Chapter 56 The dinner party ended on Friday…
At 9:50 a.m. the next day, Xia Zhiyao came downstairs ten minutes early as usual. Her gray-blue trench coat was neatly packed away, and her usual large bag was casually slung over her shoulder. Lin Qianfan followed beside her, and the two of them were talking in hushed tones.
In the parking lot, the Macan was already parked in the agreed spot. The driver's side window slowly rolled down, and Zhou Yue sat inside. His gaze fell on her immediately, but he quickly noticed the person next to her.
He paused slightly, his brow furrowing slightly: "...You brought an assistant?"
Xia Zhiyao stopped and glanced at him indifferently, her tone calm: "What, you're not bringing it?"
Zhou Yue was clearly taken aback for a moment, as if he had just remembered something. He looked down to take out his phone and said, "Bring it..." He added a reason as he spoke, "I forgot some materials earlier, and Xu Nuo went upstairs to get them."
Before he could finish speaking, his fingers were already flying across WeChat: "Come down quickly, come with me to the site visit, bring all the necessary documentation."
A few seconds later, a "OK" came from the other end of the screen.
Zhou Yue breathed a slight sigh of relief, but felt his face burning as if he had just been exposed in a compromising situation.
Lin Qianfan remained silent, only slightly lowering his eyes. Xia Zhiyao also ignored him, walking directly to the side of the car, opening the back door and getting in. Her movements were swift and decisive, her expression calm as if nothing had happened.
A short while later, Xu Nuo hurriedly ran down from the building, carrying a file folder and a laptop bag, his coat puffing out in wrinkles as he ran. As he approached the car door, he caught sight of the people inside and noticeably paused.
"...Good morning." He greeted her with a slight hesitation, his gaze flashing between Xia Zhiyao and Lin Qianfan. He quickly dismissed that hesitation, smiled, and said nothing before deftly opening the passenger door and getting in.
A brief silence fell over the carriage. Zhou Yue looked down at the navigation, but his eyes kept glancing at her in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
She leaned back in her seat, looking down at the documents, seemingly oblivious to his earlier panic. The winter sun shone through the car window, falling on her shoulders and casting a warm glow on her hair, but it did nothing to dispel the coldness in her eyes.
Zhou Yue looked away, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and stepped on the accelerator. The low hum of the engine was amplified in the enclosed space.
In the passenger seat, Xu Nuo pretended to be engrossed in reviewing documents, but occasionally glanced at the back seat out of the corner of his eye. He knew his boss's temperament all too well; the more silent Zhou Yue was, the more on his mind he had to do.
The car drove out of the city, passing through streets that were not yet fully awake and empty overpasses.
Occasionally, Zhou Yue would speak casually: "I cross-validated the site selection ideas you mentioned last night, and they are indeed feasible."
Xia Zhiyao glanced at him for a moment, her tone as calm as ever: "If there is any updated data, send it to me later, and I will do a backup evaluation."
"Mmm," he replied, his voice carrying a barely perceptible warmth.
Xu Nuo, sitting in the front row, couldn't help but glance at the rearview mirror, just in time to catch Zhou Yue nodding slightly, and then saw that Xia Zhiyao had already looked away and was looking down at the documents again.
The two didn't exchange many words, but the somber atmosphere wasn't the "tit-for-tat" he had originally expected; rather, it was somewhat harmonious.
He quietly closed his laptop, sent the prepared report to Zhou Yue's email, and then calmly took out his earphones, pretending to be focused on replying to WeChat messages.
In the back row, Lin Qianfan whispered a reminder: "President Xia, I'll take notes on the initial feedback on the site selection later. You just focus on looking at the venue."
Xia Zhiyao nodded slightly: "Thank you for your hard work."
The carriage fell silent again, and the most silent one was Zhou Yue. His gaze was focused on the road ahead, but he kept glancing at the rearview mirror.
He couldn't tell whether he was trying to capture a moment that had already passed or confirming that it was irretrievable, but he knew very well that this trip today might be the only chance to get closer to her.
More than an hour later, the car slowly stopped in front of a large abandoned old factory area. The tall factory buildings had long lost their former hustle and bustle, and the iron roofs were covered with mottled rust. The wind swirled up a thin layer of dust on the ground, which dispersed into a gray-white mist in the sunlight.
She stood in front of the factory, opened her notebook, quickly regained her focus, looked up and had a brief conversation with the project manager. Her expression was calm, and her demeanor was as decisive and efficient as ever. Zhou Yue stood to the side, silent, but his gaze remained fixed on her for a long time.
He watched her unconsciously tense jawline, the curve of her clothes as she squatted down to examine the cracks in the ground, and the steady demeanor of her fingers as she held the pen, pale from the cold wind.
He remained silent, as if those trivial details were more worthy of being remembered than any engineering data.
