Chapter 23 Lip Print: That's not how I kissed you.

Yin Xiao snapped out of her daze, subtly shrugged, shook off Yi Zhiyan's arm, and took two steps forward.

She calmly raised her hand, smoothed out the wrinkles in her sleeve, and glanced at the stunned Ling Yubai.

"Change the poster by eight o'clock tomorrow. I wrote this script myself, and I have a thousand ways to prove that you stole my work. If you insist on going that way, I'll play along."

She glanced at Tang Qian, who was still defiant, and said, “I said last summer that I would leave the club after I finished writing ‘Sun Shower’. The chat logs are still there. If the club president can’t explain it to the students in the drama club, I will post them so that everyone can see them.”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in front of them became somewhat distorted. Tang Qian, without any mercy, grabbed Ling Yubai by the back of the neck and dragged him towards the end of the corridor.

The sounds of pleading and begging gradually faded away. Yin Xiao casually tossed her hair, grabbed Yi Zhiyan's wrist, and rushed towards the stairs.

"Are you just going to let it go like that?" Yi Zhiyan asked in a deep voice. "You know, Lu Wen invested money in the drama club, so he has some say."

Yin Xiao glared at him. "What? Don't you believe I can handle this?"

Yi Zhiyan, unusually, did not insist and wisely kept quiet.

Yin Xiao had no interest in discussing the matter anymore; her mind was filled with Fang Yiwen's anxious cries for help on the phone. She glanced up and down at the composed person next to her.

Squeezing through the sliding door, she immediately pulled the person to the edge of the flower bed, carefully looked around to make sure no one was nearby, and then looked up anxiously.

She clung to Yi Zhiyan's shoulder, her fingers touching his burning cheek.

Are you alright?

Under the streetlights, the gray-brown stains on his shirt collar were particularly noticeable, forming a strange pattern around the buttons, like a ferocious beast.

"What's going on? Weren't we supposed to be attending an event? Fang's tone was like you'd stumbled into a den of wolves..."

She pulled a wet wipe from her bag, hooked her little finger around his collar, pulled him down, and vigorously wiped him in the dim light of the streetlamp.

Yi Zhiyan obediently bent down without saying a word.

"What's wrong with you?" Yin Xiao crumpled the wet wipe into a ball and held it in her palm.

Fang Yiwen's anxious words rushed into her mind at an inopportune moment. She suddenly raised her hands, cupped Yi Zhiyan's face in her hands, touched behind his ears with her fingers, hugged his head tightly, and shook it from side to side.

"You called me so urgently to save you, are you injured? Where are you? I can't tell."

Yi Zhiyan gazed intently at her, his fingers entwining around her fingertips, gently enveloping them.

"It's nothing. He was afraid someone would force him to drink, so he wanted to call you over to take me away."

Yin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, withdrew her hand, and said angrily, "He didn't explain clearly on the phone, he was so anxious, and even said you were crazy. I really thought something serious had happened, and my mind started racing with all sorts of wild thoughts..."

Yi Zhiyan gently rubbed his temples a few times and said softly, "I can understand his anxiety. I really do go crazy when I'm drunk."

"..." Yin Xiao's eyelids twitched, and she cautiously glanced at him, "What kind of madness?"

Yi Zhiyan stared at her calmly, his voice hoarse, "You want to see?"

"I didn't..." Yin Xiao waved her hand in denial, her eyes darting around.

Without warning, Yi Zhiyan leaned closer, put one hand on the back of her neck, brushed his nose against her cheek, brushed the stray hairs behind her ear, and asked in a muffled voice.

"Are you afraid I'll go crazy?"

Yin Xiao turned her head, her stray hairs catching on his sleeve, and a faint smell of smoke wafted into her nostrils, mixed with the smell of alcohol carried by the wind.

She sniffed, suppressing her worries, and changed the subject with a hint of disgust.

"You smoke and drink?"

"I neither smoked nor drank."

