See You Again (Time Already Knows) - Chapter 9
Chapter 9 - You’re The One That I Like, The One That I Want, The One That Is Right
The manager, Fen-jie, took three employees with her to the entrance of the store to welcome the Yi family long before they arrived. The service at Yi Mao’s men’s apparel was always exemplary. Their aim was to be “sincere, honest, and considerate” for every order they received. Shi Jian stood at the innermost spot next to Fen-jie. Before, it was always other people who serviced her; it was her first time servicing someone else. She sloppily passed the test.
The Yi family entered, with Madam Guo assisting Forefather Yi in the front. Fen-jie smiled and bowed: “Supervisor Yi, good evening.”
The employees all bowed.
Shi Jian also faintly bowed. Her eyes slanted upwards, using her peripheral vision to watch the Yi family enter. She noticed that Ms.Mei, Ms.Wang, and Ms.Ke all bowed at a 45 degree angle, but she only bowed at a 15 degree angle; it was a bit unorderly.
Shi Jian had a bit of OCD, and decided to stealthily bow a bit lower. She lifted her gaze and accidentally locked eyes with Yi Pei who had just entered the store.
Yi Pei was also looking at her. He averted his eyes and followed behind the others at a moderate pace.
A lounge and tailor area were allocated inside the flagship store. Forefather Yi headed directly into the lounge. The two areas were separated by a large screen, on it the words “Be Virtuous Like Water” were written in ink1.
This place received only the most important VIP clients, and supplied the best handmade custom garments.
Fen-jie made the tea, filling the room with fragrance. Forefather Yi sat on the leather sofa in the center, and accepted the tea from Fen-jie. He softly blew on it, then returned it to the pearwood side table without tasting it.
The tea quivered, sending out jade green ripples.
Shi Jian looked up, and thought of the grandfather of the Ye family. Every time Ye Jiacheng brought her home for the New Year, the one she was afraid of the most was Grandpa Ye. She and Ye Jiacheng hadn’t wanted children for many years, and Ye Jiacheng was the only son. Even if her in-laws didn’t say anything, that didn’t mean Ye Jiacheng’s grandpa didn’t have opinions.
The atmosphere in the lounge was tense; it seemed like it really wasn’t as simple as a store check up. Shi Jian looked at the relatively familiar Yi Pei across from her, but only saw that he leaned against the wall with both hands in his pockets, as if he was only accompanying them here.
Forefather Yi started talking: “Today, other than A-Pei’s mother, and Little Ya studying in the United Kingdom, you all came, right?”
“Yes, Father, we’re all here.” The one who answered was a middle aged man, with white hair already on his temples. He said with a bright smile, “Why did Father bring us all here? Your health is not good; it would have been fine to bring all of us home. There is no need to come all the way here.”
“Hehe.” Forefather Yi laughed, “Lindong, do you know what this place is?”
Yi Lindong: “Our family’s flagship store.”
“So you do know!” Forefather Yi said, “I thought you’d forgotten, forgotten what kind of trade our family does, how the Yi Mao brand developed and expanded.”
The Yi family all fell silent.
Forefather Yi continued: “I’m getting old, but don’t think that I don’t know anything. You all invest in stocks, deal in real estate, all speculating and profiteering and having imprudent intentions. The Yi Mao brand will crash in your hands sooner or later!”
“……”
Turns out he came to admonish his subordinates.
Shi Jian glanced at Forefather Yi. He was already at this age, yet was a worried and pitiful person. In the lounge, no one spoke for a moment; Yi Pei still leaned against the wall as before, nonchalantly, as if the words that Forefather Yi spoke didn’t apply to him, but to someone else.
However, Shi Jian felt like Forefather Yi’s words were still directed at Yi Pei. She didn’t know why she was so sure about that, maybe it was the protagonists' law. After all, Yi Pei would still be the final BOSS in the end.
Sure enough, as Forefather Yi stood up to depart, he looked meaningfully at Yi Pei, and said, “A-Pei, you haven’t entered our family’s flagship store in a couple years, right? Since we took this rare opportunity to come here, why don’t you get a custom Yi Mao suit made before you leave?”
He paused, “Don’t always wear those foreign brands, our Yi Mao clothing isn’t worse than those brands.”
Yi Pei straightened, faintly nodded, and replied: “Okay, thank you, grandfather.”
Forefather Yi and the rest of the family finally left. Shi Jian released a breath. Yi Pei stayed in the store. She looked at the brand of his clothing; it really was some foreign Italian brand.
