Chapter 57 He remembered that he had once...

Crowds thronged in front of the building. The morning sunlight shone through the gaps between the tall buildings, casting slanted shadows on the gray sidewalk.

A taxi slowly pulled up to the side of the road. Xia Zhiyao got out of the car with her bag. Almost at the same time, a dark gray sedan pulled up to the side of the road.

The driver's side door opened, and Zheng Xiaotian lazily got out of the car, yawning. His peripheral vision caught her movement, and a mischievous smile immediately appeared on his lips. "Why didn't you drive yourself today?"

Xia Zhiyao glanced down at him and said indifferently, "My dad has a dinner party with Zhou Yue's dad tonight. The restaurant is on the west side, and I'm too lazy to drive there myself."

Zheng Xiaotian paused, his eyes suddenly lighting up as if he had grasped something crucial. His smile gained a touch of nonchalance as he slowly drew out the last syllable: "Oh, meeting the parents?"

The soft, smooth trailing tone was like a provocative feather, gently landing on one's heart and subtly stirring it.

Xia Zhiyao raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to look at him, and rolled her eyes: "We've known each other's parents since we were kids." As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly stopped, as if realizing something, and her gaze slowly returned to his face.

Zheng Xiaotian had that "what are you feeling guilty about?" smile on his face, his nonchalant attitude revealing an undisguised insight, as if he could see right through her thoughts.

Xia Zhiyao said coolly, "Are you very free? Have you been making so much money lately that you have nothing to do?"

“Not that I’m idle,” he chuckled slowly, “but I heard that someone went to look at a project with President Zhou last night…” He paused deliberately, staring at her expression, as if waiting for her to reveal even half a second of weakness.

Xia Zhiyao didn't even lift her eyelids, her tone as indifferent as if she were talking about the weather: "Yes, you brought your assistant along. Why don't you come with us next time?"

Zheng Xiaotian's smile deepened, as if the more casually she spoke, the more certain he was that he had guessed correctly.

Xia Zhiyao's tone was tinged with anger: "What are you thinking about now?"

Zheng Xiaotian shrugged, chuckled, and said with undisguised schadenfreude, "Do I even need to think about it? Just thinking about how lost and dejected you were when you came back from New York..." He then changed the subject, his lips curving into a deeper smile, "Who exactly is in New York?"

She paused, turned around, and stared directly at his face: "Since you're so inquisitive, why don't you just ask Zhou Yue?"

Zheng Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting her to be so direct.

Xia Zhiyao stepped into the foyer, her footsteps echoing softly on the marble floor. Without turning her head, she added, "Anyway, you two are best buddies now, you tell each other everything."

Zheng Xiaotian stood there, staring at her back. His smile faded slightly, but the playfulness in his eyes deepened, as if her words had completely piqued his interest.

As the busy day came to an end, the golden-orange afterglow flowed between the glass curtain walls of the high-rise buildings, as if coating the entire city with a warm yet distant light.

Xia Zhiyao strode out of the building. She had changed her clothes; she was no longer wearing the fitted suit and high heels from the morning, but a Morandi pink shirt with a gray wool cardigan over it. Her long hair, which had been neatly pinned up, was now loosely draped over her shoulders, making her sharp edges seem to have been temporarily softened.

She walked to Zhou Yue's car and, without any hesitation, opened the passenger door and got in. As she did so, a faint scent of perfume slowly filled the cramped car.

Zhou Yue was looking down at her phone when she heard the noise. She looked up and her gaze lingered on her for half a second. In the morning, she was still that calm, sharp, and powerful career woman. But now, she seemed to have taken off her armor from the battlefield and returned to her everyday self.

His gaze slowly swept over her profile, and he frowned imperceptibly. "Why are you dressed like this?" he asked, his tone calm, but unable to hide the subtle confusion in his eyes.

Xia Zhiyao put her bag down, rested her elbow on the car window, glanced at him sideways, her eyes slightly curved, and said with a deliberate teasing tone, "You don't understand."

She paused, her tone now tinged with a hint of mockery and unspoken understanding: "When you meet my dad, this is how it has to be." As she spoke, she tugged at her gray cardigan, a self-deprecating smile playing on her lips.

Zhou Yue's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds, sweeping from her slightly pale lips down to the dark circles under her eyes. She was thinner than usual today, with more defined cheekbones, and even her smile carried a hint of weariness.

She didn't look at him again, but leaned against the car window and looked outside. "If my dad saw me dressed up and looking like I was going to dinner, he would be embarrassed from beginning to end at the dinner table."

