Chapter 1: Entrapping the God (1)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

“In love, we were separated by an entire adolescence, but I am willing to walk through your youthful years again.” — Ye Feiye “A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You”

–

“That night… was it you?”

At the age of eighteen, Ji Yi fantasized a thousand different ways—a million ways, even—to confess to the guy she liked, but she never imagined that when she finally summoned all her courage to stand in front of him, her first words would be, “The man, that night… was you, wasn’t it?”

He Jichen lowered his eyes and leaned casually against the lamppost. When he heard Ji Yi’s question, he didn’t even raise his eyelids but he furrowed his brows. His eyelashes quivered. With that, his clean and bright complexion returned to its usual flatness and dullness.

If Ji Yi hadn’t caught on to his change in expression, she would’ve assumed he hadn’t heard her question. She stared unwaveringly at the young man in front of her for a moment in silence. Seeing as he had no intention of replying, she gently pursed her lips and asked again but this time with hints of certainty, “That night, it was you, am I right?”

After Ji Yi asked twice, He Jichen finally looked up and slowly swept a look over Ji Yi with his dark, emotionless eyes. Then, he straightened up and turned around to leave without any warning at all.

Ji Yi stared at He Jichen’s back and instinctively balled her hands into tight fists.

The person that night must’ve been him. There’s no mistake about it…

That night, the way he kissed me was so gentle. There’s no way I’m wrong…

Even though she didn’t know why he seemed a completely different man from that night, she had summoned her courage to confess to him with great difficulty, so she couldn’t just give up halfway like that! She was afraid she would never have the guts and confidence to do it a second time around…

At that thought, Ji Yi chased after He Jichen. “I know the person that night was you, I…”

Before Ji Yi could finish, He Jichen sped up.

The distance between them grew further.

Ji Yi jogged and drew a little closer, “A long time ago, I… I noticed you. I…”

He Jichen, who already made it to the side of the road, raised his arms to hail a taxi.

Before He Jichen opened the taxi door, Ji Yi quickly reached her hand out and grabbed onto He Jichen’s sleeve.

He Jichen was a lot taller than Ji Yi was, so when he turned his head to look down at her, it felt a little patronizing.

At his glance, the words tumbling out of Ji Yi’s mouth stopped. She nervously looked into He Jichen’s eyes and gulped. Eventually, she fearlessly said, “I’ve always liked you. I’ve liked you for a long time now. Do you…”

He Jichen suddenly raised his arm and forcefully grabbed Ji Yi’s little hand on his sleeve.

As Ji Yi strengthened her grip, she finished her thought, “… like me?”

Just as He Jichen was about to tear away from Ji Yi’s fingertips, he suddenly trembled and relaxed his muscles.

His slight loss of control made Ji Yi feel like she heard flowers bloom.

So he must feel something for me! Otherwise, why would he touch me that night? Otherwise, why was he so stunned tonight after I told him I liked him?

Ji Yi raised her head and stared at He Jichen’s eyes filled with radiance and surprise. She held her breath, then with a serious expression on her face, she said while emphasizing each word, “Will you be my boyfriend…”



Chapter 2: Entrapping the God (2)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

Without knowing which exact words triggered He Jichen, a spark suddenly shot to the deepest part of his pupils. Before Ji Yi could even finish speaking, He Jichen abruptly grabbed her wrist and dragged her into an alleyway not too far away.

He Jichen walked so quickly that they soon reached an isolated part of the alley. Ji Yi, who snapped back to her senses, let out a single word, “He—”, when He Jichen suddenly flipped his hand and pushed her violently up against the old, rough, blue brick wall. “Name a price.”

Perhaps it was because Ji Yi was in so much pain from having her back forced against the wall, or maybe it was because He Jichen’s words were too difficult to understand, but Ji Yi was left dumbfounded. She stood there in a daze for a while, without flinching.

“Give me a figure,” He Jichen demanded again.

Like before, he was met with silence.

He Jichen furrowed his brows and waited another two seconds. Seeing that Ji Yi didn’t look like she was going to say anything, he lost his patience and raised his hands to the neckline of Ji Yi’s dress. Without any hesitation, he forcefully ripped the fabric of Ji Yi’s dress with a “Siiiii”, tearing it in two.

The temperature was fairly chilly during the early summer evenings. The sudden coldness in front of her breasts made Ji Yi shiver, as her jet-black pupils met He Jichen’s eyes.

The young man’s eyes were cold. The moment he felt her gaze upon him, he lifted his eyelids and slowly shot a glance at her. Under her gaze, his eyes drifted towards the exposed flesh of her breasts.

He stared emotionlessly at them for a while, then said in a chilling voice, “See? Even if you stripped your clothes off in front me, I wouldn’t be the least bit interested in you!”

At the sound of his glacial but pleasing voice, shock crept into Ji Yi’s eyes.

A gust of the night breeze brushed by her chest, causing her to inadvertently flinch. She hastily pulled on her ripped top and covered herself up.

“If I hadn’t drunk so much that night, do you think I would’ve ever touched you?” continued He Jichen.

Ji Yi’s fingertips shivered as she tightened her grip on her clothes, revealing the green of her veins.

As it turns out, that night of passionate love was just a drunken mistake to him. I was the one who let my imagination run wild; it was all in my head.

As it turns out, this is the actual truth behind it all.

As it turns out, the fall from heaven to hell just took a single instant.

“To tell the truth, I didn’t even know who I was touching that night.” In that moment, it was like she was separated from everything around her, and she was all that was left. The faint sound of He Jichen’s voice seemed like it was from a different time and space. With a fierce and vicious voice, he said, “So, give me a figure. Just how much would it cost for us to settle this and pretend nothing happened?”




Chapter 3: Entrapping the God (3)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

Ji Yi forcefully held her breath. Her entire body stood there lifelessly, still as a statue.

In actuality, she had only stood there for a few short seconds, but the scenario unfolding in front of her seemed as long and complicated as a century.

She struggled to keep her emotions in check, to not completely lose herself and break down. Little by little, she relaxed her hold on his sleeve and slowly straightened herself up.

She didn’t cry or scream. In fact, she didn’t even say a word. It was like He Jichen wasn’t even standing right in front of her. She turned and headed right out of the alley.

She tried hard to control her feet to avoid embarrassment as she walked, but her feet started to pick up the pace uncontrollably. As she took just a few steps forward, behind her, He Jichen spoke again, “Oh and if it’s possible, I hope you never show your face in front of me ever again.”

For just a moment, Ji Yi’s legs felt weak. She almost fell to the ground, but in the last second, she quickly made a break for it and rushed out onto the street.

With a single breath, Ji Yi ran for quite a distance before she came to a stop. It was as though she couldn’t feel exhaustion as she stood there by the side of the road, lost in a daze. It wasn’t until she felt the strange gazes of people checking her out that she remembered her shirt was still all ripped up.

His words rang in her ears again and an indescribable pain coursed through her body. Ji Yi lowered her eyes and hurriedly headed back for the school dorms.

As it was almost time for lights off, her roommates were already back in their dorm. When they saw her, they immediately flooded her with questions.

“Ji Yi, did you find your dream guy and confess to him? Any success?”

“Ji Yi, you’re officially dating now, aren’t you? Congratulations…”

“Hm? Ji Yi, what’s wrong with your clothes?”

Ji Yi’s eyes were sore, but she didn’t make a sound. She headed straight for the bathroom, pushed open the door, locked the door behind her, and turned on the tap. With the sound of the running water, she lost all strength in her body and collapsed to the ground. She hung her head between her knees and started to quietly sob.

Her first love, her innocence buried alive, just like that.

Her love hadn’t even started, yet she was already utterly defeated.

–

Since He Jichen told Ji Yi to never appear in front of him again, that’s exactly what she did.

As soon as her college exams ended, Ji Yi, who had lived with her grandma since junior high, prepared to take off. She hadn’t spent her entire youth in that city—she booked a flight back to Beijing, where her parents lived.

The years went by and little changed in the world. In the blink of an eye, it had been four years since Ji Yi arrived in Beijing.

Even whilst in the same city, Ji Yi and He Jichen never crossed paths. In the last four years, the two didn’t run into each other even more so, considering that they were now in separate cities.

–

As October was nearing, Beijing was humid as usual, making people feel suffocated.

Just by going downstairs to pick up her mail and standing outside for no longer than two minutes, Ji Yi was already drenched in sweat.

Ji Yi didn’t like to feel sweaty, so she headed back to her dorm. Before even opening her mail, the first thing she did was grab her towel and pajamas, and jump in the shower.

Her roommates weren’t in, so Ji Yi was the only one left in the dorm. After she came out of the shower and dried her hair, because she was bored, she climbed into bed and continued to watch her movie. After the movie ended, sleepiness came over her. Since it didn’t seem like her roommates had returned, Ji Yi simply put her phone down and shut her eyes to sleep.

Considering she hadn’t set an alarm, Ji Yi took a nice, long nap. She didn’t wake up until she heard her phone ring.

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 4: Entrapping the God (4)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

Ji Yi glanced over at her phone to see who was calling. It was her roommate and head of the dorms, Bo He. She picked up the call. Before she could get a word out, Bo He’s voice came from the phone, “Xiao Yi, don’t forget! Tonight’s dinner party is at Yuhuatai Restaurant at seven..”

Ji Yi knew they made dinner plans some time ago, but how did a table at a hot pot restaurant for three become a table at Yuhuatai Restaurant for more than five?

Ji Yi furrowed her brows. “Why was the location changed?”

“Xiao Ya changed it…” Women were born to gossip. She added, “… I think her new boyfriend set it up. From what I see, Xiao Ya’s new boyfriend seems kind of loaded.”

Xiao Ya, or Lin Ya, was also Ji Yi’s roommate. She was known to be one of the hottest girls in B-film. She hadn’t even acted a single role, yet she was quite famous online. To land herself a rich boyfriend wasn’t anything to fuss about.

Ji Yi replied candidly, “Oh I see…”

Seeing how dull and completely uninterested Ji Yi’s tone of voice was, Bo He didn’t bother talking to Ji Yi anymore about it. Bo He reminded her not to be late, then hung up the phone.

Ji Yi casually tossed her phone aside, then started to get changed and put on her makeup. When she was ready, it was about time to head out.

Just as she was about to leave the dorms, Ji Yi looked into the mirror and checked herself out. The woman in the mirror had fair skin and delicate facial features—absolutely flawless. She wore a mid-length dress which revealed two long and beautifully straight legs. She had a dainty waist and perky bottom. She was an absolute stunner.

Ji Yi pursed her lips in satisfaction to smooth out her vintage red lipstick and make it appear more natural. She grabbed her purse and phone, then left.

Yuhuatai Restaurant wasn’t too far from Ji Yi’s dorm, but it happened to be rush hour so the roads were crowded. When Ji Yi arrived, the private room was almost packed full. Lin Ya was holding the menu, ordering the food.

The ten-person table only had two empty seats left. One was beside Lin Ya, and the other was next to Bo He…

Ji Yi and Bo He were quite close, so as she greeted everyone, she took the seat next to Bo He.

The seat next to Lin Ya remained empty, even after the food was served and everyone had started eating.

Of course, the dinner party wasn’t complete without alcohol. After a few glasses, the atmosphere at the dinner table started to become lively.

In the midst of all the excitement, everyone ate until they saw the bottoms of plate after plate. Just as the waiter was about to serve dessert, Lin Ya’s phone rang. She merely glimpsed at the phone screen, but her eyes were filled with joy as if she couldn’t wait to pick up the phone. “Are you here?”

They weren’t sure what the person said over the phone, but Lin Ya spoke again in an overwhelmingly gentle voice, “I’ll come meet you.” As Lin Ya hung up the phone, she got up.

“Xiao Ya, is your boyfriend coming?” Faced with their curious questions, Lin Ya neither admitted or denied it, but she was exceptionally happy as she hurriedly ran out of the room after hastily replying, “I’m going to pick someone up.”

After no more than five minutes, the doors opened again and everyone in the room, including Ji Yi, collectively turned their heads. Lin Ya, who had just hastily run out, had returned and behind her was a guy.



Chapter 5: Entrapping the God (5)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

Ji Yi was closest to the door. As she chatted happily with Bo He, she turned her head slightly and caught a glimpse of the guy behind Lin Ya.

It was just a glimpse; Ji Yi quickly diverted her eyes from the guy. Her fingers instinctively tightened her grip on her chopsticks and the smile on her lips instantly froze.

That guy… She recognized him. In other words, she’d recognize him even if he was reduced to ashes.

Ji Yi may have looked away, but she still felt the guy walk closer to the dining table with Lin Ya. Her toes cowered nervously in her high heels.

Following the crisp sound of Lin Ya’s high heels, she said sweetly and softly, “Let me introduce everyone to my…”

Lin Ya paused for a moment, as though she was hesitant about something. After two seconds, she continued, “… friend, He Jichen.”

