NOVEL NEXT Chapter 400-408
Chapter 400: Waking Up the Following Day (10)
…
It was twelve thirty-five at night when He Jichen and Chen Bai reached Beijing Airport.
As soon as the plane landed, He Jichen turned on his phone and immediately called Ji Yi.
When the call went through, he got the same message: “Sorry, the person you are trying to reach has turned off their phone.”
He wanted to confirm that Ji Yi didn’t leave Beijing, so he asked Chen Bai to check any flights or high-speed train tickets under Ji Yi’s name the next afternoon.
In the years when they weren’t in contact, he would stalk her every time he went to Beijing to secretly see her. He silently watched her for so many years, so he understood some of her habits.
After He Jichen confirmed that Ji Yi’s phone was still switched off, he got in the car and immediately ordered Chen Bai to drive to her favorite bar in Houhai, the one she liked to go to when something was on her mind.
She wasn’t at the bar.
He Jichen was in no hurry to get back in the car to look for her at her next favorite spot. Instead, he walked around a street full of bars. He even walked by the shores of Houhai once to make sure she really wasn’t there. Only then did he get back into the car and ask Chen Bai to take him to her favorite late-night theater.
She wasn’t there either…
He Jichen asked Chen Bai to drive him to Shanghai International Commerce Center Park.
After a night of driving, Chen Bai couldn’t recount just how many places they went. All he knew was that he stayed with He Jichen from the night till the light of day and topped up the gas tank three times, but they still couldn’t find Miss Ji.
With no idea where Ji Yi could’ve gone, He Jichen said: “Take a turn at the road ahead and stop by the side of the road” when Chen Bai passed the Second Ring Road.
“Yes,” responded Chen Bai as he skillfully exited the main road and found an empty space to park.
There happened to be a breakfast shop by the road, and Chen Bai remembered that He Jichen hadn’t eaten since waking up yesterday afternoon. He pushed the car door open and got out.
When Chen Bai came back with breakfast in-hand, the windows were rolled down and He Jichen was sitting back in his seat with a lit cigarette.
Chen Bai could tell that He Jichen was in a terrible mood since he was smoking. Come to think of it, since he and Miss Ji’s relationship improved, it had been a long time since he touched a cigarette…
Chen Bai let out a discreet sigh, walked up to him and handed He Jichen breakfast through the window. “Mr. He, from yesterday till now, you haven’t eaten. Eat something now, or else your body won’t be able to take it.”
Through the cloud of smoke, He Jichen glanced over at the breakfast in Chen Bai’s hands and shook his head.
Chen Bai wanted to persuade him some more as he watched He Jichen flick some ashes into the ash tray. Suddenly, He Jichen said, “Give me the car keys and you can head back.”
Chen Bai was stunned for a while as he realized what He Jichen said and hurriedly shook his head. “That’s alright Mr. He, I’ll come with you…”
“Go back,” said He Jichen as he cut Chen Bai off.
Chen Bai hesitated for a moment then handed him the car keys.
After He Jichen took them, he didn’t say anything then waved his hands to signal for him to leave.
Chen Bai twitched his lips as he could sense He Jichen’s resolve, so he bid him farewell. He picked up the breakfast, walked up to the taxi stand and waited for a taxi.
After Chen Bai got into a taxi and left, He Jichen then got out and moved to the driver’s seat.
He Jichen checked the school first, then Ji Yi’s home, then he eventually drove to the home that he bought under He Yuguang’s name…
Chapter 401: Ji Yi, let’s talk (1)
After circling Beijing all night looking for Ji Yi to no avail, there were only three possible places left to search.
Tang Huahua kept in contact with him, so he knew Ji Yi hadn’t returned to school yet.
In actuality, deep down, he knew that the possibility of her being back at school was the slimmest. Yet, he was also afraid that she was avoiding him and Tang Huahua was helping her hide from him. It’d be good to drop by the school personally.
As for her parent’s house, the possibility of her being there was relatively high. However, after he arrived, he learned from the cleaning staff that her parents had been abroad on holiday for over half a month now. This meant she hadn’t come back from Hengdian.
