NOVEL NEXT Chapter 409-416
Chapter 409: Ji Yi, let’s talk (9)
The two simple words he spoke suddenly shook Ji Yi’s heart as she instinctively looked down to avoid his gaze.
A couple seconds later, He Jichen spoke again, “Xiao Yi…”
He called her name just like before, but this time, he didn’t pause for too long and moved his lips again: “…Let’s talk.”
When He Jichen finished speaking, he reached his hand out for the bags Ji Yi was holding.
Ji Yi instinctively clutched her handbag and paper bag more tightly.
When she turned on her phone last night but didn’t return any of He Jichen’s calls or messages, he already asked Chen Bai to contact his friends in the police force to pick up Ji Yi’s location from her phone signal.
At five in the morning, Chen Bai sent him her whereabouts.
Afraid that she’d leave when she woke up, he didn’t dare waste any time, so he drove right over. He didn’t go anywhere and waited at the entrance.
He decided that they would have a good talk today, no matter what.
At that thought, He Jichen’s fingers inched closer to Ji Yi’s bags and he spoke with a stern voice: “Now, let’s find a place to have a good talk.”
After he said this, He Jichen realized just how forceful he sounded, so he softened his tone a little then added, “Is that okay?”
From beginning till end, Ji Yi had her head lowered and didn’t look at He Jichen. Her grip on her bags never relaxed in the slightest.
In actuality, she wanted to first go home, have a nice meal, get some sleep, and become well-rested before contacting him and Yuguang Ge.
But, she never imagined that he would actually find her… In any case, she was going to have to talk to him eventually, and since things were like this, there was no point in putting it off…
Ji Yi contemplated it in silence for a moment then gave a gentle nod.
Seeing her reply, He Jichen reached for the things in her hand.
Ji Yi hesitated for a moment then released her fingers and let him take them.
After he took hold of her things, He Jichen turned slightly and pointed at the parked car by the road. “Let’s go.”
After he said this, he didn’t walk ahead like before but stood in the back and waited for her to walk in front. Only then did he start walking, making sure to keep half a meter’s distance from her as they reached the car.
He Jichen first pulled the trunk door open and put Ji Yi’s things inside. Then he pulled the passenger car door open.
Ji Yi took a seat.
Before she could settle into her seat, she smelled the strong scent of cigarette smoke which was forced into her nostrils, almost making her cough out loud.
She furrowed her brows, looked to one side, and noticed the trash can full of cigarette butts of various sizes.
He couldn’t have smoked all through the entire night yesterday, right?
Just as Ji Yi felt stunned, He Jichen pulled open his car door and sat inside.
Ji Yi instinctively withdrew her gaze and looked at her own knees.
He Jichen started the engine and drove some distance before he said, “Can we go to the Four Seasons Hotel?”
Ji Yi nodded and let out a gentle “Mhm.”
He Jichen didn’t say anything else; the car instantly fell into silence. Through the thick scent of cigarette smoke, Ji Yi felt the atmosphere clearly become stifled, little by little.
Chapter 410: Ji Yi, let’s talk (10)
At that point, the air in the car became thin.
Gradually, Ji Yi felt like there was a lack of oxygen. Just when her chest started to subtly ache from feeling stifled, the car made an exit. Then it drove around the water fountain in front of the Four Seasons Hotel and stopped right at the entrance of the lobby.
He Jichen only unfastened his seatbelt when Chen Bai, who was standing at the entrance for who knew how long, walked over to them. He pulled the car door open for Ji Yi. “Miss Ji.”
Ji Yi smiled back at Chen Bai and got out of the car.
She stood by the car as He Jichen walked around the front of the car and over towards her. Instead of handing Chen Bai the car keys, He Jichen gave them to the doorman. He turned his head and said to Ji Yi, “I’m going up to take a shower and get changed. Would you like to head over to the teahouse on the second floor with Chen Bai?”
Ji Yi nodded and replied with an “alright.”
He Jichen didn’t say any more.
But then Chen Bai said, “Mr. He, here are your clothes.”
When He Jichen reached out to take them, his eyes met Chen Bai’s for just one moment.
