A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You

Chapter 143: His Story That She Didn’t Know About (3)

Ji Yi waited until He Jichen’s car disppeared before she walked over to the elevators and pressed the button to go up.

He Jichen’s apartment was in a classy residential area. Every household had its own elevator, so the elevator doors opened quickly.

Ji Yi had been to He Jichen’s home twice now, but she never had the chance to check the place out.

This time, it was just her at his place. She found a pair of slippers at the entrance, stepped inside, and scanned her surroundings.

The apartment was decorated very lavishly and impressively. Just like its owner, the place gave off a grand and elegant feeling.

There wasn’t a bedroom on the first floor. Ji Yi first went to the dining room, poured a cup of water, then walked up the stairs.

There were two bedrooms on the second floor and a study. Ji Yi stayed in He Jichen’s master bedroom before, so she didn’t waste any time and headed straight for that room.

She took a shower and folded up the bathrobe in the ensuite then climbed into bed.

Too many disturbing things happened in one day. Ji Yi laid down for a long while before falling into a deep sleep.

–

Outside the window of his bedroom, He Jichen leaned against the lamppost and lit a cigarette.

Besides the security guard who made his rounds with a flashlight occasionally, the neighborhood was very quiet and there were no other people around.

He Jichen didn’t know just how long he stood there for, but he only looked down when he felt a slight burning sensation on his fingers. Then he saw the cigarette he lit not long ago quietly burning to the very end.

He put out the cigarette in the ashtray on top of the trash can, then he raised his head and glanced up at the second floor.

The lights were just on, but now they were turned off.

She’s probably already asleep…

He Jichen wasn’t in a hurry to leave, so he lit another cigarette.

The cigarette burned down halfway before his eyes shifted away from the room where she was sleeping.

Without me there, she should be able to sleep well, right?

A hint of sadness clouded He Jichen’s eyes. He blinked slightly and put out the cigarette between his fingers then threw the cigarette into the trash can. He made his way over to his car nearby.

He sat in the car while he drafted a text for Zhang Sao to come earlier the next day to make breakfast. After he sent the text, he remembered Ji Yi’s ripped clothes and instructed Zhang Sao to go to the mall to buy some clothes as well. Then he put his phone away, stepped on the gas, and slowly drove away.

–

This time, Ji Yi was in such a deep sleep that she woke up at nine the next morning.

She instinctively reached for her phone, planning to call her favorite clothing store to deliver some new clothes to her. But then she caught a glimpse of a neat pile of clothes on the bedside table.

On top of the pile there was a note: Miss, Sir wanted me to prepare these clothes for you.

Ji Yi instantly knew that Zhang Sao left the note. The “Sir” she referred to was He Jichen… How could he be so meticulous to instruct Zhang Sao to prepare some clothes for me?

Ji Yi stared at the clothes, lost in thought for a while, then she flung off the duvet and headed into the bathroom with the new clothes.

After she freshened up and got dressed, Ji Yi walked out of the bedroom and headed downstairs.

As she was about to reach the living room on the first floor, Ji Yi heard a faint movement from the balcony. She thought it was Zhang Sao, so she made her way over, planning to say hello. Before she could take two steps forward, she heard He Jichen’s voice coming from the balcony.

Chapter 144: His Story That She Didn’t Know About (4)

“I already know what you’re going to tell me…” He Jichen must’ve been on the phone as his sophisticated voice sounded especially complicated and distant. “…I was very clear at this morning’s meeting.”

So He Jichen’s home… Ji Yi’s footsteps instinctively ground to a halt.

The man on the balcony hadn’t noticed she was coming closer. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. “You don’t have to waste your breath on me. You can’t change my mind.”

With that, Ji Yi heard the sound of his footsteps and instinctively looked up at the balcony. Through the glass, she watched him walk over to the table on the balcony. He pulled a cigarette out, put it to his mouth, and flicked the lighter on as he spoke with a muffled voice, “I’m not confused nor am I messing around here. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

He Jichen removed the cigarette from his mouth. The person on the phone was probably still trying to persuade him as He Jichen’s brows creased slightly, showing a hint of impatience. “Alright. They can think what they want! I made a mess of things, so I’ll think of a solution! Even if it’s doomed, it’s all on me. Why are you guys sticking around for fun?”

Mess? He Jichen’s in some kind of trouble? Could he be in trouble from what happened last night at the China World Hotel Beijing with Lin Zhengyi?

