NOVEL NEXT Chapter 550-558
Chapter 550: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (10)
If he really wanted her to go to America with him, he could’ve asked Chen Bai to book her a ticket for her to fly out there. Why did he come all the way back?
He made a suggestion like that just because he wanted her to get her mind off of the incidents at hand.
The more attentive He Jichen was, the more unsettled Ji Yi felt.
“Maybe we can go to France? If that’s no good, then Switzerland…”
“He Jichen…”
Before He Jichen could make another suggestion, Ji Yi suddenly spoke after remaining quiet throughout the call.
He Jichen was about to blurt out “or the UK” when he softly changed what he was going to say and let out an “Mhm?”
Ji Yi fell silent again.
But this time, He Jichen didn’t rush her.
Both sides fell silent for a moment before Ji Yi spoke extremely slowly and softly. “He Jichen, my performance on ‘The Tempestuous Grand Tang’ was solely my own form of expression. I didn’t copy Qian Ge’s performance.”
“I believe you,” replied He Jichen with no hesitation in a soft but stern voice.
After being suspected and berated by the whole world all day and night, He Jichen’s phrase “I believe you” felt like a candle in the pitch-black night. He lit up Ji Yi’s hopeless and helpless world, miraculously calming down her anger.
She held the phone silently for a moment then said, “Those photos circulating online were of scenes I racked my brain over for a long time. There were even some scenes that kept me up all night planning all the intricate details…”
On the other side of the phone, He Jichen sat in the car back to the city without making a sound.
He knew Ji Yi didn’t need to be comforted at that very moment. She needed to vent.
“…I wanted to do well with the first leading female character that I played after my hiatus. I knew I couldn’t perform perfectly, but I wanted to act with a clear conscience. I was truly sincere, but I never imagined that all my hard work would be stolen just like that…”
“…It’s just like four years ago. No matter if it’s my acting career or my office, I rose to the top like in the old days, but with just one simple scheme, she took it all away…”
“… And what about me? She put me in the hospital for three years and now, she made everyone hate me. No matter if it’s four years ago or four years later, all I can do is get angry!”
“He Jichen, I’m really useless, aren’t I? It’s just like what Director Lin said; I’m not good at anything! Qian Ge was right, I can’t compare to her…”
“If using tricks and stepping on other people to be successful is called being useful, there are many people in the world who aren’t useful at all!”
Having stayed quiet all conversation, He Jichen listened to what Ji Yi said then spoke sluggishly.
“It isn’t your fault that you’re caught all up in this; it’s her fault because most of the time, people with principles can’t beat people with no bottom line!”
“So Xiao Yi, don’t compare yourself…”
He Jichen paused for a moment before his voice became disdainful. “…because she simply isn’t worthy enough to compare with you!”
Ji Yi still had lingering feelings of being wronged when she was complaining to He Jichen, but at that very moment, she considered herself now completely relaxed when she heard what He Jichen said.
Chapter 551: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (10)
Even though they were a phone call apart, He Jichen felt Ji Yi’s mood slowly improving. He said, “And anyway, why compare yourself to her? Aside from her btchiness, I don’t see anything special about her. Don’t tell me you want to be compared to someone who is even more btchy?”
Ji Yi couldn’t help but chuckle as she never imagined He Jichen would suddenly say something like that. “I’m not taking it that hard, alright?”
“That’s good. I thought you were taking things too hard.”
Ji Yi didn’t say anything, but she could clearly feel her chest fill up with joy, bit-by-bit.
After some time, He Jichen spoke again: “Feeling a bit better?”
“Mhm.”
“That’s good. Then listen to me and get some things done…”
“What?”
“Take a shower, dry your hair, and drink a glass of milk. Then get in bed, close your eyes, don’t think about anything, and get a good night’s sleep…” He Jichen paused for a moment before his voice returned. “… Do what I say. I won’t hang up. I’ll stay with you.”
