Chapter 53 I'm really puzzled...

The most important cross-border investment summit at the end of the year focused on financing and cooperation for emerging projects. Zhou Yue, representing the investors, Xia Zhiyao, the project leader, and Zheng Xiaotian, their boss, also attended.

As soon as Zhou Yue stepped into the venue, he paused for a moment. At the end of his line of sight, a middle-aged man walked in through the entrance.

In that instant, his shoulders and back seemed to be gently tightened by an invisible string, carrying a subconscious sense of defensiveness.

The man was impeccably dressed in a suit, his tie a somber color, and the graying temples, seemingly meticulously trimmed, accentuated his stern features. His eyes held no superfluous emotion, yet naturally exuded the imposing aura of someone who had long held a high position.

His steps were steady and rhythmic, with two assistants following closely behind. The casual greetings that had been filling the corridor gradually subsided as he passed by, like the tide being silently pulled by an undercurrent.

Zhou Bingcheng, chairman of Huarong Capital Holdings Group, is a veteran tycoon who has been in the financial industry for thirty years and has weathered many storms.

"Dad." Zhou Yue spoke first, respectfully, his back ramrod straight. He could feel Xia Zhiyao beside him pause slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her gaze fall on the person who had come, and she had obviously recognized him as well.

"Zhou Yue is here too?" Zhou Bingcheng looked at his tall and upright son, a hint of undisguised satisfaction flashing across his face, and a genuine smile appeared on his lips.

He raised his hand and gently patted Zhou Yue's shoulder, then turned to the group of colleagues around him, his tone steady and firm: "This is my son, Zhou Yue." The people present subconsciously looked at the father and son, some with approval, some with scrutiny, and some with a deeper meaning.

"Let's find some time to go home for a meal this weekend. It's been a long time since I've seen your sister." He said it casually, but in this setting, it made Zhou Yue's heart tighten even more.

Zhou Yue lowered his eyes, his lips twitched slightly as if he wanted to respond, but he only gave a faint "hmm," polite and considerate, but lacking the warmth of blood ties.

He didn't reply immediately, but simply turned slightly to the side, giving way half a step, as if deliberately maintaining a just-right social distance from his father.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Bingcheng's gaze suddenly shifted, his eyes seeming to be illuminated by something, and his smile became genuine. "Hey, isn't this Zhiyao?"

Xia Zhiyao was clearly taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and smiled politely: "Uncle Zhou, it's been a long time."

“The last time I had dinner with your dad, we old buddies were talking about you two.” Zhou Bingcheng smiled warmly, his tone carrying the maturity and tact honed over many years. “He said you’re doing very well at Tianxing. I’ve always said that this girl has been independent since she was little, and she’s steady in her work, a true woman who doesn’t yield to men.”

Xia Zhiyao's eyes curved slightly, her smile carrying a playful yet measured intimacy: "You've always loved praising me since I was little. No matter how capable we are, we're still juniors, and we should follow in the footsteps of our seniors." Her tone sounded like a half-joking, half-serious coquettishness, but it didn't sound frivolous to the ear; instead, it carried a sincere respect.

Those around her found it endearing, and Zhou Bingcheng was amused, his wrinkles deepening as his smile subtly softened. She skillfully and subtly brought the situation to a perfect accompaniment.

When Zhou Yue heard Xia Zhiyao say this, the corners of his lips involuntarily curved up. He was too familiar with this side of her. Once she was in this kind of situation, she would subconsciously switch to that proper and slightly affected manner, her words containing three parts respect, three parts teasing, and four parts ease.

This almost instinctive and skillful transformation amused him, yet strangely pleasing to the eye.

Zhou Bingcheng glanced around with a half-smile, his gaze lingering slightly between Xia Zhiyao and Zhou Yue. He asked casually, "I heard you two are working together now? Why didn't either of you tell me?"

The smile remained, but the tone of her words fell precisely on the line between "knowing" and "not telling," leaving one uneasy without pressing further.

Zhou Yue stood ramrod straight, his eyes lowered, his lips pursed, and his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. He knew the weight of the question and that his father was not asking about his work arrangements.