Only after the project manager left to answer a phone call, and the place became quiet for a moment, did he speak in a low voice: "You...didn't sleep well last night?"
Xia Zhiyao paused, her hand moving very lightly as she flipped through the blueprints. She didn't look up, and her voice was as faint as a passing breeze: "It's alright."
She didn't want to say more, and he didn't press her for details.
After circling around, the four of them walked on the vast open space. Xia Zhiyao stopped in front of the blueprints, her gaze sweeping over the outline marked "Entertainment Zone," and said in a calm tone, "This area is for a theme park and a mall, a mixed-use development?"
“Yes.” Zhou Yue nodded. “Immersive experiences are used to attract customers, and a closed-loop business model supports monetization.”
“Building a theme park alone is too cumbersome.” She frowned slightly. “The investment is huge, and the cash flow pressure is immense. A single theme park takes at least five years to build and break even, and it simply can’t survive without a supporting mall.”
“So from the very beginning of the project, we ruled out a pure theme park structure.” Zhou Yue glanced at her, his gaze calm. “The mall is the main asset, and the theme park is just a supplementary element, complemented by catering, retail, performances, and parent-child entertainment and education. These are all high-frequency, essential needs, and the focus is on combined efficiency.”
Xia Zhiyao nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the area marked "Hall B" on the north side of the map: "Will the subsequent operation be self-operated, or will we bring in external IP?"
"IP acquisition. We've almost reached an agreement with a leading domestic animation studio, and it's currently in the framework of an exclusive agreement." He said calmly, "IP itself brings its own audience, which can boost financing, investment attraction, and pre-sales."
"Don't overextend the entertainment sector." She pointed out the crux of the matter: "Cinemas, theaters, and family-friendly venues are all declining, and their sales per square meter continue to drop."
“Entertainment is just part of the atmosphere, not the main source of revenue.” He quickly added, “The core business of the mall is focused on lifestyle: top-tier restaurants, flagship sports stores, general retail, and wellness. Cultural experiences will only occupy one layer, controlled below 15%.”
Xia Zhiyao hesitated for half a second, her gaze passing over the tower crane at the edge of the construction site. "This area isn't a core business district. We need to attract people. When will the subway open?"
"Two years from now," Zhou Yue replied. "We've calculated that, and it's one of our key bets. This area is a transfer hub in the city's planning, with the subway and high-speed rail both within two kilometers, and a whole area of shantytown redevelopment and old industrial zones being developed simultaneously. In five years, it will form a complete customer base."
She nodded slightly, her voice still rational: "But the biggest problem in the new district is its hollowing out. People can come, but they can't stay, so it becomes hot during the day and cold at night, and the consumption loop is still broken."
"So we added long-term rentals, apartments, and shared offices. It's not about waiting for people to come, it's about keeping people here."
Xia Zhiyao glanced at him and finally said, "You really want to do it."
"Um."
She flipped through the documents, asking, "How do we break even?"
"Mall first focuses on heavy investment, locking in top tenants, and then using a combination of low-price and reverse investment. PE firms have set return requirements."
"How many?"
"12, after tax."
Xia Zhiyao glanced at him: "It's a bit conservative, but it's reasonable."
She flipped through the pages of the blueprints, saying, "It takes at least five years for a mall to recoup its investment through rent, and a themed area simply can't get off the ground without financing."
"PE firms are willing to invest, provided that the investment comes with intellectual property rights and a listing channel. There is also a fund that wants to control the underlying properties and go through REITs."
"We will adopt a dual-entity model: the commercial side will use the MOM (Multi-Manager) model, while the theme park will be a separate project company. This clarifies the rights and responsibilities of the underlying assets, making it easier to raise funds or attract strategic investors later."
"Investment window?"
"Seven years, four and a half years to break even."
"The residential portion?"
"It can't be done. Only long-term rentals and apartments are approved; sales are not allowed."
She listened quietly, and after a few seconds whispered, "You've done a lot of homework."
He turned his head to look at her, a hint of a smile in his eyes: "Afraid you'll find fault with me?"
She didn't reply, only staring at the corner of the blueprint pages fluttering in the wind, her tone almost calm: "I need to go back and run the risk control for this project again."
“I know,” he said slowly, his eyes suddenly softening. “But I also know that if you nod, everyone else will believe you.” In the industry, this is a tacit expression of respect, and also a private entrustment.
Xia Zhiyao didn't respond immediately, but lowered her eyes and closed the folder. A breeze blew in through the gaps in the factory area, ruffling the hair at her temples. She raised her hand and tucked it behind her ear, the movement clean and efficient.
“Okay,” she said, her tone calm. “I’ll go back and review the investment structure and cash flow model again, and make a risk assessment report.”
She turned to look at Zhou Yue and asked, "When is your next round of negotiations?"
