Chapter 96 This is all I can do...
The two people leaned against each other silently in front of the French windows until Xia Zhiyao took a soft breath and turned around to look at Zhou Yue.
"Are you sleepy?" Zhou Yue said softly, his fingertips slowly tracing silent arcs on her back.
Xia Zhiyao shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears. She raised her hand and stroked his face, feeling the cool touch of his skin from the sea breeze in her palm: "This whole day has felt so unreal."
Zhou Yue smiled and took her hand in his palm. She turned her head to look at the night sea outside the window. The wind came in through the half-open window, lifting her hair and the edges of the thin blanket.
Zhou Yue sat beside her, not in a hurry to speak, but just quietly looking at her, as if he wanted to etch this moment into his heart.
After a long pause, he reached out and pulled her into his arms, stroking her back gently with his palm: "Your birthday isn't just today; you should take good care of yourself for the rest of your life."
Xia Zhiyao leaned on his shoulder, her gaze softening slowly. "Mmm." Her voice was low, the last syllable gently carried away by the sound of the waves, as if blending into the night.
The room was quiet, with only the sound of waves, wind, and the breathing of the two of them. Her head rested gently on his shoulder, and Zhou Yue's hand slid down her hair, his movements careful yet firm.
Outside the window was an endless expanse of deep blue, with the occasional light of a fishing boat twinkling in the distance like scattered stars.
Xia Zhiyao closed her eyes, feeling herself sinking into the gentle night. She was no longer the woman in the city, no longer the woman in meetings, budgets, and social engagements, but just a person breathing quietly, surrounded by the sea breeze, starlight, and the embrace of another person.
On Monday morning, the city air was still sweltering with the heat of midsummer. Xia Zhiyao wore a beige suit jacket with a neat cut, her makeup was light yet powerful, her lips were clean, and she was full of energy with a determined look in her eyes, like the only anchor in the entire conference room.
At this moment, she had completely returned to the state of "Director Xia Zhiyao". Her speech was clear and her thinking was sharp. She flipped through the documents in her hands neatly, and her every move was full of calm control.
At the other end of the conference table, Zhang Luyuan leaned back in his chair, casually flipping through the PPT materials. The moment he looked up, he met Xia Zhiyao's gaze. He was slightly taken aback. Those eyes no longer held the usual aloofness and defensiveness, but rather a calm and bright light, as if washed by the sea breeze.
Xia Zhiyao smiled faintly, almost imperceptibly turning her gaze away, and continued to underline key points on the document with her pen: "Our suggested deployment schedule is as follows..." Her tone was calm and organized, and she was completely in work mode.
A cryptic look flashed in Zhang Luyuan's eyes: she had changed; her aura was more stable and harder to shake than before, and her calmness even carried a hint of fresh vitality.
The air conditioner in the conference room blew out gusts of cool air, which swept over the papers and voices between them.
Xia Zhiyao turned to the next page of the proposal, her fingers pausing slightly on the corner of the paper. The bracelet on her fingertip flashed under the light, but she didn't notice. She just continued speaking with focus, as if the sea breeze and the sound of the waves were still supporting her in her heart, making her stand more firmly and speak more confidently.
Her phone still held photos from yesterday evening: the seaside, the rocks, the salty wind, seagulls skimming the water, and a photo of the two of them in front of a landmark. Nothing seemed particularly special, but it gave her a long-lost sense of relaxation and security.
"Let's go through the budget first, and then we'll discuss the client's additional requirements later." She opened the file, her voice crisp and efficient. Looking at her energetic appearance, none of her subordinates could tell that she had just weathered an internal storm, which had been gradually soothed by the sea breeze over the weekend.
The conference room door clicked shut, and the projector light flickered twice on the gradually dimming screen before going out.
The group packed up their documents and left in twos and threes. Xia Zhiyao closed her folder, tapped her wrist bracelet lightly with her fingers, and prepared to return to her office.
"President Xia." Zhang Luyuan's voice came from behind, with a gentle yet irresistible tone.
