Chapter 106 Today we have...

Zhou Yue felt a little guilty under Xia Zhiyao's gaze. He met her eyes, then looked away, watching the numbers on the elevator keep changing. He was indeed weighing whether or not to tell Xia Zhiyao, but knowing her temper, if he did, he might have to stop two people who wanted to beat her up.

The elevator dinged, indicating it was on the second floor of the parking garage. Zhou Yue quickly said, "We're here. Let's deal with Zheng Xiaotian's matter first... then I'll explain." Before he finished speaking, he had already grabbed her wrist and led her quickly out of the elevator.

Xia Zhiyao followed Zhou Yue forward, taking three steps at a time. The two looked around and saw that there were few people in the underground parking lot. The empty space amplified all sounds: footsteps, breathing, and the roar of engines starting in the distance.

Suddenly, a roar rang out, "Zhang Luyuan!" It was Zheng Xiaotian's voice, hoarse and furious.

Xia Zhiyao suddenly looked up and saw Zheng Xiaotian, dressed in a white suit, standing not far away. She ran over and grabbed Zhang Luyuan, who was about to open the car door.

Zhang Luyuan paused, and just as he turned around, Zheng Xiaotian pounced on him and punched him in the face.

Zhang Luyuan staggered back two steps, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He slowly wiped it away, glancing down at the red stain on the back of his hand: "Zheng Xiaotian, you're quite protective of him, aren't you?" A broken smile played on his lips, the metallic taste of blood spreading from them.

He raised his eyes, looked over Zheng Xiaotian's shoulder, and his gaze, sharp as a knife, landed directly on Xia Zhiyao and Zhou Yue who had caught up from behind.

Zhang Luyuan rubbed his cheek and said in a low voice, drawing out the last syllable, "What? You come to hit me now that I've exposed your affair?"

At that moment, Xia Zhiyao's heart tightened suddenly, as if she had been doused with cold water. She had heard Zhang Luyuan's words clearly and could roughly guess what had happened between Zhang Luyuan and Zheng Xiaotian to make Zheng Xiaotian so angry.

Her gaze darted anxiously between Zhou Yue and Zheng Xiaotian, but she only saw the two of them: one was silent and almost deathly cold, and the other was burning with barely suppressed anger.

"Don't go over there." Zhou Yue held her hand tightly, afraid that she might be in danger, but Xia Zhiyao shook him off.

Over there, Zheng Xiaotian had clearly not had enough of that punch and was about to raise his fist to hit someone again. Zhou Yue reacted extremely quickly, grabbing Zheng Xiaotian's shoulder and holding him tightly with his arm, suppressing his anger in a low voice: "Calm down."

"Don't stop me, I'm going to kill him today!" Zheng Xiaotian was already thin, and Zhou Yue held him back tightly.

Xia Zhiyao's heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward, suddenly spreading her arms to block Zheng Xiaotian's path: "Enough!"

Zhang Luyuan's eyes suddenly sharpened, a sinister glint flashing in his pupils. His fists clenched so tightly that the veins bulged, as if he were about to smash them down at any moment.

Seeing Xia Zhiyao standing in front of him, he finally held back, a cold smile creeping onto his lips as he viciously uttered, "Zheng Xiaotian, don't think this is over."

Zheng Xiaotian sneered, his eyes sharp, his words as biting as knives: "Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?"

Xia Zhiyao stood between the two of them, glanced back at Zheng Xiaotian, whose brows and eyes were still burning with anger. Then she looked at Zhang Luyuan, her eyes scrutinizing him like a hunter, seemingly using a smile to conceal a deeper malice. Finally, her gaze settled on Zhou Yue.

Zhou Yue gripped Zheng Xiaotian's shoulders tightly, his expression cold and restrained, yet his silence only fueled her anxiety more than any answer.

"Zhou Yue," Xia Zhiyao spoke, each word clear and firm, "I'll ask you one more time, what exactly are you hiding from me?"

Zhang Luyuan chuckled softly, narrowed his eyes mockingly, and swept his gaze across the three of them before saying coldly, "See? You really don't know anything. How pathetic."

