NOVEL NEXT Chapter 943-949
Chapter 943: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You (43) Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
“Miss Ji came across something upsetting today. She was unhappy when she came back home. Mr. He hugged her and told her to cry if she wanted to. Miss Ji shook her head and said, ‘You tell Green bean that you don’t like girls who cry, so I can’t cry.’ With practically no hesitation at all, Mr. He replied, ‘You’re not a girl. You’re my wife.’ Baby Green Bean expressed that her heart ached as she completed her homework beside them. Even though dog food tastes great, you’ll feel painfully full if you eat too much!”
“Mr. He and Miss Ji went on another honeymoon vacation, so Uncle Chen picked me up from school. After school, my deskmate said she’s having hot and spicy soup tonight. I really wanted to eat it, but Mr. He and Miss Ji are determined to cut it out of our diets. On the way home, I begged Uncle Chen and he couldn’t fight me, so he took me to eat hot and spicy soup. Uncle Chen didn’t eat any, so I ate on my own. Halfway through, Uncle Chen looked at me as though he was suddenly reminiscing something and said, ‘Your mummy also really likes to eat hot and spicy soup. For a long time, your daddy would buy your mummy a portion of hot and spicy soup whenever they went out to eat, no matter if it was at a classy restaurant by a food stall on the street.’ Baby Green Bean expressed that her heart was exhausted. She was just eating a bowl of hot and spicy soup, and yet it had to be seasoned with Mr. He and Miss. Ji’s dog food.”
“Miss Ji went out window shopping with her best friends, Miss Tang, and Miss Zhuang. Mr. He picked me up from school in the evening. Just when Mr. He walked me into the house, he was greeted by a flying pillow to the face! Before Mr. He could say anything, Miss Ji furiously charged up to He XX (Mr. He’s real name). ‘Be honest! Who was the woman you spoke to on WeChat yesterday afternoon?!’ Miss Ji paused for a moment after saying that then continued, ‘Don’t lie to me! Zhuang X (Miss Zhuang’s real name) saw you yesterday and told me!’ In contrast to Miss Ji’s fury, Mr. He put the pillow down on the sofa beside him with a loving look on his face then reached out to hug Miss Ji. ‘My phone’s here and the password is your birthday. Go into my WeChat account and delete whoever pisses you off!’ I looked at Miss Ji, whose eyes immediately smiled, then I silently pulled out my math homework from my book bag.”
“Today, Mr. He and Miss Ji took me to a party. Wearing a ball gown, I asked Mr. He if I looked beautiful. Mr. He nodded and half-heartedly said I looked beautiful. Then he turned to look at Miss Ji and said, ‘But my dear wife is the most beautiful.’ Baby was wrong! Baby shouldn’t have said so much!”
“Since I am the only child and daughter of the family, I should be the most loved and spoiled one of all. But in reality, I have no power in the family whatsoever. On Chinese New Year, Mr. He gave me a red envelope but gave Miss Ji ten times more red envelopes. Mr. He gave me a little lover’s rose but gave Miss Ji 9999 roses. Over Christmas, Mr. He gave me a pair of shoes but gave Miss Ji ten pairs of shoes, ten handbags, and ten pieces of jewelry. For New Year’s Day, Mr. He dropped me off at grandma’s house and took Miss Ji to Rome for ten days. On my birthday, Mr. He gave me a watch as a birthday present, but then gave Miss Ji a whole outfit! Why did Miss Ji get a gift on my birthday? Isn’t it a little overboard how they’re doling out dog food to me?”
Chapter 944: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You (44)
“Today, Uncle Chen picked me up from school. On our way back home, he told me a story about when Miss Ji was pregnant with me. Two months into the pregnancy, Miss Ji had to stay in the hospital for one month before she was discharged. Since Miss Ji became pregnant, her cravings completely changed and she especially liked to eat sour things. What’s more – she complained about how it wasn’t lively enough when she ate with just Mr. He, so he often invited Mr. Chen, Miss Tang, Miss Zhuang, and other friends to dine at their home. At first, they were happy to take care of the pregnant Miss Ji, but after a few days, their teeth were sore and they couldn’t even chew tofu. Gradually they started to make excuses, but because of Mr. He’s abusive ways, nobody dared to fight him, so they still came over for dinner. Every time, Uncle Chen complained to everyone in the WeChat group chat: ‘No way are we eating dinner – we’re eating dog food.’ Sitting beside them, Mr. He happened to see those words, so that night when everyone came over for dinner, there was a plate of dog food in front of everyone and a dish of vinegar.”
