Volume One, Chapter 48 Liang Jinmo pressed his lips to hers, gentle and lingering.
In the profound silence of the hotel room, a scene from Xu Zhi's dream flickered through her mind: Liang Jinmo's lips pressed softly against hers, gentle and lingering, with utmost tenderness.
She had never experienced such a kiss, and since it was only a dream, it held no sense of reality. Yet, she yearned to be treated with gentleness, to be needed by someone. She vaguely realized that if that person were Liang Jinmo, perhaps... she would not refuse.
Her heartbeat grew wild. As she was almost tempted to close her eyes, the man raised his hand, suddenly brushing the corner of her eye.
So it wasn’t a kiss. She chided herself for being sentimental. Still, the skin at the corner of her eye grew hot under the rough touch of his fingertip, and even her cheeks began to flush.
Her heart still pounded, but she didn't flinch.
At last, Liang Jinmo spoke. “This afternoon, we have to meet someone from the scenic area’s marketing department. They’ve gone ahead; I came back to fetch something—and to check on you.”
Xu Zhi pressed her lips together, wanting to ask why he’d come to see her.
But she was too timid to voice the question.
Either he really hadn’t thought much of it, merely dropping in to see a friend, or...
If his answer was anything else, she wouldn't know how to respond.
It felt as if a veil hung between them; even if she broke through, she wasn’t sure whether a chasm or solid ground awaited her on the other side.
Yet her body craved the warmth of his fingertips smoothing her skin, his gaze so focused.
Ambiguity swirled in the air. After a moment, Liang Jinmo withdrew his hand. “Will you be alright by yourself?”
She’d heard this question from him more than once; he seemed always to treat her like a child.
“It’s fine, I…” She paused. “I really am fine. Yesterday was hard, but now I’ve come to terms with it. Since I can’t prove myself, there’s no point wasting words on those who won’t believe me.”
Still, being called disgusting by Liang Muzhi, watching her own suitcase tossed to the ground—these things stung. She’d never been so humiliated before.
Liang Jinmo stepped back, putting distance between them. “Rest at the hotel this afternoon. If you don’t want to stay here, I’ll take you to the villa again tonight.”
Xu Zhi hesitated. “Um…”
She did want to leave—maybe not as desperately as yesterday, but she still didn’t want to stay where Liang Muzhi and Chen Jing were.
Liang Jinmo studied her, seeing through her thoughts. “I’m busy today. Let’s leave together tomorrow, alright?”
Meeting his deep gaze, she didn’t know why, but she agreed almost against her own will. “Alright, then.”
When Liang Jinmo left, Xu Zhi buried her face in the pillow, hating herself for her lack of resolve.
Yang Xue used to say she had no resistance to any request from a handsome man. Xu Zhi never understood that—until now.
Liang Jinmo’s face, too, was rather destructive in its own way.
Bored in the afternoon, Xu Zhi opened her suitcase to tidy her things.
One corner of the suitcase had been dented by Liang Muzhi’s throw, making it unusable, but thankfully the contents were unharmed.
The most important item inside, to her, was a white shirt.
The one Liang Jinmo had lent her.
Because of that shirt, she’d endured Liang Muzhi’s tirades just to retrieve her luggage.
Though she’d already washed it, she still hadn’t returned the shirt to Liang Jinmo. The thought that he might wear something she’d worn so intimately left her undecided—should she just buy him a new one?
Cradling the shirt, Xu Zhi thought of Liang Jinmo and drifted into a muddled sleep on the bed.
When she woke, it was to the shrill ring of her phone.
Xu Heping was calling again.
You can’t dodge forever, she thought. With a resigned heart, she answered the call from her own father.
Xu Heping’s voice came through. “Why didn’t you answer last night? Were you in Muzhi’s room?”
If she told him she’d spent the night with Liang Jinmo, he’d probably go mad.
To Xu Heping, Liang Jinmo—the illegitimate son—had always been beneath notice, unworthy of vying with the legitimate heir.
She didn’t have the courage to tell the truth. “No, I didn’t hear it ring.”
“You didn’t hear it but still didn’t call back today?” Xu Heping’s tone was harsh. “How are things with Muzhi? Any progress?”
There was no progress—only retreat. Xu Zhi tamped down her irritation. “Dad, Liang Muzhi really doesn’t like me. He said he doesn’t like good girls.”
“Then be the kind he likes. Find out what kind of girls he’s liked before and copy them. Do I have to teach you everything? A woman has to be a bit wild if she wants to please a man,” Xu Heping said with exasperation.
It felt like a slap.
How could a father say such things to his daughter? After a long silence, she spoke stiffly, “I can’t do that.”
“If you can’t, just go to Muzhi’s room and take your clothes off. No man would refuse. Once you’ve slept with him, he’ll have to marry you! Don’t forget this isn’t just about you—it’s about our whole family, about hundreds of employees depending on us!” Xu Heping’s words were heavy and harsh.