Silence was the only response that didn't seem weak at this moment, but Xia Zhiyao clearly sensed that Zhou Yue had always acted this way in front of his father.

He was silent and restrained, never truly relaxed. It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather that he understood that in front of this man, he could never completely become the one who shielded others from the wind and rain and controlled the situation. That's why he was nervous and silent.

She took a deep breath and picked up the conversation at just the right moment: "He was temporarily seconded from Zhengyuan Guanlan, where he mainly followed up on M&A projects. This time, he came to Tianheng on behalf of the investors to assist in advancing the business. We happen to be expanding our team, so the cooperation is going quite smoothly."

His tone was gentle, and the information was complete. He explained the reasons and precisely defined the boundaries, leaving no room for Zhou Bingcheng to speculate, while also giving Zhou Yue a little room to maneuver.

The moment she spoke, out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Yue's gaze shifted slightly, revealing gratitude mixed with a hint of disappointment after being touched.

Zhou Bingcheng simply hummed in response, smiled enigmatically, and didn't press further. But that brief pause seemed to be confirming something.

He wasn't really concerned about whether he was informed in advance, but rather he was reminding his son that he would not turn a blind eye to any of his plans or any of the people he dealt with.

Just then, Xia Zhiyao suddenly smiled and took half a step forward, reaching out to bring Zheng Xiaotian over, and then subtly tugged at Zhou Yue's sleeve.

Zhou Yue understood, slowly turned to the side, and said in a low and steady voice with deliberate restraint and politeness: "Dad, let me introduce you. This is Zheng Xiaotian, the co-founder of our company."

Zheng Xiaotian stood up, smiled, and shook hands with Zhou Bingcheng. After a few pleasantries, the atmosphere was initially amicable. However, he was a smart man and quickly sensed the subtle undercurrent in the air.

Zhou Bingcheng didn't press further, but changed the subject, his smile carrying a hint of reminiscence: "Xiaotian, I was very familiar with your father. I even went to your house for dinner back then, when you were still a child."

Zheng Xiaotian chuckled upon hearing this, his expression calm and composed, his tone polite and measured: "Hello, Uncle Zhou, you have a great memory, my dad often mentions you."

Zhou Bingcheng smiled and nodded, his gaze slowly sweeping over the group of people. His voice was unhurried: "You young people have done a good job. This company is thriving. You are more daring and enterprising than we were back then. You are energetic and organized."

It sounded like praise, but Xia Zhiyao could tell that every compliment contained a test, as if subtly probing or measuring the distance between them.

Zhou Bingcheng seemed to glance casually at his son, who was standing ramrod straight, and said in a gentle tone, but with an undeniable weight: "Zhou Yue, find some time to come home this week and tell me properly about what's been going on at your company lately. Don't always make me hear news from other people."

Zhou Yue felt a slight tightness in his chest, that familiar suffocating feeling of being under control rising up again. He lowered his eyes and replied softly, "Understood."

Zhou Bingcheng nodded, seemingly relaxed, then turned to Xia Zhiyao with a gentle smile: "Your generation has indeed done a good job. Invite your dad over sometime, and we old folks can get together again. How about next weekend?"

Xia Zhiyao smiled perfectly and calmly replied, "Okay, I'll talk to my dad after the meeting and we'll make some arrangements next weekend."

Zheng Xiaotian, who was standing to the side, raised an eyebrow slightly as he watched this scene, his mind already racing.

After sitting down again, he picked up his phone and started typing rapidly with his head down:

【Xia Zhiyao, you've been hiding this for too long!】

Aren't you the neighbor's older sister?

[Don't you feel any remorse for bullying people like this in the office every day?]

Xia Zhiyao's phone vibrated slightly beside her. She glanced down at it, and her lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if she was trying to suppress a laugh, but also with a hint of helplessness.

She could almost picture the gloating expression on Zheng Xiaotian's face, as if he were watching a good show. Without replying to the message, she simply locked the screen, tapping her fingertips lightly on the table, her eyes subtly drifting towards the other side.