She spoke slowly, her tone calm, but her eyes revealed a clarity born of exhaustion, "But if I'm like this today, he'll think I'm not in good shape, that I've been working hard lately, and that I'm sensible and obedient for coming home for dinner."

"So you and your dad were both faking it?" Zhou Yue turned his head to look at her, his tone neither too loud nor too soft, but his eyes held an unreadable complexity.

Xia Zhiyao laughed out loud at his gaze, then turned back to meet his eyes, her gaze both cunning and clear: "How can you talk like that? What do you mean by pretending? This is a strategy."

She seemed to have a slight soreness in her neck, so she adjusted her seat back a bit and leaned back lazily, casually brushing her hair that was hanging down her shoulder with her fingers.

“If everyone were like you, coming home would be like discussing an investment,” she added slowly, a sharp, teasing smile playing on her lips. “No wonder your dad treats you like an employee.”

Zhou Yue gazed at her. The setting sun shone through the windshield, casting a soft, warm light on her profile, outlining the curve of her eyelashes, and highlighting the faint smile on her lips, carrying a hint of unyielding stubbornness.

At that moment, he was suddenly overwhelmed with an indescribable heartache. She always knew so well what clothes to wear, what to say, and what kind of "self" to play, as if she had long been accustomed to dealing with, or even pleasing, the world in the most appropriate and safest way.

But precisely because of this, he could see even less clearly how deep her true, unguarded side was hidden.

The restaurant they had arranged to meet was hidden deep in the alleys of the old city. A dim yellow lantern hung at the entrance, and the red-lacquered wooden door was mottled. The winter wind blew in from the alley entrance. This was a place they often ate at when they were children.

The parents of both families often brought them here when they were young, and even though their family circumstances changed and they visited less often later, the place has never changed.

Mr. Xia was wearing a dark woolen overcoat, and the thin metal-rimmed glasses on his nose gave him a refined yet sharp look. He casually placed his bag on the chair next to him and opened the menu with unhurried movements.

Mr. Zhou, on the other hand, was quite different. Underneath his sharply tailored dark gray cashmere overcoat was a dark-patterned suit, and the IWC watch on his wrist gleamed with a subtle, cold light under the dim yellow light. As soon as he sat down, he glanced around the shop and raised an eyebrow slightly. “This shop, ah, still has the same feel to it.”

Mr. Xia looked around, his tone gentle, his eyes filled with a touch of nostalgia, "The crispy pork and deep-fried meatballs are still our signature dishes."

Mr. Zhou nodded with a smile: "That's right, we should come back to a place like this and have a hot meal, braised lion's head meatballs, braised sea cucumber with scallions, braised beef... When I was young, I could eat three steamed buns in one meal, and I was full just by eating these dishes."

As he spoke, he took the tea that Zhou Yue poured for him, took a sip, and casually commented, "Now it's all good. Western food with a knife and fork makes me go home hungry every time."

Zhou Yue smiled and looked down, but his hand paused for a moment. He subconsciously looked across at Xia Zhiyao, who was raising her hand to smooth the stray hairs at her temples, her expression calm and composed.

Mr. Zhou glanced at her lightly, with his usual scrutiny and probing. His smile was not deep, but it concealed a hint of the shrewdness of someone who had been in business for many years.

Xia's father had already poured her a cup of hot tea, his voice low and gentle: "It's so cold. You've been working overtime all year, haven't you? When you got out of the car just now, I noticed your dark circles were really bad."

Xia Zhiyao curved her lips into a smile and gave a soft "hmm" in a lazy tone: "I've been quite busy today. I didn't eat much for lunch. I'm going to try the braised ribbonfish on an empty stomach."

Xia's father chuckled: "You remember things quite well."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhou's lips curled up slightly, and he picked up his teacup, saying, "Then don't be shy, have them bring out a few more hot dishes later."

Xia Zhiyao got up to pour wine for the two elders. She poured the liquor into the decanter and filled the two white porcelain wine cups with practiced ease, then gently placed the wine pot back on the table.

"Oh dear, Zhiyao has a pretty good capacity for alcohol," Zhou's father said with a smile, swirling his glass. His tone was casual yet somewhat intriguing. "Do you drink with your dad at home?"

Xia Zhiyao raised her eyes and smiled, turning her head to look at her father. Her tone was both teasing and obedient: "I didn't drink much. Uncle Zhou and my dad are both here today... Dad, do you think I can drink?"

Her eyes crinkled into a smile, as if she were half-jokingly asking for a straight answer. Her tone was both polite and tactful, yet also revealed a daughter's affection for her elder.

Mr. Xia was holding a wine glass and chatting with Mr. Zhou when he heard his daughter's words. His expression relaxed a little, as if he was amused by her rare intimacy: "Just drink a little, just a little is enough."