Even though He Jichen’s face didn’t reveal any emotions, Chen Bai knew that he wanted him to watch Miss Ji carefully.
“Mr. He, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Miss Ji,” replied Chen Bai immediately while discreetly reassuring him with his words.
He Jichen gave a gentle nod and glanced at Ji Yi before leaving with: “Wait for me just a while.” Then he headed into the hotel lobby first.
After He Jichen walked some distance away, Chen Bai then smiled brightly at Ji Yi and said, “Miss Ji, let’s go upstairs.”
Ji Yi let out an “Mhm” as Chen Bai walked into the hotel lobby and rode the elevator up to the second floor.
He Jichen must’ve made prior arrangements as Chen Bai already had seats booked. After they came out of the elevator, the two of them walked right into the tea house without being stopped and sat in a spot in front of the tall windows.
Chen Bai pushed the drink menu over to Ji Yi. “Miss Ji, is there anything you want to drink?”
He Jichen hadn’t arrived yet. Ji Yi shook her head to say “no.”
Chen Bai more or less understood what Ji Yi was thinking, so he shot a smile at the waiter standing next to them. “We’ll order in a bit. Please bring over two glasses of lemon water first.”
“Yes, Mr. Chen.” The waiter nodded with a smile, turned and left.
The lemon water was quickly brought over. Ji Yi picked it up but only drank just a third of it when she heard the soft voice of a nearby waiter. “Mr. He.”
Ji Yi turned her head and coincidentally locked eyes with He Jichen, who just stepped into the teahouse looking for her.
The two of them were slightly dazed. He Jichen was the first to come back to his senses as he walked over.
Chen Bai got up and cried, “Mr. He,” as he set aside a seat for him. After He Jichen sat down, Chen Bai then said, “Mr. He, Pu’er as usual?”
“Mhm,” replied He Jichen softly. Considering Ji Yi was a woman, dark tea was beneficial in warming up the body well, so he added, “Dark Pu’er.”
“Yes.” Chen Bai retreated and shared two words with a waiter nearby. Soon after, the waiter brought over a tea set.
The waiter didn’t help brew the tea – He Jichen brewed it himself.
After the water boiled in the ceramic teapot, Ji Yi realized that in the enormous tea house, there was just her and He Jichen in the tea house. There wasn’t another soul in sight.
Did He Jichen reserve the whole tea house just to chat with me?
Just as these suspicions formed in Ji Yi’s mind, He Jichen pushed the cup of brewed tea in front of her.
“Thank you,” said Ji Yi.
Chapter 411: Ah! So, She Was Moved (1)
He Jichen didn’t say anything and picked up the teacup. He took a sip then looked down at the red tea for a little while before he set the cup down. He looked up and said, “Ji Yi.”
When she heard this, Ji Yi raised her eyes and looked over at He Jichen.
Having taken a shower, he looked clean, his hair was smooth, and his handsome features looked like he had emerged from a painting.
Ji Yi stared blankly for a while then let out a soft “Mhm.”
As though he was contemplating how to even start, He Jichen looked like he was in no hurry to speak. After about ten seconds, his beautiful lips started moving. “About what happened that night in Shanghai, I was wrong…”
Ji Yi knew He Jichen wanted to talk about what happened that night, but she never imagined that he’d go straight to the point like that. Her fingertips trembled for a moment, but knowing that he wasn’t finished, she didn’t say a word.
“Sorry,” He Jichen spoke up again.
On the plane, she remembered every little thing that happened that night.
Even with a normal, mature man, the same thing would happen if they were faced with an excessively teasing woman.
So, he wasn’t in the wrong…
Ji Yi lowered her head and kept quiet for some time before quietly saying, “You can’t completely blame yourself for what happened that night. It was my fault.”
“I was wrong too,” said He Jichen.
The situation had already happened, so it didn’t really matter who was right or wrong. Ji Yi didn’t continue arguing about it with He Jichen and chose to stay quiet.
Suddenly, the two of them were engulfed in silence.
Inside, He Jichen went over what he wanted to say.
Ji Yi sat opposite He Jichen, staring at the steam from the teacups as she recollected everything that happened last night.