“I only found out today that I’ve had a younger brother in Miss Ji’s belly for less than two months now. Well, I’m not sure if it’ll be a younger brother, but Mr. He is insistent that if it’s a younger brother, they’ll have an abortion. After Miss Ji gave birth to me, her body got into really bad shape and the doctor says she shouldn’t get pregnant again.”
…
In one breath, Su Xia read all the Weibo posts by “Green Bean Who Grew Up On Dog Food” from the past five years.
By the time she read the final post, the sky was a little bright outside.
Fortunately, it was the weekend. Having stayed up all night, Su Xia ate some food, took a hot shower, and climbed into bed to catch up on some sleep.
By the time she woke up, it was already late in the afternoon.
Out of habit, she picked up her phone and logged into Weibo to check today’s headlines.
She never imagined that the top searched name on Weibo was “Green Bean Who Grew Up On Dog Food.”
Su Xia thought “Green Bean Who Grew Up On Dog Food” made another post, so she quickly clicked it. She never thought that in actuality, the identity of “Green Bean Who Grew Up On Dog Food” was leaked.
Her real name was He Siyi, the only child and daughter of He Jichen, the director who was momentarily popular thirty years ago, and Ji Yi, the queen of the silver screen. She was also the main actress for the upcoming release of “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You.” Mr. He and Miss Ji from the WeChat posts were He Jichen and Ji Yi.
Everybody was somewhat familiar with those three words, He Siyi. She wasn’t a female celebrity or anything, but since retiring from showbiz almost twenty-five years ago, He Jichen decided to return to the entertainment industry with a new drama. Five years ago, he cast his own daughter to star as the female lead for his drama, “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You.”
After being in production for five whole years, many people only found out about He Siyi because they knew the drama was set to be released today. Although people hadn’t really paid much attention to her before, she instantly got everyone’s attention today when the real identity of “Green Bean Who Grew Up On Dog Food” was revealed.
Su Xia watched Ji Yi’s work when she was young and really liked her. Her biggest dream as a reporter was to be able to interview Ji Yi just once.
Now that she found out “Green Bean Who Grew Up On Dog Food” was Ji Yi’s daughter, Su Xia figured she’d try to contact He Siyi through Weibo. She never imagined He Siyi would actually agree to meet with her.
Su Xia and He Siyi were going to meet three days later at three in the afternoon.
Keen on their meeting, Su Xia turned up at the cafe they decided upon before two.
At half past two, the cafe doors opened and a young woman stepped in.
With just one glance, Su Xia recognized that it was Ji Yi’s cool-looking daughter, He Siyi.
Su Xia got up in preparation to shake He Siyi’s hand.
He Siyi shot Su Xia a friendly smile from afar then casually walked over.
They ordered afternoon tea from the waiter. After the waiter left, Su Xia spoke to clarify the reason for their meeting. “Miss He, it’s like this. I’m a loyal fan of your mother’s and I became a reporter just to personally interview Miss Ji Yi. I’m sure you’re aware of this as I’ve explained this to you on Weibo.”
He Siyi was undoubtedly a woman of high stature; she concentrated fully on looking at Su Xia and listening to what she said. After she finished, He Siyi smiled with a nod and replied, “I know.”
“So, I asked you to come out today because I wanted to ask you: could you please help me contact your mother and make my wishes come true? The same wish I had ever since I was young?”
This time, He Siyi didn’t smile.
Su Xia saw that she wasn’t saying anything and asked, “Miss He, is there something wrong?”
“Miss Su, I’m afraid there’s no way to make your wish come true,” said He Siyi apologetically.
Chapter 945: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You (Conclusion) Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Author: [I changed a small detail from yesterday’s chapter. After Ji Yi found out she was pregnant, the time skip wasn’t 20 years later, but 30 years later. This means that He Siyi is now 29 years old!]
“Miss Su, I’m afraid there’s no way to make your wish come true,” said He Siyi apologetically.
“Why?” Su Xia paused for a moment then continued. “Must I first fulfill conditions of some sort? Tell me and I’ll try my best to make it happen.”
“No…” He Siyao shook her head after just one word and stopped.
“Then why?” asked Su Xia before He Siyi could speak.
It wasn’t until Su Xia asked for the fifth time that He Siyi lowered her eyelids and finally gave her reply. “Because… My mother is no longer in this world.”
Stunned, Su Xia looked as though she just heard something unbelievable. She stared at He Siyi in a daze for a long while without a reaction.
Silence enveloped the two of them for a very long time before He Siyi spoke again. “Actually, I wasn’t named He Siyi. Five years ago, after my mother passed away, my father changed my name to this.”
