Chapter 66 He still doesn't understand Xia Zhi...
Zhou Yue felt as if his whole body was on fire. He stared intently at her, his eyes filled with anger, heartache, and a hint of almost desperate pain.
"Fine." He suddenly spoke, his voice so low it almost trembled, "You're the one who told me to leave, Xia Zhiyao, you fucking regret this."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly turned around, his movements urgent and stiff, as if he would completely lose control if he lingered for even a second longer.
He yanked his coat off the back of the sofa, his steps heavy and resolute. He strode quickly to the door, but suddenly stopped.
Zhou Yue slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on her. He stared at her for a long time, as if trying to tear away even the slightest trace of her reluctance from her face and her eyes.
But she gave him nothing. Only that cold, aloof expression, as if to say: Go away, I don't care.
He felt as if he had been instantly chilled to the bone. With a loud "bang," the door slammed shut, the enormous sound echoing through the empty apartment, reverberating on every wall for a long time.
The room fell silent again, leaving only Xia Zhiyao standing alone amidst the stillness and lingering echoes.
In fact, Zhou Yue hadn't gone far at all. The door slammed shut behind him, and he rushed down a few steps, only to stop abruptly in the stairwell.
He walked faster and faster, and his chest felt increasingly constricted. Didn't he know what kind of temper Xia Zhiyao had?
The more reluctant she was to let him go, the more hurtful her words became. She wanted to throw the most offensive sentences at him, and when he was furious, he would have to go back like a dog, remaining devoted to her and never leaving her side.
Zhou Yue gripped the wall tightly, his anger and heartache swirling together, making his chest feel tight and suffocating. He knew he was being manipulated, so much so that he was almost going crazy, but he just couldn't bear to let go.
She knew his weakness perfectly, yet she still deliberately stepped on it, each step landing hard and accurately, causing him excruciating pain, yet she still willingly stayed.
"Damn it..." Zhou Yue cursed under his breath. He couldn't leave if she really wanted to, but if he really wanted to hold back his anger, she kept saying the most extreme things, not even giving him a moment's respite.
A burning, aching sensation churned in his chest, threatening to scorch him alive. His eyes were closed, his breathing rapid, a muffled throbbing in his throat. After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a broken murmur: "Xia Zhiyao, what exactly do you want from me…"
After a long time, he finally raised his head, his eyes dark and bloodshot. In the end, he turned around and walked towards the door.
The hallway was dimly lit, the wall lamps flickering on and off. He leaned against the door, his back taut, as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
He took out a cigarette, his fingers trembling, and it took him three tries to light it. The sparks lit up and went out. He took a deep drag, and the nicotine choked him, making his eyes red.
Inside the room, Xia Zhiyao sat stiffly on the sofa. After a long while, she suddenly stood up and ran two steps as if out of control. She wanted to chase after them; she really wanted to.
She gripped the doorknob tightly, but couldn't turn it. Her head pressed against the door, and tears suddenly streamed down her face.
Just as Zhou Yue was about to knock on the door, he suddenly heard a faint knocking sound coming from inside. He slowly turned to the side and pressed his ear against the cold door.
Then he heard her crying, so real, the sound of her crying pounding into his heart. He knew she was also leaning against the other side of the door.
And so they stood there, separated by a door, one outside, one inside, one trying desperately not to rush in, the other biting her lip in despair, refusing to call his name.
There was not a single "Don't go," not a single "I'm sorry," only this thin door, standing coldly in the middle, separating them into two worlds.
After an unknown amount of time, Xia Zhiyao finally regained some strength and hastily wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Just then, the doorbell rang suddenly.
Her heart tightened suddenly, her feet froze, her fingers hovered in mid-air, and she even held her breath. In that instant, she almost thought, or rather, subconsciously hoped, that it was Zhou Yue.
She slowly walked to the entrance, her palms sweating with nervousness, and turned the door lock.
Standing outside the door was a delivery guy, carrying a takeout bag. He politely said, "Here's your breakfast."
Xia Zhiyao paused for a few seconds, the light in her eyes gradually dimming. She looked down at the bag of takeout, and finally reached out to take it.
It wasn't him after all. The disappointment came too quickly, and before she could even have a moment to let hope fester, it was cruelly extinguished.
