See You Again (Time Already Knows) - Chapter 31
Chapter 31 - “Shi Jian, I Can’t Sleep With You Anymore Tonight.”
“Little fox, where are you right now?” Ye Jiacheng asked without a care in the world.
Hehe. Shi Jian told Ye Jiacheng directly: “Qinglin City.”
She and Ye Jiacheng both didn’t like playing guessing games. Although she felt that the fact that she was in Qinglin City would surprise Ye Jiacheng, she didn’t allow Ye Jiacheng to guess where she was.
“……I know.” Ye Jiacheng said, “I’m asking you where you are in Qinglin City. Are you in a hotel?”
Ah? It was Shi Jian’s turn to be astonished: “How did you know that I’m in Qinglin City?”
“Even though I don’t deal with real estate, I’m still in the circle, and I get some news from time to time. You all at Yi Mao Real Estate want to expand into Qinglin City and next week is the Qinglin City bidding convention……” Ye Jiacheng specifically explained it to her. After a pause, he added, “Y’all’s Yi Pei is also in Qinglin City, right?”
Ye Jiacheng said the last sentence with full confidence. He only appeared to be asking her. Otherwise, the “y’all’s Yi Pei” sounded really…… Shi Jian made a soft sound of confirmation. Ye Jiacheng really had fast and accurate information. But this was normal. Yi Pei wanted to see his dad tomorrow, so it wasn’t strange for him to know about this. Ye Jiacheng probably knew that Yi Pei went to Qinglin City first, then guessed that she would also be in Qinglin City.
Concerning the bidding convention, Shi Jian could somewhat figure out Ye Jiacheng’s opinion, so she simply asked: “Do you think Yi Mao Real Estate can smoothly expand into Qinglin City this time?”
“There should be no major issues.” Ye Jiacheng replied in a pretty confident tone, “Didn’t y’all’s Yi Pei make an appointment to see Ye Qingde tomorrow? The boss even came out himself. It’s a necessity.”
Shi Jian laughed in spite of herself. The unbridled way Ye Jiacheng spoke about his father felt very…… subtle. She turned to look at the scenery outside the window. Did Ye Jiacheng also know that she would go and see his dad too?
“I also have to go with them.” She told Ye Jiacheng. She couldn’t control her voice and her pitch slightly rose.
“Oh……” Ye Jiacheng replied lazily, “You’re that happy?”
“Yeah.” She said, pleased, “After all, I’m going to see Ye Qingde himself.”
“Ah……” Ye Jiacheng laughed and echoed her, “True. I heard Ye Qingde looks pretty handsome and is a very attractive young man.”
Is this the son complimenting the father? Shi Jian continued even though she already knew the answer, “Ye Jiacheng, you’re also a person from Qinglin City and you’re also called Ye. Do you know Ye Qingde?”
“I do. They’re the parent magistrates of Qinglin City; who doesn’t know them?” Ye Jiacheng said, “I even know Ye Qingde’s son. We’re very close.”
“Is that so?” Shi Jian didn’t ask anymore and continued to pretend that she didn’t know. Ye Jiacheng asked her which hotel she was staying in again, as if he was very concerned. Hmph! Concerned my ass! He talked so hollowly to her, why should she be so honest with him?
Shi Jian sat down on the big hotel bed again: “You’re not in Qinglin City, why should I tell you?”
“Hey!” Ye Jiacheng coughed, “Isn’t it a rare opportunity for you to be in Qinglin City? I want to find someone to bring you around.”
“No thanks……” She declined. It wasn’t as if he was coming over to bring her around. Not to mention the fact that she was here for work and might not have the time.
Ye Jiacheng seemed to also see this issue and sighed regretfully.
“When you’re outside, be safe,” Ye Jiacheng cautioned her. Then, he said in a single breath, “If someone in Qinglin City bullies you, remember to give me names.”
“Okay.” Shi Jian giggled as if she didn’t believe him. Actually, Ye Jiacheng really wasn’t lying. She only giggled because Ye Jiacheng spoke as if he was the overlord of Qinglin City. This Ye Jiacheng and the thirty-year-old Ye Jiacheng that she’d encountered in the past were truly different. He was indeed in the prime of his youth.