Siyi; Chinese characters that sounded like the words for “to miss” and “to long for.” Siyi; the same “Yi” from Ji Yi —— Missing Ji Yi.
The same moment He Siyi said this, Su Xia realized the meaning behind her name.
So, the idol who she worked so hard to get close to for twenty years had already passed away.
Su Xia knew He Siyi wouldn’t joke around about her mother’s life, but she still couldn’t believe it. “But your latest Weibo post was just three days ago. You have many Weibo posts you create till this day, so how could she possibly be-be…”
After she said this, Su Xia gulped but eventually, her words came to a stop. She didn’t manage to finish what she was going to say.
“Those are real events that did happen, but the timeline has changed,” calmly replied He Siyi as Su Xia understood what she meant.
Having understood everything, Su Xia nodded with a rising warmth within her eyes.
In contrast to Su Xia’s devastation, He Siyi looked a lot more composed. “Do you know why I agreed to see you? It’s because for the past few years, whenever I log onto my mother’s Weibo, I always saw your private messages. When she was famous, she had countless fans, but thirty years later, there were only a few who actually remembered her.”
He Siyi was only telling the truth, but Su Xia felt even more stifled. She picked up her coffee and took a hard sip. The bitterness made her feel a little better. That was when she suddenly came up with her next question. “Could you… tell me how she died?” she asked carefully.
“People die from illness and aging; natural causes.”
He Siyi only replied to Su Xia with that sentence.
Deep down, Su Xia calculated the timeframe. If Ji Yi passed away five years ago, she would’ve been fifty-two years old.
At that age, it wasn’t considered an early death, but it wasn’t considerably late either. It was within the normal and acceptable age range, but she still thought Ji Yi shouldn’t have died so early. The He Family was so rich and He Jichen was now a major reputable investor. Ji Yi earned an alarming amount from her acting career, so she could afford to take care of herself…
Su Xia thought something wasn’t right, so she continued to ask He Siyi. However, He Siyi didn’t mention anything else about her mother.
Not long after Su Xia and He Siyi’s conversation, He Siyi received a call and left early, leaving Su Xia full of curiosity.
Su Xia was really curious about how Ji Yi passed away. After she chatted with He Siyi, she spent a whole week pondering this in her mind. When “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You” first came to theaters, Su Xia bought a ticket. She sat in the movie theater and after watching the three-hour long movie, she came up with the answer.
This movie, “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You,” was plain and simple in the beginning; the young students from Sucheng Yizhong wore school uniforms. There was a group of troublesome friends who played games all day and didn’t study.
The young man’s desk drawer was filled with multicolored love letters all the time. On his way home from school, girls would stop him to give him gifts. While he played games at the Internet cafe, a pretty girl came over to offer him a cold drink.
But the young man didn’t care for any of it. One day during a lunch break, the young man lit a cigarette by the sports track in complete disregard for all the students walking around. Just as he was going to take a drag, three girls in school uniforms passed by. The girl in the middle made the young man cough when she said, “A condom per person.” He turned around to look at her but only saw the silhouette of the young girl’s back.
That was one part that made the audience laugh. Thereafter, the story continued to be shot in the young man’s perspective.
He ordered countless people to find “Cola Girl,” but they couldn’t find her. When he returned home, he saw “Cola Girl” sitting in his dining room and having dinner with his family. That was when the names of the boy and girl were first introduced to the audience – He Jichen and Ji Yi.
After almost an hour into the story, the film showed scenes of wonderful times on the school grounds. The young man sneakily highlighted points in the girl’s textbook and bought her snacks, and the young man was the first to launch punches at whoever bullied the girl. It wasn’t until their high school graduation and college entrance exams that the story instantly turned upside down after the boy and girl’s drunken sex episode.
The following story was from thirty years ago. Whoever paid attention to entertainment news back then knew about it.
The young woman was sabotaged by her best friend and was put in a coma for three years. Every month, the young man would visit the young woman.
It wasn’t until after the young woman woke up that the young man insisted on leaving his prestigious school to attend B-Film to remain by the woman’s side. Their story continued after they met up again.
The film was shot artistically with many, many classic quotes.
“I wish you would get lost forever and come to my side.”
“The person I love is not my lover.”
“There’s no justice. Only she is right and you’re wrong.”
“You were never alone. You still have me.”
Half an hour into the movie, the first background song appeared in the movie. It was an old song; “Within Your Radius.”
Ji Yi was finally moved by He Jichen, but their story wasn’t as everyone imagined and they couldn’t be together easily.
