She tilted her head slightly and nestled her cheek into the palm of his hand.

Having stormed out after an argument with her parents, Xu Zhi had left with nothing—not even a warm coat. In this day and age, stepping outside without a phone felt like running naked through the streets; she couldn’t even board a bus. Still, she had no intention of going back, not when it meant seeing Xu Heping’s face again.

Yang Xue was probably not yet back in the city, so seeking her help was out of the question. Maybe she should return to campus…but the school was much too far, over twenty bus stops away. She had no idea how long it would take to walk. A wave of despair washed over her. So this is what it feels like to be homeless.

She wandered the winter streets, shivering until she ducked into a nearby mall for warmth. There, she ran into someone—Cheng Yu, emerging from the first-floor Starbucks with a woman by his side.

Xu Zhi’s only connection with Cheng Yu was through Yang Xue, so they were hardly close, but now she couldn’t care less. It felt like stumbling upon a familiar face in a strange land. She walked straight over and greeted him.

Cheng Yu looked surprised to see her, and his gaze quickly landed on her swollen cheek. He wasn’t one to pry into others’ affairs, though; he simply nodded in response.

Xu Zhi quickly asked, “Is Yang Xue back yet?”

“I don’t know,” Cheng Yu replied.

“Could I borrow your phone to call her?” she pressed.

Without asking why, Cheng Yu handed her his phone, already unlocked and with Yang Xue’s number pulled up.

As Xu Zhi dialed, Cheng Yu casually chatted with the woman beside him—a woman who looked a bit older, perhaps twenty-six or twenty-seven, dressed in a professional office style.

On the other end, Yang Xue’s excited voice snapped Xu Zhi back to the call. “Cheng Yu! Why are you calling me? Do you miss me?”

“…,” Xu Zhi was at a loss.

“Say something,” Yang Xue teased. “Don’t be shy.”

“It’s me,” Xu Zhi finally said.

A few seconds of silence. “Oh…it’s you…” Yang Xue’s disappointment was unmistakable.

Xu Zhi wasn’t in the mood to dwell on it. “I had a fight with my dad and left home. I don’t have my phone or any money. I’m embarrassed to ask Cheng Yu for cash—could you transfer him some? I’ll borrow it from him and pay you back later.”

“What happened?” Yang Xue asked.

Xu Zhi wasn’t ready to talk about her family troubles. “Can you help me or not? I need to find somewhere to stay tonight.”

“You’re not going home?” Yang Xue sounded incredulous. “You’ll have to make up with your parents sooner or later. If you don’t go back, they’ll worry.”

Xu Zhi fell silent for a moment. “Can you lend me the money first?”

It wasn’t that Yang Xue was unwilling, but she didn’t like the idea of Xu Zhi wandering alone. “Did you bring your ID?”

Only then did Xu Zhi realize: even with money, without her ID she couldn’t check into a hotel.

She closed her eyes. “I’ll take a taxi to campus, see if I can stay in the dorm.”

Yang Xue sighed. “Wait a moment. Give the phone to Cheng Yu, I’ll talk to him.”

Xu Zhi handed the phone back, feeling even more hopeless. She knew the dorms remained open during winter break, but the heating was off. If she didn’t go home, she might freeze to death tonight.

Soon, Cheng Yu hung up and told her, “Yang Xue said to wait here. Someone’s coming to pick you up.”

“Who?” Xu Zhi asked, utterly confused.

“I don’t know.” As he spoke, Cheng Yu sent his location to Yang Xue via WeChat.

After that, Cheng Yu pocketed his phone, glanced at Xu Zhi, and said, “Don’t wander off. Someone will be here soon.” With that, he and the woman left.

Xu Zhi thought her classmate was terribly cold, but since they weren’t close, she couldn’t blame him. She watched them disappear into the distance, wondering what on earth Yang Xue saw in Cheng Yu. Taking a seat in the mall’s lounge area, she found her thoughts drifting to Liang Muzhi.

Now, she could hardly remember what she’d once liked about him. That innocent flutter of first love could easily cloud one’s eyes, but lately, she realized more and more clearly that, aside from feelings, Liang Muzhi was simply not the right man for her.

After about ten minutes, Xu Zhi finally discovered who Yang Xue had sent to pick her up.

Liang Jinmo strode toward her, brows slightly furrowed. Clad in a dark gray stand-collar trench coat, his tall, lean frame wore it as if made for it—she’d never seen a man look better in such an outfit.

Snapping out of her daze, she wanted to slap herself. She should have guessed—who else could Yang Xue call? She should have insisted on borrowing money from Yang Xue, and if that failed, swallowed her pride and asked Cheng Yu. Now, it was too late to run.

Liang Jinmo stopped before her, looming over her as she kept her head down, avoiding his gaze. Suddenly, he reached out, hooked a finger under her chin, and gently forced her to look up.

Flustered, Xu Zhi stammered, “What…what are you doing…”

His eyes swept over her swollen cheek. “Got beaten at home?”

Only then did Xu Zhi remember and hurriedly covered her face with her hand. “I bumped it by accident.”

She didn’t even know why she lied—perhaps out of sheer embarrassment.

But it was a poor lie. Liang Jinmo said, “Some accident—you managed to bump yourself into a handprint.”

Xu Zhi grabbed her hair to shield her face, muttering, “…mind your own business.”

“You don’t want me to?” Liang Jinmo asked. “Then I’ll go.”

With that, he turned and started walking away.

Xu Zhi couldn’t believe it. She stood up, gazing after him with pleading eyes. He suddenly paused and looked back.

Their eyes met. He saw the injustice in her expression, the shimmer of tears in her eyes, and felt a pang of regret for teasing her.

She was thin-skinned, after all, unable even to ask for help without feeling humiliated.

“Aren’t you coming?” he called.

Xu Zhi hesitated. She shouldn’t go with him—she’d wanted to avoid him. But now, it seemed he was the only one willing to help.

Liang Jinmo was quicker than her. He turned back and took her hand.

Xu Zhi tried twice to pull away, but couldn’t.

His palm was dry, warm, and strong. Held like this, the desolation that had haunted her all evening seemed to settle down.

She didn’t know why, but the tears brimming in her eyes began to fall, her pent-up grievances finally spilling over.

Hand in hand, Liang Jinmo led her to the parking lot and into his car.

Still sobbing, Xu Zhi accepted the tissue he handed her, while he asked, “Was it your father who hit you?”

She wiped her tears and nodded. “He thinks I’m useless now that nothing will happen with Liang Muzhi.”

Her mind was numb, sluggish since the argument with her father. Only now did a real thought take shape:

What will I do from now on?

She had never had a confrontation this fierce with her parents before. Even at her most rebellious, she’d always been docile and compliant.

Both still sat in the front seats, seat belts unfastened. Liang Jinmo turned toward her, gently took the tissue from her hand, and wiped away her tears. “Enough, don’t cry. Every time I see you lately, your eyes are swollen.”

His voice was low and gentle, his touch feather-light as he brushed the tears from her eyes. His fingertips grazed her swollen cheek, and his lowered lashes hid the ache in his gaze.

Xu Zhi stared at him, dazed, wondering if this was what it felt like to be cherished.

Her heart swelled with something warm and unfamiliar, so much so it felt foreign to her.

Unable to help herself, she tilted her head, leaning her cheek into his palm.