He Jichen … Ji Yi was almost certain it was him, but when she heard those three words, her entire body involuntarily shivered for a moment.

Yes, that’s right. The ‘He Jichen’ Lin Ya just introduced was the very same He Jichen who took her innocence four years ago. He was the same He Jichen she’d summoned her courage to confess to, who ripped her top that night four years ago. He was the same He Jichen who told her, “See? Even if you stripped your clothes off in front me, I wouldn’t be the least bit interested in you!”. He was the He Jichen who said, “If I hadn’t drunk so much that night, do you think I would’ve ever touched you?”, and the same He Jichen who said, “Oh and if it’s possible, I hope you never show your face in front of me ever again.”. What’s more, he was the He Jichen who Ji Yi never wanted to see again in her life.

Four years ago, He Jichen was just a senior high school student. Wherever he went, he lit up the room. Now, four years later, the years strengthened his charisma, as his aura seemed to have intimidated the entire table of people. After Lin Ya finished introducing him, the room fell silent, before someone finally summoned the courage to weakly say hello.

Just as before, He Jichen wasn’t an enthusiastic conversationalist. As everyone said hello, he only gave a slight nod in response. His every movement seemed visually pleasing and majestic, yet distant and polite.

Ji Yi didn’t greet He Jichen, nor did she raise her head to glance at him.

Perhaps it was because He Jichen was far too perfect that an entire room full of people were drawn to him, but he never noticed her lack of manners.

He Jichen’s arrival interrupted the rowdiness of the room. After a while, the atmosphere became lively again, as everyone started to chatter away loudly to no end.

Ji Yi couldn’t quite bounce back from this sudden reunion of sorts, as she wasn’t able to enthusiastically re-enter the group conversation. As she silently sat there in a daze, she kept a rigidly upright position in her chair. Ji Yi tried her best not to think about what happened four years ago, but those memories resurfaced one by one in her mind.

Ji Yi started to shiver gently. Afraid that someone would notice she was acting strangely, she tightened her hands into fists with all her might, digging her sharp nails into her palms, inflicting waves of pain.

Ji Yi wondered if she was the one who disfigured her own palms like that. Without specifying the person, everyone knew he was referring to Lin Ya when He Jichen asked, “Wanna get out of here?”



Chapter 6: Entrapping the God (6)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

Ji Yi, who was deep in thought, wasn’t certain if those were He Jichen’s first words of the night, but they were certainly the first words she heard him say that night.

Four years ago, Ji Yi was aware He Jichen had a good voice, one that definitely didn’t pale in comparison to his good looks. Yet, she never felt like his voice sounded as pleasing as it did today, but she knew, for the most part, it was because of what he said.

Get out of here… so finally they’d reached the end of dinner… I can also make an excuse to leave now…

Ji Yi’s tense mood gradually started to loosen up, so much so that she snapped out of her daze just like that. Now, she was in the mood to listen to the conversations in the room.

When Lin Ya heard He Jichen’s words, she obediently nodded, “Alright.”

He Jichen didn’t say anything but raised his arm to call the waiter over for the bill. As he waited, he suggested, “The Golden Lounge?”

The Golden Lounge was famous for being a classy spot in Beijing. It was even more high class than that evening’s Yuhuatai Restaurant, so everyone’s eyes lit up.

Lin Ya managed to hide her emotions well as she used her soft and sickly sweet voice, “Alright.”

Now, He Jichen went silent again.

The waiter quickly brought over the bill. Without even glancing at the total, he immediately signed for it.

Lin Ya probably wanted to encourage He Jichen to speak more, so after some thought, she found a topic to talk about. “He Dage 1 , did you know? Our Ji Yi is a great singer.”

With Lin Ya’s sudden mention of her name, Ji Yi’s fingertips shivered and her back started to tense up uncontrollably. The light in her eyes subconsciously landed on where He Jichen was sitting.

He Jichen handed the signed bill back to the waiter, then sat back into his chair nonchalantly. The expression on his face was calm and not the least bit interested, as though the “Ji Yi” from Lin Ya’s mouth was simply two words put together with no personal meaning to him.

But to her, what happened four years ago was burned in her memory—something she’d never forget. To him, it was all just a big drunken mistake in a hotel. Four years had passed—maybe he’d already forgotten all about the past, forgotten about the girl called Ji Yi who’d given him her first, forgotten the incomparably hurtful things he said to her.

Seeing as He Jichen didn’t seem to have any interest in the topic, Lin Ya turned her head towards Ji Yi and casually added to what she said, “Ji Yi, didn’t you learn a new song a few days ago? Later, when we’re at the Golden Lounge, you have to sing for us.”

Lin Ya’s request wasn’t very demanding, so Ji Yi wouldn’t usually decline, but there was He Jichen with them tonight… Ji Yi’s eyes turned to Lin Ya. Since He Jichen was there, her voice was a little weak as she said, “I’m not feeling too well. Count me out. I want to go back to school and get some rest.”

“Ji Yi, where do you not feel well? Besides, it’s so late right now. It’s not safe to go back on your own. Why don’t you come out with us…” Before Lin Ya could persuade her to stay, He Jichen, who was sitting next to her, got up. He completely ignored Ji Yi and Lin Ya’s conversation and left with the words, “Let’s go”. He strode out of the private dining room.

Lin Ya watched He Jichen’s back as he disappeared out the door. She looked over at Ji Yi without finishing her sentence. She picked up her bag and hurriedly followed him out.

Everyone in the room was curious to see how elegant The Golden Lounge was, so they left Ji Yi with a few simple, polite words. Seeing as she really had no intention of going, they left without a fuss.

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 7: Entrapping the God (7)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

The only person left in the large room was Ji Yi.

She wasn’t in a rush to get up and leave, so she stayed in her original seat and continued to sit there quietly. After a while, she lifted her eyelids towards the seat He Jichen sat in. She stared at it for a long time until eventually, her gaze was locked onto it.

Meanwhile, the waiter cleaned up the table noisily. The crisp sound of bowls and plates crashing into each other woke Ji Yi up from her trance. She gently blinked her eyes that were a little sore from staring for so long. Then she got up, picked up her bag, and left Yuhuatai Restaurant.

After hailing a taxi, Ji Yi arrived back at the school. She wasn’t in a hurry to go back to her dorm. Instead, she headed straight for the sports field.

There was a group of people playing soccer on the field who shouted occasionally. Ji Yi walked around the group. After she walked through the innermost part of the field, she found a seat in a quiet area.

Ji Yi dazed out so much that she forgot what she was thinking about when she first sat down. After she snapped back to her senses, Lin Ya’s words from that night rang in her ears, “Let me introduce everyone to my friend, He Jichen.”

He Jichen … Ji Yi instinctively tightened her fists. The pain forced her to realize that the dinner wasn’t a dream, and it really did happen. After four years, she actually bumped into He Jichen.

An indescribable sharp pain instantly engulfed Ji Yi’s entire body. Image upon image of what happened four years ago flashed increasingly clearly before her eyes.

People say “time is the best medicine.” Four years had passed and Ji Yi assumed those memories would’ve blurred over the years, but when He Jichen reappeared alive and well in front of her, she realized that the pain was always hidden deep within her bones.

It took a lot of energy for Ji Yi to finally compose herself. At first, she planned to sit there quietly on the field by herself for a while, but the skies suddenly released a flash of lightning and the drizzle of rain came crashing down.

There were often bursts of rain during the October evenings in Beijing. Ji Yi promptly got up and ran towards the dorms.

Just as she reached the front doors, Ji Yi saw Bo He. She wanted to call out to her, but then she saw a familiar silhouette.

It was He Jichen. He was holding an umbrella as he dropped Lin Ya off at the dorm.

Ji Yi ignored the increasingly heavy rain and suddenly stopped walking. She observed everything around her, took a few steps back, and hid behind a lamp post.

He Jichen and Lin Ya walked slowly. After Bo He and a few girls from that night’s dinner said their goodbyes and ran upstairs, the two of them walked towards the dorm steps.

Both He Jichen and Lin Ya came to a stop.

Lin Ya didn’t seem to be in a rush to go back to her dorm block, so she turned around, looked at He Jichen, and said something.

As she was quite a distance away and the sound of the rain was quite loud, Ji Yi couldn’t hear what they were talking about. But from what she could see, they were happily chatting away, judging by Lin Ya’s increasingly radiant smile.

Ji Yi’s clothes were completely drenched. Since the incoming winds were so chilly, they made her whole body shiver.

Just when Ji Yi couldn’t take it any longer, Lin Ya finally walked up the steps in front of the dorm.

After Lin Ya disappeared into the dorm, He Jichen continued to stand there for a while, holding his umbrella. Then, he turned around as though he was about to leave.











Chapter 8: Entrapping the God (
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

There was only one path to the front door of the dorms.

Although He Jichen appeared to not remember who she was during dinner that night, Ji Yi still didn’t want to risk bumping into him, let alone let him see her all drenched from the rain. She looked indecent as could be, so the instant He Jichen turned around, Ji Yi subconsciously buried her face behind the lamp post.

He Jichen was still far away, which was why Ji Yi dared to secretly sneak a few glances at him. Seeing that He Jichen was drawing closer and closer, Ji Yi was so afraid to be seen that she held her breath and didn’t dare to move an inch.

The sound of the rain was quite loud, so there was no way Ji Yi could hear He Jichen’s footsteps. She estimated that it’d take just four to five minutes. Ji Yi was certain that in four to five minutes time, He Jichen would’ve walked far enough away from her to enable her to relax, quickly escape from behind this ice-cold lamp post, and run through the front doors to the dorm.

According to her calculations, the coast should be clear now. She barely made it out when suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.

She stared dumbfounded at He Jichen just two meters in front of her.

Hadn’t he left already? A few minutes had passed; why’s he still here?

Ji Yi’s eyes widened as though she’d seen a ghost.

He Jichen probably felt her staring at him, so he turned his head slightly in the direction Ji Yi was standing.

The very moment their eyes met, Ji Yi averted her eyes downwards reflexively. From the corner of her eyes, she clearly saw the light from a call on He Jichen’s phone.

So the only reason he’s still here was to take a call?

Before Ji Yi could form her suspicions, she heard the cold, dull voice of He Jichen on the phone, “What’s wrong? I’ll call you when I get back to talk about it.”

With that, He Jichen’s fingers pressed a button on phone screen and hung up. The corner of Ji Yi’s eyes then caught a glimpse of He Jichen about to walk away.

She didn’t want He Jichen to see how embarrassed she looked right now. Yet, by chance, he saw her. There was nothing she could do about that.

Judging by his actions, it seemed he really did forget about her, or he just wasn’t bothered to deal with her; he seemed to have no intention of saying hello. Nor did she feel the need to put up with talking to him.

Ji Yi stood rooted in her original spot for three seconds, then raised her legs and headed in the direction of the dorm.

It was like the two of them were complete strangers as they walked different paths.

It was still raining. Ji Yi’s clothes started to drip and clumps of hair stuck to her neck.

He Jichen, who was holding an umbrella, walked steadily and elegantly. Aside from the legs of his trousers being a little wet, his clothes were mostly neat and dry.

The obvious difference between them made Ji Yi lower her head even further as she walked even more quickly.

Even as Ji Yi tried her best to keep her composure, running into He Jichen made her steps a little erratic. On top of that, she wanted to get as far away from He Jichen as possible; it was no wonder she acted so hasty the moment they brushed shoulders. She didn’t pay much attention to where she was walking so she accidentally slipped into a puddle. Her whole body crashed to the ground.

As she felt the pain, Ji Yi’s first instinct was to glance in front of her.

It was just as she thought. He Jichen, who’d brushed past her with an umbrella in his hand, heard the commotion, stopped, and turned his head towards her direction.










Chapter 9: Entrapping the God (9)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

Their eyes met. Ji Yi’s heart raced for a moment, as she instinctively balled her hands into a fist.

This was the first time they truly looked at each other that night. His eyes were cold and emotionless, as though they’d never met before.

Trapped in a daze, Ji Yi couldn’t pull her eyes away. For some reason, neither could He Jichen.

Just like that, the two of them stared at each other through the dense rain.

A gust of wind blew in by chance, causing Ji Yi’s whole body to shiver.

He Jichen gently furrowed his brows at this sight, as though her actions woke him from his trance. After he continued to stare at her for two more seconds, he pulled his gaze back, pretending like nothing happened.

Freed from his gaze, Ji Yi relaxed. She pushed herself up from the ground and started to climb up when He Jichen suddenly looked over at her again.

Ji Yi tensed up a little. Seeing as He Jichen had no intention of looking away, she quickly shot him a glance and saw that he was staring at her arm.

Instinctively, she lowered her head to find that she grazed her arm when she fell. Blood trickled endlessly down her arm but was quickly washed clean by the rain.

