Chapter 60 Zhou Yue, you are very smart...
At noon, they went downstairs to the Thai restaurant on the street corner. The wind chimes at the door tinkled softly as the door was opened, and a waft of warm steam, carrying the aroma of lemongrass and coconut milk, wafted out.
The menu was handed to him, and Zhou Yue leaned back in his chair, turning his head to look at her: "You order first."
Xia Zhiyao glanced at the menu and said indifferently, "Tom Yum soup." Then she pushed the menu back, "You can order whatever you like from the rest."
Zhou Yue raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips: "Alright, then I won't be polite." He quickly ordered several dishes: curry crab, lobster baked with salted egg yolk, lemongrass beef, green papaya salad, and pineapple rice—all seafood dishes that Xia Zhiyao liked.
Xia Zhiyao took a shrimp chip and looked up at him: "You ordered so much, can you finish it?"
"If you can't finish it, just pack it up and take it home," Zhou Yue said matter-of-factly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The dishes were served quickly. The thick, golden curry sauce was steaming hot, the crab shells gleamed in the light, and the lobster shells were slightly charred. The aroma of egg yolk mixed with the sweetness of seafood immediately whetted the appetite.
He watched as Xia Zhiyao lowered her head and drank a few sips of Tom Yum soup, then symbolically ate some salad and lobster and crab, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
She ate extremely slowly, each bite seeming forced, her slender fingers gripping the chopsticks, sitting there quietly as if simply going through a necessary process.
The sunlight streaming in through the window cast a pale, almost translucent glow on her face. She was already thin, but now she looked as if she might be blown away by a gust of wind; even her shadow seemed light.
Zhou Yue's gaze deepened, and he said in a low voice, "You ate quite a lot when you were in New York."
Xia Zhiyao paused with her chopsticks, without looking up, and simply said, "I had an appetite then." It sounded like she was just saying it casually, "And since it was cold, my body naturally wanted to take in more calories."
Zhou Yue didn't speak, only gave a soft "hmm," as if swallowing back some words he hadn't had time to say.
She refused to explain, and he didn't want to press her for an answer. But behind that restraint, across the table, lay an invisible tide, ready to overturn everything if it were to dissipate.
The less he said it, the more he was drawn into her heart, like the night scene in the blizzard in his mind, which kept replaying. She was sitting opposite him in a thick coat, her face red from the cold, eating beef rice bite by bite, her smile so genuine, like someone who had finally relaxed.
Now, she sits quietly before him, her long fingers barely able to grip the knife and fork. It's as if she from that night exists only in his memory.
Xia Zhiyao paused slightly, looked up at him, her gaze light but carrying a hint of annoyance at being exposed. "People change." Her tone was indifferent, yet subtly wary. "Their appetites change too."
“But this isn’t the kind of change you’re making.” Zhou Yue stared at her, his expression complex and heavy. “It’s not a normal change, it’s… the kind of ‘forced’ change that makes people uncomfortable.”
Xia Zhiyao was silent for a moment, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the knife until her knuckles turned white. She curved her lips into a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "Then don't look."
As soon as she said it, she was taken aback, as if she hadn't expected to say it so sharply.
Zhou Yue didn't reply, but simply took the bowl in front of Xia Zhiyao, silently filled it with pineapple rice, and then placed the peeled crab meat and lobster onto her plate one by one. His movements were slow, but carried an undeniable naturalness.
Xia Zhiyao suddenly smiled again, lowering her voice as if she were making fun of herself: "Back then, I really got hungry quickly. I trained during the day and worked at night. I could finish a 2,000-word PPT even if I ate instant noodles for three meals. Now, I have no work and I can't even eat."
Zhou Yue looked up at her, and for a moment, his eyes seemed to be slightly tripped by something. He couldn't tell if she was joking or stating a fact he had never truly known.
“If you keep not eating like this, you really won’t be able to hold on.” He pushed the plate toward her, his tone like a final reminder, or perhaps just making an excuse for himself. “Eat a little, even if it’s just to keep my dad’s high blood pressure from acting up.”
These words finally made Xia Zhiyao laugh. She lowered her head, scooped up a spoonful of pineapple rice, put it in her mouth, and chewed slowly. "Okay," she replied softly, as if it were a casual remark, but with a hint of sincerity, "for your dad's blood pressure."
Zhou Yue suddenly seemed to have thought of something, a slight smile playing on his lips. He leaned down and lowered his voice, "Is it because... we just finished that you don't want to eat anything?"
Xia Zhiyao was chewing with her head down when she paused, looked up and glared at him fiercely, her eyes filled with a clear warning: "Speak louder if you do that again, so everyone can hear us."