I’ll stay with you… Ji Yi never knew that four simple words could have such power. In that very moment, she felt like even if the sky fell, there would be nothing to fear as long as she had He Jichen by her side!
Ji Yi endured the raging emotions on her mind and let out a gentle “Mhm.” Then she put down her phone and followed He Jichen’s instructions.
He Jichen, who hadn’t returned home yet, knew Ji Yi didn’t have her phone on her anymore, but he didn’t lower his phone from his ear.
He stared out at the night view of the city passing by and thought the four words he just said in his mind again.
I’ll stay with you…
Four years ago, when you got into your accident, I couldn’t be by your side. Four years later, no matter how many things happen to you, I will stay by your side.
I left you on your own to deal with all the ugliness of the world. I won’t leave you to deal with it a second time…
Ji Yi picked up her phone again and noticed that forty minutes had passed.
The call was still ongoing.
She laid in bed and followed He Jichen’s orders. She pulled the covers over her body, put her ear to her phone, and continued to chat casually with He Jichen.
“You home yet?”
“Yeah.”
“You took a shower?”
“Yeah.”
“You hungry?”
“…”
They chatted like that for who knew how long before sleepiness crept up on her. Ji Yi’s eyelids gradually closed.
On the other side of the phone, He Jichen noticed that Ji Yi was replying more slowly and figured that she must be sleepy so he stopped talking.
The night was peaceful. Through the phone, he could hear her breathing gradually becoming slow and deep.
He stood in front of the tall windows and stared out at millions of lights then lit a cigarette. After a drag, he suddenly remembered something and said to Ji Yi, “Xiao Yi?”
“Mhm?” Her voice was slurred.
“You have to remember what I said.”
“Every promise I told you:
——Without YC, you’ll still have me.
——I won’t swarm to you when you’re famous, and I won’t turn and leave you at your lowest point.”
“… Mhm.”
–
When Ji Yi woke up again, it was noon of the third day after new year’s and her phone shut off because it ran out of battery.
The whole ordeal about her plagiarizing Qian Ge’s idea got so big that her parents found out.
Ji Yi’s mum was so afraid of Ji Yi lounging around at home and having wild thoughts running through her mind. After lunch, she dragged Ji Yi to the beauty salon to enjoy the spa.
Chapter 552: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (12)
Ji Yi forgot to go to the bathroom before she left the house, so the first thing she did when she arrived at the beauty salon was use the restroom.
Ji Yi truly never imagined that she would bump into her in the restroom.
She walked over to the restroom door and raised her hand. Just as she was about to push the door open, someone on the other side pulled it open. Ji Yi was caught off guard by the sight of Qian Ge’s carefully done make up.
The past few days, news of their incident got out to the whole world.
Now, to unexpectedly meet like this, not only was Ji Yi stunned, but Qian Ge also felt a little startled.
Ji Yi was the first to snap back to her senses.
Things were fine when she didn’t see Qian Ge, but as soon as Ji Yi saw her, the fire in her heart ignited.
She knew full well that Qian Ge wanted to see her embarrassed more than anyone, so she tried her best to push down the thought of wanting to shred Qian Ge into a million pieces. Ji Yi pretended she didn’t exist and brushed right past her into the restroom.
After entering a cubicle, she locked the cubicle door from the inside then waited for a while. Ji Yi heard the crisp sound of Qian Ge’s high heels gradually disappearing.
After using the toilet, Ji Yi continued to sit there for a while before she got up and flushed. Then she emerged from the cubicle.
As she came out, Ji Yi headed straight for the sink and turned on the tap. With some soap in her hands, she aimed for the water and was about to wash her hands when she saw Qian Ge through the mirror. She was standing at the exit with a slender women’s menthol cigarette between her fingers.
When Ji Yi saw her, she could sense the bewitching smoke coming from Qian Ge’s lips. She glanced into the mirror. When their eyes met for just two seconds, the smoke Qian Ge exhaled covered both their gazes.
