Chapter 77 I want to move, to a different place...

After taking down the order, the waiter slightly bowed and reminded them, "The paella you ordered will take about ninety minutes to arrive. You can enjoy the other dishes first."

Xia Zhiyao paused, then subconsciously looked up at Zhou Yue. In the candlelight, his expression remained calm, with a nonchalant smile on his lips: "It's alright, we're not in a hurry."

Soon, the waiter came back with a tray. The fruit and shrimp salad was placed down first, the glistening shrimp meat coated in refreshing juice. Next came the smoked salmon, mixed grilled meat and charcoal-grilled beef tongue, all served together, filling the air with a smoky aroma.

The final dish, Moroccan-style braised prawns, was steaming hot with the aroma of tomatoes and spices.

"It looks pretty good." Zhou Yue brought the salad closer to her, casually handing her the cutlery, his tone light but carrying a silent thoughtfulness.

Xia Zhiyao lowered her head and took a bite. The refreshing juice melted in her mouth, and she couldn't help but nod: "This dish is quite good."

Zhou Yue didn't immediately pick up his knife and fork. Instead, he watched her reaction, a slight smile playing on his lips. Only after she glared at him did he slowly pick up a piece of salmon: "Don't keep staring at me while I eat, as if I owe you something."

“You already owe me.” He replied slowly and deliberately, his tone firm and somewhat self-righteous.

Xia Zhiyao ate very attentively, her fork never stopping, and her eyes were slightly bright.

Zhou Yue saw this and couldn't help but smile, reminding him with a hint of teasing, "Save some room in your stomach, there's seafood rice coming up later."

Xia Zhiyao looked up at him, a smile on her lips, but her tone was deliberately a bit self-righteous: "Didn't you say that you would eat all my leftovers from now on? You expend a lot of energy, so you're not afraid of wasting food."

Zhou Yue was taken aback, then chuckled softly, his eyes filled with an irrepressible tenderness: "You still remember what I said."

Xia Zhiyao lowered his head nonchalantly, put a piece of beef tongue in his mouth, and pretended not to hear. But he slowly added, his voice deep and firm: "Then you can eat without worry."

The seafood paella finally arrived. The golden rice was stewed until soft and sticky, and the surface was covered with bright shrimp, mussels and clams. Steam rose and rolled, accompanied by a rich aroma of saffron.

Zhou Yue looked down at the generously portioned seafood rice: "Looks like you had too much fun eating just now. You'll have to keep your promise later."

Xia Zhiyao's heart fluttered at the aroma. She looked up at him and smiled gently, "What I left, you ate it all, didn't you?"

Zhou Yue chuckled, picked up a spoon, scooped out a small bowlful, and handed it to her, his tone carrying a hint of confident indulgence: "Okay, however much you eat, I'll finish it for you."

Xia Zhiyao took the bowl, blew on it to cool it down, scooped up a mouthful and put it in her mouth. The flavor was rich and delicious. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and let out a soft sigh: "Delicious."

Looking at her satisfied expression, Zhou Yue felt a sudden tenderness in his heart, as if this pot of seafood rice was not just food, but also an unspoken understanding and sense of belonging.

After finishing their meal, the two drove home. As they opened the car door, the air after the rain carried a cool and moist feel.

Xia Zhiyao raised her hand to rub her stomach and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Let's take a walk, I'm really stuffed."

Zhou Yue glanced at her, a faint smile in his eyes, and said gently, "Okay, it just rained, the air is really fresh."

They walked side by side in the night. The sky, washed clean by the rain, was exceptionally clear, and tiny starlight scattered across the deep blue canopy.

When she reached a street lamp, Xia Zhiyao suddenly stopped. She looked up at the quiet night sky.

A strange sense of peace slowly rose in her chest, and she suddenly realized that she had been pushed around all these years without ever truly stopping to ask herself what she wanted.

Standing under the night sky, she felt for the first time that perhaps everything from the past could be left in this moment, without needing to dwell on it anymore.

So she reached out and grasped Zhou Yue's hand. The moment her palm touched his, her fingertips were icy cold, yet she held him tightly. "I want to go somewhere else," she said softly, with a hesitant yet resolute tone.

Zhou Yue was taken aback, his brow furrowing slightly. He asked instinctively, "Huh? Weren't you doing quite well with Zheng Xiaotian's side?"

