After the message was sent, He Jichen thought about it and added: "How about we meet in the evening in two day's time?"
Perhaps he took too long to reply to her since Ji Yi's reply appeared on his screen almost an entire ten minutes later. "Alright, Yuguang Ge. See you the day after tomorrow."
At this moment, it wasn't a good time for He Jichen to talk to Ji Yi like he normally would or use He Yuguang's identity to chat casually. His fingers quickly tapped the screen twice and he hastily ended their conversation. "Manman, I have some work to do and it's late. Get some rest. See you the day after tomorrow. Good night."
"Good night."
Ji Yi's reply came soon after. He Jichen cradled the phone as he stared out the window.
He still liked her, ardently and clumsily. He liked her so much that he'd give her everything even if he had nothing.
He liked her so much that he was willing to accept her love and spend the rest of his life with her using the identity of the man she liked. He was willing to silently watch as he, who loved her the most, slowly died.
Silent heartbreak exuded from his body and filled the air.
His eyes were filled with sadness, hurt and even helplessness.
Ji Yi thought He Yuguang would meet up with her at a classy restaurant for dinner like usual, but to her surprise, he sent her a message at five in the afternoon that day. "I'm sending a driver to pick you up at eight. Remember to eat at home before you come out."
Ji Yi wasn't annoyed, but she figured that He Yuguang probably had too many dinners and couldn't make the time. He could probably only have supper with her, so she didn't think too much of it and replied with a single word, "Okay."
Ji Yi was ready by seven fifty in the evening. Twirling around in front of the tall mirror in her bedroom, she checked to confirm that there weren't any problems with her outfit then picked up her bag and headed downstairs.
She crouched down in front of the shoe cabinet and chose two pairs of shoes that matched her dress. After thinking it over, she chose a pair with shorter heels.
19:57: Ji Yi left the house.
The car that He Jichen booked had been waiting downstairs for a long time now.
In the afternoon, He Yuguang texted Ji Yi with the car's license plate. She took the elevator and reached the first floor where she stepped out of the building and saw the car waiting to pick her up.
The driver must've seen a photo of her because he immediately got out of the car when he recognized her. Then the driver helped open her door.
Ji Yi realized that He Yuguang still hadn't told her where they were going to meet, but come to think about it... the driver probably knew. She didn't say anything but sat quietly in the car as she let the driver speed through the streets of Beijing.
About half an hour later, Ji Yi incidentally caught a glance of the landscape out the window and realized they had left downtown. Her brows couldn't help but furrow gently.
Where's He Yuguang meeting me? Why are we all the way in the Western Hills?
"Where are we going?"
When the driver heard Ji Yi, he shot her a smile through the rearview mirror. "Miss Ji, you'll find out soon enough."
Ji Yi figured that He Yuguang must've told the driver in advance not to tell her. She assumed he wouldn't say anything even if she asked again, so she shut her mouth.
The car continued to drive for about ten minutes. It drove up and stopped halfway up a mountain.
The driver got out and helped Ji Yi pull open the car door. "We're here, Miss Ji."