Ji Yi pretended Qian Ge didn’t exist just like she did when she entered the restroom and blankly lowered her eyes. After carefully washing her hands, she reached for a tissue and dried her hands. Then she turned around and leisurely walked out of the restroom.
Ji Yi turned right and was just about to walk over to the front desk of the beauty salon. Standing next to her, Qian Ge spoke with an elegant voice, “Do you have nothing to say to me?”
Of course, Ji Yi knew what Qian Ge secretly meant with those words. She was waiting for Ji Yi to blame her for plagiarizing her performance and call her a little thief! She’s probably betting on me saying that!
That way, Qian Ge could just record me and post it up on Weibo. I’m already in dangerous territory, so this would only push me over the edge!
Ji Yi pretended as though she hadn’t heard anything, so her feet didn’t hesitate or stop walking at all.
“You may have nothing to say, but I have something to say to you today.” Ji Yi heard Qian Ge’s unhurried voice from behind her.
Ji Yi continued walking straight ahead.
The distance between them grew.
Yet, Qian Ge wasn’t in a hurry in the least. She continued to sluggishly lean against the wall and smoke her cigarette. “Ji Yi, did you know? He Jichen knew years ago that your character in ‘The Tempestuous Grand Tang’ would clash with my character in ‘The Legend of Qingcheng’.”
Ji Yi’s calm steps suddenly came to a stop at the sound of those words “He Jichen.”
She didn’t turn back.
Qian Ge didn’t hope for Ji Yi to turn around, but she put out her finished cigarette on the ashtray by the bin. She pushed herself up then strolled over to Ji Yi’s side.
Chapter 553: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (13)
“From the moment He Jichen found out about the incident till the night it blew up, he had a whole week’s time to think of a way to keep it down. But do you know? He didn’t do anything…”
Qian Ge would admit she was cutthroat with everything she did in life; she didn’t even show mercy to Ji Yi who she was closest to when they were young. She was like that with everyone besides He Jichen, who always treated her like she was unworthy, who she considered the worst man yet he was also the man who filled her heart with fantasies.
Though she was the one who single-handedly created all the scandals plaguing Ji Yi right now, she received some help from the media to blow the situation up to this level. While in touch with the media, she found out someone revealed the incident to He Jichen. At the time, she was worried whether she could pull this off without interference from He Jichen. Later, she realized He Jichen not only didn’t stop her from carrying out her plot, but he even helped fan the flames.
It wasn’t like she didn’t know He Jichen treated Ji Yi well; she just thought it was a bit odd.
She asked people from everywhere to get the inside scoop. It wasn’t until the day after new year’s day that she found out from Director Lin, who she planted at YC and who was ultimately fired, that He Jichen made an agreement with the board of directors. If Ji Yi was unable to generate profit for YC within a year, he would leave YC with nothing.
At that moment, she finally realized He Jichen was only unconcerned because deep down, he actually hoped Ji Yi’s scandal would blow up.
To Ji Yi, it was a disaster, but to He Jichen, it was a great way to get exposure for “The Tempestuous Grand Tang.” As long as they got sales, He Jichen could stay at YC.
With that thought, Qian Ge’s lips couldn’t help but curve up. “…Did you think He Jichen was truly going to support you? I didn’t know till now that to him, you’re just a money-making tool. Look at you, all embarrassing as hell, plagued by scandals. What did He Jichen do? Nothing! He didn’t even spend money to find ways to remove your scandal from Weibo’s top searches. He didn’t even do that…”
The expression on Ji Yi’s face was as cold and composed as usual, like Qian Ge hadn’t said anything at all.
“Do you know why?” Qian Ge didn’t mind how Ji Yi pretended to have not heard what she said as she looked down and played with the diamonds stuck on her nails. “Because the more blown up your situation is, the more exposure ‘The Tempestuous Grand Tang’ gets. Did you see the spike in ratings for last night’s ‘The Tempestuous Grand Tang’ because of the incident? To He Jichen, he made money. What do your reputation, your life, and death have anything to do with him?”
