Chapter 103 Yes, she absolutely mustn't...
As Xia Zhiyao stepped out of the restaurant, she unconsciously shrank her shoulders. Before she could react, a warm hand enveloped her slightly cool fingertips.
“Autumn comes so quickly in Beijing.” Zhou Yue and she walked hand in hand toward the parking lot.
Xia Zhiyao looked up at him. The halo of the streetlight outlined the contours of his profile. His eyes, which were always smiling, were now unfathomably deep. She gently squeezed his hand back: "Yes, you were wearing short sleeves yesterday, but you have to wear a jacket today."
Zhou Yue turned his head to the side, a perfectly curved smile playing on his lips: "I'll take you home first, then I have a contract to deal with at the company. I'll be back in about an hour."
The two got into the car, and the neon lights reflected off the glass, making Zhou Yue's expression flicker. She could feel Zhou Yue's gaze coming at her from time to time.
"Is the company very busy lately?" she broke the silence.
"It's alright, isn't this a good thing? Being busy means we can make money." He said casually.
Xia Zhiyao opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally just reached out and covered his hand on the crotch, saying softly, "Then go home when you're done. I'll wait for you."
Zhou Yue turned his head to look at her, a half-smile playing on his lips. He lightly traced a line on her chin with his fingertip, his tone slightly mischievous: "Don't worry, I have to get home early to take care of some important business." He deliberately lowered the word, drawing out the last syllable in an ambiguous way, carrying a hint of deeper meaning.
Xia Zhiyao was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant. Her ears turned bright red instantly. She couldn't help but glare at him and tried to pull her hand back, but he held it firmly.
"You scoundrel!" she whispered angrily, her heart pounding as if his words had ignited a fire within her.
Zhou Yue laughed, his tone unrestrained: "Being a rogue is the right thing to do. If I'm not a rogue to you one day, then there will be a big problem."
Xia Zhiyao was speechless for a moment after hearing what he said. She felt flustered, but she couldn't help but smile, trying to hide the sweetness that welled up inside her.
Seeing her embarrassed and flustered appearance, Zhou Yue's smile deepened. In the end, he simply tightened his grip on her hand and gently placed it back on the gear shift.
The car stopped downstairs in the residential area. Just as Xia Zhiyao was about to get out, his voice suddenly came from behind her: "Xia Zhiyao."
She turned around, but before she could speak, he grabbed her neck and forced her to meet his lips.
"Let's collect interest first," Zhou Yue whispered near her lips, a hint of a smile on his face, but his voice was low and husky.
Xia Zhiyao was stunned. In that instant, she tasted the urgency and restraint in his kiss, as if he was afraid of losing something in the next second.
He quickly released her, his gaze so deep it seemed to trap her: "Go up."
Only after her figure completely disappeared into the stairwell did Zhou Yue lean heavily against the car door, close his eyes, and take a deep breath. He thought for a moment and decided to drive his own car. At least for now, he couldn't let Xia Zhiyao know about this.
Once he sat in the driver's seat, all the gentleness on his face vanished, replaced by a dangerous coldness. The moment he started the engine, his eyes were as sharp as a drawn sword.
Zhou Yue stared at the route flashing on the screen. Finally, the noise subsided, and the car drove into a quiet yet elegant residential area. The security guard at the gate saw his license plate number and let him through immediately, which meant that Zheng Xiaotian must have reported it in advance.
The building has one apartment per floor. Zhou Yue rang the doorbell downstairs. The elevator door opened, and Zheng Xiaotian stood at the door, his shirt loose and looking tired from just returning from a social event. When he saw Zhou Yue, he turned around and went inside: "Come on in."
Zhou Yue followed him inside. The marble floor reflected the light from the overhead chandelier. The living room was so large it felt empty. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered an entire wall, and the city lights twinkled outside the glass, so dazzling it was almost dizzying.
The air was filled with the scent of incense, the surface of the walnut coffee table was so shiny it could reflect a mirror, the wine cabinet was filled with various fine wines, and a few limited edition skateboards were placed in the corner, luxury and unruliness coexisting in an eerie harmony.
