See You Again (Time Already Knows) - Chapter 5
Chapter 5 - He Only Met Her After Cultivating For A Lifetime
Shi Jian was a mischievous child. She hid the secret, then exposed it.
She did know Song Xiaojing; they aren’t strangers. Song Xiaojing was Ye Jiacheng’s postgraduate classmate. She attained a Ph.D, then returned from overseas. She was both talented and good looking. For a while, Song Xiaojing frequently came looking to have dinner with Gao Yanfei; Gao Yanfei lived across from her and Ye Jiacheng, so naturally she recognized Song Xiaojing. Song Xiaojing even let her introduce a few guys to her, so she introduced twice, but both times didn’t end up in anything. Afterwards, she asked Jiacheng, “Do you think Xiaojing likes Gao Yanfei?”
She remembered Jiacheng’s reply: “……maybe.”
Shi Jian gnashed her teeth thinking about it. Maybe my ass!
When Gao Yanfei learned about Ye Jiacheng’s reply, he got very angry and cursed him into oblivion. It’s not easy to get in between those two brothers.
Afterwards, she could guess a bit, what woman would give up trying to marry because of her ex that always haunted her husband? She'd asked Jiacheng before, what was his relationship with her in the past? Ye Jiacheng had answered pretty seriously, and didn’t seem to lie.
“Song Xiaojing and I have dated before, but we split after a month. Back then, Gao Yanfei and I bet on who could date her. When she learned about it, she initiated the breakup,” Jiacheng had said.
“Then… did you try to stop her from leaving?” She conceded, asking for somewhat selfish reasons.
“There was no reason to stop her; I didn’t like her much anyway,” Ye Jiacheng said.
Scum. This was what she determined Ye Jiacheng was.
Ye Jiacheng helplessly laughed, acknowledging her appraisal.
She only knew this bit about Ye Jiacheng and Song Xiaojing’s relationship. She remembers the reason Ye Jiacheng told her afterwards–– if it bothered her, he said to her, “I was pretty careless before, hurting a couple girls with my frivolous ways. Shi Jian, even though we met later, my heart feels good about this. If you’d encountered me earlier, then you may not have liked the me right now.”
If you’d encountered me earlier, then you may not have liked the me right now.
But, she still had encountered the twenty-five year old Ye Jiacheng, in the prime of his youth, arrogant and conceited.
……
A voice coming from an unknown direction reminded her, “Classmate Shi, did you finish the work that Senior Aina gave you?”
Shi Jian turned, and replied with a smile, “It’s finished. I already tidied the files and sent them to senior Aina.”
“Oh……oh, how about this, help me photocopy these files again.”
It’s clearly lunchtime right now. “Okay.” Shi Jian stood up on her kitten heels, leaving her seat for the time being.
At large companies like Yi Mao, there are employee dress regulations. Both men and women wore blue tops and black bottoms. It was currently the middle of winter, so the women are wearing blue office blazers paired with black dress pants, in addition to five centimeter heels. The interns naturally try to dress like that too. Shi Jian was pretty proficient at walking in heels, which is something Lai Qiao was envious of. She’d scrutinized for half a day, concluding that it must be because Shi Jian’s foot bones are naturally robust.
The reality was that she’d just worn heels a lot……
Shi Jian returned after photocopying the documents, once again sitting down on her swivel chair at her ring shaped desk. Lai Qiao, who sat across from her, was secretly chatting with Cheng Zisong across the internet again. She didn’t forget to give Shi Jian a wink, looking extremely happy.
Shi Jian was a bit helpless. She wanted to persuade Lai Qiao to stop talking to him, but if Lai Qiao wanted her to give up Ye Jiacheng, would she listen?
Once it was time to get off work, Lai Qiao immediately bounced over, inviting her to go to a hair salon together. Shi Jian cheerfully accepted. She needed to tidy herself up.
The proprietor of the hair salon recommended the recently trendy firework hairstyle, even taking out a few pictures to let them pick from. Lai Qiao was enthralled, whereas she shook her head furiously, NONONO!
Shi Jian had no choice but to admit that age has an effect on the sense of beauty. Right now, the firework hairstyle was like the ombre lips and airy bangs of a couple years later. She advised Lai Qiao to not pick the popular firework hairstyle, herself decisively choosing to tame her long black hair, turning it into a mid length cut, curling it a bit inwards at the ends.
Mission complete.
Shi Jian examined her new hairstyle closely in the mirror. Her appearance looks a bit closer to what it was in her memory, though there were still some differences. When she wore this hairstyle before, she looked graceful and captivating, now when she looked at it, she looked like a young girl pretending to be mature.
She forced a big grin at the mirror.
