Chapter 24: Don't bite me if you can't bear it.
The smooth silk tie wrapped around my fingers, exuding a damp fragrance that lingered in the air.
Their gazes met in a tense silence, neither of them looking away.
Yi Zhiyan leaned down, his deep brown pupils veiled in darkness. "Not afraid now?"
Yin Xiao nodded and said frankly, "Maybe when I went to my sister's house, I saw something even more unexpected. While I was shocked, I figured out how to get along with you... You can understand it that way."
"What?" Yi Zhiyan brushed aside the stray hairs from the corner of her eye and stroked her forehead with his fingertips.
"It seems she's in love, and has finally moved on from Jiang Fei's shadow." Yin Xiao looked up, her smile undisguised.
"This also shows that the set of views on relationships that she has been telling me over the years is completely wrong. The more you struggle with the feelings of attraction that are trapped in reason, the stronger they become."
Actually, the reason Yin Xiao avoided Yi Zhiyan tonight, who might be drunk, was that she was afraid the alcohol would cloud her judgment and cause her to lose control of the sense of propriety that Yin Yi had emphasized, just like last time when she was drunk.
What she seems to fear is a relationship that crosses boundaries prematurely without knowing the future.
Yi Zhiyan wasn't sure if he understood her words. His gaze slowly shifted from the folds of her chest to her face, and he looked at her quietly.
Yin Xiao stood on tiptoe, childishly reached out, and tapped the corner of his mouth, "I want to be selfish just this once."
Yi Zhiyan lowered his eyes, grasped her wrist, his large hand enveloping her fingers, and then lowered his head to embrace her back.
Their noses touched, and their lips and teeth were only a few millimeters apart.
The doorbell and her phone vibrated at the same time, and the double shock startled her so much that she pushed the person away.
Yi Zhiyan steadily supported her, smiled slightly, as if helpless, "We're legally married, and you're making things unbearable for us..."
"Open the door, Auntie's here." Yin Xiao blinked awkwardly, grabbed his chin with both hands, and manually interrupted the second half of his sentence, "Let's begin the performance, male lead."
Yi Zhiyan didn't speak again, glanced down, and reached for her collar. Her well-defined fingers rolled over the two buttons, slowly untangling the fine thread that was stuck together.
Yin Xiao let go of his hand and realized that her sleeve was tangled around his collar. She lifted the cuff of his cardigan to look inside, and was about to say thank you when his shadow drew closer.
Yi Zhiyan turned his head and quickly kissed her cheek.
The silk thread floated in mid-air. She was stunned for a moment, then Yi Zhiyan gently took her hand and led her to the living room as if in a trance.
The door opened, and Yi Lu, wearing a luxurious pink and white fur shawl and carrying a heavy wooden gift box, eagerly entered.
"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you. I just got back from Chongqing and stopped by to drop by and bring you some gifts."
Yi Zhiyan said calmly, "Chongqing? You said you were in Guangzhou when you called."
Yi Lu laughed awkwardly and mumbled, "Really? Oh, don't worry about such details..."
She held the wooden box up to her face, saying, "I mainly came to give you this. Take it and eat it on time; it's good for your health."
She casually tossed it over, and Yi Zhiyan reacted quickly, catching the handle and flipping it over to read the product instructions.
Yin Xiao glanced at the bottom of the packaging, where there was a line of small black text that said it contained pills in ceramic jars, and that taking one a day could strengthen the body, replenish qi, and nourish the kidneys...
Yin Xiao's eyelashes trembled violently, her pupils contracted sharply, and she quickly averted her gaze. Unconsciously, she pinched the hem of her knitted sweater, nervously rubbing the loose threads, pretending not to see them.
"Do you have mosquitoes in your house?" Yi Lu suddenly raised her arm and pointed at Yi Zhiyan, her gaze fixed on him, looking completely puzzled.
Yin Xiao turned her head and met Yi Zhiyan's equally confused gaze. The two looked at each other in silence for a long time before Yi Zhiyan tentatively patted his neck.
“On your neck, right here! One centimeter to the right of your thumb.” Yi Lu’s tone kept rising.
Yin Xiao tilted her head, her vision gradually clearing, and she caught a faint lip print on the side of his neck, a reddish-brown semi-circle.
Yi Zhiyan seemed to realize what was happening as well. He slightly bent his finger and casually wiped the red mark, making it blend into a blotchy mess that was even more eye-catching.
"Don't..." Yin Xiao tried to stop her.
Yi Lu's tone changed, her voice several times louder, "Oh, okay, I get it, I like this shade too..."
As soon as the words were spoken, a figure in pink and white rushed out of the door like the wind, and with a click, the door closed.
The air still carried the floral scent of Yi Lu. Yin Xiao sniffed, then belatedly raised her hand and gently brushed her long, flowing hair in front of her face, trying to forget the incredibly embarrassing misunderstanding from just now.
She rubbed her frozen lips, didn't even lift her eyelids, her gaze blank, and asked with a face full of despair, "Did you do this on purpose?"
"No."
"You did it on purpose!"
Yin Xiao turned around and clung to his shoulder, angrily using all her strength to rub his neck with her fingers together.
Yi Zhiyan's hands hung naturally at his sides. He was forced backward by her forceful push. He glanced behind him silently and then steadily turned to the side.
The burning sensation on his skin vanished abruptly, and he bent his knees, bracing his hands behind him on the marble countertop.
The light overhead shifted, with orange LED strips swirling around. Yin Xiao's fingers hovered in the air as she came to her senses. Suddenly, she realized she wasn't entirely in the right, since the lip print was indeed from her kiss while she was asleep. She guiltily looked up and moved her lips.
