Chapter 28. Don't be fierce. Thin.
A blur of white paper floated before Yin Xiao's eyes, and her thoughts drifted away, inexplicably recalling the scene of her first meeting with Yi Zhiyan on the subway.
He was wearing a windbreaker, a baseball cap, and a black mask. He squeezed out from the crowd of onlookers, stood in front of her, and shoved his phone directly into the faces of the man and woman who were trying to take up seats and start a fight. He spoke one after another, his arguments reasonable and uncompromising.
"I'm live streaming."
"I'm violating your privacy by livestreaming? Oh, then call the police. I suggest checking the surveillance footage from the moment you boarded the subway, leaving no detail unchecked."
He was efficient in both speech and action, and his dodge was particularly swift when the man who was taking up the seat stood up to grab the phone.
That first impression perfectly overlaps with the present moment.
Yin Xiao suppressed a smile and said, "Yi Zhiyan, you're so childish."
She lowered her head, resting her face on the cold table. "Who said that tearing up this agreement makes it invalid? You haven't forgotten that you made several copies yourself, and there's even an electronic version on your USB drive..."
"Yin Xiao," Yi Zhiyan suddenly interrupted, "you know that's not what I meant."
Yin Xiao crossed her arms, propped herself up on the table, blinked, and asked, "What do you mean?"
Yi Zhiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers gently yet domineeringly embedding themselves between her fingers.
"Yin Xiao, I like you. I don't want to be bound by the agreement anymore. It's not a fake feeling that I'm pretending to be in, but an unplanned and uncontrollable feeling in my heart."
The air around them seemed to freeze for a few seconds. The temperature of their fingertips touching rose up to their arms, necks, and brains. Yin Xiao's mind went blank for a second. She pulled her hand away, hooked it around his neck, and tilted her head back to press her lips against his.
"Let's fall in love, Yi Zhiyan. No agreement, no fake marriage, a relationship that starts from scratch." Her voice was very soft.
The halo above their heads spun slowly, blurring the background, while their reflections in each other's pupils became increasingly clear.
Yi Zhiyan gently touched the tip of her nose, "Okay..."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the doorbell rang, and she tore open the wrapping paper that hinted at something more intimate.
Yin Xiao was the first to react, straightening up by supporting herself on the corner of the table. Only after Yi Zhiyan walked towards the door did she turn around and look at the entrance.
After the door opened, Yin Yi walked in carrying a pinkish-purple handbag. She was wearing a gray suit dress, her high ponytail was neat and refreshing, and her serious expression showed that she was in work mode.
Sure enough, Yin Yi glanced quickly at Yin Xiao who was approaching, then turned to Yi Zhiyan, opened her handbag, and took out a kraft paper envelope.
"President Qi asked me to deliver this."
Yi Zhiyan flipped the item over and examined it for a few seconds. A flash of surprise crossed his face, and he looked up to thank her politely.
"Thank you, Sister Yi."
Yin Yi nodded, turned to look at Yin Xiao who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, looked her up and down for a moment, and lingered on the corner of her lips for a long time.
"Are you free on Friday? Come with me to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities."
"Okay." Yin Xiao noticed where her gaze was directed and subconsciously pursed her lips.
Yin Yi smiled faintly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Yi Zhiyan was still standing at the door, his fingers tapping erratically on the envelope, staring at it as if he were pondering something.
Has your sister mentioned Qi Xu to you?
"We haven't talked about it proactively." Yin Xiao's lips trembled, then, as if remembering something, she tentatively asked, "Has Brother Qi talked to you about my sister?"
Yi Zhiyan answered confidently, "No."
Yin Xiao frowned. Had she misread it?
That night, in order to avoid Yi Zhiyan, she wanted to stay at Yin Yi's house. She made a video call at the door, and the person kissing Yin Yi on the screen was... Qi Xu, wasn't he?
—
The air conditioning in the supermarket was very hot, making Yin Xiao feel dizzy. She pushed the shopping cart with one hand and unbuttoned her coat with the other.
