A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You

Chapter 175: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to Her (5)

But what was he doing?

A second ago, He Jichen was racking his brain over what to do, and the next second, he shot a glance at his own car. Without even thinking about it, he pulled the car door open and got in. As he stepped on the gas and sped out of the parking lot and onto the main road, he drove aimlessly around the city and wandered recklessly.

He didn’t know what road he was on exactly nor how fast he was going, but he knew to stop at a red light and to go at a green light. He drove like he was a mindless puppet up until his car ran out of gas and he was forced to stop. He didn’t even realize he ran out of gas when he kept furiously stepping on the pedal. He furrowed his brows with the faint pain radiating from the soles of his feet. Finally, he snapped back to his senses, lowered his head, and glanced over at the meter. Ah, the car ran out of gas…

But he just topped his tank up that afternoon… With that thought, He Jichen slowly turned his head, stared at the night sky out the window and realized it was already quite late.

That was when he shot a quick glance at the time on the car; it was almost midnight.

He had actually been driving around Beijing aimlessly for almost three hours.

He rubbed his sore eyes from driving for such a long time. Then he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, put it to his mouth, and lit it up. He didn’t take a drag but let it quietly burn out between his fingers.

The car windows were shut tight so the smoke quickly filled the area around him, gradually calming his extremely tense mood. He then found his phone and called the insurance company to send someone over to top the tank up.

After he hung up the phone, He Jichen lowered his car seat and laid down. As he stared at the dazzling night sky out the window, he lit up one cigarette after another.

When he reached for the final cigarette left in the pack, he blindly reached for his phone on the front passenger seat and brought it to his face.

There were many unread We Chat message notifications.

After he clicked on them, the first message that popped up was sent by Tang Huahua an hour ago.

“He Xuezhang¹, after Xiao Yi got out of bed in the early afternoon, she left campus and hasn’t returned to the dorm.”

“I gave her a call but she didn’t answer. At half past ten, her mum called her at the dorms to say that she wasn’t picking up her phone. I was afraid her mum was overthinking things, so I gave her a random excuse.”

He took her to the Four Seasons Hotel and tore off her clothes. She wasn’t back at her dorm yet, so she must still be in the hotel room…

He Jichen didn’t reply to Tang Huahua’s message but went straight to the company’s WeChat group chat.

It was late so there weren’t many people on, but when he casually scrolled through the group, he saw the messages some people left about Ji Yi…

He was always like that – no matter how upset he made her… how angry he made her… even if his rage made him want to kill her, there was no way he could let other people criticize her.

All throughout the past few years, he knew clearly that he wasn’t in her heart, yet he still deeply loved her unwaveringly.

He appeared as someone who was calm and collected, but in reality, he had loved her with a burning insanity for far too long. It had been so long, yet he still hadn’t seen the slightest hope she had any feelings for him, and her unintentional cuts always pierced the deepest corners of his heart, making him lose his senses.

Just like what happened tonight – when he saw those videos, saw her come out from the lounge Lin Zhengyi was in, and heard her say those things… he completely lost control.

1. [Honorific] Classmate

Chapter 176: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to Her (6)

After coming back to his senses from his fit of rage against her, he was more remorseful than anyone, but he just couldn’t contain himself. In the end, it was because he loved her too much.

At that thought, a hint of heartbreak appeared on He Jichen’s face. It was raw and solemn.

His fingers slowly slid across the phone screen as he stared at all the criticism about her. He eventually closed WeChat. Though it was late at night and his secretary was probably already resting, he opened his call logs and found his secretary’s number.

He was just about to call him when he realized he had quite a few missed calls. Besides getting calls from his secretary, he also received two missed calls from Han Zhifan.

His brows twitched as he suddenly remembered he was originally playing cards with him and some clients when the situation with Ji Yi came up. He left without so much as a goodbye.

He stopped dialing his secretary and called Han Zhifan instead.

The call rang for a long time before it was picked up. It seemed like Han Zhifan had gone home and was just about to get in the shower as he could hear the faint sound of running water. Han Zhifan didn’t wait for him to speak first and said, “You still know how to call me back huh?”

He Jichen didn’t reply to Han Zhifan’s sarcastic taunts and cut to the chase, “What’s the situation?”

