A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - Chapter 684-691
Her face looked rather pale and the rims of her eyes were red, revealing that she’d been crying.
She was crying and drinking… He Jichen’s brows furrowed tightly as his voice sounded a lot quieter and slower: “Are you upset? Did something happen?”
When she heard this, Ji Yi snapped out of her trance.
She stared at him but didn’t say a word and remembered how he once spoke to her with the same soft and patient tone of voice. Not long after she joined YC, he got into an argument with director Lin and the other people at the company over her fall during the variety show recording. She was in a terrible mood and hadn’t eaten anything, so he ordered food for her…
She was afraid that if she ever got sad again, there wouldn’t be someone like him who could defend her and cheer her up like that ever again…
With that thought, Ji Yi felt her eyes aching.
Support our WebNovelGo(com)
She didn’t want to cry in front of him, so in a split-second, she raised her lips. Without directly replying, she asked her own question: “Why did you come over?”
“I had business to deal with, so I came over to the studio,” replied He Jichen vaguely. He didn’t let her know that the only reason he went to Hengdian was because Zhuang Yi called him and told him what happened during Ji Yi’s shoot in the afternoon. She even told him that for some reason, she was distracted today and hadn’t come out from her room after asking the director for the day off. He was worried, so he asked Chen Bai to book him a plane ticket and he flew over.
After Ji Yi replied, He Jichen quickly changed the subject. “What about you? What the hell happened?”
“I’m fine. I’m just not in a great mood.” She realized He Jichen was still standing outside the door and quickly moved aside. “Come in and sit.”
He Jichen didn’t say anything but stared at her as though he didn’t believe her.
Ji Yi thought about it for a moment then explained with certainty, “I feel sad every week for a few days for some reason.”
He Jichen seemed to believe her and relaxed his tightened brows. He then walked into the room.
With the door shut, Ji Yi signaled for He Jichen to sit anywhere. Then she sat back on the floor in front of the tall windows where she was daydreaming earlier.
There were several empty bottles of beer scattered everywhere and there were still some unopened beers in the bag on her right…
He Jichen couldn’t help but furrow his brows again as he watched. “Why did you drink so many?”
“I haven’t drank this much in so long…” Ji Yi handed He Jichen the beer she just opened. “…Do you want some?”
He Jichen hesitated for a while but took it.
Ji Yi grabbed another bottle of beer, raised it to He Jichen, then put it to the side of her lips and started to gulp.
He Jichen wanted to stop Ji Yi, so he moved his lips but didn’t say anything. All he did was stare at her unwaveringly as she drank.
After drinking half the bottle of beer, Ji Yi raised her hand and wiped her mouth. Then she noticed He Jichen hadn’t drunk from the bottle in his hands and couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t you drinking?”
He Jichen put the beer bottle to his lips and took just a sip.
Just as he stopped, Ji Yi raised her bottle at him again. All He Jichen could do was raise his bottle and drink with her.
Ji Yi lowered the bottle from her lips and glared at He Jichen. After he stopped gulping his beer, Ji Yi couldn’t help but ask, “I heard you… are going to leave Beijing?”
He Jichen remained silent for a while then gently nodded and replied, “Mhm.”
His casual reply cut Ji Yi like a knife, tearing into her heart.
She didn’t dare keep looking at He Jichen. A second after his voice fell, she averted her gaze out the window.
After some time, she cried, “I also heard that…”
She didn’t manage to finish what she was saying when a warm, piercing pain crept into her eyes. Her throat became stifled as she tried her hardest to swallow. When she was sure her voice was back to normal, she continued to say: “…You might not come back this time?”
He Jichen brought the beer to his lips. After drinking half the bottle, he finally replied to Ji Yi. This time, he didn’t nod but gently replied, “Mhm.”
