"Xiao Yi... did you and He Dage know each other back then?"
All of a sudden, He Jichen stopped his hand in mid-air, about to knock on the door. After a few seconds, he heard Ji Yi say in a low, flat voice, "No."
In the dorm room.
Lin Ya"s voice sounded full of regret, "Oh, I thought you and He Dage would"ve known each other... I really want to know what he was like in senior high..."
Ji Yi didn"t respond.
Lin Yi continued to say, "But, Xiao Yi, He Dage"s so fine, he must"ve been a popular guy right? At school, did you hear any stories about him?"
This time, Ji Yi wasn"t as hesitant as before as she quickly replied, "I didn"t really pay much attention to him."
"Oh, I see..." Lin Ya could tell that she wouldn"t be able to find out anything about He Jichen from Ji Yi, so she shut her mouth in embarra.s.sment and defeat.
The room was silent for a while. After Lin Ya finished putting on her makeup, she got up, as though something suddenly came to mind. She said, "Ah, right! Xiao Yi, He Dage invited me two days ago to go to his friend"s party atSuyuan1 tonight. There"ll be a lot of big shots in the film industry. He said since we"re studying acting, we should go and network; maybe it"ll help us out in the future. Do you want to go?"
All I want is to never have anything to do with He Jichen ever again in my life. Why would I ever go to a party he"s attending?
Reflexively, Ji Yi answered, "No..."
After she said this, Ji Yi realized she"d forgotten her manners for a moment and quickly changed her tone of voice by adding, "... I have plans tonight."
Lin Ya asked, "Is it important? If it isn"t important, then cancel your plans and go out with me! It"s not easy for us to get the chance to mingle with people in this industry. It"d be such a shame to miss out on such a rare opportunity."
"Thanks Lin Ya, I appreciate your kindness, but I really..." Before Ji Yi could finish, a string of knocks was heard at the door.
Lin Ya, who was closest to the door, bolted up and pulled the door open. Seeing He Jichen at the door, she was stunned at first, but then her face was all smiles. "He Dage, why"d you come to pick me up?"
He Jichen didn"t say anything or enter the room, but he stood there at the door with a dull expression on his face.
When Ji Yi heard Lin Ya"s words, she knew the person who arrived was He Jichen. She stared unwaveringly at her book, pretending to be so engrossed in her book that she didn"t realize someone had arrived. She didn"t even glance over at the door.
Lin Ya was afraid He Jichen would get impatient waiting, so she quickly finished getting ready. "He Dage, let"s go."
He Jichen still didn"t say a word, but he gave a slight nod and straightened up. Just as he was ready to leave, he caught a glimpse of where Ji Yi was sitting from the corner of his eye. His attention wasn"t drawn to her, but to the trash next to her table.
Even though she purposefully used the trash as a cover, he could clearly see the unfinished milk tea inside.
It was left exactly how it was the night before, without a single sip taken, thrown into the trash can just like that.
Lin Ya took two steps towards the door, stopped, and turned to Ji Yi, "Xiao Yi, you"re really not coming with me—"
Before Lin Ya could finish, He Jichen finally spoke from the front door. His voice was abrupt and a little cold, "Tonight"s party isn"t open for everyone. Don"t go around inviting random people!"
Suyuan is the name for the Cla.s.sical gardens of Suzhou in the Jiangsu province. It"s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.