A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - Chapter 900-907
After leaving the set, Ji Yi headed back to the hotel. When Zhuang Yi and Tang Huahua finished packing suitcases for the three of them, Ji Yi immediately checked out and left the film studio.
It was still early – it was only eight something, so there was quite a bit of traffic. The car drove alternatingly fast and slow towards the city center for about twenty minutes. After Zhuang Yi turned to look back at Ji Yi countless times, she finally realized that the expression in Ji Yi’s eyes wasn’t as threatening as before. Zhuang Yi bent over to grab a bottle of water, twisted the cap, and handed it to Ji Yi.
Ji Yi, who had been staring at the night sky outside, turned and glanced over at Zhuang Yi when she felt a gentle touch on her arm. When she saw the water in front of her, she softly thanked her and took it.
Just as they left the studio, Zhuang Yi and Tang Huahua sweetly tried to cheer Ji Yi up, but she didn’t make a peep. Now that Zhuang Yi witnessed Ji Yi finally saying something, she let out a sigh of relief and quickly asked, “Xiao Yi, are you alright?”
Ji Yi nodded silently then put the bottle of water to her lips and took a sip.
After she finished drinking, the car was quiet for a while before Zhuang Yi spoke again. “During filming, the covers were pulled up so nobody saw anything. Was that when Yang Li did something to you under the sheets?”
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Although she had clothes on, Ji Yi couldn’t help but feel disgusted at the thought of Yang Li’s hand touching her breasts. She pursed her lips forcefully and gently nodded at Zhuang Yi.
Tang Huahua, who was driving at the front, saw Ji Yi’s reaction through the rearview mirror and immediately exploded. “Not only does he have a bad mouth, but he’s got perverted hands too! I freaking hate men who get handsy! You were really going easy on him when you gave him two slaps on the face…”
Tang Huahua only stopped after a long rant.
She stared ahead at the traffic and drove on for a little while before she suddenly shouted angrily. “…The more I think about it, the more pissed I get. I really can’t stand it! I’m going to call Chen Bai and tell him what happened. We can’t just let it slide!”
“Huahua!” Zhuang Yi shouted the very moment Tang Huahua raised her phone.
“Zhuang Jie!” Tang Huahua was upset by Zhuang Yi’s attempt to stop her.
Zhuang Yi didn’t say anything but through the rearview mirror, she shot Tang Huahua a glance with her aims directed towards where Ji Yi was sitting.
Tang Huahua stopped speaking and glanced over at Ji Yi then reluctantly lowered her phone.
That was when Zhuang Yi turned her head and looked over at Ji Yi. She stared at Ji Yi’s profile for a while then quickly said, “Xiao Yi, do you still not want to tell Mr. He about what happened today?”
Ji Yi stared out the car window without replying to Zhuang Yi. Her gaze was a little dazed and it wasn’t evident what she was thinking.
The car continued to drive ahead for some distance when Zhuang Yi continued by saying, “Xiao Yi?”
Ji Yi didn’t wait for Zhuang Yi to finish when she moved her lips and said with a soft tone: “Do you girls still remember the huge news scoop published online a few years ago?”
“Specifically, about the reporter intern who interviewed an old woman? After the news went out, it created a huge buzz at the time.”
“The old lady’s husband was a high ranking person in a drug-dealing ring. Her husband died getting caught while in that drug dealing ring.”
Zhuang Yi and Tang Huahua had no idea why Ji Yi suddenly brought up such an old piece of news.
Through the rearview mirror, they exchanged glances but nobody interrupted Ji Yi.
“At the time, the old lady was a college professor, but because of her husband’s criminal activity, she attracted a lot of criticism. In the end, the old lady quit her job at the college.”
“The old lady had no kids and lived alone for forty years. It wasn’t until just before she died that everyone found out through a female reporter intern’s interview that her husband wasn’t a drug dealer at all. In fact, he was an undercover police officer.”
“At the time, her husband cracked a big case when they caught the drug dealers. The only reason why it wasn’t publicized was because the cops were afraid people would try to take revenge by harming the old lady when the truth came out. In the end, the old lady’s husband carried a bad name all that time until just before the old lady passed.”