Xia Zhiyao casually placed the bag on the counter in the entryway. Just as she was about to turn around, she caught a glimpse of the order receipt stuck to the outside of the bag, which clearly stated: Order time: 7:30 a.m.
At that time... it had been shortly after he slammed the door and left. Xia Zhiyao paused, her gaze fixed on that line of words. A surge of indescribable emotions welled up in her chest—a sour feeling, a panicked heart, and a little... an unacknowledged warmth.
She suddenly felt a little ridiculous. She had just said she didn't want him in a fit of pique, telling him to leave, but when the doorbell rang, she immediately pinned all her hopes on "him coming back."
Xia Zhiyao slowly opened the bag. It was from the porridge shop she often ate at not far downstairs. She sat down at the table, scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The aroma of rice went down her throat and a warm feeling immediately rose in her stomach.
Kexin was even more confused. That warmth seemed to be peeling away her disguise layer by layer, leaving her nowhere to escape.
He understood her, but there was such a thick wall between them.
After finishing breakfast, Xia Zhiyao stood blankly in front of the mirror for a while, then changed into a sharp business suit, meticulously combed her hair, and applied a clean, light makeup, sealing her fatigue and chaos behind a calm mask.
Upon arriving at the company, Xia Zhiyao took the elevator first and stood in the corner. A few seconds later, a group of people crowded in, the last one being Zhou Yue.
The moment their eyes met, Xia Zhiyao blinked lightly, then lowered her gaze, her expression indifferent, as if she were looking at a stranger.
Zhou Yue's brows twitched slightly, but he ultimately did not call out her name.
The elevator ascended floor by floor, and people walked out one floor at a time, until only the two of them remained. Their reflections were cast on the elevator wall, one in front of the other, their breaths held tight.
"Ding—" The elevator stopped at the floor they were going to.
Zhou Yue took the lead and stepped out, seemingly using all his reason to remain calm. Xia Zhiyao lowered her eyelashes, hesitated for half a second, and then followed.
Two figures were projected onto the ground, one in front of the other, but they did not intersect, and they did not exchange a single word.
As soon as the morning meeting ended, Zheng Xiaotian closed his folder and looked at Xia Zhiyao. "Zhiyao, could you help Zhou Yue and the others this afternoon? The progress in the Greater Bay Area needs to be accelerated."
Xia Zhiyao was slightly taken aback, but quickly a calm, professional smile appeared on her lips: "Okay." With her usual restraint and decisiveness, there was not a trace of emotional fluctuation in her expression.
Zhou Yue, sitting opposite, paused his fingertips on the laptop keyboard, his eyes twitching almost imperceptibly, but he didn't say a word.
His jawline was taut, as if he were pressing down on something.
Zheng Xiaotian, unaware of this undercurrent, continued to make the decision: "Then it's settled. Zhou Yue, you'll be in charge of overall coordination, with Zhiyao assisting. Make sure you give me a presentable plan by Friday."
"receive."
"clear."
Two voices rang out almost simultaneously, crisp and calm, even overlapping as if they had been rehearsed.
Everyone keenly sensed something was amiss, and they carefully flipped through the documents with their heads down.
For an entire day, they were assigned to the same project team, holding meetings, discussions, and reviewing documents back and forth, sitting face to face.
"Adjust the formatting on this page."
"Yes, I received it."
"Did you revise the draft of this form?"
"Under review, ten minutes."
There were no superfluous words in the conversation; language became the coldest tool, used only to convey tasks and advance progress, as if they were just two high-speed machines, never possessing any heartbeat or emotion.
Colleagues around him gradually noticed something was wrong, and whispers began to circulate in the office: "Did President Zhou and President Xia... have they had another fight?"
Lin Qianfan walked through them with the documents in her hand, her steps as light as if she were walking on cotton. She carefully maintained a proper professional smile on her face, afraid that a wrong breath would trigger a fight.
One of them was looking down at documents, the other staring at the computer screen. The crying and hugging seemed to have never happened, but everyone knew that the suppressed emotions had not disappeared.
The large-scale progress meeting in the afternoon was packed with people, including the project leader, representatives of external partners, and several senior leaders.
Xia Zhiyao and Zhou Yue sat side by side on one side of the long table. Their seats were arranged so close that there was almost no gap between them. If they moved their sleeves, they would touch each other's arms.
Zhou Yue said in a low voice, "You tell this part."