When Ji Yi heard this, she realized she had to be sick in the head to even listen to what Qian Ge had to say.
Without glancing at Qian Ge, she continued to walk up to the front desk of the beauty salon.
Qian Ge didn’t stop Ji Yi, but after taking just two steps forward, she spoke again. “Ji Yi, do you think that my abilities alone could single-handedly blow this scandal up to this extent? You don’t have to believe me, but what I said is the truth – He Jichen had a part in all of this!”
“To He Jichen, he wants this situation to be blown up even more than I do!”
“So in some areas, he and I are alike; we don’t care if you live or die!”
Ji Yi’s feet suddenly stopped.
Since Qian Ge started talking to her, Ji Yi hadn’t glanced back at Qian Ge. She suddenly turned around and looked over at Qian Ge now.
Chapter 554: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (14)
“You think he’s the same as you?”
Ji Yi’s voice sounded particularly cold. After she repeated what Qian Ge said, she shot an icy glare at Qian Ge. “Could you not insult him like that? Are you worthy of calling him your equal?”
Qian Ge never imagined Ji Yi would sound so overbearing and threatening as her arrogant eyes froze.
“You can’t possibly believe I would believe your whole act of pretending to be clear and logical?” Ji Yi spoke as her lips curved into a gentle smile. “Qian Ge, do you take me for some kind of gullible three-year-old kid?”
“Let me tell you, even if you hype up your story and make it sound possible, I would never believe you!”
“You lost your credibility long ago. Let’s not even mention what you said to me today about He Jichen – even if you randomly dragged a beggar off the streets, I’d rather believe them over believing you!”
“So Qian Ge, if you’re trying to drive a wedge between me and He Jichen, I suggest you save it!”
With that, a newfound confidence entered Ji Yi’s voice: “Because that will never happen!”
What a joke!
What has He Jichen done for me? Compared to what Qian Ge has done to me?
Does she think I’m dumb or that there’s something wrong with my brain? Why would I suspect He Jichen just because of what she said?
What’s more, after He Jichen went to America and found out what happened to me, he dropped everything and flew right back.
As soon as he landed, He Jichen called me. Usually he barely speaks, but last night, he changed and stayed with me the whole time…
The more Ji Yi thought about it, the more she got angry at Qian Ge’s claim that he and she were alike. It was a blatant insult to He Jichen!
How could He Jichen be like her?
With that thought, Ji Yi spoke again with an angrier tone: “Do you know what you just said makes me think you’re a complete fool? You think your little act is really convincing, but I’ve been laughing at you for a while now!”
“Today, I’m knocking down your words right here and now. I choose to believe He Jichen. I choose to believe him tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and every day in the future!”
“I didn’t choose to believe He Jichen because of what you said. Even if someone else said what you did, I would still choose to believe in him!”
“I, Ji Yi, am not foolish enough to be repeatedly embarrassed by you. I can tell who is telling me the truth and who is pretending. I have enough intelligence to determine that at least!”
As Ji Yi said that, she shot a deadly glare at Qian Ge then turned right around without waiting for her to respond.
She took two steps forward but then her footsteps suddenly halted like she just remembered something.
Without bothering to glance back at Qian Ge, Ji Yi coldly said, “Also, I’m warning you – quit comparing yourself to He Jichen because it will only disgrace him!”
With a pause, Ji Yi thought back to when they were young. Qian Ge asked her long ago to help set her up to meet He Jichen at the school’s grove. She added, “I finally get why He Jichen didn’t like you in senior high!”
“It’s because birds of a feather flock together. The two of you were never alike!”
Chapter 555: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him(15)
As the last syllable dropped, Ji Yi strode away without lingering for a second.
After she finally released all her pent-up anger through venting at Qian Ge just now, Ji Yi walked right up to the front desk and curved her lips into a smile.
The lady at the front desk came over to Ji Yi when she saw her and immediately escorted her over to the room where her mum was.