“You don’t believe me?” Ye Jiacheng asked, smiling.
“I believe you.” Shi Jian blinked furiously, “Only, I didn’t expect you to be so powerful in Qinglin City.”
Unexpectedly, Ye Jiacheng became modest at her response: “Not that powerful, not that powerful.”
……
Half an hour had passed by the time they finished chatting, and yet it felt like they didn’t speak about much at all. Shi Jian hung up her phone and discovered that she had two missed calls, both from Zhang Kai. She didn’t know why Zhang Kai was looking for her, so she hurriedly called him back.
She hadn’t noticed she had two calls during the time she’d been chatting with Ye Jiacheng at all.
The call quickly connected. It seemed a bit clamorous on Zhang Kai’s end and he spoke to her loudly: “President Yi and I are at Qinglin City’s seafood night market. I was going to ask if you wanted to come out.”
“Oh……” It turned out to be a good thing.
“But you won’t make it in time if you come now,” Zhang Kai said to her without waiting for her reply. Zhang Kai lowered the phone and directly asked President Yi, “A-Pei, can I get reimbursed if I order some for Shi Jian?”
Yi Pei seemed to be too lazy to reply to Zhang Kai. After a while, he answered, “Ask her what she wants to eat.”
“Quickly, what do you want to eat?” Zhang Kai said into the phone, listing as he asked, “Fresh seafood barbeque, raw oysters? Scallops? Prawns? Baby squid? President Yi is paying, don’t be polite……”
Yi Pei is paying……? Shi Jian contemplated a bit, then was really not polite: “Then pick something expensive for me, thanks!”
Zhang Kai happily agreed.
Shi Jain set down her pajamas and cellphone, and planned to shower after Zhang Kai returned with her midnight snack. She’d passed by the Yi Mao dorms on the way to the airport before the business trip. She had been afraid of making Yi Pei wait too long, so she only took three minutes to pack her luggage. She was rushing so much that she’d even forgot to pack the medicine for her knee……
Half an hour later, Zhang Kai called her and told her to go downstairs to get her food. Shi Jian grabbed her keycard and quickly exited her room. She took the elevator downstairs. Carelessly, she looked down and wanted to slap herself to death.
Why was she still wearing the hotel’s large white slippers?!
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Whatever. The elevator had already arrived on the first floor. Shi Jian walked out of the elevator in her slippers. She looked around and spotted Yi Pei and Zhang Kai sitting on a sofa in the lobby. There were two large bags of takeout on the coffee table. One was seafood barbeque, and the other?
They’d reserved three rooms at this five star hotel. She and Zhang Kai both had a normal room with a double bed and Yi Pei had an executive suite, all on different floors. She didn’t expect Yi Pei to still be sitting here and not up in his room resting. Shi Jian walked over to them in her slippers. The other bag of takeout on the coffee table turned out to be a portion of light congee. She looked at Zhang Kai. So the friend of women turned out to have a considerate personality after all. He went as far as to bring her congee.
But Zhang Kai ordered too much! And the money spent was Yi Pei’s…… Shi Jian stood at the side and asked: “Is this all for me?”
“Are there any other colleagues staying in this hotel?” Zhang Kai retorted.
“……ha ha ha.” The boss was paying, so she should be polite. She thanked Yi Pei: “Thanks, President Yi.”
Yi Pei didn’t reply to her, but seemed to agree with what she just said, “Zhang Kai did order too much.”
Eh? That blunt? Shi Jian was even more embarrassed.
“Eating too much barbeque at night is not good for the stomach,” Yi Pei told her.
Oh, so that was what Yi Pei meant. Shi Jian nodded: “Thanks, President Yi.”
Yi pei didn’t reply to her politeness again. Shi Jian could only speak to Zhang Kai: “Zhang Kai, thank you for ordering so much delicious food for me…… There's even congee. Thanks.”
“Oh…… Oh oh, no need.” Zhang Kai looked up at the congee, “You’re welcome. It’s all President Yi’s money.”
Shi Jian laughed again. She’d already thanked Yi Pei twice but Yi Pei seemed unaccustomed to other people thanking him.
Afterwards, they all went up the elevator together. The hotel had few rooms available, so all their rooms were on different floors. She was on the seventeenth floor, Zhang Kai was on the eighteenth, and Yi Pei was on the twenty-eighth.
