A picture he never dared to hope for in his dreams was becoming a reality.
A tinge of sadness surfaced in He Jichen's eyes, and he instinctively turned his head and looked far away.
He spent two seconds to force himself to calm the raging storm in his chest then he looked back at Ji Yi. He didn't reply with the simple "yeah" as he did before, but with a "How have you been recently?"
With just these five words, he knew what he wanted to say next. Ji Yi beat him to the punch by saying, "Let's not lie to each other."
How have you been recently? Let's not lie to each other.
Those were the words she said when she took the initiative to apologize during their first misunderstanding.
Later, they got into an argument. No matter if he was the one who went to look for her, or if she went to look for him, someone had to speak up first.
It was like their secret law; as long as they were on speaking terms, even the greatest misunderstandings between them would disappear.
They quietly stared at one another. He knew what she was thinking, and he knew what was going through her mind.
Neither of them said anything. As they stared and stared, the corners of Ji Yi's lips curved into a smile.
Seeing her smile, He Jichen also curved his lips and said in a soft voice, "Hello, my most important friend, Ji Yi."
On hearing this, Ji Yi smiled, revealing her teeth. "Hello, my most important friend, He Jichen."
As the afternoon drew closer, bright sunlight shone on their faces, making them look incredibly clean and pure.
They were smiling at each other, but beneath their eyes, there was a faint watery refraction of light.
Having returned to how they were before, He Jichen and Ji Yi met in private more often and talked more often outside of work.
As an outsider, Chen Bai could tell that He Jichen's mood was better day after day. He even noticed that He Jichen's lips would randomly curl into a smile during work or during meetings.
In the past, Chen Bai would dream of his boss becoming a little more sensitive to people's needs just so his days would be a bit more relaxed. Now that it had become a reality, he realized that not only was he not relaxed, he was actually even more exhausted.
Since He Jichen spoiled Ji Yi endlessly, he wanted Chen Bai to prepare breakfast for Ji Yi every morning. In the early afternoon, he wanted Chen Bai to prepare desserts for Ji Yi on her breaks after shooting scenes. In the mid-afternoon, Chen Bai had to make sure that no one disturbed Ji Yi during her afternoon break. In the late afternoon, Chen Bai had to prepare fruit for Ji Yi, and in the evening, Chen Bai would have to drive away mosquitoes for Ji Yi during their evening shots...
After finishing the shoot with much difficulty, he thought he could finally head back to the hotel to get some rest, but because of Ji Yi mentioning her hunger, He Jichen asked him to run out to buy dinner.
What made him fall apart was when He Jichen learned that Ji Yi didn't have any sanitary towels ready when her period came... He felt like it was inappropriate for Chen Bai to buy her personal items, so he had to buy them personally. However, he still woke up Chen Bai from his sleep to be his personal driver.
Day by day, Chen Bai thought he had to endure unparalleled hardship.
"Three Thousand Lunatics" finally finished shooting in mid-June.
The Shanghai Film Festival happened to be going on, so the after-party for their filming was held at the Shanghai Starlight Hotel.
Aside from the cast and important crew members in attendance, there were also industry investors invited for support.
Ji Yi followed He Jichen's car from Hengdian to Shanghai. After they reached Starlight, the two of them headed upstairs to their respective rooms to get changed.
When Ji Yi came down to the second-floor hall, He Jichen was already dressed in an all-black suit with a glass of wine in hand. He stood gracefully in the crowd, politely engaged in conversation.
An attendant greeted Ji Yi, and in return, she smiled and picked up a glass of wine from the tray.
She put it by her lips and was about to take a sip when she saw He Jichen waving at her.
Ji Yi didn't think too much of it and charged right at him in her high heels. However, just as she was about to reach him, she saw someone she didn't want to see...