He was most afraid of her being at the home he bought under He Yuguang’s name. He knew better than anyone what it meant if she really was avoiding him at “He Yuguang”‘s after they had sex. Yet, he knew deep down that the possibility of her being there was the highest.
As he left Ji Yi’s house, He Jichen first stopped by his own home, took a shower, and changed into a clean set of clothes. After he confirmed that there weren’t any traces of cigarette smoke on him, he took off the red string and hid it in his pocket before he left.
The apartment under He Yuguang’s name rarely had anyone staying over, but someone always came to clean it every day.
He entered the passcode and pushed open the door. A clean and bright living room came into view. The pink rose on the coffee table in front of the sofa was blooming beautifully.
Objects were placed neatly in every corner of the room and it looked completely like there wasn’t anyone there. There weren’t even any extra shoes in the shoe cabinet.
He Jichen guessed that she probably wasn’t here.
But he still had a sliver of hope, so he changed his shoes and walked into the apartment. Then he searched every inch of every corner of the apartment.
She actually wasn’t in “He Yuguang”‘s apartment…
The worst thing for He Jichen didn’t happen, yet he wasn’t the least bit happy. Instead, he felt even more anxiety and agitation crawl into his chest.
She hadn’t left Beijing, yet he searched her usual spots, her favorite places, and even the places she only went to once or twice. However, he still couldn’t find her. Just where could she be?
…
A new day came, and the rising sun shone bright rays of light. The temperature in the room rose higher and higher. The cars and pedestrians on the bustling streets gradually merged to form heavy traffic.
The sun rose from the east and set in the west. When darkness fell, all the city lights started to illuminate the streets.
He Jichen had unconsciously driven around Beijing for the whole day. Out of habit, he tried calling her phone again. The expression on his face became a little numb when he heard that her phone was still turned off.
He stared straight ahead and drove for quite some distance then parked the car by the road. After he lit a cigarette, he sent her a text message.
The whole day passed without a word back from her… Did she do this all just to avoid me?
It felt like there was something stuck in He Jichen’s throat, stifling him till his chest ached. He took two heavy drags of his cigarette then pulled out He Yuguang’s phone from his bag.
The world was so big. If Ji Yi was determined to avoid him, then even if he was really capable, he still might not be able to find her.
But He Yuguang was different. He was the person she liked the most. Maybe he could use his brother’s identity to find out where she was.
Chapter 402: Ji Yi, let’s talk (2)
He Jichen pressed his lips together tightly then stared down at He Yuguang’s phone screen for a moment. His fingertips gently slid across it and tapped WeChat. He found her name and started to type away on the keyboard: “Manman, have you been busy the past two days? Why haven’t you contacted me?”
“Manman, haven’t you finished filming by now? Did you set a good time to come back to Beijing?”
“Manman, I happen to have business in Beijing in a few days time, so when you’ve set a date to come back to Beijing, let me know. I’ll check my schedule and come see you then.”
…
It was very quiet in the car. The only sound heard was the subtle “tap tap tap” coming from the phone.
He wasn’t sure just how many messages he sent out from He Yuguang’s phone. All he knew was that in the end, his heart felt like it was being pulled in all directions.
–
Time turned back to the day before at twenty to eleven in the morning.
Ji Yi emerged from the airport then caught a taxi to the city. As she passed by a chain hotel, she asked the driver to stop. She paid the fare and entered the hotel.
Ji Yi booked a room, grabbed the room key, and went upstairs in a trance-like state like she was sleepwalking.
As soon as she entered the room, Ji Yi laid in bed and seemed to fall asleep as soon as she shut her eyes.
In reality, she couldn’t actually fall asleep.
But she didn’t dare open her eyes either because she was afraid to think about what happened between her and He Jichen.
Everything happened too suddenly. So sudden, in fact, that she simply didn’t know how to face it, so all she could do was hide herself like an ostrich and run from reality by not thinking about it.
As night slowly fell, she was able to sleep for a bit, but then she woke up again not too long after.