“When the intern interviewed the old lady, she asked if she and her husband felt mistreated.”
“The old lady replied she has regretted a lot in this world, but if she cared too much, she wouldn’t have lived happily…”
With that said, Ji Yi paused for a moment then continued to say, “…So sometimes, it’s not bad to have regrets. Don’t you think?”
Even if she really liked filming and really wanted to make a name for herself in the entertainment business…
Even if she really wanted to stomp Qian Ge to death and wanted to get back everything she owed her…
In life, who got absolutely everything they wanted?
For each day she stayed in showbiz, the name “murderer” would forever hang over He Jichen’s head.
She didn’t want to encounter someone like Yang Li talking about He Jichen in front of everyone ever again.
Even if she knew He Jichen was wrong to have stabbed Qian Ge, Qian Ge did things herself that were even more overboard.
However, she and He Jichen had no evidence. Rather than wasting her time with Qian Ge, why not just leave showbiz and happily spend her days with He Jichen?
Just like that night at the Television Awards, after she finished her confession to He Jichen in front of the whole world, He Jichen asked her if they were acting stupid. She said no because she honestly thought they weren’t being stupid. In fact, not only was she not being stupid, but she felt like she had won.
So now that she had He Jichen by her side, what else did she need to care about?
With that thought, Ji Yi suddenly moved on.
Zhuang Yi and Tang Huahua didn’t quite understand what she meant, so their eyes were filled with confusion.
Ji Yi didn’t explain but merely said, “Don’t tell He Jichen about everything that happened on set.” Then she fell silent again.
At that moment, Ji Yi felt like she was reincarnated. She stared out at the nightlife endlessly passing by the window as her lips couldn’t help but lift into a slight smile.
So as it turned out, letting go of a grudge could be quite relieving sometimes.
…
It was half past nine in the evening by the time she returned home.
He Jichen called her in advance to say he would be out on business in the evening.
Even though the house was empty, there were four dishes and soup on the dining table and a bouquet of fresh flowers on the coffee table in the living room.
He Jichen wrote a card for her and placed it in the fresh flowers. “When you get back, eat dinner. I’ve washed the fruit and you’ll see it in the fridge. Once you’ve finished your run in the home gym after dinner, remember to eat some.”
Those words were bland and uninteresting, but Ji Yi’s heart felt extremely warm for a moment.
Isn’t this what life is like with the person you love?
Simple, happy, and peaceful…
Ji Yi stared at He Jichen’s handwriting on the card as her mind suddenly rushed back to the first time she saw him at his house. Then time started to rush forward to when he strutted on the sports field by making someone kneel and apologize before her. Time skipped to when he ran in the rain to hand her his umbrella then to when they drunkenly had sex before their final exams. Now, they were reunited at B-Film after separating for four years then she saw the apologetic note he wrote to her at the hot pot restaurant opposite the college. She then saw him staying with her through the ups and downs of showbiz then she saw him asking if she was willing to trust him back at the hotel by West Lake. Finally, she saw him selflessly leaving Beijing for her…
She missed him every day and waited every second of every minute when he wasn’t around for that year.
Now, all that waiting finally paid off.
Ji Yi didn’t know why but all of a sudden, her heart was suddenly overflowing with emotions. She stared and stared at He Jichen’s card then without even realizing it, she reached for her phone and called He Jichen.
The phone rang twice before He Jichen picked up. “Xiao Yi?”
In his voice that sounded deep, low, and flat as usual, she could also hear a slight hint of warmth and gentleness.
The emotions in Ji Yi’s heart bubbled up even faster and in that moment, her eyes started to get wet.
Ignoring what He Jichen said, she softly said, “He Jichen, I love you…”
He Jichen, I love you.
Since I realized I love you, I don’t think I’ve truly said those simple words.
He Jichen, I love you.
Did you know?
I’ve loved you ever since you were by my side.
I always wanted to find you and say those words to you when you left me that year.
Now, my wish has finally been granted.