Mr. Zhou smiled and chimed in, "Oh, since your dad has agreed, then let's each have a drink together as a way of showing our support."

Xia Zhiyao winked at her father before raising her glass, a hint of playfulness in her eyes: "Then I'll really drink it, Dad, you can't go back on your word."

Both elders laughed, and her lighthearted remark instantly eased the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

She turned around, picked up the wine bottle in front of her, and poured herself a full glass. Her movement as she held the glass was slightly paused, her fingertips slightly bent. On her left hand was a small diamond ring, understated yet exquisite, which reflected a very faint light under the dim lamplight.

Zhou Yue remained silent, but in that instant, his gaze was firmly held by her hand.

Her fingers were slender and fair, with distinct knuckles, yet they did not appear thin. Her nails were neatly manicured and had a translucent sheen.

He had seen those hands on documents, turning pages, typing on keyboards, and calmly explaining strategies by pointing to charts in the meeting room.

He had also seen it slowly and lingeringly caress him, stopping on his face and gently tightening. She would always suddenly hug him in the dead of night when he was least prepared, burying her face in his neck, her fingertips burning like fire inch by inch. His throat tightened suddenly, and he almost coughed.

"Zhou Yue?" Xia Zhiyao's voice pulled him back from his memories.

He looked up and saw that she had already sat down, her wine glass swaying slightly as she gently touched it to his. "Then I'll toast Uncle Zhou first," she said, raising her glass with a gentle and polite tone.

"Me too," Zhou Yue said softly, his voice a little hoarse. He raised his hand and gently touched her cup, but his ears inexplicably felt hot.

Xia's father glanced at them with a smile, said nothing, and slowly sipped the wine in his cup.

Mr. Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, but remained expressionless, only adding lightly, "Your generation is much more capable than we were when we were young. You're polite at the dinner table and you're very reliable in your work."

"That's because you taught him well. Like father, like son," Xia Zhiyao replied with a smile, her demeanor poised and graceful.

Zhou Yue downed the drink in one gulp. The alcohol made his eyes sting, but all he could think of was the image of her hands slowly sliding down his abs.

The dishes were served one after another. The aroma of sweet and sour pork was irresistible, the braised pork ribs were tender and flavorful, and the dry-fried green beans had a hint of garlicky smokiness. There was also a dish of scrambled eggs with scallions, which was Zhou Yue's favorite when he was a child.

The two fathers started reminiscing about the past, from the economic consolidation at the beginning of the year to the investment environment back then. Their tone was unhurried, like old friends chatting casually, or like a tentative exchange after not seeing each other for many years.

"I've heard about your company's recent brand restructuring project." Mr. Zhou took a sip of rice wine, his fingers lightly resting on the rim of the glass, but his gaze bypassed the glass and fell on Xia Zhiyao. "You brought it, didn't you?"

She smiled faintly, her demeanor composed: "It was a team effort. I was responsible for the overall direction, but the specific implementation still depended on everyone." As always, she was meticulous and thorough.

"The direction of the project, resource integration, and key milestones are her strengths," Xia's father interjected, his tone neither exaggerated nor exaggerated, simply stating the facts and presenting his daughter's contributions in the calm tone of an elder.

He paused, then smiled and added, "Although I don't run a manufacturing business, I've been doing research for decades. Sometimes I can't see the market clearly, but I can see people clearly."

After the two clinked glasses and the wine cups were just placed on the table, Zhou's father smiled and said, "Zhiyao has been influenced by you from a young age, and she does have that composure and the ability to take things on and let them go. That's rare."

Mr. Xia smiled gently, his expression unchanged: "She is my daughter, but I never interfere in her work. Her skills are not something I taught her; she honed them herself in the business world."

Mr. Zhou nodded, his smile fading slightly, and his tone becoming more serious: "That's because she has the ability and deserves this position."

On one side were his father's shrewd words from years of business battles, and on the other side was Xia's father's gentle yet firm logical expression. Zhou Yue suddenly realized that neither of them were the type to praise people casually.

Every word spoken at the table today, seemingly just small talk, was actually laying the groundwork for people, for the overall situation, and for the more complex relationships that might follow.

He looked up at Xia Zhiyao. She had her long hair up, revealing her ears. The pearl earrings were small and round. Further down, there was the slightly open collar of her pink shirt. A tiny mole was faintly visible below her collarbone, quietly resting on the left side where her neck met her shoulder.

He remembered kissing that mole inch by inch. His throat tightened, he swallowed the food in his mouth, and suddenly felt a little thirsty.