Chapter 30: He had been wanting to sleep for a long time.
The question he uttered was utterly confident, his voice low and husky, mixed with a lazy laugh, as if he had just been woken up.
The room was dim and quiet. Yi Zhiyan's fingertips rubbed against her palm, showing no intention of letting go, like a feather brushing against her.
Yin Xiao felt itchy, and curled her fingers up, but couldn't break free. She looked smug and replied half-jokingly.
"I'd like to check on your recent fitness progress."
"I see..." Yi Zhiyan poked her forehead with the tip of his nose, his grip remaining firm.
"Let go?" Yin Xiao dodged back a little.
"Do you want me to touch you now that you've let go?" He gently massaged her wrist, carefully avoiding the area where the ointment was applied.
Yin Xiao wrinkled her nose, deliberately bent her fingers, and rubbed them against the back of his hand. "You won't let me touch you? How stingy, honey."
She raised her other hand and, without hesitation, placed it on his waist, tracing it upwards to rest on the edge of his abs. She poked him lightly through his clothes with her fingertips—not excessive, just playful.
Just as her hand circled and reached towards the center, Yi Zhiyan grabbed it again. He tightened his grip on her wrist and pulled her forward, his well-proportioned forearm pressing against her hip, pinning her restless hand to his chest, half-embracing her.
"Touching it again will cause trouble."
His breath was hot, and every word felt like a flame brushing against her earlobe, raising the temperature around them and creating an atmosphere of ambiguity.
Yin Xiao's fingers trembled, and she noticed that his grip had suddenly loosened. She blinked slowly, about to speak, when she heard a sigh beside her.
"Didn't you say you were going to sleep? How come you still have the mind to play?"
"I can't sleep," she muttered softly. "When I close my eyes, all I can think about is you..."
“Me?” Yi Zhiyan stared at her.
Yin Xiao looked up, pressed her stinging eyes, and bluntly admitted, "You."
Yi Zhiyan's gaze remained fixed on her face, expressionless, his eyes dark, and his breath trembling slightly. After a moment, he tucked a few stray strands of hair from her shoulder behind her neck.
"Go to sleep."
After he finished speaking, he turned over, and the woody scent he had been carrying faded away. Yin Xiao stared blankly at his broad back for a while, and a jumble of images in her mind started popping up again without restraint.
She raised her hand, held her breath, and firmly poked his shoulder blade.
Are you tired?
Yi Zhiyan turned over and looked at her sideways. "What? Still can't sleep? Want to get me up for a run?"
Yin Xiao silently pinched her ear, unsure how to begin.
Yi Zhiyan replied slowly, reached out and turned on a bedside lamp, and pretended to get up, "I'm not tired, I'll stay with you."
Yin Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of heat rushed to her head. Without thinking, she sat up, wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed his hand down, and pounced on the bed, straddling his waist without a care.
“When I close my eyes, all I see is you, I…” she muttered incoherently, at a time when she had no reason to argue logically, but she stubbornly wanted to say it, “I want to kiss you… no, I want to do something even more outrageous than kissing you.”
Yi Zhiyan stared at her, his hand lightly supporting her waist. The small lamp by the bedside emitted a faint light, casting dappled shadows on his face and illuminating his taut lips.
Yin Xiao's fingers curled up, and she began to back down, lowering her head and letting her long hair cover her eyes.
Suddenly, the hand on her waist tightened, gripping her back and pressing her down. After a dizzying spin, the back of her head was gently supported, and a burning heat covered her lips.
Yi Zhiyan stroked the ends of her hair, slowly deepening the kiss, and then turned her over in his arms.
Their breathing grew heavier, and she was pressed down on the blanket, every inch of her skin enveloped in softness, she felt as if she were sinking into fluffy cotton.
Her sleeve slipped down to her elbow, a chill creeping over her, and she couldn't help but shiver. The next moment, his hand gently caressed her bare shoulder, the warm touch spreading across her collarbone.
She tilted her head back to take a breath, reached under her pillow, grabbed the box, and flung it in front of him. He seemed to open it and glance at it, his breathing quickening. The dim light shone on his face, casting a halo around the corners of his eyes.
He paused for a second, then casually tossed it onto the bedside table, his voice a little hoarse, "The size is wrong."
Before she could react, he raised his right hand to her ear, bent down and took out a similar white box from the drawer.
"You..." Yin Xiao's mind went blank for a moment, her ears burned, and she felt the aura surrounding her scorching her. "You've been planning this for a long time!"