“He Jichen, I love you,” repeated Ji Yi as she paused and sounded more certain with every word.
Not a peep came from the phone.
Ji Yi didn’t say anything else.
Silence lingered on the phone between the two of them.
After who knew how long, a stranger’s voice came from He Jichen’s end of the call. “Mr. He, your cigarette is about to go out…”
He Jichen let out an “Oh” in a dazed voice. Then after a while, JI Yi heard the sound of an ash tray and tea cup crashing to the floor.
“Mr. He, are you alright?” This time, it was a woman’s voice. Ji Yi figured it was a waitress.
“I’m fine,” replied He Jichen quickly with just two words. Then Ji Yi heard the sound of his footsteps.
But he only took two steps before Ji Yi spoke again. “He Jichen, do you want a baby?”
The sound of the footsteps stopped.
After a while, Ji Yi spoke again. “He Jichen, I want to have a baby. Let’s have a baby.”
I want to spend lovingly simple days together as a family of three.
I want to give birth to our child and release you from the awful situation you’re in now by bringing a completely untainted life into the world.
With that thought, Ji Yi’s voice sounded more assured. “He Jichen, let’s have a baby!”
The moment her voice fell, the call was cut off.
Overflowing with emotions, Ji Yi furrowed her brows and called He Jichen again. There was no answer.
She called again, but there was still no answer, so she threw her phone aside and walked into the bathroom to wash her hands and prepare to eat.
After coming out of the bathroom, she stepped into the dining room. Just as she was about to pour some soup, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance.
She put down her bowl and got up. He Jichen was already standing in front of her by the time she stepped out of the dining room.
“He Jichen, aren’t you busy…”
Before Ji Yi could finish speaking, He Jichen bent over and lifted her up.
Completely taken aback, Ji Yi shrieked as her feet went up in the air. “He Jichen, what are you doing…”
He Jichen didn’t say anything as he strode upstairs with her in his arms.
“He Jichen, I haven’t had dinner…”
He Jichen still didn’t utter a word as he put Ji Yi down on the bed. He raised his hands and started to remove his clothes.
Every inch of He Jichen’s muscular body fell into Ji Yi’s eyes. Although they had been intimate together many times, Ji Yi’s face flushed. Her gaze flashed aside. “He Jichen, why are you stripping…”
Before she could finish, a completely naked He Jichen pushed her down onto the bed with his body. “Have a baby…”
Before Ji Yi could finish, He Jichen pushed her naked body down onto the bed. “Have a baby.”
Those three simple words escaped from He Jichen’s beautiful mouth. He lowered his head and covered Ji Yi’s lips.
His kiss was hot and hurried, taking Ji Yi’s breath away and making her mind sluggish. After some time, those three words “Have a baby” finally registered in Ji Yi’s mind.
Have a baby… Have a baby… Over the phone, when he suggested they have a baby, she didn’t react at all. He hung up the phone right away then no more than ten minutes later, he showed up at home. As soon as he saw her, he pushed her down on the bed… Isn’t he moving a little too quickly…
With that thought, before Ji Yi could react to He Jichen’s movements, she felt his hands spreading her legs apart.
That was when Ji Yi realized He Jichen had completely undressed her.
This realization lasted but one short second before she felt a hard force barging into her body.
Her body instinctively trembled and soon enough, her attention was sucked away by He Jichen’s attack on her body.
Perhaps it was because they had been apart three days, or perhaps it was because of what they said over the phone, but He Jichen wanted her a little too urgently. He was quite forceful with her and he took a rather long time. He f*cked Ji Yi until she was gasping for breath before he finally stopped.
The room was filled with the carnal smell of their lovemaking. He laid spread out motionlessly on her body as the two of them hugged in silence for a long time. He Jichen didn’t lift his head from Ji Yi’s neck and kissed her until he heard the sound of Ji Yi’s stomach grumbling from missing dinner. Then he got out of bed and stepped into the bathroom.
The bathroom door wasn’t shut. A second after the lights lit up, the sound of the shower running could be heard.
After about five minutes, He Jichen stepped out of the bathroom with a towel on. He walked to the side of the bed, swept Ji Yi off her feet and walked back into the bathroom again.
