NOVEL NEXT Chapter 710-717
Chapter 710: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (20)
“She told Mr. He that as long as Mr. He stopped supporting you, she’d destroy the video.”
“Mr. He didn’t even give Qian Ge any room for negotiation and declined right away.”
“Qian Ge actually started to leak this video during the production of ‘Jiuchong Palace.’ Eventually, it became hard to contain, so all Mr. He could do was push to get many things completed quickly.”
“It was just as you described earlier – Mr. He was afraid to drag you down, so he sent you off to Huan Ying because he wasn’t sure if YC would be dragged down after the video got out.”
Huan Ying… Upon hearing those two words, Ji Yi suddenly remembered something she heard recently about Chen Bai also going to Huan Ying.
She suddenly understood something then spoke with trembling lips: “So, you’re going to go to Huan Ying too?”
Since she changed the subject rather quickly, Chen Bai paused for a moment then nodded.
“Did he set that up?”
Chen Bai hesitated for a few seconds then replied, “Yes, it was his idea.”
Yes, it was his idea…
Like a broken string of pearls, his flat response made the tears in Ji Yi’seyes crash down, one drop at a time.
So as it turned out, he betrayed her so many times behind her back. He couldn’t save himself, yet he still protected her and set out a future path for her to follow…
He was afraid of her being alone at Huan Ying as there wouldn’t be anyone to back her up if she ever suffered or if someone stole her resources or if she fell for someone’s schemes, so he asked Chen Bai to also go with her.
He left her, but he sent his most able, most trustworthy friend to stay with her.
The more Ji Yi thought about it, the more tears fell from her eyes.
Chen Bai didn’t say anything else but stood in front of Ji Yi for a short while then got up and walked into the study.
After about a minute, he emerged from the room to hand Ji Yi a document.
He stood there for a while before he handed Ji Yi the file. “Mr. He asked me to give this to you.”
Ji Yi looked over at Chen Bai in hesitation before taking it.
She opened the file to pull out a shares transfer agreement.
Why’s He Jichen giving me a shares transfer agreement?
Ji Yi raised her head in confusion and glanced at Chen Bai again. Then she carefully read the transfer agreement. When she read the name of the company, it felt like someone had hit her hard on the head; she was suddenly left stunned.
She was far too familiar with that company. It was the name she once made and the studio she started all on her own, which currently belonged to Qian Ge.
She always wanted to get the studio back, but she didn’t have much money and there was never a good time for her, so she only bought a very limited number of shares. She never imagined that He Jichen would possess so many stocks of Qian Ge’s studio.
“Mr. He said this studio is yours, so before he left, he thought of loads of ways and spent a lot of money to help you buy all these shares. You aren’t the biggest shareholder now, but don’t worry. Mr. He and Mr. Han have taken care of it. In the future, Mr. Han will also help you.”
It didn’t seem as though Ji Yi was listening to Chen Bai. All she did was stare transfixed at the file.
The room fell silent.
After who knew how long, Ji Yi’s voice came pouring out: “He didn’t lie to me. He’s never lied to me…”
As she said this, the paper in her hands started to tremble softly.
Chapter 711: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (21)
“…I won’t swarm to you when you’re famous, and I won’t turn and leave you at your lowest point.”
“He didn’t lie to me. He really didn’t lie to me. He did as he promised…”
The thin paper slipped from Ji Yi’s fingers and drifted to the floor. She stared straight ahead with tears stored in her eyes. Her lips were still moving non-stop then in the haze of it all, she heard him speak.
“Do you trust that I can fight, side-by-side, with you?”
He asked if I’m willing to trust him to take each step with me from the lowest point of the entertainment industry towards infinite, brightest heights.
“Will you trust that I can help you get back what was taken from you, bit by bit?”
“Will you trust me? If you do, come join YC…”
He said it before and he did it.
He stayed with her and fought side-by-side with her, he helped rebuild her empire, and he got back what she lost. However, there was one thing he didn’t do… Everything was right on track for her, and things were finally good. She finally had the opportunity to achieve infinite radiance, but he was gone.
He didn’t tell her anything and left quietly without a word about everything he did. He didn’t even give her a chance to persuade him to stay.
Their destiny was filled with missed chances.
