Chapter 21 I really will put the ring on tomorrow.
The warmth from the study wafted onto my face, raising the temperature of this ambiguous statement by several degrees, making it bubble and simmer in the hot air.
Yin Xiao frowned, raised her hand to rub her burning ear tips, half puzzled and half shocked. Before she could think, the words just slipped out of her mouth.
Are you crazy?
Who exactly spread the rumor that she dreams about this? Where did those twelve-pack abs come from?
Yi Zhiyan stared intently at her, ignoring her impolite remark, and uttered three words while looking directly into her eyes.
"You forgot?"
"I forgot?" Yin Xiao's eyes widened slightly. She repeated, "Forgot what?"
"You said it yourself." Yi Zhiyan braced his palms against the door panel, his unbuttoned sleeves sliding down to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. "When I went to Huyue Pavilion to pick you up last week, you didn't remember a single word you said?"
Yin Xiao looked away and coughed a few times.
Why is it that night again? So many things happened in one night...
As she tried to recall, the shadow above her head approached silently, and the minty scent emanating from Yi Zhiyan drew near, bitter yet extremely oppressive.
"Should I remind you and help you remember?"
“…” Yin Xiao pursed her lips.
Although she didn't remember the nonsense she rambled on while drunk, she could roughly guess what it was about because she clearly remembered what she dreamed about that noon.
She squeezed her eyes shut and muttered softly, "No need to remember, anyway, it was you I dreamed about."
"What?" He must not have heard clearly, so he bent down and leaned closer.
Yin Xiao raised her chin high and repeated the words loudly and deliberately.
"I said, I dreamed about you."
Yi Zhiyan was clearly stunned, his gaze slowly sweeping over her face.
Which dream?
His tone was so calm that Yin Xiao's words seemed less confident, but having already said this much, she could only grit her teeth and continue.
"Of course..."
She was suddenly interrupted by her phone ringing halfway through her sentence, and Yin Xiao abruptly stopped, snapping out of her nervous and expectant state. She turned her back, lightly patted her forehead, and looked down at her phone. It was He Sen calling.
She swiped the screen and held the phone to her ear. Suddenly, her wrist was pulled back, and with a gentle tug, she was forced to turn around. The light and shadow in front of her changed rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, the back of her head was firmly supported as Yi Zhiyan leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers.
The door closed behind her.
She clenched her fingers, almost hanging up the phone, her nerves on edge, and asked him in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Yi Zhiyan tilted his head towards the phone and asked bluntly, "You left before you finished speaking?"
He clearly hadn't controlled the volume, and in her haste, Yin Xiao tried to raise her hand to cover his mouth. Her index finger stopped just before touching the corner of his lips, and she awkwardly turned and put her hand on his shoulder, an awkward yet overly ambiguous gesture.
"Xiao Shui, are you busy?" A concerned voice called her back to reality.
Yin Xiao withdrew her hand, clenched her fist and pressed it against the wall, brought the phone closer, and replied softly.
"No, is there something you need from me?"
"Sister Qin asked me to contact you. Call me tomorrow after you arrive at the roundabout, and I'll come pick you up."
Yin Xiao's gaze fell on the uninteresting square pattern on the carpet, trying to ignore the scorching heat in front of her and focusing on understanding He Sen's words.
"Oh well."
She couldn't help but glance at the neatly pressed white shirt, her gaze lingering on the buttons and finally settling on the half-exposed collarbone. She cleared her throat and said, "So... is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up."
"Something came up." He Sen's tone was urgent. "You...would you like to have lunch together tomorrow?"
"Noon?" Yin Xiao vaguely felt the heat around her intensify, making it almost unbearable for her to breathe. "Never mind."
She hurriedly hung up the phone, only then remembering the umbrella He Sen had lent her.
"Where did you put the umbrella I brought back?"
Yi Zhiyan stared at her, his eyes filled with confusion, even wariness. "Why are you looking for an umbrella?"
Yin Xiao pushed him away speechlessly, and casually pulled up his open collar to cover his bright collarbone, which was distracting her.
"What can I do? Of course I'll return the umbrella. I'm going to the island tomorrow to discuss the script, and I'll be able to see He Sen there."
Yi Zhiyan calmly raised his hand and slowly buttoned up his collar. "Oh... but I can't seem to find it."
Yin Xiao glanced at him suspiciously, "Then I'll search for the same model online and buy him a new one to make up for it."
She turned to open the door, but he forcefully held it shut.
"Aren't you two childhood friends? You're even going to buy him a new umbrella of the same model as his. That's so thoughtful of you."
"I don't like owing others; it's more convenient to keep things clear."
Yi Zhiyan's eyes were urgent. "If it were me, would you buy me an umbrella too?"
Yin Xiao paused for a moment, not understanding why Yi Zhiyan was suddenly getting so hung up on this issue, and casually replied.
"No, just buy another one yourself."
Yi Zhiyan seemed to curl the corners of his mouth slightly, his hand still resting on her shoulder, his tone finally showing some variation, "Now, let's continue talking about that dream?"
Which one?
"That's related to me."
Yin Xiao lowered her eyes somewhat awkwardly, moved her lips, but had lost the drive she had just had, and couldn't bring herself to say anything honest.
She thought for a few seconds, then started making things up.
"Actually, it's nothing. You're likely to dream about whoever you see one second. Yes, that's how it is."
Yi Zhiyan remained silent, withdrew his hand, and looked at her for a while, unsure whether he believed her flawed explanation.