The water in the bathtub was already twenty centimeters deep. He walked over to the bathtub, bent over and put Ji Yi down. He got up and just as he was about to give Ji Yi a body wash, he happened to catch sight of the two band-aids stuck onto the fair skin of her shoulders.
Their lovemaking was too intense. They sweated quite a bit, so a big portion of the band-aid was left open. He Jichen immediately saw the bloody marks beneath the band-aid.
Did she get hurt?
With his mind consumed with what Ji Yi said over the phone, he carried her up the stairs after returning. He didn’t know how to express the infinite emotions boiling up inside his heart. In the end, all he could do was use the most intimate way to show the excitement, joy, and happiness he felt after hearing her words. Because of all this, he didn’t even notice the wound on her body.
He Jichen furrowed his brows. Without thinking twice, he reached out and removed the band-aid from Ji Yi’s shoulder.
Four scratch marks clearly entered his vision. Among them, two were bleeding and even though the bloody marks had scabbed over, he could tell the scratches were pretty serious.
A hint of coldness surfaced in He Jichen’s warm eyes. “Who did this?”
Stunned, Ji Yi looked over at He Jichen in confusion.
His eyes were a little cold with anger. Ji Yi furrowed her brows then realized what He Jichen was referring to after she followed his line of sight to the band-aid on her shoulder. She quickly pretended it was nothing and casually replied, “Oh, this. I accidentally scratched myself this afternoon.”
I?
He Jichen didn’t say anything but his eyes clearly revealed he didn’t believe her.
Ji Yi realized He Jichen didn’t believe her and she cried out, “It’s true! It’s not like you don’t know that period drama costumes have many buttons. When I was taking off my costume, I accidentally scratched myself with my fake nails…”
With that, Ji Yi pouted at He Jichen then put on a troubled look and pretended to play cute. “…The production team probably wanted to cut costs, so they skimped on the props. The materials are pretty bad in quality…”
He Jichen’s eyes seemed frozen, but they slowly melted with Ji Yi’s soft words. He crouched down and drew closer to Ji Yi’s shoulder. He raised his finger and gently stroked the wound. “Does it still hurt?” he asked quietly.
Ji Yi heard He Jichen’s question and inwardly let a sigh of relief when she knew he had fallen for her lie. She smiled and said, “It stopped hurting ages ago. It’s just a scratch – why would it be anything more…?”
“You’ll have to cleanse it with alcohol later to prevent it from getting infected.”
“Alright,” replied Ji Yi obediently.
He Jichen didn’t say anything else as he continued to stare at the wound on Ji Yi’s shoulder for a while. He got up, grabbed the body wash and put it in Ji Yi’s hand. “Wash up first. I’ll head downstairs to heat up the food.”
Ji Yi’s eyes smiled as she nodded deeply.
He Jichen raised his hand and stroked Ji Yi’s hair. He then turned around and walked out of the bathroom.
He walked over to the changing room and found a set of lounge clothes. He Jichen pulled out his phone from the pocket of the pants he took off and walked into the living room.
He walked downstairs, into the kitchen. He wasn’t in a hurry to heat up Ji Yi’s food, so he lowered his head and unlocked his phone screen. He gave Zhuang Yi a call.
Zhuang Yi happened to be on her phone, so she picked up the call quickly. She knew He Jichen had a meeting in the morning, so he was probably calling to ask if Ji Yi was home yet. “Mr. He, Xiao Yi went back home ages ago…”
“Come to Xingguang Cafe.” He Jichen didn’t wait for Zhuang Yi to finish as he spoke with a flat voice.
“Now?” asked Zhuang Yi in return and hurriedly said, “Alright. Mr. He, I’ll leave now.”
He Jichen didn’t say anything more then lowered the phone from his ear and hung up.
Although he acted as though he believed what Ji Yi said upstairs in the bathroom, he knew deep down that she definitely didn’t scratch her shoulder by accident.
There must’ve been quite some force used on her for there to be so much blood. How could a girl use so much strength?