After the video of He Jichen stabbing someone was leaked, they were separated for the second time in their lives.
The story continued with more drama until a moment when Ji Yi stood on a stage to accept her award. In front of everyone in the world, she confessed to He Jichen and they finally ended up together.
When Ji Yi found out she fell for the wrong person, when she found out that her best days were spent with the young man after all and when she decided to dedicate the rest of her life to the young man, tears welled up in Su Xia’s eyes.
Thereafter, the story shifted to the explosive news from thirty years ago.
The truth behind He Jichen stabbing someone was unveiled and Ji Yi got pregnant.
From then on, the story was incredibly sweet.
Ji Yi’s pregnancy wasn’t stable, so she had to stay in the hospital for a while. Behind Ji Yi’s back, He Jichen bought an exquisitely decorated villa. He stood inside the villa while video-calling Ji Yi.
In the video call, he carefully explained the layout of the villa. In the end, he pushed open the master bedroom doors, where the bed, floorboards, and walls were all covered in roses.
Amidst the sea of flowers, he kneeled before her and pulled out an embroidered box. Sincerely and seriously, he said, “Ji Yi, marry me.”
Ji Yi remained in the hospital for a month before she could return home.
He Jichen didn’t go to work and always stayed at home by Ji Yi’s side to take care of her during her pregnancy.
One night six and a half months later, He Jichen slept a whole week without changing his clothes when Ji Yi was due to give birth.
He Jichen instantly woke up, picked Ji Yi up and rushed to the hospital. In the late afternoon of the next day, the sound of a baby girl crying could be heard from the maternity room. The man who stood outside quietly for eighteen hours abruptly fell on the chair as though he lost all strength in his body.
The year He Jichen’s daughter turned two, he returned home to take over the family business.
Because he was busy with work and Ji Yi was rather weak, their wedding wasn’t held until the year their daughter turned five.
The wedding was grand but not many people attended. The people who did were their close family members and friends.
The wedding ended at three in the afternoon.
He Jichen and his friend, Chen Bai, sat in front of the tall windows and drank tea. On the other side of the tall windows, Ji Yi played with her five-year-old daughter and their friend, Han Zhifan’s, seven-year-old son.
Chen Bai talked with He Jichen non-stop. In the beginning, He Jichen replied, but in the end, he was transfixed, watching Ji Yi play with the two kids.
Chen Bai noticed that He Jichen wasn’t replying, so he followed his line of sight. When he saw Ji Yi, he said, “Everyone said that marriage is the death of romance, but I never saw the shadow of those words with the two of you.”
He Jichen didn’t say anything.
“How does it feel to be married to her?” asked Chen Bai after a while.
He Jichen still didn’t say anything.
It was unclear how much time had passed; it was so long that Chen Bai thought He Jichen wasn’t going to reply when suddenly, He Jichen’s brows relaxed. His voice became gentle like he was talking to himself. “Life was a barren field before, but after marrying her, a million lifeforms miraculously came to life.”
Everyone thought the movie ended there.
After the screen turned black for a whole minute, the image of He Jichen and Ji Yi arguing appeared.
From their conversation, Ji Yi wanted to give birth to another child for He Jichen, but the doctor said that the pregnancy wouldn’t be easy on Ji Yi. He Jichen was against it, but Ji Yi ripped the condom behind He Jichen’s back and became pregnant. He Jichen insisted on making Ji Yi abort this baby.
After the two of them got married, He Jichen was as gentle as water, just like how he appeared in the movie.
That scene was the first time they argued after getting married. He got really, really angry until his eyes turned red and he begged in front of Ji Yi. “Between you and the child, I don’t want to lose you.”
In the end, the child was aborted.
Ji Yi’s condition became a little worse. She stayed in the hospital for three months before returning home.
He Jichen found countless doctors to treat Ji Yi’s body for five whole years before her health slowly improved.
As time slipped by and day after day went by, Ji Yi suddenly fainted to the ground the day after her fifty-seventh birthday passed.
Afterwards, she slept three whole days. After Ji Yi woke up, she was so weak that she couldn’t quite get out of bed.
He Jichen spent a countless sum of money and practically got all the doctors he could to drop by his home. However, after all the doctors diagnosed Ji Yi, they made the same gesture and shook their head at the young man.
The doctors said Ji Yi’s time was up.
The doctor also said the car accident Ji Yi had at nineteen years old took half her lifespan away. It was a miracle she lived till fifty-seven.
In the end, Ji Yi made He Jichen accept reality.
