Translator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

  There were infinite things Ji Yi didn’t understand and was confused about which floated and knocked around endlessly in her heart. Those feelings made her calm heart enter complete chaos.

  No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t understand why He Jichen changed so dramatically. She started to grow agitated, so she got up from the sofa and headed over to the counter nearby to get some air outside.

  Seeing Ji Yi move, Chen Bai followed suit without bothering her, so he kept a comfortable distance away from her.

  He saw her walk over to the entrance to the balcony and she stopped going any further. Instead, she found a place to stand nearby and paused there.

  Ji Yi reached her hand out, wanting to push the balcony door open, but just as she raised her fingers, she saw He Jichen’s back standing here through the glass doors.

  The outline of his body looked a little hazy considering there were no lights on the balcony, so she relied on the rays of light from the room which were rather faint.

  With a cigarette lit between his fingers, he looked like something was troubling him.

  All of a sudden, Ji Yi stopped in her tracks and stared firmly at He Jichen through the glass for a while. Just when she withdrew her gaze and was about to pretend she wasn’t there by turning to leave, He Jichen suddenly turned around. He flicked the ashes of the cigarette between his fingers into the ashtray on the table nearby.

  He caught a glimpse of Ji Yi from the corner of his eyes and thought she was an illusion for a second. He stopped, looked up, and before Ji Yi could return his gaze, their eyes accidentally met.

  With the light shining from He Jichen’s back, Ji Yi couldn’t clearly see the expression in his eyes, but she knew he was looking at her. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

  Because Ji Yi was caught by He Jichen, she hesitated for a moment but figured that all she could do was give up on leaving now. She gently pushed the door open.

  Her actions seemed to alarm He Jichen as he stared at her, eyes blinking, and he hastily put out the cigarette into the ashtray.

  Ji Yi stepped onto the balcony and shut the door behind her. “Why are you here on your own?” said Ji Yi with an overly cautious tone of voice.

  “Stayed in the room for too long. It was getting a little stuffy, so I came out to get some air,” said He Jichen, who was standing in the center of the balcony. He shuffled aside to the banister to give Ji Yi some room.

  After Ji Yi walked over and came to a stop, he spoke again. “What about you? Why are you out here?”


  “Same. I came out to get some air.” Ji Yi turned her head and glanced over at He Jichen.

  He Jichen gave a gentle nod but didn’t say anything.

  At that moment, Ji Yi didn’t know what to say to He Jichen, and the balcony was engulfed with a deafening silence.

  After about a minute, the two of them felt the atmosphere was a little tense, so they spoke at the same time.

  He Jichen: “Tod……”


  Ji Yi: “Did……”


  They both heard the other speak, so they both stopped.

  She wanted to let him continue speaking, and he wanted to let her continue speaking, so there was a long wall of silence.

  “To……” Just as He Jichen spoke to break the deadlock they were in, Ji Yi had the same thought: “Did……”


  The two of them didn’t continue on but this time, He Jichen didn’t stay silent and said graciously, “You go first.”


  Ji Yi didn’t decline modestly and asked, “Did you arrange for all this?” She desperately wanted to know the truth.

  He Jichen knew that Ji Yi was referring to the surprise birthday party. He didn’t deny it. He gave a gentle nod and responded with an “Mhm.” About three seconds later, he asked, “Did you like it?”