Even if Ji Yi didn’t look at him, she still could feel his gaze upon her.

Ji Yi didn’t know why He Jichen was staring at her wound, nor did she bother to figure out why. She just thought the way he was looking at her was a little odd, so she hid her arm behind her, and her eyes discreetly drifted over to where he stood.

He had already looked away. With his eyes lowered, he held his umbrella with a lifeless look on his face, pondering about something.

Ji Yi didn’t waste her time on He Jichen. Instead, she tried to endure the pain radiating from her arm and got up.

Her knee was also injured. Though it wasn’t anything serious, it hurt quite a bit under the torrential pour of rain. For just a moment, she felt like she couldn’t tolerate the pain any longer, so she let out a soft yelp.

Perhaps it was because He Jichen was standing next to her that Ji Yi naturally glanced over at his frame. When he heard her cry, his eyes darted towards her again.

It really was just a quick glance.

His eyes fell on her body for no more than a second before he averted his eyes. His eyes barely blinked, let alone showed any expression on his face. It was like the shivering woman in the heavy rain didn’t exist at all. He turned around heartlessly while carrying his umbrella and casually walked away.

After He Jichen’s silhouette had faded, Ji Yi blinked softly and snapped back to her senses. She staggered slightly as she walked towards the front door.

…

Back in the dorms, her three roommates had already finished brushing their teeth and washing their faces and were already in their respective beds.

Bo He wore a face mask, Tang Huahua was playing Arena of Valor, and Lin Ya was applying skin care products while on speakerphone with who knows who.

Bo He was the first to spot Ji Yi. At first, she was stunned then abruptly sat up in bed, “Xiao Yi, why are you all wet and dirty?”

“It’s nothing.” Ji Yi curved her lips into a smile at Bo He then grabbed a towel and a change of clothes as she headed for the bathroom.

“And your arm, how did you hurt it?” Bo He climbed out of bed and caught up to Ji Yi.

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 10: Entrapping the God (10)
Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

At the same time, Lin Ya’s call was picked up and He Jichen’s voice was heard saying, “What’s up?”

Ji Yi, who was about answer Bo He, pursed her lips and didn’t make a sound when she heard He Jichen’s voice. Instead, she bolted into the bathroom.

The moment the doors shut, Ji Yi heard the muffled sound of He Jichen’s voice, “Is everyone back in your dorm?”

When Ji Yi came out of the shower, Lin Ya was already off the phone. Every one of her roommates had a cup of milk tea in their hands and were chattering non-stop.

Bo He was the first to say something to Ji Yi, “Xiao Yi, are you alright?”

Ji Yi shook her head and replied, “Yeah, it’s nothing. I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally tripped.”

“Oh okay.” Bo He then pointed at Ji Yi’s table and said, “Xiao Yi, your milk tea is ready over there.”

Tang Huahua replied, “Xiao Ya’s boyfriend brought it over just now.”

Xiao Ya’s boyfriend… He Jichen?

So, before Ji Yi got into the bathroom, this was what He Jichen meant by his question to Lin Ya… he wanted to treat everyone in her dorm to milk tea.

Ji Yi left Lin Ya with a word of “thanks.” To avoid raising suspicion, she carried her milk tea with her to bed, but eventually put it down by her bedside, untouched.

The other three continued to chat while drinking their milk tea. Their conversations were all about Lin Ya’s new boyfriend.

“Xiao Ya, your boyfriend is so nice!”

“Yeah. You wanted to order milk tea at the Golden Lounge but they didn’t have it, so he actually ran to get some for you after taking us home.”

“Most importantly, he doesn’t smoke or drink! He didn’t even drink when everyone offered him glasses tonight. What did he say? ‘It’s easy to get into trouble after drinking’? A man with such self-control is almost too good to be true!”

Ji Yi couldn’t take in a single word from that point onwards. Her mind was filled with the words, “It’s easy to get into trouble after drinking”. The very words He Jichen condescendingly said to her four years ago rang in her ears, “If I hadn’t drunk so much that night, do you think I would’ve ever touched you?”.

It felt like something had pierced the deepest part of Ji Yi’s heart as her face started to turn pale from agony.

–

A week had gone by without bumping into He Jichen or hearing his name spoken aloud.

On the weekend, Bo He and Tang Huahua went shopping, so Ji Yi and Lin Ya were the only two left in the dorm.

As Lin Ya put on her makeup, she suddenly turned her head as though she remembered something. She looked over at Ji Yi on the bed who was reading a book and said, “Xiao Yi, I remember you saying you studied senior high in Sucheng, at A-High nevertheless. He Dage 1 also studied at A-High in Sucheng. Did you and He Dage know each other back then?”

–

People were allowed to visit B-film dorms during the day.

He Jichen, who had plans to go to an outdoor party that evening, was right downstairs from Lin Ya’s dorm. He wanted to give Lin Ya a call to ask her to come down when he realized his phone had turned off due to no battery. Even if he charged it in his car, it’d take a while before he could turn it on. He hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to personally go upstairs.

The door to Ji Yi’s room was left open, so out of courtesy, He Jichen didn’t push the door open and walk in. Instead, he raised his hand to the door preparing to knock when he heard Lin Ya from inside saying, “Xiao Yi… did you and He Dage know each other back then?”















Chapter 11: He and I Could Never Happen (1)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
“Xiao Yi… did you and He Dage know each other back then?”

All of a sudden, He Jichen stopped his hand in mid-air, about to knock on the door. After a few seconds, he heard Ji Yi say in a low, flat voice, “No.”

…

In the dorm room.

Lin Ya’s voice sounded full of regret, “Oh, I thought you and He Dage would’ve known each other… I really want to know what he was like in senior high…”

Ji Yi didn’t respond.

Lin Yi continued to say, “But, Xiao Yi, He Dage’s so fine, he must’ve been a popular guy right? At school, did you hear any stories about him?”

This time, Ji Yi wasn’t as hesitant as before as she quickly replied, “I didn’t really pay much attention to him.”

“Oh, I see…” Lin Ya could tell that she wouldn’t be able to find out anything about He Jichen from Ji Yi, so she shut her mouth in embarrassment and defeat.

The room was silent for a while. After Lin Ya finished putting on her makeup, she got up, as though something suddenly came to mind. She said, “Ah, right! Xiao Yi, He Dage invited me two days ago to go to his friend’s party at Suyuan 1 tonight. There’ll be a lot of big shots in the film industry. He said since we’re studying acting, we should go and network; maybe it’ll help us out in the future. Do you want to go?”

All I want is to never have anything to do with He Jichen ever again in my life. Why would I ever go to a party he’s attending?

Reflexively, Ji Yi answered, “No…”

After she said this, Ji Yi realized she’d forgotten her manners for a moment and quickly changed her tone of voice by adding, “… I have plans tonight.”

Lin Ya asked, “Is it important? If it isn’t important, then cancel your plans and go out with me! It’s not easy for us to get the chance to mingle with people in this industry. It’d be such a shame to miss out on such a rare opportunity.”

“Thanks Lin Ya, I appreciate your kindness, but I really…” Before Ji Yi could finish, a string of knocks was heard at the door.

Lin Ya, who was closest to the door, bolted up and pulled the door open. Seeing He Jichen at the door, she was stunned at first, but then her face was all smiles. “He Dage, why’d you come to pick me up?”

He Jichen didn’t say anything or enter the room, but he stood there at the door with a dull expression on his face.

When Ji Yi heard Lin Ya’s words, she knew the person who arrived was He Jichen. She stared unwaveringly at her book, pretending to be so engrossed in her book that she didn’t realize someone had arrived. She didn’t even glance over at the door.

Lin Ya was afraid He Jichen would get impatient waiting, so she quickly finished getting ready. “He Dage, let’s go.”

He Jichen still didn’t say a word, but he gave a slight nod and straightened up. Just as he was ready to leave, he caught a glimpse of where Ji Yi was sitting from the corner of his eye. His attention wasn’t drawn to her, but to the trash next to her table.

Even though she purposefully used the trash as a cover, he could clearly see the unfinished milk tea inside.

It was left exactly how it was the night before, without a single sip taken, thrown into the trash can just like that.

Lin Ya took two steps towards the door, stopped, and turned to Ji Yi, “Xiao Yi, you’re really not coming with me—”

Before Lin Ya could finish, He Jichen finally spoke from the front door. His voice was abrupt and a little cold, “Tonight’s party isn’t open for everyone. Don’t go around inviting random people!”



















Chapter 12: He and I Could Never Happen (2)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Random people… With her book in hand, Ji Yi’s fingertips stiffened.

Deep down inside, she was glad to have a book to stare at. Before Lin Ya could say anything, she politely looked over at her. Had she not done so, she really wouldn’t have known how else to react to He Jichen’s words.

After he’d said his piece, He Jichen didn’t linger for even a second. He turned around and strode out, leaving the room with a lingering awkwardness in the air.

Lin Ya stood there with a helpless expression on her face as she looked over at He Jichen’s back and then at Ji Yi. She wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start.

He Jichen, who’d walked quite a distance away now, could sense that Lin Ya hadn’t caught up. He said, “Let’s go.”

Lin Ya could hear the obvious impatience in his voice. She pursed her lips and left with a “Sorry Xiao Yi…”. Then she darted out of the room, closed the door, and tried to catch up with He Jichen.

Ji Yi was the only one left in the dorm room. She kept the same posture and stared at the book with a peaceful expression on her face for a long time before she softly blinked. She raised her fingers and turned the page.

She stared at the words on the paper. She stared and stared, dead straight ahead.

–

Ji Yi’s rejection of Lin Ya’s offer with the words “I have plans tonight” wasn’t an excuse. Though it wasn’t anything serious, she really did have plans that night. Yesterday, her dad had returned to Bejing from a business trip in Hong Kong, so her mum asked her to come home for dinner that night.

B-film wasn’t particularly far from Ji Yi’s house, so she wanted to finish reading the book in her hands before heading back home. However, He Jichen’s appearance just now ruined her mood, so she simply tossed her book aside in defeat and headed out early.

She arrived home just before five. Her parents were probably out on a stroll since there was no one at home, so Ji Yi headed straight for her bedroom.

She didn’t have a break at noon, so she was a little sleepy. Soon after Ji Yi climbed into bed, she fell asleep.

Ji Yi wasn’t sure how long she was asleep for, but she groggily woke up from her dreams to the sound of someone talking.

The skies outside were dark, and the gentle night’s breeze blew in wafts of the sweet aroma of Osmanthus flowers from downstairs.

She heard the faint sound of the TV outside her room, so she figured her parents must’ve already returned home.

Ji Yi climbed out of bed. She first went to the bathroom to wash her face, then pulled the door open and walked out.

In the living room every now and then, she heard her dad talking and assumed he was on the phone. She didn’t think much of it and walked right down the stairs.

It wasn’t until she reached the first floor that she heard another voice. As the person was a little quiet, Ji Yi couldn’t quite make out who the voice belonged to.

They must have a visitor … Ji Yi casually walked over to the sofa in the living room where she saw a man sitting on the European sofa in front of her.

Since he was looking right at her dad, all she could see was the back of his head. Ji Yi was still able to immediately recognize who it was with just one glance.

Ji Yi’s footsteps came to a gentle stop.

Isn’t He Jichen at some outdoor party with Lin Ya? How’s he here at my house?

Ji Yi hadn’t recovered from her astonishment when her father noticed her. “Xiao Yi, look who’s here!”


TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 13: He and I Could Never Happen (3)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
As her father spoke, He Jichen turned his head and looked over.

With no warning at all, their eyes met.

Ji Yi’s fingers suddenly trembled. The next second, she furiously tried to control herself and looked over at her dad with the most natural attitude she could muster.

Her dad figured that Ji Yi must’ve been curious as to why He Jichen was at their house, so he explained, “It was your mum. A few days ago, she bumped into Jichen and that’s when she realized he was in Beijing too. Back when you lived with grandma in Sucheng for school, we troubled He Ayi 1 quite often. Since I’m back home today, we just had to invite Jichen over.”

Ji Yi knew that the ‘He Ayi’ her dad mentioned was He Jichen’s mom, a good friend of her mum.

When she studied in Sucheng, He Jichen’s mum often accompanied her to parent-teacher conferences since her grandma was quite old.

Because of her, the two families became quite close back then.

After she graduated senior-high, she rushed back to Beijing because of He Jichen. After her grandma passed away, their family never returned to Suchen, and they only contacted the He family during the holidays.

After rambling on for so long, her dad realized Ji Yi was just standing there on the spot without greeting He Jichen. He couldn’t help telling her off, “Xiao Yi, when you were back in Sucheng, you went over to their house quite often, and if I remember correctly, you and Jichen were even classmates! Why aren’t you even saying hello now?”

Ji Yi was afraid her dad would ask about what happened between them, so as unwilling as she was, she tried hard to remain calm as she spoke politely to He Jichen, “Hello, long time no see.”