After about two minutes, He Jichen looked up at Ji Yi, who was mentally preparing herself. Just as she was about to say something, she saw He Jichen’s lips move. “Ji Yi, I’m willing to take responsibility for what happened that night.”
Ji Yi was stunned.
She knew he had a woman he liked. Even though she didn’t know her name, she knew that he called her “Cola girl.”
That night, when they strolled alongside West Lake, she saw just how strongly he felt about “Cola girl.”
After they slept together four years ago, he said such hurtful things to her. Although she might not have known why, when she learned that he liked someone, she realized that his anger might’ve been due to betrayal to “Cola girl.”
So, after the same thing happened four years later, she never imagined that he would say that he was willing to take responsibility.
Seeing as Ji Yi didn’t react, He Jichen thought maybe she didn’t hear what he said. “I’m willing to take responsibility,” he repeated.
As his voice rang out, he looked unusually sincere. “If you’re willing, Xiao Yi, I’m willing to take responsibility.”
Responsibility… After hearing the word “responsibility” twice, Ji Yi’s fingers trembled as she snapped back to her senses.
He really did say “responsibility”… He wants to take responsibility… For any man with a sense of responsibility, it’s the most respectful thing to say after having sex with someone. However, Ji Yi wasn’t sure what was wrong with her; with that one word, her heart skipped a beat for some reason.
He Jichen waited a long time, but seeing as she still didn’t react, he spoke again. “Ji Yi?”
Chapter 412: Ah! So, She Was Moved (2)
When she heard He Jichen’s voice, Ji Yi realized just how deeply his one line affected her. She hastily gulped and pushed down the surging emotions in her chest. As she forced herself to come back to her senses, she looked at He Jichen and said, “Although it wasn’t your fault that night, I’m really grateful you said you’ll take responsibility. But I’m sorry…”
Before Ji Yi could finish speaking, she felt like something was forcefully clutching her heart as a ravaging, raw pain started to creep into her chest.
Her fingers instinctively grasped the table, and she struggled to look and sound calm. She continued to say, “…He Jichen, I can’t accept it.”
Yes… I can’t accept it, nor can I accept it…
This is obviously how I feel, but why does my heart hurt even more intensely after I said it?
It hurts even more than last night when I decided to end things with He Yuguang…
Ji Yi was in pain for so long that she didn’t dare to breathe in fear of accidentally losing it in front of He Jichen. However, even though she worked really, really hard to restrain herself, her fingertips still started to tremble softly.
She assumed this unbearable pain would only hurt for a while before subsiding, but she never imagined that the pain would actually grow more intense. It coursed from her chest, into her blood and into every corner of her body.
How weird! Why am I so hurt? Last night, I was hurt because I cared about Yuguang Ge and liked him, but even now, I’m hurt…
As that thought flashed across Ji Yi’s mind, her mind suddenly went blank.
She stayed frozen for about half a minute like her pressure points had been hit. Her long eyelashes blinked gently, and she came to a realization that was undeniable. Each and every word leaped into her mind: I might feel a little moved by him.
Three months ago, she clearly hated him to the bone, wanted nothing more than to never cross paths with him.
Since when did that all change?
Was it when I saw the anxiety in his eyes and knew he was worried for me when I hurt myself to frame Qian Ge?
Was it when I heard him say “Can you give me a hug?” after I was possessed and brought up egg-fried-rice for him, seeing that he hadn’t eaten?
Was it that night when I finally understood him after Fatty told me everything about him over dinner by West Lake?
Was it the following morning when he put three contracts in front of me and asked if I was willing to trust him?
Just when did I start to have feelings for him?
Ji Yi tried hard to think of an answer, but she couldn’t find one. However, she knew that no matter how unwilling she was, no matter how much she didn’t want to face the music, she couldn’t help but admit that she was emotionally moved by him.
No wonder she couldn’t help but feel rattled after they became friends and her heart raced whenever their eyes met. No wonder she drank because she was upset by Xia Yuan’s appearance and no wonder that, when she was a drunken mess, she did some incomprehensible things. She even kissed him…
Ah! So, I’m emotionally moved by him…
Even though she never felt like she was moved by him before, her actions seemed to have silently betrayed her true feelings inside.