"Will you be able to see He Sen tomorrow?" he asked calmly.
"Um."
He looked down, his gaze fixed directly on her left hand. "Wear the ring tomorrow."
—
It seems that the negotiations with the island-wide ring road project have broken down.
Yin Xiao stood in the empty elevator lobby, carrying her bag in one hand and holding a half-cup of tea she had just brought from the conference room in her palm. She tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, then gracefully raised her hand, letting the disposable paper cup fall perfectly into the trash can.
Feeling a little calmer, she turned to look at the conference room. Qin Yan was still on the phone at the door, one hand on her head, her long, straight hair disheveled from her rubbing.
Yin Xiao silently lowered her head and sent a WeChat message to Qin Yan.
[Sister Qin, I'm going back now. Thank you for trying to help me earlier, but I'll pass this time. We can work together again sometime.]
Sending successfully, Yin Xiao put away her phone and pressed the elevator button without hesitation. She reached into the inner pocket of her shoulder bag with her right hand and grabbed a bar of chocolates, but suddenly caught sight of He Sen passing by to her left and behind.
"Xiao Shui? Are you going back?" He Sen closed the blue file box, looked up and saw her. He walked over and patted her shoulder familiarly.
Yin Xiao released her grip and turned slightly to the side. "Mm."
He Sen looked down at the bulging briefcase in her hand and reached out to grab the strap, saying, "Let me carry it for you."
"No need, I can manage myself." Yin Xiao took a step back, subtly dodging the attack, and switched the bag to her left hand.
As if sensing something, He Sen's gaze fell realistically on the back of her hand, and he put away the playful expression he had when they were children.
Yin Xiao slowly pulled her fingertips into her palm, carefully rotating her wrist, trying to hide the ring.
Are you wearing a ring?
Yin Xiao was taken aback, her hand on the wedding ring pausing. The tiny diamond pricked her fingertip, and she abruptly let go, looking up with a composed smile.
"Yes, Miki, I'm married."
He Sen showed no surprise as expected, simply nodding calmly and insisting on taking the heavy file bag from her hands. "I know."
"You know?" Now it was Yin Xiao's turn to be completely baffled.
“Yes.” The elevator doors opened just then. He Sen took two steps forward, reached out to block the door, and naturally helped her down by the back, gesturing for her to enter the elevator.
Yin Xiao was completely stunned. It wasn't until the elevator lights came on and the floor numbers started changing that she remembered what she was doing.
"Miki, now that you know, can you keep it a secret for me?" Yin Xiao turned to look at him, rubbing the red marks on her palms, carefully choosing her words.
“Although we are really married and our relatives all know, I’ve discussed it with him, and I don’t really want my classmates to know about our marriage.” She brushed aside her stray hairs with worry and, just like when she asked him for help before, clasped her hands in a fist salute.
"Please don't tell our old classmates either, especially at the high school reunion next month. I really can't talk about marriage with my old classmates."
He Sen met her gaze, neither agreeing nor refusing, and quietly stared at her, his gaze sliding from her face to her clasped hands, clearly lingering on the ring.
Yin Xiao felt uneasy under his gaze. Back in school, when she got a question wrong that was practically an easy one, he would give her the same look—a look that seemed to be somewhere between watching a good show and feeling helpless.
"Can you say something...?" She regretted telling him the truth.
After all, she had less contact with He Sen after starting university, seeing him only once or twice a year, usually at dinner with classmates or elders. They didn't even have the chance to banter and joke with each other like they did when they were kids.
She wasn't sure if he would help her keep it a secret, or if he had already told everyone.
“Xiao Shui, I know I can’t say it.” He Sen suddenly spoke, his tone gentle, “Because you are fake.”
With a click, the elevator arrived at the lobby, and the doors opened. Two girls walked in chatting and squeezed in front of her to press the elevator button.
Yin Xiao took a step back and mechanically stepped out of the elevator, her hands hanging numbly at her sides, the roaring sound echoing in her ears.
How could He Sen have known? Not many people know about the sham marriage...
“You…” She frowned, stopped and looked at him, wanting to ask him the truth but afraid of saying the wrong thing.
"Why are you so nervous?" He Sen chuckled, as if trying to lighten the mood. "Sister Yi told me this, and she also reminded me not to tell anyone."
He bent down, resting his hands on his knees, and looked her in the eye. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. After all, fake things won't exist in a year, and no one will take them seriously."
Yin Xiaoxin's heart trembled, and she swallowed hard, "Um, thank you."
Although she didn't know why Yin Yi told He Sen, she didn't care about that now. As long as she was sure that He Sen wouldn't tell her parents about the fake marriage, it didn't matter if he knew.
"I'm leaving." She waved casually, took the briefcase back from his hand, and turned to walk out the door.
The cold air outside the door made her feel much more awake. She put on a scarf and wrapped it around her head hastily twice.
As soon as she stepped out of the glass door, she saw a familiar figure. Yi Zhiyan, wearing a black overcoat, stood in front of the stone pillar, his posture upright, with a long-handled umbrella at his side.
Yin Xiao found the umbrella increasingly strange, and subconsciously walked to his side, picked it up, and examined it closely.
"Is it over?" Yi Zhiyan turned around and reached out to tug at her scarf.
Yin Xiao didn't dodge; she was used to his intermittent displays of affection. She was just puzzled, "Why are you here?"
His expression was indifferent, and his words lacked any genuine emotion.
"Of course I'm here to pick up my wife."
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Author's Note: The next two chapters will definitely advance the romance! [Thumbs up]
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