She pulled the curtains so tight that there wasn’t even a speck of light in the room. She couldn’t tell what time it was, nor could she see if it was dark or light out.
Like a soulless shell of a human, she hugged her comforter and snuggled in bed without moving an inch.
She could feel time pass in the darkness, but she wasn’t sure just how much time passed. All she knew was that since she checked into the hotel yesterday, she hadn’t had a single drop of water. She was starting to feel thirsty.
When she simply couldn’t endure the pain any longer, she finally crawled out of bed, clutching her stomach and walked into the bathroom. She first drank half a bottle of the complimentary water from the hotel, then quickly freshened up and walked out of the room.
Ji Yi only realized that it was very late at night when she came out of the hotel.
She instinctively looked back and glanced at the clock in the hotel lobby. It was eleven in the evening. The date beside the clock reminded her that it had already been thirty-six hours since she checked into the hotel.
There was a twenty-four hour fast-food restaurant near the hotel.
After Ji Yi ordered something to fill her stomach, she was in no hurry to leave. Instead, she watched the streets from the tall windows beside her.
The streets at midnight in the capital were just as lively as usual, yet the traffic wasn’t as fast-flowing as usual.
Caught in a daze for a moment, she then waved over the hotel attendant and paid her bill. That was when she saw the silent phone in her bag.
She purposefully didn’t turn on her phone throughout her plane journey. Yet, she still kept it turned off up till now out of fear. She knew full well that avoiding reality wasn’t going to fix anything, so in the end, she decided to face the music.
So much time has passed without checking my phone, so I should probably turn it back on again…
Ji Yi grabbed her phone and hesitated for two minutes, but eventually she pressed the button to switch it on.
Chapter 403: Ji Yi, let’s talk (3)
The phone screen lit up. After Ji Yi entered the code to unlock her screen, she watched the home screen come up and silently waited for a couple seconds. Then some notifications for text messages and WeChat messages started to pop up.
After waiting for some time, her phone finally fell silent. Ji Yi first opened her text messages to see about a hundred reminders for missed calls sent from “10086.”
Ji Yi’s fingers slid over the screen as she glossed over the notifications. The absolute majority of them were calls from He Jichen. Aside from those, there were some from Tang Huahua, Bo He, and Chen Bai. Ji Yi wasn’t sure if she was looking for her about something specific, but even Cheng Weiwan called her. After some thought, she figured that she’d wait until she was feeling better to call Cheng Weiwan back. She then continued to swipe down. The messages were all more or less the same as before; there was a long series of messages regarding He Jichen’s missed calls. Between the messages, there were also some calls from unknown landline numbers and some advertising notifications.
After she clicked out of the “10086” messages, there were also text messages sent from other numbers.
The first to come into view was from He Jichen. She clicked them to find thirty to forty messages.
“Xiao Yi, where are you?”
“Xiao Yi, did you turn off your phone because of what happened last night?”
“Xiao Yi, I’m sorry. I admit I acted out of line.”
“Xiao Yi, turn on your phone. When you see my messages, can you send me a reply?”
“Xiao Yi, contact me. Let’s meet up and talk…”
“Xiao Yi…”
After reading all the messages, Ji Yi’s heart felt incredibly stifled. Without replying to He Jichen’s long series of messages, she clicked back and exited the page.
Then she glossed over most of the other messages from people who called her, and they were mostly messages asking where she was. Aside from those, there were some junk messages about loans and real estate.
Ji Yi didn’t reply to any messages but exited the messages screen and went straight back to the home screen. She found WeChat and clicked the app.
The first among the list of unread WeChat messages was from Tang Huahua.
Ji Yi casually clicked it to find that it was a string of voice messages.
Ji Yi found her earphones, plugged them in and checked the messages.
“Xiao Yi, where are you? Didn’t you say you finished filming and are coming back to Beijing? When will you be back? Bo He and I will come pick you up at the airport.”
“Xiao Yi, don’t forget that your holiday ends next Monday. You have to come back to class. If you don’t, you’ll fail this semester. Be careful, or you won’t get your graduation certificate.”
