See You Again (Time Already Knows) - Chapter 38
Chapter 38 - “Little Fox, I’ve Fallen In Love With You. Can You Give Me A Chance?”
Shi Jian returned to A-City very shamelessly. The Qinglin branch office’s Manager Li personally sent her to the airport.
Manager Li was born in an uneducated family, but he was very capable and well rounded, and was especially good at dealing with the circle of greasy old men at the construction teams. This was also a reason that Yi Pei employed him. It was reasonable to say that Manager Li had a purpose for doing what he did. It was impossible for someone such as himself to personally send some small intern to the airport without a motive. When Manager Li flattered and wheedled as he opened the trunk of the car, Shi Jian saw the pile of presents and finally understood.
“These represent my admiration for President Yi. I must trouble Ms.Shi.”
Shi Jian: “……”
Manager Li brought out the gift boxes one by one, roughly estimating their weights. He embarrassedly said to her: “It seems that there are a bit too many.”
Shi Jian nodded slightly. For such a big inconvenience, how could there be a bit too many? It was way too many! Did Manager Li want her to bring them all back to A-City and give them to Yi Pei?!
Then, Manager Li brought her to the airport lounge, helped her board, packed the items, and checked her baggage through. Being someone who didn’t put on airs, Shi Jian couldn’t say anything about it. Right before she had to go, Manager Li slipped two bags of seafood snacks into her pockets: “Take it, eat them on the road.”
Shi Jian: “……thanks, Manager Li.”
Shi Jian disembarked the airplane. Faced with the large pile of presents, she awkwardly gave Zhang Kai a call. It was 8:00 at night. She couldn’t very well bring these presents to her dorm, right?
When the call connected, Zhang Kai was driving. Zhang Kai listened to her explain the situation and seemed to set the phone down and ask Yi Pei himself. After receiving Yi Pei’s reply, Zhang Kai raised the phone and said to her: “How about this, Little Shi…… I will take Yi Pei back to Tangquan.1 You can take a taxi directly to Tangquan or you can wait for me at the airport.”
Two choices. Shi Jian sighed and decided to take the taxi. If she decided to await Zhang Kai, how long would she have to wait for?
Tangquan was one of Yi Pei’s private residences. Shi Jian had been there once, but she had only been in the parking lot of Tangquan’s neighborhood. She strenuously lifted the big and small boxes and got in line for a taxi. The gate to Tangquan’s neighborhood was strictly guarded. She had notified Zhang Kai ahead of time.
The journey was speedy.
Before the taxi even entered the neighborhood, she saw a black passenger car stopped outside. It was Yi Pei’s car, quietly lingering under a street lamp. They also didn’t go in? Shi Jian got out of the car and went around to the back. Zhang Kai also got out and sauntered towards her. Zhang Kai also became speechless when he saw the amount of presents stuffed in the trunk: “Holy shit, Manager Li is too much!” After a pause, he asked: “Are there any for me?”
Shi Jian smiled and shook her head: “Nope.”
“All the same,” Zhang Kai was indifferent and said to her smugly, “President Yi will distribute these things with us later.”
Haha. Shi Jian was amused. Zhang Kai’s tone made her think of executives in a meeting room, a first-class celebrity. Eh, if Zhang Kai was a first-class celebrity, was she considered a second class minor celebrity?
Shi Jian giddily took two of the lighter bags, and followed Zhang Kai to the black car in the front. Yi Pei was sitting inside. She put both her hands on the back of the seat and turned to greet him: “Hello, President Yi.”
“How were the past few days?” Yi Pei asked.
“Pretty good.”
Yi Pei nodded. After a while, he said to her: “Yesterday, Supervisor Zhao complimented you, said you did very well.”
Supervisor Zhao was the person in charge of Yi Mao Real Estate’s Qinglin branch. Shi Jian slightly smiled and didn’t forget to modestly say: “I also learned many things from Supervisor Zhao.”
Yi Pei: “As long as you could learn things.”
Shi Jian didn’t know what to say anymore. Yi Pei spoke again: “Next time you don’t have to help me with this kind of thing.”
Sometimes, the most important thing about being in front of the BOSS was not doing one’s job well, but to predict the BOSS’s thoughts. Shi Jian was the worst at predicting people’s thoughts. Was Yi Pei unhappy that she helped Manager Li bring these presents over?
Yi Pei thought she did incorrectly, so did he bring up the fact that Supervisor Zhao complimented her as a way to reprimand her afterwards?