Smile a bit, Shi Jian. It’s a fortunate thing to escape from a great calamity and return to your youth.
Smile a bit, Shi Jian. You will face the outside world with a different attitude and wisdom, once again able to appreciate the beautiful scenery that you rushed over anxiously in the past.
Smile a bit, Shi Jian. Ye Jiacheng will be your Mr.Right in the end……
At night, the seldom seen Zhao Yilin had come back to sleep at the dorm, laying on her bed quietly reading a book by a lamp. She Jian also couldn’t fall asleep, thinking about her husband. Lai Qiao on the bottom bunk also hadn’t slept yet; she was still chatting with Cheng Zisong.
Lai Qiao intentionally lowered her volume, but she could still be heard clearly; it was not only her that could hear, but Zhao Yilin could as well. Shi Jian thought about the words Zhao Yilin wrote about them in her book, suddenly thinking it was quite laughable.
Only, will it be the same after a few years?
The next day, Shi Jian hesitated on deciding whether to look for Jiacheng at the airport, or to wait until Jiacheng and Song Xiaojing break up. But she doesn’t know if Jiacheng was lying to her or not. Were they really only dating because of a bet? Will they only date for a month?
Shi Jian gnashed her teeth thinking about it. Yang Jiantao gave her a call, telling her with a huff, “Yi Pei was looking for you. He wants to invite you to dinner tonight.”
Yi Pei was looking for her? And he wanted to invite her to dinner? Did he say that right?
Shi Jian gripped her phone and went for a walk outside, incredulously asking, “Uncle, say, why is Yi Pei inviting me to dinner?”
Yang Jiantao thought for a moment and replied, “…… thanking you for your righteousness, probably. After all, you helped him out greatly, it’s only right that he treats you to a meal.”
Her: “……”
Shi Jian hung up the phone, thinking that Yi Pei really was a ruthless capitalist, inviting her to dinner but going through Yang Jiantao to do it. Wow, it seems he really was sincere. She is an intern at Yi Mao, so her phone number and contact information could be found directly in the company system. If Yi Pei intentionally thanked her through Yang Jiantao, the reason absolutely must not be to sincerely thank her.
If she remembered correctly, Yi Mao’s internal struggle was the most turbulent in this year. Yi Pei wanted to use her exposing of Yang Jiantao to stand on which side?
She couldn't go to the airport anymore, with Yi Pei inviting her to dinner. The sky outside darkened a bit. Shi Jian received a call from Yi Pei’s assistant. Assistant Zhang gave her the address of the restaurant. She wrote it down. Just before he hung up, Assistant Zhang asked her a question, “Do you need me to arrange a car to pick you up, Ms.Shi?”
“No need, no need.” She promptly refused politely, then lied, “I know this place, I can get there myself.”
“Okay.” Secretary Zhang stopped asking.
[Found on jeytranslations.blogspot.com | Do not repost to other sites. ]
Walking out of the dorm, Shi Jian kind of regretted not letting Secretary Zhang pick her up. She is currently not familiar with A-City’s roads at all, her phone doesn’t have a map, even the search function is hard to use.
She could only call a taxi, telling the driver the name of the restaurant: “Yanhong Private Kitchen.”
The driver inquired, “What Private Kitchen? Is that a place where you eat food?”
“Yes, yes.” She didn’t relax, and said the name again, “Yanhong Private Kitchen.”
“Oh, I know. I know this restaurant.” The driver mumbled to himself, then lied, “There isn’t a place in A-City that I haven’t been.”
Was that really true?
Shi Jian stood outside the restaurant, afraid to enter. The taxi driver had already abandoned her, leaving her in the dust. The chilly night wind blew wantonly in her direction. She looked up again at the anger-inducing two worded sign–– Yanhong Restaurant1.
It was definitely bright red. They got that right.
She felt like she would die coughing up blood at the entrance of the place.
The restaurant was bustling. She could hear the chatter of the patrons drinking and dining from the outside, all kinds of tumultuous noise.
She thought that Yi Pei probably wouldn’t invite her to such a bourgeois establishment, right?
She suddenly wanted to……die.
Shi Jian took out her cellphone; it was already 7 P.M. There was a text sent to her around 6 P.M. Gao Yanfei specially texted her asking: “Are you at the airport yet? Terminal 3. Don’t get it wrong.”
Shi Jian looked at this text, suddenly feeling glad she didn’t go to the airport. Even though Gao Yanfei is senseless, he wouldn’t be this senseless, deliberately trying to throw her off.
She would wait until Jiacheng and Song Xiaojing break up. If Jiacheng had no one to see him off, it’s still only a month. Although she despised Song Xiaojing’s future, if she went looking for Ye Jiacheng right now, how would she be any different from the future Song Xiaojing?
