Chapter 79 Are you going to keep...?
Xia Zhiyao started tidying up in the living room, picking out books she no longer needed and casually putting them into a box next to her.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yue, dressed in a simple white T-shirt, squatted in the corner of the living room, rummaging through old boxes scattered on the floor. The items were disorganized, and each one seemed to carry some insignificant moment from the past.
He frowned, picking up each item, hesitating for a moment before gently putting it down again. He muttered to himself, "These things really should be thrown away. You're a typical Cancer; you can't bear to throw anything away."
Xia Zhiyao came out of the kitchen with a glass of juice in her hand: "Oh, I know you're a Virgo. Then use your expertise to help me with a complete 'decluttering'."
Zhou Yue paused slightly, his gaze rising from the pile of clutter to meet her eyes, a mixture of helplessness and amusement in his eyes.
The afternoon sun streamed in through the window, carrying a hint of early summer warmth. The light spread throughout the room, illuminating the dust motes floating in the air and falling on Zhou Yue's back.
He was slightly hunched over, the lines of his shoulders and arms clearly outlined in the light and shadow. His languid relaxation exuded a sense of security and steadiness, as if with him there, the messy cardboard boxes and the general chaos on the ground were no longer so bothersome.
Xia Zhiyao raised her head, her gaze falling on him, and her heart skipped a beat at that moment, and a smile involuntarily curved her lips.
Zhou Yue pulled an old booklet from the box, his fingertips brushing against the dusty cover. He stood up, held it up, and shook it: "You're going to keep all this junk?"
Xia Zhiyao immediately reached out to snatch it, her eyes filled with urgency: "You can't throw it! If you do, I'll kill you."
The way she was protecting the photo album made Zhou Yue pause for a moment, then he chuckled and simply walked over and plopped down next to her. Xia Zhiyao was pushed to the side by him, and she frowned and glared at him: "Stay away from me and don't touch my things."
"Looking at it won't hurt you." Zhou Yue ignored him completely and reached out to open the photo album.
My fingertips casually flipped through a few pages, then suddenly stopped. The photos showed the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace, its colors yellowed with age. In the center of the picture, a short-haired girl stood ramrod straight, her smile radiant, her delicate face exuding a touch of heroism. She was half a head taller than the boy beside her.
"...Is this the two of us?" Zhou Yue paused for a moment, his voice unconsciously lowering, his eyes fixed on the photo, momentarily dazed.
Xia Zhiyao followed his gaze, her heart skipped a beat, and her expression softened: "Well, back then... I was in third or fourth grade, I think."
In the photo, the figures of the two children are frozen in time, while the two people on the sofa soften their gazes at the same moment.
Zhou Yue suddenly laughed, a sly glint in his eyes: "Come on, a historical relic, how about a kiss as a souvenir?"
Xia Zhiyao rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to pay attention, and kicked him. Zhou Yue dodged easily, grabbed her ankle, and his wicked smile deepened.
Before she could react, he suddenly pulled her into his arms, and the two rolled around in a ball, their laughter and breaths mingling, their playful noises echoing in the empty living room.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, bathing the scene in a soft, golden glow.
At that moment, they were just like any ordinary couple, playing and laughing freely. The wounds and estrangement of the past seemed to be gradually smoothed out in this ordinary yet warm time.
Xia Zhiyao looked up at him, a smile still lingering in her eyes, but a bittersweet tenderness welled up in her heart.
Zhou Yue leaned down, his nose almost brushing against her hair. His smile remained on his lips, but in that instant, his eyes darkened, revealing an unspoken intensity and seriousness.
Xia Zhiyao leaned against the edge of the sofa, her hair falling across her face, making her look even more charming. Zhou Yue's breath fell gently on her neck, warm and urgent, carrying a hint of irrepressible desire.
Zhou Yue lowered his head and called her name softly, his voice hoarse and deep: "Zhiyao, how about..."
Before he finished speaking, the temperature in the air began to rise, like a flame quietly burning, leaving the two with no way out.