Zhou Yue sat there upright, his expression as indifferent and dignified as ever, but a hint of weariness and displeasure was visible in his eyes. As if sensing her gaze, his shoulders tensed slightly, but he deliberately looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

Zheng Xiaotian saw it all. Every glance, every pursed lip, every subconscious avoidance was as if he were under a spotlight. He clicked his tongue inwardly and thought to himself: These two, tsk, no matter how straight they sit or how tight their faces are, it's still like they're trying to hide something.

The more he looked, the more uneasy he felt. A mischievous smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. Intrigued, he quickly sent another WeChat message: "What grudge do you two hold against each other?"

He thought that Xia Zhiyao would not reply to this message, or at most roll her eyes, as before. But this time, the screen lit up.

[Shut up.] Just two words, crisp and clean, so cold you can feel the air pressure drop even through the screen.

Zheng Xiaotian chuckled, almost bursting out laughing, before quickly lowering his head and feigning a cough. The more he did this, the more it proved he had guessed correctly.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhou Yue again. The man was still listening attentively to the briefing, but his tightly clenched jawline had already given him away. More importantly, he didn't look at Xia Zhiyao even once, which was almost rigid.

This in itself speaks volumes.

"Ding," a light seemed to flash in his mind. As a veteran of the world of romance, he was all too familiar with this kind of emotional struggle, as cold as a blade and as intense as strong liquor. But a couple like this, with both ice and fire coexisting and yet managing to keep things perfectly under control... that was truly rare.

[Tsk tsk, what exactly happened between you two in the past?]

This time, after the message was sent, the screen remained silent, not even the "typing" dot appeared, as if Xia Zhiyao simply didn't want to pay attention to him.

Zheng Xiaotian raised an eyebrow, but the flame of gossip in his heart burned even brighter.

He glanced at the two of them and caught a new detail: when Xia Zhiyao was flipping through the documents, her fingers suddenly paused, as if she had heard Zhou Yue's soft sigh. When Zhou Yue was taking notes, the tip of his pen paused on the paper, clearly noticing her movement. They were trying their best to pretend that they didn't exist, but they were constantly being moved by each other.

Zheng Xiaotian realized that he had accidentally touched a tightly tangled ball of old thread, and this ball of thread was longer and more tangled than he had imagined.

As darkness completely set in, the city lights stretched out in the distance, and the wind swept across the edge of the rooftop, carrying with it the unique hustle and bustle and chill of the night, as well as a touch of inexplicable loneliness.

Zhou Yue stood on the rooftop, his back blending into the night, with only his shoulder line and silhouette faintly visible in the neon lights.

He leaned against the cold railing with one hand, the cigarette between his fingers flickering in the dim light, like the emotions that repeatedly ignited and were suppressed in his heart.

The father's words, the gaze at the meeting, Xia Zhiyao's composed yet aloof attitude—every word seemed to carry the shadow of the past.

From his teenage years, he had become accustomed to holding his breath under his father's watchful eye, suppressing all his resentment and vulnerability to the deepest depths, learning to be silent, to restrain himself, and to stand firm without revealing his emotions.

But today, he suddenly felt that this posture was very tiring. He slowly took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke swirling between his lips and teeth, and quickly dissipating in the wind, just like the things he tried to grasp, whether it was family affection or the relationship that he failed to hold on to, they always slipped through his fingers.

"Hey, hiding here alone so late, smoking alone?" A deep voice, tinged with amusement, came from behind.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Xiaotian's tone was as light as ever. He took a few steps closer and sensed the oppressive atmosphere around Zhou Yue. "Just say what's wrong. Don't stand here alone. I thought you were about to jump."

Zhou Yue turned around, his gaze seemingly returning slowly from a great distance, only focusing on Zheng Xiaotian a moment late.

He glanced at Zheng Xiaotian, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips: "I have some things to take care of." His voice was low and his tone calm, yet it couldn't hide the weariness and helplessness in his voice.