Yi Zhiyan glanced at his collar and frowned slightly. "I guess I've been in there for too long and it's picked up some smell."

His eyes were clear and bright, and he certainly didn't seem drunk. Recalling his posture and expression just now, he didn't even show the slightest bit of laziness or impatience of leaving the dinner party. He was even more calm than her.

"You don't like it?" Yi Zhiyan raised his hand, loosened his tie, and neatly took off his suit jacket, leaving only a neat white shirt underneath, the thin fabric clinging to his body.

Yin Xiao swallowed hard, then awkwardly looked away, "No need, you put it on, I'll stay away from you for now..."

Yi Zhiyan clamped her wrist, the thin calluses on his palm covering the inside of her wrist.

"No, come closer to me."

Yin Xiao's heart skipped a beat; she wasn't used to his inexplicably indulgent tone.

Are you really not drunk... not crazy?

—

In the dead of night, the car's interior dome light automatically turned on, its orange glow bursting forth.

Yin Xiao held a half-full cup of lemon black tea, pursing her lips contentedly.

"Are you full?" Yi Zhiyan casually loosened his tie and unbuttoned a few buttons. "Then let's go home."

Yin Xiao tilted her head to look at him, scrutinizing him intently for a few seconds, "You're really not drunk?"

"No, not a drop of alcohol." He gave a helpless smile. "Drinking and driving? Am I really crazy?"

Yin Xiao nervously squeezed the plastic cup, making a rustling sound.

Yi Zhiyan fastened his seatbelt, rested his wrists on the steering wheel, and leaned closer to look at her, his expression complex.

Are you still afraid of me?

Yin Xiao looked up immediately, meeting his deep pupils, her scalp tingling, and she opened her mouth to cover it, "No."

Yi Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and didn't ask any further questions.

The smell of alcohol grew stronger in the cramped space. It was hard to tell whether his coat was soaked with alcohol or if it was just her imagination due to psychological trauma.

"How about," she said casually, "I'll stay at my sister's tonight."

Yi Zhiyan's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze towards her held a mixture of confusion and worry. After a few seconds of silence, he gave a curt reply.

"Okay, I'll take you there."

Half an hour later, the car stopped downstairs at Yin Yi's house. The cold wind gradually subsided, and the silence was somewhat desolate.

Yi Zhiyan sat in the car with the window half open, his elbow resting on the windowsill. The light and shadow outside flickered, and his gaze stretched out as Yin Xiao's figure gradually disappeared into the stairwell.

He looked up aimlessly around the high-rise building before his tightly gripped phone finally rang.

[Wife: Go back now!]

[Wife: Warning.gif]

Yi Zhiyan turned off the screen, propped his forehead up with his hands, closed his eyes, and remained motionless for a long time.

He tapped his temples repeatedly with his fingers for about five or six minutes before opening his eyes. He then picked up his phone and dialed Yin Yi's number to check on Yin Xiao's condition.

The phone rang for several tens of seconds, but the call was not answered.

He stared intently at the screen, timed it perfectly, and clicked in again.

The lights outside the window were bright, and the deep night was haloed by the light, making the shadows of the trees dappled and distinct in the wind.

Yi Zhiyan unintentionally lifted her eyelids, held up her phone, and looked towards the corridor, her gaze slightly narrowed.

Yin Xiao came downstairs at some point and squatted on the stone steps next to the flower bed, hugging her knees with her arms, burying her face in her legs, her fluffy long hair sliding down to her chest.

She was very tired.

He quickly glanced at it and came to this conclusion.

The orange-yellow light from the streetlamp fell on her head and slowly slid down to her trembling shoulders.

Yi Zhiyan's throat tightened. He put away his phone and got out of the car without hesitation.

"Yin Xiao." He squatted down under the flower bed and looked up at her.

"Mmm." Yin Xiao didn't move, and murmured softly.

"Going home?"

"Hmm." Yin Xiao suddenly looked up, her hair brushing against his earlobe, causing a few tingling tremors.

