See You Again (Time Already Knows) - Chapter 20
Chapter 20 - You Are My Little Little Apple. I Can Never Love You Too Much.
According to a normal person’s thinking, even if Zhang Kai read more of Zhang Xiaoxian’s work, he still wouldn’t assume that Shi Jian liked Yi Pei. After all, Shi Jian hadn’t displayed any errant behavior. She worked calmly everyday, getting to work on time and leaving work on time. Only, Shi Jian’s actions were energetic and adorable, she chatted with humor and passion, and she completed all her assignments marvelously. It was hard to imagine that she was only an intern. A girl like this, and she was also beautiful, such that it made men unable to resist investigating what kind of multifaceted soul it was that lived in her body.
Zhang Kai investigated a little bit each day, and discovered something new every time. When Vivi returned to China, Shi Jian’s mood had started to be at a low point. He seemed to understand something then. Actually, Shi Jian’s adoration could be seen in the illegal subcontracting registration for the Gelan City Project. Then, he spent a few coffee coupons to find out from Emily that the man Shi Jian liked made her frustrated to no end, that she couldn’t continue to pursue him…… Think, which man could make a young pretty girl feel trapped and helpless?
A man with a fianceé, and who was her boss.
Zhang Kai analyzed it like this, and then Yi Pei made him go on a business trip to Hong Kong. He would go make a business deal with the Bank of Hong Kong next week.
“Enough nonsense, you can go.”
“A-Pei……”
Still indifferent…… Zhang Kai tapped his nose. It was a little unfortunate. He’d even thought Yi Pei also had some feelings for Shi Jian. After all, Shi Jian was the one personally recruited by Yi Pei into the general office, apart from himself.
Suddenly he was curious: had Yi Pei ever longed for romance before? An almost thirty year old man who had never been in a relationship before, and who only spoke with Zhao Wenwen because they were engaged. But did Yi Pei have feelings for Zhao Wenwen? Every time they saw each other, he was with them. He could confirm that Yi Pei was never the one who initiated the hand holding, let alone “fiercely loving” a girl “strongly” like a normal man. From when they were classmates to the present, Yi Pei wasn’t one who was never the recipient of feelings from the opposite sex. The contrary happened a lot, from the prettiest girl of the class to their juniors and seniors, and even girls from notable white collar families. It was a common occurrence.
Of course, he was certain that Yi Pei was a straight man. If Yi Pei was a gay, then he, Zhang Kai, was the first person to ever turn gay. The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first, spring arrives early to the plants that face the sun. From then on, integrity was a stranger.
Eh, Yi Pei was probably asexual, then he would be even less likely to long for romantic love. That kind of thing was meaningless to Yi Pei. Thinking about this, Zhang Kai’s heart hurt a bit for Yi Pei. Then he scolded himself for being pointless. The bank account that only had four digits in it unexpectedly worried about whether the one with ten digits needed love or not. He had indeed read too much Zhang Xiaoxian.
——
In the café, Zhao Wenwen asked Shi Jian what books she’d been reading recently.
“We can get to know each other,” Zhao Wenwen said as she stirred her coffee. She didn’t wait for Shi Jian’s reply and went ahead to talk about a book she’d read recently: a french author’s book that brought him fame. Knowing that Shi Jian was from a family with a literary reputation, Zhao Wenwen’s attitude towards Shi Jian changed minutely, so minute that Shi Jian didn’t notice.
But when girls make friends, they basically just go shopping and chat.
Shi Jian blinked, and fabricated a few stories about famous people’s biographies. Blinking was her tell when she was lying.It’s not that she hadn’t read much recently, only that the books she read weren’t simple to talk about. The genre was basically about how to make a man have interest in a woman, and how to be a shrewd woman.
However, they weren’t of any use.
The weather was nice and pleasant. A pile of bags were placed next to Zhao Wenwen’s seat. There were also three bags next to Shi Jian. There were two things she wanted to return tomorrow, but there was one she wouldn’t return. If she wouldn’t return it, then of course that meant it wasn’t expensive.
The trendy light brand that she’d always liked came out with a line of couple’s socks. Every pair touched young ladies’ hearts. Women were always more easily moved by small things. She couldn’t resist, and bought two boxes.
Zhao Wenwen saw her buy the couple’s socks, and also bought some. The one she would give them to was, of course, Yi Pei. “A-Pei has everything, maybe he likes these affectionate little things.”