“Xiao Yi, He Xuezhang dropped by the dorm to look for you. He says you’re back in Beijing. Did something happen? Are you feeling down and hiding somewhere by yourself?”
“Xiao Yi, if you’re feeling down, you can talk to me or Bo He. We can help you…”
“…”
Ji Yi unconsciously listened to Tang Huahua’s fifth message.
It was sent about three hours ago.
“Xiao Yi, He Xuezhang came to the dorms looking for you again.”
“Xiao Yi, He Xuechang looks really worn out. He must’ve been looking for you for a really long time without getting any rest.”
“Xiao Yi, I was just on the balcony drying some clothes when I saw He Xuezhang’s car outside our dorm. Is he here on guard?”
Tang Huahua’s final voice note was sent five minutes ago. “Xiao Yi, it’s almost twelve now. He Xuezhang hasn’t left. He can’t possibly wait outside our dorms all night, right?”
Chapter 404: Ji Yi, let’s talk (4)
Ji Yi’s fingers trembled for a moment as her eyes naturally glanced out at the dark night sky out the window.
He can’t really be staying out all night outside my dorm like Huahua said, right?
Ji Yi relaxed her grip on her phone, and after about half a minute, she withdrew her gaze. After exiting out of Tang Huahua’s messages, she looked at the other unread WeChat messages.
There were more WeChat messages than there were text messages.
Besides those people who called her, there were even WeChat messages from Li Da, Fatty, and Han Zhifan, whom she never really spoke to.
But before Ji Yi could click each of their names and check their messages, she saw the three words: Yuguang Ge.
Reading those three words felt like a bucket of cold water had been tossed right over her head.
At that very moment, there were no other words in her sight besides “Yuguang Ge.” She stared straight at them for a long time as her mind slowly started to turn.
Yuguang Ge… How could I forget Yuguang Ge?
After she and He Jichen had sex for the second time, she ran away helplessly. How could she have not thought about Yuguang Ge to whom she was now married to?
Even if she and Yuguang Ge got married because Qian Ge was making her life difficult, she was still Yuguang Ge’s wife in name…
Yet, as his wife, she went behind his back and had sex with his biological twin brother…
Annoyance, remorse, self-blame, pain, and a strong sense of guilt instantly engulfed Ji Yi like a wave.
Her relationship with Yuguang Ge was great, and she used to actively talk to Yuguang every day… Even when she was busy, alone and absent-minded, she would think about Yuguang Ge. Yet, how come she became a different person in the last three months since filming “Three Thousand Lunatics”? When did she actually become like this?
When you don’t think about it, you’ll never come to realize it. When Ji Yi thought carefully about it, she realized that her thoughts of Yuguang Ge gradually decreased starting a month ago. Instead, she thought more about… He Jichen.
When they were young, Yuguang Ge was in poor health and didn’t really like to go out. Nevertheless, seeing that he was the eldest son of the He family, there were a few young noble girls who would come to see him whenever they visited his house.
She personally witnessed this with discomfort, but through the bitterness, she put up a good front; even if she was unhappy, she never allowed herself to reveal it in front of the other girls. Instead, she always pretended to look completely unfazed. It was only when those girls left and Yuguang Ge came to find her that she would push her annoyance to the back of her head.
But during the end-of-production party for “Three Thousand Lunatics,” she actually started drinking so much and acted uncharacteristically after she saw Xia Yuan all over He Jichen… She even used the alcohol in her system to kiss He Jichen… Why did she become so different when it came to He Jichen?
Unless, in my heart, He Jichen…
She was just on the cusp of an answer when Ji Yi suddenly stopped her mind from thinking about it any further.
She admitted that He Jichen was really important to her now, but he wasn’t as important as she imagined.
Yes. It definitely can’t be! Definitely can’t! Absolutely can’t!
Deep down, Ji Yi repeatedly emphasized this several times before these sudden thoughts disappeared from her heart.