"We're all in the same boat now, why distinguish between yours and mine?" Zheng Xiaotian replied with a half-smile, his tone as casual as the night breeze, yet a genuine concern shone through.

He knew Zhou Yue wasn't one to easily show weakness; if he was standing there smoking silently, he must have something on his mind.

“Come on,” he said, patting Zhou Yue on the shoulder. “Eat. People need food to live.”

Zhou Yue looked at him, paused for a moment, and nodded: "Okay, it's a deal, I'll treat you to dinner today."

Zheng Xiaotian stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly reached out and patted his back heavily, as if to knock off something that was making him feel suffocated: "Alright, that's right, if you keep holding on like this, I feel bad for you."

He didn't press further, but turned and walked into the house, laughing as he said, "Wear more clothes later, it's windy outside. We're not leaving until we're drunk tonight."

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, turned back to look at Zhou Yue, and said with unusual seriousness, "Also, don't overthink it. Time will tell."

Zhou Yue paused, unsure if Zheng Xiaotian had seen through something, but he didn't ask. He simply lowered his head, stubbed out his cigarette, and let the night wind carry away the wisps of smoke, along with the heaviness and chaos in his heart, little by little.

At least tonight, he could pretend to forget the tangled past, forget Xia Zhiyao's businesslike and distant gaze, forget his father's subtly probing questions, and just leave himself a gap to breathe.

The car sped through the night. Zheng Xiaotian sat in the passenger seat, looking down at his phone and muttering to himself.

"I was thinking of inviting you two out for a meal and a chat, but Xia Zhiyao just wouldn't come." Zheng Xiaotian turned around and laughed, his tone tinged with helplessness and a hint of self-deprecation.

Zhou Yue leaned against the back window, gazing indifferently out the window. The flowing light shadows swept across his face, deepening his calm and loneliness.

Zheng Xiaotian glanced at him in the rearview mirror. Seeing that he didn't react, she wasn't in a hurry and continued to say to herself, "She's stubborn but soft-hearted. It's normal for them to argue about work. You two are the same. You're both smart, but when you're together, you act like enemies."

Zhou Yue finally turned his head, glanced at him indifferently, and said in a calm voice that revealed no emotion: "I know."

Zheng Xiaotian's eyes flashed, and he suddenly turned his head, his tone lower than before, filled with genuine brotherly concern: "Alright, don't think too much. Relax tonight, eat something good, and have a couple of drinks."

Zhou Yue met his gaze for a moment, managed a weak smile, and said softly, "Okay." But he couldn't hide the weariness deep inside, as if he was just giving the other person a comforting response, and also leaving himself a little room to catch his breath.

Instead of going to a bustling restaurant, they chose a Japanese restaurant hidden deep in an alley. The dim yellow light shone on the tatami mats, creating a quiet atmosphere.

The chef behind the wooden bar moved with practiced ease, slicing sashimi without even looking up. The rhythmic sound of the knife striking the cutting board was soothing to Zhou Yue that he found himself listening intently to the sound, the regular rhythm having a strange calming effect.

They sat by the window, overlooking a quiet alleyway where the occasional footsteps of a night traveler could be heard before quickly fading into silence. This tranquility made Zhou Yue feel relaxed; at least here, he didn't have to worry about encountering any familiar faces.

The dishes arrived quickly and were beautifully presented. Zhou Yue didn't say anything, just kept his head down and ate, eating more slowly than usual. He seemed genuinely hungry, but he ate cautiously, afraid that the meal would end too soon and that this moment of peace would pass too quickly.

Zheng Xiaotian chatted while drinking, talking about trivial things, such as who changed jobs, which project failed, and which newly opened hot pot restaurant was worth trying.

He was clever; he knew Zhou Yue didn't want to talk about anything heavy right now, so he deliberately chose these lighthearted topics.

Zhou Yue would occasionally respond, but most of the time he listened quietly, letting these everyday trifles pull him out of his tangled emotions.

While swirling his wine glass, Zheng Xiaotian casually said, "I'm just wondering, what exactly is your grudge against Xia Zhiyao?"