The only reason he didn’t expose her lie was because he could tell she didn’t want him to know the truth.
If he guessed correctly, something must’ve happened during the past three days during work… or perhaps, she suffered somehow…
With that thought, He Jichen’s eyes turned ice-cold.
…
By the time Ji Yi finished taking her bath and headed downstairs, He Jichen had already heated up the food.
He waited until she finished dinner then they went outside for a stroll as usual. When they returned home, He Jichen and Ji Yi repeated the intimate things they did before dinner.
By the time Ji Yi fell asleep from exhaustion, it was almost one in the morning.
He Jichen picked up the phone from the bedside table. He glanced at the screen. It was a text from Zhuang Yi received over two hours ago. “Mr. He, I’m here.”
He Jichen didn’t reply to Zhuang Yi but put his phone down and gently pulled off the covers. He walked into the bathroom to quickly freshen up then walked over to the bed in his loungewear. When he was certain Ji Yi was really asleep, he carefully pulled the covers over her. He grabbed his phone and wallet then walked out of the bedroom.
The cafe was close to the apartment – it was just over two hundred meters away, but He Jichen still chose to drive there.
There were no vacant parking spaces near the cafe, so He Jichen randomly found an empty space by the roundabout and walked over.
There were no other customers in the cafe aside from Zhuang Yi.
Perhaps it was because she waited so long that Zhuang Yi was a little bored, so she was lying on the sofa and had almost dozed off. It wasn’t until He Jichen walked up to her, the waiter handed him the menu and asked what he would like to order that Zhuang Yi woke up. She straightened up and cried out, “Mr. He.”
He Jichen ignored Zhuang Yi. He pointed to an item on the menu and asked for a cup of coffee.
After the waiter left, Zhuang Yi spoke again. “Mr. He, is there something you wanted to talk about with me?”
He Jichen didn’t say anything but looked at Zhuang Yi in the eye.
Zhuang Yi was a splendid manager in the industry. She was always able to hold down a situation, but at that very moment, she just sat there wearily under He Jichen’s glare.
She vaguely understood why He Jichen had called her out, but she made a promise to Ji Yi, so she was torn for a while. In the end, she chose to act dumb and repeated what she just said. “Mr. He, is there something you wanted to talk about with me?”
The waiter brought the coffee He Jichen ordered. He put it to his lips and elegantly took a sip. When he put the cup down, He Jichen flatly swept her a look. “You know what I want to hear.”
“I’m not particularly clear about…”
He Jichen didn’t wait for Zhuang Yi to finish pretending to play dumb before he said with a cold tone of voice: “Zhuang Yi, I didn’t believe Xiao Yi because I could tell she wanted to lie to me. I let her lie to me.”
Zhuang Yi didn’t say anything more.
“I’m asking you because I don’t want to have to personally go to the studio. If you don’t tell me, I’ll go to the studio right now.”
Zhuang Yi knew full well that He Jichen saw through Ji Yi’s act. Even if she wanted to help Ji Yi hide the truth, she couldn’t with He Jichen.
Rather than for him to run over to the studio and cause trouble, she might as well tell him.
Zhuang Yi was deep in thought for a while then finally said, “Xiao Yi did get into an argument on set…”
“Because of Xie Siyao?”
“No.” Zhuang Yi shook her head. “It was Yang Li.”
Yang Li? He Jichen furrowed his brows.
Zhuang Yi assumed He Jichen forgot who Yang Li was, so she quickly said, “He’s been quite popular for the past two years. He even came to see you back when he was filming. He’s the number one guy at HT…”
He Jichen let out an “Mhm” and said nothing more. He flashed a look at Zhuang Yi as if to tell her to get to the point.
“I don’t know if you know that this guy is rather perverted – he’s famous for being a playboy in the industry. He’s been in relationships with many female celebrities…” Zhuang Yi paused for a moment then really got to the main point. “He’s interested in Xiao Yi.”
As those few words escaped Zhuang Yi’s lips, the expression on He Jichen’s face immediately fell to its dreariest.