Zheng Xiaotian walked to the sofa and almost collapsed into it: "Sit down, would you like something to drink?"
Zhou Yue found a seat and said, "Water is fine, I drove here."
While Zheng Xiaotian was getting water from the refrigerator, Zhou Yue placed his phone on the coffee table. "That's all." Zhou Yue then pushed the phone towards Zheng Xiaotian. "I checked the email address; it no longer exists."
Zheng Xiaotian leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, staring at the screen. His pupils visibly contracted as the first photo scrolled by. The second, the third…
Memories flooded back like a tide. It was a humid night in Shenzhen, and the alcohol was burning in my veins. She held his waist, and her soft hair brushed against his cheek.
Then came that damn impulse; he grabbed her wrist, pressed her onto the bed, and leaned down to kiss her.
I can't say, I absolutely can't say.
Zheng Xiaotian forced himself to raise his head and meet Zhou Yue's scrutinizing gaze. Those eyes were frighteningly calm, and a silence spread between the two of them, more torturous than any interrogation.
Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse and unlike his own: "I'm not afraid of you cursing me." He gave a self-deprecating laugh, his laughter dry, "Back then... I did have a bit of a crush on her."
Zhou Yue's hand tightened suddenly.
“But so what?” Zheng Xiaotian continued, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. “After all, we’ve been classmates and friends for so many years. You know me, I’m not picky about food or drink. But she’s not at all.”
He shook his head, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice: "I didn't know about the two of you back then, but I knew she definitely had someone else in her heart. Later, I found out that Xia Zhiyao only had you in her heart."
Zheng Xiaotian's gaze suddenly hardened. He stared straight at Zhou Yue, his usual nonchalance completely gone, replaced by an undeniable seriousness: "Moreover," his voice was deep, "the surveillance video has been deleted. If you can find the original recording, you'll see that she stayed in my room for ten minutes, at most fifteen minutes."
He closed his eyes, trying to recall, as if reliving the scene from that night: "As soon as she came in, she went straight to the bathroom to wash her hands. You know, that's just how she is; the first thing she does when she comes in is wash her hands."
Zhou Yue nodded slightly; this detail was all too familiar.
“I lit a cigarette at that time,” Zheng Xiaotian continued, his voice slow with recollection. “Before I finished it, I saw her washing her hands, so I went over to check on her. Later, I threw up, and she poured me a glass of water. We chatted for a few minutes about my mother and then she left.”
He opened his eyes, his gaze clear: "There's a meeting the next morning."
Zhou Yue looked into Zheng Xiaotian's eyes, then lowered his head, repeatedly unscrewing and tightening the bottle of water in his hand. Finally, he raised his head, his gaze as deep as the night: "...I believe you." His voice was hoarse, as if he had just gone through a long struggle.
Zheng Xiaotian's shoulders visibly relaxed, but Zhou Yue didn't: "The question is, who would do that?"
“Sent it to me anonymously, with such precise timing… This person not only knows what happened that night, but has also been secretly observing you.”
"Do you have someone you suspect?" Zheng Xiaotian asked.
Zhou Yue was silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking: "Zhang Luyuan."
"Damn it!" Zheng Xiaotian jumped to his feet, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, veins bulging on the back of his hands. "That bastard..."
He paced back and forth in the living room: "I knew that bastard was no good! He must have been holding a grudge because of this project, and now he's resorting to such underhanded tactics!"
"Don't rush, sit down and talk." Zhou Yue's voice was very calm, eerily calm.
Zheng Xiaotian turned around and saw the dangerous calm on Zhou Yue's face, so he stopped in his tracks. "There's no evidence yet. I only have suspicions. We still need to investigate the specifics."
"Fine." Zheng Xiaotian's voice was squeezed out from deep in his throat, hoarse like sandpaper, carrying a suppressed anger. "Tell me, how do you plan to investigate?"
Zheng Xiaotian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his whole body like a fully drawn bow: "That video, it can be copied so easily, there must be an inside man, right? Not just anyone can tamper with hotel surveillance cameras."
