Chapter 11 Crossing the Boundary: Just look at the feel of it.

It was as if we were trapped inside a giant glass dome; the air was sluggish, and a silent anxiety permeated our gazes.

"Yes, I have."

Yi Zhiyan hooked his glasses into his pocket, casually raised his hand, and slowly unbuttoned his collar.

One, two...

Yin Xiao quickly shifted her gaze, but her peripheral vision couldn't help drifting towards the light. The exposed skin had smooth lines, an even skin tone, and was fair and smooth. At a cursory glance, it was thin skin with extremely high aesthetic value; it looked and felt wonderful. He must work out regularly and be very disciplined.

She suppressed her impulse, turned cautiously to the side, and looked up at the cloud-shaped ceiling light. Reason swayed her neck to turn back, but her feet honestly remained rooted to the spot.

The space was silent, the refreshing floral scent of the shower gel stimulated the nerves, and the body's instincts were amplified infinitely.

Yin Xiao raised her hand to smooth down her fringe, looked directly into his eyes, and nodded with a smile, "I can see that. This is a good hobby."

Yi Zhiyan's expression remained calm, seemingly unconcerned, and he appeared quite reckless.

Yin Xiao decided to appreciate it openly, moving her gaze inch by inch.

What happened to your shoulder?

"What?" He pointed his index finger in the air.

"There's a black spot on your right side, above your collarbone. Take a look."

He lowered his head, wandered around aimlessly, and said indifferently.

"Where is it? I can't see it. Could it be some kind of wound?"

Without a second's hesitation, Yin Xiao raised her phone and rushed over, rudely pulling his collar even wider, the black screen of the phone pointing directly at his neck.

"Look for yourself."

"I can't see it."

"Right here, can you feel anything? Does it hurt?"

Yin Xiao tiptoed and tentatively poked his neck with her fingertips, her eyes constantly glancing downwards.

"Oh." He looked down, his hot breath brushing against the back of her hand, and sighed softly, "It's a mole."

"Ah, it's a mole... I knew it." Yin Xiao twitched the corner of her mouth, then quickly composed herself and obediently withdrew her hand.

He glanced at her expressionlessly. "Can't you tell that's a mole?"

Yin Xiao showed no panic at being exposed, calmly looking back, "Didn't you know it was a mole when I asked you?"

She tilted her head, and the corners of her mouth curved into a perfectly symmetrical smile.

"You clearly knew perfectly well that you were entrapping someone."

In this back-and-forth, the previous feigned probing was shattered, and the ambiguous atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by a strange intimacy and familiarity between them.

Yi Zhiyan smiled, lowered his head, and whispered in her ear, emphasizing the last few words.

"If you have similar ideas next time, you might as well just say so. After all, it's just a normal little hobby of yours."

"That's not necessary."

Yin Xiao took a half step back, refusing without even thinking.

After all, she didn't really intend to hurt him; it was just that seeing his reckless and indifferent attitude made her feel uneasy, and she wanted to let loose. Now that things have come to this point, it's not unreasonable for her to get some benefits from a fake marriage, right?

Yi Zhiyan stood with his hands in his pockets, staring intently at her. His deep brown pupils shone with an amber luster in the light, like a whirlpool that drew people in.

"Honey, didn't you say you liked it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, fireworks exploded in her mind, booming and crashing against her hazy consciousness.

Yin Xiao pinched her fingers to stay awake, pursed her lips, and bluntly pointed out the truth.

"Yi Zhiyan, our relationship has already gone beyond the boundaries of our original relationship. It's too ambiguous in a fake marriage."

Yi Zhiyan seemed to disagree, frowning as she approached, until the woody scent emanating from her body overwhelmed her sense of smell.

She decisively raised her hand to block it and directly voiced the question she had been holding in all night.

"You're using the guise of being my boyfriend to care for me and treat me well. Aren't you afraid I'll actually fall for you?"

His eyes darkened. "Can you?"

"Maybe," she paused for a second, her tone light, "What if our agreement expires?"

His eyes were calm, as if he were truly pondering the question.

"If you wish, the agreement can be renewed."