Perhaps it was because her dad was there, but He Jichen didn’t ignore her this time. His voice was polite, courteous and easygoing, “Long time no see.”

He seemed afraid to be forced to have casual conversation with her, so after greeting her, he immediately turned his head towards her dad and continued the conversation from before she came down the stairs.

After being separated for so many years, it was normal for them to be a little distant. Her dad didn’t think much of it as he continued to chat with He Jichen.

Ji Yi, who was being given the cold shoulder, lowered her head and didn’t stay any longer in the living room. Instead, she went over to help her mum in the kitchen.

As she washed the vegetables, Ji Yi suddenly remembered their exchange just now was perhaps the first time they’d spoken to each other since parting four years ago.

She figured if it weren’t for the fact that this was her house and her dad was around, they wouldn’t have even spoken to each other at all.

…

At dinner, her mum made the seating arrangements—Ji Yi and He Jichen were sat together, side by side.

The two of them were physically quite close, so every now and then, the scent of He Jichen’s body drifted into Ji Yi’s nostrils, putting her under more pressure. She felt a little uncomfortable as she held her chopsticks and tried, but failed, to pick up food a few times.

Thankfully, her parent’s attention was drawn to He Jichen. They didn’t even notice her mishaps as they chatted away with him enthusiastically.

That single dinner practically spent all of Ji Yi’s energy. After the meal, she didn’t stay a single second longer as she lied to her parents about having to help her classmate out with something. She then hurriedly left the house.

At the residential gates, Ji Yi was about to get into a taxi when she realized she’d left in such a hurry that she’d forgotten to bring her jacket and purse.














Chapter 14: He and I Could Never Happen (4)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Ji Yi had run out of the house because of He Jichen in the first place, so of course she didn’t want to go back. What’s more, she still had a backup bank card back at her dorm, so she’d rather stand by the road and wait for a taxi.

It was still early, and the roads of Beijing were crowded as usual. Ji Yi’s house was in the center of the city where traffic was particularly heavy, so a lot of taxis weren’t willing to take jobs there.

Ji Yi stared so intensely at her phone screen that she didn’t notice an Audi had pulled up beside her.

The car window lowered, and the person inside looked over at her.

A few days ago, the temperature in Beijing had suddenly dropped. It was extremely windy in the evenings, and since Ji Yi didn’t have her jacket with her, she shivered in the cold.

Seeing as she was shivering, the person in the car gradually started to furrow his brows.

Since she still wasn’t able to hitch a ride, Ji Yi was just thinking about upping the ride price on her taxi-hailing app when she got a call.

It was her mother.

Without hesitation, she took the call.

“Xiao Yi, did something happen to your classmate? Is it serious?”

“It’s nothing serious…” A gust of cold air blew in, causing Ji Yi to let out a loud sneeze.

The man in the car furrowed his brows even harder and stared intensely at Ji Yi without blinking like he was contemplating something.

“That’s good. I thought something big happened…” Her mum’s voice clearly relaxed a little, then she changed the subject, “…Xiao Yi, what do you think about Jichen?”

Ji Yi didn’t quite understand what her mum was saying as she let out a “Hm?”.

“Although you haven’t finished your second year of university yet, it’s not like you don’t know that you were forced to take three years off from school because of what happened… You’re not young anymore, so you should consider what to do about your love life…” Her mother rambled on over the phone for quite a long lecture.

Ji Yi knew roughly what she was getting at, but just as Ji Yi was going to reply, she let out another loud sneeze.

The man inside the Audi instinctively pushed open his door.

“…Xiao Yi, I think Jichen isn’t bad. Listen to Mama. Think about it, alright?” Her mother finally got to the point.

“He Jichen?” Without a second thought, Ji Yi let slip, “He and I could never happen!”

The fingers of the man who was just about to get out of the Audi trembled for a moment, then suddenly relaxed.

“Why not? Jichen graduated from a prestigious university, his family background is good, he looks good… What’s more, your He Ayi and I have known each other for so many years; we know him very well. If he and you got together, your father and I wouldn’t have to worry, so why don’t you consider it? Also, when your He Ayi and I were pregnant at the same time, we already talked about it. If we had a boy and a girl, they’d get married. Tomorrow, I’ll give your He Ayi a call. She’ll be delighted…”

Four years ago, He Jichen treated me like trash. If mum really calls his mum, wouldn’t she essentially be shamelessly making me marry him even after he humiliated me in every way possible?

Because she was so agitated, Ji Yi raised her voice and her tone became strict and firm, “Ma, I’m going to say this one more time. When I say ‘he and I can never be together’, I mean it! I’ll consider anyone but He Jichen!”

As Ji Yi’s voice fell, she heard the loud sound of a car door slam.


















Chapter 15: He and I Could Never Happen (5)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Ji Yi instinctively turned to the source of the sound—it came from an Audi she hadn’t realized had pulled up next to her.

Ji Yi was still afraid that her mom would call He Jichen’s mom, so as she curiously looked over at the Audi with its windows down, she continued to emphasize over the phone, “Ma, I’m serious. I’d rather be stuck with anyone but him!”

Just before Ji Yi caught a glimpse of the silhouette in the driver’s seat—she had no time to tell if it was a man or woman—the car suddenly sped off with a jump. A cold gust of wind whistled by, forcing her to take two steps back.

The Audi was so fast that she couldn’t even catch the license plate before it disappeared from sight.

Ji Yi wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but that Audi seemed awfully familiar…

Ji Yi furrowed her brows. All of a sudden, a sense of familiarity came over her.

Over the phone, her mother kept rambling on. Seeing as Ji Yi wasn’t responding, she spoke a little louder, “Xiao Yi?”

Ji Yi hurriedly snapped back to her senses and continued to chat with her mum for a while before hanging up.

As she got into the taxi she booked, she stared out at the glistening night through the window. All of a sudden, Ji Yi realized how that Audi made her feel. It was the same way she felt four years ago when she confessed to He Jichen that night before he abruptly dragged her into the alleyway.

…

The Audi sped really far off before it came to an emergency stop by the side of the road.

A car coming from the opposite direction turned on its headlights as it drove closer to him. The eye-piercing headlights coincidentally flashed across the Audi’s windshield and illuminated He Jichen’s face.

He barely showed any emotions on his face as he silently leaned back into his seat. He stared dead straight at the road ahead with a dull expression in his eyes when a light momentarily flickered in his eyes. It was as if he thought of something, then reverted to thinking about nothing at all.

After some time had passed, the phone in the car rang. He reached for it and glanced over at the screen as a flash of impatience crossed his eyes when he saw the contact’s name, “Lin Ya”.

The phone rang incessantly. He furrowed his brows and eventually answered the call calmly, “Lin Tongxue 1 , what’s up?”

After he hung up, He Jichen continued to sit in the car for a while. Then, he gently stepped on the gas and skillfully drove slowly out onto the road again.

…

Lin Ya and the others still hadn’t come back, so the dorm room was pitch-black.

Ji Yi turned the lights on then headed straight for the bathroom.

After taking a shower, Ji Yi glanced at the time—it was just past nine o’clock. She grabbed the book she hadn’t finished reading in the afternoon, climbed into bed, and continued to flip through it.

Just as she immersed herself in it, the landline rang. Ding-ling-ding-ling.

Everyone in the dorm room had their own cell phone, so the landline served no purpose. If Ji Yi remembered correctly, nobody had called that phone for over half a year now. This is truly strange … At that thought, Ji Yi put her phone down and climbed out of bed.

As she was reading just now, she had been chewing on a piece of sesame candy, so she wasn’t able to immediately answer the moment she picked up the phone.

After a while, seeing as nobody spoke, the person over the phone let out a simple, “Hello?”

Ji Yi suddenly stopped chewing, and her fingers felt a little numb as she held the phone.

That voice, she’d recognize it even if he turned to ashes. But, why would He Jichen call the dorm room landline?

Seeing as there was still no answer, He Jichen let out another “hello” over the phone.

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 16: He and I Could Never Happen (6)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Ji Yi snapped back to her senses.

He Jichen probably called for Lin Ya… Could it possibly be that Lin Ya’s phone ran out of battery, so he called her dorm room because he couldn’t get ahold of her?

Ji Yi answered with a calm sneer and asked, “Excuse me, are you looking for Lin Ya?”

Nothing came from the other side of the phone.

Does he not want to speak because I picked up the call?

Ji Yi waited for about a minute before she spoke again, “Lin Ya’s not here right now. When she gets back, I’ll tell her to call you. If there’s nothing else, then I’ll…”

Before Ji Yi could say “… hang up”, He Jichen cut the call. Ji Yi was met with a hangup tone.

–

Lin Ya, Bo He, and Tang Huahua didn’t return to the dorm room until Ji Yi was almost asleep.

Having been woken up, she groggily sat up in her bed and said in a raspy voice, “Xiao Ya, did you not have any battery on your phone?”

“No, what’s up?”

“Tonight…” Ji Yi hesitated for a moment as she swallowed the words “He Jichen” and changed them to “…your boyfriend called the landline looking for you.”

“He Dage?” asked Lin Ya in return.

Ji Yi let out a “Yeah”.

After overhearing their conversation, Bo He casually picked up the phone and checked the call logs. “Huh, it was at ten in the evening. Wasn’t he with us at the time?”

Lin Ya paused as she put her hair up in a ponytail.

He Jichen made plans with her to go to the outdoor party together, but just as they arrived at the venue, he dropped her, Bo He, and Tang Huahua off. He didn’t even get out the car as he said farewell and left.

In the evening, she called him to ask when he was coming. He told her “later”, so she waited until ten before he eventually showed up.

She pestered him and talked to him a lot, but he wasn’t really responsive.

Naturally, she was a little unhappy, so she eventually quieted down too. In the end, he deliberately asked for the phone number to her dorm room.

He has my cell number, so why did he need the number to my dorm room?

She was curious, but since she was afraid of annoying him, she didn’t dare ask. Instead, she gave it to him obediently.

Who knew that he’d actually turn around and call the dorm looking for me…

She was sitting next to him at the time, so he definitely wasn’t looking for her. There were only four people in the dorm room, three of which were at the party. Ji Yi was the only one not there.

Lin Ya couldn’t help but tense up her hand in the middle of tying up her hair, but her voice was soft and smooth as satin as she said, “He Dage asked for our dorm number, so I added it to his phone for laughs. He deliberately saved our number as his home phone number, then when he actually wanted to call his home phone, he accidentally called the wrong number.”

“Oh so that’s what happened…” Bo He and Tang Huahua dismissed the matter and took their time to freshen up.

Ji Yi, who was dead tired, laid in bed and shut her eyes.

Lin Ya stood in place for a long while before she tied her hair up with a hairband. Then, she turned to look over at Ji Yi lying in bed.

Without so much as a blink of an eye, she stared at Ji Yi sleeping for quite some time before she grabbed her makeup remover and walked into the bathroom.













Chapter 17: He and I Could Never Happen (7)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
–

The next day was a Monday. Just like the week before, He Jichen didn’t reappear in Ji Yi’s world until the weekend.

…

Ji Yi had a classmate from senior high called Li Da who went to university in Beijing. As they were in the same city, the two of them kept in contact.

Li Da was upbeat and witty, and he was quite close with Ji Yi’s roommates. On top of it all, he was kind of interested in Bo He, so every so often, he liked to treat the girls out for a meal.

When Ji Yi picked up Li Da’s call, she originally thought he was asking them out for a meal like usual. Who knew that he’d actually splash out and treat them all to a stay at a hot springs resort?

The hot springs resort was situated in the northern suburbs. Ji Yi and the girls headed out on Saturday afternoon. By the time they arrived at the resort and checked in, it was about time for dinner.

They first went to their respective rooms to drop off their things and made plans to meet up twenty minutes later at the Peony Pavilion restaurant.

Ji Yi thought she was having dinner with just her roommates and Li Da, but when she arrived at the Peony Pavilion, there he was. Sitting nonchalantly against the back of his chair with his head turned towards Li Da was He Jichen. Ji Yi suddenly felt a little regret for agreeing to meet up with Li Da.

In comparison to Ji Yi’s regret, Tang Huahua was filled with surprise as she said, “He Xuezhang 1 ?”

Li Da was left stunned; he was just planning to introduce the girls to He Jichen. “You guys know each other?”

“Of course! He Xuezhang is our Xiao Ya’s…” said Tang Huahua without much thought. But before she could finish, Lin Ya, who was standing next to her, suddenly pulled on Tang Huahua’s arm and shook her head at her, as if to signal her to not finish her sentence. Then Lin Ya added almost instantaneously, “… He Dage is my friend, so yeah we all know each other.”

Though Tang Huahua was a little confused, she didn’t say anything.