"Are you with Yi Zhiyan?" Yin Yi put two packs of wet wipes in the car and turned her head to look at the ring on her hand.
"Huh? Weren't we already together?" Yin Xiao picked up a bottle of green shower gel and glanced at it absentmindedly.
"You're not telling me the truth?" Yin Yi chuckled. "I'm talking about a truly intimate relationship built after we've opened our hearts to each other."
Yin Xiao put down the shower gel and said slowly, "Sis, your wording is too formal."
Yin Yi didn't speak, but placed her hands on the armrests and stared at her quietly.
"Yes, it's been three days since we officially got together." Yin Xiao couldn't stand her sister's gaze, so she confessed decisively.
She paused for a second after speaking, then asked cautiously, "Are you going to get angry? Are you going to yell at me?"
"No, best wishes." Yin Yi laughed heartily.
A second later, she stopped smiling and her tone became much more serious.
“I admit I was a bit prejudiced against him before. After all, there were so many rumors about him within Yizhi, and I wasn’t sure what kind of person he was, or if he was the right match for you. I even thought some of your friends were more suitable than him, and I considered trying to set you up with someone else, but now…”
Yin Xiao picked out a few buckets of potato chips from the shelf and casually asked, "What's going on now?"
"Now I think you two are a match made in heaven."
Yin Xiao looked up, paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief, her eyebrows curving into a smile.
"Sis, I feel like you've changed a lot in the past month. You're not so pessimistic about relationships anymore. Has someone influenced you?"
Yin Yi picked up a carton of milk, looked down at the production date, and said, "I guess so."
"Senior Qi Chen?"
Yin Yi looked up abruptly, "What are you thinking? We already made it clear that we haven't been in contact since his internship ended."
“That is…” Yin Xiao paused for a second deliberately, “Brother Qi Xu.”
"Why...why are you thinking about him again?" Yin Yi put the milk into the shopping cart, fiddled with it aimlessly for a few moments, and straightened it out.
“A few weeks ago, I wanted to stay at your house for one night. I video-called you from your doorstep, and he answered, but hung up immediately. However, I still saw you two...kissing.” Yin Xiao blurted out all the words she had been holding back, carefully observing Yin Yi’s expression.
"Video? I didn't notice." Yin Yi sighed, which was a tacit admission. "Don't tell Mom and Dad yet, I... I'm not sure."
Yin Xiao opened her mouth, not quite understanding Yin Yi's words, but still nodded in agreement.
After leaving the supermarket, Yin Yi took her to a nearby alley to eat claypot rice. After eating, she took the subway back to Qiyuan by herself.
In the March nights, the wind is no longer so biting, and there is a faint scent of grass in the air.
Yin Xiao was carrying a heavy canvas bag home when she saw a familiar figure near the entrance of the building.
The person stood sideways under the streetlight, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, the orange-yellow light shining behind their ears, creating faint bright spots.
Yin Xiao took two steps closer, glanced at the sparkling silver earring, her gaze suddenly stopped, and she tentatively opened her mouth.
"Miki?"
Hearing the sound, He Sen looked up and all the light focused on his face.
It was only then that Yin Xiao realized something was wrong. His eyes were bloodshot, his lips were pursed, and he seemed a little slow to react. He took two steps closer to her, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted over her.
"What’s wrong with you……"
Yin Xiao's eyes widened in surprise. In her memory, He Sen had always been a teetotaler who neither smoked nor drank and was so disciplined that he was almost abnormal. How could he suddenly be wearing an earring and so drunk?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden, intense spiciness. Before she could dodge, He Sen had already firmly pinned her hands down.
The cold, slippery touch slowly extended from her wrist to her fingertips, stimulating her to tense up all over, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end. She frantically struggled to break free.
"Are you drunk? I'll call a car to take you home..." Yin Xiao tried to keep her voice steady.
"And you?" he asked, seemingly out of the blue.