He wouldn’t be making a grand return. Perhaps it’d be like four years ago when he secretly came to Beijing on his own and watched over her from afar, but he wouldn’t let anyone know…
Ji Yi’s throat felt unbelievably stifled. She was afraid to cry, so she started to chug the beer.
The bottle of beer only left her lips when it was completely finished. Then she stared up at the ceiling and held her gaze for a while. She waited for the ache in her eyes to fade away before she slowly lowered her head and deliberately tried to sound relaxed. “Are you going back to take over the company?”
Lately, he’d been busy setting out her future path that he hadn’t been thinking about his own future. He was more or less going back to Sucheng and was going to make other plans, but he hadn’t really thought about it…
As He Jichen was deep in thought, he didn’t reply. Ji Yi took that as silent affirmation and said, “He Enterprises is great. Compared to YC, you’ll probably be a little busier, but there’ll be less pressure. After all, you’ll be on the right track for everything. Most importantly, you can earn more money, which is pretty great…”
Actually, it wasn’t great at all. She didn’t want him to leave Beijing or YC at all…
…even if she was now signed to a different company. However, after she finished speaking, she raised her lips slightly. She turned to look at He Jichen and spoke as though she was trying to convince herself by emphasizing it again, “…It’s really great.”
He Jichen gazed deeply at Ji Yi for a while but didn’t say anything. All he did was raise his bottle to his lips as he withdrew his gaze.
Ji Yi watched him drink and grabbed another bottle from the bedside. After she removed the lid, she started to drink with him.
Before He Jichen arrived, Ji Yi already drank quite a bit. In that very moment, she was feeling a little tipsy. She was really afraid that after she sobered up, she’d suddenly start crying uncontrollably if she continued talking about He Jichen’s future without her.
So Ji Yi waited until after she swallowed the beer in her mouth then changed the subject. “During my afternoon shoot, one of the lines I had to deliver was ‘Can we really not go back to how things were?’ That made me think back to what happened on my birthday…”
Even though Ji Yi didn’t describe it in detail, He Jichen knew she was talking about the time he told her “Can we go back to how things were before?”.
He knew she hadn’t finished speaking, so he didn’t interrupt her.
Ji Yi took another gulp then continued, “…Then I thought back to what happened in senior high.”
As she said that, Ji Yi looked over towards He Jichen again. “Oh yeah… He Jichen, did you know?”
“Even though the first time I met you was at your house in our third year of junior high, I actually knew about you the first day I arrived at Sucheng.”
He Jichen looked at Ji Yi with a little disbelief.
Slightly tipsy, Ji Yi didn’t give He Jichen a chance to speak as she continued by saying, “My grandma mentioned you. Granny told me that the neighbors were a rich family with two identical twins; the older son was polite and respectful, but the younger one was a devil. If I ever saw the one with the red string around his wrist, I had to stay as far away from him as possible…”
Ji Yi couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how she used to sneak peeks and hide far away from He Jichen before they became close. “…I used to really listen to granny, so I immediately blacklisted you…”
Absolutely clueless about this, He Jichen was left a little speechless as he furrowed his brows. “Granny was really scatter-brained. One time she forgot her keys, so she couldn’t get into the house. I had to risk my life by jumping into granny’s window and helping her open the door.”
He Jichen immediately caught onto the three words “risk my life.” Ji Yi couldn’t help but laugh again as she took another gulp of beer. For the most part, she really had drunk too much. Her vision was hazy and her expression became soft. “…But, He Jichen, Yuguang Ge was the one who told me your name, not granny.”
At the mention of his name, Ji Yi suddenly looked like she remembered something important then blinked gently. Without waiting for He Jichen to speak, she continued by saying, “At the time, when I heard your name, I thought it sounded better than Yuguang Ge’s name because…”
Ji Yi stopped abruptly and pushed the answer back down and tilted her head. “…He Jichen, do you know why?” she asked.
He also thought her name was unusually pleasing to the ear the first time he heard it because her name had the same “Ji” from his own name.