“You left, so it most probably fell through…” replied Han Zhifan.

He Jichen didn’t say anything but tightened his grip on his phone.

Han Zhifan probably felt his anxiety because a second later, he heard the “poof!” sound of laughter over the phone. “Say, Jichen, you weren’t like this before. It’s not like projects haven’t fallen through in the past when we worked together, and you’ve never been so worried. Tell me, why do you care so much about this series, ‘Three Thousand Lunatics’? Is there some kind of hidden secret?”

“Also, you got a call tonight and without even saying goodbye, you just left. In all the years we’ve known each other, I’ve never seen you forget yourself like that before. I noticed that you’ve recently become increasingly more secretive…”

He Jichen, who hadn’t made a sound, cleared his throat to remind Han Zhifan to get back on topic.

“Oh, I forgot…” Han Zhifan heard the sound of his cough and understanding his meaning, went straight to business. “I was just joking. The negotiations are all done. They agreed to invest in ‘Three Thousand Lunatics,’ and I helped you draft up the contracts already. They’re in your inbox, so remember to check it. If there are no problems, I’ll set up an appointment to meet at the office tomorrow for the signing… Now that business is over, we can go back to what we were just talking about. Jichen, tell me, are you dating someone? Lately, why…”

When He Jichen heard this, he didn’t wait for Han Zhifan to ramble on but mercilessly hung up the phone. Then he dialed his secretary’s number.

The secretary called him a few times that night. Since the call was picked up immediately, he probably was waiting up for him about something, so he didn’t go to sleep. “Mr. He, you finally called back.”

He Jichen twitched his brows at how eager the secretary sounded. He put out the cigarette between his fingers and replied leisurely, “Did something happen?”

“Nothing bad. It’s good news. Mr. Lin’s secretary just contacted me to say that he wants to reinvest in ‘Three Thousand Lunatics,’ and what’s more, he wants to invest twenty percent more than…”

Before his secretary could finish his report, He Jichen flatly spat out the two words, “Decline it!”

Chapter 177: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to Her (7)

“Eh?” The secretary was left stunned by He Jichen’s reply. After a while, as he asked again to make sure, “Reject it?”

He Jichen carelessly let out a “mhm.”

“Mr. He, weren’t you recently worried about the investment for ‘Three Thousand Lunatics’? You asked me to sell all your shares, and you even wanted to sell your apartment! Now, all you have to do is accept Mr. Lin’s investment and everything will be resolved, right? Mr. Lin originally invested a total of two billion, so with an additional twenty percent, that’s four hundred million extra! Mr. Lin will invest two billion and four hundred million…”

“So what?” replied He Jichen nonchalantly after the secretary’s long monologue.

What does he mean by “so what”?

This was practically a gift from the heavens falling right into his lap! Not only were they going to get their investment back, there was going to be four hundred million more. Four hundred million was enough to pay an A-list actor. This was basically a large sum of money they could invest into production at a later stage…

The secretary was stunned by those two words for quite some time before he forced himself to speak, “Mr. He…”

The secretary wanted to tell He Jichen what was on his mind, but he only managed to say two words before He Jichen said softly, “Do as I asked.”

He was probably tired as there seemed to be some exhaustion in his voice, but even so, the secretary still felt an intense stifling feeling. He didn’t dare try to persuade him again and said quietly, “Yes, Mr. He.”

He Jichen remained quiet for a long time over the phone as though he was in deep in thought, then he moved his lips. “Had he not pulled his investment back then, I would’ve made him pull his investment!”

Since Mr. He had plans to refuse Mr. Lin’s investment before he pulled it… The secretary’s eyes suddenly shot wide open as he thought he misheard. He Jichen boldly mumbled to himself over the phone quietly, a little puzzled, “She’s the woman I’m protecting. How could I let someone else casually come in and mess with her and take matters into their own hands…”

Though he was quiet, the secretary heard every word clearly.

He Jichen was obviously transparent with his emotions when he said that. The secretary wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating, but he suddenly felt an intense shock.

It felt like something hard had crashed into the secretary’s heart as he suddenly fell into a daze.

After staying quiet for some time, He Jichen suddenly remembered the secretary had called to talk business. He hurriedly snapped back to his senses, cleared his throat, and flatly said, “Oh, right. Tell everyone in the company on the WeChat group that they’re not permitted to leak any of tonight’s videos out about the supporting actress of ‘Three Thousand Lunatics’!”