It was heavily snowing the day Ji Yi left the earth. She laid in bed, staring at He Jichen while smiling endlessly. Before she shut her eyes, she said to He Jichen, “Turn our story into a movie okay? Call it ‘A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You’…”
Ji Yi mumbled it a few times but He Jichen didn’t agree to do it.
In the end, she couldn’t open her eyelids anymore and her vision was blurred. However, the words “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You” managed to leave her lips one last time.
It wasn’t clear just how many times she said it before He Jichen finally agreed with a slight catch in his voice: “Alright.”
That one simple word made Ji Yi’s brows instantly arch. Although she was fifty-seven years old, her smile was still very beautiful. However, before her smile could reach her eyes, she had already, completely slipped into a long slumber.
He Jichen didn’t say anything but tightly held her hand as he sat beside her.
The snow fell heavier out the window and the entire city became white. Little by little, his shoulders started to tremble.
…
The movie ended.
There wasn’t a single croak in the silent movie theater.
The sound of movement came only after five whole minutes passed.
It wasn’t until after everyone in the entire movie theater had left that Su Xia raised her hands to wipe the tears from her face. Then she got up and left the theater herself.
…
This movie, “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You,” became unexpectedly popular. It was number one in the box office and it broke the record for the highest tickets sold in the past five years.
He Jichen and Ji Yi’s story was crazily popular online, and “Green Bean Who Grew Up On Dog Food” was frequently listed on the top online searches.
Some of the classic quotes from the movie were repeatedly shared amongst the fans, and the song “Within Your Radius” became popular once again.
There were two highly popular quotes from the movie.
The first quote was: “Do you trust that I can fight with you, side-by-side? Will you trust me to take each step with you from the lowest point of the entertainment industry towards the infinitely brightest point? Will you trust that I can help you get back what was taken from you, bit by bit? So, will you trust me? If you are, come join YC…”
The second quote was: “Your name has my surname in it.”
The topic #Begging for Ji Yi and He Jichen to live together forever# appeared on Weibo’s top searches the day the movie, “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You,” was released.
He Jichen rarely went on Weibo, but that day, he saw the topic on He Siyi’s phone.
He stared at it for a long, long time before saying, “If she were alive and saw this, she would definitely be very happy.”
Back then, because he stabbed Qian Ge, many people were against them being together.
Now that she wasn’t here, the whole world was showing their support for them to be together.
Time went by quickly and in the blink of an eye, it was spring. The annual movie festival was approaching.
The director, He Jichen, attended, but when he received the award for the best-directed movie for “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You,” he didn’t get up on stage to collect the award. Instead, his son-in-law, Cheng Han, went up on stage to accept the award in his place.
After the festival ended, He Jichen instinctively wanted to silently leave with his son-in-law.
But before he could step out the door, he was stopped by the press.
Reporters asked many, many questions but He Jichen never uttered a word. His son-in-law always replied on his behalf.
After they broke away from the media, He Jichen walked on an empty street. The wind blew and the leaves fell. All of a sudden, He Jichen’s feet came to a stop.
He Siyi and Cheng Hand also came to a stop.
He Siyi saw her father staring at the road in a daze without reacting for a long time. She instinctively took a step forward, and just as she was about to ask He Jichen what was wrong, He Jichen suddenly said in a very, very quiet voice, “I miss her.”
As his voice fell, it became even windier and more leaves fell.
By the time they got home, it was already twelve at night.
He Jichen didn’t stop for too long as he stepped into the bedroom, changed into the set of pajamas Ji Yi liked when she was alive, and laid in bed to sleep.
That night, He Jichen had a very, very long dream.
In his dream, he was back at Sucheng Yizhong. He acted like a tyrant in school until he met her…
At the end of his dream, he and Ji Yi sat opposite each other with white hair. Their teeth were all gone, so they couldn’t even speak clearly.
But from her vague words, he could tell what she meant. “He Jichen, I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I really, really miss you.” After mumbling those words in his dream, the corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile.
The next day, the nanny went upstairs to the bedroom and knocked on the door at eight when He Jichen didn’t come down to have breakfast.
Nobody responded, so she thought he was still sleeping. She didn’t disturb him and went out to buy groceries.
When she came back home, the nanny started to busy herself with housework. By the time she finished, it was eleven in the morning. She walked into the kitchen and was just about to order the servants to prepare lunch when she got a call from He Siyi.
Working at the office, He Siyi felt flustered for some reason, so she called home and asked the nanny, “What’s dad doing?”
After being asked that question, the nanny suddenly remembered He Jichen hadn’t gotten up till now. “Till now, Mr. He hasn’t gotten out of bed.”