"It's tentatively scheduled for half a month from now." Zhou Yue paused, as if weighing the options before adding, "If you were here, things would go much more smoothly."
She neither nodded nor refused, but simply said, "Send me the data you supplemented later as well."
After she finished speaking, she looked away, and the air became quiet again, with only the sound of the wind in the distance and the slight trembling of the metal sheet.
The four of them quickly ate lunch and then walked along the newly built main road to look at the nearby infrastructure.
The construction site fence outside the subway station is covered with future planning maps, showing that the line will be completed within a year. Next to it is a bus hub under construction. The steel frame of the construction site swayed slightly in the wind, accompanied by the sound of metal rubbing together.
Xia Zhiyao stood by the construction fence, marking documents in her hand, while Zhou Yue leaned against the car door, watching her profile without saying a word.
Next, we inspected a backup site, an empty industrial land, mostly covered by weeds and gravel, with abandoned shipping containers scattered around.
They walked around the boundary, with Lin Qianfan taking photos and recording the journey, while Xu Nuo compared the data on a tablet. Xia Zhiyao pointed out the cost and future redevelopment potential of the land, but Zhou Yue pointed out its disadvantages in logistics and main road connections, his words few but incisive.
Before returning, they arrived at their last stop, a residential project that was about to be completed nearby. They took a simple construction elevator and slowly went up to the top floor.
There are no railings on the roof, but the view is unobstructed. Below is a half-finished residential area, and in the distance, the factory area, the subway construction site, and the reserve plots are like pieces of a puzzle falling into view.
The wind was cold. Xia Zhiyao stood on the edge of the rooftop, squinting at the distant horizon, clutching a folded-corner planning map in her hand. Zhou Yue walked over and stood beside her, saying nothing, but simply following her gaze.
A few minutes later, they prepared to return. Outside the car window, the sky was a pale white, typical of winter. The wind swept through the streets and alleys, rustling the remaining yellow leaves on the roadside trees. Inside the car, the gentle warm air dispelled the chill perfectly.
Xia Zhiyao leaned back in her chair, gazing at the deepening twilight outside the window, and suddenly asked in a relaxed tone, "Anyway, it's almost time to get off work, are you going to go home first?"
Lin Qianfan blinked: "No need to work overtime today, President Xia."
Xia Zhiyao glanced at her sideways and teased with a smile, "Tsk, so unaccustomed to it? Aren't you usually the one who loves working overtime the most? Why don't you come back to the company with me?"
Lin Qianfan immediately sat up straight and waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, I'm going home!" She quickly said to Zhou Yue, "Mr. Zhou, you can just drop me off at the subway station ahead, it's on my way."
At this moment, Xu Nuo, who was sitting next to Zhou Yue, also looked at him expectantly, her eyes filled with the signal that "I don't have to follow either".
Zhou Yue glanced at him sideways and said casually, "I'll drop you off when I pass by your house later."
Xu Nuo immediately grinned, as if he had received a pardon: "Yes, thank you for your grace!"
The atmosphere inside the car relaxed a bit. Xu Nuo, who had been quietly scrolling through her phone in the back seat, cautiously glanced at Zhou Yue and then looked out the window.
The two assistants got out of the car one after the other, and the streetlights lit up one after another. The winter twilight, like a layer of gray-blue mist, slowly enveloped the entire city.
The car fell silent for a moment. Xia Zhiyao didn't move immediately. Her fingers rested on the clasp of her bag, she seemed hesitant, as if she was weighing something.
Zhou Yue didn't urge her; he just kept one hand on the steering wheel and waited quietly, but his eyes were secretly fixed on her out of the corner of his eye.
A moment later, she opened the passenger door, stepped in, fastened her seatbelt, and looked out the window at the street scene without saying another word.
Ultimately, they could only grow closer little by little through these unintentional, trivial details.
She sat quietly in the passenger seat, gazing out the window as the street scenes receded frame by frame, as if the past she didn't want to look back on was also fading away. But she knew no, those things were still there, just existing in a different form.
"Do you know who else is going to the dinner party on Friday night?"
Xia Zhiyao withdrew her gaze from the window and shook her head slightly: "It was decided by your dad and my dad, but they didn't tell me specifically who would be going."
"Hmm." He nodded, seemed to think for a moment, and then continued, "When I went home last week, I told him a lot about the company."
When he said this, his tone was much gentler than usual, and his eyes showed a hint of barely perceptible unease. "He did listen quite attentively. He even said he was quite supportive of my decision."
"It's fine." Xia Zhiyao's tone was calm, revealing little emotion.
The car stopped at a red light, and the silhouettes of the two were reflected in the windshield. Zhou Yue suddenly turned to look at her and said in a very soft voice, "He invited you and your dad to dinner, but it wasn't just for dinner."