Xia Zhiyao subconsciously wanted to ask more questions, but was interrupted by Zhou Yue's cold and stern voice.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Zhou Yue narrowed his eyes, revealing an undeniable air of intimidation. "Or are you waiting to be beaten up by us all?"

Zhang Luyuan paused for a moment, then sneered, "Heh... good, good." His gaze finally settled on Xia Zhiyao, and he said meaningfully, "It seems your good younger brother is indeed someone of importance." With that, he slammed the car door shut.

The next second, the headlights suddenly flashed on, a blinding white light streaking across the sky, and the roar of the engine exploded, echoing defiantly through the parking lot. Soon, the red taillights disappeared into the dark exit.

The huge parking lot suddenly fell silent, leaving only the three of them.

Zheng Xiaotian was still staring intently at Zhang Luyuan's receding taillights, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. Suddenly, he flung his shoulder away and yelled at Zhou Yue, "Zhou Yue, why are you stopping me?!"

Zhou Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Wouldn't I have stopped you? If you had kept fighting, would you have ended up in the police station?"

Zheng Xiaotian's Adam's apple bobbed, and he glanced at Xia Zhiyao again. She was staring intently at them, her unease and doubt almost overflowing. Zheng Xiaotian felt a surge of anxiety and, as if by accident, raised his hand and winked at Zhou Yue.

Zhou Yue instantly understood what he was trying to convey: You are her boyfriend, if you speak up, she won't blame you.

But he simply shook his head slightly. On the surface, it seemed like a silent refusal, but inside he was pounding with anxiety: If I tell her, she will definitely be angry and think that I doubt her.

Seeing this, Zheng Xiaotian couldn't help but roll his eyes, cursing inwardly: What's the point of dragging it out? In the end, we'll still have to tell you, but looking into Xia Zhiyao's eyes, he hesitated again.

After a brief standoff, Zheng Xiaotian gave Zhou Yue a sharp look. Zhou Yue followed his gaze and saw it fall on his car. He understood what Zheng meant: go home first, then we'll talk.

Zhou Yue finally slowly shifted his gaze, his voice low and resolute: "Come home with me first." He paused, his tone becoming even more somber: "I'll talk to you again when we get back."

Two cars drove into Zhou Yue's residential area one after the other. Xia Zhiyao changed her shoes, walked straight to the sofa and sat down, her cold gaze falling on the two people who followed her in.

Zheng Xiaotian strode in, as if he had been holding back his anger all the way. He threw his coat onto the sofa with a "thud," which landed heavily on the cushion next to her.

Zhou Yue then closed the door and casually tossed the key onto the cabinet in the entryway. When he walked over, his expression was cold and his brows were furrowed, a stark contrast to Zheng Xiaotian's anxiety.

Xia Zhiyao looked up at them, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two men. One of them was standing in front of the coffee table, and the other was leaning against the armrest of the sofa. She sat in the middle, feeling more and more that she had been drawn into an inexplicable situation.

"You—" She opened her mouth, but before she could finish her question, Zheng Xiaotian suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger: "Xia Zhiyao, do you know what that bastard Zhang Luyuan has done?"

He couldn't hold back any longer, and his voice suddenly rose: "He sent Zhou Yue a photo of you and me together, deliberately trying to sow discord, saying that we have a secret relationship! I should have punched that scumbag in the mouth long ago! Does he think he can trample on us by just stirring up trouble?"

Xia Zhiyao froze, a sudden tightness in her chest, and the feeling of being schemed against and humiliated surged up. She subconsciously turned her gaze to Zhou Yue, trying to find a trace of resignation on his face, or even just a hint of relief.

Zhou Yue leaned back on the sofa armrest, his posture upright, his expression cold and stern, but his words were extremely calm and carried an undeniable weight: "I went to Shenzhen to investigate this matter."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in her heart.

"Investigate?" Xia Zhiyao's voice was tight and trembling, a mixture of anger and grievance that almost overwhelmed her. "You don't believe me?"

Zhou Yue looked up and met her gaze, his eyes deep and resolute: "It's not that I don't believe you."

He carefully considered his words and said in a low voice, "But the fact that he could produce those photos means that he has been watching you two for more than two years, almost three years. What's worse, when I went to Shenzhen, I found that the surveillance footage from back then had been tampered with. The footage before and after you two entered the room was deleted."