Her mum was sitting on a European-style sofa while quietly discussing what she wanted to have done today with a much older technician.
After the lady at the front desk asked her to take a seat, she spoke a few words into the walkie-talkie she carried on her body. About a minute later, the door to their room opened and a technician younger than Ji Yi’s mum came in with a cup of rose tea.
After the lady at the front desk left, the young technician handed Ji Yi a list of treatments then crouched down, raised Ji Yi’s feet and soaked them into a foot spa filled with warm water.
Because He Jichen was at the front of her mind from when she said such harsh words to Qian Ge just now, Ji Yi suddenly wanted to talk to him.
She casually glanced at the list of treatments. After ordering a treatment, she started looking for her phone.
After searching for a while, Ji Yi couldn’t find it. Then she remembered that when her mum rushed her out of the house, she specifically left her phone at home to avoid reading the comments online.
Without having He Jichen to share her thoughts with, Ji Yi realized just how much she missed him.
When she had something on her mind with no way of calling He Jichen, she realized she really wanted to see him.
What time did he sleep yesterday? Is he awake now?
The more Ji Yi thought about it, the more strongly she wanted to see him. After her technician finished wiping her leg with a towel, she suddenly stood up.
“Xiao Yi, what are you doing?” Sitting beside her, Ji Yi’s mum jumped in shock.
When Ji Yi heard her mum speak, she turned to glance at her then casually said, “Mum, wait here at the spa for me. I’m going to go look for He Jichen!!”
“Why are you looking for Jichen?”
“I’ll tell you when I get back…” replied Ji Yi to her mum as she apologized to her technician: “Sorry.” Then she put on her shoes and hurriedly ran out of the beauty salon.
She hailed a taxi and headed for He Jichen’s apartment.
The door opened the second after she rang the doorbell, but it wasn’t He Jichen – it was the helper he hired, Zhang Sao. “Miss Ji, why are you here?”
“Where’s He Jichen?” Ji Yi asked.
“Mr. He went to the office with his assistant Mr. Chen an hour ago.” After Zhang Sao spoke, she made a hand gesture to welcome Ji Yi into the room. “I’ll call Mr. He now and inform him you’re here. Please wait inside for him.”
“No need to trouble you. I’ll go look for him at his office.”
“Alright then, Miss Ji. Take care.”
Ji Yi replied to Zhang Sao with a smile but didn’t utter a word. She retreated to the elevator and pressed the button.
At the office, there was still no security guard on shift on the third day after new year’s.
Ji Yi paid her driver and walked through the empty lobby then stepped into the elevator.
Reaching the top floor, Ji Yi weaved past the secretary’s office and headed right for He Jichen’s office door.
The office door wasn’t completely shut but it was left half-open.
Chapter 556: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (16)
Out of courtesy, Ji Yi didn’t push the doors open right away, but she reached out to knock on the wooden door.
Her fingers hadn’t reached the door when He Jichen’s distinct voice was heard from inside: “How’s Ji Yi’s situation going?”
Upon hearing her name, Ji Yi stopped mid-knock.
Immediately after, Chen Bai’s voice came from the office. “It’s still up on the top searches list, but it’s dying down so it’s dropping in rank.”
He Jichen only asked Chen Bai about me because he’s worried about me?
An indescribable sense of joy crept into Ji Yi’s heart, making her lips unconsciously curve gently.
“We can’t let the hype die down…” He Jichen spoke again with the same distinctly crisp voice.
Such simple words bewildered Ji Yi.
We can’t let the hype die down… What did He Jichen mean by that?
“Got it, Mr. He. I have one more piece of news I can leak to ‘I love eating mangoes.” When Miss Ji was stuck on a scene, she hid away by herself. This can easily trigger people online. As long as we leak that, it’ll definitely cause another uproar.”
Leak to ‘I love eating mangoes’… ‘I love eating mangoes’ was the person who single-handedly started this wave of public hatred. Why’s Chen Bai leaking info to him?
