Chapter 54 Don't tell me you...
Zhou Yue didn't move, his fingertips gripping the rim of the cup tightly, his eyes fixed on the table, as if trying to find a way out through the wood grain. That familiar tightness in his chest surged up again; it was always like this whenever someone mentioned her.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Zheng Xiaotian chuckled first. She was already used to his sullen demeanor, and then deliberately teased him: "At first, I really thought you two were enemies who couldn't stand each other, but after hearing what your dad said yesterday, you two grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and you were even alumni in your undergraduate and graduate programs. How come you're acting like class enemies?"
Zhou Yue finally looked up at him for a moment. In that instant, pain, anger, and a deep-seated weariness all surged up, but he forcibly suppressed them with each breath.
Zheng Xiaotian was slightly taken aback, as if he had caught some signal, but before he could think about it, Zhou Yue said in a low voice, "It's nothing, we just don't get along."
He knew perfectly well that this reason was as thin as paper, but it was the only one he was willing to say.
"Tsk." Zheng Xiaotian raised an eyebrow, didn't ask any further questions, and drank the sake in his cup in one gulp. He wasn't an emotionally sensitive person, but he wasn't blind either. The more nonchalant his attitude was, the more like a volcano was buried behind it.
Judging from Zhou Yue's look just now, this volcano could explode at any moment.
He leaned back in his chair, his posture languid, but his tone turned somber: "Nothing? Then why do you look at her like you want to burn her to a crisp, and speak as if you want to grind your teeth to pieces?"
He paused, a smile playing on his lips, a smile that was both teasing and cruelly blunt: "She may appear calm on the surface, but the moment her eyes fall on you, it's as if she's seen something unclean."
Zhou Yue did not respond, but tilted his head back and drank the sake in his cup in one gulp. The spiciness of the sake slid down his throat, but his face remained calm, as if his body betrayed him before his reason.
Zheng Xiaotian slowly suppressed his smile, his tone seemingly casual: "Speaking of which... two years ago, she had just returned from New York and her health wasn't very good."
Zhou Yue's eyes flickered slightly. He wanted to ask "What's wrong?" His tongue was almost touching the roof of his mouth, but he didn't dare to make a sound, afraid that he wouldn't hear the answer he wanted to hear.
“Oh, no.” Zheng Xiaotian seemed to be deliberately changing his words, and slowly added, “She came back from Greece. After I finished talking to her about the cooperation, she went home, had a few words with her father, and fainted that day.”
He spoke slowly and deliberately, with a slight pause: "The tests showed it wasn't anything serious... malnutrition, sleep disturbances, all aspects of my body were showing warning signs. The doctor said it seemed to be caused by long-term mental stress."
Zhou Yue's vision suddenly went out of focus, and he saw a scene: she was walking in the wind with her coat in her arms on an unfamiliar coastline, her face pale, and there was no one around her.
Imagining her struggling to return to China, back to a place where even her family couldn't offer her comfort, the heartache and guilt surged through his chest like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming him.
It turns out that she wasn't doing well; it turns out that behind all that silence lay countless wounds.
Zheng Xiaotian looked at him, finally shedding all the sharpness of his jokes, and slowly said, "You know her family situation better than I do. Her father doesn't care about her, and her mother cries to her every day. You probably really don't know how she endured it when the company was just starting out."
He sighed softly, as if bringing up old grievances: "She works overtime every day, non-stop. I send her a file at one in the morning, and she replies in two minutes, as if she hasn't slept at all. I tell her to take a break, but she won't listen. Instead, it's like she's deliberately making things difficult for herself."
He spoke in a low, bitter voice for the last sentence: "Sometimes I really suspect that she's afraid to stop. Afraid that if she stops, she'll be completely swallowed up by some emotion."
Zheng Xiaotian finished his sake, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder: "Everyone has their obsessions, right?" His tone was still nonchalant, but the tenderness in his eyes seemed to be secretly leaving him a way out.
He blinked, as if casually mentioning it, but with a hint of probing: "If you're really feeling stifled, why don't you come with me somewhere to clear your head? Otherwise, how long are you planning to endure this long night alone?"
Zhou Yue looked up at him, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of instinctive hesitation and wariness flashing in his eyes. After all, Zheng Xiaotian's reputation preceded him, and he was never known for going to respectable places. But the other man's confident demeanor, as if he had everything arranged, made his words seem like a done deal.