Just as those thoughts formed in Ji Yi’s mind, He Jichen, who bent over leisurely to flick the cigarette ashes into the ashtray, caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eyes. The words about to leave his lips suddenly died in his mouth. His body froze in place as he stared at her for a while before he put out the cigarette in the ashtray. He straightened up and spoke, but his words weren’t for her—they were for the person inside. “Zhang Sao!”

“Here, Mr. He!” Zhang Sao heard He Jichen call, so she quickly ran over from the dining room. Then she saw Ji Yi standing to one side. She immediately smiled and said, “Miss, you’re up?”

Ji Yi gave a gentle nod then replied, “Good morning, Zhang Sao.”

Some time passed and she looked over at He Jichen again. “Good morning.”

He Jichen returned her gaze, and after some time, he replied back, “Morning.” He looked over at Zhang Sao. “Is breakfast ready?”

“It was ready a long time ago, Mr. He,” said Zhang Sao respectfully.

He Jichen didn’t reply but pointed at the dining table to Ji Yi. “You eat first. I have some business to take care of.”

He Jichen didn’t wait to see Ji Yi’s reaction, so after a moment, he instructed Zhang Sao, “Take Miss Ji Yi to eat.”

After he said this, he raised his phone to his ear, brushed past Ji Yi, and headed for the stairs. With his footsteps, Ji Yi heard his cold, flat voice say in a low voice behind her: “Sorry about that. I just had some business to handle. Please continue.”

Chapter 145: His Story That She Didn’t Know About (5)

Ji Yi looked back to watch He Jichen climb one step at a time upstairs and disappear around the corner on the second floor.

When the study door closed on the second floor, Zhang Sao smiled cheerfully and said, “Miss, are you hungry? Let me take you to your breakfast.”

With that, Zhang Sao headed for the dining room and made a gesture to welcome her in.

No matter what happened between her and He Jichen, he did help her out last night, so out of courtesy, she should wait for him to finish with what he was doing and say “goodbye” before leaving… Ji Yi thought about it then smiled at Zhang Sao. She replied “Mmhmm” and “Thank you.”

After they walked into the dining room, Zhang Sao pulled a chair out for Ji Yi. She waited for Ji Yi to sit down then headed into the kitchen and brought out all different kinds of breakfast foods.

Ji Yi lived in Sucheng when she was young, where she often had people serve her congee and hand her chopsticks during dinner at the He Family residence. However, in the past few years after leaving Sucheng, she rarely had dinner like this. She wasn’t used to having someone like Zhang Sao taking care of her, so she couldn’t help but tell her, “Thank you, Zhang Sao. I can help myself.”

Zhang Sao responded with her mouth, but her hands didn’t stop.

When Ji Yi lowered her head to eat the congee, she saw Zhang Sao standing guard beside her. She instinctively asked, “Zhang Sao, have you eaten? How about you sit down and eat with me?”

“I ate ages ago,” replied Zhang Sao with a beaming smile. She probably noticed that Ji Yi was uncomfortable, so she found a topic to talk about. “I’ve worked here for three years now, yet you’re the first woman I’ve met who Mr. He has brought home.”

Rather than focus on the fact that she was the first woman He Jichen brought home, Ji Yi paid attention to the first half of his sentence. She asked Zhang Sao in confusion, “Three years? He Jichen has had this apartment for three years now?”

“Yeah, Mr. He bought this apartment right when it went on sale. Technically speaking, he bought it four years ago, since it took a year to renovate it.”

Didn’t He Jichen start studying at B-Film only this year? Wasn’t he studying at some prestigious school before? Why’d he buy this apartment in Beijing so many years ago?

For a moment, Ji Yi had an odd feeling inside. Realizing that she hadn’t replied to Zhang Sao, she looked up, smiled, and responded with an “Oh!”

“In actuality, Mr. He doesn’t come home often. In the past, he only came here once in a while. Sometimes, it’d be once a month, other times it was once every two months. Say… Apartments in Beijing are so expensive, yet Mr. He didn’t stay here often, so why did he buy this place, and why didn’t he stay in a hotel? I was curious, so I casually asked him about it once. Actually, Mr. He didn’t like to talk much, and I never hoped for a proper reply. I just thought I’d ask then get back to work, but I never imagined that Mr. He would actually give me an answer. What he said…” Zhang Sao tilted her head and tried hard to remember. “…I came to your city, secured a home… does that count as a way of reuniting?”