Yi Zhiyan showed no impatience or aversion. He leaned against the table, calmly pulled off his tie, and tossed it onto the corner of the table.
He raised his arm and put it around her, his palm pressing down on her waist with a slight force, the taut muscles of his forearm making her gasp for breath.
The world spun around, and in the blink of an eye, Yin Xiao was lifted onto the table. Her legs were off the ground, and the feeling of weightlessness vanished in an instant. Her slightly parted lips were enveloped by warm breath.
All the words she was about to say were cut off, and she involuntarily closed her eyes.
The surrounding atmosphere was volatile, the warmth from the heating system felt like tiny particles seeping into my brain, screaming wildly.
In her daze, she smelled not the pungent smell of alcohol, but the rich aroma of cocoa.
There was no alcohol, but he still seemed to have gone mad.
—
Despite her seemingly crazy behavior, Yin Xiao still retained a sliver of awareness about upholding the spirit of contracts. After getting married, she developed a habit of reviewing the agreement every day to remind herself to be wary of excessive physical contact, otherwise she wouldn't have the money to pay compensation.
Yi Zhiyan seemed much more relaxed than her, and he did quite a few things that violated the contract.
For example, he never took off his wedding ring.
Every time they kissed, a faint coolness would always cover Yin Xiao's ear cartilage, striking her eardrums with a realistic sensation.
How strange, how awkward, especially when she accidentally touched the back of her hand, which was bare and had nothing on it.
"Hmm..." Yin Xiao was brought back to her senses when her lip was lightly bitten.
She recoiled in panic, her eyes wide, and cried out in protest, "You kissed me, but why did you bite me!"
Yi Zhiyan forcefully turned her head, his lips brushing against her cheek, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as if expressing his dissatisfaction with her distraction.
"what's on your mind?"
"Me!" Yin Xiao almost bumped into his mouth in her excitement. She pursed her lips with difficulty, her eyes darting around. "I think you've really gone crazy!"
How could I not be crazy to kiss her every day, from her forehead to her eyes, then to her lips, and even her chin and collarbone...?
After the school event that night, he spent almost the entire day in his study, busy with various video conferences or writing code. She, on the other hand, was out early and back late, immersed in the library, writing papers and revising scripts.
They were both busy with their own things, and could only see each other once a day before going to bed.
He kissed her every time he touched her.
Yin Xiao went from being shocked to being reserved, and then to getting used to it.
But that was always at home. Today, he unusually gave her a ride to school on his way, and before getting out of the car, he even pulled her close and kissed her again.
When their breaths drew near, she thought it was just a kiss on the cheek and didn't flinch. But just a second before their skin touched, he suddenly lowered his chin and kissed her lips perfectly.
The constant rustling sounds outside the window echoed in her ears like alarm bells.
Her hands were still covering her chest, as she complained about his recklessness and despised herself for indulging in it.
A dull tremor pierced the small space, pulling Yin Xiao back to reality. She coughed lightly to cover her displeasure, watched as Yi Zhiyan frowned unhappily, and answered the phone.
He swiped the screen, pressed speakerphone, held the phone in his palm, and extended it in front of her.
Yin Xiao frowned, looked down, and then noticed that the contact name was Ruan Zheng.
"What's up?"
"Thank you so much, sir! The project is a success." Ruan Zheng said, as if she were delivering good news.
Yin Xiao quietly observed Yi Zhiyan's expression; it was very calm, clearly expected.
He placed his phone on the shelf next to him and politely replied, "Congratulations."
"You really helped me a lot this time. Since you keep your word, I'll give you a heads-up."
Yi Zhiyan paused, waiting for her to continue.
“Didn’t you come to Huandao last week to discuss the script? We were thinking of signing it, but recently the company’s money has been put into online R&D of intelligent robots, and we really don’t have the money to invest. Have you considered investing some money?” She slowed down her speech and emphasized her point.
“If you submit your application, we’ll sign the script immediately.”
Yin Xiao was stunned for a moment, realizing she was being used as a bargaining chip. She turned her back, took out a water bottle from her backpack, and gulped down the water. The warm water moistened her throat, washing away the unspeakable bitterness in her heart.
Yi Zhiyan, who was standing next to him, paused for a long time before scoffing, "Just asking for money, is the roundabout going to collapse?"
Ruan Zheng clicked her tongue lightly, "You're really being rude... I'm serious, and you should seriously consider it too. You won't lose out by doing business with me."
Yin Xiao turned her head and stared intently at Yi Zhiyan's expressionless profile, her fingers clenched tightly as she suppressed the urge to speak.
“I can’t pay you, but since you don’t have any money, I have a chance to poach your team.” He uttered these words slowly and deliberately.
"Thank you for reminding me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Zheng cursed at him for more than a dozen times on the other end of the phone, but Yi Zhiyan ignored her and hung up the phone directly.
Yin Xiao suddenly loosened her grip, quickly pulled a tissue from the tissue box in front of her, and wiped away the thin layer of sweat from her palm.
She opened her mouth, wanting to chat with Yi Zhiyan about the island tour, but when she looked up, she saw him leaning closer again.
"Addicted?" Yin Xiao couldn't take it anymore and pressed down on his forehead without any politeness, leaving a round mark with her fingernails.
"Um……"
He leaned closer, as if he hadn't heard a word she said, and his breath hit her face without missing a beat.
Yin Xiao kept backing away, bracing her arms on the stool, reaching for her canvas bag behind her. She grabbed the strap, threw the bag in front of her, and completely blocked him.
"Bear with it."
"It's hard to... bear."
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Author's Note: Next chapter will show how YZY coaxes Xiaoxiao's wife [Let me see] Confession countdown... I won't be able to write the next chapter, so I might skip it.
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