"Mmm..." He didn't deny it, lowered his head and leaned closer, cupping her chin and giving her a light, fleeting kiss. His hands covered her waist, one after another, as if to soothe her. "Don't you like it?"
Yin Xiao rose and fell in the long kiss, her consciousness scattered, and she moved her lips but could not utter a word.
In a daze, she realized that she seemed to have been planning this for a long time as well.
The night she pretended to be drunk and kissed him, she revealed her true feelings—that she wanted to sleep with him.
"Hmm?" Yi Zhiyan's voice was deep and warm, the sound of his voice burning against the skin, bringing a gentle, ticklish breeze.
The calluses on her hands rubbed against the back of her neck, her fingers tangled with her spread-out hair, and she instinctively pulled away, only to have her chin pulled back.
“…I like it.” She slowly uttered the two words, her teeth grinding against the tip of her tongue, the dull pain causing her to frown and her eyes to redden.
"Remember to tell me if you don't like it anymore, and I'll stop." He gently rubbed the corners of her reddened eyes with his fingertips, patiently asking her again and again.
But it was as if a thin veil was draped over her ears, making everything hazy and distant.
Her consciousness alternated between lucidity and depravity for a very long time.
Midway through, Yi Zhiyan pulled her onto his lap, and she bit his shoulder, her breath coming in short gasps, insisting that he turn off the light.
The bedside lamp finally went out, and the surroundings were plunged into complete, bottomless darkness.
She seemed to be floating on the tide, and he kept pulling her closer and closer...
—
I opened my eyes to find the room completely dark.
Yin Xiao woke up very early. As she turned over, she winced silently in pain, but it was much better than the numb pain she felt last night.
The blackout curtains in the bedroom were completely closed, so she couldn't tell the exact time.
Lying flat on the bed, she stretched out her arm to reach her phone on the cabinet, held it up to her face, and turned on the screen. A flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and before she could see the time, a familiar figure appeared in front of her bed.
Yi Zhiyan sat on the edge of the bed, hooking his fingers around the hem of his T-shirt and flipping it up. The next second, the smooth muscle lines of his waist were revealed, and the skin on his back was smooth and firm. There was a faint red mark near his shoulder, which looked out of place.
"You, you should have said something!"
Yin Xiao quickly pulled the blanket up to cover her face, leaving only her eyes staring at his back.
Yi Zhiyan didn't stop what he was doing. He tossed the T-shirt to the foot of the bed, stretched out his arm, and grabbed a neatly ironed white shirt. He turned on a small lamp and turned to look at her.
"Awake?" He quickly put on his shirt, turned up the collar, and fastened the first button with one hand.
"Hmm." Yin Xiao glanced casually at his well-defined abs, then deliberately moved to his rolled-up sleeves. When her gaze unexpectedly fell on several obvious teeth marks, she blinked in confusion, "These weren't bites from me..., were they?"
"What do you think?" He bent down and leaned closer, so close that his forehead was almost touching hers.
Yin Xiao threw off the blanket, pushed him away, sat up, and pointed to her neck, "It's all because you kissed me first! I told you not to leave marks, but you kept kissing me, making me have to try and block you..."
"I'm sorry, wife, I couldn't help myself." Yi Zhiyan apologized softly, but there was no remorse on his face.
Yin Xiao choked up and grabbed his loose collar in an annoyed manner.
"Get dressed properly this early in the morning." Her eyelashes fluttered, and she curled her lips into a smile. "Otherwise, I might start hitting you again."
"I've been waiting for you to make your move." Yi Zhiyan suddenly raised his hand, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Her palm was forced to press against his chest, and she subconsciously bent her fingers and grabbed a button.
The air grew thick, and the citrus scent from the bedside table wafted into my nostrils, its tiny, sweet molecules teasing me unintentionally.
"Um... about introducing you to my roommate." Yin Xiao sniffed, barely managing to regain her composure. "I have to go to the theater troupe this afternoon, and there's a high school reunion tomorrow, so this matter might have to be postponed until next week."
"High school reunion." Yi Zhiyan didn't let go, lazily lifting his eyelids, his eyes darkening. "With He Sen, that one?"
"Hmm, why are you so interested in him?" Yin Xiao asked curiously.
"Because he pays too much attention to you." Yi Zhiyan paused for a few seconds, then said, word by word, "He likes you."
"How could this be? We've known each other for decades, we've been classmates since childhood. He's just been acting a little strange lately, it's impossible..." Yin Xiao suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in shock. Countless images flashed through her mind, and at this moment they became clear.
