Chapter 82 One day, it will happen...
"You're drunk," Xia Zhiyao said with a smile.
“I did drink quite a bit, but I’m not so drunk that I’m not completely out of it.” Zhou Yue’s voice was terribly hoarse. “Xia Zhiyao, I’ve never been this sober before. I’m afraid you’ll disappear again, afraid that when I open my eyes tomorrow, you’ll be gone again.”
The night wind blew through the cracks in the car window, carrying the dust of the city and the lively atmosphere of the night market in the distance. The colorful neon lights reflected on the car window—red, blue, and golden—all shattered in his deep eyes, like a broken galaxy.
Xia Zhiyao took a deep breath, a long-lost flutter of excitement welling up in her heart. Reason was still reminding her not to let him cling to her too much, but the soft spot in her heart had already been firmly entangled by him.
"Don't do this..." Her voice was soft, with a hint of amusement, but also seemed like a helpless sigh at his clinginess.
Zhou Yue seemed not to hear her, completely dropping his pretense, slowly lowering his head, and burying his forehead in her shoulder.
In that instant, his warmth enveloped her, his breathing rapid yet filled with a sense of peace, contentment, and affection: "Zhiyao, let me hold you a little longer... okay?"
Xia Zhiyao's heart softened suddenly. Her raised hand paused in mid-air for a moment before slowly falling and wrapping around his back. Through the thin shirt, she could feel his tense shoulders gradually relaxing.
“You…” she chuckled softly, her tone tinged with indulgent helplessness, “You really know how to be charming.”
Zhou Yue didn't answer, but just mumbled an "Mmm" on her shoulder, as if he had finally found his own place.
Xia Zhiyao stroked his back, feeling his breathing gradually steady, and couldn't help but smile. She gently nudged him, her tone teasing, "Are you leaving or not? A moment of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
As she spoke, Xia Zhiyao extended her hand, palm up, and quietly placed it between the two of them. Under the lamplight, her hand was fair and slender, her fingertips trembling slightly, as if awaiting a solemn promise.
Zhou Yue paused for a moment, then slowly reached out and intertwined his fingers with hers. The force was neither too strong nor too weak, but it carried a firm determination to hold her into his life.
"What?" She chuckled softly, a gentle chuckle that held a trembling tenderness within it. "Didn't you just say you'd travel the world with me? Now you're scared?"
Zhou Yue stared at her blankly, the fire in his eyes slowly subsiding, a bittersweet smile curving his lips, as if he had finally grasped the only salvation after going through calamities.
"How could I be afraid?" His voice was deep and firm, each word seemingly etched into his very bones. "With you, everywhere is paradise."
Zhou Yue was still slightly tipsy from the alcohol when he suddenly stopped in his tracks as he stepped into the room.
His pupils suddenly contracted, his gaze fixed on the table by the window, the texture of the dark walnut wood, the cool, frosted metal line along the edge, the curved floor lamp at the corner of the table, even the curvature of the lampshade was exactly the same.
The effects of the alcohol were instantly dispelled. He blinked, his breathing slightly erratic, and a surreal sense of familiarity welled up inside him, as if he had stumbled into a dream he had repeated a thousand times.
A faint fragrance filled the air, mixed with her unique perfume, which completely overwhelmed him.
After a few seconds of silence, he chuckled softly, a laugh filled with bitterness and disbelief: "This...it looks so much like your office."
The door behind him was gently locked from the inside, the crisp "click" sounding particularly abrupt in the quiet room.
Xia Zhiyao slowly turned around, her gaze fixed on him. She walked towards him step by step, each step cautious, as if walking on the edge of a fragile dream, afraid that the slightest exertion would shatter this illusory peace.
She walked up to him, paused for a moment, then stretched out her slender fingers, her movements gentle yet firm, and grabbed his tie, pulling him close abruptly.
The distance suddenly shrunk to the point where their heartbeats could almost collide; their breaths mingled, warm and rapid. Xia Zhiyao slightly raised her chin, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"Didn't you say?" Her voice was as low as a falling feather, yet every word was clear, "that one day, you'd be doing it on my desk?"
These words struck Zhou Yue like a thunderbolt. The alcohol slowed his reaction by half a beat, but his heart was pounding wildly in his chest, almost bursting out of his body.
Those suppressed fragments, like an undercurrent being unleashed, surge forth. The numbers I dared not dial in the dead of night, the secret fantasies I tossed and turned in bed.
Xia Zhiyao paused for a moment, her voice so low it was almost a whisper to herself: "A real office is impossible... but here," her gaze fell on the desk, a fleeting look carrying an uncontrollable pain, "at least you can pretend once."
The surprise in Zhou Yue's eyes was quickly replaced by a kind of childlike light. He stared intently at her, his eyes bright and almost burning, as if someone had finally touched his most secret thoughts: "You...you still remember." With a lightheartedness after drinking, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve up, like a boy who had received his favorite candy.
Xia Zhiyao didn't expect him to laugh, let alone that he would laugh so genuinely.
But Zhou Yue wouldn't let go. He was drunk and clung to her, practically pressing half his body against her.
His forehead brushed against her temple, his breath hot and rapid, his voice muffled but earnest: "Zhiyao, you even remember these words... Does that mean that you, in your heart, are actually reluctant to part with me?" His voice was tinged with drunkenness, but his eyes were surprisingly clear, filled with undisguised longing and dependence.
Xia Zhiyao was breathless from his entanglement. She raised her hand to push him away, but he grabbed her waist with his hand instead, his actions almost shameless. His heat lingered around her ear, and he coaxed her in a low voice, "If you treat me better, I'll take advantage of you."
"Whether it's compensation or something I'm willing to do..." Zhou Yue's voice was even lower, his Adam's apple bobbing as he slowly traced her cheek with his fingertips, as if touching a precious treasure that might break at any moment. "I'll take anything you give me."