He didn't ask any more questions, only replying softly, "Okay."
The two pushed open the door and stepped out of the tavern. A night breeze immediately rushed in from behind the door, and the neon lights at the street corner cut the night into patches of leaping light. The noise, laughter, and distant music all rushed towards them.
When the two entered, Zhou Yue was slightly taken aback. This was clearly not a place he usually frequented. The lighting was dim, and the air was filled with the smells of alcohol, perfume, and sweat. The dance floor was filled with swaying figures, and the colorful neon lights seemed to be out of control, wandering around everywhere.
The noise, indulgence, and revelry were completely contrary to his current state of mind.
Zheng Xiaotian, however, was like a fish in water. As soon as he entered, he was greeted with several warm greetings. He laughed heartily, ordered wine with one hand, and pulled Zhou Yue to sit down in the booth with the other.
Before long, several flamboyantly dressed girls strolled over, exuding a strong fragrance, their eyes and brows carrying familiar smiles—clearly, they were regulars here.
“I’m not asking you to do anything,” Zheng Xiaotian pushed a glass of wine toward him, half-jokingly and half-seriously, “chatting with young girls about this and that can really help you relax.”
Zhou Yue looked down at the glass of wine, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if he were just giving a perfunctory reply: "Mm."
One glass of wine after another was pushed towards him, and the girls moved closer together, but he subconsciously leaned back, his back taut and his eyes gradually becoming vacant.
Zheng Xiaotian keenly sensed his unease, put down his wine glass, and sighed softly. His tone remained nonchalant, but his words revealed a rare seriousness: "Zhou Yue, stop pushing yourself like this. You're living like you're paying off a debt."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over them, then his tone suddenly changed, and he put on that teasing smile again: "Really? Aren't you an American student? Did those decadent places like Los Angeles and New York turn you into this?"
Zhou Yue raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "Do you people in England party every night?"
Zheng Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You don't understand, that place hardly ever has a sunny day, it's very gloomy and oppressive."
He raised an eyebrow, his smile turning mischievous: "To be honest, did you never actually go to America to study? Did you actually go to the Shaolin Temple to become a monk?"
Zhou Yue lowered his eyes and downed the drink in one gulp. A burning sensation surged from his throat to his chest, and he had hoped that this heat would dispel some of the oppression, even if only a little.
No, the invisible iron chain around my heart is still tightly bound, heavy and never loosened.
While chatting and laughing with several scantily clad girls, holding a drink in one hand, Zheng Xiaotian's hearty laughter seemed to drown out the drumbeats of the bar; with his other hand, he turned back and waved to Zhou Yue, his tone revealing a cynical and unrestrained attitude.
At this moment, he was the familiar second young master of the Zheng family, his eyes reflecting the bustling lights, his every move exuding ease, as if he had never been troubled by any emotions.
Zhou Yue remained seated in the corner, holding a wine glass in one hand. He slowly sipped his wine, the glasses on his nose reflecting a cold white light under the lamp, like a barrier that separated him from the outside world's hustle and bustle and also concealed all the emotions in his eyes.
Several girls had already noticed him. A girl in a sequined off-the-shoulder dress walked over in high heels, carrying two cocktails, and smiled suggestively: "Handsome, aren't you bored drinking alone? Want me to have a drink with you?"
Her voice was soft, with a hint of flirtation at the end. She was very close, and her fragrance instantly enveloped him, the sweetness of alcohol mixed with a perfume he couldn't name, making his breath catch inexplicably.
She pushed a glass of wine toward him, her fingertips lightly brushing against the back of his hand. Zhou Yue looked up and glanced at her indifferently.
Through the lenses, he saw her exquisite makeup, the smile and expectation in her eyes, but his heart remained as still as stagnant water.
Should I be excited? He asked himself. Should I be attracted to her beauty? Should I enjoy being approached so proactively?
But there was nothing, no surge, no sparks, only a deep weariness and an urgent urge to escape.
He neither deliberately refused nor showed any emotional response. He simply politely withdrew his hand and said calmly, "I'll drink it all. You can drink as you like." After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. The burning sensation of the strong liquor as it went down his throat made him slightly more sober for a moment.
