Volume One, Chapter 47 His gaze settled on her lips.

Liang Muzhi stood rigidly in place, his mind utterly blank, unable to process what had just happened or how things had escalated to this point. Why were he and Xu Zhi quarreling over Liang Jinmo? That had never happened before.

He hadn’t even pursued the matter of Chen Jing’s injury with Xu Zhi, merely said a few words about Liang Jinmo. Yet she, right in front of him, deleted his contact information as if determined to sever all ties.

Sever all ties... Was that even possible? Their families had been neighbors for generations, from their grandfathers to their fathers, bound by decades of friendship.

His thoughts were a tangled mess, circling around one point: Xu Zhi was actually willing to end things with him over that illegitimate child.

Xu Zhi put her phone away and asked him, “Can I take my luggage now?”

How absurd—it was only because he insisted on picking her up from school that her suitcase had ended up in his trunk in the first place.

In more than twenty years, he had never hit such a cold wall.

He turned and yanked open the trunk, hauling the suitcase out with an almost violent gesture.

The suitcase crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Barely containing his anger, he gritted his teeth and spat, “Get out.”

Xu Zhi had had enough; this young master was actually venting his fury on a suitcase.

She didn’t want to argue any further. She bent down, grabbed the suitcase handle, stood up, and walked away without looking back.

As she neared the parking lot exit, she caught sight of Liang Jinmo.

So he’d followed after her—was he worried about her?

She gave him a small smile to signal she was fine.

Liang Jinmo approached silently, took the suitcase from her hand, and said, “Let’s go.”

Their two figures, side by side, were a stinging sight. Liang Muzhi watched from afar, unmoving, until they were out of sight.

Then he kicked the rear of his own car hard and cursed.

He was truly at his wit’s end with Xu Zhi, unable to comprehend how she’d changed so much, opposing him at every turn.

It must be Liang Jinmo—he must have incited Xu Zhi. Perhaps it was some form of revenge. Clenching his fists, a vague suspicion surfaced in his mind.

After leaving the parking lot, Xu Zhi’s shoulders immediately slumped.

She was dejected and silent. Liang Jinmo took charge and brought her to the hotel to find Yang Xue.

Yang Xue was startled at the sight of Xu Zhi’s haggard face and hurried over to ask what had happened and why she was with Young Master Liang.

Xu Zhi didn’t hide anything, recounting everything in detail.

Yang Xue was even angrier than she was, clenching her fists. “That Chen Jing must be out of her mind! You never tried to steal Liang Muzhi from her! It’s always been Liang Muzhi who’s after you!”

Xu Zhi’s eyes were bleak. “It’s nothing. He probably won’t have anything to do with me from now on.”

Because of Chen Jing, he’d expelled her without hesitation.

And yet he’d spoken of over twenty years of friendship... but in all that time, he didn’t even have that little bit of trust in her.

“I’m furious,” Yang Xue fumed. “You were dragged to the ski resort because Liang Muzhi used you, and you didn’t even hold it against them. Now they’re accusing you!”

Zhou He, listening to the gossip nearby, finally pieced things together.

From the looks of it, there was more entanglement between Xu Zhi, Liang Jinmo, and his half-brother Liang Muzhi than he’d realized.

He exchanged a glance with Liang Jinmo.

The two men walked out of the hotel room, heading to the end of the corridor.

Unable to hold back, Zhou He asked, “What’s going on between Xu Zhi and Liang Muzhi?”

Liang Jinmo replied, “Didn’t she already tell you?”

Zhou He said, “I just hope you don’t get yourself into more trouble. As your friend, I want to see you find someone, but there are plenty of women out there. Your position in the Liang family is already sensitive—if you make another enemy in the company because of Xu Zhi, things could get complicated.”

If Liang Muzhi wanted to enter the family business, it would be easy for him—he was the legitimate heir. In that case, Liang Jinmo’s situation would become precarious.

Liang Jinmo lit a cigarette, his tone calm. “If soldiers come, I’ll meet them with generals; if water comes, I’ll block it with earth. Besides, it’s not as if I have to stay at the Liang Corporation.”

Zhou He thought he’d misheard. “You mean you’d give up everything you have at the company for Xu Zhi?”

“Everything I do is for myself,” Liang Jinmo gazed out the window. “Don’t worry. Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t leave. But if I must go, I’ll have arrangements for my team.”

“That’s not what I meant, sigh...” Zhou He sounded frustrated. “Is Xu Zhi really that important to you?”

This time, Liang Jinmo seemed to consider for a long moment before replying, “I just don’t want to have any regrets.”

They had lunch at the hotel restaurant. During the meal, Liang Jinmo and a few team members held a brief meeting to discuss the ski resort’s online app.

Xu Zhi insisted she had no appetite and stayed in Yang Xue’s room, afraid she might run into Liang Muzhi if she went downstairs.

She sat in a daze, replaying the events of the past two days, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

She opened it to find a hotel staff member.

The staff had brought her a meal and handed her a bottle of ice water. “Young Master Liang asked me to give this to you.”

Xu Zhi took the items back into the room. Soon after, her phone vibrated with a message from Liang Jinmo:

After you’ve eaten, use the ice to soothe your eyes. We’ll be back soon.

Xu Zhi felt a twinge of emotion. After eating, she lay flat on the bed, pressing the cold bottle to her eyes, thinking that lately, Liang Jinmo seemed to be everywhere in her life.

He appeared distant and aloof, yet in the smallest things he showed a care she’d never experienced before.

Her thoughts naturally drifted back to last night, in that tiny chalet, when the man had stood behind her, his hand wrapped around hers, asking if she’d ever consider someone else.

By “someone else,” did he mean... himself?

It seemed unlikely—after all, she’d hurt him before, more than once.

Then Liang Muzhi’s words echoed in her mind: “Liang Jinmo’s always had it in for me. He only got close to you to get back at me.”

If Liang Jinmo really was seeking revenge...

Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of a key card at the door—a beep, and someone stepped inside.

“Yang Xue?” she called, eyes closed, ice bottle over her face, not wanting to move.

No one replied, but footsteps approached.

Something felt off; Yang Xue was always lively, never entering without a word.

As the person leaned over her, Xu Zhi instinctively snatched away the bottle and tried to sit up.

Liang Jinmo was bending over, one hand braced on the bed. Xu Zhi sat up so abruptly she nearly collided with his face, stopping just in time.

Their eyes met, and Xu Zhi could feel the man’s breath—the familiar, handsome face looming close. Her heart skipped a beat, and she stammered, “You... why are you back?”

She expected him to pull away, but he didn’t.

She couldn’t very well lie back down, she thought in confusion, and wondered why he didn’t speak.

Nervous, she swallowed unconsciously.

The man’s deep, obsidian eyes dropped from her slightly swollen eyes to her lips.

She didn’t know why she noticed such a subtle movement, but her heart pounded like a drum, her every breath growing softer and slower.