Shi Jian agreed with that statement. Ye Jiacheng had also liked the various small things that she’d bought. Men probably all had this trait in common.
“Shi Jian, who are you giving them to?” Zhao Wenwen asked her, “I’ve never heard you talk about a boyfriend.”
“He is still only someone I have a crush on.” Shi Jian smiled, inwardly letting out a breath of relief.
Zhao Wenwen: “Is he handsome?”
Shi Jian nodded, and her smile brightened: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yes? To me, he is the most handsome man in the world.”
Zhao Wenwen didn’t believe her: “More handsome than Yi Pei?”
Didn’t she just say that beauty was in the eye of the beholder……? Furthermore, was Yi Pei the benchmark? Or was he so handsome that no one could compare to him? Of course, she felt that Ye Jiacheng was more handsome than Yi Pei, but it wasn’t polite to say so. So Shi Jian shook her head and gave an ambiguous answer.
“So it’s like that……” Zhao Wenwen pursed her lip, but didn’t continue to question her, maybe thinking she was just vain.
“Vivi, when are you going skiing?” Shi Jian asked about this again. She asked casually, and without a plan. She didn’t know how she would prevent Zhao Wenwen from going. No matter if the girl in front of her was the only daughter of the Huayi Zhao family or not, a fatal accident that happened to a lively and young person would make anyone bitter. Shi Jian didn’t think that she was worrying without reason; she knew the tragic ending. Zhao Wenwen was even sitting in front of her smiling like a flower in bloom. If she didn’t stop her, her conscience wouldn’t be at rest.
Of course, the whole situation originally had no relation to her whatsoever.
“I still don’t know.” Zhao Wenwen said, blinking and looking at Shi Jian, “Their people didn’t say so clearly. It would be nice if Yi Pei could go with me.”
“En.” Shi Jian leaned halfway on the sofa. The sunshine streamed in from the outside, enveloping her in warmth. This kind of afternoon really made her want to slack off.
But later in the afternoon, Zhao Wenwen went back to the general office with her. Zhao Wenwen wanted to give the small gift to Yi Pei. Zhang Kai came to pick them up again. Zhao Wenwen said she had a British driver’s licence, but didn’t have time to change it to a domestic license.
Listening to Zhao Wenwen speak about her license, Shi Jian also missed having her laptop, driver’s license, PADI diving certificate, marriage certificate…… All gone! Back at the general office, Zhao Wenwen directly went to look for Yi Pei. Shi Jian returned to her corner, unashamedly flopping onto her desk to take a breather.
[Found on jeytranslations.blogspot.com | Do not repost to other sites. ]
Inside Yi Pei’s office, Zhao Wenwen gave the small gift to Yi Pei. The wrapping was very pink. Yi Pei didn’t open it, only setting it to the side. Zhao Wenwen was a bit disappointed, “A-Pei, you don’t want to open it and see what it is?”
Yi Pei opened it, gave it a glance, then expressed his gratitude: “Thanks.”
“It’s the couple’s style.” Zhao Wenwen walked over and put her hand on Yi Pei’s shoulder, her soft body nearing him from behind. Her tone was also a bit buttery: “Do you like it? It’s Mijia’s new couple's socks…… Shi Jian also bought some. It’s so strange. Whatever I buy, she also buys. I wonder who she wants to give them to.”
Yi Pei had no interest in this kind of feminine subject. He subtly pushed away Zhao Wenwen, “I’ll have the driver take you back.”
“I want Zhang Kai to take me back,” Zhao Wenwen stood straight and said deliberately, showing off a small temper.
“Zhang Kai is busy. He gets paid for the time he works for me.” Yi Pei was inexplicably fidgety, and didn’t want Zhao Wenwen to say another sentence. He thought of Shi Jian, and about the sentence she’d said to him that day, “I only want to work in peace.” Her head was lowered, which didn’t allow him to see any expression on her face. Yi Pei thought, if she only wanted to work in peace, then to just let her work was fine.
“Also, don’t go looking for Shi Jian to accompany you shopping in the future. You probably don’t truly want to be her friend.” Yi Pei said, “If you still feel lonely, have Zhang Kai assign you another person.”
“Alright……” Zhao Wenwen responded. She felt that Yi Pei was displeased, and immediately surrendered, “Are we having dinner together?”
Tonight? Yi Pei raised his head, “Wasn’t our meal already planned? Isn’t it tomorrow?”
