Chapter 100 Zheng Xiaotian and Xia Zhi...

Zhang Luyuan took out his phone; it showed a missed call and a WeChat message: "Don't come home if you've been drinking; you'll wake us up."

He wasn't surprised. This tone, this distance, had long been the familiar temperature of their marriage—half routine, half numbness.

That's why he still longs for the warmth Xia Zhiyao gave him back then. That warmth, now faded in his memory, has become his most dangerous and irreplaceable obsession.

He had the designated driver take him to another house, which was his old apartment where he had spent many nights away from home.

He didn't go back to the bedroom immediately, but went straight to the liquor cabinet, poured himself another glass of wine, as if to prolong this loneliness. The alcohol burned a dull, numbing sensation in his throat.

It was almost midnight when he stumbled back to his bedroom. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he seemed to have slept for a while before being startled awake by something. He stared wide-eyed at the neon lights and the faint light of dawn outside the window.

Finally, he simply sat up, walked to his desk, took out his laptop, and the moment he turned it on, the white light from the screen instantly illuminated his face, revealing all his fatigue, alcohol, and anger.

The laptop screen on the table was frozen on a photo, which he zoomed in and out of as he repeatedly checked it, torturing himself in the process.

Many emotions flashed in those usually indifferent eyes: irony, nostalgia, resentment, and a barely perceptible hint of self-mockery.

What he couldn't bear most was not her resolute departure, but that she had filled the void he left behind with another person. That person's appearance shattered all his testing, waiting, and planning.

The blue send button in the lower left corner of the screen lay quietly, as if tempting the last bit of darkness in his heart. Zhang Luyuan closed his eyes and clicked the timed send button.

In an instant, the words "Sending time scheduled" popped up in the lower left corner. He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to click to delete or postpone the email, but in the end, he withdrew his hand.

“Xia Zhiyao…” he murmured the name in his heart, “Don’t think that having Zhou Yue will really get rid of me completely.”

He downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, his voice unusually clear in the silence: "You're the same; if you want to take what belongs to me, you'll always have to pay a price."

The following evening, Zhou Yue had just finished packing his files and was about to close his laptop when his email notification sounded abruptly in the silence. He instinctively opened the email; it was from an unfamiliar sender, and the subject line simply read: "I wonder what you'll think when you see these photos."

Zhou Yue's brow twitched, and he slid his finger across the mouse, revealing several photos that slowly unfolded on the screen: Zheng Xiaotian and Xia Zhiyao were supporting each other, clearly both drunk. As he looked through the photos one by one, the last one showed the two of them entering a hotel room together.

The photo is not very clear, the lighting is dim, and it was obviously taken from a candid angle, but it is enough to make people's imaginations run wild.

Zhou Yue's fingertips froze on the mouse, veins bulged on the back of his hands, a surge of heat rushed up his spine to his head, and a deafening boom echoed in his ears.

He had always known that Zheng Xiaotian was a womanizer, but he never imagined that Xia Zhiyao would appear in such a scene.

The light from the screen reflected in his eyes, and a familiar sense of anxiety crept into his chest, inching closer to his heart—the same feeling he had experienced two years ago in New York.

Back then, her phone screen displayed a message saying she was leaving; this time, it's a few photos. Memories and reality intertwine, silently reopening old wounds.

Zhou Yue's first thought was almost instinctive: Was there something between them? This thought, once it surfaced, was like a poisonous thorn piercing his heart, giving rise to anger, doubt, disappointment, and an unspeakable sense of betrayal.

He suddenly stood up. The photo on the screen magnified and blurred in his field of vision. He felt like he was standing on the edge of an abyss, and if he took another step forward, he would completely lose control of his emotions.

The next second, he almost instinctively grabbed his phone, swiped to get Xia Zhiyao's number, stared at that familiar name, and felt a mix of anger and fear in his chest. At that moment, all his thoughts turned into one: ask her clearly, make her tell him the answer herself.

He pressed the button hard, and the dial tone exploded in his ears. One, two, three... The monotonous beeping sound mixed with the night and the churning in his chest. With each beep, his heart pounded, as if he were waiting for a trial.

"Hello?" Xia Zhiyao's voice came from the other end of the phone, hoarse and soft, with a lingering drowsiness at the end. "Zhou Yue...?" She answered softly again, seemingly more awake: "What's wrong? I fell asleep on the sofa."

