Chapter 27: Tear up those few pieces of paper that show your concerns?
Her frozen face was reflected in the glass window; all expressions failed her in the silence.
My heart was racing, and the tips of my ears were burning hot, radiating heat that made my brain feel dizzy.
After being lost in thought for a long time, Yin Xiao finally pursed her lips and formed a genuine smile.
Before she could respond, her arm was suddenly bumped by a girl walking by. She regained her composure amidst the girl's repeated "sorry," and her overflowing joy gradually subsided.
wrong.
How could she have heard Yi Zhiyan's confession in such a noisy and chaotic scene?
He never confessed his feelings during so many other opportune times and places, when the atmosphere was just right. Why did it have to be this rushed moment?
Yin Xiao gently pressed her palm down, her fingernails carving a row of crescent-shaped marks on her palm. She exhaled, turned around, and calmly took two steps closer to Yi Zhiyan.
"Are you serious?"
"I'm very serious."
Yi Zhiyan looked down at her, the light falling on his clear pupils, casting shifting shadows at the corners of his eyes. His features seemed shrouded in a misty haze, his expression indistinct.
Yin Xiao couldn't quite discern his emotions, so she smiled and said softly.
"If you're really serious, then let's do it another time and another place. I'll say it again when I get home."
She tilted her head, glanced around at the people coming and going, and said bluntly, "Here, it makes you seem impulsive and also affects my judgment."
“Let’s all think this through.”
After Yin Xiao finished speaking, she stood on tiptoe, raised her hand and patted the teddy bear's head, glanced at Yi Zhiyan, and turned to walk into the barbecue restaurant.
Several jewelry stores downstairs were holding events, and colorful balloons floated away from the crowd, slowly passing over the corridor railings and flying up to the top floor.
Yin Xiao's figure was obscured by two intertwined orange and white balloons. Yi Zhiyan withdrew his gaze, tightened his arms, hugged the brown bear, turned his head, walked through the passage, and entered the coffee shop across the street.
Lu Wen sat in the corner by the window. He saw her make a gesture to be quiet, gently patted Xiao Jiu who was sleeping next to him, and tiptoed to put a cushion behind her head.
"Did I say something wrong just now?" After comforting his daughter, Lu Wen took a sip of coffee to moisten his throat and asked Yi Zhiyan in a low voice, "You two don't seem very willing... to be open about your marital relationship in public?"
“That’s not what I’m unhappy about.” Yi Zhiyan put down the brown bear plush toy and pulled his Americano in front of him. “Let’s put that aside for now. Could you send me the wedding planning company you hired? I need to prepare some bouquets and balloons…”
Lu Wen's eyes sharpened, and he hurriedly interrupted, "What are you going to do, propose?"
"No." Yi Zhiyan picked up the stirring spoon and slowly swirled it around the rim of the cup. "But it's about the same."
Lu Wen gripped the corner of the table with both hands, so anxious that half of his body was slumped over it. "Why are you in such a hurry now? We can't wait..."
"No." Yi Zhiyan interrupted in a deep voice, paused for a second, and then softened his tone, "Hurry up and send it to me."
Lu Wen sized him up for a moment, then shook his head helplessly and reluctantly sat back down. Seeing Yi Zhiyan's tense expression, he knew that Yi Zhiyan had made up his mind, and no one could sway him.
His younger brother was really interested, so there was no reason to stop him... After hesitating for two seconds, Lu Wen still found the business card of the planning company in the list and clicked send.
"Is there something you and Yin Xiao urgently need to discuss?" After giving up on persuasion, Lu Wen relaxed and became curious.
"Why do you ask that?" Yi Zhiyan glanced at him and asked in return.
"Didn't you deliberately invite me here for dinner?"
Lu Wen raised his finger and tapped the glass window meaningfully, "But you've gone a bit too far, haven't you? Your sister-in-law is having dinner with her friends, and you want to come along?"