Zhou Yue, seemingly ignoring her warning, continued with a laugh, relentlessly asking, "Is it true or not?"
"No." She put down her knife and fork, her tone indifferent, but deliberately changing the subject. "You should eat more."
He stared into her eyes, as if trying to read something from her expression, but she had already lowered her head and scooped up a spoonful of soup, her expression as calm as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Yue had just put down his knife and fork when his phone screen lit up. He glanced at Xia Zhiyao instinctively before answering the phone: "Hello, Mom."
The voice on the other end was light and cheerful, with a familiar nagging tone: "Are you home? I brought some things today and will deliver them to you on my way. Don't leave them lying around, remember to keep the fridge clean, and the house needs cleaning."
“I’m not home,” Zhou Yue interrupted her gently. “Xia Zhiyao and I are eating out.”
There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "Oh? She's here too."
"Hmm." He glanced at Xia Zhiyao across from him. She was slowly wiping the corner of her lips with a tissue. Hearing his response, she paused slightly.
Mrs. Zhou smiled and said, "That's perfect. Why don't you go home after you finish eating? I'll leave some things with you."
"Okay." Zhou Yue paused for a moment, then responded in a low voice.
After hanging up the phone, he casually placed it face down on the table, looked at her, and raised an eyebrow: "My mom brought some things to my place and asked me to come back after I finish eating."
Xia Zhiyao hummed in agreement, her expression extremely calm, like an outsider quietly listening to someone else's everyday conversation.
Zhou Yue seemed to realize something, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and casually said, "My mom doesn't actually know that we're like this now."
"I know." Xia Zhiyao's tone was indifferent, as if she were responding, but also reminding him that she had always been very clear about it.
Zhou Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, as if casually chatting: "You know that, so you don't have any thoughts?"
Xia Zhiyao glanced at him for a moment, her expression devoid of emotion, a hint of a half-smile playing on her lips: "What do you expect me to think?"
Zhou Yue didn't rush to answer, but stared at her with a sharp, probing look mixed with an expectation he himself was unwilling to admit. "For example," he said, his tone slowing down, as if he were testing her, "I hope she knows."
Xia Zhiyao's gaze remained calm, like a still pond unmoved by the wind: "Do you want to hear the truth or something nice to hear?"
“The truth.” Zhou Yue stared at her, his voice low.
Xia Zhiyao looked up and met his gaze, the corners of her lips slowly curving upwards: "The truth is, I don't want to."
In that instant, Zhou Yue's smile seemed to vanish, and the emotions in his eyes deepened as he leaned back in his chair.
"Zhiyao..." He began, his voice lower and slower than usual, as if he were tentatively pushing a certain sentence in front of her.
But Xia Zhiyao seemed to see through his intentions and interrupted him calmly before he could finish speaking: "Don't say anything, I don't want to hear it."
Zhou Yue's fingers paused, and the curve of his brows furrowed slightly.
Her tone was calm, but it was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the impulse that was just about to ignite in him: "I don't want those relationships with names, and I don't want others to define you and me."
"Even if I wanted to give it to you, you wouldn't take it?" His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid others would hear, or as if he were asking himself.
Xia Zhiyao lowered her head, slowly wiped the corner of her lips, her expression still calm: "Zhou Yue, you are very smart. You should know that some relationships are better left unnamed, which can actually prolong life."
After finishing their meal, Zhou Yue paid the bill, and the two got into the car. Xia Zhiyao leaned back in her seat and remained silent the whole way.
Zhou Yue unbuckled his seatbelt and said casually, "Let's get in. My mom should be here by now."
When I entered, there were already several shopping bags in the entryway.
Zhou Yue called out loudly, "Mom, we're back."
Zhou's mother peeked out from the kitchen and smiled when she saw the two of them: "Oh my, isn't this Zhiyao? It's been so long since I've seen you. You've lost a bit weight since the last time I saw you. Perfect timing, these are some fruits and snacks I just bought. You can try them later."
As soon as Xia Zhiyao saw Zhou Yue's mother, she immediately put on her gentle and proper smile, and said in a clear voice with just the right amount of friendliness: "Auntie, it's been a long time. You still look so energetic."
As she counted on her fingers, she added with a smile, "It's been several months since we last saw each other, hasn't it? You seem to be getting younger and younger. Have you improved your badminton skills recently?"
Mrs. Zhou couldn't help but laugh out loud, her eyes crinkling with wrinkles: "With that mouth of yours, you still know how to talk."
Xia Zhiyao changed her shoes and looked around the living room as if it were her first time there, her eyes filled with exaggerated surprise: "The decoration is nice, but it feels too empty. Zhou Yue, you've been back for so long, and you haven't even thought about tidying up the house properly."