Chapter 405: Ji Yi, let’s talk (5)
When she was young, she liked Yuguang Ge, who highlighted sections in her textbook for her, prepared snacks for her, and helped pull the blanket over her when she was sleeping. Even if she had those feelings long ago and felt them less intensely over time, he was still very warm, caring and protective of her when they met again not long ago.
Yuguang took care of her when she had a fever that night after filming “The Palace” and when Qian Ge schemed to kidnap her. The following day, after he learned that she was interested in “Three Thousand Lunatics,” he silently helped her land a role in the production.
After He Jichen got into an argument with her at the Four Seasons Hotel because of Lin Zhengyi, Yuguang Ge appeared when she was hiding in the apartment they shared. He cheered her up and took care of her. That day, she even caught him looking at her photo which had the words she hadn’t forgotten till this day: I wish you would be lost forever and come to my side.
During New Year’s, she went to Yunnan alone because of the rumor Qian Ge started. She accidentally twisted her ankle, and when she was stuck helplessly by the side of the road, Yuguang Ge came to her aid at the last minute. He even rushed over to Lijiang overnight just to personally see her. Most importantly, that was the day she discovered a huge secret behind the jade. During the three years she was in a coma, the person who came to visit her on the eighteenth of every month was Yuguang Ge. He was the only person in this world who didn’t forget her when she fell from the peak of her career and hit rock bottom.
Yuguang Ge treated her really, really, really, well… how could she do such a thing to let him down?
“Miss, your change.” The waiter who took her payment had returned with few notes.
Ji Yi gave a gentle nod but didn’t make a sound.
The waiter put the money on the table and left.
After some time, Ji Yi picked up the money and walked out of the restaurant in a daze. She walked down the street with no particular direction or purpose.
The cars at midnight were a little fast; one car after another sped infinitely past her at an ear-splitting speed. Too dazed to take any notice of her surroundings, she walked ahead blankly.
With no idea how long she had been walking for, her feet started to blister. When she simply couldn’t move because of the pain, she found a spot by the side of the road and crouched down.
She wasn’t stupid. When she read the words “I wish you would be lost forever and come to my side” in Yuguang Ge’s room, she knew that Yuguang had feelings for her.
At the time, it wasn’t like she wasn’t moved, but she thought back to what happened between her and He Jichen that night four years ago, so she tried her best to hold back.
But now, during their marriage, she actually did something like this to betray him…
She let down Yuguang Ge’s kindness and she let down Yuguang Ge’s deep feelings for her.
Now, not only did she not know how to face He Jichen, but she didn’t even know how to get in touch with Yuguang Ge.
With that thought, Ji Yi buried her head between her knees.
Like a helpless child, she stayed like that feebly for a long time before she looked up. She glanced at the empty street and slowly helped herself up while leaning on a lamppost.
She gained a sense of direction after a moment then headed for the hotel.
Just as she was about to reach the hotel entrance, her feet stopped when she saw a pharmacy by the twenty-four-hour restaurant.
She stared at the bright lights of the pharmacy for some time before her hand instinctively touched her abdomen. She started to walk over.
Chapter 406: Ji Yi, let’s talk (6)
It was really late, so the pharmacy cashier was yawning. After she heard the “Welcome” announcement, she groggily looked up and asked Ji Yi, “Miss, how may I help you?”
She suffered gravely four years ago, so when she made the same mistake four years later, she had to protect herself, just in case.
She couldn’t let herself get pregnant again…
Ji Yi clutched her clothes as she quietly replied with three words, “Morning after pill.”
After a pause, Ji Yi remembered that almost two days had passed, so she added, “I want the seventy-two hours one.”
The cashier was probably used to seeing these kinds of things, so she calmly pulled out a box from below the counter, gave it to Ji Yi and told her the price.
After Ji Yi paid and left, she walked into the convenience store next door to buy a bottle of water. She stood by the road, scooped out a pill, shoved it into her mouth, and took a gulp of water.
After she was sure the pill went down, her fingers couldn’t help but clutch the medicine box tightly.
She wasn’t sure what was with her, but her entire body shivered like crazy. After some time, she finally calmed down.
She threw the medicine box into the trash can then continued to walk over to the hotel.