Shi Jian was the first to exit the elevator carrying her barbeque and porridge. She said goodnight to Yi Pei and Zhang Kai.
Yi Pei gave her a nod and paused: “Breakfast is on the ninth floor tomorrow.”
Oh. She said again: “Thanks, President Yi.”
The next day, Shi Jian slept until nine. Zhang Kai had told her yesterday that she could sleep in. At half past nine, she sluggishly went to the ninth floor for breakfast. A waiter led her to her seat. Before she could sit down, her elbow was nudged. Turning, she saw Zhang Kai smiling at her while holding a plate. Then he lifted his chin towards a seat by the window to gesture that she should sit there.
Shi Jian followed Zhang Kai’s line of sight and saw Yi Pei sitting there eating. She walked over and greeted: “President Yi, good morning.”
“Morning,” Yi Pei replied.
The waiter that followed them over asked her: “Would you like a hot drink? Coffee, milk, or juice?”
“Coffee.” Shi Jian looked up and unfolded the table napkin.
……
At breakfast time, Yi Pei and Zhang Kai discussed the project at Qinglin City. Shi Jian sat beside them, listening as she ate. In the middle, Zhang Kai answered a phone call. He set down his cellphone and heavily sighed: “Ye Qingde’s secretary called and apologized. They canceled this afternoon’s meeting.”
“No problem.” Yi Pei leaned back, “Things that go too smoothly won’t be good.”
Shi Jian looked up, holding a spoon in her right hand.
“Continue to speak with Gu Yitian. Try to get an appointment with Ye Qingde in the next two days,” Yi Pei said directly to Zhang Kai.
Zhang Kai was a bit pressured, but softly made a noise of agreement.
Shi Jian looked down and pondered. It looked like she wouldn’t be able to meet Gonggong1 today. But didn’t Ye Jiacheng say that Yi Mao wouldn’t have problems expanding into Qinglin City yesterday? ……Shi Jian didn’t think about it anymore. She’d always disliked thinking too much. If she wasn’t needed to solve an issue, then it would be useless for her to think about it anyway. Since she didn’t need to go with Yi Pei to see Ye Jiacheng’s dad today, shouldn’t she think about where she would take a stroll later?
She wished!
She was here for work. Even if there was nothing to be done, she couldn’t go wandering aimlessly. Shi Jian contently returned to her hotel room. She’d brought her laptop over and sat at the desk by the window. She opened her laptop and wrote the rest of her graduation thesis.
The day passed by quickly.
Shi Jian turned around. The sky outside had already darkened. She looked at the time displayed on her computer screen. It was already half past five.
Yi Pei and Zhang Kai didn’t invite her to eat this afternoon. Shi Jian leaned against the back of the chair and contemplated. She would probably have to settle her own dinner. Just as she stood and planned to go out to look for food, Zhang Kai called her and told her the number of a private restaurant room.
Asking her to come down to dinner.
Shi Jian put on some lipstick in front of the mirror and then flew downstairs. Eating and living arrangements were the best part of going on a business trip with the boss. She went to the private room on the ninth floor. As a waiter opened the door for her, an unexpected greeting sounded from Yi Pei’s side: “Hi, Shi Jian.”
Shi Jian looked at the opposite side of the large round table and could only see Zhao Wenwen sitting next to Yi Pei. She was looking up at her with an adorable smile.
“Hi, Vivi.”
Zhang Kai stood up, brought her over, and explained: “Vivi came over this afternoon.”
Across from them, Zhao Wenwen was ordering items off the menu. She asked Yi Pei his opinion while also rattling items off to the waiter. It was very considerate. Shi Jian lowered her head and settled her gaze on the chopsticks in front of her. They had a very beautiful xiangyun pattern.2 Suddenly, Zhao Wenwen said to her: “Zhang Kai even said just now that we didn’t have to invite you. He’s really too obnoxious.”
“Eh……” Shi Jian blinked, as if she couldn’t react in time. She mainly didn’t know how to reply to this. So, she looked at Zhang Kai and blinked.