Even after deep thought, He Jichen really couldn’t figure out why Ji Yi thought his name sounded nice, so he shook his head at her. Then he asked with an earnest look on his face: “Why?”
“Because…” Ji Yi stopped for a second, curved her lips into a smile and said, “…Ji.”
He Jichen’s fingers around his beer bottle trembled for a moment. He thought he heard wrong, so he didn’t dare make a sound or flinch.
“The ‘Ji’ in Ji Yi and the ‘Ji’ in He Jichen. Don’t you think that’s a coincidence? Our names both have ‘Ji’ in them. Because of this, I thought your name sounded especially nice…”
Before Ji Yi could finish her final word, He Jichen suddenly said, “What a coincidence.”
Ji Yi suddenly froze as she didn’t quite understand what He Jichen meant by those three words.
He Jichen knew Ji Yi didn’t understand him, so he looked her right in the eyes and continued to explain with a flat voice, “Me too. Because of the character ‘Ji,’ I thought your name sounded particularly nice.”
Ji Yi’s lips gaped slightly as though she was gently stimulated by something. She felt an intense feeling filling up her chest as she stared right at He Jichen. After a while, her lips curved into a smile then she replied, “That’s a real coincidence.”
He Jichen nodded but didn’t say anything. All he did was stare deeply back at Ji Yi.
Ji Yi’s breathing slowly faltered under He Jichen’s gaze as she gradually withdrew the smile on her lips.
The atmosphere in the room became a little odd. He Jichen fluttered his eyelids gently, put the beer bottle to his lips and took a big gulp. All of a sudden, it looked like he remembered something. “Actually, the same for me too. The first time I found out about you wasn’t that time you were at my house.”
Wasn’t the time I was at his house… Ji Yi stared at He Jichen’s eyes with a flash of curiosity.
He put on the same expression Ji Yi had when she told the story of the first time she heard about him. Like before, he didn’t wait for her to ask and continued by saying, “It was over a year before then, on the school’s outdoor track. You walked out of the restroom with two girls and happened to pass by me. I heard you say something and glanced back at you. That was the moment I found out about you…”
Then I remembered you and fell deeply in love with you.
Over a year earlier… At the time, she hadn’t been in Sucheng for too long… But, how could she not remember seeing him as she walked by the track?
Ji Yi thought about it deeply for a while then realized that she forgot something important. “What did I say to make you glance back at me?” she asked hurriedly.
He Jichen didn’t reply Ji Yi but looked down and laughed.
Ji Yi looked at the expression on He Jichen’s face and grew even more curious. “What did I actually say?”
He Jichen still didn’t say anything but reached into his pocket to grab his phone.
Ji Yi stared at He Jichen who was typing on his phone. Just as she was going to rush him, she heard her phone go off – “ding dong.” She picked up her phone that she’d so casually tossed aside and immediately saw He Jichen’s text that read: “a condom each.”
Ji Yi’s eyes suddenly widened.
When did I say this?
Confusion flashed across Ji Yi’s head as another message popped up on her phone screen. It was He Jichen again. “Let me ask you guys – if one night, you went out on your own and were stopped by two thugs who wanted to rape you, what would you do?”
After reading that message, Ji Yi vaguely started to remember that it really did happen.
Her face flushed in an instant.
Conversations between girls were wilder than wild, so she felt a little embarrassed that a guy heard such a thing. Ji Yi couldn’t help but try to explain her younger self in a hushed voice, “At the time, I just said it randomly.”
“Mhm.” He Jichen knew she was embarrassed, so he didn’t linger on the topic for too long and changed the subject. “Later, I even saw you once or twice, but I only found out your name that time you were at my house.”
“But after that, I think we weren’t really close. We saw each other at school, yet we never said hello,” said Ji Yi as she couldn’t help but continue for him.
“Yeah, we weren’t really close until the second year of senior high. I think that’s when we started to talk,” said He Jichen.