A flame, unlike anything he had ever seen before, burned in his eyes—a flame both stubborn and humble, both intense and fragile. It was as if he would gladly perish with her if she ignited it.
Xia Zhiyao suddenly stood on tiptoe and sealed his unspoken words with her lips. Under the table lamp, their breaths mingled, and the alcohol, desire, and long-suppressed emotions burned dangerously in the room.
Zhou Yue's breathing became more and more rapid, his eyes filled with a mixture of drunkenness and burning desire. He grabbed her wrist, suddenly flipped her over, and pinned her against the table.
His tie was half loose, and he reached out to unbutton his shirt, his movements hurried, as if he was finally about to strip away all pretense. Just as he was about to continue, she suddenly stopped him.
Xia Zhiyao raised her hand and placed it on his chest, her voice low but carrying an undeniable sense of control: "Don't take it off, just like this."
Zhou Yue was stunned. The desire in his eyes was abruptly suppressed. His chest heaved violently, as if the fire within him was trapped in a cage and was about to explode.
At that moment, Xia Zhiyao leaned closer, a faint smile playing on her lips, her voice low and intimate, "This is more like an office."
Her words were like a match, igniting every nerve in his body. Zhou Yue suddenly chuckled, his voice filled with uncontrollable madness and attachment, his eyes churning with dark emotions.
He suddenly exerted force, pressing her firmly against the table, causing the documents and notebooks on the table to slide off and scatter on the floor.
He leaned closer, his lips almost biting her earlobe, his voice hoarse and hot with a hint of gritted teeth: "You vixen..."
Xia Zhiyao was firmly pinned to the table by him, her body almost unable to move, yet she was smiling.
Her eyes were slightly red at the corners, and her smile held a tenderness and reluctance that came from complete surrender, as if she had lowered all her defenses in her final act of defiance. Her fingertips gripped his shirt tightly, the wrinkles tightening in her palms, her only stubbornness.
Their breaths mingled rapidly, hot and slightly intoxicated by alcohol. What was supposed to be a casual joke was now being stirred into a raging fire by desire and repression.
Zhou Yue pinned her firmly against the edge of the table, his dark eyes burning with an almost overflowing fire, completely aroused and losing all reason. He stared at her, his throat bobbing, his breath rapid and hot.
Xia Zhiyao tilted her head back, her hair falling loosely, her neckline appearing particularly fragile under the light. Her breathing was disordered, yet she still clung tightly to his shirt, refusing to let the few buttons come undone any further.
A slight smile played on his lips, cold and provocative, as he said in a deep voice, "If I don't feed you properly, how will you be able to work?"
These words struck Zhou Yue like a thunderbolt, his rationality snapped instantly, and his already fragile self-control completely collapsed, pushing him to the brink of life and death.
"Zhiyao..." he whispered through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse, his forehead pressed against the side of her neck, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Under the desk lamp, the light and shadow flickered, documents were scattered on the floor, and the papers were gently turned by the fan. A smile still lingered on her lips. What he needed was not indulgence, but the affirmation and comfort she gave him.
The room gradually became filled only with heavy breathing. The documents on the table were scattered all over the floor, and the pages trembled slightly under the light, the alternation of light and shadow like the remnants left after a storm.
This time, Zhou Yue didn't pull away or cool off as quickly as before. He remained nestled in Xia Zhiyao's arms, holding her tightly, his forehead pressed against her shoulder, his warm breath burning her neck, sweat trickling down his temples and soaking her clothes.
He seemed to have finally exhausted his strength, yet he still refused to let go, his embrace almost pathologically tight, as if if he loosened his grip, she would slip away from him again. The usual aggression and coercion had all disappeared, replaced by a kind of helpless dependence.
She slowly raised her hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally placed it on his back. "Is that enough?" she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse with emotion, as if suffocated by the darkness of the night. Her exhaustion was undeniable, yet her words revealed an unconcealable heartache.
Zhou Yue remained frozen for a long time, as if he were silently grappling with himself. Only when his breathing trembled did he finally admit it, uttering in a low voice, "Not enough... never enough." His voice, still tinged with the effects of alcohol, was like torn silk threads, rough yet raw.
Although they had been intimate countless times, Zhou Yue had never felt so powerless and in need of comfort afterward as he did tonight.
Xia Zhiyao paused for a moment, then involuntarily raised her hand and placed it on his back, her fingertips gently tracing his trembling spine, as if comforting a wild beast that had finally shed its fangs.
For the first time, she truly felt that behind all of Zhou Yue's stubbornness and aggression lay an unspeakable emptiness and unease. This discovery made her heart ache. She should have remained calm, but her eyes uncontrollably welled up with tenderness.
“Zhou Yue…” she called him softly, her tone filled with an unprecedented tenderness, “You don’t have to push yourself like this every time.”
He didn't say anything, but held her even tighter, as if afraid that if he let go, she would leave again.
Xia Zhiyao sighed and reached out to gently brush away the damp, messy strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead, her movements almost careless. Looking at his slightly red eyes and rapid breathing, a sudden, indescribable pity welled up in her heart.
She leaned down and touched his lips lightly to the corner of his mouth. Zhou Yue was clearly startled, his eyes darkening slightly, but he still didn't speak. He just pulled her into his arms even tighter.
At that moment, she even forgot how many times she had wanted to back away. She raised her hand and cupped his face, forcing him to look into her eyes.
Those eyes held both intense longing and overwhelming fear. Xia Zhiyao leaned down and gently kissed his lips once more, her movements slow yet firm.
Xia Zhiyao quietly let him hold her, her palm gently stroking his back.
The night was quiet, and their breaths mingled together, carrying a silent dependence and a broken tenderness.
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