“It’s not about work.” Xia Zhiyao gently nudged him, her eyes clear. “I’m talking about where I’m staying.” She gazed at Zhou Yue. “I want to move, to a new place… and have a fresh start.”

"Moving?" he repeated, his voice low and hoarse. He instinctively wanted to laugh, but couldn't manage it.

Xia Zhiyao raised her head, her eyes reflecting a clear light under the dim streetlights. Her gaze was no longer hampered by shadows as before, but instead carried a crisp brightness.

“That house has held too many old things, and I don’t want to be defined by them anymore. I want a place that doesn’t remind me of the past, but allows me to embrace the future.”

Zhou Yue paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on her face, then chuckled softly, a smile that carried a certainty and an unyielding tone: "Then why don't you just move in with me?"

Xia Zhiyao blinked, almost subconsciously shaking her head, her tone a little disgusted, yet she couldn't help but slyly curl the corners of her lips: "I don't want to. It's too unsafe where you are, your mother could come and kill me at any time."

Zhou Yue raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on her face without giving an inch, his voice low and deep: "What are you afraid of? Just tell her directly."

Xia Zhiyao snorted softly, turned her head, and had a faint smile on her lips: "You think things are that simple?" She was half-joking and half-seriously reminding him.

Zhou Yue didn't rush to refute, but instead took her hand in his own. His eyes were particularly firm at that moment: "Zhiyao, I don't think it's difficult. As long as you're willing, I dare to say it."

Xia Zhiyao was taken aback by his blunt courage, and teased him as if to cover up her embarrassment: "Don't make it sound so easy. If you really said it, your mother would be the first to skin me alive."

Zhou Yue stared at her, but his brows and eyes suddenly relaxed, his smile deepened, and his voice was low and firm: "That's alright, I'll stand in front of you. If you want to skin me, you'll have to step over my corpse first."

“Zhou Yue, you…” She shook her head, her voice filled with helplessness, yet unable to hide her amusement, “How did we end up like this after just a few words…”

After saying that, she couldn't help but reach out and push his shoulder, with a hint of reproach and a smile. Zhou Yue swayed slightly but did not back away. In that instant, her heart trembled slightly, and her smile faded, replaced by an indescribable flutter.

Zhou Yue was silent for a few seconds, his gaze slowly falling on her face, his eyes deep and focused. Finally, he spoke in a low voice, revealing an almost stubborn determination: "Okay, let's move."

Xia Zhiyao looked up at him, surprised that he agreed so readily.

Zhou Yue lowered his head, his gaze falling on her face, and a gentle smile curved his lips: "Changing places is good. Let the past remain where it is." As he spoke, he reached out and pulled her into his arms, as if to protect her from the darkness and the sound of the wind.

“Zhiyao,” he whispered in her ear, his tone steady and earnest, “I will be with you no matter where you are.”

Xia Zhiyao didn't speak again, but nodded slightly, a smile on her lips, a long-lost sense of relief that came from the bottom of her heart.

The two walked side by side. The night breeze rustled the leaves, and their shadows under the streetlights stretched long and overlapped, seemingly inseparable. The scattered starlight in the sky also seemed brighter than before.

When Xia Zhiyao returned home, she saw several sets of real estate brochures spread out on the table, with numbers and drawings piled up haphazardly, almost covering the entire tabletop.

Zhou Yue leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen in his hand, and carefully writing and drawing on the corner of a piece of paper: "If you sell your apartment in the East Third Ring Road area, plus your savings and housing provident fund... all this way, you'll hardly need to take out any commercial loans."

Xia Zhiyao rested her chin on her hand, looked at him quietly for a moment, and slowly curved her lips into a smile: "The way you're talking sounds like you're giving a client an investment and financing analysis?"

Zhou Yue looked up, his gaze meeting her smile. His lips twitched slightly, but his expression suddenly darkened: "Who told your husband to be good at this?"

Xia Zhiyao paused, a barely perceptible flicker of emotion crossing her eyes. She then chuckled softly, a slight upturn of her lips: "You think I haven't done the math? If the pressure were too much, I wouldn't have bothered looking at it."

As she spoke, she lightly tapped the string of numbers with her fingertip: "This is actually quite suitable. There's almost no burden. Even if I take out a small loan, a few thousand dollars a month, it's nothing to me."

"Moving to a new house is a big deal." Zhou Yue's tone was low, but with an unusual seriousness. "You're not alone in this."