She wanted to get back what Qian Ge owed her, but if she knew that the price of doing so would be him, she’d rather give up on getting revenge, let go of Qian Ge, and abandon showbiz…
Now, “Jiuchong Palace” made her instantly famous; now, she had a large sum of shares for Qian Ge’s studio; now, everything she wanted had been made into reality. She could be happy now, but she didn’t feel the slightest bit happy at all…
Ji Yi tightly hugged her knees as she sat in a daze, staring out at a vacant spot in front of her without blinking.
What am I going to do with the rest of my days? I should do something, right? A lifetime is so long – who am I going to spend my days with when I have white hair? Who am I going to have kids with? And who am I going to grow old with?
The world was so big, and the future was so lengthy, but deep down, Ji Yi knew she wouldn’t meet a second He Jichen. Nor would she meet another man she could fall deeply in love with.
Ji Yi was pale. Her lips flapped as though she was using her whole body to force out the words: “I believe you.”
He Jichen, I believe you. I believe you, but what use is there in believing you now? You’re no longer by my side…
If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been forced to leave. If you hadn’t left and were still so attentive to me, maybe I wouldn’t be in so much pain.
But he had to, he had to… go and leave me all on my own…
After reading the shares transfer agreement, Ji Yi suddenly cried out loud.
He Jichen, come back. Stay and fight with me side-by-side, please? Come back, watch as I achieve infinite radiance, okay? Come back, and we’ll get back the remaining shares, okay?
He Jichen, come back. As long as you come back, I’ll do anything…
Ji Yi cried tragically and in desperation.
Her cries grew louder.
Zhuang Yi and Chen Bai were flustered. They surrounded her and tried to comfort her for a long long time, but she ignored them and continued to cry.
She cried until she was grief-stricken and inconsolable.
She cried for a long, long time. In the end, her voice was hoarse, her tears could no longer come out, and she felt tired of life. Then she laid on the sofa and slipped into a dark abyss.
Chapter 712: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (22)
This time Ji Yi fainted, it landed her in the hospital and she was unable to get out of bed for over a month. She had been recovering from her fever when all of a sudden, her condition worsened significantly.
At first, Ji Yi had no appetite, so in the end, she couldn’t eat at all. Eventually, all the hospital could do was put her on a drip every day.
Most of the time, Ji Yi couldn’t sleep and even when she did sleep, she woke easily. Once awake, she would stare at the ceiling and mutter to herself for a long time in a daze.
In the beginning, everyone thought Ji Yi just had a fever and that it wasn’t anything serious, so they assumed all she needed was to stay in the hospital to recover. However, as time went on, Ji Yi’s condition worsened and everyone grew anxious.
It got so bad to the point where Ji Yi started to not recognize people. At first, she couldn’t name Han Zhifan, then Chen Bai, then Cheng Weiwan, Zhuang Yi, Tang Huahua, and Bo He. Eventually, she was completely confused when her own parents were standing in front of her.
No matter if it was her parents, Chen Bai or Han Zhifan, everyone tried to get famous doctors to treat her. However, no matter what treatments they tried, they all had no effect on her.
Chen Bai knew Ji Yi was heartbroken and could only be healed by He Jichen, who nobody was able to track down.
Ji Yi became more and more skinny – so skinny that she almost didn’t have the strength to breathe.
They asked another doctor to treat her, but even then, the doctor only shook their head and told everyone to give up.
Just as everyone, including her own parents, believed Ji Yi couldn’t be saved, Ji Yi had a dream about He Jichen.
The dream was short. In the dream, they were sitting next to the window of a Thai restaurant in YR plaza.
He told her so many things.
“In the future, don’t lose weight for filming again. Your health is most important. What’s more, although you woke up from your coma, your health isn’t as good compared to ordinary people.”
“Though you really like hot and spicy soup, you should try to cut down if you can.”
“Also, don’t always stay up late. It’s not good for you.”
“Eat fewer things like ice cream. A woman should learn how to cherish and take care of herself.”
“Remember to eat more fruit, and eat it even if you don’t like it. Those VC vitamins don’t have as many nutrients as fruit.”
“You’ve got a gym card, so remember to go more often. It can’t be bad for you.”