Those videos have implications for her reputation. Even if she degraded herself, I’ll still pretend to be deaf and mute and protect her to the end.

“Also, fire that ‘meow meow meow’ person who uploaded the videos to the group…” After a pause, He Jichen was afraid the secretary would interpret this to mean he had feelings for Ji Yi, so he added, “‘Three Thousand Lunatics’ is really important to our company. I can’t allow anyone to make any mistakes!”

“Yes, Mr. He, as soon as I get to the office in the morning, I’ll take care of it.” Just as He Jichen hoped, his secretary’s suspicious seemed to be diverted.

Chapter 178: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to Her (8)

He Jichen said no more and was just about to hang up.

But before he lowered the phone from his ear, the secretary spoke again, “Mr. He? I…”

“Mm?” responded He Jichen, thinking the secretary still had matters to discuss.

The secretary just blurted out He Jichen’s name without thinking, but when he realized he was going to cross a line, he stopped himself. However, after hearing He Jichen’s patient reply, he hesitated for a moment before pushing forward with the question he wanted to ask earlier. “Mr. He, you just said she’s the woman you’re protecting and you can’t let anyone mess with her. That woman, is she the woman you like?”

He Jichen never imagined that his secretary would suddenly care about his personal life. He furrowed his brows.

Over the phone, the secretary was nervous as hell while he waited for He Jichen to reply. All of sudden, he lost his confidence and said, “Sorry, Mr. He, I…”

Before the secretary could finish apologizing, He Jichen blinked and composed himself then flatly responded with an “Mhm.”

In that instant, the secretary was stunned when he caught his response.

He never imagined Mr. He would actually share his personal matters with him…

He Jichen wasn’t sure what came over the secretary, but after a few seconds of silence, he said, “Yes, she’s the woman I like…”

The secretary didn’t understand his history, so he didn’t know about his and Ji Yi’s complex relationship. Moreover, He Jichen felt overly saddened after reflecting on what he did to Ji Yi out of anger. Having never revealed his feelings to anyone before, this was the first time he revealed his feelings deep down inside.

What’s more, He Jichen’s reply was just a way for him to release the intense feelings he kept hidden in his heart all these years.

His gaze softened as he held the phone, but he didn’t wait for the secretary to answer and continued to add, “…I’ve liked her since the first time I saw her.”

If he thought about it, after working for He Jichen for so long, this was the most he’d ever spoken to his boss.

Because He Jichen revealed so much, the secretary felt a little more daring. When he finished speaking, the secretary asked the question he had on his mind: “Mr. He, I’m having trouble imagining the woman you like. What kind of woman is she?”

What kind of woman is she?

He Jichen held his phone as he stared unblinkingly out the window for a long time. He suddenly realized there were stars glistening in the dark sky. At that moment, seven words flashed across his mind, and with a soft voice, he said, “…A billion stars can’t amount to her…”

The secretary didn’t clearly hear what he said, so he asked, “What?”

He Jichen snapped back to reality and responded with an “Mm” before saying, “Her? She casually barged into my life and silently filled it up…”

He Jichen didn’t give the secretary any time to respond and hung up.

He stared transfixed at the glistening stars up in the sky as the words he said circled his mind.

What kind of woman is the woman I like?

Simple. Her name is Ji Yi and in his heart, a billion stars couldn’t amount to her. She was Ji Yi, who casually barged into his life and silently filled it up…

Chapter 179: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to Her (9)

–

He Jichen continued to sit in the car for a while after the insurance company sent someone to fill up his tank before he finally started the car up again.

He followed the silent and empty road for about half an hour with no idea where he was headed. Then he hit the brakes and slowly came to a stop.

He turned his head to look through the window and realized that he had returned to the entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel.

The doorman recognized his car and quickly rushed over to wait for him to get out.

He Jichen rolled his window down and waved at the doorman to signal for him to leave.

After the doorman left, He Jichen rolled his window back up and started to contemplate whether to go to the university or back home next.

He spent an awfully long time over such a simple decision, yet he still couldn’t decide. His gaze involuntarily traveled up to the top floor of the Four Seasons Hotel.