Yes, it was already planned. Every occasion they met and had a meal together was written into his schedule like it was a business meeting. Zhao Wenwen forced a smile. She still felt unsatisfied, but decided to leave for the time being. What could she like about a fiancé like this?
The thing she liked was probably the fact that other people wanted but couldn’t have him, and that he belonged to her.
——
Shi Jian originally wanted to rest for a bit, but in the end, she accidentally fell asleep until the sun set. By the time she was awakened, only Emily was left packing her purse in the general office. Emily prodded her awake, and cheerfully said her farewells: “Little Shi, I’m leaving now. I’m having dinner at Popo’s place with my husband, so I can’t leave with you today. Bye bye.”
Oh, okay. Shi Jian still wasn’t completely awake yet, and was muddleheaded. She sluggishly pulled off the shawl that was over her shoulders and shut her eyes for a moment, her lashes trembled along: “Okay…… bye bye!”
When Emily left with her little purse, Shi Jian was still a bit muddled. Ye Jiacheng used to love bullying her just as she woke up, saying that that was the point when she was the most stupid. Shi Jian subconsciously wanted to shut her eyes again, and helplessly stood up. Then, she started singing the divine comedy «Little Apple»1 to wake herself up.
“I planted a seed that finally bore fruit, today is a grand day. Pluck down the stars to give to you, drag down the moon to give to you……”
Shi Jian sang as she tidied up, her consciousness quickly returning. She’d bought couple’s socks today, a bag, and a pair of shoes. Tomorrow she would take them all back to return them. Then the money would come back! La la la!
“You are my little little apple. I can never love you too much. Your red face warms my heart. Lighting the fire, fire, fire, fire, fire of my life……” Shi Jian continued to sing. When she finished tidying, she lifted her head. Then, as if someone sealed her mouth shut, she stopped and greeted the person standing near her: “……President Yi.”
……why hadn’t Yi Pei left yet?!
Yi Pei hadn’t left, so Zhang Kai also hadn’t left. He stood in front of Yi Pei grinning. Zhang Kai’s learning ability was especially quick. He followed along to the song she was just singing, teasing her: “You are my little little apple. I can never love you too much! Aiyo, even though I’ve never heard this song before, it really touched my heart.”
Hmph, the hell was he learning it for?! Shi Jian walked over to them with three bags in her hands, and spoke with a brow slightly raised: “Never heard of it, have you? You sing it so well, hurry up and pay your tuition fee.” She didn’t dare face Yi Pei, but speaking with Zhang Kai was whatever. They had a coworker relationship, even if he was higher up than her. The main point was that Zhang Kai made it hard for people to be serious. Emily even had the guts to bluntly call Zhang Kai a damned pervert.
“Not fair!” Zhang Kai continued with a shit-eating grin, “Shi Jian, why do you only want me to pay? President Yi also heard it just now.”
This was him wanting to pull her down into the water. Shi Jian rolled her eyes, and clapped back with a smile: “You’re you, and President Yi is President Yi. You want to consider yourself and President Yi on the same level, to compare two completely different things?”
“Oh——” Zhang Kai smiled even more inexplicably, and nodded comprehendingly, “I understand, I understand.”
Shi Jian didn’t say anymore; it was good enough that he understood. She was about to leave, and Yi Pei and Zhang Kai were also leaving. It wasn’t polite for her to walk in front of them, so she might as well just carry her things and walk behind them.
In the elevator, Zhang Kai pressed the B1 button to the underground garage. As she was about to press the button for the ground floor, Yi Pei’s voice drifted from behind her, like a command. He said to her: “We’re going to the Yi Mao headquarters, come along if you’re going the same direction.”
The Yi Mao dorms were almost in the same direction as the Yi Mao headquarters. Shi Jian didn’t press the button and replied: “Thank you, President Yi.”
Yi Pei was standing behind her, his tone clear as before: “No problem.”
In the elevator, the suddenly silent Zhang Kai nearly choked. Shi Jian raised an eyebrow. Zhang Kai returned to his original expression, and even gave her a wink.
It seems like…… someone was trying to seduce her.
Ah. Some men were just like that. They only needed someone of the opposite sex to be nearby and their hormones would start to go wild.
Yi Pei’s car was stopped at the dedicated garage on the first underground floor. There was pretty much no one in the underground garage. Shi Jian followed Zhang Kai into the car. Zhang Kai drove and Yi Pei sat in the back. She shouldn’t sit with him, so she carried her three bags into the shotgun seat.