The curled-up figure swayed, and a dark shadow lunged downwards, its furry sleeves covering his face, a faint sweet fragrance wafting into his nose.

She clung to his arm, her lips pursed, "Wait, my leg's gone numb..."

Yi Zhiyan paused for a second, turned his back, and gently pulled off her wrist.

"I'll carry you on my back."

After a few seconds of stalemate, Yin Xiao seemed to be full of resentment as she tapped her calf a few times, then gave in and climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Yi Zhiyan steadily supported her and walked back. After taking only two steps, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Her arms hung naturally, and she playfully kneaded the shirt at her chest without any rhyme or reason. After a few times, she precisely followed the contours of her muscles, sliding down to her abdomen, her bent fingers pressing against it without moving, as if she were touching it wantonly, or as if she were just kneading a cushion.

He swallowed hard, saying nothing, until warm breath brushed against his ear and moist lips pressed against his neck, burning with heat.

My mind went blank for a moment, my ears were ringing, and my whole body tensed up.

"Yin Xiao?"

There was no response; the gentle breath was calm and lingering.

Yi Zhiyan stopped and turned his head to see her unconscious face.

So, the reason she looked listless while squatting by the flowerbed was simply because she was sleepy?

Yi Zhiyan lowered his head, a smile playing on his lips.

—

Yin Xiao deeply regretted her decision to use running to lift her spirits.

It would be so embarrassing to fall asleep on the street because you're so tired...

She rubbed her burning earlobes, hugged her throbbing head, got up from the sofa, and headed towards her room with a clear purpose.

She groggily pushed open the door and vaguely saw a familiar figure in front of her bed.

"You!" Yin Xiao suddenly snapped to attention, her pupils focusing, and finally recognized Yi Zhiyan's tall and slender figure.

He bent down and hurriedly spread something on the bed, his loose gray tie swaying in the air as he did so.

Yin Xiao blinked slowly, left the room to look around, and then came back in.

"You've come to the wrong room, haven't you?"

Yi Zhiyan tossed a new pillow to the foot of the bed and turned to look at her.

"Sorry, I might need you to act with me all night."

"Huh?" She felt like she might still be dreaming.

Yi Zhiyan put her hands on her hips, sighed lazily, spread her hands, and said with annoyance, "My aunt said she's coming soon. She can easily tell that we're sleeping in separate beds with just a glance."

Yin Xiao regained her composure, pressed down on her elbow, rolled up her sleeves and walked to his side. Without saying a word, she crumpled his neatly folded quilt into a ball, then picked up the pillow at the foot of the bed and threw it into his arms.

"One pillow is enough; adding random details makes it seem less like acting."

Yi Zhiyan gave her a deep look and said, "Hmm, you really have the potential to be a leading lady."

Yin Xiao straightened up triumphantly and patted the pillow he was hugging hard. "Go hide it, my leading man."

Yi Zhiyan smiled slightly, turned around slowly, and deftly stuffed the item into the wardrobe.

His tie was pulled down a few inches, his collar was crooked, and a rounded red mark appeared above his exposed collarbone, looking more and more like a lip print.

Yin Xiao stared at him thoughtfully, then walked over and poked his chin with her finger. "Where did the lip print come from?"

He gripped her wrist tightly. "You're asking me?"

Yin Xiao narrowed her eyes. "Me? I don't kiss like that."

He didn't rush to refute her, but leaned closer and asked casually, "What is it like?"

The distance was quite close, so close that the halo in front of my eyes spun rapidly.

She was probably still half asleep when she broke free from his restraints, reached out and grabbed his dark gray tie, pulling it down along its smooth edge, and quickly kissed the corner of his mouth.

"so."

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Author's Note: I'm so sorry, my darlings [crying emoji]. This chapter is to make up for yesterday's. I'll update normally tomorrow, but I have something to do and will be updating later. Thank you to all the readers who are still willing to read this far!