It appears that this person didn’t like his own family’s brand of clothing.
Fen-jie asked Yi Pei: “President Yi, the store still has a record of your measurements. Would you like this suit to be tailored to your past measurements or would you like to measure again?”
“Let’s measure again.” Yi Pei said, “The past measurements were from three years ago.”
Damn, Forefather Yi really wasn’t lying.
As Yi Pei got ready to be measured, Shi Jian was about to leave the lounge. Unexpectedly, Yi Pei called her name: “Shi Jian, you measure.”
She measures!?
Fen-jie discreetly gave her a bit of advice at the final moment, then handed her the measuring tape and other tools. Shi Jian accepted them with grievance. Luckily, she had measured Ye Jiacheng before; ordering clothes online still needed some measurements. She walked over to Yi Pei, gesticulated with the measuring tape and ruler in hand, then awkwardly admitted: “President Yi, I don’t know how to measure.”
Actually, it wasn’t that she didn’t know how to measure, only that measuring for a suit needed precision. In places like the thigh and butt, it was still confusing. She remembered that in a drama, an old tailor measured the male protagonist, and even had to consider whether his dick would be on the right side or left side.
How troublesome, she’d rather say she didn’t know how.
“You don’t know how?” Yi Pei didn’t let her continue to measure him, but rather sat down and asked, “Shi Jian, how many times have we met this month?”
How many times had they met this month? She thought about it and replied, “Three times? Once I went to you, once you looked for me, and today.”
Yi Pei nodded, and brought up another subject: “Next week, you should come help me.”
Help?! Using this word…… was really overvaluing her.
Shi Jian held the tape measure, feeling like a heavy responsibility landed on her shoulders. She stood even straighter and nodded: “Okay, President Yi.”
Yi Pei stood up, swept his gaze over the measuring tools in her and: “You really don’t know how?”
“Really.” Shi Jian replied with a smile.
“Oh, then I will have Fen-jie come in.” Yi Pei said, tone taunting, “I assumed that you knew everything.”
Shi Jian: “……” One must be drunk to think she knew everything.
––––
She practically knew nothing!
[Found on jeytranslations.blogspot.com | Do not repost to other sites. ]
Shi Jian browsed through her math exam textbook, ridiculing herself. She completely forgot all the material she’d learned in the past. When she returned, she flipped through her calendar. She had to work at Yi Mao Real Estate next week, and next tuesday was also her postgraduate program entrance exam.
“Her past self” had applied for B-University’s postgraduate entrance exam. “Her past self” didn’t care what the results were, but still wanted to make an appearance in the exam room. So, as soon as she returned from the flagship store, she immediately took leave and hunkered down in her dorm room to study.
Lai Qiao said that this was praying to Buddha only when she had difficulty, why not just stop trying. If she really could pass, then Buddha must’ve been sleeping.
Shi Jian put her head on her desk. Buddha didn’t fall asleep, but she was about to. She decided to take the exam mainly because she wanted to verify something: if the same person in a parallel timeline did the same thing, would the result be the same?
She thought the answer would be no.
However, the answer to whether she could pass depended on if she’d genuinely passed before. Of course, she felt that Lai Qiao was extremely correct. For the present her to enter the exam and pass, even Buddha falling asleep wouldn't be enough. She needed God to give her the answers to have hope.
Ye Jiacheng went online on MSN. She clutched a wisp of luck, took a picture of the problem, and sent it to Ye Jiacheng. The quality wasn’t good, but it was clear enough. Yesterday, she shamelessly asked Ye Jiacheng for his current MSN number. It was very useful.
“I don’t know how to answer this question.” She entered.
As expected, not a peep came from Ye Jiacheng.
Shi Jian lowered her head and continued to work on the problem, putting effort into it. After about five minutes, a large paragraph of text appeared in the chatroom. It was Ye Jiacheng explaining the problem.
My gosh.
Her dear husband was indeed incredible. Shi Jian couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised, startling Lai Qiao, who was lying in bed playing on her phone.
She entered: “Thank you thank you thank you.”
“You’re welcome, it’s whatever.” Ye Jiacheng replied to her.
Oh. Shi Jian propped her face in her hands, cheeks rosy. This feeling returned her to the time when she and Ye Jiacheng just started dating, her youthful heart beating uncontrollably. The time between them meeting and dating was short, and then they got married not too long after. The reason why they got married so quickly was because their parents on both sides urged them to. But when Ye Jiacheng proposed to her, she wasn’t willing to accept, feeling that it was too rushed. That day was coincidentally western Valentine’s Day. Ye Jiacheng tried to be romantic and drove her to the mountain top. The car ran out of fuel in the middle of the night, and they both huddled inside the car, looking up at the stars through the sunroof.