……poor Manager Li, poor her. Shi Jian’s head drooped slightly, sure that Yi Pei’s words were rebuking her. She reflected on her actions and as she thought of what she should say to save herself, Yi Pei smiled. His expression didn’t express any intention to criticize her, and his tone was even filled with amusement. He asked her a rhetorical question: “Don’t you think that they’re too heavy?”
So this was the reason. Whether he was being sincere or not, Shi Jian really felt that her boss was considerate.
“The next time you encounter something like this, you don’t need to pay attention to them,” Yi Pei continued to say to her. Then, as if he was explaining the reason to her, he added, “You don’t need to do things for them.”
Shi Jian nodded; she knew what she should do going forward.
Zhang Kai drove the car into Tangquan’s underground parking lot. Tangquan was A-City’s upper class neighborhood. The parking lot had the best facilities and there was even a security guard who helped direct cars reversing out of their spot 24 hours a day. Zhang Kai was going to park the car in Yi Pei’s personal parking spot in the front, but saw a red car currently backing out and the security guard standing by it.
The car window was tinted; the person inside couldn’t be seen. Zhang Kai immediately swore at this behavior of stealing a personal parking spot. When he saw the person step out of the red car, he instantly fell silent and had a complicated expression.
Shi Jian stifled her laughter, understanding Zhang Kai’s rotten mood. Someone just swore at his fiancée in front of Yi Pei.
“Sorry, A-Pei.” Zhang Kai was extremely embarrassed and even played the friend card, “I didn’t know this car was…… Vivi’s.”
Yi Pei got out of the car and ignored Zhang Kai.
Shi Jian laughed out loud and comforted the suffering Zhang Kai next to her: “Alright, it’s okay.”
Zhang Kai jerked his head towards her. It’s okay? His heart certainly didn’t feel that way.
Shi Jian put her hand on the interior car door handle and asked Zhang Kai: “Assistant Zhang, should we get out and move the stuff?”
Zhang Kai sucked in a breath: “Move move move!”
Shi Jian: “……ok.” Why did she feel that Zhang Kai’s mood was not right? Was it because Yi Pei didn’t admonish him just now? Unlikely. Shi Jian got out of the car unprompted and accidentally looked up ahead. Not far away, Zhao Wenwen threw herself into Yi Pei’s chest, wrapping both her arms around his waist. She silently turned and pretended she didn’t see anything.
Zhang Kai finally came out shamelessly and walked next to her, also standing silently. Shi Jian turned her head. Zhang Kai seemed to be calm on the outside but had many thoughts on the inside.
Nearby, Zhao Wenwen was still in Yi Pei’s embrace and was making him laugh. Yi Pei said something to her. Zhao Wenwen collected her smile and slowly turned. She walked towards her: “Shi Jian, I heard you just came back today?”
She nodded.
Zhao Wenwen spoke again: “And you still came over despite how late it is. You’ve worked hard.”
There was nothing wrong with the words, but Zhao Wenwen’s expression seemed off. Shi Jian pursed her lips and said nothing. Zhang Kai immediately explained for her the situation with Manager Li’s gifts.
“So it’s like that.” Zhao Wenwen’s tone softened, as if she’d misunderstood her. She gazed at her and said, “Shi Jian, you’ve worked hard.”
Shi Jian shook her head. Zhao Wenwen said she’d worked hard so she must be planning to help Yi Pei bring the gifts upstairs. Zhang Kai opened the car trunk and she went over to help.
At that moment, Yi Pei, who’d always just been standing there, said to Zhang Kai: “You all can go back first. No need to bring these things with you.”
No need, was it? She looked at Zhang Kai. Zhang Kai shut the trunk.
Yi Pei instructed, “Zhang Kai, send off Shi Jian later…… She’s had a tiring day.”
“Alright,” Zhang Kai replied. No problem, he would only beg to leave a bit faster.
Yi Pei didn’t walk to the elevator. Zhao Wenwen’s hand hooked around Yi Pei again. Yi Pei’s expression was a bit ugly.
One couldn’t tell whether the two of them made up or not yet. Shi Jian said her goodbyes. Zhao Wenwen leaned closer to Yi Pei and waved to her with a smile.
“Bye bye.”
Shi Jian turned. Eh? Where’s Zhang Kai?
Zhang Kai had already gotten inside the car.
