He Jichen paused as he wiped his hands then immediately lowered his eyes.
Ji Yi wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but she felt the atmosphere in the dining room lighten up.
She thought he would be upset, so she instinctively glanced over at He Jichen but was surprised to find that in less than three seconds, he released the wet towel, looked up at her and responded with a gentle "Mmhmm."
Ji Yi's nervousness instantly disappeared as she smiled tenderly at He Jichen. Just as she was about to say "goodbye," He Jichen's phone on the table started to ring.
He lowered his eyes slightly and swept a glance at the phone screen. Then he made a hand gesture at Ji Yi as if to say "please wait." He grabbed the phone, took the call, and strode out of the dining room.
He was back on the balcony. Though he spoke quietly, Ji Yi could still vaguely hear his voice, but she wasn't sure what he was saying.
Minutes after the phone was picked up, the balcony suddenly became a lot noisier, and his tone of voice became fierce and stern: "He wishes! Make her personally apologize to him? In his dreams! Tell him to go die!"
Zhang Sao, who was clearing the dining table, jumped in shock from He Jichen's sudden roar. As the chopsticks in her hands fell on the table, a string of clattering sounds rang out.
Then He Jichen's angry voice was heard again: "Let me tell you this! No way in hell means no way in hell! You want to threaten me with this? Let me tell you, never in my life have I ever been afraid of threats! Based on him? He's not worthy!"
After he said this, He Jichen hung up the phone and tossed it on the sofa beside him. He walked over to the dining room and sat back down.
Because of his fit of anger just now, He Jichen didn't look so good when he returned to the table. Yet he asked Ji Yi in a considerably calm voice, "What were you saying?"
After hearing He Jichen's question, Ji Yi, who originally planned to bid him farewell, changed what she was going to say: "D...Did you come across some kind of trouble?"
He Jichen never imagined that Ji Yi would suddenly ask him this, so a flash of astonishment came over him. Eventually, deep down inside, he felt something akin to being pleasantly surprised.
Her... casual question... could it be considered her way of caring about me?
Seeing as He Jichen didn't respond, Ji Yi asked again to confirm her suspicions: "Did it have anything to do with..."
Ji Yi wanted to say "me," but the words stopped inside her mouth.
Even though he helped me, I may not even be that important to him.
Ji Yi pursed her lips and once again changed what she was going to say: "...Mr. Lin?"
"No," Without hesitation, He Jichen denied Ji Yi's suspicions.
He probably realized he replied too swiftly, so two seconds later, he explained further, "There are some minor internal problems at the company."
"Oh." Ji Yi, who now had nothing else to say, pointed towards the door. "So, umm, I've inconvenienced you for a while now; I better get going."
He Jichen sat there calmly and didn't stop her, but he gave a gentle "Mm" then looked over at Zhang Sao.
From his gaze, Zhang Sao knew what to do, so she hurriedly put down the things in her hands and saw Ji Yi off at the main door.
The start date for shooting "Three Thousand Lunatics" was never set. When Ji Yi returned to the university, she continued to live her peaceful life, immersed in her studies.
B-Film was a big school, so although she occasionally brushed past the lecture room for the directing faculty, she didn't bump into He Jichen once.