"No, I'm worried that if the rain gets too heavy, it will be inconvenient for her to go back..." Yi Zhiyan was momentarily stunned, realizing that Lu Wen was bluffing him.
He frowned and looked up at the person opposite him. Lu Wen indeed shook his head and smugly uttered a few words slowly.
"It was definitely done on purpose."
—
The barbecue restaurant was filled with steam. Yin Xiao blinked hard, stepped onto the stairs, and waved to Chen Weiqi in the booth on the right.
"Come on, this is delicious." Dai Lan also raised her hand, pulled her onto the stool, and stuffed a skewer of grilled gluten into her hand.
Yin Xiao took a big bite, finished eating with a heavy heart, took a sip of grapefruit juice, and coughed lightly.
"There's something I want to tell you all."
Dai Lan stuffed several mouthfuls of beef tendon into her mouth, chewing intently. Chen Weiqi put down her water glass and nudged her with her elbow. Only then did she look up and squeeze out a sound through her nose.
"Um?"
“I didn’t mistake that little girl.” Yin Xiao clasped her hands tightly on her lap, speaking rapidly.
"Huh?" Dai Lan's mouth was full of meat, and she made a questioning sound that was not clear.
Yin Xiao took a breath and slowly explained, "I married Yi Zhiyan."
After a moment of silence, Dai Lan opened her mouth wide, stopped chewing for a moment, and blinked twice. Chen Weiqi was much calmer, only frowned slightly, and picked up her glass to drink water.
Dai Lan stared at her quietly, as if digesting her words. After a few seconds, she continued to gnaw on the chicken wing without caring. Once she had swallowed it all, she grinned and laughed.
Does the senior himself know?
"What?" Yin Xiao was taken aback by her sudden question. "I know..."
Dai Lan nodded, then bent down and placed a few more slices of beef rolls on the grill. She patiently spread them out with tongs, and the meat began to sizzle and ooze oil.
Yin Xiao observed her familiar and focused movements for a while, and realized that she didn't take it seriously. "You don't believe me?"
Chen Weiqi, who was standing next to her, spoke up first, "What do you mean 'again'? Did you tell her about this?"
“I wouldn’t say I’ve said that.” Yin Xiao rubbed the corner of her eye. “One night, Xiao Xun overheard him making a phone call. I told them directly, but they didn’t believe me.”
Dai Lan put down the clips, took a wet wipe to clean her hands, and muttered carelessly, "Who would believe that? Have you ever been in a relationship? If a complete stranger calls you and calls you 'wife,' you just say you're married?"
Yin Xiao, feeling guilty, tried to gain trust, "But we met this time, and you know Yi Zhiyan, so what is there to doubt?"
"You ask me why I don't believe you?" Dai Lan's tone suddenly rose. "Who was it that hugged me while drinking last month, with nothing but crush on their mind?"
Yin Xiao was speechless, she had almost forgotten about the crush.
“He’s the crush I told you about.” Yin Xiao simply told him everything, “He paid me 5,000, helped me on the subway, picked me up at the high-speed rail station… it was all him.”
Dai Lan gripped the wet wipe and suddenly asked, "When did you get married?"
We got our marriage certificate before the Lunar New Year.
Dai Lan pouted, "But you were still hesitating about whether to confess your feelings last month."
"This... is a bit complicated. Let me explain it to you."
"No need, I still don't quite believe it. If you really like your senior, then go ahead and get to know him, but don't think about marriage right away..."
Yin Xiao paused for a second, then propped her head up, looking weak and listless. "Why don't you believe me?"
Dai Lan said irritably, "What do you think? In the past few years, how many lies have you made up to deal with all the pressure to get married and blind dates? I've fallen for so many of them, each one different. You've wasted my feelings."
Yin Xiao pinched her burning earlobe, knowing that it was pointless to reason with Dai Lan at this point.
"Never mind, let's eat."
She had just picked up a slice of beef roll when a new message popped up on her phone screen.