Zhang Kai: “……”
Was he one of those people who wouldn’t tell her if there was food to eat?! Was he trying to have good intentions with her in mind? He was afraid that seeing Yi Pei and Zhao Wenwen together would make her upset! Zhao Wenwen certainly had some reason for coming so abruptly. Women’s hearts were unpredictable and cryptic.
Shi Jian looked at Zhang Kai and felt that his heart was the same, unpredictable and cryptic. Zhao Wenwen could easily misunderstand that there was something going on between her and Yi Pei if Zhang Kai was all secretive like that. Shi Jian sighed inwardly. Zhao Wenwen spoke again: “Shi Jian, I’ll sleep with you tonight. This hotel is all out of rooms.”
Shi Jian looked up at Zhao Wenwen and nodded: “……okay.”
It was normal for the hotel to be packed these past few days. The day after tomorrow was Qinglin City’s tourism festival. The hotels were pretty much booked to capacity. But why would Zhao Wenwen want to sleep on the seventeenth floor with her?
Shouldn’t she be going up to the twenty-eighth floor?
She’s too chaste! Or was she afraid that she and Zhang Kai would gossip?
……
After the dinner, Zhao Wenwen really lugged her suitcase to her room. Yi Pei and Zhang Kai followed Zhao Wenwen over. The four people squeezed into her double bed room. The room was originally considered too big for a single person, but it instantly became too cramped.
Luckily, her room wasn’t messy.
Shi Jian breathed out. She heard Yi Pei instruct Zhang Kai: “Zhang Kai, go book a room at the nearby hotel for Vivi.”
“Okay!” Zhang Kai swiftly replied. At the same time, Zhao Wenwen declined, “A-Pei, there’s really no need. I like sleeping with Shi Jian. Don’t you know that we girls love to share secrets?”
Yi Pei asked her again: “Shi Jian, are you okay with it?”
Yi Pei was very polite. Her room was paid for by the company. Shi Jian nodded vigorously at Yi Pei like a chicken pecking at seeds.
At night, Shi Jian held a pencil and organized some work files on her computer. In front of her was a glass of warm milk that Zhao Wenwen had ordered.
Thirty bucks a cup.
Zhao Wenwen had ordered two cups of milk from customer service. The other cup of milk was used to clean her face. The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. Shi Jian turned in her soft chair and watched Qinglin City turn into a sea of lights. A person and their destiny, and a person and a city’s destiny were sometimes decreed by fate.
Decreed by fate that she would become the daughter-in-law of Qinglin City.
Zhao Wenwen finished her bath and walked out in her nightgown. She then laid down on the bed and went on her phone. Suddenly, Zhao Wenwen set down her phone and said to her: “Shi Jian, I can’t sleep with you anymore tonight.”
Shi Jian looked towards Zhao Wenwen and smiled. Understood.
Zhao Wenwen returned her smile and pointed upwards, “I’m going upstairs!” After a pause, she continued, “A-Pei is so annoying, now he’s telling me to go up……”
“Ha…… okay.” Zhao Wenwen spoke so bluntly and passionately. Her face didn’t turn red. Shi Jian, on the contrary, was embarrassed to stand up. Then, Zhao Wenwen directly left her room wearing her nightgown. Shi Jian decided to revoke the assessment that she’d given Zhao Wenwen earlier. She was not chaste at all!
After Zhao Wenwen went upstairs, Shi Jian stood up to take her shower. After she finished, she lazily flopped onto the bed and looked at the wound on her knee. She hadn’t used the ointment and hadn’t replaced the bandage the past two days, so the wound split open again after her shower. Afraid that it would get infected, she could only put on her coat and go see if there were any pharmacies nearby where she could buy a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and bandages to dress her wound.
She dressed and went downstairs. The elevator practically made no stops because it was the middle of the night. Shi Jian walked out of the elevator with both hands in her pockets. Then, she spotted the person she absolutely should not have seen tonight.
Yi Pei.
Yi Pei sat on a corner sofa on the left with a cigarette between his fingers. He bent towards the ashtray and also looked towards her.
Shi Jian: “……” She was so shocked that she was petrified. Why was Yi Pei here?
Then, where was Zhao Wenwen?
1 Gonggong: Chinese pronunciation for 公公 - father-in-law, grandpa. ↩
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