He Jichen's back tightened as his entire body froze on the spot.
He felt like it was all a dream; a surreal illusion.
He didn't dare move as he was afraid her arms would disappear from around his waist.
Ji Yi didn't know what had gotten into her either. She just suddenly really wanted to hug him.
She buried her face in his chest where she felt the warmth of his body through his clothes.
That warmth made her feel oddly at peace as the complex and raging emotions she had all day gradually settled down.
It was silent in the office. Ji Yi kept up her one-sided hug for a long time. The tears in her eyes gradually disappeared.
Because she had cried so violently, she hiccupped every now and then.
She was a little uncomfortable from holding that pose for so long, so she shifted slightly as she adjusted her position.
Her shifting alarmed He Jichen, who hadn't moved an inch from the very start.
He held his breath and continued to stand like that for a while. Then he gently raised his hand and touched her back.
His touch validated that she was actually hugging him.
His fingers trembled slightly for a moment then he pressed his hand into her back.
The warmth of his palm travelled through her shirt, into her skin, and infiltrated her heart. Her head couldn't help but lean closer to his body and her arms around his waist tightened.
Her affectionate and cute actions softened his heart into honey. The sweetness travelled from the corners of his mouth to the very depths of his heart. He couldn't help but secretly increase the force through his palms and he sealed his body to hers.
They hugged like this for who knew how long as Ji Yi calmed down completely.
She didn't want to leave his arms, so seeing that he didn't push her away, she figured she might as well lean into him.
Ji Yi wasn't sure just how long she stayed frozen like that for as she remembered how she stepped on a round object during yesterday's live recording.
She wasn't clear if her speculations were right, and what's more, she had no evidence, so she couldn't just blurt it out. However, she really wanted to tell He Jichen.
Ji Yi contemplated it for a short while then eventually said, "He Jichen?"
"Mhm?"
"Yesterday..." Still a little angry, Ji Yi paused for a moment then quietly said, "...Qian Ge called me."
"... She told me a lot of things, mostly teasing me... But she did say something really weird to me. She said that as long as she, Qian Ge, works in showbiz, I should quit dreaming of ever making it some day..."
As she said this, Ji Yi felt He Jichen's body tense up. Then she heard him say with a cold voice from above: "Then what happened?"
"Then I asked if she had anything to do with me tripping, but she didn't give me an answer... It's not just that, but I thought it was really weird that the Taiwanese artist didn't turn up yesterday. Most importantly, when I stepped down from the platform, I stepped on a round object. That's what I slipped on..."
"Yesterday when I saw Qian Ge, I was already really careful and had my guard up, but something bad still happened..."