He Siyi’s heart dropped. She instantly put the phone down, grabbed her car keys and rushed back home.
She didn’t even change her shoes before she ran right upstairs. She ran to the bedroom door and came to a sudden stop. She stared at the tightly shut door and stood there for a really, really long time before she summoned the courage to gently push the door open.
The curtains in the room weren’t drawn and the lights weren’t on, so it was quite dark.
She first walked over to the balcony, where she drew the curtains then she walked over to the bedside.
The man on the bed looked peaceful as he laid there silently with his eyes shut.
He Siyi looked at him for a while then walked up to him. She cried “Dad,” but there was no answer. She cried “Dad” again, but there was still no answer. Before she could cry “Dad” the third time, tears fell and her fingers trembled. She gently touched He Jichen’s hand and realized that, at some point in time, his body temperature had lost its warmth.
He Siyi’s legs went weak as she slumped to the side of the bed with a thud.
She knew this day would’ve come sooner or later. She knew what her mother meant by her final wish of making a movie about their story.
Mother thought that with the time to make this movie, father would be able to accept the truth of her passing, and live on just fine.
But mother underestimated father’s love for her.
Right after her last wish was completely fulfilled, father left, without hesitation, to be with her.
Chapter 946: I Have One Condition (1) Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
I was the first who planned to not fall in love, I was the first to suggest calling it quits, I was the first to mercilessly leave, and I was the last to cry out loud. — Han Zhifan
Han Zhifan thought he was definitely going insane for uncontrollably suggesting a condition to Cheng Weiwan that even he thought was unbelievable. “Sleep with me once and I’ll let you stay with your son for one day!”
Cheng Weiwan’s lips gaped slightly, thinking she misheard.
“Think long and hard about it.” After Han Zhifan threw out those words, he didn’t linger any longer and walked off, leaving Cheng Weiwan behind.
He walked quickly and didn’t stop until he reached the entrance of the hospital. The words he just said to Cheng Weiwan replayed once more in his mind.
I really am crazy! I actually used my son to propose a trade like that!
Obviously, in the beginning, he was adamant to cut all ties with her. To avoid being disturbed by Cheng Weiwan, he even subtly forced her to leave his neighborhood by bringing a woman home and acting intimate with her for Cheng Weiwan to watch!
Han Zhifan, who couldn’t quite understand what he was thinking just now, raised his hands in fury and grabbed his hair. Then he pulled a cigarette from his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and started to take big, big tokes.
Cheng Weiwan’s biological father, Cheng Weiguo, was the main culprit who killed Lili. Han Zhifan should hate Cheng Weiwan, despise her, and torture her. At most, he shouldn’t have any more relations with her.
Perhaps it was the nicotine that made him regain his senses because his anger gradually settled down.
He told himself to pretend he hadn’t said anything to her and he continued to walk to the supermarket by the hospital.
After buying some diapers for his son, Han Zhifan headed back to the inpatient building.
The entrance of the building was empty and there was no sight of Cheng Weiwan.
He furrowed his brows and acted as though it had nothing to do with him. He walked calmly into the building and took the elevator back up to the patient rooms.
Han Zhifan stayed in the hospital for one night and two days, with his eyes open practically the whole time.
Since Cheng Han had almost made it through this critical period, the housekeeper watched as Han Zhifan’s eyes reddened with exhaustion and said worriedly, “Mr. Han, the wet nurse and I are here, so it’s fine. You can head back and get some rest.”
Since he hadn’t showered for two days, Han Zhifan really did feel awful. He glanced at Cheng Han fast asleep in bed and thought about heading back for a shower; changing into some clean clothes, and getting some rest for two hours. He gave the housekeeper a nod.
He wasn’t in a hurry to leave, so he left the housekeeper and wet nurse with some instructions. If Cheng Han’s condition changed, they had to contact the doctor. After he was sure they took note of his instructions, he sent his driver a message and left the room.
Han Zhifan smoked two cigarettes as he stood in the first-floor lobby of the hospital and watched his car driving up to the entrance.
He walked out before the driver could call him.
The driver saw him stepping out and immediately got out of the car and helped him open the door.
The first thing Han Zhifan did when he returned home was to go upstairs and take a hot shower.
Just as he turned the water off, he heard his phone ringing from the other side of the bathroom door.
He was afraid something happened to Cheng Han, so he wrapped himself up in a hurry and grabbed a towel. As he patted his wet hair, he pushed the bathroom door open then walked over to the bed and grabbed his phone.
It was Cheng Weiwan calling.