In the future A-City, a beautiful night sky like that was hard to come by, filled to the brim with stars.
Then Ye Jiacheng had said: “Shi Jian, trust me this one time.”
Trust him on what? She turned her head to look at him.
“Trust me, to give you happiness.” The air conditioner stopped working, so a sliver of the sunroof was open for ventilation, letting the chilly night air blow unceasingly into the car. Ye Jiacheng hugged her even closer, then said, “I used to think that men proposing were just empty promises, using frivolous lies to trick girls into marriages where they don’t gain anything. Shi Jian, I used to not believe in marriage, I even rejected marriage. But strangely enough, people change. I sincerely want to get married, to be together with you.”
She interrupted with a smile, her heart feeling warm and pleased: “Mr.Handsome Ye, why am I the one you want to marry? Even though I’m not terrible, I’m also not that outstanding.”
“You’re right, I also wonder why it’s you. According to reason, it shouldn’t be you. I suppose after we get married, I will still have to be the one to cook, clean, do the laundry, and mop the floor. How fortunate.”
She disagreed, feeling like Ye Jiacheng accused her wrongly.
Then Ye Jiacheng slowly laughed: “Shi Jian, do you believe in fate? I am starting to believe in fate. The first time I saw you, I immediately felt that you are the one that I like, the one that I want, and the one that is right.”
You are the one that I like, the one that I want, and the one that is right. She couldn’t comprehend this, and shamelessly asked: “You…… fell in love with me at first sight?”
“Truly sappy.” Ye Jiacheng flicked her forehead, “But, pretty much.”
……
The right one, would always be the right one no matter the time period, right? Shi JIan decided to visit the doctor after a bit, then start her medication early. After a few years of this, she would be able to have a baby with Ye Jiacheng.
At the thought of her baby, Shi Jian felt heartbroken for a moment. It must’ve been because they really wanted to come into this world that she returned back to the past.
Shi Jian arrived at B-University’s library, having made barely any progress through her books. She’d studied at B-University in the past. Now that she once again sat in the library studying, she reminisced about B-University’s cafeteria #9.
Unfortunately, B-University’s cafeterias were strictly managed. They never accepted cash, and she didn’t have a meal card.
Gao Yanfei’s phone call came at the perfect time. After he found out she was at B-University’s library, he invited her to a meal. She whispered: “I’m still studying.”
Gao Yanfei said a single sentence: “Ye Jiacheng is also here with me.”
“Where are you guys?”
Ye Jiacheng was still with Gao Yanfei, the two stood outside the Tianyi Research Building waiting for her. Shi Jian happily jogged over to them. Gao Yanfei intercepted her mischievously, his right hand on her shoulder, and brought her to his side.
She silently shook off his hand, and consciously walked over to Ye Jiacheng’s side.
Gao Yanfei offendedly said: “The host today is me!”
They unanimously agreed to eat in the school cafeteria, but B-University had many cafeterias. Ye Jiacheng asked: “Which cafeteria?”
Shi Jian hurriedly answered: “Cafeteria #9.”
“Hey––––” Gao Yanfei laughed, “I didn’t know you knew our school that well, and even knew about cafeteria #9.”
Of course she did, she used to be a student here.
Of the three of them, only Gao Yanfei had a meal card, so naturally they used his. Shi Jian didn’t feel apologetic at all, after all, the future Gao Yanfei ate so much of her and Ye Jiacheng’s meals. But, the timeline seems to be a bit…… weird.
Shi Jian took the initiative to grab the free tomato soup.
Ye Jiacheng and Gao Yanfei found a spot to sit. Once they sat down, Ye Jiacheng handed Gao Yanfei a bill, “For you, for today’s meal. You don’t need to pay.”
Gao Yanfei was delighted, and generously put it down, saying, “You gave me too much.”
“Not too much extra.” Ye Jiacheng faintly glanced at Shi Jian, who carried three bowls of tomato soup in the distance. He explained, “It also includes Shi Jian’s meal.”
Gao Yanfei was surprised. Gao Yanfei raised his brows, “You two…… are dating?”
“No.”
What is that logic? Or did he already start working, and had more money than him?
Ye Jiacheng used his chopsticks to pick up a tender string bean, and acted very seriously: “Shi Jian is pursuing after me, not you.”
So, shouldn’t he be the one to pay for her meal?
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