Chapter 413: Ah! So, She Was Moved (3)
But, don’t I like Yuguang Ge? How could I have feelings for He Jichen?
When a person truly likes someone, wouldn’t they avoid liking anyone else?
How could He Jichen enter my heart if I already have Yuguang Ge?
Could it be that one of those feelings is an illusion?
Ji Yi instinctively pursed her lips and thought it over seriously in her mind.
If she didn’t have He Yuguang in her life, her heart would ache. Without He Jichen, she would be in pain too.
This meant she cared about both men.
What’s wrong with me? How can I have feelings for both men?
Ji Yi’s heart felt incomparably flustered.
Sitting opposite her, He Jichen was instantly immersed in her reply: “I can’t accept it.”
Earlier that evening, when he couldn’t control himself and slept with her, he already wanted to take responsibility then.
He knew deep down that maybe she didn’t need him to take responsibility, especially since she hid from him when she woke up the following day. He knew this in his heart, yet he was still insistent on looking for her to tell her that he wanted to take responsibility.
But just as he expected, she rejected him…
He Jichen’s gaze fell as he hid the darkness in his eyes. He waited until the anguish in his heart disappeared before saying, “Is it because of my older brother?”
He Jichen spoke so suddenly that he startled Ji Yi. Her fingertips trembled reflexively as she realized that her mind had wandered throughout their conversation.
There were some things he didn’t dare ask, for fear that he wouldn’t be able to face the answer.
But in that very moment, he couldn’t not ask.
He Jichen didn’t dare look up to meet Ji Yi’s gaze as he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to suppress the anguish and sorrow. “Is it because you guys got fake married, or because…”
Before He Jichen could finish, he felt a stifling pain in his chest which made it difficult for him to breathe. “… many years passed and you still like him?”
If it was just because she and He Yuguang were fake married, he didn’t need to take responsibility and the solution would be easy. He could tell her that the person she fake-married wasn’t his older brother, but it was him. However, if she still liked his older brother… He Jichen stopped at that, as he didn’t dare continue with that thought.
If he didn’t notice that I was moved by him ten minutes ago, he’ll definitely know by my reply.
But now, having realized that there were two men in her heart, Ji Yi didn’t know how to answer him.
She liked Yuguang Ge, and her feelings were pure.
She was moved by He Jichen too, but she couldn’t like him freely because she liked Yuguang Ge.
Judging by the way she was now, she wasn’t worthy of liking Yuguang Ge, nor was she worthy of He Jichen’s responsibility.
So, I have to uphold the decision I made last night… I can’t hesitate anymore. Even if I’m in pain, all I can do is endure it. Who told me to let my love life get to such an absurd state!
I brought all this upon myself and I can’t blame anyone!
At that thought, Ji Yi gulped hard and bluntly ignored He Jichen’s question. With her calmest demeanor, she said, “He Jichen, let’s pretend what happened last night never happened.”
As Ji Yi said this, her hands involuntarily balled up into fists.
To prevent her voice from cracking and to soothe her aching heart, she dug her fingernails into her palms hard to mask her pain.
Chapter 414: Ah! So, She Was Moved (4)
“It was a complete misunderstanding. Just like four years ago, I got drunk.”
“So, let’s forget about last night and that night four years ago!”
Ji Yi felt her body go numb. She felt like she might as well die from the pain. I deserve this! Who told me to be half-hearted and care about someone else while liking another person?!
Pretend like it never happened. A complete misunderstanding… That night, He Jichen used all his love and affection on Ji Yi and with her in his arms, he slept the most peaceful sleep he’d had in the past few years. To him, it was a precious night, but to her, it was a mistake she hoped never happened.
What’s more, she said it was just like four years ago… she got drunk… was anything different? Did she mistake me for He Yuguang again?
Ji Yi didn’t reply to his earlier questions, but he didn’t dare ask anymore.
She said to forget it. How could she forget every little thing between them that he started gathering in his heart since watching the silhouette of her back that first time, so many years ago?
As she said this, Ji Yi felt like she was speaking something she knew by heart. “What’s more, you have a woman you like, so it’s best to just pretend like last night didn’t happen.”
