Chapter 85 But at night, she…
Xia Zhiyao raised her eyes, her eyebrows arched, and a cold smile appeared on her lips: "President Zheng, what you're saying sounds like my mother is pressuring me to get married."
Her tone was casual, with a hint of deliberate teasing, as if she wanted to gloat over the topic with a laugh. However, her eyes flickered, avoiding Zheng Xiaotian's probing gaze. That brief moment of hesitation did not escape his notice.
Zheng Xiaotian's eyes held a hint of understanding: "It's okay if you don't want to tell the truth, but you can hide what's in your heart from others, but you can't hide it from yourself."
Xia Zhiyao sighed softly, closed the file, and looked up at him: "You're always meddling in these trivial family matters."
Zheng Xiaotian said slowly, "Then what are you afraid of? Your two families know each other so well and are both good people."
Xia Zhiyao smiled, but there was no hint of relief in her voice: "Then will your dad agree to you finding someone four or five years older than you?"
Zheng Xiaotian was taken aback, then chuckled and shook his head: "Hey, why are you getting age anxiety? This isn't like you."
Xia Zhiyao was stunned for a moment, her heart suddenly tightening. She looked away, but her tone remained indifferent: "You think it's so easy for you to think about."
Zheng Xiaotian looked at her, his playful expression gradually fading, and his tone turned serious: "Zhiyao, if you really care about age, then I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible. As for Zhou Yue..."
He paused for a moment, as if considering his words, before slowly saying, "He only has eyes for you. Whether you are a few years older or younger than him is not a problem for him at all. Let alone four or five years, even if there is a ten-year difference, he can probably still take you back with a clear conscience."
"If you're really worried about societal views or elders' opinions, then I can only tell you that Zhou Yue only cares about whether you'll agree to stand with him."
Xia Zhiyao was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice lower: "His family situation is rather complicated..." As soon as she said it, she realized the guilt and hesitation in her voice.
Zheng Xiaotian raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on her with a meaningful smile: "Complex? Which family isn't complex? No matter how complex it is, it's not complex enough to break you up."
Xia Zhiyao pursed her lips. She knew in her heart that Zhou Yue's parents, along with those hidden interests, made her uneasy. It wasn't that she didn't want to face it, but that she was afraid that once this layer of paper was torn apart, all the tender illusions would shatter.
Zheng Xiaotian looked at her, his tone less joking and more serious: "Zhiyao, let me give you a piece of advice: don't take all the blame on yourself. The fact that he came to your side means he had already thought it through. If you keep backing down here, that would really be unfair to him."
The day's work finally came to an end. When Xia Zhiyao dragged her slightly tired body back to the neighborhood, it was already completely dark.
She pushed open the door, and the living room was already filled with the familiar glow of lights. Zhou Yue had arrived a little earlier than her. He had changed out of his coat and was carrying a porcelain plate with washed cherries on it as he walked out of the kitchen.
Zhou Yue looked up and saw her, paused in his steps, then curved his lips into a smile, as if waiting for her: "Perfect timing, just finished washing. Would you like to try one?"
In that instant, the fatigue in the office and the complicated thoughts of the day seemed to gradually fade away in this plate of cherries and his unintentional smile.
She walked over, took the porcelain plate, and said softly, "When did you learn to take care of people?"
Zhou Yue chuckled softly, leaned against the dining table, and said in a slightly lazy voice, "I will only take care of you."
Xia Zhiyao took the plate, casually picked up a cherry and put it in her mouth. After a while, she smiled faintly and said, "It tastes pretty good."
Zhou Yue slowly chewed on the cherry, but his gaze never left her. When he saw that she was looking down, as if she was deliberately avoiding his gaze, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.
He picked up a cherry, gently wiped the water droplets off it on a tissue, and then held it to her lips: "Want to try another one? I picked it."
Xia Zhiyao was startled and subconsciously looked up, only to meet his smiling gaze. Those eyes, though gentle, held a strange stubbornness. She didn't move.
Zhou Yue's smile deepened, and he lowered his voice: "Not eating? Then I'll eat it myself." As he spoke, he deliberately put the cherry in his mouth and slowly bit it open.
Xia Zhiyao was about to tease him when Zhou Yue suddenly leaned in and a kiss, sweet with the scent of cherries, landed unexpectedly. His kiss was impatient and stubborn, as if he wanted to make the joke he had just made a reality.
She was stunned for a moment, then her lips were captured by his strong yet restrained kiss. The fruity scent mingled with his breath, so sweet it made her heart race.
Xia Zhiyao's heart skipped a beat at his action. She pursed her lips and feigned indifference: "Childish."
Zhou Yue didn't care at all. He leaned against the table and looked at her with undisguised smile and affection in his eyes: "I'm only childish with you."
The two joked around over a plate of cherries for a while, the atmosphere so relaxed it felt like they had gone back to a long time ago.
As the laughter gradually subsided, Xia Zhiyao leaned back in her chair, her breathing still carrying a hint of lightness. She picked up a cherry and twirled it in her palm before suddenly speaking, "Zheng Xiaotian told me that there's a pretty big project we'll be competing for in a few days."