“Yeah, it was that time with Sun Zhang. That’s when we became friends.”
He Jichen shook his head. “I don’t think we started talking after what happened with Sun Zhang…”
Even though it happened several years ago, He Jichen could still clearly remember what was said and where, after the first time they met. “…That day was founder’s day and my birthday. Fatty was messing around and brought you over to KTV…”
As he said that, Ji Yi instantly remembered the incident.
He Jichen was still reminiscing. “…At the time, I really didn’t know about it. As soon as I walked into the room and saw you, I was confused. Before I could ask what this was all about, you splashed beer all over my face.”
“At the time, I was afraid I wouldn’t make it back to my performance, so I was a little impatient. That day was your birthday. I shouldn’t have done that to you…” At the mention of the beer splashing incident, Ji Yi lowered her eyes apologetically.
“It all happened because of me after all, so you had every right to be mad at me.” As he said this, He Jichen looked like he was deep in thought as he suddenly paused for a moment before continuing. “But since you just mentioned Sun Zhang, you made me remember this one thing that happened. The incident with Sun Zhang at the track wasn’t the first time we clashed. Before that, I punched him once at the internet cafe.”
“Internet cafe?” Completely in the dark, Ji Yi put down the beer she was drinking in confusion and looked at He Jichen.
He Jichen softly replied, “Mhm…” like he was thinking back to what happened. He was in deep thought for a moment then said, “…I think he was at a computer at the time, sitting next to you. When he left, he deliberately tripped and leaned against your body. I happened to see it, so I asked Fatty to bring him up to the second floor and kicked him a few times…”
Ji Yi didn’t remember that incident, but after hearing He Jichen’s story, she remembered something that she hadn’t understood back when she was in school.
Fatty and the gang always surrounded her every time she went to the internet cafe.
At first she didn’t notice, but she eventually realized that the gang always stayed with her as she started to recognize a few faces over time. Back then, she assumed it was a coincidence. However, He Jichen just told her that Sun Zhang leaned onto her body and as a result, got beaten up by Fatty and the others…
With that thought, Ji Yi asked, “So back then, did you arrange for Fatty and the others to surround me every time I went to the internet cafe?”
Because they were bringing up the past and He Jichen was deep in thought, he hesitated for a few seconds after hearing what Ji Yi asked. Then he replied, “Yeah.”
Hearing this answer, the suspicion in Ji Yi’s heart grew more concrete as she continued to ask, “You made them surround me just to stop Sun Zhang from harassing me?”
This arrangement wasn’t just targeted at Sun Zhang alone, but at anyone who messed with her. However, seeing as she guessed one part right, He Jichen nodded right away and replied, “Mhm.”
So before we even knew each other well, he was already protecting me secretly?
This was clearly something warm and positive, but after Ji Yi found out, she felt even sadder and sorrowful in her heart.
If this was a little earlier, before she developed feelings for Yuguang Ge and before she knew what she now knew, would she be as sad?
Ji Yi didn’t say anything else and chugged her beer like her life depended on it.
Because of her conversation with He Jichen, image upon image of their past played like a movie on Ji Yi’s mind.
The image of them winning a doll at the funfair; the image of him skipping class with her and going to the internet cafe to play games; the image of him threatening Fatty to help her clean up…
The image of when they fought once because of Qian Ge; the image of when he ran over to give her an umbrella in the heavy rain even when they were on bad terms…
During class, she got a stomach ache because she ate something cold. Before the teacher could say anything, he crouched down in front of her and piggybacked her to the nurse’s office…
The more she thought about it, the more Ji Yi was moved. In the end, she felt so emotional that she couldn’t hold it down anymore. She couldn’t resist the urge and cried out, “He Jichen…”
Sitting beside her while also reminiscing, He Jichen heard her voice. He slowly his head around and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
The floor lamp in front of the tall window shone a pale yellow light, accentuating his perfect features.