“Three meals a day. You have to eat your meals on time and don’t wait till you’re hungry before you go find something to eat…”
This wasn’t a dream. It was a memory of a true event.
That day, she interrupted He Jichen when he spoke up to that part.
In her dream, He Jichen also stopped at the same spot. Ji Yi suddenly opened her eyes and awoke from her dream.
The sun shone brightly outside the window and the sky was blue with white clouds. It was eight or nine in the morning.
Weak from not having eaten for a long time, Ji Yi couldn’t sit up in bed, so all she could do was lie down, staring out the window. As she stared and stared, a smile formed on her lips.
He was gone. Ji Yi was seriously sick to the point where no medicine could save her, but in the end, he saved her.
Ever since she woke up that day, Ji Yi started to eat.
At first, she threw up everything she ate, but she still ate.
When she had the strength, she started to get out of bed and walk just over ten meters.
She chatted with people who came to visit. Even though she spoke softly and used a lot of energy to talk, she still chatted with them earnestly.
Chapter 713: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (23)
Gradually, her condition started to improve, day by day.
She didn’t need the IV drip anymore and her fever subsided. Her strength slowly recovered and her weight started to rise again…
Half a month later, Ji Yi returned back to normal and was discharged from the hospital.
Before she left the hospital, she gave Zhuang Yi many orders.
“I’ll take part in events that I have to attend, but I want to be home before eleven.”
Because I need to listen to what he said and quit staying up late.
“In the future, if we’re ordering takeout, I don’t want to eat hot and spicy soup, crayfish or any food like that.”
Those were Ji Yi’s favorite foods, so after Zhuang Yi heard this, she was clearly in disbelief. “Don’t want to eat?”
Ji Yi softly replied “Mhm.” She didn’t say anything else. However, deep down, she secretly added: Because he said to eat less and to cut down as much as possible.
“In the future, give me more hot drinks. Don’t give me ice cream or cold drinks…”
As Ji Yi said this, she suddenly remembered the production party. When she clinked a bottle of ice-cold beer with someone, He Jichen grabbed it from her and exchanged it for a cup of hot tea while he talked business with someone else.
Ever since they’d known each other, he’d paid attention and gotten to know her habits better than she did.
Now he wasn’t by her side anymore and no one was around to pay attention to those things, so she had to take care of herself…
Ji Yi blinked and pushed down the sore feeling in her eyes and continued to say, “Throw away the VC pills I asked you to get me. In the future, I want to eat fruit every afternoon, so remember to prepare it in advance.”
“And I have to eat three meals a day…”
It felt like something was stuck in her throat as Ji Yi found it unusually hard to swallow. She pushed down that feeling and continued to say, “…Organize my schedule as you normally do, but I need to go to the gym two to three times a week. Put me in touch with a personal trainer again.”
I’ll try hard to live the way you wished.
I’ll try hard to live well and be healthy.
Because it’s what you wanted…
“Do you have anything else you want me to take note of?” asked Zhuang Yi as Ji Yi didn’t say anything for a while.
Ji Yi stopped her train of thought and shook her head at Zhuang Yi. “Nope.”
Not long after Ji Yi said that, the door to the hospital room opened. Having finished her discharge procedures, Chen Bai walked into the room. “Miss Ji, everything’s done. You can leave now.”
Ji Yi gently nodded without saying a word and got up.
Zhuang Yi packed everything up and carried it on the way out, behind Ji Yi.
After emerging from the hospital, Chen Bai drove to Ji Yi’s parent’s home.
En route, they were passing YR plaza when Ji Yi suddenly said, “Stop the car.”
Chen Bai hastily stopped the car.
Ji Yi stared at the Thai restaurant in YR plaza through the window.
Chen Bai saw that Ji Yi wasn’t saying anything, so he said, “Miss Ji?”
Ji Yi didn’t react but continued to stare out the window without blinking.
Chen Bai didn’t understand and turned his head to glance at Zhuang Yi, who got his message. Just as Zhuang Yi was going to nudge Ji Yi a little and ask her what was wrong, Ji Yi suddenly mumbled, “So, you were saying goodbye back then.”