Xu Zhi’s face went blank. She no longer heard what her father said after that.
She didn’t know when the call ended. Alone in the empty room, she curled up on the bed, hugging herself, suddenly weary of everything.
If only she’d never been born, she thought. Then she wouldn’t have to endure so much pain.
She didn’t cry; her eyes were dry, as if all her tears had been spent.
Liang Jinmo and the others spent the afternoon at the scenic area’s marketing center and had dinner there with the marketing staff.
At the dinner table, Yang Xue thought of Xu Zhi and pulled out her phone. “I’ll order something and have it sent to her room. She had no appetite at lunch, but she should eat something by now.”
Liang Jinmo glanced at her. “I’ve already ordered.”
Yang Xue paused, put away her phone, and gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re always so thoughtful.”
Zhou He also looked at Liang Jinmo, his feelings complicated.
Business dinners naturally involved drinking. Before long, the marketing team suggested a game of mahjong for the evening.
At the mention of mahjong, Zhou He and Yang Xue were instantly enthusiastic. After a quick meal, they headed straight to the hotel’s game room.
Liang Jinmo didn’t join them. Instead, he asked Yang Xue for the room card again and went upstairs to find Xu Zhi.
By now, night had fallen. He swiped the card and opened the door; the room was pitch dark.
He found the light switch by touch, illuminating the room.
A faint scent of alcohol drifted through the air. Looking up, he saw Xu Zhi sitting on the sofa by the window, a can of beer in her hand. She asked, “Want a drink?”
She looked even worse than she had in the afternoon—her hair a mess, eyes no longer swollen but dull and unfocused.
There was a small round table and a little sofa by the window, just enough for one or two people. The table was littered with cans of beer.
She’d remembered to order alcohol only when the waiter brought her dinner. Now, she’d just opened her second can—not drunk, just a little tipsy, her nerves oddly heightened.
Liang Jinmo didn’t reply. She didn’t mind, instead asking, “Where are Yang Xue and Zhou He?”
“They went to play mahjong.” Liang Jinmo walked over, brow furrowed, noticing the untouched dinner he’d ordered for her sitting on the TV stand.
Clearly, she’d started drinking before eating.
Yet when he left, she’d seemed so composed, saying she was fine.
He was silent for a few seconds, then sat down beside her. “Does drinking make you feel better?”
Xu Zhi thought for a moment. “Beer doesn’t taste as good as the fruit wine you gave me. But... I’m not trying to get drunk or make a scene. It’s just...”
She stumbled over her words. “Every time I drink, I feel like I’m not myself anymore, like I don’t have to be Xu Zhi.”
She didn’t know if she’d made herself clear, so she asked, “Do you understand?”
Liang Jinmo opened a can of beer. “At the very least, you should eat first, or your stomach will hurt.”
Xu Zhi drank in silence for a while, then suddenly smiled. “You’re the only one who cares about that.”
Liang Jinmo asked, “About what?”
“My stomach. Whether I’m alright.”
He said nothing, quietly sipping his beer.
Suddenly, Xu Zhi asked, “Am I being self-indulgent?”
Perhaps it was the alcohol loosening her tongue, or maybe it was the phone call with Xu Heping earlier, but now she spoke with reckless abandon.
What good did it do to be the obedient daughter? In the end, caution brought her nothing. She might as well say whatever she wanted.
Liang Jinmo turned to her, meeting her gaze. “Are you sober?”
“I’m alright. Anything you say now, I’ll remember tomorrow.” She took another sip, the bitterness spreading in her mouth. “In a while, though, I can’t be sure.”
“Then I’ll wait to speak later,” Liang Jinmo replied.
Xu Zhi blinked in surprise.
He really never played by the rules. She laughed, her eyes glimmering. “Brother Jinmo, you’re not being honest…”
A flush of alcohol colored her cheeks. Without warning, she leaned in, closing the distance between them.
The sofa was already small; he didn’t move away, just watched her quietly, eyes dark and deep.
“What are you afraid of?” she teased, a sly smile in her eyes. “I saw it this afternoon—when you came back, you wanted to kiss me.”
A little courage, courtesy of the beer.
At her words, Liang Jinmo’s grip on his beer tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Xu Zhi, don’t tempt me.”
“I have this problem now. Whenever someone doesn’t want me to do something, I want to do it all the more,” she said, leaning even closer. “What’s the point of being obedient? No one likes me for it anyway.”
As she spoke, the faint scent of alcohol swirled in the space between them.
Liang Jinmo’s breathing deepened.
The can in his hand bent under his grip.
“How does one tempt you?” she asked, oblivious to the danger. “My dad says men like wild women—do I seem like one…”
Before she could finish, Liang Jinmo set his beer can down on the table with a metallic clang.
Xu Zhi was startled; in an instant, the light before her dimmed, shadowed by his presence.
He moved so quickly—he clasped the back of her head, and before she could react, his lips claimed hers.
The beer slipped from her hand, rolling under the bed, spilling its contents in a golden trail.