The woman I like is her… As that thought surfaced in his mind, He Jichen heard Ji Yi speak again. “If you’re willing, we can continue to be friends, but if you think things will be awkward after what happened, let’s keep our distance as a boss and his employee…”
Keep a distance… he worked so hard to be friends with her, but now everything had to go back to square one?
He wanted to tell her that he liked her… But at Ji Yi’s last few words, he didn’t dare to say anything.
He loved her, but he was afraid to tell her.
He was afraid that after his confession, it would mean farewell. He was afraid that she wouldn’t even give him the chance to be friends… He was just that pathetic. In a world where he loved her, he was a coward, an incredible weakling.
Compared to not having her as his lover, he was more afraid of losing her altogether.
Meanwhile, music had been playing in the tea house all this time.
After the previous song ended, the tea house fell silent for about five seconds, and a new song started. At the same time. the two of them happened to immerse themselves in the familiar melody and lyrics.
The song playing in the tea house was the same song he sang on her birthday: “Within Your Radius.”
As the song reached the lyrics: “It feels stifling, there’s no meaning in forcing it. I’m not considered selfish, and I’m learning ever more that loving you is my business…” He Jichen snapped back to his senses.
That night when they had dinner at Lou Wailou, if he hadn’t happened to stop Fatty, Fatty would’ve already told Ji Yi that she was the “Cola girl” that He Jichen created such an uproar to search for back then.
Fatty asked He Jichen why he didn’t want his secret revealed, and He Jichen said he was afraid that by confessing to her, it might cause trouble for her.
On his journey down a path with Ji Yi, he really had learned more and more. In this very moment, he never thought about forcing her. He knew that it was only his business to love her, yet he still racked his brain for a long time before he said another thing he was holding back. “But that night, I didn’t have protection. You might get pregnant, so do you really…”
He Jichen paused for a moment and after a short while, he finished his sentence. “…not need me to take responsibility?”
Ji Yi shook her head. “Don’t worry. I won’t get pregnant.”
Just as He Jichen was about to say, “what if,” Ji Yi spoke again. “I took the morning after pill.”
Chapter 415: Ah! So, She Was Moved (5)
He Jichen instantly froze.
His mind was completely blank for half a minute before he realized what Ji Yi just said.
She took the morning after pill…
She took the morning after pill…
She took the morning after pill…
Those six simple words repeatedly echoed in his mind before he realized what they meant.
As there were too many risks related to the night they spent together, Ji Yi didn’t want to face the same consequences as four years ago, so she took the pill right after they had sex… To her, that night really was a mistake, an accident…
He Jichen sat quietly in his chair, staring at the cold tea before him with a blank, unreadable expression on his face.
He could clearly see the radiant sky through the window, yet in that very moment, it felt like darkness was going to come crashing down on him.
In the tea house, there were no other sounds aside from the faint sound of singing.
After Ji Yi lost track of the number of times she heard the words “I would rather stay within your radius,” she couldn’t take it anymore. Her head bolted up, and without looking at He Jichen’s face, she said, “I’ve said what I wanted to say. If you have nothing else to add, I’ll be off then.”
With his eyes lowered, He Jichen didn’t move an inch and looked as though he hadn’t heard anything she said.
Everything would’ve been alright if this particular song wasn’t playing, but upon hearing this song, Ji Yi realized that she felt worse. She was afraid she was going to cry uncontrollably any moment, so she forced herself to hold it in for half a minute in her seat. Seeing as He Jichen wasn’t going to say anything, she took this as his silent acceptance. She got up and left without turning around or saying goodbye. Ji Yi darted out of the tea house.
Chen Bai was sitting on a chair outside the tea house while playing on his phone. When he heard the sound of high heels coming from behind, he immediately turned his head. When he saw Ji Yi hurriedly coming out, he bolted up. “Miss Ji.”
Ji Yi heard Chen Bai, but she didn’t stop to reply. She didn’t even glance at him and darted quickly towards the elevator. Without hesitation, she pressed the elevator button, stepped in, and headed downstairs.
The second after she left the Four Seasons Hotel, Ji Yi’s vision was immediately blurred by her tears.
She hurriedly walked over to the side of the road and tried to hail a taxi.
It was only after she got into the car and told the driver her home address that she realized her voice sounded like she was crying.