"Deleted?" Xia Zhiyao's brows furrowed sharply, her anger instantly subsiding, replaced by a chill and an instinctive alertness.

Zhou Yue nodded slowly: "Therefore, this is definitely not something that Zhang Luyuan could do alone."

Xia Zhiyao slowly sat down, as if trying to sort out her chaotic thoughts one by one. She took a deep breath to calm her voice, but it still carried a rational coldness: "If that's really the case... then Zhang Luyuan is just a scapegoat pushed to the forefront. This matter..." She turned her head, her sharp gaze landing on Zheng Xiaotian, "is very likely aimed at you."

Seeing that Xia Zhiyao had calmed down, Zheng Xiaotian went along with her, saying, "Yes, Zhou Yue and I also guessed the same thing." As he spoke, he sat down on another single sofa.

Zhou Yue's expression remained unchanged, but he added in a deep voice, "No matter who is behind it, they have already set up a plan, and they have been preparing for this for quite some time."

Xia Zhiyao stared at him, then suddenly changed the subject, her voice turning icy: "So, this is the reason you two kept it from me?"

Zheng Xiaotian felt a tightness in his chest under her gaze, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke, "Xia Zhiyao, no one would feel good in this situation." He sighed, "He sent those photos to Zhou Yue to sow discord between us and make you suspicious of each other."

He paused, his gaze shifting from her face to the coffee table: "That's why we can't fall for his trick. It was my idea. First, we hadn't confirmed at the time whether Zhang Luyuan was behind it. Second, we were afraid it would affect your work, especially the new energy case. If we got bogged down in this, it would be exactly what he wanted."

Zhou Yue hadn't spoken until now, when he finally looked up at Xia Zhiyao, his tone steady but with a hint of apology: "It was wrong of us not to tell you before, and I apologize. But for us, this was the best solution at the time."

Xia Zhiyao's eyes still held anger, but she controlled her emotions tightly, her voice as cold as a knife: "Now that it's confirmed to be him, what are you planning to do? Don't tell me you're going to find someone to beat him up again."

Zheng Xiaotian smiled with a hint of contempt, crossed his legs, and said in a more direct tone, "Don't worry, I've already thought it through. He can easily scheme against others, and we can easily mess with him too. Let's lure him out of his hole and see him show his face."

Zhou Yue paused for a moment, not immediately responding to Zheng Xiaotian's excited topic, and asked a more practical question: "What exactly do you want to do?"

Zheng Xiaotian took a sip of water and explained the plan more clearly: "Don't confront him head-on. Let him think he's won, then we'll let out a few hints and see if he'll take the bait. If there's someone behind him, they'll have to show up when it's time to end things, and then we'll have a chance to find deeper clues."

Zhou Yue took over and pointed out the risks, his tone calm but unambiguous: "The idea is feasible, but the risks are huge. Once the rhythm is disrupted, we will be led by the nose. More importantly, if there is a larger force behind us, the impulsiveness of the three of us alone will not solve the problem."

Zheng Xiaotian scoffed, his eyes filled with anger but also with a defiant spirit: "I know the risks, but we can't just let ourselves be slaughtered like this. At least, we should teach him a lesson first."

Xia Zhiyao listened to both of them and her tone became calm and decisive: "Okay, first, back up all the evidence we can find; second, don't do anything rash, and have someone keep an eye on the legal department and public opinion trends before making any moves; third, clarify the division of labor - who is responsible for collecting clues, who is responsible for disseminating information, and who is responsible for legal coordination."

Zheng Xiaotian nodded, his anger mixed with a hint of compliance: "Okay, I'll take care of digging up all the old evidence I can find first, and then I'll show you my trump card."

Zhou Yue calmly nodded and added, "I'll go and review the surveillance footage, contracts, and access records, and find technical and legal personnel. Make sure there are no leaks, and keep at least two backups in different locations. Xia Zhiyao, if you get involved, be prepared that some things might push you into more complicated situations."

Xia Zhiyao raised her chin, her eyes flashing with both fire and ice: "I know what I'm doing. Take it one step at a time, don't talk to me in anger, and don't treat revenge like a game."

Zheng Xiaotian laughed and said, "Alright, we have a new name today: the Avengers."