Ji Yi wasn’t sure if it was because she was drunk or if it was because of He Jichen, but she suddenly felt a little dizzy. “Did you know? If I had to use a phrase to describe you, do you know what I’d use?”
He Jichen didn’t say anything and watched as Ji Yi’s gaze suddenly turned serious and focused.
Ji Yi looked back at He Jichen, softly gulped, then continued to speak.
Every word spoken with her gentle voice sounded unusually sweet in the silent room. “You were the joy of my adolescence.”
To her, he was just the joy of her adolescence… A sense of loneliness entered He Jichen’s heart. Before the dreary feeling crept into his eyes, he turned his head and looked out the window.
You were the joy of my adolescence and the person I liked.
This was once the most beautiful confession she read on Weibo.
It was just a shame he didn’t understand it…
Ji Yi silently stared at He Jichen.
It wasn’t clear how long the silence lasted in the room. The alcohol had completely taken over Ji Yi, but before her mind became even hazier, He Jichen suddenly broke the silence in the room. “Xiao Yi, then if I had to describe you with one phrase, do you know what I would use?”
Ji Yi didn’t say anything but stared unwaveringly at He Jichen’s profile.
As he stared out the window, He Jichen’s eyelids fluttered lightly then moved his lips. “My name has your surname in it.”
My name has your surname in it… Such a beautiful line. It sounded so similar to what people said during proposals – “With my name, I’ll give you your surname.”
Why did I only find out about these words today? Why did I only just learn how he’s been secretly protecting me before we even got close…?
Ji Yi’s eyes started to ache and it felt like something was lodged in her throat. After a lot of effort, she was able to speak again. “He Jichen, no matter where you go, I hope you’re happy.”
He Jichen’s fingers trembled gently for a moment and an indescribable pain churned in the depths of his heart.
It was time to say goodbye…
Like before, he stared out the window and said with a soft voice, “You too. No matter what happens in the future, I hope you get what you want and let go of what you can’t have.”
Tears started to well up in Ji Yi’s eyes. She naturally shut her eyes and downed the full bottle of beer in her hand.
When she put the bottle down, she spoke again. “He Jichen.”
When he heard her voice, He Jichen tore his gaze from the window, turned his head and looked at Ji Yi.
He Jichen’s handsome face suddenly barged into her field of vision, causing Ji Yi’s heart to quiver slightly. She wasn’t particularly clear-headed, and at that moment, she felt extremely dazed. She couldn’t differentiate between reality and her dreams as she stared and stared at He Jichen. Under the influence of alcohol, she abruptly drew closer to He Jichen’s face and kissed his lips.
He Jichen froze like he turned to stone.
This image paused for a moment with Ji Yi watching He Jichen’s unblinking eyes blink gently before slowly closing as her lips softly rubbed against his.
She felt wave after wave of electric jolts soaring through her body.
Her drunken, hazy mind lost all reason as she was led by the deepest part of her heart like a puppet. She kissed his lips a little harder and even stretched her tongue out in between his lips.
He Jichen shivered all over and abruptly snapped to his senses. He instinctively wanted to reach out and push her off him, but because they were sitting in front of the tall windows, she was leaning too close to him. For a split-second, He Jichen lost his balance. Ji Yi’s entire body suddenly lunged into his embrace and she pressed him against the wooden floorboards.
Their lips were still stuck together, but her hand was now touching his waist.
Her soft fingertips left a series of provocative and intense caresses through his thin shirt.
He Jichen’s entire body suddenly tightened up and his breath started to grow unsteady.
He had been drinking some beer too. Although he wasn’t drunk, he didn’t have enough self-control as he clearly felt his own hand landing on her back.
He obviously wanted to push her away, but his fingers didn’t listen to him and locked onto her back. He pressed up against her body till they were inseparably close.
Her hand followed his lead and instinctively wrapped around his shoulder, hugging him tightly.