“I didn’t really understand what Mr. He meant, but from what I saw, He Jichen’s mood was unusually good that day, exceptionally good. As long as I’ve known him, that was the best mood I’ve ever seen him in. About half a year ago, I even saw him secretly smile.”

Chapter 146: His Story That She Didn’t Know About (6)

Maybe it was because Ji Yi was female, but she often paid close attention to details. She took note of the words “…I came to your city, secured a home… does that count as a way of reuniting?” from what Zhang Sao said.

Zhang Sao spoke in fragments, so although Ji Yi understood what she meant, she wasn’t sure if what He Jichen said was meant for Zhang Sao. She didn’t think too much of it but let those words silently circle in her head. She smiled at Zhang Sao to show that she was still listening.

Ji Yi ate two fried dough sticks, wiped her hands on some tissue then put a spoonful of congee into her mouth.

She took just a mouthful when her entire body froze.

Why did this congee taste so familiar? It was like she’d eaten it before…

Ji Yi hurriedly put another spoonful into her mouth. She savored it slowly and the more she ate, the more familiar it seemed, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Her brows furrowed.

Just as she racked her brain over it, Zhang Sao, who stood respectfully to one side, said, “Mr. He.”

Ji Yi snapped back to her senses, turned her head, and saw He Jichen walk into the dining room.

He probably finished with his work and took a shower as his hair was slightly wet. His neat clothes had been exchanged for casual loungewear, making him look far younger.

He didn’t respond to Zhang Sao’s greeting but single-handedly pulled out a chair in front of Ji Yi and sat down.

He reached for a fried dough stick, took a bite, then jutted his chin at the congee before looking over at Zhang Sao.

Zhang Sao had been with him for a long while, so she understood what his little gesture meant. She immediately went over to the dining table and served He Jichen some congee.

Since He Jichen was there, Zhang Sao wasn’t as talkative as before.

He Jichen didn’t say anything or even open his mouth.

The dining room fell disturbingly silent, but every now and then, there was the sound of the clattering of chopsticks hitting the porcelain bowls.

Even though He Jichen arrived after Ji Yi, he finished eating before her.

Ji Yi saw him put his chopsticks down, so she hurriedly finished the remaining congee in her bowl.

As she sat upright, she looked up and glanced over at the wet towel Zhang Sao handed her. He Jichen was slowly wiping his mouth when Ji Yi gulped and said in a quiet voice, “Thank you for your help last night, and also for lending me a room to stay in… and for the breakfast just now.”

When He Jichen heard her words, he only gave a slight nod of acknowledgement before he continued to wipe his hands calmly.

The dining room was quiet for a while before Ji Yi spoke again. “That errr… the clothes I’m wearing… you asked Zhang Sao to buy them for me, right?”

Ji Yi didn’t wait for He Jichen to reply and said, “When you have the time, I’ll give you the money…” She paused then added, “…Or I’ll give it to Zhang Sao.”

Chapter 147: His Story That She Didn’t Know About (7)

He Jichen paused as he wiped his hands then immediately lowered his eyes.

Ji Yi wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but she felt the atmosphere in the dining room lighten up.

She thought he would be upset, so she instinctively glanced over at He Jichen but was surprised to find that in less than three seconds, he released the wet towel, looked up at her and responded with a gentle “Mmhmm.”

Ji Yi’s nervousness instantly disappeared as she smiled tenderly at He Jichen. Just as she was about to say “goodbye,” He Jichen’s phone on the table started to ring.

He lowered his eyes slightly and swept a glance at the phone screen. Then he made a hand gesture at Ji Yi as if to say “please wait.” He grabbed the phone, took the call, and strode out of the dining room.

He was back on the balcony. Though he spoke quietly, Ji Yi could still vaguely hear his voice, but she wasn’t sure what he was saying.

Minutes after the phone was picked up, the balcony suddenly became a lot noisier, and his tone of voice became fierce and stern: “He wishes! Make her personally apologize to him? In his dreams! Tell him to go die!”

Zhang Sao, who was clearing the dining table, jumped in shock from He Jichen’s sudden roar. As the chopsticks in her hands fell on the table, a string of clattering sounds rang out.