I wonder how that woman is doing now?

When he left, he kicked the coffee table over, and from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of her slender frame on the sofa, shivering violently. She stared straight at him with red eyes full of terror as though she was about to cry at any moment.

He didn’t linger for long before he left her alone in the hotel room. Did she actually cry?

Also… He Jichen’s gaze shifted from the top floor of the Four Seasons Hotel back to his own two hands on the steering wheel.

Did I drag her too hard all the way from Yue Yuan? I even showered her with cold water, and when her words pissed me off, I even threw her aside…

Tell me, why do I always lose control with her and erupt in anger?

And why did she say those things to me? I was clearly angry, yet she still triggered me…

At that thought, He Jichen’s head started to ache. He raised his hand and pressed his temples, trying to stop himself from thinking, yet the thoughts in his mind simmered even more.

Such a cold night, yet she was showered with so much cold water. Who knew if she’d end up with a fever like last time. Her wrist was also still injured. Who knew if that healed up yet…

He Jichen suddenly reached his hand out, pushed the door, and got out of the car.

He didn’t even lock the car before walking right into the hotel lobby.

The hotel manager was coincidentally talking to the staff at the front desk. Seeing him walk in, he immediately walked over and greeted him, “Mr. He.”

It was only when He Jichen heard the manager’s voice that he realized what he was doing. His footsteps suddenly stopped as he stared at the elevator for a while. It was so late now, that woman was probably long asleep by now, right? He was going to go up to sneakily see her. If she was alright, then he’d leave again…

With that, He Jichen lifted his feet again, ignored the hotel manager, and headed for the elevator.

When he reached the top floor, He Jichen stepped out of the elevators and headed right for the room door.

He Jichen gently swiped the key card and pushed the door open.

The lights in the room were still on, and the coffee table was still flipped over, just as he left it. The tissue box and remote control were spread out over the floorboards.

The lights in the bathroom were also on, and through the door, he could see there were two towels thrown on the ground.

But she wasn’t on the sofa.

Chapter 180: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to Her (10)

After I left, did she take a shower and go to get some rest in the bedroom?

With that thought, He Jichen tiptoed over to the bedroom door.

Afraid to wake Ji Yi up from her sleep, he opened the door gently.

The lights were off in the bedroom and it was completely pitch-black. With the light coming from the living room, he could see that the room was spotless as though nobody had entered at all.

He Jichen furrowed his brows and instinctively reached for the light switch on the wall.

The lights turned on and the empty bed instantly came into sight. The bedsheets were neat and no one was there…

He Jichen’s heart instantly jumped as he strode over to the bed and pulled the covers to the floor. When he confirmed there was no one there, he immediately turned back to the living room.

He glanced around the room to make sure that she wasn’t hiding anywhere then he looked in the bathroom, bathtub, and sauna. He couldn’t find any trace of her…

Only then did He Jichen realize that the clothes he ripped off the woman had also disappeared.

She couldn’t have left wearing those torn clothes, right?

He Jichen leaped over to the phone and called the front desk. After he asked for the manager, he immediately hurled the question, “1001, Where is the person I brought here?”

“Mr. He, please wait…” Over the phone, He Jichen heard the manager asking the lady at the front desk. After waiting for about a minute, the hotel manager said, “Mr. He, the lady you brought asked us to bring a set of clothes three hours ago, paid for them herself then left.”

Left three hours ago… He Jichen hung the phone up and immediately pulled his phone out from his pocket and glanced at the time.

Meaning… she left a little over half an hour ago… It wasn’t even nine at the time and Tang Huahua messaged him at eleven to say she hadn’t returned to the university, and she didn’t return home… That was a two-hour gap, so where did she go?

He Jichen was still a little uneasy as his mind pondered over those questions. He immediately opened WeChat and sent Tang Huahua a message: “Is she back at the university yet?”

Tang Huahua must’ve been asleep since she didn’t reply.

He Jichen paced restlessly around the living room for some time before he realized he might be fussing over nothing. She wasn’t back at the university at eleven, but now it was already one in the morning. Maybe she returned at half-past eleven or twelve?

She was an adult and public security in Beijing was good. Before she left, she even asked the hotel to bring her some clothes so she would’ve been just fine…

He Jichen forced himself to calm down then stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared at the night sky for a long time. Then he went back to the bedroom and slept on the bed.