She stopped, turned around, and asked with her usual professional expression, "Is there something you need?"
Zhang Luyuan took two steps closer, still holding the meeting minutes in his hand. His expression seemed casual, but there was a hint of inquiry in his eyes: "Did you communicate with the investors beforehand about the budget data? You seemed to have a very accurate grasp of it."
Xia Zhiyao smiled faintly, her eyes showing no emotion: "We follow all the procedures, and the information is open and transparent."
"Oh?" Zhang Luyuan chuckled softly, his tone still gentle, but he added a cryptic remark at the end: "In this position, sometimes transparency is also a risk."
Xia Zhiyao's eyebrows twitched, but she only nodded slightly: "Thank you for the reminder."
Zhang Luyuan lowered his gaze and glanced at the bracelet on her wrist. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes for a moment before he returned to a polite smile: "It looks nice."
"A birthday present," Xia Zhiyao replied casually, and walked straight ahead.
Her silhouette gradually lengthened in the light and shadow of the corridor, still looking steady and capable, yet she gently stroked the bracelet with her fingertips, as if silently giving herself a tranquilizer.
Zhang Luyuan still held the meeting minutes in his hand, but his gaze had already drifted elsewhere. The scene of the meeting ending was replaying in his mind over and over again. The light that the bracelet flashed on Xia Zhiyao's wrist was not the kind of quality that ordinary jewelry could have.
The bracelet, fully adorned with diamonds, is simple in design yet extremely expensive; it's not something you can just casually give as a gift to a colleague or client.
She is usually low-key and never wears extravagant jewelry, but she wore such a bracelet at the meeting on Monday, and there was no news of her at all over the weekend; she didn't reply to WeChat messages or answer phone calls.
Zhang Luyuan tapped the document lightly with his fingertips, a faint, unreadable smile curving his lips.
Having known her for so many years, he knew her every little habit too well: when she "disappeared" for two days and came back wearing this gift, relaxed and with bright eyes, it meant that someone must be supporting her behind the scenes.
She has a new relationship.
He knew her habits and her weaknesses all too well: once emotions took hold of her heart, she would let her guard down during projects.
She has a strong sense of self-respect, is used to taking on everything herself, and is unwilling to let others interfere. This is precisely where she is most easily defeated by "projects".
Zhang Luyuan flipped open the progress chart again, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He started adjusting the plan in his mind, moving next week's deadline forward by two days, making the data interface between the two teams more complex, creating additional audits, and no longer giving her any buffer time in the handover of materials, directly pressing her through the tightest process.
For him, these were not "dirty tricks," but rather higher standards, faster speeds, and more complex details. If Xia Zhiyao were to be even slightly careless, he could backfire at a critical juncture, and the reputation he had built up in the early stages could be instantly eroded.
"Let her make a mistake herself," Zhang Luyuan thought to himself.
At the coordination meeting that afternoon, he remained calm and polite as always: "We've looked at the schedule, and if we want to meet the client's additional requirements, it would be best to move the interim report to next Wednesday. The data needs to be more detailed, and we will also update the model here in the same way." His tone was gentle, but the terms were more stringent than before.
Xia Zhiyao glanced at the schedule, her eyelids twitched, but she didn't show any panic. She simply said, "Okay, then I'll go back and adjust the plan."
Zhang Luyuan smiled slightly, watching her reaction, his heart like a chess piece being moved: the first move had been made.
As soon as the meeting ended, Xia Zhiyao walked quickly back to her office, with her assistant almost running behind her, carrying a stack of documents.
As soon as she pushed open the door, she stepped out of the light and into the quiet space. The moment she closed the door, the world consisted only of herself, her computer, and the files.
"Send me the new schedule," she ordered without looking up, though only she knew her heart was tightening.
The computer screen lit up, and a dense array of progress charts and data spread out before my eyes like a complex net.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her brow furrowed slightly as she broke down each of the "advance" and "detailed" points mentioned by Zhang Luyuan, reordering and redistributing them.