Zhou Yue looked up, his smile fading, and his tone becoming more casual: "Which project?"
"The development project of the new energy industrial park." Xia Zhiyao put down the cherry, her expression also becoming serious. "This is the most important project for Tianxing during this period. The client is very interested, but there are also many competitors."
Zhou Yue looked at her quietly, his gaze shifting from playful banter to focused attention. The ambiguous atmosphere in the air hadn't yet dissipated, but this one sentence pulled him back to reality and competition.
"That's definitely a big order, enough to last for several years if completed properly. How's the progress so far?"
"The framework of the plan has been finalized. The next step is to coordinate the details with the client." Xia Zhiyao casually scribbled a few numbers on a sticky note, her tone calm. "However, the competition is fierce, so we need to keep a close eye on things."
While casually gossiping about Zheng Xiaotian, Zhou Yue clicked his tongue in disdain: "Our CEO Zheng is bisexual; he can strike up a conversation with anyone."
Xia Zhiyao was fiddling with a cherry pit when she heard this. She raised an eyebrow, her gaze landing meaningfully on him, and slowly asked, "Hmm? How did you know?"
Zhou Yue coughed lightly, lowered his eyes, and dared not look directly at her, but his ears turned red: "...That time I was in a bad mood, Zheng Xiaotian insisted on taking me out to relax, and we went to the bar he often goes to."
Xia Zhiyao raised her eyes, stared at him, and curved her lips into a half-smile: "Going for a walk to clear your head?" Her voice carried a hint of coldness.
Zhou Yue immediately panicked, speaking faster than usual, and hurriedly explained, "I really didn't do anything! I didn't even touch anyone, I just sat there and drank two glasses... Later, he thought I was bored, so he simply dragged me to the hotel upstairs to stay for the night." He spoke urgently, his breathing even becoming disordered, as if afraid she would misunderstand.
Xia Zhiyao narrowed her eyes, a half-smile curving her lips, her voice laced with sarcasm: "I've heard of Zheng Xiaotian's bar parties; they're never a waste of time, everyone ends up taking someone with them."
Zhou Yue's heart tightened, and he looked up at her abruptly, his eyes filled with panic. He hurriedly explained, "I really didn't do anything! I had just seen my dad that day, and I was completely out of sorts. I couldn't possibly be thinking about anything else."
Xia Zhiyao's nose tingled, and her heart clenched suddenly. In that instant, she felt a pang of heartache, as if she could imagine him sitting alone under the dim light that night, exhausted and repressed. But she gritted her teeth, hiding her emotions behind a smile, and teased him half-jokingly, "So you went to a nightclub with Zheng Xiaotian? Planning to give up on yourself?"
Zhou Yue raised his hand to rub his temples and coughed, as if trying to brush it off, but couldn't help adding insult to injury: "...Later he did take someone away, but not long after, he ran back to my room to chat with me. I even laughed at him for being too quick and suggested he should see a doctor."
Xia Zhiyao narrowed her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Oh? So what did you two talk about?"
Zhou Yue scratched the back of his neck, looking a little uncomfortable, but still honestly said, "It's mainly because Brother Zheng gave me some mental preparation." He paused, his eyes flickered, and whispered, "He talked about you."
Xia Zhiyao's heart tightened, and she almost dropped the cherry she was twirling in her hand. She stared at him, her voice unconsciously lowering: "...Me?"
Zhou Yue smiled wryly, his gaze fixed on her, his voice filled with helplessness and a touch of sincerity: "You know, he's unreliable, but he's also quite reliable. And yet, he always likes to play those weird and messy tricks. But that day, he really did try to persuade me for half the night."
Xia Zhiyao felt a lump in her throat after hearing this. She lowered her eyes and spoke after a long while, her voice very low: "Otherwise, we wouldn't have been such good friends for so many years."
She glanced at Zhou Yue, her expression complicated, and sighed softly, "His family situation is even more complicated than yours. It's quite remarkable that he managed to get through it."
Zhou Yue looked at her, his gaze darkening, his voice low and hoarse: "So... he deserves your heartache more than I do?"
Xia Zhiyao was taken aback, then sighed softly, looked up at him, and smiled slightly: "What are you jealous of?"
Zhou Yue's ears turned red from her gaze, but his eyes remained stubbornly fixed on her. He spoke in a low voice, with a hint of resentment and coquettishness: "Can't I be jealous? It's your fault for being more affectionate towards others than towards me."
Xia Zhiyao was speechless at his appearance. She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Seeing this, Zhou Yue simply moved closer to her and lowered his voice even further: "Can't you only care about me?"
Xia Zhiyao felt her heart burning under his gaze, and was both amused and exasperated by his coquettish remark, "You only care about me." She raised her hand and gently tapped his forehead, scolding him in a half-serious tone, "How old are you? How can you say such things?"
Zhou Yue wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he moved even closer, his eyes shining with the undisguised thoughts of a young man, and said in a low voice, "In front of you, won't I never grow up?"
Xia Zhiyao reached out her hand, which ultimately landed in his palm. She gently squeezed it, and said softly, "That's enough," her voice filled with undisguised tenderness, "I just feel sorry for you."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue's eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curve into a smile.
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