The surrounding light and shadow are clearly defined, and everything in the shadows is shrouded in a hazy mist, making the scene distorted and extremely deceptive.

Yin Xiao unconsciously held her breath, paused for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing.

"No, I still want to find a boy who reciprocates my feelings and have a proper relationship."

After saying that, she stopped paying attention to Yi Zhiyan's expression and turned to leave, but he called out to her.

"We haven't taken a group photo yet."

"Let's do it another day, I can't film like this right now." She rubbed her half-dry hair.

"Have you changed your profile picture?" he asked again.

Yin Xiao sniffed aimlessly, inwardly complaining.

He is truly an excellent sham marriage partner who always keeps the agreement in mind.

"Just changed." She turned around and answered simply with two words.

Yi Zhiyan's face stiffened noticeably for a moment, his delicate and symmetrical features became flawed, and his dilated pupils froze as if a system malfunction had occurred.

Yin Xiao unlocked her phone and turned the screen to show him, "It's still your photo, a silhouette at night."

Yi Zhiyan glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Do you often take pictures of other people and use them as your profile picture?"

Yin Xiao was speechless. "How could that be? If I were to take and use those photos frequently, it would be an invasion of their privacy. How could I do such a thing?"

She pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly realized the unusual nature of his words and understood.

"What, do you think I'm a womanizer? I was just looking around, it's not like I'm breaking any contracts... Besides, what kind of relationship do we have? It's none of your business!"

Yi Zhiyan turned around, took out his earphones from his pocket and put them on, his tone stiff.

"I don't care about you, just don't give yourself away."

—

When Yin Xiao arrived at the school's small theater, the drama club members were memorizing the positions. Ling Yubai, the president of the drama club, was sitting in the first row and loudly reminded them.

"Senior, you're here so early." He noticed her, stood up, and smiled politely.

Yin Xiao nodded and pulled the script out of her canvas bag. "How's the rehearsal going? Have you found anything in the script that's not right? I can still revise it."

"No, the script you wrote is so good, there's no problem with it." Ling Yubai bent down and pressed down the chair, gesturing for Yin Xiao to sit down. "It's just a pity you're graduating soon and won't be writing scripts in the drama club anymore..."

"Actually, it's not entirely because of graduation." Yin Xiao sat down, put her bag on her lap, and shook her head regretfully.

“You know better than I do how the troupe is doing now. We’ve been focusing our efforts on the wrong things. I’ve been struggling for another year in this environment of fawning over the powerful and belittling the weak, where profit is everything. I’m exhausted and I don’t want to put my creative passion into this anymore. I don’t think it’s worth it, do you understand?”

Ling Yubai was a little embarrassed, but still wanted to argue, "But we did that before because we didn't have any money. Whoever paid us, we would write scripts and promote them to be the lead actors. There was nothing we could do about it."

"Is it really impossible to just use my script and remove my name from the screenwriter's list?"

Ling Yubai lowered his head in silence, his hands clasped together and placed on his lap.

"Isn't this all in the past? You took the script back, and we haven't performed it again."

Yin Xiao took a deep breath, tilted her head back, and twisted her neck.

There's no point in dwelling on the past. She didn't let anyone gain anything anyway, and digging deeper would only annoy myself.

"Anyway, this is the last time I'll write a script for the theater company. I'll settle the payment as soon as possible so we can part ways amicably."

"Aren't you going to give our troupe the ancient costume script for Lock Element?" Ling Yubai looked up, the reluctance in her eyes genuine. "We didn't have the money before, but a company invested in us this summer. Although this company is in new media and smart technology, which has nothing to do with us, as long as they pay, that's fine. They won't interfere with our rehearsals either. The school leaders are beaming with joy..."

"Congratulations." Yin Xiao interrupted indifferently, offering a lukewarm congratulation, then lowered her eyes and opened the script "Sun Shower." "Let's look at that ancient version later; it's still in the final stages."

"Aren't you going to stay?" Ling Yubai pressed on, unwilling to give up.

"No, I won't keep you." Yin Xiao looked up and smiled at him kindly. "Can I watch the rehearsal now?"

He replied hesitantly, "Okay."