She pretended as though she hadn’t seen the odd look on the driver’s face and tried hard to suppress the urge to cry. She raised her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes.
The Four Seasons Hotel was close to her home; the car reached the entrance about fifteen minutes later.
She paid the taxi fare and darted out of the car.
In one breath, she charged into her house, kicked off her shoes, pounced onto her bed and started to cry.
She cried and cried.
She felt like her heart was being brutally strangled by large hands; the pain was unbearable.
How could I have two people in my heart?
How could I be such a fickle woman?
I, like this, am unclean, imperfect, unbalanced. Just who could I ever be worthy of?
If Ji Yi hadn’t reunited with He Yuguang, how great would that have been? Then the confused feelings she had from when she was younger would be long gone. If she hadn’t met him again, then today, she could’ve agreed for He Jichen to take responsibility. Then she could go with what her heart wanted and like him, fall in love with him…
Chapter 416: Ah! So, She Was Moved (6)
Or… how great would it have been if she and He Jichen had never worked on the same set? That way, she would never have to hurt herself to get revenge on Qian Ge; she would never have seen the dread in his eyes; their relationship would never have improved; she would never have truly understood him; she would never have agreed to go back to how things were; moreover, she would never have developed feelings for him, and they would never have had drunken sex…
If only, and that’s a big “if” …
Ji Yi laid spread out on the bed, crying more and more violently. She cried till her entire body started to twitch and she couldn’t breathe.
As she clutched her chest with her hand, she couldn’t help but tightly grasp onto her clothes. The sheer force she used made her fingertips turn white.
–
Four Seasons Hotel.
Slightly stunned, Chen Bai stared at Ji Yi’s back as she left in a hurry. After he came back to his senses, the elevator had long reached the first floor.
Why did Miss Ji leave in such a hurry? Did she and Mr. He not manage to talk things through?
A terrible feeling came over Chen Bai as he stood quietly on the spot for some time before he turned around and headed into the tea room.
With Ji Yi gone, there was just He Jichen left in the room. Standing at the entrance, Chen Bai immediately saw He Jichen sitting by the window.
The man’s head was down and half his face was hidden in the shadows, which made it difficult to see his expression. One of his hands was casually hung over a chair, while the other was on the table. His fingers gently held a teacup.
His posture looked serene and Chen Bai couldn’t tell if he was sad or happy.
Chen Bai walked over to him and softly cried, “Mr. He.”
He wasn’t sure if He Jichen was deep in thought or not, but he didn’t reply. His entire body was motionless.
Chen Bai realized that it had been about two or three minutes since he first appeared at the door, walked over to He Jichen, and spoke to him. In all that time, He Jichen was as still as a statue. Not only did his body not flinch in the slightest, but his eyelashes didn’t even blink at all.
Chen Bai tried to call He Jichen again, but seeing as he didn’t make a sound, Chen Bai took two steps back and silently stood beside him.
Time went by slowly, and the sunlight outside the windows became brighter. Seeing as it was almost midday and their reservation was coming to an end, the manager of the tea room walked over to them. “Mr. He, it’s about time. May I ask if we can let other customers in now?”
He Jichen remained just as silent as when Chen Bai first saw him; he didn’t react to the manager’s question, just like how he didn’t react to Chen Bai’s prompting earlier.
“Mr. He…” repeated the manager after he noticed that He Jichen didn’t say anything. This time, before the manager could finish, Chen Bai knew He Jichen wasn’t going to reply to him, so he walked up to the manager and patted his shoulder. Chen Bai pointed out the door, signaling for them to talk.
Chen Bai renegotiated the price with the manager, and after the manager left, Chen Bai didn’t go back into the tea room. Instead, he leaned back against the door frame, pulled out his phone and started playing on it.
The beaming sun slowly transitioned into the red setting sun, then little by little, it fell to the west. Along the way, Chen Bai’s phone ran out of battery, and the manager of the tea room came over twice. Even after night had fallen and neon lights lit up the streets outside the windows, He Jichen maintained his initial, motionless posture.
The lights in the tea room with ancient Chinese furnishings quietly enveloped He Jichen and surrounded his body with a ring of light.