Chapter 714: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (24)
Ji Yi said that out of nowhere, so Chen Bai and Zhuang Yi had no idea what she was saying. Zhuang Yi stopped in her tracks, glanced at Chen Bai then said, “Xiao Yi…”
Perhaps it was Zhuang Yi who brought her back to her senses or perhaps it was herself. However, before Zhuang Yi could finish, Ji Yi withdrew her gaze from the window, looked over at Chen Bai and Zhuang Yi then calmly said, “I’m getting out of the car here.”
“Here?” asked Zhuang Yi in bewilderment. Without thinking, she shook her head in disagreement. “This is quite some distance from your place. You only just got out of the hospital, so it’s best if you don’t go running off on your own.”
“I’m fine and I don’t want to run off. I just want to eat at that restaurant.” Ji Yi pointed at the Thai restaurant out the window.
It’s half-past ten, yet she wants to have lunch?
Although Zhuang Yi was confused, she didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she was still worried so she said, “Then I’ll come with.”
“No thanks. I can go by myself,” replied Ji Yi.
“But…” Zhuang Yi wasn’t done talking but Chen Bai, who knew she dined at that restaurant with He Jichen before, stopped her. “Then Miss Ji, you be careful on your own. If you need anything, call us at any time.”
“Mhm,” replied Ji Yi as she shot a smile at Chen Bai. She then picked up her handbag and reached her hand out to open the car door.
“Xiao Yi…” said Zhuang Yi anxiously. She didn’t understand, but Chen Bai shook his head at her and stopped her. In the end, she gave in to Chen Bai and let Ji Yi walk into the Thai restaurant.
–
It was too early. There wasn’t a single customer in the restaurant as Ji Yi entered and was greeted by the waiting staff. She was free to sit wherever she liked, so she chose to sit at the window seat where she and He Jichen sat last time.
The restaurant would start serving food at half-past eleven. Ji Yi wasn’t in a hurry, so she silently sat there on her own, waiting.
Since she came so early and waited for so long, the restaurant took particular care with her. At twenty past eleven, the waiter picked up a menu and walked over to her.
Ji Yi flipped through the menu and ordered everything she had last time with He Jichen.
The waiter noticed she ordered so many dishes and couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, may I ask how many people will be dining?”
Ji Yi’s fingers quivered slightly as she flipped through the menu. After a short while, she softly replied, “Two.”
The waiter put on a smile and continued to ask, “Excuse me miss, would you like the dishes now, or would you rather wait for your friend to arrive?”
Ji Yi lowered her eyes. “Now.”
“Yes, madam. Please wait.”
After the waiter left, Ji Yi stared at the seat He Jichen sat in last time and blanked out.
The dishes arrived quickly.
Ji Yi grabbed her chopsticks and started to eat alone quietly.
After she ate half, she stopped and stared at the empty seat and clean plate opposite her for a long time. Then she gently moved her lips and muttered, “I will.”
“I’ll never eat hot and spicy soup again.”
“I won’t sleep late anymore.”
Ji Yi muttered as though she was really back to that day when she was talking to He Jichen. Then she continued with a smile on her lips: “You too, He Jichen. Don’t stay up late for work.”
“Mhm, I’ll work out and eat well…”
As Ji Yi continued to talk, tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
Chapter 715: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (25)
I really am slow. Back then, how could I not have noticed anything weird or noticed that he was saying goodbye?
…
Ji Yi barely touched the table full of dishes.
She sat there from the time there was no one in the restaurant until the restaurant was full of people and continued sitting there until it was empty again. She never showed any signs of leaving.
As time gradually went by, it was three in the afternoon when Ji Yi’s phone suddenly lit up.
It was Tang Huahua calling.
Ji Yi let it ring for a while then grabbed her phone, swiped the screen and took the call.
“Xiao Yi…” Tang Huahua’s voice sounded hesitant over the phone. After she called Ji Yi’s name, she fell silent.
Having just cried, Ji Yi didn’t really want to talk, so she quietly waited with her phone raised to her ear.
After almost a minute, Tang Huahua’s weak voice was heard over the phone: “…Check out Weibo. Th-That…That person you hate the most. She… She’s holding a press conference right now…”
The person I hate the most… Those six words lingered on Ji Yi’s mind for a few seconds before she realized who Tang Huahua was talking about.