A light came on on the stage, and the students quickly gathered in the center to begin their rehearsal.

Although there is no lighting or set design yet, the actors' lines, expressions, and demeanor all contribute significantly to the performance, making it easy for the audience to get into the story.

Yin Xiao stared blankly at her classmates who were working so hard on the stage.

Many of them joined the troupe in the same year as her and are graduating this year; this performance is their final curtain call. In fact, everyone, like her, understands that the troupe has changed a long time ago, but they still want to bring it to a perfect close.

How far can one compromise for something they love? Probably to the point where they're unwilling to leave even after accumulating enough disappointment.

In a daze, she suddenly and keenly heard two lines of dialogue that she found offensive. She looked up in surprise, staring intently at the boy in the black coat on stage, walked closer to the stage, and interrupted him.

"You added lines?"

The boy glanced at her dismissively, "Yeah, I just added a couple of lines. Are you, the screenwriter, so domineering that you don't allow the actors to improvise?"

Yin Xiao put one hand on her hip, suppressing the anger surging in her chest.

"Just two sentences? What kind of words were those two sentences you added! Making up stories about female colleagues, saying that working overtime is for ulterior motives, and that getting a promotion is about selling your body—who told you that? Who gave you permission to add those words!"

The boy in black looked down at her, raised his chin, and pointed to the right. "President, can't I join?"

Ling Yubai's eyes darted around, and he chuckled awkwardly, "I guess... a couple of words won't hurt..."

Yin Xiao blocked his way, waving her hand and pointing to the stage. "Didn't you say things are different now? Is this what you call different?"

Ling Yubai covered her mouth and whispered a reminder, "His name is Zhao Yan, and he invested money in our production..."

“I understand, it’s the investors.” Yin Xiao hesitated for a second, then nodded readily. Her gaze swept over the classmate on the stage who was shaking his head at her, and she blinked as a gesture of comfort.

She bent down, rolled up the script with one hand, stuffed it into her bag, and walked up the steps with her backpack.

"Add words, add whatever you want! But the contract says adding words is a breach of contract. Since this junior likes to use money to reason things out, then give me a bigger penalty fee." She glanced at the troubled Ling Yubai, then waved her phone at Zhao Yan. "As soon as possible."

"Double the compensation, are you satisfied now?" Zhao Yan walked to the edge of the stage, squatted down, rested his wrists on his knees, and gave her a wicked, crooked smile.

Yin Xiao wasn't buying it and smiled calmly, "Satisfied."

She looked down to unlock her phone and tapped on Qin Yan's WeChat profile from Huandao Media. Qin Yan had participated in a creative writing competition organized by Huandao Media last semester. Huandao's Snowflake Drama Club performed extensively across various regions and had a high demand for scripts, thus expressing their willingness to collaborate with her.

[Hello Sister Qin, I've thought it through. I'll sign the ancient book we discussed last time.]

Her chest heaved violently, a lump of air stuck in her throat, making her feel uncomfortable.

She typed faster and faster, her attention completely focused on the screen, oblivious to the shadow in front of her. She paused, nearly bumping into someone. She pulled her foot back, looked up, and blinked in surprise.

Yi Zhiyan, still wearing his black windbreaker, calmly helped her up and casually reminded her, "Be careful."

Yin Xiao's doubts were stuck in her throat, and she quickly changed her words, "Thank you."

Ling Yubai suddenly ran past her, eagerly reaching out to brace himself against the door, a smile plastered on his face.

Yin Xiao frowned before noticing a man standing at the door, playing with walnuts. He looked to be about thirty years old, but his demeanor was excessively mature.

Ling Yubai asked in surprise, "President Lu, what brings you here so suddenly..."

“I’ve brought my friend to see your progress.” The man gestured with his chin toward Yi Zhiyan. “He’s my partner. He heard I invested in you guys and wants to reassess. You better take this seriously and don’t embarrass me.”

Ling Yubai looked around anxiously, then immediately ran down and reached out to Yi Zhiyan, "Hello, I'm Ling Yubai, the president of the school's Rice Ear Drama Club. What's your name?"