“How much did you buy when you were out with Vivi today?” Yi Pei asked from the backseat, a bit casually.
The car was driven outside, where the street lamps were starting to light up. Shi Jian took out the receipts from the bags. She had to give some kind of report to Yi Pei. After all, the money used was his.
“A pair of shoes and a purse.” Shi Jian replied, reading the receipts, “Twenty three thousand in total.” She didn’t mention the couple’s socks she wanted to give to Ye Jiacheng. She spent her own money on that.
Her report ended. Yi Pei didn’t say anything about it, and she didn’t know whether she had spent too little or too much. Thinking about it, it didn’t matter anyway. She would return the items tomorrow no matter what.
“You don’t have to accompany Vivi shopping in the future. Work in peace,” Yi Pei said.
“Okay……” Shi Jian quickly replied. She really didn’t want to squander her time shopping like this. When the boss spoke, employees naturally would turn to listen. She leaned over slightly to face Yi Pei, responding seriously: “I will work in peace. Thank you, President Yi.”
“En.”
Probably because her relieved expression was too obvious, Yi Pei gave a noncommittal laugh, as if he knew the complaints in her heart.
Shi Jian was speechless, feeling like Yi Pei wasn’t that solemn at all. Contrasting his timbre voice, he was actually very mild and youthful. Because of his very formal way of expressing himself, he could sound extremely serious and cold.
Yi Pei said no more. Shi Jian turned back around. Zhang Kai spoke, asking her with a smile: “Vivi said that you and her bought the same small gift?”
She didn’t think Zhang Kai would also know about this. Shi Jian nodded, “Yeah.”
Zhang Kai laughed, giving the wrapped box in her bag a glance as he drove. Then he especially shamelessly added: “Shi Jian, why don’t you give it to me?”
“Sorry.” Shi Jian declined, “I am giving them to the person I like.” Shi Jian also had another reason to say her words clearly. She didn’t want to create unnecessary doubt. Did she have a misconception? She thought that Zhang Kai wanted to trap her.
“Oh, the person you like……” Zhang Kai rolled his eyes, then asked enthusiastically, “Oh, it turns out good things are close to our little Shi Jian. When are you giving that gift away?” The car quietly moved through the brightly lit city center. Zhang Kai looked into the rearview mirror. Yi Pei’s eyes were a little sleepy, making him look like he had no expression at all.
Shi Jian also fell silent in the shotgun seat. There were no good things close to her at all. She gazed at the two boxes in her bag with her head lowered, feeling a tiny bit dismayed. Her good mood was once again whisked off by Zhang Kai’s questions. She said with melancholy: “Maybe when I have an opportunity in the future. I can’t give them right now.”
“Why……” As he finished speaking, Zhang Kai slightly regretted it. It was too cruel. Was there still a reason why? Because the man already had a fianceé. “Sorry,” Zhang Kai apologized voluntarily. He’d just deliberately attacked Shi Jian; it was him who was being narrow minded.
“Sorry, Shi Jian,” Zhang Kai apologized again.
Eh? What was he apologizing for? Shi Jian glanced at him, then turned her head towards the window. How strange!
Author’s Note:
Explaining Yi Pei a bit here, his background decides some of his personality, and then relates to his feelings towards Shi Jian. Some parts may be confusing, but they are originally hidden. Da Zhu’s writing is also pretty shallow right now. Concerning him assuming that Shi Jian likes him, I feel like there is probably none of that.
Yi Pei’s feelings towards Shi Jian right now is indeed a bit different. It is a very slight feeling, but this is also hard to come by for Yi Pei. There’s no crush yet, only a bud.
In the end, Zhang Kai kept adding fertilizer. Frustrating.
This kind of situation is like, Yi Pei paid a bit of attention to Shi Jian from the start. Zhang Kai also didn’t stop saying: Ai, how did Shi Jian fall in love with you? What does Shi Jian like about you?
TN: The misunderstandings begin. I realize the way the author writes about sexuality and queerness in the beginning bit is a bit ignorant, but as the cheetah chirps: please don’t shoot the messenger 🙏. Also, the word Zhang Kai uses to describe Yi Pei could be either asexual or aromantic, so I’m not really sure which it is. There might not be a distinct difference between them in chinese culture.
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