Ji Yi remained quiet for some time before she realized what he said. She didn't say a word but gave him a gentle nod.
After Chen Bai left during dinner, he didn't return.
The car was parked in a nearby parking lot. He Jichen drove Ji Yi to the hotel.
The hotel Chen Bai booked was situated just by the West Lake.
It took only about ten minutes to drive there.
Perhaps they'd exhausted all possible conversation during their stroll by West Lake, so after they got into the car, they didn't say a single word to each other.
The radio was turned off in the car, so aside from the soft sounds of the air conditioning blowing, the atmosphere in the car was incredibly quiet. Ji Yi could even hear the faint sounds of He Jichen breathing.
When they reached a red light on the road, Ji Yi averted her eyes away from the window and gently trained them on He Jichen.
The passionate expression he showed back at West Lake when he mentioned the woman he liked had now disappeared. His usual cold expression and arrogant posture had returned, and he was staring straight at the road ahead.
If she hadn't seen just how caring and deeply emotional he looked, there was no way she'd believe the person at the lake was the same person driving the car now.
The red light turned green and the car started to drive off again.
The jostle from the acceleration was so gentle that it was barely noticeable, but it made Ji Yi avert her eyes from He Jichen's face. She glanced down at her hands instead.
She then stared at the ever-receding view of West Lake with He Jichen's seemingly magical words echoing in her ears.
"But it doesn't actually matter if she forgives me or not, because I can't leave her be anyway. Instead of the two of us being in pain, I'd rather bear it alone..."
She wasn't sure why, but at those words, Ji Yi suddenly remembered the night of her birthday and him singing "Within Your Radius."
At the time, she was still astonished that someone who regarded himself as being so much better than others could deliver such an emotional song so incredibly eloquently.
It wasn't until tonight that she finally realized that the sadness she saw then was genuine distress. It wasn't just an illusion, and she finally realized that he revealed his true inner-self that night.
He actually loved a woman irrevocably and he loved her ever since they were young. He loved her so much that he never gave up on her even though they had a misunderstanding.
She figured those lyrics he sang expressed his true feelings; he loved someone, but that was his business and it had nothing to do with her. If this woman, whoever she was, turned around, he would definitely be there supporting her.
Without even realizing it, Ji Yi's gaze fell on the side mirror. Through it, her eyes were glued on He Jichen, who was concentrating on driving.
Rays of passing bright lights shined down on his face through the car window. It allowed Ji Yi to clearly see the obscured expression on his face from time to time.
She stared and stared at him before her gaze became a little distracted.
He finally reached the hotel entrance and handed the valet his car keys. He Jichen and Ji Yi walked into the hotel lobby together.
Chen Bai must've checked them in because when He Jichen walked over to the front desk and showed his ID, the staff at the front desk immediately presented him his room key.
They got into the elevator on the first floor then exited when they reached their floor. Seeing as He Jichen didn't give Ji Yi her own room key or say "goodbye," she felt a little wary. Don't tell me he wants to personally escort me to my room?