She didn’t reply to Tang Huahua but hung up right away and opened Weibo.
It was just as Tang Huahua said – Weibo was promoting Qian Ge’s press conference.
Ji Yi wasn’t watching it from the beginning; she played the live coverage which was around ten minutes in. Qian Ge was wearing a simple outfit with no makeup. She looked pale, worse for the wear and she was crying.
As she cried, she said, “I know I framed Miss Ji Yi for copying my performance; what I did was over the line. After that incident, I felt truly guilty to the point where I couldn’t sleep for a long time.”
“Here, in front of everyone, I deeply apologize to Miss Ji Yi.”
As she said this, Qian Ge got up and bowed deeply towards the camera.
After she sat down, she grabbed the microphone and continued, “I know Miss Ji Yi will never forgive me because I caused so many people to curse at her.”
“But I truly, truly do feel guilty. During my break, I have tried everything to make it up to Miss Ji Yi, so I’ve been donating money to impoverished children in the mountainous areas every month under her name.”
As Qian Ge’s voice fell, many photos of her charitable donations appeared on the big screen behind her.
“Maybe to Miss Ji Yi, she didn’t need this apology, but to me, I had to do something because my conscience was uneasy.”
“As for hurting Miss Ji Yi, I don’t want to try to justify myself. I made a mistake, so I was wrong.”
“Today, I wanted to say that I wasn’t trying to beat down rookies and I’m not afraid of Miss Ji Yi beating me down.”
“I only treated her like that because she’s an artist at YC. The person I hate is He Jichen, the previous CEO of YC.”
“If that video of He Jichen and me hadn’t been leaked online two months ago, I would’ve liked to avoid thinking about that incident.”
“Mr. He Jichen and I were classmates from senior high. Back then, I really, really liked him.”
“I admit that I was young, foolish, and reckless. I liked him and pestered him. I pestered him in so many ways. Back then, maybe I pestered him too far and it affected his life and his love life which was how we got into such unpleasant arguments.”
Chapter 716: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (26)
Even though Qian Ge was very vague about what she meant about the arguments, news of her attempted murder got everyone talking, so everyone knew what she was referring to.
Of course, that included Ji Yi.
But when Ji Yi heard her say this, she didn’t continue listening to what she had to say. Instead, she suddenly thought of a very important question.
How did the argument with Qian Ge happen? And why did it happen?
She didn’t care if everyone was persuaded by Qian Ge and believed her. Deep down, she was certain that it definitely didn’t happen as Qian Ge described it. She liked He Jichen, so she pestered him and that argument happened as a result?
After what happened, she only cared about the pain and sadness and actually neglected the most important point!
Ji Yi thought about it, immediately closed Weibo and called Zhuang Yi.
Zhuang Yi was worried about her, so she’d been waiting for Ji Yi’s call. As soon as the call came through, she picked it up before the first ring was heard. “Xiao Yi, where are you right now? Did you get home…”
Ji Yi didn’t wait for Zhuang Yi to finish as she interrupted her. “Zhuang Yi, do you know where Qian Ge’s press conference is being held?”
“I can ask around. Just wait a moment…”
Zhuang Yi’s voice gradually got quieter, so Ji Yi knew she must’ve lowered the phone from her ear.
Ji Yi wasn’t in a hurry to speak, so she patiently waited for half a minute until Zhuang Yi’s voice was heard again: “…At Kaiyuan Building.”
Ji Yi heard those four words and immediately reached out to call the waiter for the bill.
Having told Ji Yi the address, Zhuang Yi sensed something was wrong and immediately asked, “Xiao Yi, why did you ask this?”
“No reason.” As Ji Yi replied to Zhuang Yi, she swept a glance at the bill. Once she confirmed there was no problem, she handed the waiter her card, entered her pin, and signed.
She took her card back and got her things together. When she picked up her handbag, an idea came to mind then she told Zhuang Yi, “Oh yeah! Ask the make-up artist to drop by my place.”
“Make-up artist?” asked Zhuang Yi curiously. “Xiao Yi, you’re going out?”
“Yes.” Ji Yi walked out of the Thai restaurant, hailed a cab, and gave the driver her address.