“…Zhiyao.” Zhou Yue spoke in a low voice, his tone several degrees deeper than before, mixed with suppressed emotion and a sudden chill.

In that instant, anger and questions were swallowed back down, turning into a cold intuition that climbed up his spine. Zhou Yue froze on the spot, a deep light shining in the depths of his eyes, his lips slightly parted, but he said nothing.

He suddenly realized something was wrong. On the other end of the phone, Xia Zhiyao was still groggily waiting for his reply. Meanwhile, Zhou Yue's world had quietly turned upside down.

He stared into the void, his gaze narrowing inch by inch. He quieted down, took a deep breath, and finally spoke in a steady voice: "...I'll go home in a bit after I finish working overtime."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Xia Zhiyao yawned and said softly, as if half-asleep.

Zhou Yue lowered his eyes, his shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, and his voice became even lower and gentler: "Are you hungry? I'll bring some food back." He remembered that Xia Zhiyao had gone home to catch up on her sleep at noon, so she definitely hadn't eaten.

"Yes, I'm a little hungry after sleeping all afternoon," Xia Zhiyao replied softly, her voice tinged with amusement and a hint of grogginess.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yue let out a long sigh. The anger in his chest gradually subsided, and he instantly became clear-headed and rational.

Zhou Yue zoomed in on the photo to its maximum size, the entire screen almost entirely consisting of grayscale and blurry shadows. The cursor slid across the touchpad, his gaze like a knife, meticulously dissecting every inch of detail.

Suddenly, his fingertips stopped. In the upper right corner of the photo, in the dim light, there was a small, almost overlooked sign with gold lettering that reflected slightly on the wall. It was the hotel's decorative wall, with only half of the logo visible, yet the words "×× Hotel Shenzhen" were faintly discernible.

He moved closer to the screen, his breathing becoming extremely shallow. With a flick of his wrist, the photo zoomed in another notch. The string of letters and pinyin finally jumped into view completely, like a nail driven into his heart.

“…Shenzhen.” Zhou Yue murmured, his voice deepening, his eyes gradually turning cold.

Zhou Yue opened the company's database and scrolled down page by page until he saw the familiar one: the Nexora project in Shenzhen, which Xia Zhiyao and Zheng Xiaotian had discussed together in Shenzhen.

Zhou Yue stopped and stared at the line of text on the screen for a long time. It was two years ago, when he was suffering from the worst anxiety disorder in New York. A few months after Xia Zhiyao ran away, he saw from Xia Zhiyao's WeChat Moments that she had joined a new company.

Not long after, Nexora entered Asia and ultimately chose Tianxing, a relatively unknown new company, instead of a traditional large company. This case became Tianxing's trump card, and the entire industry was talking about it.

Zhou Yue had sensed something was wrong long ago, but why now? He couldn't understand. If those photos were real, why wait two years? If they were fake, why choose this particular time?

Zhou Yue opened another program, entered a string of code, and tracked the progress bar jumping in the lower left corner. The small green square slowly crawled to the right. Impulsiveness was useless at this time; he had to figure out who was behind it first.

The progress bar was still ticking, and he was getting a little annoyed. He walked to the window and looked at the night view outside. Cars were flowing endlessly downstairs, and traffic lights were flashing, just like any other night.

Back at the computer, the progress bar finished, and the IP address was displayed. It was an overseas server, and there were traces of multiple proxy redirects.

Zhou Yue looked at the string of data, a slight smile playing on his lips. Such complex technical methods and such meticulous timing could not be a coincidence. Someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes, and they had come prepared.

He shut down his computer, and the screen went black, but his mind cleared up a bit. At least now he was certain that Xia Zhiyao and Zheng Xiaotian weren't really having an affair, but rather that someone was deliberately trying to sabotage them. He packed his things much more quickly.

Inside the elevator, he saw his reflection in the door. His tense expression relaxed a bit. As the elevator descended, he even felt that the descent was like unloading a heavy burden.

Pushing open the glass doors of the building, the late summer night breeze, carrying the city's unique scents, rushed towards him. He took a deep breath, and these mixed smells actually made him feel at ease.

Zhou Yue got into the car, adjusted himself to a comfortable position, and saw the lights of the office building in the rearview mirror, which made him feel much more relaxed.