Zhou Yue sneered, his laughter short and sharp: "More than just an inside man." His fingers hovered over the marble tabletop, the movement elegant yet dangerous. "To be able to cut the surveillance video so cleanly, you either have money to pave the way or connections to pave the way."
He paused, his eyes as deep as a bottomless well: "Zhang Luyuan himself probably doesn't have that ability."
“Someone is using him,” Zhou Yue interrupted him, his voice as cold as ice.
"Who is this targeting?" Zheng Xiaotian immediately grasped the key point. "Me, or her?"
“She is my weakness,” Zhou Yue said. “Everyone can see that. If I touch her, I’m touching me. But I’ve only been back in China for a short time and haven’t offended anyone. Even if I have a grudge against Zhang Luyuan, it’s not a big deal.”
He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the dim light, directly targeting Zheng Xiaotian: "But for you..." He drew out the last syllable, a cryptic smile curving his lips, "maybe from the very beginning, this whole thing was aimed at you."
Zheng Xiaotian felt a chill creep up his spine, making his back feel cold.
“Her and I were just incidental,” Zhou Yue continued, his tone eerily calm, as if stating a given fact. “They wanted to get back at you, and incidentally discovered they could also sow discord between us, so…”
He made a gesture, as if indicating a net: "Killing two birds with one stone. Ruthless enough, and clever enough."
"Damn it," Zheng Xiaotian cursed under his breath, his voice filled with the anger of being fooled. He grabbed the bottle in front of him and took a big gulp straight down the throat. The liquor made him cough and his eyes reddened, but the burning sensation calmed him down a little.
Zhou Yue looked at his disheveled state and smiled: "Ruthlessness means someone is getting impatient, and when someone is impatient, they will give themselves away. What we need to do is wait."
"Wait my ass." Zheng Xiaotian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his voice still hot from the alcohol. "I told you on the phone last time that I feel like someone is watching me lately."
His fingers began to unconsciously draw circles on the table, a habit he had when he was anxious: "You know that feeling of a chill down your back? It's like..." he gestured, "like a pair of eyes watching you from the shadows."
Zhou Yue's expression changed, becoming even more serious: "Have you investigated?"
“I checked.” Zheng Xiaotian smiled bitterly. “I found the best people and searched everywhere we could. And the result?” He spread his hands. “Nothing at all. It was as clean as if I were being paranoid.”
He leaned forward, lowering his voice to almost a whisper: "But you and I both know that the less trace we can find, the more it means the other party is not simple."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, both seeing the same wariness in each other's eyes.
“A hotel in Shenzhen,” Zhou Yue suddenly said, breaking the silence. “From there onwards, the photos don’t just appear out of thin air. Someone must have seen them, someone must have tampered with them.”
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights blaze, but this only makes the atmosphere inside feel even more oppressive.
Zhou Yue glanced at his watch, his brows furrowing slightly. "I've been out for over an hour. I told Xia Zhiyao I was going back to the company to handle the contract, so it's about time I headed back."
Zheng Xiaotian nodded, his expression solemn: "Yes, she absolutely cannot know. Right now, the new energy sector is at a critical juncture, and any slight movement could be detected by outsiders."
He paused, his gaze sharpening slightly: "Once we finalize everything, she won't need to see Zhang Luyuan anymore."
"Hmm," Zhou Yue responded, but his eyes unconsciously darkened.
Zheng Xiaotian picked up his wine glass and said slowly, "So you have to keep her calm, even if she becomes suspicious."
Zhou Yue stood up to leave when Zheng Xiaotian suddenly spoke, his tone unusually serious: "You and Xia Zhiyao... should get married soon."
Zhou Yue paused, turned to look at him, and remained silent. Zheng Xiaotian did not explain further, but simply lowered his eyes, took a sip of wine, and looked unusually serious, even with a hint of entrustment in his expression.
Silence filled the air. Zhou Yue finally nodded slightly, knowing in his heart that this was not a joke, but a heartfelt hope.
I hope she is happy.
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