Xia Zhiyao's heart tightened, but she suddenly smiled, a hint of slyness in her eyes: "Didn't you say you'd help me clean up? How come... you started again while we were doing it?"
Zhou Yue was taken aback, then chuckled softly, resting his forehead against her hair, his voice filled with amusement: "I call this sharpening the axe before chopping wood."
Xia Zhiyao rolled her eyes, pushed him away, sat back down on the sofa, pulled her feet back, and continued tidying up: "If you really want to help, say less and do more work."
Zhou Yue smiled and shook his head, then bent down to pick up an old cardboard box scattered in the corner. He flipped through it a few times and found a hard-covered notebook at the bottom.
"What's this?" he asked casually, waving the object in his hand.
Xia Zhiyao looked up, paused for a moment, and quickly reached out to take it: "Don't move!"
It was a wish list, its cover faded and the edges curled. Xia Zhiyao lowered her head and opened it. Zhou Yue squinted, leaned over to look, and smiled, "When did you write this?"
Xia Zhiyao's fingers stiffened, and she didn't speak. She stared at that line of words, and a long-lost feeling of bitterness suddenly welled up in her heart.
Zhou Yue's gaze fell on the pages in his hand, his fingertips turning them gently as he murmured, "I want to go to the beach with the person I love most to watch the sunrise."
He looked up, a hint of mockery in his eyes, yet serious nonetheless, a faint smile playing in them: "Did it come true?"
Xia Zhiyao pursed her lips gently, her voice low and soft, yet tinged with a hint of helplessness: "Not yet."
Zhou Yue clicked his tongue, casually put the notebook away, and teased with a smile, "Okay, then add it to my to-do list, and I'll help you complete the rest slowly."
Xia Zhiyao dusted herself off, sat back on the sofa, and her tone returned to its usual calm and clear: "Let's just throw away what we need to throw away, and for the rest of the moving, we can just hire a full-service company. It'll save us the trouble."
Zhou Yue looked up at her and said, "Why are you looking for a company? I can help you."
Xia Zhiyao glanced at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, her tone slightly mischievous: "Forget it, don't tire yourself out. You're good for other things."
Zhou Yue raised an eyebrow, deliberately leaned closer, and lowered his voice, tinged with a hint of mockery: "Oh? What's it for?"
Xia Zhiyao took a sip of water, her expression calm yet sly. She looked at him with sharp eyes: "Save your energy, otherwise you won't have an excuse to slack off after the house is renovated."
Zhou Yue paused for a moment, then chuckled, his eyes becoming deep: "Zhiyao, what you're saying sounds... very easy to misunderstand."
In the evening, the decluttering project finally came to an end. Too lazy to do anything more, the two decided to order takeout. There were stacks of cardboard boxes and scattered tape around them, but there was a quiet sense of satisfaction amidst the chaotic atmosphere.
Xia Zhiyao held a piece of fried chicken, took a bite, and suddenly stopped. She looked up at Zhou Yue across from her, her eyes clear and her expression resolute, but her tone was unusually serious: "I've made up my mind."
Zhou Yue slowly raised his gaze and quietly looked at her, signaling her to continue.
"Throw all of these away now." Xia Zhiyao's voice was clear and firm, each word sounding as if it had been carefully considered. "Buy new ones for the new house."
The surrounding clutter and heaviness seemed to await a thorough cleanup with her words. Past memories and old objects would be discarded, leaving behind a brand new space, symbolizing a new beginning.
Zhou Yue's gaze softened, as if he saw a sense of relief and determination in her decision. His heart also felt lighter, and his deep voice carried a hint of tenderness, "Okay."
His smile was gentle, as if he were sharing a secret that belonged only to them: "From now on, there will only be new things."
His words were warm and firm, like a promise. A new beginning, a new life, seemed to be right before her eyes. Xia Zhiyao's heartbeat quickened slightly. Zhou Yue's words were like a tacit declaration, and a long-lost warmth suddenly welled up in her chest.