Without warning, he let go, and Yin Xiao lost her balance and stumbled back two steps. She lowered her eyes and touched the red mark on her hand, not understanding what he meant.
"I?"
He tugged at his collar, his gaze drifting intently toward the stairwell to her right and behind.
"You live with him?"
"Yes." Yin Xiao didn't hide it.
He pointed upstairs, his gaze suddenly falling on her left hand. "Is it really necessary for us to live together if it's fake? The ring is a prop too, it's such an eyesore, take it off, please take it off..."
Without warning, he grabbed her left hand, tightened his grip on the ring, and pulled it outwards forcefully, wave after wave, until her skin was chafed painfully by the ring and her fingertips felt numb and burning.
"Don't move, talk to me properly..."
Yin Xiao tried to remain rational and reason with He Sen, but He Sen seemed completely deaf to her words, and all his strength was concentrated on her wrist.
Her hands were bound to his chest, the canvas bag fell to her feet, and she could only lean back with difficulty to avoid skin-to-skin contact. The difference in strength was too great, and she was pulled so hard that she was about to fall, the twisting and throbbing pain in her fingers stimulating her nerves.
She pursed her lips, made up her mind, and kicked him in the knee.
He Sen groaned in pain, released her, bent over and held his knees to catch his breath, and stared intently at her.
"Xiao Shui, can't you tell... all these years..."
Yin Xiao, still unsettled, pressed her hand to her chest, not paying attention to what he said. She silently put the ring back on her ring finger, picked up her canvas bag, and strode back towards the elevator.
He Sen was slurring his words, holding his head with one hand and swaying from side to side, looking like a drunkard who was completely out of his mind. Yin Xiao sighed, took out her phone, and sent a message to Yin Yi, intending to have her sister call He Sen's friend to come and pick him up.
Before she could send the message, she had just stepped onto the stairs when a figure in a long trench coat came into view.
Her heart settled down silently, and her fingers relaxed.
"Easy to know about inkstones".
Her throat was so dry she could barely speak; the three words were almost inaudible.
"Hmm?" Yi Zhiyan approached, bent down to take her bulging canvas bag, and familiarly put his arm around her shoulder.
Yin Xiao cleared her throat quietly. "Why did you come down? Weren't you in a meeting?"
"I just finished driving, and since you weren't back yet, I thought I'd come down and wait for you."
Yi Zhiyan paused, his gaze drifting to her back, and he tightened his grip on her shoulder.
"Little Water".
A muffled sound came from behind, and Yin Xiao's expression froze. She subconsciously tightened her grip on the ring.
She took a deep breath, turned her head and was about to say something when an SUV suddenly stopped on the side road to He Sen's right.
The car door opened, and the girl in the jacket rushed over and precisely restrained He Sen's flailing arms.
"Jin, Jin Siya... don't pull me, I won't go."
The girl who was pushed away reacted quickly, stepping forward and covering He Sen's mouth without hesitation. She looked up at Yin Xiao and smiled, "Sorry, he's drunk. I'll take him home first..."
Yin Xiao nodded vaguely, feeling that the girl looked somewhat familiar. He watched as the girl grabbed He Sen's left hand with one hand and pressed down on his neck with the other, half-dragging and half-carrying him away.
She searched her mind for that face, but found nothing.
"Yin Xiao." The girl suddenly turned around and called out to her, "You'll be at the class reunion this weekend, right?"
Yin Xiao nodded, "Mm..."
She asked He Sen to help her keep her marriage a secret because she was worried about being questioned at the class reunion. However, her high school homeroom teacher from another city would also be attending, and she didn't want to miss this rare opportunity.
Judging from the girl's tone, is she a high school classmate...?
Yin Xiao watched the girl's receding figure and murmured her name.
"What are you thinking about?" Yi Zhiyan grabbed her wrist, walked to the elevator, pressed the button, and asked gently.