Zhang Kai drove her back to the dorm. Yi Pei wasn’t in the car, so Shi Jian spoke more freely. She asked Zhang Kai: “Zhang Kai, are President Yi and Vivi okay?” She didn’t know whether Zhang Kai knew what they’d fought about.
“Ah, what?” Zhang Kai heard Shi Jian’s question. He looked straight ahead and started to lie through his teeth, “They’re great. I don’t see where they’re not okay.”
Shi Jian: “……oh.”
Zhang Kai was silent for a while, and also felt that he’d just spoke too carelessly. Perceptive people could all tell that something was wrong with Yi Pei and Zhao Wenwen’s relationship these past few days. But Zhang Kai really didn’t dare to think too much about it. He used to endure it and not think too much about it, but now he was afraid that he can’t help but think about it too much. If, because of him, Zhao Wenwen…… did something like that, he would rather just commit seppuku. No matter what, his heart only contained President Yi, not 36D’s!
“Shi Jian, to President Yi and Zhao Wenwen, being okay or not isn’t important at all. To President Yi, Zhao Wenwen is only his best option for a fiancée. As for Zhao Wenwen, forget about it……” Zhang Kai said.
Zhang Kai’s tone indicated that he seemed to be unsatisfied with Zhao Wenwen. Shi Jian supported her head with a hand and said: “Actually, I feel that Vivi is quite cute.” Maybe her mentality was different. If she was really twenty years old, she definitely wouldn’t like Zhao Wenwen’s personality.
“Cute?!” Zhang Kai could not comprehend, “How is she cute?”
Why was Zhang Kai speaking as if he was frightened? Shi JIan tapped her ear and said something that Zhang Kai would definitely approve of: “No matter what, Vivi has a good figure.” She had watched television all night with Zhao Wenwen. Zhao Wenwen’s figure was really great. She was a woman and she still looked her fill.
“Cough cough cough!” Zhang Kai coughed, then explained his abnormality, “Shi Jian, I seem to have caught a cold……”
“Oh.” It was rare that Zhang Kai didn’t keep on talking about a topic that she brought up. Shi Jian silently turned and said weakly: “Then you should drink more water.”
Zhang Kai really did take a half-day sick leave the next day. The reason was because he had a serious cold. Zhang Kai wasn’t there, so Shi Jian was busy all day with the record for the Monday meeting. As she worked, she didn’t forget to think about the stuff that Ye Jiacheng had Zhang Kai deliver to her.
Where did he put them?
In the afternoon, Zhang Kai came into work. She hurriedly asked Zhang Kai to take out the snacks and gift that Ye Jiacheng had given to her.
Finally seeing the gift, Shi Jian was so elated that her brows curved.
Zhang Kai wanted to say something but hesitated: “Shi Jian……”
Oh, she nearly forgot. Shi Jian took out a bottle of the snacks from the bag and generously set it on Zhang Kai’s desk: “Thanks——”
Zhang Kai: “……”
Impatient, Shi Jian returned to her seat and immediately opened the gift in front of her computer. What did Ye Jiacheng give her?
The gift box was square shaped, wrapped beautifully and neatly with orange wrapping paper. Shi Jian looked at the edges of the wrapping paper and felt delighted. This gift must have been wrapped by Ye Jiacheng himself. The glue that stuck the wrapping paper together was not a glue commonly found on the market. It was the special glue that Ye Jiacheng used for his work.
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Shi Jian’s mouth curved up with joy at this tiny discovery. She carefully opened the gift box. Inside was another gift box. La la la la. She opened it and took out the contents with pleasant anticipation.
The gift was a pair of crystal foxes.
Two foxes, one male, one female. They were realistic and nimble. There was also a card hidden inside the box. Shi Jian took it out. It had Ye Jiacheng’s handwriting on it. His handwriting was very similar to his personality. Both were fresh and elegant.
There was only one sentence written on the card. Shi Jian read it over and over, until her emotions were all muddled. It seemed as if something escaped from a corner of her heart.
Oh, it must be love.
Violent yet gentle love.
On the spotless white card, Ye Jiacheng had written—— “Little fox, I’ve fallen in love with you. Can you give me a chance?”
Shi Jian put her head down in front of the computer. The words she’d said to Ye Jiacheng in the car that night flashed into her mind: “If you fall in love with me in the future, remember to come pursue me.” Was this Ye Jiacheng’s reply? He had very confidently answered her with an agreement. That day she was too upset. No matter what he’d said, her emotions were thoroughly terrible.