Then He Jichen’s angry voice was heard again: “Let me tell you this! No way in hell means no way in hell! You want to threaten me with this? Let me tell you, never in my life have I ever been afraid of threats! Based on him? He’s not worthy!”

After he said this, He Jichen hung up the phone and tossed it on the sofa beside him. He walked over to the dining room and sat back down.

Because of his fit of anger just now, He Jichen didn’t look so good when he returned to the table. Yet he asked Ji Yi in a considerably calm voice, “What were you saying?”

After hearing He Jichen’s question, Ji Yi, who originally planned to bid him farewell, changed what she was going to say: “D…Did you come across some kind of trouble?”

He Jichen never imagined that Ji Yi would suddenly ask him this, so a flash of astonishment came over him. Eventually, deep down inside, he felt something akin to being pleasantly surprised.

Her… casual question… could it be considered her way of caring about me?

Seeing as He Jichen didn’t respond, Ji Yi asked again to confirm her suspicions: “Did it have anything to do with…”

Ji Yi wanted to say “me,” but the words stopped inside her mouth.

Even though he helped me, I may not even be that important to him.

Ji Yi pursed her lips and once again changed what she was going to say: “…Mr. Lin?”

“No,” Without hesitation, He Jichen denied Ji Yi’s suspicions.

He probably realized he replied too swiftly, so two seconds later, he explained further, “There are some minor internal problems at the company.”

“Oh.” Ji Yi, who now had nothing else to say, pointed towards the door. “So, umm, I’ve inconvenienced you for a while now; I better get going.”

He Jichen sat there calmly and didn’t stop her, but he gave a gentle “Mm” then looked over at Zhang Sao.

From his gaze, Zhang Sao knew what to do, so she hurriedly put down the things in her hands and saw Ji Yi off at the main door.

–

The start date for shooting “Three Thousand Lunatics” was never set. When Ji Yi returned to the university, she continued to live her peaceful life, immersed in her studies.

B-Film was a big school, so although she occasionally brushed past the lecture room for the directing faculty, she didn’t bump into He Jichen once.

Chapter 148: His Story That She Didn’t Know About (8)

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

Since Ji Yi stayed up late watching dramas the night before, she woke up particularly late on Sunday. When she sat up, Tang Huahua, who was typing loudly away on her laptop, turned her head and said in excitement, “Xiao Yi, do you remember a while back, “Three Thousand Lunatics” announced they’d be starting production? I told you about Chen Weiwan’s story before…”

Ji Yi was still groggy from sleep, so it was a while before she nodded at Tang Huahua and said, “Yeah, I remember.”

Since “Three Thousand Lunatics” hadn’t revealed that she was the supporting actress, Ji Yi never told anyone about it in fear that something might happen in the process.

She stopped for a moment, pretended to be ignorant about it all and pressed on, “What happened?”

“What happened? Something big happened! They originally announced they were going to start shooting “Three Thousand Lunatics” next February, but now they actually stopped production!”

Ji Yi’s fingers suddenly trembled when she heard this as she was in the process of taking off her duvet.

Tang Huahua clicked her mouse as she described what was on the website. “The news was leaked today at four in the morning and has raised hell up till now. Everybody’s trying to guess why such a big TV series suddenly stopped shooting. Insiders said it was because there was some conflict between the investor and director…”

Tang Huahua hadn’t finished speaking when Ji Yi suddenly fell into a daze. She swiftly grabbed her phone from beside her pillow, unlocked the phone screen, and opened Weibo.

Just like Tang Huahua said, Weibo’s top trending search was: “Three Thousand Lunatics” Stops Production.

Ji Yi clicked the link and the first thing that popped into sight were comments from users reading the news on Weibo: “An insider revealed that the director for ‘Three Thousand Lunatics’ offended the investor, which caused them to lose a major investment. Because of problems with the investor, “Three Thousand Lunatics,” which was scheduled to start filming in February, was forced to stop filming!”

The director for “Three Thousand Lunatics” was He Jichen and the investor… Ji Yi furrowed her brows for a moment as the three words “Lin Zhengyi” flashed across her mind.

Could the person who pulled their investment be Lin Zhengyi?

Ji Yi pursed her lips slightly then exited Weibo. She opened her text messages and hesitated for a moment before she drafted a text to Chen Weiwan, who probably knew the entire truth. She sent the text: “Miss Chen, I wanted to ask if the news about ‘Three Thousand Lunatics’ stopping production was true?”