[Weiqi: You and Senior Yi Zhiyan really got married?]
[Yes, we have a marriage certificate, but it might not be convenient to show it right now.]
[Weiqi: No need, I believe you.]
[Weiqi: But why did you keep it from us before? Or did you keep it from everyone around you?]
[Aside from the elders in the family, no one knew about the marriage.]
[Because we had other reasons for getting married, we signed a one-year agreement.]
The screen remained silent for more than ten seconds before the message popped up.
[Weiqi: Are you serious? I was starting to believe you, but now I think you're kidding me.]
[Really! If I'm lying, I won't get my scholarship this year! But please keep this a secret!]
Yin Xiao looked up, and Chen Weiqi happened to be looking over as well. Over Dai Lan, who was engrossed in eating ribs, Chen Weiqi gave her an OK sign.
—
After dinner, the rain outside had stopped long ago, and the ground was completely dry. Yin Xiao took the subway back to Qiyuan alone.
As soon as you open the door, a refreshing floral fragrance wafts out.
Yin Xiao stood frozen at the doorway, her gaze wandering aimlessly.
All the ceiling lights in the living room were on, providing bright light. Pink bouquets were arranged around the floor, extending from the doorway to the end of the hallway. On the wall opposite her, a huge heart made of dozens of balloons was pasted on, with a chubby panda plush toy leaning against the wall below.
She closed the door behind her, changed her shoes, and walked into the living room. Only when she reached the island counter did she see a pile of scattered balloons on the floor.
Yi Zhiyan was sitting below the island platform, holding a balloon and seemingly studying something. Hearing the sound, he looked up and stood up in surprise. "You...you're back?"
"Well, I saw that it wasn't raining outside, so I didn't need you to pick me up and came back on my own without sending you a message."
She walked to the refrigerator, opened the door, took out a bottle of Coke, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, leaned against the island counter, and pointed to the balloons scattered all over the floor.
"Are you... preparing a surprise for me?"
"Yes, I was too hasty this afternoon. I'll confess again this time." Yi Zhiyan raised his hand to touch his hair and ripped off a piece of transparent tape that was stuck to his hair.
Yin Xiao smiled and thought he looked much cuter than when he had a serious face.
"Actually, there's no need for that. You don't need to prepare anything. Just ask again, and my answer will be the same."
Yi Zhiyan bent down, rested his elbows on the marble countertop, and looked at her intently, as if waiting for her answer.
Yin Xiao leaned closer to him, resting her head on the table, and looked up at him. "I like you too."
He smiled and said, "I know."
Yin Xiao was taken aback, then retorted defiantly, "I could tell you liked me too."
He frowned, a hint of doubt in his eyes, "Then why did you keep our relationship a secret?"
"Huh?" Yin Xiao didn't react.
Yi Zhiyan suddenly covered her left hand, his fingertips brushing against her ring finger.
"Why do you never wear a ring? Why were you so flustered in front of your classmates when you saw me today? We have the most reasonable and legal relationship, but I don't even have a title with you."
Yin Xiao forced a smile, finally understanding why he suddenly confessed his feelings at the Golden Eagle Awards. It turned out he acted impulsively because he saw that she was hiding it from her roommates.
She didn't say anything, turned around and went into the room, took out the secret marriage agreement from the drawer, and came back to put the agreement directly on the table.
“Even if we like each other, this agreement is for a year. If one of us crosses the line, we will be punished. I don’t have that much money, so I don’t care about formalities.”
Yi Zhiyan picked up the flimsy agreement, glanced at it, and said, "After all this talk, you're only worried about these few pieces of paper?"
He straightened up, gripped the two corners with both hands, and deftly tore one wrist downwards. "Tear it off."
The tearing sound lingered in my ears.
He gripped a handful of scraps of paper, raised an eyebrow at her, and displayed a touch of carefree arrogance.
"Now my worries are gone."
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