Although we don't know who the mastermind is, we at least know that this was a premeditated trap. Now the question is: why did they do this, and what did they want to achieve?

Streetlights flashed past the window, their light and shadow dancing on the windshield, creating an unreal feeling that slowly cleared his chaotic mind. Those thoughts had been swirling in his head, but now he could sort them out.

Remain calm and observe what other tricks the opponent has up their sleeve.

The old street near the neighborhood was still quite lively. Zhou Yue parked his car at the street corner and wondered what shops would be open at night. He walked a few steps and found a wonton shop open. Although it was summer, the heat mixed with the smell of scallions and pepper enveloped him.

"Two servings of shrimp wontons, one serving of pickled pepper preserved egg, and one serving of cold seaweed salad," Zhou Yue said, looking at the simple menu on the wall. Xia Zhiyao always loved spicy and sour food.

The proprietress responded skillfully. He watched as the plump wontons bobbed in the bubbling soup. Leaning against the counter, he watched as the proprietress packed the dishes—pickled peppers, preserved eggs, seaweed—one by one into transparent food containers, their colors vibrant.

When he took the package, his fingertips were burned by the heat. He reflexively pulled his fingers back, then gripped it tightly. The real warmth traveled from his palms to his heart, which actually dispelled a lot of the chill in his heart.

At that moment, he felt he had grasped something important. He put aside all the chaotic thoughts in his mind and, carrying this warm feeling, returned to her side.

Zhou Yue pushed open the door with a takeout bag in hand. Xia Zhiyao was coming out of the bathroom, her hair a little messy, her bangs still wet, as she had just washed her face.

"What delicious food did you buy?" She looked at the bag in his hand, smiling sleepily, her voice soft.

"Small wontons, and some side dishes." Zhou Yue said casually as he put the bag on the table after changing into slippers and unpacking it.

Soon, two bowls of steaming wontons, a box of pickled pepper preserved eggs, and a box of cold seaweed salad were placed on the table. Xia Zhiyao picked up a piece of preserved egg, and the sour and spicy taste made her feel more awake.

"When is Zheng Xiaotian coming back?" Zhou Yue asked casually.

"It should be tomorrow," Xia Zhiyao said casually, holding her chopsticks.

Zhou Yue added, "Is his relationship status any better now? How about with Miss Lin?"

Xia Zhiyao first shook her head and said, "I haven't heard of any progress," then looked up at him and asked, "Why are you suddenly concerned about him?"

"President Zheng chatted with me for a bit today, and he seemed a little disappointed in me," Zhou Yue said casually.

"Did he tell you...?" Xia Zhiyao wanted to say something, but then suddenly stopped and could only sigh: "Xiaotian, it can't be said that it's his own problem. His family situation is quite complicated and has a deep impact on him. It will be difficult to change in a short time."

Zhou Yue observed her carefully. When she talked about Zheng Xiaotian, she was very calm, as if she were gossiping about an old friend. There was no particular emotion, nor did she deliberately avoid anything. It was just the understanding and sympathy of an old friend.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that all the messy doubts and anxieties in his heart seemed to have disappeared in her natural tone. It wasn't feigned composure, but genuine concern between friends.

The tension in his heart slowly eased. The rising steam from the wontons blurred his vision and dispelled the pent-up frustration in his chest. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief, as if a stone that had been weighing on his heart for a long time had been lifted.

Xia Zhiyao lowered her head to eat wontons, occasionally sipping the soup. The sour, spicy, and savory flavors mingled together. She chuckled, "I just brushed my teeth, and now I'm having a late-night snack? I have to brush again..."

"It's rare to have a late-night snack, so eat if you like." Zhou Yue put down his chopsticks and watched her eat slowly, and the tension in his heart gradually disappeared.

He told himself: Don't mention that email or those photos yet. This moment is better than anything else. Watching Xia Zhiyao eat peacefully is the best thing to do.

"You like this, eat more." He casually pushed the pickled pepper and preserved egg in front of her, his voice much softer.

Xia Zhiyao hummed in agreement, then lowered her head and continued eating without asking any further questions.

After finishing the last bite of wonton, Zhou Yue appeared as calm as ever, his gaze as deep as the night, yet a sharp edge appeared between his brows: the next step was for him to take.