It was already four in the morning when she got back to her hotel room.
Ji Yi took a shower. As she was drying herself off in front of the sink, she noticed that her body was covered in numerous, densely packed marks.
Even if they were caused long ago, those marks were still clearly visible.
Ji Yi thought they were an eye-sore as she hurriedly withdrew her gaze. She frantically wiped away the water droplets, put on a bathrobe, and tightly wrapped her body up.
Back in bed, Ji Yi picked up her phone and glanced at it.
In three short hours, her phone had over a dozen missed calls from He Jichen. He even sent her some more text messages.
“Xiao Yi, I know you turned your phone on and I know you can see my messages. Send me a reply, okay?”
“If you really don’t want to see me, I can give you time, but please tell me roughly when you think you’ll be ready to talk. Let’s have a good chat?”
Ji Yi’s eyes heated up and she turned her head. Then she looked away from the phone screen and stared at the floor lamp by the bed silently for a while. In the end, she chose to not reply.
When she closed the text message, she saw that she received a new WeChat message.
She instinctively clicked it to find that Tang Huahua sent it to her half an hour ago.
Perhaps Bo He was asleep now, so Tang Huahua didn’t want to disturb her and send any more voice notes. Instead, she sent just one line: “Xiao Yi, it’s almost four in the morning. I’ve finished playing my game, and He Xuezhang is still downstairs.”
“He came out from the car and is leaning on the car, smoking. The trash can beside him is filled with cigarette butts. He smoked them all…”
Under those words was a video.
From the thumbnail, Ji Yi already knew that Tang Huahua was recording He Jichen through the window of the dorm with her phone.
She hesitated for a moment but eventually, she chose to open it.
It was just as Tang Huahua described in her message. There was He Jichen standing in casual clothes against the head of the car, smoking. His movements looked harsh and impatient as he constructed a text with his other hand.
The dorm room was on the second floor, so the picture quality on Tang Huahua’s phone was pretty high. Beside him was a trash can filled with cigarette butts. The various long and short cigarettes formed a small mountain.
His clothes were incredibly wrinkled. It looked like it had been some time since he changed them. His hair was messy and he completely lacked his usual air of elegance.
Chapter 407: Ji Yi, let’s talk (7)
The video was short, so it finished playing shortly after.
But Ji Yi stared at the motionless video for a long time before she came back to her senses and started to read the messages Tang Huahua sent her.
“Xiao Yi, even though I don’t know what happened between you guys, I feel like after you’ve calmed down, you should still contact He Xuezhang and have a good talk with him. After all, it’s not possible to have him wait like this forever.”
“What’s more, Xiao Yi, you’re smarter than I am, so I’m sure you know better than I do that there are some things you just can’t solve by hiding. Besides, you may be able to run from your issues for now, but not forever. If this is going to drag on like this, then why not sort things out now? If you do, Xiao Yi, you’ll realize that you’ll feel a lot more relaxed than you do now.”
Ji Yi forcefully pursed her lips then closed Tang Huahua’s chat. She was just about to close WeChat altogether when she saw a message come in from “Yuguang Ge.”
Just by looking at his name, she became flustered before she even read what he sent.
Ji Yi hesitated for some time before she finally decided to click his message.
“Manman, have you been busy for the past two days? Why haven’t you contacted me?”
“Manman, haven’t you finished filming by now? Have you set a good time to come back to Beijing?”
“Manman, I happen to have business in Beijing in a few day’s time, so when you’ve set a date to come back to Beijing, let me know. I’ll check my schedule and come see you then.”
“Manman, did something happen to you? Why are you not replying to my messages?”
“Manman, I’m really worried about you. If you’re in some kind of trouble, you can always ask me for help. I told you before that you’re never alone – you still have me.”
You’re never alone, you still have me… These were the words he told her when she first felt isolated and helpless on the set of “Three Thousand Lunatics” and when she hurt herself to get back at Qian Ge.
At the time, she was moved as she read those words with a warm heart, but now, she read them with a bone-piercing sense of pain and guilt.
