzi call her a boring good girl stung her a little.

Yes, she thought, he craves excitement and adventure—things she could never give him. She should have realized that long ago.

Yang Xue sensed the sadness in her voice and sighed. “You really are foolish. Don’t just come whenever he calls.”

“I didn’t agree,” Xu Zhi said bitterly. “My dad decided for me.”

It was ironic—Xu Heping had sent her to cultivate her relationship with Liang Muzi, but Liang Muzi brought her along only to make it easier to meet Chen Jing.

Yang Xue fell silent.

Xu Zhi prompted, “You still haven’t said—why are you here?”

“Oh, right. This ski resort is actually a branch of Liang’s company. They’re launching a new ticketing app, so they need to gather content—photos and parameters and such,” Yang Xue explained. “The task was assigned to someone on Young Liang’s team, mainly Zhou He. Zhou He said he’d collect the content and have some fun on the side. How could I miss the chance to have fun? So I tagged along.”

Xu Zhi’s brows flickered. “So Zhou He is here too?”

“Yes.”

Another name immediately surfaced in Xu Zhi’s mind. “And… what about Young Liang?”

Yang Xue replied, “He’s busy with other work—he didn’t come.”

“Oh.” Xu Zhi couldn’t quite explain why, but a strange sense of disappointment welled up inside her.

Yang Xue asked, “Do you want to come find us and hang out? It’s better than staying with Liang Muzi and that girl.”

“We’ll see,” Xu Zhi answered lazily, not feeling inclined to move. “If I decide to go skiing, I’ll call you.”

Not long after the call ended, Liang Muzi returned with Chen Jing.

He knocked on Xu Zhi’s door and entered, carrying a paper bag. “I brought you braised beef with potatoes. I remembered you liked it.”

Xu Zhi replied politely, “Thank you.”

Liang Muzi set the paper bag down but didn’t leave at once. He leaned against the table, looking at her. “Did Yang Xue call you?”

Xu Zhi nodded. “She said she ran into you.”

Liang Muzi was a little uneasy. “Did she… say anything else?”

“She told me everything you said—that you brought me along so you could date Chen Jing in peace, and that I’m a boring good girl, among other things.”

Xu Zhi spoke all this very calmly. Liang Muzi watched her expression, feeling a strange unease in his heart.

He asked, “You’re not angry?”