Xia Zhiyao nodded, her voice crisp and clear: "Okay." She picked up the laser pointer, stood up, and calmly switched to the next slide of the PPT. Her explanation was logically clear, the data was accurate, and there was no unnecessary emotion in it.
The moment she finished speaking, Zhou Yue seamlessly took over the conversation, adding to and expanding on it, and even answered a question from a partner on the fly. Their cooperation was flawless and their professionalism was impeccable.
Sitting opposite, Zheng Xiaotian nodded in satisfaction, and the partners also repeatedly praised, "President Xia and President Zhou's cooperation is too perfect."
The word "tacit understanding" is like a silent needle, piercing the softest part of their hearts.
Applause erupted in the conference room. Everyone was focused on their impressive professional demeanor, but no one knew that at that moment, both of them were experiencing unspeakable emotions.
After the meeting, the partners politely shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with them, praising them: "You two are a truly impeccable team."
Xia Zhiyao smiled slightly, nodded politely, and said in a gentle and appropriate voice, "Thank you, we will optimize the plan further."
Zhou Yue chimed in, "The overall progress can be accelerated even further."
As soon as the meeting ended, Xia Zhiyao, carrying a folder, walked straight back to her office in her high heels. Zhou Yue didn't think much of it and followed her in, casually closing the door behind him.
Xia Zhiyao sat down in her office chair, bent down to organize the documents, her movements meticulous, as if she were completely ignoring him.
"You spoke too quickly in that part just now. Be careful next time." Her voice was calm and unhurried, as if she were commenting on a subordinate's work mistake.
Zhou Yue stood in front of the table, his fingers gripping the edge tightly, and said in a low voice, "Xia Zhiyao, are you planning to keep talking to me like this?"
She raised her eyes, her expression aloof, her brows unmoving: "Otherwise what? This is work."
The next second, Zhou Yue suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her up from the chair. The force was so strong that she frowned, and her fingertips almost hurt from being squeezed.
"Who was the person crying behind the door this morning?" His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of loss of control.
Xia Zhiyao paused for a moment, then laughed, her smile almost mocking: "Me, cry? Zhou Yue, you misheard."
"Stop pretending!" he practically gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. "Don't fucking lie to me anymore!"
Xia Zhiyao didn't break free; her eyelashes drooped, but her tone was light and airy: "Do you want everyone on this floor to come and laugh at you?"
These words struck him like a blow to the head. Zhou Yue's fingers trembled. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly released her, but his eyes were fixed on her, as if he wanted to burn her through. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Zhiyao, what exactly do you want?"
She looked up at him, her eyes cool and indifferent, but a faint smile played on her lips: "I don't want anything."
Zhou Yue raised his hand as if to press her down hard on the desk, but reason pulled him back at the last second.
This is a company, an office. No matter how out of control things get, we can't really tear down the facade here.
He abruptly stopped, his eyes burning with an almost manic intensity, and whispered in her ear, "Xia Zhiyao, just keep pretending. Sooner or later, I'll pin you down on this table and fuck you."
The words burned like fire in her ear. Xia Zhiyao raised her chin, her gaze casually drifting towards the ceiling. There was a camera.
Zhou Yue's breath seemed to be torn apart, his chest heaving violently. He stared at Xia Zhiyao with bloodshot eyes, as if he was about to completely engulf her in the next second.
But she just stood there, leaning against the desk, her posture relaxed, the half-smile on her lips seeming to say, "You can't do anything to me."
Zhou Yue's fingers tightened on the table, veins bulging. He let out a low, muffled laugh, but it was as cold as a blade: "Fine, you just wait."
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked down and saw a WeChat message from his mother: "Come back this weekend, let's go out for a meal together. An old friend is coming back."
Zhou Yue stared at the line of words, the heat and oppression in his chest instantly amplified by this simple invitation.
He closed his eyes, tucked his phone into his palm, and barely managed a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. Even amidst his chaotic emotions, he couldn't resist his mother's habitual call.
After a long pause, he finally typed two words: "Okay."
The light from the screen reflected in his eyes, revealing a fleeting moment of weariness and desolation.
Zhou Yue knew all too well that his mother's gentleness was never a choice, but a command.
She could gently shield him from all criticism in front of a table full of guests, yet behind closed doors, she could make him understand with the most elegant demeanor that her will was not to be challenged.
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