"Ji Yi..." said He Jichen again, but with a fleetingness to his voice.
Ji Yi pushed her thoughts away and silently turned to look at He Jichen.
He Jichen knew she was looking at him but he didn't turn to look back at her. He looked as though he was seriously contemplating something as he stared firmly ahead for a couple seconds before continuing to say, "…Can we go back to how we were before?"
It seemed like Ji Yi's pressure points had been pressed! Every now and then, she suddenly blinked quickly while staring at He Jichen, standing completely still.
What did he say?
Did he say "Can we go back to how we were before?"
Before? When's that?
He Jichen knew what she was thinking as though he had the ability to read minds. The second after those questions flashed across her mind, he said, "Go back to the seventeen-year-old you and the eighteen-year-old me."
"Go back to that summer; go back to that summer when we were best friends at Sucheng Yizhong; go back to when I could call you Xiao Yi and when you weren't scared of me like other people. That same summer you dared to call me He Jichen without holding back…"
His voice sounded just as beautiful as always, but there was a slight tremble as though he was nervous and scared about something.
Ji Yi's heart quivered gently as she listened on.
He Jichen knew full and well just how weak he sounded as he spoke.
He was afraid she'd tell him that he had the wildest thoughts and that she'd reject his suggestion.
But he paused for a moment then continued to ask, "…Is that okay? Can we go back to the He Jichen and Ji Yi from before?"
Is that okay? Can we go back to the He Jichen and Ji Yi from before?
As He Jichen said this, Ji Yi's heart gently asked herself.
The past He Jichen was once the most important person in Ji Yi's heart.
But time passed, and so many things happened between them. He wasn't the same He Jichen as before, nor was she the same Ji Yi as before.
Could we go back to how we were before?
She had to admit that he cared about her deep down and he was treating her quite well now. However, she couldn't forget all the pain and humiliation he put her through in the past, so… Could she really write off all the unpleasantness between them?
Ji Yi never thought about this question, so she repeatedly asked herself deep down without finding an answer.
Her silence made He Jichen's heart sink little by little.
It wasn't a confession but an innocent call for peace. Is this unacceptable too?
Is she going to say "No, we can't"?
He Jichen's heart suddenly panicked for a moment. He said something to break the awkward tension in the air. "It's alright. If you don't know how to answer me, you can choose not to answer…"
With that, a pang of sadness came over He Jichen's handsome face and his voice faded a little. "…One day, when you have the answer, you can tell me then. It's alright, I can wait."
A stabbing pain suddenly came over Ji Yi's heart for a moment.
He Jichen didn't wait for Ji Yi's reaction. The second he finished talking, he immediately pulled out a gift box in front of Ji Yi and changed the subject. "Happy birthday."
Is this my birthday present?
Ji Yi, who still hadn't completely come back from what He Jichen said, was stunned for two seconds before she reached over to accept it. Just as she was about to softly say, "Thanks," the balcony door was pushed open and she heard Tang Huahua's voice. "Xiao Yi, why are you hiding here? I've been looking for you for so long to go sing..."