Lin Ya shot He Jichen an apprehensive look and realized that his facial expression had barely changed. Then she let out a sigh of relief and continued to say, “What a coincidence, so everyone knows each other…”

“Yeah, what a coincidence…” said Li Da, a little disappointed. Seeing as everyone was there, they immediately called a waiter for the menu. He didn’t order but handed the menu to He Jichen, “Chen Ge 2 , you order.”

He Jichen wasn’t shy about it as he silently flipped through the menu with one hand and pointed at a few dishes with his beautiful, slender fingers every now and then.

“Chen Ge and I are from the same hometown. Chen Ge is like my Laoda 3 .” Li Da was always talkative. Even if no one asked, he started talking about He Jichen’s backstory as he sat there. “After so many years, Chen Ge really hasn’t changed. You still attract people’s attention as always. In the lobby just now, I spotted Chen Ge immediately.”

When Lin Ya heard this, her face immediately dropped.

Yesterday, when she called He Jichen to invite him for dinner over the weekend, he said, “We’ll see how it goes.”

Understandingly, she obediently told him that if he was busy not to worry about it, because she had plans with her roommates on Saturday.

As an excuse to talk to him some more, she even told him that the person who invited them was Li Da, Ji Yi’s classmate from senior high who was interested in Bo He. She told them they were going to a hot springs resort.

Over the phone, he didn’t commit to my invitation at all, but today, he turns up at the resort out of the blue and just so happened to bump into Li Da?!










Chapter 18: He and I Could Never Happen (

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
At that thought, Lin Ya couldn’t help but shoot a glance at Ji Yi with an ice-cold expression in her eyes.

Throughout dinner, Li Da spoke eloquently and for almost the entire time.

His conversation topics were mostly centered around He Jichen’s glory days in senior high school.

As they continued to chatter away, Li Da suddenly remembered that he didn’t have He Jichen’s contact details yet the meal was almost over. He turned his head towards He Jichen, who hadn’t really spoken during dinner, and said, “Chen Ge, I almost forgot. I forgot to leave you with my contact details. Do you have WeChat? Let’s add each other as friends; then I’ll send you my number.”

He Jichen reached for his phone and tapped the phone screen, then handed it to Li Da.

Li Da took the phone and scanned the screen with his.

Just as he was about to hand it back to He Jichen, Tang Huahua timidly said, “He Xuezhang, can I add you on WeChat too?”

Li Da instinctively looked over at He Jichen, who gave a gentle nod. Then, he handed the phone in his hand to Tang Huahua.

Tang Huahua cheerfully got up and scanned He Jichen’s QR code for WeChat. Upon seeing this, Bo He also added He Jichen on WeChat. Lin Ya had He Jichen’s number, but she didn’t have his WeChat, so she pulled out her phone and scanned it too.

Everyone added him but Ji Yi, who quietly drank her tea with her head down.

Seeing as everyone but Ji Yi scanned He Jichen’s WeChat, Li Da casually asked her, “Xiao Yi, you’re not going to add Chen Ge’s WeChat and leave your contact info?”

Ji Yi stopped drinking her tea and looked down at the redness of her tea for a moment. She finally raised her head and lied with a natural expression on her face, “I forgot to bring my phone; I left it in the hotel room.”

After hearing what Ji Yi said, the thick-skinned Li Da didn’t think twice and returned He Jichen’s phone. Then he asked a question on his mind, “By the way, why do you guys call Chen Ge, ‘ Xuezhang 1 ‘? If I remember correctly, Chen Ge isn’t part of B-film…”

Seeing as it was none of her business, Ji Yi lowered her eyes again.

The corner of her eyes caught a glimpse of He Jichen’s chin. She wasn’t sure if she was seeing things, but his chin seemed to have tightened. An indescribable coldness flowed out.

“He Xuezhang is from B-film…” replied Bo He.

With a mouth full of food, Tang Huahua nodded in agreement.

In a soft tone of voice, Lin Ya added to what Bo He said, “…He Dage is in the directing program, and we’re in the acting program. They’re different degrees.”

Just as Ji Yi was going to continue drinking her tea, her cup suddenly stopped in mid-air when she heard Lin Ya’s words.

He Jichen entered senior high early, but he was the top student in Sucheng. With the highest score in the nationwide college entrance exams, didn’t he get into the prestigious S University? To this day, he was still a legend at Sucheng; why did he change programs and give up his place at a prestigious school to come to B-film?

“Chen Ge, was there some mistake?” Lin Da accidentally knocked the bowl next to his hand, and his voice cracked, as though he’d just heard the most ridiculous thing. “You gave up a glorious spot at a prestigious school with a bright future.. you actually gave up taking over your family business just to go to B-film?”

In stark contrast to Li Da’s commotion, He Jichen looked carefree as usual as he took a long sip of tea, like the person on everyone’s mind wasn’t even him.

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 19: He and I Could Never Happen (9)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
“Chen Ge, are you crazy?”

Still refusing to respond, He Jichen leisurely drank his tea.

“Chen Ge, what were you thinking?”

He Jichen slowly put his cup down on the table, picked up the pot, and poured himself more tea.

“Chen Ge, why did you do it?”

Why?

When those words left Li Da’s lips, He Jichen seemed carefree and relaxed. His brows twitched as he stared transfixed at his teacup in front of him.

The light from the crystal chandelier that shone on his body made his complexion look flawless, more breathtaking.

There weren’t any visible emotions on his face, yet an upsetting feeling of remorse gradually exuded out from him.

Upsetting? There are times when He Jichen actually gets upset?

Even though Ji Yi had worked hard to act as though He Jichen didn’t exist, she couldn’t help but raise her eyelids in curiosity when she picked up these vibes from him. She glanced over at He Jichen.

He Jichen felt her gaze upon him, so his eyes met hers for a second. He looked as though he’d just seen something disgusting—his eyes became deeply cold for a second, then he abruptly got up, kicked his chair behind him, and strode out.

…

The entire room of people didn’t notice He Jichen and Ji Yi’s exchange of glances, so it seemed rather odd how he suddenly left in anger.

The atmosphere in the room was inevitably awkward as everyone quietly looked at each other in dismay for quite a while. The first person to snap back to their senses was Li Da, who broke the silence in the room. “Why are you all blanking out? C’mon, let’s eat.”

With the sound of Li Da’s voice, everyone began to lift their chopsticks one after the other.

Even though everyone in the room wondered what they’d said to trigger He Jichen, they all had a mutual understanding to abandon that topic.

When He Jichen was there, Ji Yi drank cup after cup of tea to help her act naturally. Throughout the dinner, she had the urge to go to the restroom a few times.

When she came out of the restroom the third time, the phone in her pocket rang.

It was her mum calling.

Ji Yi first walked up to the sink to wash her hands then took the call on her way out.

It was oddly quiet through the corridor leading from the restrooms to the dining room of the Peony Pavilion. Besides the sound of her high heels, all that could be heard was her soft voice talking to her mum over the phone.

The call ended in under a minute, after which Ji Yi put the phone into her pocket. As she took two steps forward, she felt the presence of someone standing by the garbage can not too far in front of her.

She instinctively looked up.

It was He Jichen.

He leaned leisurely against the wall. He had a cigarette between his fingers that omitted a waft of faint smoke.

His cigarette was short, so he must’ve stood in the corridors for quite some time.

Ji Yi’s toes couldn’t help but curl in fright as she stared straight ahead and continued to walk forward leisurely like He Jichen wasn’t even there.

Just as she was about to brush past him, she wanted to let out a sigh of relief but before she was able to, He Jichen suddenly put out his cigarette. After he put the cigarette butt into the trash can, he straightened up. Before Ji Yi could react fast enough, He Jichen clutched her wrists.


















Chapter 20: He and I Could Never Happen (10)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
It felt like Ji Yi was hit by an electric shock as she trembled violently. Without any hesitation at all, she forcefully struggled to pull her wrist free from his clutches.

As though he’d guessed what she was going to do next, He Jichen pressed his fingers harder and held her wrist tighter the very moment she tried to resist him.

Ji Yi furrowed her brows as she continued to struggle. Seeing as she couldn’t break free, she gave up, raised her head, and looked over at He Jichen. To her own surprise, she spoke in a calm and composed voice, “What do you want?”

He Jichen stared right at the pocket Ji Yi’s phone was in without any reaction, like he hadn’t heard a single word.

Ji Yi’s brows were intensely tight.

Seeing as he didn’t say anything, she didn’t either.

Ji Yi froze there for about a minute but eventually caved in. Having failed to stay calm, she struggled again to escape his grasp while using her composed voice from earlier to say, “Could you please let me go…”

Before Ji Yi could finish, she suddenly pulled her arm away from his clutches and backed against the wall he just leaned on.

Before Ji Yi could find her feet, He Jichen pinched her chin, causing her to look into his handsome face.

“What are you going to do? Just what in the hell do you want?” His lips were sealed tight as he stared ruthlessly into her eyes. “Didn’t I tell you to never turn up in front of me ever again?!”

Perhaps it was because she’d seen He Jichen one too many times recently that Ji Yi was considerably more resilient towards him. She was nothing like the first time they bumped into each other again, where her initial reaction was so strong. In this very moment, He Jichen’s cutting words forced her to recollect the memories from four years ago.

Ji Yi clasped her fingers to prevent herself from revealing any hint of emotion or loss of composure.

“Or…” He Jichen spoke again.

Ji Yi didn’t know what he was going to say next, but she was certain it wouldn’t be anything good. Without any hesitation at all, she interrupted him, “What a coincidence…”

With that, she slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.

He Jichen suddenly stopped.

Ji Yi continued to speak flatly, “…If it’s possible, I also wish you’ll never appear again in front of me.”

He Jichen’s eyes turned vicious as though he wanted to violently tear her apart.

She knew he was angry, but she didn’t understand why he was so mad. Four years ago, she was the one who suffered the worst humiliation.

Ji Yi mentally laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, then said with no change in her expression, “So, Mr. He, don’t you worry. I definitely won’t be a nuisance to you.”

He Jichen’s grip on her wrist instantly turned frighteningly tight. It hurt Ji Yi so much that she held her breath, yet she didn’t cry for mercy or let out a single painful shriek.

She waited until she acclimated to the pain before she calmly said, “Mr. He, could you please remove your oh-so-generous hands off of me, so I can get out of your sight as soon as possible.”

When she finished saying this, she politely added, “Thank you.”














Chapter 21: Thank You for Your Generosity (1)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Thanks?

He Jichen suddenly had the impulse to strangle her. His pupils enlargened and his fingers started to tremble.

He looked at her delicate face with a fierce expression as though he’d just reached the very peak of his anger. Then he suddenly chuckled, “Thank me? What’s there for you to thank me for?”

“If I remember correctly, I slept with you four years ago and gave you money, yet you didn’t even take a cent!”

“So I should be thanking you instead!”

As he said this, He Jichen sneered and stared into her eyes. With a ruthlessness even he couldn’t explain, his words were overbearingly harsh and degrading, “Thank you for your generosity! Thank you for letting me take your virginity for free!”

Ji Yi felt the stab of a razor-sharp knife as her face was instantly drained of blood.

Her hands instinctively balled into fists.

She clutched her palms tightly, then used the piercing pain to force herself to calm down and not completely lose it.

She directed a silent and callous gaze at He Jichen.

She didn’t actually want to look at him but she didn’t dare to flinch, fearing that the tears hiding beneath her eyes would pour out.

As the atmosphere in the corridor froze, the two of them didn’t say a word.

After some time had passed, the phone in Ji Yi’s pocket suddenly rang. In the silence, her ringtone sounded particularly piercing. He Jichen suddenly let go of his hold on her as though he’d jumped in shock. Then he took a step back, threw her aside, and turned around to leave.

Ji Yi gritted her teeth as she heard He Jichen’s footsteps disappear without a trace. Without a care for how she looked, Ji Yi slowly slumped down against the wall.

The phone wouldn’t stop ringing but Ji Yi waited until she’d calmed down slightly before she reached her trembling hand into her pocket to answer the call.

It was Bo He calling.

Maybe it’s because I left for the restroom so long ago that they must think something happened to me…

Ji Yi was afraid that she’d sound like she was about to cry if she spoke, so she didn’t take Bo He’s call. Instead, she tapped on her phone and sent Bo He a message, “I’m coming.”

–

After dinner, everyone went to the hot springs together.

As the others chatted away, Ji Yi remained silent as she spread out in the hot spring.

In her heart, she felt stifled over the issue of He Jichen. After sitting in the hot spring for a long time, that stifling feeling only grew heavier and it made it difficult for her to breathe, so she got out. She found a bench to lay on close to Bo He and the others in the hot spring.

Even though they were quite a distance apart, Ji Yi could still hear Bo He and the girls chatting.

It was easy to get dehydrated after sitting in the hot springs for a long time. Tang Huahua was just about to call an attendant to bring them some water when Lin Ya coincidentally glanced over at Ji Yi and suddenly said, “I’ll go buy some.”

