Each and every one of Qian Ge's words to Ji Yi at the beauty salon that day traveled into He Jichen's ear.
The more Qian Ge spoke, the colder the light became in He Jichen's eyes.
"He's the same as you? Could you not insult him like that? Are you worthy of mentioning him as your equal?"
He Jichen's back froze for a moment and his whole body stiffened up when she heard the annoyance in Ji Yi's voice coming from her watch.
It was silent in the car as her angry voice rang endlessly in his ear.
He Jichen's heart raced like he just heard the most pleasant song.
"Also, I'm warning you - quit comparing yourself to He Jichen because it will only disgrace him!"
He Jichen's fingers trembled for a moment then he swiftly turned his head and looked over at Ji Yi.
His reaction wasn't huge, but it made Ji Yi jump in shock and the watch in her palms started to quiver. From her watch, she heard the click-clack of her own feet leaving after she said such harsh things to Qian Ge.
Ji Yi knew He Jichen had finished listening to what she wanted him to listen to, so she lowered the phone from He Jichen's ear and put it back on her watch. "Qian Ge was lying. She told me those things but my reaction at the time wasn't as she said..."
"... I misunderstood you a little because of what happened to my mum, but those misunderstandings weren't because of Qian Ge. They were because I went to your office to see you that day..."
"... I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your and Chen Bai's conversation, but when I walked up to the door, I happened to overhear your conversation..."
"... I watched the Television Awards today and realized I misunderstood you... So I rushed over here tonight..."
He only had her best interests at heart, but she really did misunderstand him. When she said those things, JI Yi wasn't confident at all, so she didn't dare to look at He Jichen. She had her head down like a child who did something wrong. "... Sorry He Jichen..." she laid the truth out on the table.
Some time after Ji Yi's apology, her heart started to rattle but she didn't wait for He Jichen to react.
He can't be upset at me for misunderstanding him, right?
Ji Yi wasn't sure why she cared about He Jichen's feelings, but she knew she really did care. She waited for a while again. Then, seeing as everything was quiet, she spoke quietly again: "He Jichen, I'm really sorry, I..."
"...I..." Ji Yi stuttered for a while then pondered what to say next. She immediately said with certainty: "...I promise that if this kind of stuff ever happens again, I'll ask you right away and won't blindly assume things on my own..."
He Jichen still didn't make a sound.
Ji Yi's palms started to sweat from her nerves and restlessness. While she thought about how to cheer He Jichen up, she sneakily glanced at He Jichen to see if the expression on his face was unusually frightening.
Then Ji Yi realized He Jichen actually looked no different from before. His eyes were still staring unwaveringly right at her, but the only thing different was his slight smile.
Ji Yi's mouth gaped in confusion as she thought she was just seeing things, so she turned her head to look straight at him in disbelief.