The assistant stood beside her, and you could almost see the intense pressure beneath her calm exterior.
"Split this data interface in half and give it to the data team, and outsource the rest. We need the first draft tonight." She quickly assigned the tasks before leaning back in her chair and taking a deep breath.
Her shoulders were still stiff, and her fingertips gently caressed the bracelet under the table. The cool texture felt like a small anchor, pulling her back to the moment of breathing.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and the sound of waves crashing on the beach on the weekend came to mind. She took a deep breath, and her heartbeat finally slowed down a little.
"You can't make a mistake," she told herself.
Then she opened her eyes again, refocused on the computer screen, and typed the next email faster and more decisively.
As night fell, the office lights came on one by one, and the sound of typing on the keyboard sounded particularly crisp in the empty space. Anxiety flowed through her body like an undercurrent, but she sorted it out, compressed it, and transformed it into lines of tasks and instructions.
Her assistant brought her coffee. Her palms were a little cold when she took it. She took a sip, and the bitterness melted on her tongue. She lowered her head and continued writing the proposal. Her back looked slender yet strong in the light of the screen, as if she was using her willpower to resist the pressure that was coming.
All Xia Zhiyao could hear was the sound of her own breathing. That familiar anxiety returned, like an invisible hand gripping her throat, her chest tightening little by little.
She leaned against the wall, her fingers trembling as she pulled out her phone. The name "Zhou Yue" popped up on the screen, and she dialed it almost instinctively.
The call was answered quickly. In the background were low laughter, clinking glasses, and music, mixed with Zhou Yue's low voice. As soon as he spoke, he suppressed all the noise and said, "I'm here."
Xia Zhiyao took a deep breath, her voice trembling: "I... am in the office. Today's meeting... was a bit..."
Zhou Yue could tell what was wrong with her. Before she could finish speaking, he took a slow breath and said, "Follow me, inhale, count to three, and then exhale."
She closed her eyes and listened to him count on the phone: "One, two, three... Okay, exhale again." His voice was as steady as a metronome, guiding her through the breathing again and again.
After several rounds, her fingers finally stopped trembling, and her heartbeat slowly returned to her chest. Leaning against the wall, a little moist in the corner of her eye, she smiled: "Thank you... I almost..."
Zhou Yue gave a soft "hmm" on the other end, his tone even lower than usual: "I know you're uneasy, but I'm here. I'm not leaving you, and I won't leave you to shoulder this alone."
Xia Zhiyao pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and her voice returned to normal: "I can continue."
“Go ahead,” Zhou Yue said, “finish it quickly so you can go home sooner.”
Before hanging up the phone, Xia Zhiyao said softly, "You don't need to coax me for so long, I just need to hear your voice."
There was a moment of silence on Zhou Yue's end, then he suddenly smiled and said, "I need to hear yours too."
She put her phone in her pocket, and felt like she was emerging from the water, breathing fresh air again, and finding the feeling of being alive once more.
After Zhou Yue hung up the phone, the laughter and toasts around him returned. He leaned back in his chair, still holding his phone in his hand. The screen gradually dimmed, revealing the shadows in his eyes and brows.
He was at a dinner party, and for the past few minutes, he had only been on the other end of the phone, breathing along with her. Zhou Yue stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the corridor, rubbing his temples, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously twitched slightly.
That year, he realized for the first time that "appeasement" was not just talk or fancy ceremony, but about taking real actions to stand by the other person's side.
He opened his phone's schedule, crossed out the column that originally said "Working overtime tomorrow night," and changed it to "Having dinner with Xia Zhiyao."
My phone screen lit up with a WeChat message from her: "I'm okay now, thank you." It was followed by a tiny smiley face.
Zhou Yue looked at that line of text and felt a slight sense of relief. He typed a few words: "Don't work overtime tomorrow night, let's go out for dinner."
After finishing writing, he leaned back against the wall in the corridor, let out a long breath, looked at the neon-lit sky outside the window, and said to himself: This is all I can do, to let her know little by little that she is no longer alone.
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