Lin Ya quickly came back with five bottles of water, She first handed one each to Bo He, Tang Huahua, and Li Da in the hot springs. Then, she ran over to Ji Yi’s side, carrying the two remaining bottles.

When she handed the water to Ji Yi, she leaned in to whisper into Ji Yi’s ear, “Xiao Yi, can you do me a favor?”

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 22: Thank You for Your Generosity (2)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Ji Yi unscrewed the bottle cap but didn’t take a drink. She turned to look at Lin Ya. “What’s up?”

“My thing came…”

At first, Ji Yi didn’t understand what Lin Ya meant until Lin Ya’s face flushed. That’s when she realized Lin Ya was talking about her period.

Li Da was in the hot spring not too far away, so she was probably afraid he’d overhear her. Lin Ya reached her hand out to cover her mouth, then she drew closer to Ji Yi’s ear and continued to whisper, “…I felt a little strange just now, so I went to buy some water. On the way, I took a turn into the restroom and realized it really did come. I don’t know what’s going on this month… It came a few days early so I’m not prepared. Maybe it was because I soaked in the hot springs—it’s a little heavy. The supermarket is a little far from our room and since we’re only here for a night, I only brought an extra pair of pants. I’m scared that if I move around too much, my clothes will get dirty so Xiao Yi, could you buy a pack of pads for me?”

Lin Ya’s request wasn’t a big deal, so Ji Yi didn’t think much of it and let out an “Oh.” She sat up on the bench.

“Thank you Xiao Yi. I’m really sorry to have to bother you!” Lin Ya raised her brows in gratitude and shot her a bright smile.

“It’s nothing,” replied Ji Yi as she headed for the changing rooms.

She barely took a few steps when Lin Ya suddenly realized something. Lin Ya jogged a few steps and caught up to Ji Yi. “Ah, that’s right! Xiao Yi, you don’t have to give it to me here. I’m on my period so I can’t go into the hot springs. I’m about to go back to my room to get some rest, so you can drop it off at my room.”

“Mm, alright,” replied Ji YI.

“Thank you!” said Lin Ya again. Just as Ji Yi was about to head out, Lin Ya said her final piece, “I almost forgot Xiao Yi. I’m not in the room next to yours anymore—I’ve moved to room 1808.”

Ji Yi gave a nod, then she headed straight for the changing rooms.

…

The hot spring resort was over a thousand square meters, and there were no shuttle buses. All Ji Yi could do was walk.

At the supermarket, she first picked up a pack of pads for Lin Ya, then figured everyone would probably be hungry after the hot springs, so she filled a basket with snacks. Then she went to pay for everything.

Ji Yi headed back to the resort and took an elevator up to the eighteenth floor.

The top floor was all suites. The rooms were quite far apart, so it took a good two minutes for Ji Yi to reach Lin Ya’s room at number 1808.

She pressed the doorbell and waited a while before she heard the sound of shuffling footsteps draw closer to the door. The door opened.

Ji Yi assumed it was Lin Ya and was just about to speak. The person who opened the door didn’t even shoot a glance at her before he lightly dismissed her with the words “bring it in” and turned to walk into the bathroom.

Even though Ji Yi didn’t clearly catch the person who opened the door, she could tell who it was by his voice.

She thought Lin Ya was a spoiled and pampered princess who wasn’t used to a regular room, so she paid for a suite. But this room turned out to be He Jichen’s room…










Chapter 23: Thank You for Your Generosity (3)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Ah, that’s right. He Jichen is Lin Ya’s boyfriend. They bumped into each other at the same hotel—it’s only normal that they stay together at night…

But… this didn’t seem like any of her business. She didn’t need to think too much about the two of them; she was just there to drop off something for Lin Ya. The sooner she dropped it off, the sooner she could leave. Most importantly, she got so upset with He Jichen just two hours ago in the corridor of the restaurant that she didn’t want to see him. Since he was now in the bathroom, she could use this chance to drop the stuff off and disappear…

With that thought, Ji Yi quickly snapped back to her senses and hastily walked into the room, carrying the shopping bags.

With the doors shut, Ji Yi didn’t see Lin Ya in the living room, so she assumed Lin Ya was in the bedroom.

When He Jichen opened the door, he just said: “bring it in”. Lin Ya must’ve already told him that she was going to drop off some things later, so she didn’t bother going into the room or lingering around to talk to Lin Ya…

Ji Yi quickly pulled out the pads from the shopping bag and placed them on the coffee table, somewhere Lin Ya could easily spot them. Without planning to stay a moment longer, she turned right around and bolted for the door.

Who knew that before she could even take a few steps, the bathroom door would suddenly fling open? Out stepped He Jichen leisurely in his robe, wiping his hands with tissue.

Ji Yi suddenly came to a stop. She tightened her grip on the shopping bag and took a step back.

He Jichen walked two steps towards Ji Yi, then noticed there was someone standing in his own room.

He thought an attendant had brought up the coffee he just asked for and was waiting in the room for him to sign the bill. He wasn’t paying much attention when he reached his hand out in front of Ji Yi for the bill.

Ji Yi was stunned by He Jichen’s actions. She stared at his beautifully long fingers for a moment, raised her head up at him, then stared at He Jichen, “I left…”

She wanted to tell He Jichen that she left Lin Ya’s things on the coffee table, but she only just managed to get out two words before He Jichen suddenly turned his head and stared dead straight at her. “Why are you here?”

Didn’t Lin Ya tell him who was dropping off pads for her?

Ji Yi definitely didn’t want He Jichen to assume she was there for him. “I’m looking for Lin Ya…”

Lin Ya? Lin tongxue 1 ? If she’s looking for Lin tongxue, why didn’t she go looking for her in her room? Why’s she looking for Lin tongxue in my room?

A thought suddenly crossed He Jichen’s mind. Last week, after she went back to her dorm alone after having dinner with her family, she mentioned Lin Ya again. She asked on the phone, “Excuse me, are you looking for Lin Ya?”

So she thinks Lin Ya is with me?

“Alright…” He Jichen suddenly smiled. His smile appeared cheerful, but his eyes were terrifyingly bleak. “…a beautiful excuse, truly beautiful!”

“Did you really think you could just come to my room, and I’d let you stay with that excuse?”

“Let me tell you Ji Yi… Four years ago, I let you touch me because I was drunk. Four years ago, even if you offered me money, I wouldn’t touch a single strand of your hair!”

“You sure are shameless! Just at the restaurant I already made it crystal clear, yet you still have the nerve to come to my room!”

Is she really that naive to think I would believe such an excuse … Ji Yi lowered her head without saying a single word. She walked right past He Jichen and headed for the door.










Chapter 24: Thank You for Your Generosity (4)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
The moment she opened the door, the doorbell to He Jichen’s suite coincidentally rang.

Ji Yi wasn’t the least bit interested in who rang for He Jichen, nor did she care to glance at who it was. With her head low, she was just about to say: “Excuse me, could you please move aside” when Bo He said with a little uncertainty, “Xiao Yi?”

Ji Yi quickly swallowed her words. Besides Bo He, Lin Ya and Tang Huahua were also there.

“Xiao Yi, why are you…” blurted Tang Huahua, as though she didn’t dare believe her eyes. However, before she could finish speaking, Bo He nudged her in the arm and shot her a look.

Tang Huahua suddenly understood what Bo He meant and immediately shut her mouth.

From what Tang Huahua and Bo He knew, Ji Yi knew He Jichen solely through Lin Ya and He Jichen was Lin Ya’s boyfriend.

In that very moment, if Ji Yi wasn’t in He Jichen’s room to throw herself at him, then He Jichen was cheating on Lin Ya.

They were only there with Lin Ya to look for He Jichen, but in the end, they stumbled upon this…

Every so often, Tang Huahua and Bo He shot each other a glance.

The atmosphere turned a little awkward.

Ji Yi knew that Tang Huahua and Bo He had misunderstood.

But then again, it wasn’t their fault. A woman who appears in a man’s room in the middle of the night—it’s hard for anyone not to misunderstand.

Without a second thought, Ji Yi said, “Lin Ya, you…”

Lin Ya spoke at the same time. However, her words weren’t directed at her but at He Jichen, who was standing not too far behind her, “He Dage, we just ordered dinner and since you’re here, we wanted to ask if you wanted any.”

Though his anger had simmered down significantly, He Jichen still looked upset from his outburst. At Lin Ya’s gentle voice, he raised his eyelids and shook his head slightly to decline the offer.

“Then He Dage, if you’re hungry later, let me know,” said Lin Ya softly with a gentle smile, as though she didn’t mind He Jichen’s silence in the slightest.

This time, she didn’t wait for He Jichen to respond. Instead, she stared at Ji Yi with soft eyes as though she didn’t have a clue why she was there. In an innocent and inquisitive voice, she asked, “Xiao Yi, it’s so late. Why are you in He Dage’s room?”

Of all people, shouldn’t she know best as to why I’m here?

Ji Yi furrowed her brows and came to a vague understanding.

Bo He and Tang Huahua had no idea Lin Ya asked Ji Yi to help her with a favor. Now that they heard Lin Ya ask this to Ji Yi, they assumed Lin Ya was telling her off.

Everyone lived under the same roof in the same dorm. Bo He really didn’t want their relationship to disintegrate, so she quickly tried to smooth things over, “If I remember correctly, Xiao Yi spent her senior high in Sucheng and He Jichen is from Sucheng. Who knows, maybe they knew each other before. Maybe Xiao Yi was looking for He Tongxue to talk about something important.”

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 25: Thank You for Your Generosity (5)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
When Tang Huahua heard Bo He put it that way, she immediately nodded along. “Right right right, maybe they knew each other long before.”

Lin Ya’s eyes smiled and she continued to look as soft as gently rippling waters. “Nope. I asked Xiao Yi before; she and He Dage never knew each other. Xiao told me they didn’t know each other and that she never really paid much attention to He Dage.”

Bo He and Tang Huahua didn’t know quite what to say after being countered like that.

Even if Ji Yi had just a vague idea as to what was going on before, she now completely understood what Lin Ya was thinking at that very moment.

She clearly ran to her for help and lured her, one step at a time, into He Jichen’s room. Now she was pretending like she didn’t know why she was there, and she even cut off Bo He’s attempt at smoothing things out. Lin Ya was actually set on pinning her to the reputation of her “seducing a best friend’s boyfriend”…

“Lin Ya, don’t you know why I’m here?” asked Ji Yi in a calm voice as she looked into Lin Ya’s eyes.

Lin Ya was obviously going to pretend to be ignorant till the very end. She widened her eyes and asked with a bewildered look on her face, “Xiao Yi, what do you mean by that? How would I know why you’re there?”

“You don’t? Didn’t you come running to tell me that you’re on your period and that I should pick up some pads for you? You even told me you changed to room 1808 and asked me to drop them off here!” As Ji Yi said this, she tilted her head and glanced over at He Jichen and said, “The pads are on the coffee table in the room.”

To see if what Ji Yi said was true, Bo He peered over at the room then politely asked He Jichen, “May I come in to have a quick peek?” With He Jichen’s slight nod, Bo He ran right into the room.

“So there really is…” Soon enough, Bo He brought the pack of pads back. With the evidence, Bo He asked, “Xiao Ya, was what Xiao Yi said true?”

Lin Ya didn’t reply to Bo He but stared at the pack of pads in disbelief. Her eyes looked like they were practically going to fall out. After a while, she raised her head and stared at Ji Yi in disbelief, “Xiao Yi, why did you do that? I didn’t ask you to buy me anything.”

The rims of her eyes turned red as though she’d just been wronged. She looked over at Bo He and Tang Huahua for help. “Bo He, Huahua, you know I sat in the hot spring all night. If I really was on my period, why would I be there…”

“What’s more, Bo He, I had my last period at the same time as you…” Lin Ya was so flustered that she asked twice, “Bo He, do you still remember? Remember?”

Bo He glanced over at Ji Yi in hesitation but after a while, she eventually nodded.

“Look, Bo He nodded. I’m not on my period, so why would I ask you to help me buy them? Xiao Yi, why did you try to lie and embarrass me?” As Lin Ya said this, she turned around like she just realized something. “Xiao Yi, did you use me as an excuse because you wanted to visit He Dage but didn’t have a reason to be here?”












Chapter 26: Thank You for Your Generosity (6)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
“Yeah. Yeah, it must be that…” Lin Ya nodded fervently and looked at Bo He and Tang Huahua like she was recruiting allies. “Think about it. If I really was on my period and I really did ask her to buy me something, I’d definitely ask her to deliver it to my room. Why would I possibly ask her to drop it off at He Jichen’s room?”

“What’s more, if I really did ask her to come here, do you think I’d really stay with you both in the hot springs for so long, head of the dorms Huahua?”

That’s right. No girlfriend would allow their own boyfriend to be in the same room as a beautiful young woman in the middle of the night.