Their intimacy softened He Jichen’s heart and allowed his consciousness to completely crumble. The moment her tongue brushed across his teeth, he suddenly bit her tongue gently, taking the initiative to passionately deepen their kiss.
His kiss was forceful, revealing his dominance and power. It seemed like it wasn’t enough as he kissed and kissed until his body abruptly flipped her over and pressed her down to the floor. With his lips glued to hers, his hand reached for her clothes.
He didn’t remove her clothes but wandered up her skirt and impatiently intruded upon her world.
They both shuddered as he kissed her more deeply and she clumsily kissed him back.
Their kiss grew intense – so intense that her mind went blank. He Jichen felt like everything was a dream. They both gave in to their sense of longing from the deepest parts of their hearts. With their most basic instincts, they released their hidden, buried love.
The night sky outside the hotel window grew darker, yet the temperature of the room got warmer. The atmosphere became even more intense.
The once-quiet room now gradually started to echo with gradual heaving, soft moans, and the sound of groaning which could make anyone’s face flush and heart race.
The sounds didn’t cease for a long, long time.
He Jichen heaved as he buried his head into Ji Yi’s neck and pressed into her body.
As their heaving breaths gradually simmered down, the room returned to its natural silence.
The two of them remained still, lying on the floor for an infinite amount of time until Ji Yi’s body gently shifted. She felt uncomfortable on the ice-cold floor.
Her subtle movements alarmed He Jichen, sprawled out on top of her. He slowly opened his eyelids and stared at her fair, delicate ears for a short while before he slowly raised his head and looked at her face.
Her eyes were shut, the redness on her face hadn’t completely subsided yet, and her lips were slightly swollen. Her beautiful neck was covered with hickeys.
She looked pure yet seductive like that, making He Jichen’s throat tighten. With that thought, his body started to boil again.
He Jichen pursed his lips as his breathing started to grow heavy again.
With her eyes shut, Ji Yi vaguely sensed something was off about the atmosphere around her. Her long, curved eyelashes softly fluttered as she couldn’t help but open her eyes.
The moment her gaze met He Jichen’s eyes, all she could see was a tinge of red. Before she could figure out what it meant, her lips were sealed by his.
This time, his kiss was gentle – a complete contrast to her forceful and fierce kiss from earlier.
He repeatedly caressed her lips, waking her up from the calmness of her inner body.
Her cool body on the floor slowly warmed up. She couldn’t help but put her hand on his shoulder, trying to kiss him more deeply. However, he seemed to be deliberately tormenting her by pulling his head back when her lips lunged forward.
Her thirst grew deeper with the lust of wanting something she couldn’t have. She couldn’t help but grab his shoulders with more force.
But it seemed like he didn’t care about her dissatisfaction as he calmly tortured her until she let out a soft grunt. That was when he stopped hovering around her lips and kissed her deeply.
He kissed her until her entire body shuddered. Then he finally removed himself from her lips and moved down inch by inch.
His hand fell on the collar of her shirt and kissed her body deeply and frantically. His pretty, long, slender fingers unbuttoned one button at a time…
Until her clothes had all been removed. That was when he left her momentarily and swiftly removed his own clothes, then carried her onto the bed, pressing her back down…
…
In comparison to before, it lasted a little longer this time.
Perhaps it was because he was overly content from two consecutive times that after He Jichen came, his head felt slightly dizzy. He felt like everything was just a dream.
She was already really exhausted. Having had two unrestrained sessions of love, she was completely exhausted. Not long after he left her body, she slipped into a deep sleep.
He Jichen, who was equally as tired, was also hit by sleepiness. However, he couldn’t bear to sleep. With the lights on in the room, he stared at her intensely as he didn’t want to avert his gaze in the slightest.
Time ticked on and the dark night slowly retreated and a faint light appeared from the skyline.
When the streetlights outside the hotel went out one after the other, He Jichen slowly reached out and stroked Ji Yi’s face.