He stared at the screen for a long while before picking it up and putting it to his ear. Before he could say anything, the sound of her voice came through the phone.
Chapter 947: I Have One Condition (2) Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
He stared at the screen for a while before he took the call. He brought the phone to his ear, but before he could speak, the sound of her voice came through the phone. “What you said earlier… did you mean it?
When he regained his senses after leaving the hospital, he already decided to act as though he didn’t make that offer to Cheng Weiwan under those random circumstances. Now that she had called, he wanted to immediately deny it, hang up, and pretend it hadn’t happened. However, he didn’t listen to himself and the denial couldn’t come out no matter what. His fingers around the phone fell from his ears.
Perhaps Han Zhifan was silent for too long because Cheng Weiwan took it as an admission. Over the phone, she added, “If you meant what you said…”
She stopped mid-sentence, and held a silence for about two seconds before she continued, “…I’ll do it.”
She actually said she’ll do it… Han Zhifan couldn’t follow through with the thoughts he had deep down.
Cheng Weiwan didn’t hang up the call but stayed quiet for a while. When she spoke again, her voice sounded a lot more uncomfortable. “If I agree to your condition, would you let me see Hanhan tomorrow?”
“What I mean is…” Cheng Weiwan’s voice became quieter. “…Tonight, tonight, tonight…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence after repeating the word “tonight” three times. In the end, there was silence again.
Han Zhifan’s mind was still stuck on what she just said: “I’ll do it.” He lost track of her words and seeing as Cheng Weiwan stopped mid-sentence, he blurted out, “What about tonight?”
Cheng Weiwan thought Han Zhifan said that on purpose, so she bit her bottom lip and held her breath as she clutched the phone. Then she thought about Hanhan, shut her eyes, and endured the humiliation. “Tonight, with you-with you, I’ll…” she said.
In the end, Cheng Weiwan couldn’t bring herself to say the words. She paused then changed her approach. “…Tonight, should I meet you at a hotel or at your house?”
Han Zhifan suddenly realized what she meant.
She wanted to sleep with him tonight in order to see her son tomorrow… For her son, she really was willing to do anything!
He was clearly the one who made the condition, albeit when he was out of his mind, and she agreed to do it, but why did he feel even more uncomfortable? Without a second thought, he mockingly replied, “Have you ever seen a man who messes with women taking them home?”
Cheng Weiwan pursed her lips as her pale little face turned almost translucent.
Although they were talking over the phone and Han Zhifan couldn’t see Cheng Weiwan’s face, he could sense that she must be hurt.
She didn’t say anything after some time.
The silence aggravated Han Zhifan even more.
He thought about hanging up right away, but he felt a roaring flame in his chest that couldn’t be unleashed. He lowered the phone from his ear, but just as his fingers were about to touch the screen, he stopped. Then he put the phone to the side of his mouth and furiously exclaimed, “Jiayuan in half an hour!”
With that said, he hung up the phone.
…
Jiayuan… That’s the name of a hotel.
Cheng Weiwan was familiar with it because Han Zhifan told her about that hotel.
At the time, she and Han Zhifan had been together for a while, but he would never let her meet his friends.
Chapter 948: I Have One Condition (3)
At the time, she didn’t feel like anything was wrong; she just thought that being with Han Zhifan was a good thing. Never did she imagine that Han Zhifan didn’t want to introduce her to his friends because he hadn’t wanted her to enter his world from the very beginning.
The night she bumped into several of Han Zhifan’s friends was actually the first time she met them.
And she only happened to bump into them when she and Han Zhifan were at the entrance of a restaurant they just dined at.
When they left, Han Zhifan casually asked several friends where they were going. Someone replied with the word “Jiayuan,” then another person winked at Han Zhifan and said, “A place you won’t ever have the chance to go to again.”
With a cigarette between his lips, Han Zhifan yelled, “Get lost!” After the group left, he held her hand and walked over to the car which the driver parked by the sidewalk.
Out of pure curiosity, she asked Han Zhifan, “Zhifan, what kind of place is Jiayuan? Why won’t you have a chance to go there?”
Han Zhifan didn’t plan on telling her the truth, so he half-heartedly said, “Just a resort.”
She wasn’t stupid; she could tell he was lying to her. They had been together for so long, and he had been to resorts before.
She continued to ask him several times but she didn’t notice how the expression on the driver’s face at the front of the car changed. In the end, Han Zhifan just couldn’t take her questions anymore, so he hugged her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. Then he whispered, “It’s a hotel, but it’s a different hotel from the others. They only serve male guests and they secretly have special services which aren’t too bad. Basically, it’s a place men take women to have sex.”