He Jichen didn’t know just how long he slept as he groggily heard his phone ring “ding dong!”, which completely woke him up.

The curtains were drawn. It was already light outside, and the morning sun filled the room with a red glow.

He Jichen sat up, grabbed his phone, and opened WeChat. The first message was a reply from Tang Huahua. “Xiao Yi didn’t come home last night. I just called her, but no one picked up.”

Didn’t come home all night? No one picked up?

He Jichen immediately punched in Ji Yi’s number and made the call. Just like Tang Huahua said, the phone rang until he heard the message: “Sorry! The person you are calling is unavailable right now. Please try again later.”.Ji Yi didn’t pick up his call.

Chapter 181: The Recording Pen in Her Hands (1)

Could she have returned to her parents’ house?

He Jichen instinctively found Ji Yi’s mum’s phone number, but the second he was about to tap on it, he paused.

What if she wasn’t back home and he was just making her parents worry?

He Jichen hesitated for a second then eventually swiped back to WeChat, where he sent Tang Huahua a message, “Still not back yet?”

Tang Huahua quickly replied with, “Not yet.”

The words “Typing…” appeared right above the WeChat chat bubbles. He Jichen waited for about half a minute before he saw another message from Tang Huahua. “He Xuezhang, we have a class at ten. Xiao Yi would never miss class for no reason, so I’ll definitely see her at ten.”

He Jichen tapped the screen and was about to start typing when he received a line of text from Tang Huahua. “When I see Xiao Yi, I’ll ask her where she went last night and let you know.”

Tang Huahua didn’t know about all the things that happened between him and Ji Yi, so she simply thought he was curious about Ji Yi’s whereabouts. Perhaps it was because he and Ji Yi left on such horrible terms that He Jichen felt an indescribable sense of unease. However, he didn’t tell Tang Huahua about the anxiety in his heart but instead, he just replied with an “alright.”

He Jichen didn’t reply to Tang Huahua’s smile emoji. He put his phone away and raised his wrist to check the time – it was already half past seven. He had an early meeting at nine, so after he ordered breakfast, he went into the bathroom.

…

At the start, He Jichen sat in the meeting room at the office, fully focused on the meeting.

When it reached about ten to ten, he started to frequently check his phone in fear of missing Tang Huahua’s message on WeChat. The phone was still silent at five past ten.

He Jichen tried to look as though he was paying attention to what the corporate strategy manager was saying as he lowered his eyes to his phone. He tapped the chat with Tang Huahua and started typing.

Just as he typed the three words “How’s it going?”, his phone vibrated. The text he longed for from Tang Huahua had finally arrived. “He Xuezhang, Xiao Yi really didn’t show up to class. The teacher just took attendance and from the teacher’s looks, it seems like she didn’t give notice for her absence either. I secretly hid under the desk and gave her a call. Right now, her phone is off.”

He Jichen started to feel like something was wrong. With complete disregard to the meeting, he dialed Ji Yi’s number and raised the phone to his ear.

“Sorry! The number you dialed is currently unavailable.”

Tang Huahua said Ji Yi’s mum called her last night looking for her. Did something happen at home? Was she at home?

As He Jichen tried to figure out what happened, he kicked the chair back and without saying a word, he grabbed his car keys. Under a row of bewildered stares, He Jichen left the meeting room, headed straight for the underground parking lot, and drove to Ji Yi’s parents’ house.

Ji Yi’s dad was at work, so her mum was the only one at home. She was pleasantly surprised to see He Jichen.

He Jichen handed Ji Yi’s mum the nutritional supplements he prepared for her and lied that his mum asked him to drop them off.

He chatted with Ji Yi’s mum for a while, but after he realizd that Ji Yi wasn’t home, he immediately found an excuse to leave. He quickly said his goodbyes and left.

Back in the car, He Jichen reached around for his phone and called Ji Yi again. Just like before, her phone was off, and that was when he realized the situation was far more serious than he imagined. All of a sudden, he felt incredibly flustered and uneasy.

Chapter 182: The Recording Pen in Her Hands (2)

She wasn’t at the university nor was she at home. Could she have gone to visit a friend?