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she asked in a low voice, "I know, it must be because they saw you went back to China to develop your career and wanted to see if there was anything they could do to help you. After all, my dad has some influence in these places."
Zhou Yue didn't answer immediately, but exhaled and stared at the lights in front of him: "I guess so too."
After she finished speaking, the car fell silent again.
Before the red light changed, the streetlights cast a faint golden glow on the windshield, making the distance between the two people appear both close and far.
Xia Zhiyao lowered her head, fiddling with her phone over and over, her movements so meticulous it seemed she was trying to conceal some kind of inner turmoil.
Xia Zhiyao stood in front of the stairwell door, turned around to look at him, and her tone returned to its usual rational and calm: "There shouldn't be any problems. Let's go and see how things go. Of course, it would be even better if we could help the company."
She spoke these words with a calm expression, revealing neither joy nor anger. Her voice was soft, yet like a night breeze, it brushed against my heart—not painful, but a little chilling.
Zhou Yue asked softly, "By the way, you went to Greece from New York... and were you sick for a long time after you came back?"
Xia Zhiyao, who had been looking out the window, trembled slightly upon hearing this, but her voice was as calm as water: "No, not really. I'm just a little malnourished and haven't been getting enough rest."
She neither lied nor told the truth.
"What happened?" Zhou Yue turned to look at her, his tone not harsh, but revealing a hint of uncontrollable worry.
Xia Zhiyao leaned back in the passenger seat, her brows furrowed with exhaustion, her eyes unfocused. After a couple of seconds, she spoke softly, "I don't know either, it's just... I can't eat, and I can't sleep." Her voice was so soft it seemed as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind, carrying a faint, indescribable sadness.
He paused, his gaze falling on her profile, his eyes deep, his voice hoarse yet earnest, almost a low murmur: "That day I touched it, it was all bone."
This was the first time anyone had brought up these details since that night. Those fragments that had been buried deep in silence and untouched by anyone were now being gently lifted, revealing the burning heat and pain hidden beneath.
Xia Zhiyao's fingertips slowly tightened, her neatly trimmed nails almost digging into her palms, but she was completely unaware. At that moment, her heartbeat went out of control and pounded heavily in her chest.
After a long silence, she spoke softly, her voice so gentle it was almost blown away by the warm breeze inside the car: "Do you regret it?" She spoke very slowly, as if each word was being carved out of her heart.
"If that's the case... I can pretend it never happened." Her tone wasn't one of genuine acceptance; she was afraid to hear the answer, yet she had to ask, afraid he would say he regretted it, afraid he would say he didn't.
She turned her face away and looked out the window, not wanting him to see the unease in her eyes, even if it was just a dim reflection.
Zhou Yue turned his head to look at her, his fingers quietly tightening on the steering wheel. He remembered that night too clearly; how could he possibly regret it?
"And what about you?" he finally spoke, his voice low and slightly clenched, "Do you regret it?" His tone was not harsh.
It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but he was afraid she would say the word "regret," and he was afraid he would hear it.
Xia Zhiyao turned her head sharply to look at him, but in that one glance, she was choked by the complex and almost desperate emotions in his eyes.
She had thought he would be calm and restrained, but there were clearly emotions in his eyes—grievances, struggles, and anger that said, "I shouldn't have to endure this."
She opened her mouth, but didn't answer immediately. Her fingertips unconsciously gripped the inside of her coat, making her palms icy cold.
She didn't know what to say. She was afraid he would believe her if she said anything, and she was also afraid he wouldn't. If she said "I don't regret it," she was afraid he would take advantage of her. If she said "I regret it," she was afraid she would collapse too completely.
After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly chuckled softly, "...I asked you first." She said softly, her tone somewhat self-deprecating, "Zhou Yue, you can be really funny sometimes, asking questions instead of answering them."
Zhou Yue stared at her, neither smiling nor angry, but merely pursing his lips slightly, a movement almost imperceptible, like a bitter smile: "You want to hear the answer?"
His tone was as calm as if he were asking about the weather, but his eyes couldn't hide the deep affection he held—all the restraint, hesitation, and fear of getting too close.
Xia Zhiyao didn't respond, but turned to look out the window. The night deepened like ink, and the city lights cast mottled shadows on the car window, just like their fragmented past.
She didn't move or run away, but simply said softly, "Never mind, it's not important." But there was a slight tremor in her voice.
The red light turned green, the car started moving again, and Zhou Yue gripped the steering wheel, suppressing a certain impulse. He knew that if he asked one more question, she might run away, but he was also afraid that she would just leave without saying a word.
After a long silence, he said softly, as if it were a casual remark, "I'll take you home after the dinner party on Friday."
"..." She wanted to refuse, but as soon as she said it, it was as if she was stuck. She closed her eyes and added in a low voice, "Okay."
Zhou Yue didn't ask any further questions, he just nodded: "Mm."
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