nChapter 13: He and I Could Never Happen (3)

nTranslator: Paperplane Editor: Caron_

nAs her father spoke, He Jichen turned his head and looked over.

nWith no warning at all, their eyes met.

nJi Yi's fingers suddenly trembled. The next second, she furiously tried to control herself and looked over at her dad with the most natural attitude she could muster.

nHer dad figured that Ji Yi must've been curious as to why He Jichen was at their house, so he explained,

"It was your mum. A few days ago, she bumped into Jichen and that's when she realized he was in Beijing too. Back when you lived with grandma in Sucheng for school, we troubled He Ayi 1 quite often. Since I'm back home today, we just had to invite Jichen over.

"

nJi Yi knew that the 'He Ayi' her dad mentioned was He Jichen's mom, a good friend of her mum.

nWhen she studied in Sucheng, He Jichen's mum often accompanied her to parent-teacher conferences since her grandma was quite old.

nBecause of her, the two families became quite close back then.

nAfter she graduated senior-high, she rushed back to Beijing because of He Jichen. After her grandma passed away, their family never returned to Suchen, and they only contacted the He family during the holidays.

nAfter rambling on for so long, her dad realized Ji Yi was just standing there on the spot without greeting He Jichen. He couldn't help telling her off,

"Xiao Yi, when you were back in Sucheng, you went over to their house quite often, and if I remember correctly, you and Jichen were even classmates! Why aren't you even saying hello now?

"

nJi Yi was afraid her dad would ask about what happened between them, so as unwilling as she was, she tried hard to remain calm as she spoke politely to He Jichen,

"Hello, long time no see.

"

nPerhaps it was because her dad was there, but He Jichen didn't ignore her this time. His voice was polite, courteous and easygoing,

"Long time no see.

"

nHe seemed afraid to be forced to have casual conversation with her, so after greeting her, he immediately turned his head towards her dad and continued the conversation from before she came down the stairs.

nAfter being separated for so many years, it was normal for them to be a little distant. Her dad didn't think much of it as he continued to chat with He Jichen.

nJi Yi, who was being given the cold shoulder, lowered her head and didn't stay any longer in the living room. Instead, she went over to help her mum in the kitchen.

nAs she washed the vegetables, Ji Yi suddenly remembered their exchange just now was perhaps the first time they'd spoken to each other since parting four years ago.

nShe figured if it weren't for the fact that this was her house and her dad was around, they wouldn't have even spoken to each other at all.

n...

nAt dinner, her mum made the seating arrangements—Ji Yi and He Jichen were sat together, side by side.

nThe two of them were physically quite close, so every now and then, the scent of He Jichen's body drifted into Ji Yi's nostrils, putting her under more pressure. She felt a little uncomfortable as she held her chopsticks and tried, but failed, to pick up food a few times.

nThankfully, her parent's attention was drawn to He Jichen. They didn't even notice her mishaps as they chatted away with him enthusiastically.

nThat single dinner practically spent all of Ji Yi's energy. After the meal, she didn't stay a single second longer as she lied to her parents about having to help her classmate out with something. She then hurriedly left the house.

nAt the residential gates, Ji Yi was about to get into a taxi when she realized she'd left in such a hurry that she'd forgotten to bring her jacket and purse.

n