Ji Yi couldn’t read any more of “He Yuguang’s” message, so she tossed her phone aside and pulled the covers over her head.
Yeah… Huahua’s right. I’m trying to avoid the situation, but that won’t solve the problem.
She had to face the music eventually. Even if she had to break it off, it had to be done.
She was afraid that she was destined to pay back Yuguang Ge for his kindness towards her.
Even if their marriage was fake, when she had sex with his younger brother as Yuguang Ge’s wife, it was the same as betraying him. This was the irrefutable truth. How could she ever have the face to continue enjoying his kindness towards her?
Since it was out of her hands now, all she could do was face this cruel situation.
But he was someone who truly treated her well… No matter if it was when they were young, or now, as adults.
Since she already made the decision to go through with it, she knew this was what she had to do. But she still felt horrible about going through with it.
At that thought, Ji Yi balled up, clung onto the pitch-black comforter, and started to cry silently.
…
How did she fall asleep last night? Ji Yi couldn’t remember in the slightest.
When she woke, the sun outside the window was already shining brightly.
As soon as she thought about the decision she made before she fell asleep, her heart suddenly started to ache.
Chapter 408: Ji Yi, let’s talk (8)
Ji Yi laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as she waited motionlessly for the intense pain to subside. Only then did she take off the covers, get out of bed, and walk into the bathroom.
While sitting on the toilet, she remembered how she didn’t bring anything with her when she left Shanghai in a hurry. Aside from the clothes she had on, she had no other possessions in the hotel she was staying in.
At that thought, Ji Yi picked up her phone and reached out to her usual clothing store. She requested them to send an outfit over to her.
She didn’t forget to contact her usual makeup store either and bought some cosmetics to be sent over to the hotel quickly.
After she hung up the phone, Ji Yi continued to take her time in the bathroom before she stepped out again. Without thinking twice, she laid in bed for an hour until the hotel phone rang.
It was the front desk. They were confirming whether she ordered clothes and makeup.
She replied with a “yes.”
Then she put the phone down. About three minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Ji Yi went to open the door.
A hotel attendant was carrying two bags. “Miss, the things you ordered.”
Ji Yi muttered “thank you” as she took them. After the attendant left, she shut the door and went into the bathroom.
She removed the packaging from the cosmetics and carefully applied some primer in front of the mirror. Then she applied a light layer of makeup.
She changed into her new clothes, checked herself in the mirror and confirmed that she looked no different from usual. Then she packed up her few belongings and brought everything downstairs.
Ji Yi walked up to the front desk, handed them the room key and requested to check out.
The lady at the front desk asked for her room number, worked on her computer for some time, then picked up the phone to call housekeeping. Having confirmed that the room was in good order, she then helped Ji Yi check out.
After Ji Yi finished signing the bill, the lady at the front desk shot her a smile and said, “We welcome you to stay with us again.” With a soft smile, Ji Yi picked up her things and walked out the door of the hotel.
At the hotel entrance, Ji Yi pulled out her phone and was about to call a taxi when she caught a glimpse of a figure coming towards her from not too far away from the corner of her eye.
Her fingers hovering over the taxi app suddenly stopped as she stared at the phone screen for a few seconds. Then she slowly looked up to see the red string around the wrist of the person walking her way. Her entire body was frozen on the spot.
It was He Jichen, whom she ran out on in Shanghai without saying a word and hadn’t seen for two days and nights.
He was still wearing the same clothes he wore in the video Tang Huahua sent her. His hair was even messier than in last night’s video. Did he not get any shut-eye since she left him? The circles under his eyes were especially dark.
His face was pale white and his usually clean-shaven chin was covered in stubble.
He looked completely exhausted. He lost his usual arrogant, conceited prince look.
He Jichen was about a meter away from Ji Yi when he came to a stop.
Even if it had been just two days and nights without seeing each other, his expression made it seem like it had been a century.
After his eyes silently scanned her up, down, and all around to confirm that she was alright, he looked into her eyes. His usually clear voice came out unbelievably hoarse: “Xiao Yi.”