Zhuang Yi had been working for Ji Yi for a long time now, so she knew her well. As she thought back to how she asked for the address of Qian Ge’s press conference, she immediately asked, “Xiao Yi, are you going to see Qian Ge?”
Ji Yi let out a soft “Mhm.” She didn’t wait for Zhuang Yi to try to persuade her to stop and hung up the phone.
That’s right. I’m going to find Qian Ge because I have something important to ask her!
Soon after she came home, the make-up artist Ji Yi called over arrived. However, with her was also Zhuang Yi.
Throughout Ji Yi’s make-up process, Zhuang Yi endlessly tried to persuade Ji Yi not to go see Qian Ge.
Ji Yi didn’t say a word until after her make-up was done. She pointed out a dress from the selection of clothes presented by the make-up artist. “That one.”
Seeing Zhuang Yi as couldn’t stop her, all she could do was go with Ji Yi.
On the road to the Kaiyuan Building, Ji Yi received several voice notes from Tang Huahua.
“Oh sh*t, I’ve never seen such a b*tch cry cry cry from start to end at a press conference before!”
Chapter 717: He Jichen is……He Yuguang (27)
“She’s obviously trying to win sympathy. What’s most disgusting is when she said she almost didn’t wake up at the hospital. After she woke up, she didn’t want to forgive He Jichen, but she came from a poor background, so she was afraid and could only choose to keep it private.”
“She especially emphasized the fact that she came from a poor background and that she was scared. Any idiot can tell that she got threatened by the He family to keep it a secret and she harbored a grudge over the whole incident.”
“A while back, everyone cursed at He Xuezhang way too harshly. Qian Ge was the victim and she’s crying so pitifully that everybody will definitely feel sorry for her weak self. I’m afraid He Xuezhang’s going to have so much gossip about him now.”
As Ji Yi heard this, the light in her eyes turned cold bit by bit.
“It’s a freaking trick! She actually said she’s still afraid and hopes everyone will stop bringing it up. She’s clearly taking one step back now in order to take two steps forward later. She’s basically fanning the flames!”
“Wow! I’m going to explode! I’ve never seen someone so shameless…”
Deep down, Ji Yi felt disgusted and didn’t want to keep listening to Tang Huahua’s voice notes, so she closed Weibo.
Qian Ge actually used the attempted murder video to try to win everyone’s sympathy and return to showbiz!
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Five years ago, didn’t she step over me to get to the top? Five years later, she’s stepping over He Jichen to get to the top, which is far more unacceptable than stepping over me!
Her schemes have gone far too well. Does she think that with this, she can return to her peak of success?
With that thought, a cold smile appeared on Ji Yi’s lips.
As long as I’m alive, she can forget it!
One of these days, I’ll clearly recount all the new and old hatred!
…
When she reached Kaiyuan Building, Qian Ge’s press conference had already finished.
Through her staff, Ji Yi found out that Qian Ge was taking questions from the press on the second floor.
Ji Yi didn’t barge into the conference room looking for Qian Ge. Instead, she and Zhuang Yi chose a low-key spot and waited patiently.
Media outlet after media outlet came out of the conference room.
A media outlet stepped out with several of their reporters. Ji Yi knew that after Qian Ge’s interviews finished, the only people in the room would be Qian Ge and one or two people she trusted.
Ji Yi then got up and walked over to the conference room.
Without even knocking, Ji Yi pushed the door open and stepped in.
Qian Ge was on the sofa talking with her manager when she heard the door open. Thinking that it was the media, she immediately withdrew the smile on her face and put on a pitiful crying look on for show as she turned her gaze to the door.
The moment Qian Ge met Ji Yi’s gaze, her expression looked clearly stunned for a couple seconds before her face returned to her cold and icy nature.
Although Qian Ge saw Ji Yi, she didn’t actually say anything to her. “Why’s she here?”
Qian Ge’s manager immediately shook her head at an absolute loss. “I don’t know.”
Then Qian Ge’s manager added, “I’ll ask someone to make her leave right away.”
As she said this, Qian Ge’s manager got up, but she didn’t manage to make it when Ji Yi walked up to Qian Ge in fury. “He Jichen’s video… You leaked it, didn’t you?”