Feeling pressured, Zhuang Yi’s voice sounded a lot weaker. “He’s been staring at Xiao Yi since the first day of filming. It was bearable when Xiao Yi didn’t have any scenes to shoot with him, but when she did later on, he always made an excuse to touch her…”
The dismal expression on He Jichen’s face worsened.
Zhuang Yi vaguely heard He Jichen gritting his teeth. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to say anything if she kept looking at He Jichen, so she lowered her gaze and continued to report what happened in detail. “…Xiao Yi knew he was scheming something, so she kept avoiding him. However, yesterday during shooting, Yang Li went overboard. In one scene where he was meant to grab Xiao Yi’s wrist, but he actually grabbed Xiao Yi’s clothes from her shoulder and forcefully tore her shirt. If it wasn’t for Xiao Yi’s fast reflexes, she would’ve been exposed in front of the whole cast and crew…”
Having said all this, Zhuang Yi didn’t dare to go on.
She felt like the man in front of her could get angry and stab someone to death at any time.
Silence fell between them for a couple seconds before a single word escaped from between He Jichen’s teeth: “Continue!”
Zhuang Yi didn’t dare to defy He Jichen, so when she heard his command, she immediately spoke up again like a robot being controlled. “That was when Xiao Yi’s shoulder was scratched.”
“At the time, Huahua and I wanted to call Chen Bai, but Xiao Yi stopped us. She said it’d be better to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Besides, filming was almost over, so it’d be better to just put up with it.”
“Put up with it?” In the end, He Jichen wasn’t able to hold his temper as he suddenly interrupted Zhuang Yi. “When did my woman ever need to put up with anything?!”
Zhuang Yi shook at He Jichen’s roar as she thought to herself. I wasn’t the one who told Ji Yi to put up with it. Why am I the one getting shouted at?
“And then?” Because of his anger, although He Jichen’s tone of voice sounded calm, it was a little frightening at the same time.
Zhuang Yi sat motionlessly on the sofa and continued to recount the story like she was reciting from a book. “…Yang Li must’ve been afraid to annoy Xiao Yi excessively or cause someone to find out, so he started to behave. However, in the evening, during the final scene when the two of them were meant to innocently lay in bed together, h-he…”
Zhuang Yi stuttered a little; she didn’t have the courage to finish saying the rest. It wasn’t until she met He Jichen’s impatient-looking gaze that she shut her eyes and fearlessly came out with it in one breath. “…Yang Li sneakily touched Xiao Yi, so she kicked him right out of the bed. Then Xiao Yi said she wanted a body double and walked out with Huahua and me. Yang Li probably felt embarrassed, so he rudely yelled nasty things at her. He even dragged you into it and Xiao Yi got a little angry, so she headed back and slapped him twice on the face. Yang Li swore that this matter wasn’t over. He was going to expose her online and ruin her reputation…”
“With his skills?” scoffed He Jichen coldly. The next second, he reached for a red note from his pocket and put it on the table. Then he screamed “Bill please!” at the waiter, got up and walked right out the door.
“Mr. He!” Zhuang Yi instinctively bolted up.
He Jichen didn’t stop walking.
Zhuang Yi caught up in hurry.
How could Zhuang Yi have caught up with He Jichen? By the time she stepped out of the cafe, He Jichen was already by his car and pulling his car door open.
“Mr. He!”
Zhuang Yi raised her voice and called out for He Jichen once again.
He Jichen’s entire body was on fire; nothing Zhuang Yi said managed to get through to him as he bent down and entered the car.
Zhuang Yi abruptly ran forward two steps. Just as she reached the side of the car, it sped off.
Distressed, Zhuang Yi came to a stop. Her breathing was a little unsteady because she ran in such a hurry to chase after him. She covered her chest to calm her racing heart a little. Then she reached for her phone and was about to call He Jichen when she suddenly heard the screech of a car’s emergency brakes.
Zhuang Yi was so afraid that she took a step back. Before she could take a better look at the car ahead, the window rolled down to reveal He Jichen’s icy expression. “Don’t let her know that I came to see you tonight.”
Zhuang Yi only chased after He Jichen to tell him that Xiao Yi told her not to let him know what happened.