Before Zhou Yue could speak, her mother immediately chimed in, her tone a mix of complaint and teasing: "What do men know? All they do is go to work. He's been at work for half a day, and I have no idea what he's been busy with."
Zhou Yue leaned lazily against the sofa, his tone indifferent: "Now I'm on assignment to Sister Zhiyao's company as the investment director."
“No wonder.” Mrs. Zhou shook her head with a smile. “What a coincidence that you’ve been in the same circle all these years. Your relationship has never really ended.”
Xia Zhiyao smiled and agreed, saying, "I guess so."
Zhou Yue sat to the side, holding a water glass in his hand, but his gaze remained fixed on her.
She walked into the kitchen with practiced ease, sorted and put away the meat and vegetables that Zhou's mother had brought, and then opened the refrigerator to move the things that shouldn't be there into the food storage containers.
Her voice was light and cheerful as she chatted with Zhou's mother about the interior design, even offering insightful comments on which light was best for reading.
He knew she was faking it, acting like a polite visitor who was "visiting for the first time."
But he also knew that in another city, late at night, she had been toasting bread and said very seriously, "I want a floor lamp in the future that can illuminate the entire corner of my desk."
The familiarity gave him a brief illusion that she didn't need to pretend it was her first time here.
Mrs. Zhou wiped her hands, sat down on the sofa, and said with a smile, "You're both at this age. When you get married, you'll have to build up your own house and life on your own. I won't touch this house. You can decorate it however you want."
She turned to look at Xia Zhiyao, her expression friendly and natural: "Zhiyao, you have good taste. If Zhou Yue starts dating someone, you can help him choose."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked with a smile, "By the way, you don't have any good news either? Auntie has already prepared red envelopes and gifts. Your mom was telling me last time that all you do is work every day and you don't even look for a boyfriend. You kids..."
Xia Zhiyao was slightly taken aback, then smiled and shook her head: "My mom just loves to worry."
Zhou Yue sat to the side, tapping the side of the water glass lightly with his fingers, his gaze fixed on her face, but he didn't say anything, just quietly watched her deal with it.
As if suddenly remembering something, Zhou's mother's eyes lit up: "Hey, isn't your college classmate a nice guy? Your mother told me that last time you were sick, he came to see you and had a meal at your house. What was his name again... Xiaotian?"
“Zheng Xiaotian,” Xia Zhiyao replied with a smile, “is my boss, and we’ve always been good friends. As for him…”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yue calmly took over, his tone not harsh, but with a hint of coldness: "That man of his has three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines."
Mrs. Zhou paused for a moment, as if she hadn't expected him to respond so readily, then burst out laughing and waved her hand, "Oh, then it's better to be friends."
Xia Zhiyao was amused and lowered her head to take a sip of water, using the action to hide the faint smile on her lips. Tiny water droplets clung to the glass, shimmering gently under the light.
A moment later, she slightly raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the dishes on the table without making a sound, and landing on the man sitting quietly opposite her.
Zhou Yue was looking at her, his eyes devoid of a smile, yet seemingly concealing some unspoken emotion, silently locking her in across the table.
Mrs. Zhou continued her unhurried instructions: "It's fine if you're busy at work, but you still need to remember to eat. I've put the tea leaves in the cupboard, I've changed the sheets, and..."
As she spoke, she looked around to see what else was missing, and the conversation seemed to go on and on, listing a long list of things she needed.
Zhou Yue kept his head down, as if listening, but never responded. He slowly turned his gaze to Xia Zhiyao.
His gaze was quiet, yet carried an undeniable presence, starting from her cheek and sliding down her face. His gaze was slow and deliberate, as if peeling back her layers, until it landed on the skin on the side of her neck.
Xia Zhiyao's heart tightened, and she subconsciously raised her hand to gently touch her neck. She was unsure if Zhou Yue had left any marks on her neck last night, but she felt a warm sensation creeping up her neck to the tips of her ears.
Zhou Yue pursed his lips, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, as if to say: I know what you're thinking.
Xia Zhiyao understood what he meant, and felt both anxious and embarrassed; he was doing it on purpose.
Suddenly, Zhou's mother turned around and said to Xia Zhiyao with a smile, "Zhiyao, come and help me see if there's anything missing? I'm afraid I haven't packed everything properly."
"Okay." Xia Zhiyao immediately replied, as if she had seized some opportunity, and quickly got up and followed Zhou's mother to the bedroom.
Behind her, Zhou Yue's gaze was still fixed on her back, his teasing warmth seeming to follow her through the air. She didn't dare turn around, only feeling her steps quicken slightly.
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