Ji Yi looked panicked as her pitch-black pupils started to quickly flicker.
Did Chen Bai misspeak? Or am I hearing things?
With that thought, Ji Yi raised her hand and frantically rubbed her ears. Before she could stop, she heard He Jichen’s voice from within the office again. “Mm, pay close attention to Ji Yi’s popularity on Weibo. As soon as it drops, boost it up. If that doesn’t work, buy out all the online media outlets to boost it. Basically, you have to blow this whole thing out of proportion until everyone knows about it.”
“I understand, Mr. He.”
After Chen Bai said this, the office fell into silence once again.
Ji Yi vaguely heard the sound of a lighter followed by He Jichen’s muffled voice. Ji Yi figured he must have a cigarette in his mouth. “How are the latest ratings for ‘The Tempestuous Grand Tang’?”
“It’s already surpassed ‘The Legend of Qingcheng’ – it’s number one in the ratings.” Chen Bai paused for a moment then said, “Today, the shares for YC increased by a lot again…”
After Ji Yi heard this, she didn’t dare to listen anymore. She took two steps back and put some distance between her and He Jichen’s office. She turned around and ran back into the elevator.
The second the elevator doors closed, the words Qian Ge said in the salon and the words He Jichen and Chen Bai said in the office suddenly clamored around in her head like a curse.
“He had a whole week’s time to think of a way to keep it down. But did you know? He didn’t do anything.”
“We can’t let the hype die down…”
“I have one more piece of news I can leak to ‘I love eating mangoes’.”
“To him, you’re just a money-making tool.”
“How are the latest ratings for ‘The Tempestuous Grand Tang’?”
“Today, the shares for YC increased by a lot again…”
“You don’t have to believe me, but what I said is the truth. He Jichen had a part in all this!”
Chapter 557: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (17)
Ji Yi shook her head profusely, wanting to drive out the noise from her head but it only served to make the noise even louder. Eventually, it was so loud that her temples began to throb in pain, bringing her to tears. Her tears came crashing down unexpectedly from the corners of her eyes.
When the elevator doors opened, she frantically ran out of the office and took a right into a small alleyway by the office.
Both shops beside the ally were closed and the streets were quiet and empty without a single soul in sight.
Ji Yi walked quite a bit deeper into the alley. Like a deflated balloon, she crouched down, put her head between her knees, and started to sob.
How did things turn out like this?
He Jichen did call me last night to comfort me and stay with me. How could he turn around and say things like that to Chen Bai?
He’s always treated me really, really well! He signed me with YC and fired Director Lin for me. He even went against the board of directors! At the time, I was really touched that I even attended the BL Charity Gala the day after my leg finally healed. I did it just for him because I wanted to work hard to repay him for everything he did for me.
Back then, I really viewed him as someone I could rely on in my life.
I really believed him, which is why I went straight to him when I wanted to complain about something… Because I subconsciously thought this entire world turned its back on me, but he would never do that.
So at the beauty salon, when I heard Qian Ge say those things, I thought it was hilarious.
I had such confidence that He Jichen wasn’t how she described.
I was certain everything Qian Ge said was made up.
I even confidently said such harsh things to Qian Ge.
What’s more, I even got mad when I heard Qian Ge say “he and I are alike”… Now, it seems like the joke was on me… I even called Qian Ge a clown when in actual fact, I was the clown!
The more Ji Yi thought about it, the more fiercely her eyes watered. She felt her heart being viciously torn apart. The pain made it impossible for her to breathe.
How did things turn out like this?
How could he, who treated me so well, turn out to be one of the people behind the scandal?
Is it really like how Qian Ge described? Am I really just his money-making tool? Are my life and death really not the least bit important to him?
As long as the rumors about me increase ratings for “The Tempestuous Grand Tang” and shares for YC, does it not matter at all to him if my reputation gets ruined and everyone gives up on me?
Though her heart endured the suffering of people cursing her out online, Ji Yi never cried about it.