She never imagined he would’ve already left before she could tell him.
Zhuang Yi’s mouth gaped in confusion and she instantly blurted, “Mr. He, why are you acting exactly the same way as Xiao Yi…”
“Why don’t we each let the other person know what we did?” He Jichen replied in a flat voice without even waiting for Zhuang Yi to finish what she was saying.
Once again, He Jichen said what Zhuang Yi wanted to say again. She gently nodded but didn’t say anything.
Both lights on the car flashed on and off. A warm smile appeared on He Jichen’s cold face. He looked like he was thinking about something for a while then he said, “Because she and I are the same. We want the other person to feel less burdened and a little happier.”
After saying this, He Jichen didn’t linger. Once again, he stepped on the gas pedal and sped away.
When there was no trace left of He Jichen, a gust of the night breeze roused Zhuang Yi from her daze.
She walked to the side of her car, pulled the car door open, and sat inside.
When she started the car up, she felt the phone in her pocket vibrating. She pulled it out and saw that Tang Huahua had shared a Weibo post about the latest cosmetics.
She didn’t click to take a look, but she stared at the phone screen with hesitation for a while then typed a line of text and sent it to Tang Huahua. “All of a sudden, I want to be in love too.”
“Whaaat?!” Tang Huahua sent a shocked emoji then the words: “Zhuang Jie, aren’t you the type who doesn’t want to get married? Why are you suddenly open-minded about it? Is it because women after forty are hornier and you now want a man?”
“…” Zhuang Yi replied to Tang Huahua with ellipses then an emoji that showed she was back to normal. She started to type on the keyboard again: “If love is like Mr. He and Xiao Yi, then I really want to fall in love. Also, I want to be like them – giving up everything without regret.”
Zhuang Yi figured they probably had the most beautiful romance she’d ever seen.
Although they hid things from each other and lied to one another, those lies and the hiding came from their true feelings.
In the car, He Jichen gave Chen Bai a call.
It was late and Chen Bai was asleep, so when he picked up the call, he sounded a little groggy. However, when he heard the name that escaped He Jichen’s mouth, he woke up and spoke with hints of confusion in his voice. “Yang Li? Why are you looking for him?”
“I want to see him about something…”
“What is it that requires you to personally see him? When did he become so important? You can just order me to go do whatever it is. Why would you need to personally attend to it yourself?” Chen Bai mumbled in confusion then asked again, “What do you need to do?”
“Beat him!”
He Jichen’s voice sounded unusually serious. At first, Chen Bai thought he was telling a dry joke, so he laughed along. But then he sensed that He Jichen fell incredibly quiet and he realized that the atmosphere was off. He Jichen seemed to be serious… Chen Bai hurriedly stopped laughing. “Mr. He, are you serious?”
Yet again, there was no sound from the other side.
Chen Bai was certain He Jichen was serious. Without thinking twice, he said, “Mr. He, did he cross you? You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll immediately send people to find him. Don’t worry. I’ll help you get payback…”
“He tried to seduce my wife. Why are you getting all amped up?!”
He Jichen’s casual words instantly silenced Chen Bai.
There were two seconds of silence over the phone before Chen Bai hurriedly cried, “Mr. He, I’ll go check where he is right now and send you his location immediately.”
He Jichen snorted then lowered the phone from his ear and hung up.
After hanging up on Chen Bai, He Jichen called Han Zhifan to ask him to contact Lin Sheng to ask a few things.
Han Zhifan didn’t hang up He Jichen’s call as he used another phone to call Lin Sheng. He let He Jichen and Lin Sheng talk directly.
After he finished asking what he wanted, He Jichen lowered the phone from his ear again then saw Chen Bai’s text. Yang Li was at a hotel right now.
He Jichen entered the address into his car’s navigation system then tossed his phone aside. He gripped the steering wheel, stared at the road ahead then stomped on the gas pedal.
…
Having taken two slaps from Ji Yi, Yang Li’s face was a little swollen. Because of this, there was no way he could film for two days, so he left the set and checked into the Four Seasons hotel in the city.