"I'm wondering... why can't I remember people's faces?" Yin Xiao tilted her chin up and muttered weakly, "I feel like I recognize that girl in the jacket, but I can't remember her at all."
Yi Zhiyan lowered his eyelids and raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs on her eyelashes. "If you can't remember, that's fine. If we're destined to meet again, we'll meet again, until you remember that person."
"Oh..." She reluctantly stepped into the elevator. The moment the numbers changed, a clear picture appeared in her mind. "I remember now, she was the math class representative of the class next door. She passed the independent enrollment before the college entrance examination, and I heard that she went abroad later."
Yin Xiao's voice gradually lowered, "But...does she know Miki?"
"Don't think about it anymore. You can talk to her directly at the class reunion." Yi Zhiyan lowered his head and rubbed the top of her head. "But now, can you stop thinking about other men, wife?"
"I didn't." Yin Xiao hurriedly denied, "He... I don't know how he ended up downstairs at our house. We didn't say much, and when I saw he was drunk, I was thinking of finding someone to take him home."
"Yes, I know, wife." Yi Zhiyan lowered his arm and affectionately wrapped it around her fingers again, the tingling coolness on the back of her hand.
"Hiss..." A sudden dull pain shot through Yin Xiao's wrist, and she couldn't help but gasp.
Yi Zhiyan frowned as he glanced at her, then gently lifted her left hand to examine it. "Why is it so red? Who grabbed you? He Sen?"
"No." Yin Xiao withdrew her hand, instinctively trying to cover it up. "It will disappear in a moment."
Yi Zhiyan stared at her without moving for a moment, his eyes deep and focused, as if he could see through her lies with ease.
The elevator doors opened, and he calmly looked away, then took her arm and led her out of the elevator.
"I'll apply the medicine when we get back." He said suddenly, his expression unchanged.
Yin Xiao paused for a moment, "No need, it's just a little bit, it's too much trouble..."
"Apply the medicine." He reached out to unlock the door, repeating the instruction in a low voice without changing his tone.
Yin Xiao blinked, keenly sensing his low mood and the barely concealed anger in his words.
"You're being mean to me." The door clicked open, and Yin Xiao stood there, pursing her lips as she uttered three words.
The three words, light as feathers, floated into the air. Yi Zhiyan's pupils contracted, and his throat bobbed with difficulty.
"No... Applying medicine will reduce the swelling quickly, and you have to meet with the theater troupe tomorrow."
Yin Xiao was gently pushed through the door by him. Upon hearing the name of the theater troupe, she nodded in agreement.
Yi Zhiyan turned on the living room ceiling light, casually placed the canvas bag on the island counter, and went straight to the bedroom to get the medicine.
Yin Xiao walked alone to the island counter and buried herself in the things she bought at the supermarket. She pulled the canvas bag open as wide as possible and tightened the drawstrings on both sides, pressing it against the table.
She only bought a few things: a bag of apples, several tubs of potato chips, and a large box of liqueur-filled chocolates. She reached into the bag with a clear purpose, without even looking, grabbed the chocolate box at the bottom, and with a swift movement, pulled the round gift box out with one hand.
A pale blue blur flashed past my eyes. With a soft thud, the blue blur hit the floor.
Yin Xiao turned her head and her gaze froze instantly. A small, square blue box lay at her feet, with several dark characters printed on it: Moist. Thin. Hold. Long.
What is that?!
Yin Xiao's pupils dilated, and her heart raced uncontrollably.
If she understood correctly, it was... a set?
She stood there stunned for a few seconds, then quickly bent down, reaching for the small blue box, only to suddenly see a well-defined forearm flash before her eyes. She stiffly looked up, following the line of her arm.
"This..." Yi Zhiyan picked it up and examined it, asking without changing his expression, "Did you buy this?"
-----------------------
Author's note: There are still 30,000 words left in the main story!
Thank you for reading this far, everyone! I'm also sorry for the recent lack of updates; I'll try to update more frequently for the next few tens of thousands of words! [Sprinkling flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