She pursed her lips hesitantly, turned her head to look at the ring beside her pillow, put it on, and held it up to her eyes, waving it around.
"I...I'll make it clear to him when I attend my high school reunion." She earnestly promised, "I won't take off my wedding ring."
—
This high school reunion was jointly organized by the class monitors of both classes, and their shared math teacher, Jin Lin, was also invited. The banquet was planned by a professional team and held at a private restaurant in the city center, making it quite formal.
The banquet hall was very warm from the air conditioning. Yin Xiao took off her coat and wrapped it around her arm, wearing only a beige off-the-shoulder dress. She held a glass of warm lemon water tightly and leaned against the table.
She arrived half an hour early, but there weren't many familiar classmates around her. After a brief greeting, they ran out of things to talk about.
"Yin Xiao." A clear female voice suddenly rang out behind her.
She turned around, stared at the girl in the red dress for two seconds, hesitated, and then tentatively asked, "Cen Yiting?"
“I saw you as soon as I walked in! You haven’t changed at all…” Cen Yiting stepped forward and grabbed her hand, her gaze sweeping over her without any attempt to hide it. “Why didn’t you ever attend our gatherings before? You’re such a busy person. You’ve forgotten about your old classmates now that you’ve gotten into Anlin University, haven’t you?”
Yin Xiao couldn't find a reply and gave a polite smile.
She and Cen Yiting were only in the same class for a year, and actually didn't exchange many words. She hasn't forgotten this face thanks to Cen Yiting's frequent posts on WeChat Moments; just half an hour ago, she posted a nine-grid OOTD photo of the day, featuring this red slip dress.
"Oh, you're free next week? Come to my wedding in Guangzhou." Cen Yiting reached into her handbag, rummaged around for a moment, and magically produced a rectangular wedding invitation, stuffing it into her hand.
"Congratulations!" Yin Xiao was a little stunned, but still sincerely offered her congratulations. Then, as if remembering something, she frowned, "I probably won't be able to come next week. I went to a few theater troupe auditions yesterday, and there are more next week..."
"Even if you can't come in person, you should at least send a red envelope, right?" Cen Yiting patted her arm familiarly and smiled at her, "Don't worry, I'll give you a return gift when you get married."
Yin Xiao moved her lips, but before she could say anything, she turned around gracefully. As she pulled out a new invitation, she ran towards her old classmate who had just entered the room.
"...I'm already married." Yin Xiao raised her left hand to the light, examining the ring closely, and muttered to herself helplessly.
He withdrew his hand, and his phone began to vibrate continuously, all messages from Yin Yi.
She had just returned to Qianzhou and couldn't wait to send a photo of herself with her parents, with the scenic lake in the park in the background.
[A Niu Hulu Yi: Don't worry, little sister, I'll take care of Mom and Dad.]
[A Niu Huluyi: How was your class reunion?]
Yin Xiao glanced at the gold-embossed invitation in her hand, then pursed her lips meaninglessly.
[It's pretty good, but there are so many people that I can't quite remember who's who.]
[A Niu Hulu Yi: You really need to get your face blindness treated.]
Yin Xiao was unconvinced, so she pulled her phone up to her eyes and pounded on the screen with all her might. Unfortunately, before she could finish typing, the other party sent her three links.
Same style camisole pajamas in different color schemes.
It doesn't quite qualify as pajamas. A rope hangs around the neck, the chest is covered in thin lace fabric, the waist is secured with an elastic band, and there are transparent tassels for decoration.
Yin Xiao hovered her finger above the screen, hesitating to tap it, and instead swiped up and down to return a punctuation mark.
[？]
[A Niu Hulu Yi: Help me choose one.]
[Sis, you've asked the wrong person, haven't you?]
[A Niu Hulu Yi: No, I meant I wanted to recommend one to you. You can choose one yourself, and then quickly hide those childish cartoon pajamas in your closet.]
[No, what's wrong with my pajamas? They're so pretty!]
[A Niu Hulu Yi: Okay, that looks good, but don't you think changing your style occasionally could add some spice?]
Yin Xiao didn't reply, staring blankly at the chat box, as fragmented images from last night inappropriately flooded her mind.
Is it romantic?
Her ears burned, and she gradually relaxed her wrist, slowly clicking on the first link.
-----------------------
Author's Note: I wasn't quite sure how this chapter went [laughing and crying with face covered] so it's two days late. Sorry, everyone [laughing and crying with face covered]. I'll update more during the holiday! There are five more chapters to go to finish the main story, and there will be extra chapters later.
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