In the past few years, he paid attention to all her movements. After being in a coma for three years, most people lose contact with their friends. At the moment, she didn’t have many people she kept in contact with…

The first person He Jichen thought to call was Li Da, but when he called him, the first thing he heard over the phone before he thought about asking him if Ji Yi was with him, was a polite female voice. “Sorry sir, the plane is about to take off. Could you please turn off your phone?”

Li Da first replied to the air hostess politely with a “Right away,” then said to He Jichen, “Chen Ge, did you need something? I’m going to Hangzhou for a business trip. If there’s nothing urgent, I’ll call you when I land.”

“Just you?” asked He Jichen casually.

“Of course it’s just me. I’m not in a high position…”

“It’s nothing. Let’s talk when you land.” Having heard that, He Jichen knew Ji Yi wasn’t with him, so he flatly ignored what Li Da said afterwards. He said his goodbyes and hung up.

He Jichen grabbed his phone and used all kinds of methods to contact other people Ji Yi still kept in contact with. They were all either on holiday abroad or were busy with their own matters.

So Ji Yi… didn’t go see her friends either?

At first, there was no way of getting through to her, then her phone was turned off. Something couldn’t have happened, right?

He Jichen’s mind wandered back to an article he read on his phone not too long ago about a university student who was reported lost forty-eight hours after getting into a taxi. They later found the woman in the wilderness where she had long been dead.

He tightened his grip on his phone then anxiously stepped on the gas. He turned the steering wheel with just one hand as he aimlessly drove around Beijing.

As time flew by, He Jichen realized he almost ran out of gas, so he stopped at a nearby gas station. That was when he realized it was already late in the afternoon.

With his phone in hand, he sent a text to Tang Huahua: “Has she come back to the university?”

Just after he finished filling up the tank, paid and exited the gas station, he received a text from Tang Huahua: “Not yet, He Xuezhang. Say, do you think something happened to Xiao Yi?”

He Jichen, who was already a complete mess, saw Tang Huahua’s message and became completely agitated and uneasy. He felt so lost that he clicked on news websites to see if there was any news about women in the Beijing area.

When he realized that the headlines were all trivial news about the entertainment industry, He Jichen was slightly reassured, but afterwards, he felt that he was acting so stupid. If something really happened to Ji Yi, how would it be reported on the news so soon?

The unsettled feeling inside made He Jichen feel even more on edge. He raised his hand and rubbed his temples then started driving aimlessly again.

When the sun went down, He Jichen felt his stomach churn in pain from having eaten nothing all day long. He stopped by the road and got out but didn’t go to the fast food restaurant. Instead, he went to the convenience store nearby to buy a pack of cigarettes.

He didn’t go back to the car but went straight to the trash can on the sidewalk and opened a pack of cigarettes.

As the cigarette butts piled up, the sky got darker.

Chapter 183: The Recording Pen in Her Hands (3)

He Jichen finished the pack of cigarettes. It was only when it was dark that he took two steps back in complete exhaustion and leaned against a tree.

He pulled out his phone to call her several times, but her phone was still turned off. Then he sent another message to Tang Huahua, but the reply he received was the same; she still hadn’t come back to the university.

She wasn’t with her friends, he checked all her favorite places, and he’d spent a whole day searching the streets for her, but he couldn’t find her… She couldn’t have left Beijing, right?

At that thought, He Jichen suddenly clicked into his call logs. He found his secretary’s number and was about to call and ask for help with finding out if Ji Yi recently took a plane or train. However, before his finger could touch the screen, a reminder popped up: “Low battery.”

He Jichen casually flicked his last cigarette into the trash then straightened up before he walked over to the car. He pulled the car door open and searched the compartment for a phone charger. That was when he accidentally caught a glimpse of another phone.

This is He Yuguang’s phone… He Yuguang…

As those three words flashed across He Jichen’s mind, he suddenly stopped searching for the phone charger.

How could he be so careless? He searched everywhere. How could he not think of the “newly-wed” house “He Yuguang” prepared for her? She always relied on He Yuguang, so could she be there now?

Before the thought settled in He Jichen’s mind, he got into the car and sped off.

After the car drove quite some distance away, He Jichen had a sudden thought – if she really was there, it’d be bad for him to go like this, so he made a detour and turned into his own place.