The girl paused for half a second, then quickly smiled again, her eyes appraising: "Such a serious and handsome guy is a rare sight."
Before she could say anything more, Zheng Xiaotian leaned over from the side and smiled as he came to her rescue: "Don't pay attention to him, he's in a bad mood today." He then added loudly, "He got upset by his girlfriend today."
Upon hearing the word "girlfriend," Zhou Yue's eyes instantly lit up, staring at Zheng Xiaotian with a hint of surprise. Zheng Xiaotian merely raised an eyebrow, gave an ambiguous smile, and then nonchalantly turned back to the girl beside him, gesturing something.
Upon hearing this, the girl perked up even more, her eyes gleaming with amusement: "Oh? Having relationship troubles? Then you should have a couple more drinks."
Several girls chuckled softly in unison, trying to lighten the tension in the air with their laughter.
Zheng Xiaotian glanced at Zhou Yue and, seeing him still silent as ice, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He patted the arm of the girl next to him and smiled as he tried to smooth things over: "Don't mind him, our CEO Zhou is just like that, naturally aloof and pure ascetic." Then, he added half-jokingly, "He needs more than just alcohol; he might need to consult a fortune teller."
Laughter rippled around the booth, and the girls tactfully dispersed with smiles, but occasionally glanced back at him, their eyes filled with regret and a hint of speculation.
Zheng Xiaotian shook his head, sat back down, picked up a glass of wine, and glanced at Zhou Yue sideways: "Fine, wait until you figure it out yourself someday."
After saying that, he turned around and chatted with friends at another table. His movements were so familiar that it seemed he was already used to his aloofness, and even regarded it as part of his nature, so there was no need to investigate or disturb him.
The excitement surged around him like a tide, then receded before an invisible barrier. The lights, music, and laughter all exploded in his ears, yet seemed blurred and distant, as if separated by a thick layer of water.
Zhou Yue's glass of wine was empty, but he didn't touch it again. His fingertips hovered over the rim of the glass. He looked up and saw Zheng Xiaotian and a group of friends clinking glasses, their expressions relaxed and their bodies at ease, as if they were born for this kind of occasion.
Just then, Zheng Xiaotian came closer, slightly drunk and with a malicious smile, and whispered in his ear, "Yue'er, you wouldn't still be a virgin, would you?" His tone was casually affectionate.
Seeing that he remained silent with a sullen face, Zheng Xiaotian seemed to have been ignited by some wicked sense of humor. He leaned forward slightly, getting closer, his eyes filled with probing and teasing: "Really? You and Xia Zhiyao..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yue suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze landing directly on Zheng Xiaotian's face with an aggressive and oppressive air. Zheng Xiaotian had never seen Zhou Yue show such an expression before.
He paused for a moment, hesitating, but quickly put on a smile again, his tone deliberately light: "I'm not blind. You really dare to say that nothing happened between you two?" The last sentence, however, was sung with an involuntary lowering of his voice, a hint of sigh in his smile, and a touch of undeniable seriousness.
Zhou Yue didn't say anything, but for a moment, his eyes seemed to be touched by something. He lowered his gaze, his lips twitched slightly, and finally turned that bit of strength into action, picked up the wine glass, and gulped down the rest of the wine.
The strong liquor burned his throat, but he didn't even flinch until the glass was empty. Then he spoke in a low voice, "Could you perhaps not be so accurate one day?" His voice carried a hint of weariness and a barely perceptible vulnerability, as if he had finally let down his guard for a moment, only to quickly pull it back down.
As he spoke, he leaned back into the sofa, closed his eyes briefly, and said, "I just want some peace and quiet."
"Quiet?" Zheng Xiaotian raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard something unbelievable. "You are quite quiet."
He waved his hand and pointed to the dance floor: "But look here, this place isn't designed for 'quiet' people."
He paused, his voice tinged with amusement: "So you drifted all the way back from Manhattan's nightlife scene, only to end up here in seclusion, practicing your spiritual cultivation?"
He raised his glass, laughing nonchalantly, "Don't tell me you're keeping yourself chaste for Xia Zhiyao."
Zhou Yue didn't refute, but simply nodded slightly, raised his glass, and clinked it with his. The movement was restrained and slow, like a ritual to maintain balance.
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