Xia Zhiyao raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips: "What, are you going to pay for me?"

Zhou Yue stared at her, the corners of his lips slowly turning upwards. His tone seemed casual, but his voice trailed off in a very low voice: "If you take out a loan from a bank, you still have to obediently pay the interest. But if you borrow from me..."

He paused, his eyes giving a meaningful look: "As for interest, you can pay it with your body."

Xia Zhiyao glared at him fiercely: "Zhou Yue, can't you have any shame?"

Zhou Yue chuckled softly, but his gaze remained fixed on her, his voice carrying a teasing tenderness: "I'm just trying to save you money."

Xia Zhiyao shook her head helplessly, but did not retort: ​​"I can do it myself."

Zhou Yue looked at her, his brows still slightly furrowed, and said in a low voice, "Zhiyao, you've calculated everything very clearly, but I just want you to have an easier life."

Xia Zhiyao was slightly taken aback, her gaze lingering on his face for a few seconds before finally curving her lips into a slight smile: "Changing houses and changing environments is just to make myself feel more at ease. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Her words carried an unwavering determination.

Zhou Yue gazed at her quietly, his fingertips gently stroking the pen. After a long while, he spoke softly, "That's good. Since it's a fresh start, I hope that this time, you're truly doing it for yourself."

Xia Zhiyao blinked, didn't say anything, but simply pushed the information about her favorite property in front of him, as if giving him an answer.

A few days later, Xia Zhiyao leaned against the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. "It's nothing serious," she said softly.

She took a deep breath, as if to suppress all her hesitation and doubt.

Zhou Yue leaned against the doorframe, quietly watching her back. After a long silence, he finally asked in a low voice, "Ready?"

Xia Zhiyao turned around, her eyes clear, yet carrying a hint of weariness and determination: "I'm the only one who can convince my parents about this. My mom is easy to talk to, but my dad... that's the real battle."

Zhou Yue smiled, took two steps closer, and said in a tone that was half joking and half serious: "Then I wish you victory, General Xia."

Xia Zhiyao was stunned for a moment, then laughed, but the laughter was fleeting, and the lightness in her heart was quickly suppressed.

She knew all too well that in her father's world, anything done without his approval would be considered a transgression, which would then trigger a series of problems.

The next day, she went back to her father Xia Zhongming's house.

"You're here?" In the living room, Xia Zhongming sat upright in an armchair, his gaze sharp and calm behind his thick glasses. "You said you wanted to talk to me about the house. Perfect, we need to talk."

Xia Zhiyao took a slow breath, gently put down the bag in her hand, pursed her lips, and finally said what she had prepared: "I plan to move out and find a new house that is closer to the company, so that I can have some peace and quiet and start over."

Xia Zhongming listened quietly, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair. After a while, he nodded and said, "I have no objection to changing houses. That house is indeed quite old, and the environment is just so-so." His tone was calm, even carrying a hint of rational understanding. "If you don't have enough money, I can help you."

Xia Zhiyao was slightly taken aback, and then a familiar sense of oppression rose in her heart. She understood all too well what her father's "help" meant. Money was never just money, but a bargaining chip, a legitimate reason for him to intervene in her life.

Xia Zhongming pushed up his glasses again, his tone still calm: "However, changing houses is just a formality; the real problem isn't there. You can't always be alone; this isn't a long-term solution."

“Zhiyao, you’re in your thirties now.” Xia Zhongming paused, as if emphasizing a concept in class, “Marriage and family are not child’s play, but the most important investment in life.”

“Opportunity cost is very clear. If you focus on your career, you are giving up the most valuable stage of marriage. The same goes for resource allocation. Time and energy are limited. If you miss the key point, the marginal utility will drop sharply when you invest again.”

He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if he were conducting a calm deduction, yet his voice carried an irresistible pressure.

"You need to learn to be rational and not get caught up in your current feelings. After you turn thirty, your advantage in the dating market will only weaken. Time is the most irreversible variable; once it's gone, it's gone forever."

His gaze fell coldly on his daughter's face, as if testing whether she could be incorporated into the model he had designed. "You think that insisting now is freedom, but it's just a waste. In the end, you'll find that the choice is not in your hands at all."

These words, seemingly a calm analysis and full of concern, were in fact commands. What he wanted was never understanding or dialogue, but to ensure that his daughter's life trajectory strictly followed the path he had already planned.