But here and now, she cried like a helpless and hopeless child.
She really, really wanted to believe this was all fake, but it was such a shame she heard everything He Jichen and Chen Bai said with her own ears!
How devastating! She couldn’t even trick herself.
Ji Yi wasn’t sure how long she’d been crying when her tears dried. Then she raised her head up from her knees.
The sun already reached the West and the golden glow already turned completely red.
So, she’d cried for almost an entire afternoon…
Chapter 558: Unexpectedly, Deeply in Love with Him (18)
Her mum was still waiting for her at the beauty salon…
Her mum only came out because of her, and now, she ran out without even bringing a phone with her. She’d been away for so long now, she must be worried about her…
Ji Yi only left her mum’s side in such a hurry because she couldn’t wait to see He Jichen, but who knew… she would see him under those circumstances…
As soon as she thought about what He Jichen and Chen Bai said, Ji Yi’s swollen, red eyes started to feel sore again.
She raised her head to the sky and took a deep breath, trying to push back the tears. Then she got up and walked out of the alley.
Ji Yi stood by the side of the road for some time before she caught a taxi.
When she reached the beauty salon, the sun had already set. Ji Yi wasn’t in a hurry to head back into her mum’s room, so she took a turn into the restroom.
As she passed by the trash can opposite the restroom, Ji Yi remembered what Qian Ge said to her an hour ago when she stood there. A sharp pain came over her again as she walked slightly in disarray.
Standing in front of the sink, Ji Yi poured cold water over her face. She stayed in a daze for a long time as she watched her swollen red eyes gradually return to normal then she grabbed a towel and wiped her hands and face dry. Ji Yi forcefully smiled a few times in the mirror. After she confirmed that the expression on her face didn’t look so down, she headed back to see her mum.
…
After noticing that Ji Yi was gone for a while, her mum felt bad waiting around at the salon after finishing her treatments, so she had a new treatment done.
Ji Yi still hadn’t returned when the new treatment was almost finished.
As she worried about Ji Yi, Ji Yi’s mum was also conflicted about whether to have another treatment done when all of sudden, the door opened and in came Ji Yi’s voice: “Ma.”
Ji Yi’s mum turned her head and saw Ji Yi then immediately thanked the heavens as she cried, “Xiao Yi, you want to scare mama to death!? Mama thought something happened to you!”
“No.” Ji Yi was afraid her mum would notice signs of her crying, so when her mum looked over at her, she lowered her head.
“Why did you go look for Jichen? Was it something urgent?”
It would’ve been better if Ji Yi’s mum hadn’t mentioned it at all, because as soon as she did, Ji Yi’s rattled emotions resurfaced again after she tried so hard to push them down in the restroom. Ji Yi’s fingertips trembled for a moment as she almost lost control and she lied with a soft voice, “I wanted to see him about something, but he wasn’t at home, so I came back.”
“What took you so long?” rebuked Ji Yi’s mum with a hint of blame in her voice.
“I went to look for Zhuang Yi,” replied Ji Yi, who randomly thought up an excuse to mislead her mum. Then she apologized with a gentle voice, “Ma, I’m sorry for making you wait for me for so long.”
Ji Yi’s mum was more worried than angry at Ji Yi, and upon seeing her return, she was overjoyed. Ji Yi’s mum immediately smiled when she heard her apology and said, “Just pay for mama’s bill later and we’re good.”
Ji Yi smiled back and replied with an “Mhm.” Before she could finish, the technician working on Ji Yi’s mum softly cried, “Madam, your treatment’s finished now. May I ask, is there anything else I can help you with?”
Her mum shook her head.
“Madam, please wait here for a moment as I step out.”
Her mum nodded.
After the technician left, it was just Ji Yi and her mum left in the large room.
Her mum wasn’t in a rush to get up, so she shut her eyes as she laid on the bed.
Sitting beside her, Ji Yi stared at her mum for a while before she suddenly apologized. “Ma, I’m sorry.”