He took a thorough shower then pulled open the lowest drawer in the changing room. He removed the red string that he rarely took off all these years and he carefully checked himself in the mirror to see if there were any flaws. Only then did he grab He Yuguang’s phone and walk out the door.

He Jichen hailed a taxi and headed straight for the house he prepared for Ji Yi as He Yuguang.

When he reached the building, He Jichen paid the taxi fare and without waiting for his change, he took big strides into the building.

When the elevator doors opened, He Jichen darted towards the door and quickly entered the code for the front door. He charged in without even removing his shoes.

The lights in the room were off, but with the scattered lights from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the balcony, He Jichen immediately saw a round shadow.

He Jichen tightened up and forgot to turn on the light switch as he slowly walked over.

With the light from outside the window, the closer he got, the clearer he could see who it was.

It was her. It was her, the person he’d been looking for all day.

She sat balled up in the corner of the wall with her face buried between her knees.

She looked very calm, yet He Jichen’s heart ached as he watched her.

When he was just two meters away, his footsteps stopped. He stopped on the spot for a few seconds before he closed the distance between them and crouched down in front of her.

It seemed like she hadn’t noticed he was drawing closer as she didn’t move an inch.

He Jichen stared at her ruffled hair for a little while then slowly reached his hand out and touched her.

Finally, she slowly started to raise her head.

Chapter 184: The Recording Pen in Her Hands (4)

The image of her eyes swollen from crying came into his view.

She looked distraught; her dark pupils were completely misty and the tears swayed as they clung from the corners of her eyes.

He had never seen her like this before. The image instantly cut his eyes, making his hand upon her shoulder tremble violently. All of a sudden, he didn’t know how to react.

Through her tears, she stared at him for quite some time before she saw his face clearly. She instinctively shifted backwards to hide before her eyes timidly glossed over him and looked down at his wrist. That was when she realized there wasn’t a red string. Her small, tense frame gradually relaxed and she opened her mouth. She probably wanted to cry “Yuguang Ge,” but in the end, she just moved her lips without making a sound before lowering her head back down again.

As He Jichen watched her reaction, it suddenly felt like a hand clutched his heart hard and brutally squeezed it. The sharp pain of it stung intensely.

So, she was frightened by his fit of rage at the Four Seasons Hotel after all…

He Jichen calmly lowered his eyes to hide the frustration in his mind. He waited for the pain in his chest to slowly subside a little before his hands slowly lifted from her shoulders, shifted over to her head, and gently stroked it.

Ji Yi trembled softly as she couldn’t help but tighten her clasp on her knees, but she didn’t avoid He Jichen’s touch.

He Jichen dotingly stroked her head even more gently.

After getting into a taxi when she left the Four Seasons Hotel last night, she couldn’t go back to the university all the worse for wear, nor could she go back home. She couldn’t see her friends either, so in the end, she chose to secretly hide here on her own to lick her wounds.

She never thought that someone would care about her, but here in the saddest of times, “He Yuguang” suddenly showed up. He obviously cared immensely for her.

As her face followed the touch of his fingers little by little, the feeling of being wronged, which already disappeared after such a long time, amplified in her heart now for some reason. She thought she had no more tears to cry, but her eyes suddenly turned hazy and tears started to fall again. The tears poured from her eyes and crashed heavily onto the floorboards as she let out a soft wail.

Seeing her tears fall made He Jichen’s heart feel like it had been sliced open. The pain made him lose his breath for a moment before he pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen and typed a question he obviously knew the answer to: “Did something happen?”

He touched her knee and handed her the phone.

She raised her head slightly, but she didn’t look up at him. Instead, her eyes were drawn straight to he phone screen.

Did something happen?

It was a simple question, but it made Ji Yi cry even more violently.

Not long after, while clutching onto his phone, He Jichen’s hand was covered in her tears.

He Jichen silently pursed his lips and grabbed his phone back as he typed the words: “Don’t cry…”

After Ji Yi saw that, not only did she not stop crying, but the tears kept pouring down endlessly.

Seeing her cry even more fiercely than before, He Jichen became completely powerless.

He held onto the phone and racked his brain for a long time but couldn’t quite find the right words to comfort her. In the end, he threw his phone to one side and helped her wipe her tears.