After explaining what kind of place Jiayuan was, he then added, “I know this place but I’ve never been there.”
Embarassed by what he said, she didn’t reply. Her face was so red that she struggled out of his embrace, turned her head and looked out the window.
Soon after the car drove off, she couldn’t help but edge to his side then asked in a volume only the two of them could hear: “Have you really never been?”
“Nope,” he replied without hesitation.
She believed him and raised the corners of her lips in satisfaction.
Then he stared at her and seductively teased, “I never went before meeting you and now that I met you, I can bear not going since I have you.”
After all, she was the woman he was serious about and not some random woman he was messing with at a hotel.
Although over two years had passed, she could still clearly remember how happy she was, hearing him say that.
It was in the past now, but now that they were involved again, she knew full well what he meant when he said “Jiayuan.”
He was warning her that he saw this as a business transaction and she was a woman he was just randomly messing with.
With her phone in hand, Cheng Weiwan stood frozen in place for a long time before she raised her head and glanced at the inpatient block in front of her. In the end, she turned around and walked out of the hospital. She hailed a taxi and directed the driver to take her to Jiayuan.
It wasn’t really important to her how he viewed her.
As long as he was willing to let her see Hanhan, that was fine.
For ages now, he hadn’t been the same person as he was before.
The man she loved died a long time ago, that night when she was over six months pregnant, standing outside his apartment building as she watched him being intimate with another woman.
Chapter 949: I Have One Condition (4)
Cheng Weiwan didn’t dare to directly tell the taxi driver to go to Jiayuan. Instead, she asked him to stop about five hundred meters from Jiayuan, in front of a bank.
After the taxi drove off, Cheng Weiwan then rushed over to Jiayuan.
Maybe she was paranoid, but she felt that the people who worked in the lobby were giving her odd looks.
She didn’t dare to speak loudly or look other people straight in the eye. All she did was quietly give her name and Han Zhifan’s name.
Soon enough, a male attendant came over and escorted Cheng Weiwan to the first floor. Then he walked her up to the door of a room on the top floor.
After the male attendant knocked on the door, he left.
Not long after, Cheng Weiwan heard the sound of the door opening from the other side of the wooden door.
Her hand instinctively balled up into fists as she held her breath.
She didn’t dare look straight at the door as her entire body tensed up and she lowered her head, staring at her own toes.
She held this stiff pose for a long period of time but didn’t hear any further movements. Then she carefully raised her eyelids, glanced ahead and realized that the large door was open. Han Zhifan, who opened the door, had long walked back into the room.
She bit her lips, lowered her head again, and walked into the room.
She reached out and shut the door. At the empty entrance, she composed herself for some time before slowly walking into the living room.
Han Zhifan was standing leisurely in the counter with a tall wine glass, nonchalantly tasting the wine.
He detected her presence, so he swept a look at her body. Without a moment’s hesitation, he raised his chin in the direction of the bathroom.
By this gesture, she knew he was telling her to go take a shower.
Cheng Weiwan pursed her lips forcefully and continued to stand on the spot for a short while before turning around and walking into the bathroom.
Cheng Weiwan locked the door from the inside then leaned against the door. She stared at the mirror directly in front of her for a long while before reaching out and stripping her clothes. She walked under the showerhead and turned it on.
She was a little scared, so she showered for a really, really long time. When she felt like it was long enough, she turned the water off and grabbed a towel to wipe the water off from her body.
She didn’t put on the bathrobe hanging beside her. Instead, she picked up her own clothes and put them back on, one item at a time.
Coming out from the bathroom, Cheng Weiwan quickly lowered her head when she caught a glance of Han Zhifan, who was still drinking wine by the counter.
“Wait in the bed!” This time, he spoke quickly with a colder, annoyed voice.
Cheng Weiwan clutched her sleeves and didn’t utter a word. Then she walked over to the bedroom door.
Her silence and compliance enraged Han Zhifan as he stared at the silhouette of her back walking towards the bedroom. Before she opened the door, he purposefully made things difficult for her by saying, “Strip all your clothes off and lay on the bed. I don’t want to go through all that trouble just for a f*ck!”
He saw her back trembling.
He thought she would stop walking, but she didn’t. Instead, she pretended as though he hadn’t said a word as she gently pushed the door open and walked in.
Han Zhifan became even madder. He swung his hand, throwing the wine glass aside.
As the glass shattered with a crash, he picked up the wine bottle on the table and raised it to his lips. He took big gulps then slammed it onto the counter, got up, and charged towards the bedroom.