Since joining the production team, it had been several days since he touched a woman. In addition to that, he didn’t get anything from Ji Yi, so the first thing he did after checking into the hotel was asking his assistant to call two pretty girls over.
Ten minutes after he gave those orders to his assistant, he couldn’t help but pick up his phone and yell at the assistant to hurry up. His mood was terrible and he was a little impatient and fed up since the ladies still hadn’t arrived.
He only just hung up and walked into the bathroom to take a shower when he heard his assistant promising once again that the ladies would be at his door in ten minutes.
He just finished showering and hadn’t wiped his body dry when Yang Li heard the doorbell.
He thought the two ladies his assistant arranged had arrived. Without even drying his hair, he walked over to the door in his bathrobe still soaking wet.
Before opening the door, Yang Li deliberately curved his lips to reveal his signature, charming smile.
Just as he opened the door and saw who was standing on the other side of the door, the smile on his face instantly froze.
He recognized the person – it was He Jichen. As that realization dawned on him, he instantly connected three other words: Ji Yi’s husband.
He Jichen couldn’t have possibly come to see me here to settle the score, right?
As that thought crossed his mind, Yang Li instinctively wanted to shut the door.
His hand just about touched the wooden door when He Jichen’s black leather shoe stepped into the room.
His hand just about touched the wooden door when He Jichen’s black leather shoe stepped into the room.
Thereafter, Yang Li didn’t have time to shut the door in time before He Jichen reached out and shut the door behind him.
Kacha!
Yang Li’s heart skipped a beat then he looked over at He Jichen.
He Jichen seemed more like the owner of the room than he did as he leisurely walked around the room and stopped at the balcony like Yang Li didn’t exist. He Jichen grabbed the wine laid out for the two women then poured himself a glass. He gently swirled it around, put it to his lips, raised his head and took two sips.
He Jichen didn’t show any anger on his face. Accurately speaking, he looked completely normal. It wasn’t clear if Yang Li was feeling guilty, but He Jichen made him absolutely feel terrified. He watched this man with an air of nobility calmly drinking wine for a while then he smiled. “Mr. He, I wonder why you’ve come to see me so late in the evening?”
He Jichen shot Yang Li a look but didn’t say a word. He put the wine glass down on the bar counter then picked up a pack of expensive cigarettes. He pulled one out, put it to his lips, and lit it up.
“Mr. He, if there’s nothing, could you please…”
He Jichen lowered the cigarette from his lips and slowly blew out a ring of smoke.
“…I’ve got plans with friends. They’ll be here in a minute…”
Yang Li didn’t manage to finish what he was going to say for the third time as He Jichen finished blowing smoke rings and casually said, “Five years ago, you had your eye on a female student at University A. She had a boyfriend and couldn’t accept you. You were forceful and raped her in the car, causing her to jump from a building to her death. In the end, you spent twenty thousand to bribe her family to say she had a mental illness instead.”
Yang Li never imagined that the first thing He Jichen said would be an unspeakable secret of his. A hint of shock surfaced in his eyes.
He Jichen ignored Yang Li and continued to go on. “Three years ago, you had your eye on a newly employed female assistant. You did everything to get her, causing her to have three abortions in one year. After making her unable to ever have children, you got bored and just gave her a bunch of money to send her away. You made her mentally unstable, causing her to get into a car accident and lose all function in her legs.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!!” After hearing the second incident, Yang Li chose to speak up.
He Jichen pretended not to have heard him and continued on. “Also, you’ve slept with the newly signed artist last year from your company, right?…”
“Mr. He, I don’t know where you heard this nonsense from, but I can assure you that this is fake news. If you came to see me just to talk about this then we have nothing to talk about. You can leave…”
“It looks like you don’t want to talk about these things?” He Jichen lowered his head and glanced at the cigarette in his fingers then straightened up. He casually walked over to Yang Li. “Since you don’t want to talk about these things, let’s talk about something else.”
He Jichen stopped in front of Yang Li and glared at the right hand he used to scratch Ji Yi. Then he raised his chin. “Do you want to make a move or shall I?”