Lin Ya is He Jichen’s girlfriend, so why would she ask Ji Yi to go to He Jichen’s room? And why would she stay in the hot springs with us, knowing full well that Ji Yi was in He Jichen’s room?

Even though Bo He and Tang Huahua didn’t reply to Lin Ya’s words, their faces obviously looked as though they believed Lin Ya.

Seeing this, Ji Yi completely understood.

Lin Ya’s story was well-rehearsed.

Though Ji Yi didn’t know when Lin Ya started to hold a grudge for her, she was certain Lin Ya had plotted this for a long time.

Lin Ya knew she’d just finished her period and Bo He could back that story, so she used a good opportunity to string up a good story from a bunch of lies.

Her intent to drop off some food for He Jichen was fake; bringing Tang Huahua and Bo He over was her real intention.

First, Lin Ya wanted Bo He to bear witness and second, she wanted to embarrass me in front of all my roommates!

For Lin Ya to think up such a flawless plan, she wasn’t stupid. Seeing as Tang Huahua and Bo He stood by her side, her eyes filled with tears, appearing pitiful. “Xiao Yi, did you use me?”

“Everyone said that four years ago, Ji Yi, who’d joined B-film a year before, was a big shot. She wasn’t someone to be messed with. If it weren’t for the car accident three years ago that put her in a coma, then Ji Yi would’ve long been the queen bee of the entertainment industry today. All this time, I never believed those absurd rumours because I thought Xiao Ye was really nice. But today, I learned I was wrong. Xiao Yi, I never imagined you’d use me as a pawn to get closer to He Dage. Especially after how I’ve treated you so well all this time…”

As Lin Ya said this, large teardrops rolled down from the corner of her eyes.

Everything would’ve been fine if she hadn’t cried, but as soon as she did, everything fell apart. Having assumed Ji Yi used Lin Ya, Bo He and Tang Huahua couldn’t sit idly by any longer.

“Xiao Ya, don’t cry.”

“All of us live together—Xiao Yi, why would you go and do something like that?”

“Xiao Yi, why don’t you apologize to Xiao Ya? You’re in the wrong in the first place. If you just went to see He Xuezhang, fair enough but to use Xiao Ya as an excuse? That’s really going overboard.”

She had been through setups like this before.

She told He Jichen before, though he didn’t believe her and made her sound like a terrible person.

Now, even her roommates believed she had sinister motives and wanted to steal her roommate’s boyfriend…

When Ji Yi heard Bo He and Tang Huahua’s words, her blood ran cold and her face turned pale.

He Jichen, who hadn’t said a word from start to end but watched everything unfold, stared at Ji Yi’s back for quite some time. Then, his eyes dropped to her fingers.














Chapter 27: Thank You for Your Generosity (7)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Though they were quite some distance apart, he clearly saw her fingers tremble.

He Jichen’s mouth pursed slightly as he stared at Ji Yi’s fingers for a few seconds, then he opened his mouth.

The words he wanted to say didn’t manage to escape his lips before Ji Yi, who had her back turned from the door, suddenly repeated Lin Ya’s words, “After I’ve treated you so well all this time…” Her tone of voice wasn’t pitiful like Lin Ya’s but taunting instead.

“Huh…” chortled Ji Yi as she said that. “…Lin Ya, doesn’t your face hurt after saying those things?”

“Ji Yi, what do you mean? You were obviously the one who used me, and you schemed to embarrass me in front of so many people. Not only are you not the least bit sorry, you have the nerve to say such things. Just what the hell do you want?” Lin Ya cried violently and started to shiver as though Ji Yi had frightened her. She looked as innocent and pitiful as could be.

Bo He and Tang Huahua stared at Ji Yi, visibly upset.

Ji Yi pretended as though she hadn’t seen Lin Ya’s reaction and stared unwaveringly at her. “What do I want to do? I don’t want to do anything. I just want to ask you a question. Lin Ya, everything you said tonight—were you messing around or were you for real?”

“Xiao Yi, at a time like this, are you still not going to admit you tried to sabotage me? You still want to berate me and blame the victim…”

B lame the victim… Nice word choice. Just who’s blaming the victim here?

Ji Yi didn’t wait for poor, teary-eyed Lin Ya to finish speaking as she interrupted in a low and a far more serious tone of voice, “Don’t talk shit to me!”

Since Ji Yi’s tone of voice was so aggressive, Bo He couldn’t help but cry out, “Xiao Yi!”

Ji Yi ignored Bo He’s complaints and stared at Lin Ya, speaking freely, “Lin Ya, answer me this. Are you just messing with me, or are you for real?!”

“Xiao Yi, I never thought you were this type of person…” Lin Ya avoided her questions like before.

Ji Yi didn’t say anything but immediately removed her waterproof watch.

“I truly saw you as a friend. Even then, after I learned that you used me and embarrassed me…” continued Lin Ya.

Ji Yi pretended as though she didn’t hear what Lin Ya said and clicked a button on her watch with disregard for everyone around her.

“…Though I’m really upset and angry, I don’t really blame you…”

Ji Yi put the watch to her ear as though she was trying to hear something.

“…I still hope we can continue to be friends…”

Ji Yi brought the watch down from her ear and quickly clicked the button on her watch a few times.

“…So much so that I want to tell Bo He and Tang Huahua that we should pretend what happened to us tonight never happened at all. The four of us are still best roommates and best frie—”

Before Lin Ya could finish her final word, a voice was suddenly heard, “Xiao Yi, can you do me a favour?”



















Chapter 28: Thank You for Your Generosity (

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
The words Lin Ya was about to speak suddenly dissipated into nothingness.

This… this is obviously my voice, but I didn’t say that earlier…

Bo He and Tang Huahua were also completely astonished.

The corridors were extremely quiet to the extent that you could hear Ji Yi’s voice, crystal clear: “What’s up??”

“My thing came…”

When Lin Ya’s voice was heard again, they finally suddenly snapped back to their senses and instinctively looked at the watch in Ji Yi’s hand.

So all this time, this watch they were looking at was no ordinary watch; it could record.

“…I felt a little strange just now so I went to buy some water. On the way, I took a turn into the restroom and found out that it really did come. I don’t know what’s going on this month… It came a few days early, so I’m not prepared. Maybe it was because I soaked in the hot springs—it’s a little heavy…”

Lin Ya and Ji Yi were whispering at the time, so the recording was a bit hard to hear. Even if Ji Yi turned up the volume to its very loudest, they still couldn’t quite make out some words. But with the words they could hear, they could make out it was Lin Ya’s voice, along with what she was saying.

Lin Ya’s face gradually turned pale, and her eyes shot over to He Jichen standing behind Ji Yi. She was visibly unsteady.

“…The supermarket is a little far from our room and since we’re only here for a night, I only brought an extra pair of pants. I’m scared that if I move around too much, I’ll get my clothes dirty so Xiao Yi, could you pick up some pads for me?”

The air in the hallway instantly turned tense with the sound of Lin Ya’s recorded voice.

Bo He and Tang Huahua looked over at Lin Ya.

Lin Ya’s pale face was flushed as she tightly pursed her lips and clutched her sleeves. She looked exactly like a thief being caught at the scene.

The recording was still going.

The hallway was frighteningly silent.

“…I’m about to go back to my room to get some rest, so drop it off at my room…”

With that, Ji Yi replied, “Mm, alright.” That was when Lin Ya remembered what she said afterwards and like she’d just been electrocuted, her whole body trembled. Then her whole body lurched towards Ji Yi with her claws. “Enough! Stop it!”

As she screamed, she hurled her handbag at Ji Yi’s head.

Unprepared, Ji Yi wasn’t ready for an attack by Lin Ya, so she didn’t have time to dodge.

While she stared at the bag on the verge of hitting her face, a forceful hand grabbed her arm. With quick reflexes, her entire body was dragged backwards.

The bag brushed past Ji Yi’s head and hit the door with a “Bang”!

Ji Yi only recovered from her shock seconds later.

He Jichen had pulled her away at the most crucial moment.

She didn’t even think about why He Jichen did such a thing before she instinctively pulled away from He Jichen’s hands. Then she took two steps forward and stood directly in front of Lin Ya.

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 29: Thank You for Your Generosity (9)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Her reaction was so intense—was she afraid of everyone hearing the words she said next?

Ji Yi wasn’t a particularly virtuous person, but she never bothered anyone if they didn’t bother her. Since Lin Ya came looking for trouble, she wasn’t going to just idly sit around!

In the middle of the scuffle, the recording finished playing but Ji Yi wasn’t done. She rewound the recording a little and continued to play it.

“…I almost forgot, Xiao Yi. I’m not in the room next to yours anymore, I moved to room 1808….”

Ji Yi waited for Lin Ya’s words to completely finish playing before she refastened her watch onto her wrist. Then she nonchalantly raised her eyelids and stared coldly at Lin Ya. “I gave you a chance, but you didn’t want it!”

Lin Ya’s face was frighteningly pale as she bit down on her lips so hard that they turned blue. Despite this, Ji Yi didn’t hold back; in fact, she became even more swift and fierce like a queen, full of gloating. “Since you already know the big shot Ji Yi who joined B-film four years ago is no ordinary person, let me offer you a bit of advice: don’t mess with me!”

Ji Yi then turned right around and strode out in her high heels.

Bo He and Tang Huahua didn’t snap back to reality until Ji Yi stepped into the elevator.

The two of them glanced at Lin Ya, then they each found an excuse to leave.

All of a sudden, it was just the two of them—Lin Ya and He Jichen—left in the corridors.

Lin Ya lowered her head, a little afraid to look at He Jichen.

Actually, she never wanted to take on Ji Yi; she only planned tonight’s act because of He Jichen.

She was popular for being the most beautiful woman in B-film. There were so many guys lusting after her that they could form two rings around the school track, but her standards were too high. Not a single one of them caught her eye until she met He Jichen.

She had a friend from her hometown who studied in the directing program. It was because of him that she was able to meet He Jichen. From that point onwards, she often hung around her directing friend just so she could try to catch He Jichen’s eye, but he never paid any attention to her. It wasn’t until a month ago when she picked up Ji Yi’s call while in the middle of a conversation with her friend that it all started.

That day, they were eating at the canteen. She deliberately sat next to He Jichen, and when she cried “Ji Yi”, He Jichen turned his head and shot her a glance.

At the time, she thought the look was because she was a little too loud, but after that meal, he began to show up at different points in her day. She figured that she’d finally gotten his attention, so she was unbelievably happy inside.

Later, what made her even happier was when she went over to clean her plate that he came up to her and asked, “Classmate, can I get your number?”

In that very moment, she was ecstatic.

She tried her best to contain her excitement and tried to casually exchange numbers with him.

She often made the first move to contact him. He rarely replied so she assumed it was just because his personality was naturally distant.

Even though he didn’t explicitly express that he wanted to be with her, she didn’t clear things up when Tang Huahua and Bo He mistook them for being a couple.

Because she felt that they already were a couple.

Otherwise, why would he invite her to dinner and to parties?

Oh wait—he never really invited just me. Every time, he said the four words, “You and your roommates”…

But at the time, she was so overcome with happiness to be able to get closer to him that she didn’t notice anything wrong with his words.

That is, until the night of the outdoor party. When she came back from the party, Ji Yi told her that He Jichen had called the dorm room’s phone to look for her.













Chapter 30: Thank You for Your Generosity (10)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Although she used irrefutable arguments to dismiss Bo He’s suspicions then, she still had deep doubts in her heart.

When He Jichen called the dorm room, she was right next to him. Bo He and Tang Huahua were also with her, so was he looking for Ji Yi?

At times, a woman’s intuition is really accurate.

She had to admit, when she invited He Jichen out that weekend, she deliberately told He Jichen that Ji Yi was going to the hot springs too.

So when she unexpectedly saw He Jichen at the Peony Pavilion, she finally understood.

He Jichen wasn’t into her. He obviously wasn’t drunk in love with her, but Ji Yi.

And for over a month now, I’ve been foolishly used as a pawn.

How could I just take that? How could I?

Yet she didn’t want to lose face in front of He Jichen, so she plotted to ruin Ji Yi. She wanted Bo He and Tang Huahua to look down on her, and she wanted He Jichen to think she was a sly, calculative woman… so she put on that show tonight.

Lin Ya prepared well in advance for that night. She had been full of confidence, but she never imagined that Ji Yi would have a recording device on her.

In the end, she hadn’t ruined her target but ruined herself. Bo He and Huahua definitely looked down on her now, and as for He Jichen…

At that thought, Lin Ya’s fingers trembled. She carefully raised her head and looked up at He Jichen.

He was bending down to pick up her bag…

In that very moment, a sliver of hope surfaced Lin Ya’s ashen heart. If he’s doing this, does that mean he forgives me?

“He Dage, I…”

Before Lin Ya could finish, He Jichen straightened up, raised his hand and threw the bag at her face.

