Volume One, Chapter 77 He said, "Dressed like that, I can't concentrate."
The meal stretched on slowly, and by the time it ended, it was already past nine in the evening. The barbecue restaurant was just half a block from the hotel. After Zhou He drove Yang Xue home, Xu Zhi insisted on walking back herself.
She hobbled along at a snail’s pace. Liang Jinmo followed beside her, brows slightly furrowed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?”
“No need.” It was such a short distance—being carried all the way back would attract too much attention. As she walked, she asked him, “Don’t you… ever feel, um…”
She hesitated. “Isn’t it strange, with everyone watching you?”
Like before, when he carried her, he seemed utterly unconcerned about others’ gazes.
“If I cared what others thought,” Liang Jinmo replied, “I wouldn’t have made it this far.”
Well, that was true…
Xu Zhi said nothing, a tinge of sympathy in her heart.
Their progress was painfully slow. Liang Jinmo glanced at her leg again. “If I can’t carry you, how about a piggyback?”
Xu Zhi was tempted—walking really did hurt.
But before she could answer, he crouched down in front of her, back to her, and said, “Get on.”
Xu Zhi climbed onto his back, arms circling his neck. As he stood, her heart pounded. This was the first time anyone had ever given her a piggyback ride.
His arms were strong and steady beneath her legs.
She glanced around, whispering like a thief, “Is anyone watching us?”
She thought she heard him chuckle softly.
He kept walking. “I can’t exactly blindfold the passersby, can I?”
Her cheeks grew warm. Then he added, “Coward.”
She was, in fact, a coward; that was hard to argue with. She pouted, “Are you annoyed with me?”
As soon as she spoke, she felt a little melodramatic.
But Liang Jinmo replied in his usual calm way, “Not at all. You may be timid with everyone else, but you’re quite bold with me.”
Xu Zhi couldn’t think of a retort. She’d always been polite and reserved with others, but with him—besides that initial bullying—she’d been tough, even throwing him out without warning.
She searched for a way to defend herself, and after a long pause, said, “See? I suppose I treat you differently.”
Liang Jinmo said nothing.
Xu Zhi realized she was being shameless and was about to amend herself when she felt his hands lift her slightly.
She tightened her hold around his neck, puzzled. “What are you doing?”
“You feel heavier than yesterday,” he said. “Your skin must be getting thicker.”
Xu Zhi was speechless.
Annoyed, she pinched his shoulder. “Don’t tease me or I’ll pinch you harder.”
Just then, he stopped at a crosswalk as the light turned red, turning his face slightly toward her.
Caught off guard, Xu Zhi found herself face to face with him, and before she could react, he brushed a light kiss across her lips.
She snapped out of it and immediately buried her face in the crook of his neck. “There are people around…”
Other pedestrians were waiting at the crosswalk, too. Xu Zhi’s face burned. Honestly, he was shameless.
Liang Jinmo’s lips curled in a faint smile. “Little tyrant, have you settled down?”
She had, in fact, quieted. All the way back to the hotel, she didn’t raise her head again.
So much had happened yesterday, and it was late by the time they returned. Xu Zhi hadn’t had the chance before, but tonight she couldn’t resist taking a shower.
Since she’d escaped by climbing out the window, she hadn’t brought any clothes and had to borrow some from Liang Jinmo.
She didn’t ask Yang Xue because the clothes Yang Xue had lent her before were less practical than one of Liang Jinmo’s shirts.
Thinking that wearing nothing but his shirt was a bit too much, she asked to borrow a pair of his pants as well.
Liang Jinmo’s gaze swept over her slender waist. “Are you sure you want to?”
Xu Zhi nodded.
His closet was mostly filled with suits, so in the end, he could only give her a pair of lounge pants.
After her shower, Xu Zhi quickly realized the pants wouldn’t stay up.
They kept slipping down, barely clinging to her hips, looking both cumbersome and sloppy in the mirror.
She was on the verge of despair—she couldn’t walk around holding up her pants the whole time.
Luckily, the shirt was long enough to cover half her thighs. She steeled herself, ventured out, and sheepishly returned the pants to Liang Jinmo in the master bedroom.
“Why aren’t you wearing them?” he asked.
“They kept falling down,” Xu Zhi mumbled.
Liang Jinmo almost laughed. Sometimes he thought Xu Zhi was a real treasure—unintentionally funny.
As he took the pants back, his gaze openly lingered on her long, fair legs beneath the hem of his white shirt.
Finally, his eyes settled on the swelling around her ankle. He remembered, “You need to put some ointment on that.”
Xu Zhi hesitated for a couple of seconds.
In theory, her injury wasn’t serious anymore—she could apply the ointment herself. But…
Letting her boyfriend take care of her was a different feeling altogether.
She asked, “Do you… find me troublesome?”
Back at home, even with the smallest discomfort, she’d been reluctant to ask Zhao Nianqiao for help—she’d been scolded too many times.
If Zhao Nianqiao was in a good mood, she’d take care of her, but Xu Zhi could never be sure, so she’d learned not to ask unless absolutely necessary.
Liang Jinmo couldn’t stand seeing her so cautious. He set down the pants and picked up the ointment, his tone softening. “Sit on the bed.”
He poured the ointment into his palm, rubbing it until his hands were warm before gently massaging it into her ankle.
Xu Zhi held her breath, then let it out slowly. His palm was warm; it felt soothing. Yet…
Liang Jinmo seemed a bit too focused.
He stared intently at her ankle, massaging it gently and tenderly, as if nothing else existed.
She decided to talk about something serious. “Yang Xue said she’s living in a village near Liang Corporation’s headquarters. I asked around, and the rent there is pretty cheap. I did the math—I’ve got enough money to cover a few months, so I won’t starve for now. I can try to find a job. After all, there aren’t many classes in the second semester of senior year… Are you even listening to me?”
Liang Jinmo didn’t respond.
She frowned. “Jinmo?”
He still didn’t look at her, his attention completely on her ankle. “What?”
“You’re not listening,” Xu Zhi pouted. “You’ve been massaging for ages.”
All he was supposed to do was apply some ointment, but he treated it like a complicated scientific experiment.
Liang Jinmo released her ankle, forcing his gaze away from her legs. “The ointment needs to dry. Don’t move.”
He got up, washed his hands, and came back out. “What were you saying just now?”
“Aha, you really weren’t listening!” Xu Zhi huffed. “Forget it.”
Liang Jinmo walked over, picked up a thin blanket from the bed, and draped it over her legs. “Now you can talk. I’m listening.”
Xu Zhi hadn’t quite recovered. “Were you selectively deaf just now?”
“Just now…” He sat down beside her, his gaze deep and intense. “With you dressed like that, I couldn’t concentrate.”
Xu Zhi took a few seconds to react, her ears burning. “You… you…”
He was occasionally so direct now that she couldn’t handle it.
Liang Jinmo asked, “So, are you going to talk or not?”
Before Xu Zhi could answer, he said, “If not, we can do something else.”
Clearly, he hadn’t intended to let her talk at all. As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out, pulled her onto his lap, cupped her chin, and kissed her lips.