As Zhou Yue looked at her, the smile in his eyes deepened, making him suddenly feel that it was all worthwhile. The entanglements and pain of the past seemed to have found an outlet at this moment and were finally released.
Zhou Yue held up two boxes of fried chicken. He smiled slightly and gestured for Xia Zhiyao to eat first, "Pick one you like."
Xia Zhiyao took a bite of the honey mustard-flavored fried chicken, then casually picked up another piece and offered it to Zhou Yue. Zhou Yue took the fried chicken, took a small bite, but his eyes were fixed on her face, and his smile gradually deepened.
Zhou Yue looked up at her, his eyes filled with seriousness and meaning: "Although you have a terrible personality," he paused, a hint of unpredictable emotion in his eyes, "I just like you."
Xia Zhiyao raised an eyebrow, feigning indifference: "Oh? You really have good taste."
Zhou Yue smiled slightly, took a small bite of fried chicken, his gaze never leaving her, and replied in a low voice, "Well, loving someone means loving everything about them, the good and the bad, you have to accept it all."
Xia Zhiyao paused slightly, no longer taking another bite of the fried chicken in her hand. She looked at Zhou Yue with some surprise, but suddenly felt a little lost.
Zhou Yue noticed her silence, chuckled softly, and added playfully, "Don't tell me anything like that later, I can't accept it."
After saying that, he suddenly lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, his voice tender and playful, "That's it, no going back."
Xia Zhiyao finally moved into Zhou Yue's house. She tidied up her clothes and other belongings and put them into the second bedroom, as if silently emphasizing that she was "just staying temporarily." Her reluctance to get too involved with intimate feelings was fully displayed in her actions.
Zhou Yue stood at the door, leaning against the door frame, watching her back. His brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes held a hint of impatience mixed with a touch of helplessness.
He was used to her calmness and rationality, but today, this distance made a unease stir in a corner of his heart. Although he knew that this was only a temporary transition and that Xia Zhiyao needed time to adjust, this relationship eventually needed to be brought into the open. Keeping it like a secret affair was suffocating him.
They had discussed that if Zhou Yue's mother came, he would explain that Xia Zhiyao was only staying temporarily, but such concealment was ultimately unsustainable.
He sighed, shook his head slightly, leaned against the door frame, and his tone gradually became serious. "You can't keep going like this, Zhiyao." He spoke slowly, as if weighing the weight of each word. "Sooner or later, we have to make it clear to them that we are in a relationship."
Xia Zhiyao paused for a moment, then said softly, "Isn't it not time yet?"
She didn't turn around or look at him again, as if avoiding certain topics was the only way she could control things, as if this "temporary stay" arrangement could bring her some psychological comfort, at least she wouldn't have to face that sudden intimacy and unknown challenges.
Zhou Yue stood there, staring at her back. He knew her guarded heart and understood her concerns, but at this moment, he could no longer suppress the urge to be honest with her.
He took a deep breath and whispered, "Zhiyao, I really want to tell everyone that you are my girlfriend..."
Xia Zhiyao stopped holding the clothes hanger again. Her movements were a little stiff. She replied in a low voice, "It will only cause more trouble if we talk about it now."
Zhou Yue watched her retreating figure, took a step closer, and asked in a low voice, yet with a hint of determination, "Are you going to keep me hidden away forever?"
She finally turned her head, her eyes slightly dazed, but she quickly regained her composure, her gaze flickering as if weighing the weight of her words.
Zhou Yue's gaze was fixed on her. Standing closer, he could feel her heart pounding for a moment, that subtle tension and helplessness. He also knew very well that it wasn't that she was unwilling to talk, but rather that there were certain things in her heart that she wasn't ready to face.
He simply wanted to make her understand that their feelings for each other couldn't be hidden.
Xia Zhiyao took a deep breath and whispered, "Wait until the right time."
She didn't say anything more, but a barely perceptible tenderness flashed in her eyes, as if she were making up her mind and giving the two of them some space for the future.
Zhou Yue remained silent for a moment, and finally simply nodded, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
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