"Yi Zhiyan, a second-year graduate student at Anhui University." Yi Zhiyan gave a perfunctory handshake, then withdrew it in a second, seemingly with a hint of resistance and hostility.

"Oh, it's you, senior! Hello, senior." Ling Yubai relaxed and eagerly pointed to the stage. "We're rehearsing right now, would you like to come and watch?"

"Hmm." Yi Zhiyan followed him down one step, then suddenly turned back, "Is this student leaving the theater?"

"Oh right, she's the screenwriter, so it won't affect rehearsals..."

"Won't it cause any problems?" he suggested casually. "Why don't you stay and take a look together?"

Ling Yubai, as if his feet were powered by a motor, sprinted to her and, without a word, grabbed her wrist and pulled her down, saying, "Yes, yes, senior, let's take a look together."

As Yin Xiao passed by Yi Zhiyan, she glanced at him discreetly. He lowered his eyes, seemed to raise his hand slightly, then quickly withdrew it, his expression unchanged.

She didn't care about any of that anymore, angrily shaking off Ling Yubai's hand, and went back to her original seat, hugging her backpack and snuggling into the soft stool.

I want to hear Zhao Yanjia's disgusting lines again...

We must endure, for the sake of our like-minded classmates who have fought alongside us in the theater troupe.

"Let's begin."

The man who had been standing at the door picking walnuts sat down next to her, took the script from Ling Yubai, and shouted in a strong voice.

The performance of "Sun Shower" resumed, and the students gradually got into character, achieving an even better effect than the first time. When they performed Zhao Yan's scene again, unsurprisingly, he uttered those two lines once more.

Yin Xiao averted her gaze, attempting to hypnotize herself.

"Excuse me, I'd like to interrupt."

Yi Zhiyan sat a seat away from her, lowered his head, and flipped through the script in his hand. "This line... it's not in the script, did you add it?"

Zhao Yan stood tall and proud, even somewhat arrogant.

"Yes, I added it."

"Deleted." Yi Zhiyan said succinctly.

"Who do you think you are? Are you crazy? You think you can just delete it like that?" Zhao Yan sneered through his nostrils. "Let me tell you, I've invested money here! I can add more as I want, however much I want! What right do you have to tell me what to do!"

“I see… You invested in this play, so you can add things as you please.” Yi Zhiyan crossed his ankle over his other calf, put down the script, and rested his fingers on his temple. “But I invested in this theater troupe, so I can delete things as I please.”

Zhao Yan opened his mouth but didn't say anything, then looked away, his gaze seeking confirmation drifting towards Ling Yubai.

"If you don't delete the lyrics, I'll have to delete you." Yi Zhiyan added slowly, turning his head to his side, his tone firm, "President Lu, what are your thoughts?"

The man, holding two fine-textured walnuts, glanced at her subtly.

"I don't have any thoughts. The original script is very good... If this young student in the stands wants to add any more lines, we can just not vote for him."

"No, no, no..." Ling Yubai rushed to the edge of the stage in a hurry, her eyelids twitching as she desperately tried to wink at Zhao Yan.

"I just..." Zhao Yan's face turned pale. He put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and said indifferently, "I just misremembered the lines. Let's do it again, let's do it again..."

On stage, the familiar classmates exchanged silent glances with Yin Xiao, their eyes filled with undisguised shock and relief, and even their gazes toward the two "sugar daddies" beside her were filled with blind admiration.

During the second rehearsal, everyone was visibly more relaxed, fully immersed in their roles, and performed exceptionally well. This time, Zhao Yan dutifully delivered his original lines without holding the others back.

Ling Yubai's eyes lit up. "President Lu, senior, see? I wasn't exaggerating! Isn't it worth your investment? Our future is bright..."

"Yes, very good. Excellent acting and a good script. Our company will cover the publicity this time." The man, fiddling with a walnut, readily agreed.

Ling Yubai was so excited he could hardly sit still. "Thank you so much, President Lu."

Yi Zhiyan suddenly interjected, "But if a situation like today happens again, then forget it."

"No, definitely not..." Ling Yubai, true to his nature of opportunistic, invited with a grin, "Our drama club is having a dinner party tonight, why don't you come along?"