With that, an immense pain pierced Lin Ya’s heart. Her heart was instantly shattered.

He wasn’t helping me pick up my bag; he was giving me a taste of my own medicine by throwing the bag I just hurled at Ji Yi!

Tears instantly filled Lin Ya’s eyes. She turned her head and looked at He Jichen as she said, a little choked up, “He Da…”

She only managed to get those two words out before He Jichen took a step back into his room. It was as though he wasn’t willing to waste any more time with her. He slammed the door right in her face.

–

After their fight, Ji Yi wasn’t in the mood to spend the rest of the weekend at the hot spring resort, so the next morning, she sent Li Da, Bo He, and Tang Huahua each a text. She gave a weak excuse and returned home, back to the city.

Ji Yi didn’t go back to school dorms that night since she only had class the next morning. When she returned to school, she went straight to the classroom.

Lin Ya never showed up, even after the bell rang for class.

After class, when Bo He and Tang Huahua looked for Ji Yi to talk, Ji Yi learned that Lin Ya didn’t come back to the dorm room last night either.

In the following days, no matter in the classroom or the dorms, Lin Ya was nowhere to be found.

When the three of them—Ji Yi, Bo He, and Tanghuahua—finished class and went back to their dorm on Friday, Tang Huahua was just about to pull out her keys to unlock the door when someone from inside pulled the door open.

It was Lin Ya, who they hadn’t seen for a few days. She emerged from the room with a suitcase and walked out.











Chapter 31: Let Her Leave (1)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Bo He and Tang Huahua, who were loudly chatting away, instantly fell silent.

After a short while, Bo He and Tang Huahua greeted Lin Ya one after the other, “Xiao Ya.”

Lin Ya felt that something was off, so she raised her head and looked straight ahead. Her footsteps stopped in their tracks.

Lin Ya first saw Bo He who was right at the front, then she saw Tang Huahua. Her lips twitched as though she was going to greet them back, but before doing so, she saw Ji Yi behind them. Her face froze, and her eyes turned cold. Then without saying a word, she walked right around Bo He and dragged her suitcase on her way out without looking back.

When Lin Ya brushed past her, Ji Yi caught a glimpse of a bruise on her face.

Ji Yi couldn’t help but turn her head to look at Lin Ya’s face. Even with heavy makeup, Lin Ya’s bruise was still very obvious. Before Ji Yi could get a clear look at the bruise, Lin Ya already sensed her gaze. As though she had an electric shock, she quickly covered her face with her hand, then turned to shoot Ji Yi a fierce look. Her eyes were icy cold as she picked up the pace and quickly disappeared around the corner, going downstairs.

…

A long time passed since Ji Yi last saw Lin Ya.

If it weren’t for Lin Ya, Ji Yi would never have unexpectedly crossed paths with He Jichen again; He Jichen would never have appeared so often in her world. Now that Lin Ya disappeared from her life, He Jichen would completely disappear from her world as well.

Ji Yi wholeheartedly felt that this was great—she could go back to her uneventful but peaceful life like before.

As the days went by, fall was soon upon them. Just as Ji Yi had almost completely forgotten about He Jichen, she picked up some rumours about him.

It was a Thursday. After she finished dance class, she went back to the dorm room to find that Bo He and Tang Huahua seemed a little different. She furrowed her brows and casually asked, “What’s up?”

Tang Huahua and Bo He didn’t say a word. Without warning, their eyes were drawn towards Lin Ya’s bed.

Ji Yi also turned her head in the same direction and realized that Lin Ya’s bed was empty.

“Not only are the duvets gone but even the things on her table are gone,” said Bo He.

“Her cabinet’s unlocked, and it’s empty inside.” Tang Huahua added, “When Bo He and I got back, the stuff was already gone. She probably doesn’t want to see us, so she secretly came back on her own and moved out while we were in class. Looks like she really doesn’t plan on coming back to live with us.”

“However, Xiaoyang from the next dorm came by and said that she saw Lin Ya in the afternoon with a guy who helped pack her things. After they exchanged a few words, she found out that Lin Ya moved in with her boyfriend.”

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 32: Let Her Leave (2)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
“Mm, that’s right!” Tang Huahua then took over from Bo He, “Xiaoyang said the guy was handsome and drove an Audi. He Xuezhang’s car is an Audi. Bo He and I have even been in it twice now, so we suspect Lin Ya must’ve moved in with He Xuezhang.”

“It’s not just a suspicion—we’re sure of it.” Compared to Tang Huahua, Bo He’s tone of voice sounded calmer and more assured by far. “I remember when we went to that outdoor party, someone from He Xuezhang’s dorm mentioned that he occasionally stayed in the dorms, but he has his own apartment. They say it’s a mansion. What’s more, it’s worth ten million and completely paid off. He Xuezhang really isn’t just your average rich person…”

Of course, He Jichen was no average rich person—he had the listed company, He Enterprises, behind him. Not to mention, he had a mansion in the heart of Beijing worth ten million. He was even able to afford a villa worth billions in the rich neighbourhood up on the north side of Beijing.

Since four years ago, anything regarding He Jichen long had nothing to do with me…

Ji Yi’s facial expression didn’t change much as she grabbed a change of clothes and walked into the bathroom.

As they say, don’t believe what people tell you until you see it for yourself.

More or less, women liked to gossip; Ji Yi was just having a half-hearted conversation with Bo He and Tang Huahua—who said there was any truth to the rumors? The next day, when she went to her afternoon fitness class, she made a detour into the school supermarket and bought a bottle of water. On her way out, she saw Lin Ya and He Jichen together, and that was when she realized that what she, Bo He and Tang Huahua gossiped about was all true.

The two of them stood facing each other, talking about something.

He Jichen lowered his head and played around with his car keys. He leaned against his car which flashed in the sunlight every now and then.

It was just as Tang Huahua and Bo He described; he really did have an Audi.

At that thought, Ji Yi drew her gaze back from He Jichen and Lin Ya. As she did so, He Jichen, who had his head lowered from the start, coincidentally looked up in the direction where she was standing.

The sun was bright, so Ji Yi wasn’t sure if she was seeing things but she thought she saw He Jichen slightly stunned. Then, he abruptly straightened up like he was ready to rush over towards her.

Ji Yi instinctively raised her legs and bolted in the direction of the sports track.

After putting a good fifty meters between He Jichen and herself, she turned her head back to see that He Jichen and Lin Ya were rooted at the same spot. She couldn’t help but secretly laugh to herself. As she figured, her eyes were just playing with her; why would He Jichen come rushing over to her? Yet his Audi looked a little familiar as though she’d seen it somewhere before…

–

Recently, He Jichen hadn’t felt great, especially today. As he drove away from school, he realized he left his lighter in the dorms, so he stopped by the supermarket near the school to get a new one. As he got out the car, he was stopped by Lin Ya, who he hadn’t seen for a while.

Lin Ya stood in front of him rambling on about a bunch of things, but he wasn’t really listening so he didn’t say a thing.








Chapter 33: Let Her Leave (3)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
Actually, Lin Ya didn’t say much, but he just didn’t have the patience for her. He lifted his head, hoping to avoid her, but then he saw her. It was Ji Yi, standing not too far away by the entrance of the supermarket.

She was looking over at him and Lin Ya. Her eyes were clear—there was no emotion at all—but in that very moment, his heart skipped a beat for some reason. An indescribable sense of panic came over him as he subconsciously lifted a leg in her direction. However, before he could make his way over, Ji Yi suddenly turned around and left in a hurry.

His crappy mood instantly worsened. He silently stared at where Ji Yi had been standing for a while then without even buying the lighter, he turned around, pulled the car door open, and got in.

He ignored Lin Ya’s frantic slapping on his window and stepped hard on the gas, leaving her in the dust as he sped off.

Just as he was about to reach his house, He Jichen got a call from Han Zhifan inviting him to The Golden Lounge to play cards. He hadn’t decided if he was going or not, but he let out a non-committal “Mm” and hung up the phone.

As He Jichen was about to take a turn into the residential gates, he hesitated for a moment then turned the car around, heading for The Golden Lounge.

Playing cards made the time fly by. In the blink of an eye, the sky was already dark.

After He Jichen picked up a card in front of him, Han Zhifan glanced at his watch. It was already eight o’clock, so he turned his head around to look at He Jichen, who’d remained quiet from the start. He asked, “Want to go next door for some food?”

He Jichen knew that by “next door”, Han Zhifan meant China World Hotel, Beijing. His fingers nonchalantly rubbed the card, and after thinking it over, he gave a slight nod and got up to walk out of the room.

Han Zhifan hurriedly called the waiter for the bill, then picked up his jacket and swiftly chased after him.

After dinner, Han Zhifan pulled out a pack of cigarettes out of habit. He took out a cigarette and was about to put it to his lips when remembered He Jichen. Turning to him, he offered the cigarette to He Jichen. “Want one?”

He Jichen silently reached his arm out to take it.

Han Zhifan lit He Jichen’s cigarette first, then his own. While holding the cigarette with his lips, he slowly took a drag. He assumed He Jichen would silently hold his cigarette between his fingers, waiting for it to slowly burn to the end as he always did. Who knew that a second later, he would actually put it to his mouth and take a deep drag.

Having been classmates with He Jichen for four years, he knew more than anyone that he liked cigarettes but never smoked them.

Since three years ago, this was the second time seeing him take a big drag like this.

He Jichen’s odd behaviour stunned Han Zhifan. He then looked down at He Jichen’s plate and realized there wasn’t a single trace of oil. He realized that he might’ve been the only one who ate that night since He Jichen hadn’t even picked up his chopsticks.

Han Zhifan quickly released the smoke from his mouth and asked, “What’s up? Not in a good mood?”






Chapter 34: Let Her Leave (4)

Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_
He Jichen raised his hand and took a hard drag. Through the lingering smoke, he glanced at Han Zhifan, who had an indescribable look on his face.

“What’s up? Not happy at B-film?” Han Zhifan spoke again. At the mention of B-film, Han Zhifan continued, “I did tell you… You already got your bachelor’s degree from a prestigious university. They even wanted to send you to study at an American university, but in the end, you wasted so many years of your academic career to start over at B-film?”

“I really don’t know what to say. Can B-film even compete with prestigious schools? Can it compete with America?”

“In any case, if you’re bored of studying, it’d probably be easy for you to just become a CEO of a listed company with all your years in university!”

“Not to mention, even if you didn’t want to be some CEO, couldn’t you just go home and take over He Enterprises?”

“No matter which path you take, anything is surely better than coming to B-film to study from scratch?”

“I just don’t get it. Why did you give up your bright future and unbound glory and insist on starting again from scratch? Aren’t you wasting all your years of hard work and struggle?”

Given all the criticism, He Jichen wasn’t phased. Instead, Han Zhifan started to feel regretful on He Jichen’s behalf yet energized at the same time, “Say, just how depressed must you have been to make such a decision? Honestly speaking, I really do pity you. I’m not afraid of anything, but I’m scared you’ve given up far too much and you’ll come to regret it one day.”

He Jichen, who’d been quiet the whole time, showed no signs of wanting to talk.

After going on his monologue for so long, Han Zhifan paused for a moment. Then, as though something had clicked for him, he turned his head to He Jichen with some uncertainty and said, “Jichen, are you hiding something about why you came to B-film?”

“I’ve been your classmate for four years now, but I’ve never heard you say you’re interested in directing, so don’t give me that “it’s my dream” bull. Tell me straight up—are you here because of someone?”

He Jichen’s fingers trembled as he held the cigarette between them.

After a while, he drew the cigarette over to the ash tray and lightly tapped it. The ashes fluttered down.

Like a detective, Han Zhifan also recounted, “Every month during the four years in university, you made a trip to Beijing—did you go see someone?”

“A man or a woman?”

“Does that person have something to do with why you’ve come to to Beijing?”

“And this person, are they in B-film too—”

“Waiter, bill please!” After remaining quiet all night, He Jichen finally said his first words of the night.

“I can’t have possibly guessed right… right?”

When Han Zhifan finished speaking, He Jichen paid the bill, put out his cigarette and took off.

The Golden Lounge and China World Hotel, Beijing were so close to one another that the two of them simply walked between them.

When they reached the front doors of the Golden Lounge again, Han Zhifan pointed upstairs at the cards room that wasn’t empty yet, “Do you want to go up to play for a while?”

“I can’t; I have class tomorrow morning.”

Han Zhifan could tell that He Jichen really had no intention of going back up, so he said his goodbyes and walked up the stairs.

He Jichen stood at the front doors of the Golden Lounge for a while before going to the parking lot.

As he drove off, He Jichen headed towards the university.

The light from outside the window flashed across his handsome face. He stared straight ahead with a calm expression for the entire journey. It wasn’t until he drew closer to the university that he suddenly hit the brakes.

TBC...
Source: A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You - ExtraNovel.com

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