After successfully sending the text, Ji Yi assumed she’d have to wait a while before Chen Weiwan would reply. She never imagined that the moment she exited the messages screen, she’d receive a new notification.

Chen Weiwan’s reply was simply one word: “Yes.”

Ji Yi typed a quick response, dying to confirm her suspicions: “Was it because of Lin Zhengyi?”

Just like before, Chen Weiwan sent a reply practically a second later: “Yes, but as for the details, I’m not very sure. I think Mr. He hit someone.”

Hit someone…So this big mess really was because of what happened to me that night?

Ji Yi’s mind wandered as her phone screen lit up again. It was Chen Weiwan again with another message: “How did you know it was because of Lin Zhengyi?”

It looked like nobody’s name was leaked regarding what happened that night.

Even though Ji Yi contacted Chen Weiwan, she wasn’t very familiar with her. She was afraid that if she said too much and it got leaked online, an accident might happen, so Ji Yi thought carefully about it for a moment before replying: “I saw someone post about it online, so I thought I’d ask.”

Chapter 149: His Story That She Didn’t Know About (9)

“Oh,” replied Chen Weiwan.

Ji Yi politely bid her farewell: “Miss Chen, I won’t disturb you anymore.”

This time, Chen Weiwan didn’t send her another message for some time, but eventually, the reply was: “Alright.”

Ji Yi found a random smiling emoji and sent it out. Then she put her phone down and turned to look out the window.

She stared at the bright sunlight for a long time before Tang Huahua walked over to her bedside. With a pat, she finally snapped back to her senses and glanced at Tang Huahua.

“Xiao Yi, why are you daydreaming? I’ve been calling you for half a day with no reaction from you! Let’s go to the cafeteria to eat!”

“Mm, yeah, let’s go,” responded Ji Yi as she jumped out of bed and went to freshen up.

There weren’t many people in the cafeteria on the weekends.

Since “Three Thousand Lunatics” stopped filming, Ji Yi had a lot on her mind and didn’t have much appetite. She ordered a portion of rice with meat and vegetables then found a space by a window. She ate slowly while waiting for Tang Huahua.

She took just two bites before someone who brushed past her suddenly stopped and called her name: “Ji Yi?”

When Ji Yi heard this, she turned to see a woman from the dorm room opposite hers. She smiled and replied, “Just finished eating?”

“Yeah.” The woman wasn’t in any hurry to leave. Instead, she put her tray down, sat next to Ji Yi, crept mysteriously over and said nosily, “I haven’t seen you around lately. It’s hard to bump into you like this, so I have to ask—honestly speaking, what’s going on between you and that hottie from the directing faculty, He Jichen?”

Ji Yi furrowed her brows and shook her head at the woman: “Why would He Jichen and I have anything to do with each other? Don’t talk nonsense.”

“How’s it nonsense? If nothing’s going on between you and him, why would he lay his hands on Lin Ya?” retorted the woman as she curled her lips. Her face evidently showed that she didn’t believe her.

Ji Yi stopped chewing and swallowed everything completely before turning to flash an odd look at her. She asked, “Laid his hands on Lin Ya? Are you joking?”

“I’m joking? You must be joking!” replied the woman with a genuinely shocked face. She didn’t appear to be lying. After recovering from her shock, the woman made a huge fuss: “It can’t be?! Ji Yi, you know what I’m talking about, right?”

Ji Yi shook her head at the woman.

“Oh god! You don’t know? Everyone in the female dorm knows!” The woman’s tone of voice was incredulous as she sighed and continued, “It happened a while ago—maybe two weeks ago. He Jichen barged into your dorm, bright and early. He grabbed Lin Ya from her bed and asked her where she kept you!”

When Ji Yi heard this, she understood that the woman must be talking about what happened that day she went to shoot “The Palace.”

So, He Jichen only found me that day because he went to the dorm to find Lin Ya?

“Lin Ya wouldn’t tell, so He Jichen pushed her through the window, leaving two-thirds of her body dangling outside!” Since Ji Yi was listening attentively to what she was saying, the woman ran over to the cafeteria windows to demonstrate what happened. “Then he threatened Lin Ya that if she dared to say a single word of nonsense… before he could even finish, Lin Ya revealed where you were…

“Do you know just how scary He Jichen was that day?! He practically looked like a crazy person!