Since He Jichen appeared at the canteen, Ji Yi either shook her head or stayed silent. Now that she finally reacted, He Jichen looked like he'd seen the most beautiful scenery. With joy plastered across his face, he seemed afraid Ji Yi would change her mind, so he immediately turned his head and cried, "Chen Bai."
Though Chen Bai had kept a distance from He Jichen and Ji Yi, he heard everything the two of them talked about. When he heard He Jichen calling him, he responded, "I'll go call the chef now," and immediately turned around. Then he headed over to the kitchen at the back of the canteen.
Chen Bai quickly brought the chef over to He Jichen and Ji Yi.
The chef followed He Jichen's orders and started to recite names of dishes: "Boiled Chinese broccoli."
Ji Yi's eyes were swollen from crying, so she didn't want to raise her head and look at the chef. She kept her head down. All she could think about all afternoon was what happened the day before at the recording for the variety show. She just didn't have the heart to think about food, so she didn't react as the chef read out the name of a dish.
The chef was uncertain if Ji Yi wanted it or not, so he stopped reading out dish names and looked over at He Jichen.
He Jichen crouched down and looked up at Ji Yi's lowered little face. He repeated the dish that the chef just called out: "Boiled Chinese broccoli - do you want to eat it?"
Ji Yi looked up as she heard He Jichen speak. She glanced at him then shook her head.
He Jichen shook his head at the chef to indicate "no."
The chef continued to read out the menu. Every time after He Jichen repeated the name of a dish, Ji Yi made a decision.
Sometimes, Ji Yi quickly nodded or shook her head. Other times, Ji Yi would take a long time to respond.
No matter how quickly or slowly she responded, He Jichen was unbelievably patient throughout it all. Even though the chef was anxious, he didn't dare show it, so he could only stand by and keep reading out the menu.
It took a whole half hour to place the lunch order.
The chef took Ji Yi's order and repeated it once over. After he confirmed there were no mistakes, the chef felt so free that he darted back to the kitchen.
He Jichen made Chen Bai stay at the canteen to wait for the food. Meanwhile, he ushered Ji Yi into the elevator and headed back to his own office.
He Jichen's heart ached, seeing how silent Ji Yi was, so he took the initiative to try to find a topic to talk about.
"Are you tired?"
"Do you want to nap in the lounge for a while?"
"The TV remote is here. Do you want to watch TV for a while?"
"There's a game console here. What game do you want to play? I'll play with you..."
The room was very quiet. Aside from He Jichen who spoke every now and then, there were no other sounds in the room.
Chen Bai, who had been left at the canteen, carried two large bags of takeout to He Jichen's office.
Chen Bai put the lunch down as He Jichen waved his arm for him to leave.
"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"
He Jichen waited a while, but seeing as Ji Yi didn't say anything, he reiterated: "When you're hungry later on, tell me, okay?"
Ji Yi's eyes felt sore. She was afraid tears were going to fall again as she bit her lip and lowered her head.
She always hoped she'd achieve great things in showbiz. After such a good situation presented itself to her, she ruined it and she really set herself back.
Having been dismissed by director Lin with such harsh words, Ji Yi must feel really upset... But it's no plan to stay this depressed deep down.
He Jichen thought about it and said again, "Do you want to walk with me around the park in the afternoon?"