Yi Zhiyan tilted his head and looked over, quickly grabbing the arm of the person next to him, and unusually agreed, "Okay."

—

As evening approached, the bright sunlight disappeared behind the teaching building, and cheers erupted from the basketball court, full of youthful energy.

Yi Zhiyan walked at the back, his mind uneasy, his gaze occasionally falling on the girl's smiling face.

Yin Xiao probably hadn't had time to go back to her dorm. She was wearing the khaki long down jacket that he had someone deliver to her last night. She wasn't wearing a scarf or hat, and her slightly wavy long hair was pinned up at the back of her head with a light blue shark clip. Her face was clean, with only a touch of pinkish-brown lipstick, which further accentuated her delicate and soft features.

"Hey! What are you looking at?"

Suddenly, someone put their arm around his shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his eyes and warned, "Lu Wen, take your hand away."

Lu Wen didn't hold back at all, approaching with ill intent and smiling mockingly, "Tell me, why did you agree to attend this kind of dinner party?"

His expression was indifferent. "I'm hungry."

"Hungry? If you're hungry, you have to hold my hand down and drag me along!" Lu Wen suddenly exploded, full of resentment.

"We can chat while we eat." Yi Zhiyan shrugged. "Aren't you very interested in the drama club? Why don't you talk to the president about a deeper collaboration?"

"You're not against it anymore?"

"I'll reluctantly agree for now."

Lu Wen remained silent, sizing up Yi Zhiyan for a few seconds.

“You’re acting strange today… especially when the little classmate added words, your expression was fierce, it scared me.” He pretended to shrink back, “You never used to solve problems by intimidating people.”

Yi Zhiyan walked around the stone block at the entrance and returned calmly.

"My wife once said that the best way to get back at someone is to beat them in their area of ​​pride."

Caught off guard, Lu Wen raised his hand to cover his chest and chuckled, "You brat, you're showing off your love right here in front of me."

Yi Zhiyan didn't reply. He silently walked around the corner, took out his car keys from his pocket, and stepped forward to stop Yin Xiao from getting into the car.

His gaze slowly swept over her wrist, which was being held by Ling Yubai, where a clear red mark was visible.

He turned to Ling Yubai, his expression slightly composed.

"President Ling, would it be convenient for this screenwriter to ride in our car? President Lu has some questions about the script that he would like to ask."

"Of course." Ling Yubai smiled, looking at Yin Xiao almost pleadingly, "Is it okay, senior?"

Yin Xiao withdrew her hand, looked up at him, and nodded.

"Huh? Huh? What do you mean? When did I have a question for the screenwriter?" Lu Wen followed, completely bewildered, and casually opened the passenger door. "Excuse me, you've learned to use me as a shield now?"

Yi Zhiyan slapped his hand away and pointed to the back, "You sit in the back row."

Lu Wen's mind went blank, and he was pushed into the back seat in a daze, watching helplessly as his screenwriter classmate sat in the passenger seat.

His eyes darted around in terror, looking left and right. The more he looked, the more he felt something was terribly wrong. An alarm bell rang in his mind, and his thoughts began to race.

Wasn't his obedient cousin Yi Zhiyan just married? Why does he seem to look at this girl with a different kind of gaze?

No! He can't watch his brother go astray...

Lu Wen cautiously leaned forward, rested his head on the back of the chair, squeezed between the two people, and cleared his throat.

"Yi Zhiyan, you're having dinner out tonight. Shouldn't you let your wife know?"

He deliberately raised his voice, slowed down his speech, and emphasized the word "wife".

Yi Zhiyan turned up the air conditioner temperature and, without even looking at him, said, "No need."

"use!"

Lu Wen suddenly shouted, and the two people in front of him were visibly startled, exchanging a glance.

The airflow paused eerily for a moment.

"Okay, I'll report it." Yi Zhiyan turned to the side, rested his wrist on the steering wheel, looked down at the passenger seat, and smiled.

"Honey, shall we go home after dinner?"

A note from the author:

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You'll get a kiss, and you'll be able to feel my abs too [winking emoji]