Shi Jian felt a bit difficult, then she was quickly filled to the brim with hope. Once Ye Jiacheng and Song Xiaojing break up, she would immediately commence her plan of attack. She peevishly thought: Ye Jiacheng is her man; she knew every freckle on his body, understood his taste and hobbies, what can she not do?!
Indeed, Shi Jian had guessed correctly, Gao Yanfei had deliberately tried to throw her off.
Gao Yanfei had been slightly angry yesterday. He knew that many girls liked Ye Jiacheng, but there were also many that liked him. He didn’t expect a girl to overlook him so thoroughly.
At A-City International Airport’s international departure terminal, Ye JIacheng was about to go to his safety check. Gao Yanfei searched once again, but didn’t see anyone coming. Next to him, Song Xiaojing took advantage of Ye Jiacheng’s inattentiveness, and confidently stole a kiss from him. She begrudgingly said her goodbye, “Senior Ye, I’m reluctant to part with you.”
Ye Jiacheng’s eye twinkled as he smiled, “I am the same.”
Gao Yanfei cringed as he watched this play out, thinking to himself that men were all the same, his heart not necessarily reluctant, but saying so to appease his girlfriend. Relationships were just a delicate and precarious game. Ye Jiacheng didn’t necessarily like Song Xiaojing, but could still play the role of a good boyfriend. Life was boring, so relationships were just used as a way to sprinkle some entertainment into its duration.
Still better than having a drug addiction, Ye Jiacheng had once said.
Song Xiaojing was a clever woman. Gao Yanfei thought she wouldn’t figure out as quickly as she did.
After Ye Jiacheng boarded the plane, Song Xiaojing said to him, “I already broke up with Jiacheng yesterday.”
“The fuck- that fast?” Gao Yanfei grimly smiled to himself: Awesome, breaking up yesterday and coming to send him off today, not bad. She had just acted like they were still passionately dating. What a performance.
He chuckled, “You broke up with him?”
“Yes. Why should I wait for Jiacheng to dump me?” Song Xiaojing retorted.
He understood. Gao Yanfei was too lazy to say anything, so he just grinned. Song Xiaojing was either the smartest of all of Ye Jiacheng’s exes, or her heart was the biggest. Taking the initiative to break up? Who does she want to kid? People who really break up never want to contact each other again. She even came to see him off tonight, and stole a kiss from him?
Playing with western etiquette?
She crazy.
Song Xiaojing broke up with him herself this time. That wasn’t to settle for second best, but to fake a surrender. She wanted to be the one that Ye Jiacheng couldn’t stop thinking about.
But it really was a case of a clever person being a victim of their own ingenuity. Even he could see through this way of thinking, not to mention Ye Jiacheng. He’s just being polite. As Ye Jiacheng said: “This is a kind of respect towards girls.”
En, it was indeed respectful.
–––––
“My husband is the best man in the world.”
Shi Jian had praised Ye Jiacheng like that before. That day she’d felt overwhelmed with joy as she watched Ye Jiacheng peer at a recipe book while he cooked her a table full of dishes all by himself. Ye Jiacheng took off his apron, smiled modestly, and made a comparison, “Shi Jian, do you really think I’m great? Then I must have cultivated my whole life to be a good man, just like the White Lady. A snake demon in the past, then turning into a good person after encountering Xu Xian2.”
See, her Ye Jiacheng really knew how to talk.
He only met her after cultivating for a lifetime.
So in this circumstance, was it that his cultivation level isn’t high enough, or was she just not lucky enough? Her and his life together hadn’t even finished yet.
At a remote junction in the outskirts of the city, other than a few shops with their lamps still on waiting for customers, the Yanhong Restaurant was the most thriving. Across from her was a factory enveloped in black. The economy developed rapidly; newly built factories wrapped the roads all around the city. Shi Jian weakly walked towards the entrance, a road without street lamps. She doesn’t know if she can still call a taxi. As she rubbed her face between her palms, the phone in her pocket suddenly started vibrating.
Her premonition was…… not very good.
She took out her phone. The caller ID shows the number of Yi Pei’s assistant which she had saved earlier. Zhang Kai was calling.
Oh fuck! She braced herself and pressed the answer call button, and started to explain, “Hi, Special Assistant Zhang, I’m already here, but…… I think I’m at the wrong place. This place is also Yanhong Restaurant, but I don’t seem to see Mr.Yi……”
Sigh… She even said it out loud, which was embarrassing as hell.
“Then where are you right now?” The person over the phone asked.
The voice wasn’t from Yi Pei’s assistant, it was from Yi Pei himself.
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