The heating in the office was adequate. Emily saw that her face had turned scarlet, as well as the pair of foxes on her desk. She teasingly asked: “Shi Jian, are you dating again?”
“……soon.” Shi Jian replied to Emily with a smile. She carefully arranged the pair of foxes on her desk.
Ooo, it seems that the young lady’s heart has recovered! Turning, she gazed at the scenery outside the floor to ceiling window.
Mr.Ye, was he okay?
It was snowing in Berlin.
Shi Jian saw the weather report over there, a thick and beautiful flurry of snow. She was waiting for Ye Jiacheng’s photo. Unfortunately, she’d waited a couple days and still hadn’t received it. The next time Ye Jiacheng gave her a call, she couldn’t resist it and reminded him of the photo agreement.
The award ceremony at Berlin had concluded but Ye Jiacheng still hadn’t called. She didn’t ask him when his competition ended. If she knew nothing, she could have excitedly asked him, then comforted him after he told her the result.
She knew in her heart that he did not receive an award, so she could not bear to ask him anything. She could only pretend to know nothing at all and wait for him to tell her.
“When are you coming back?” She asked Ye Jiacheng. She was hiding in the women’s restroom of the general office.
“……sorry, Shi Jian.” Ye Jiacheng didn’t call her the little fox.
Ye Jiacheng told her that he’d already flown from Berlin to England. A friend had invited him over for fun for two days, so he didn’t wait until it snowed in Berlin. “Sorry.” Ye Jiacheng apologized again.
Shi Jian suddenly felt it unbearable. The rims of her eyes reddened and her tears quickly flowed out.
Ye Jiacheng thought that the reason she suddenly became so upset was because she couldn’t see the photo of the snow. Over the phone, he smiled especially helplessly yet cheerfully. He apologized, comforted, and even thought of a compromise: “Why don’t you take a few days off and fly over. I will return, and we can watch the snow together.”
Shi Jian couldn’t bear Ye Jiacheng pretending that it was a small matter and cried out loud.
She repressed her wails. She wondered whether Ye Jiacheng would be upset and she couldn’t take it anymore. Her tears steadily streamed down, and her voice became muffled: “But…… I don’t have a visa.”
She was like a small child that had faced an immovable obstacle. She clearly knew it, but could not find a way to hide it. So much so that right now, she wanted to but had no way to be by his side.
“Oh,” Ye Jiacheng replied, “It’s alright. Next year, we’ll come see the snow together.”
Shi Jian wiped at her tears with her hand, then nodded.
She’d cried so inexplicably that Ye jiacheng’s voice softened. Then, he jokingly asked her: “Little fox, you’re crying so miserably. Are you sure you weren’t scolded by your boss and came to pin it on my head?”
“Yeah.” She said. Her tears accidentally dripped down again. Her tone had lightened a great amount, “……you won’t admit to it?”
“Of course I’ll admit to it.” Ye Jiacheng chuckled, “It is my honor to have such a pretty girl cry because of me.”
“……”
Shi Jian hung up the phone. She came out of the women’s restroom with her head lowered and went to the sinks outside. She’d just cried; her eyes were reddish and the eyeshadow that she’d put on on a whim this morning was smudged.
She hurriedly pulled out a paper towel and planned to clean it off. A man suddenly stood at the sink next to her. He wore an A. Lange & Söhne men’s watch on his wrist. This hand, this watch……
Shi Jian turned and looked at Yi Pei. She curved the corners of her mouth with effort: “President Yi.”
Yi Pei watched her and didn’t reply. She was afraid that Yi Pei could see the traces on her face so she lowered her head. Yi Pei looked away and asked her: “What’s wrong?”
Yi Pei could tell. Shi Jian shook her head to express that it was nothing. She believed that Yi Pei was only being polite by asking about her.
Yi Pei didn’t press her. He said to her: “If you’re tired of working, you can take a few days off.”
“Thank you, President Yi.”
“……no need.”
Yi Pei did not make a date with Zhao Wenwen this week. The annual meeting was nearing and there were many private discussions in the general office about Yi Pei and Zhao Wenwen’s relationship situation. In the past, Zhang Kai would leak some inside information to them. Inexplicably, Zhang Kai hadn’t breathed a word about Zhao Wenwen recently, as if he was facing some extremely threatening beast.
In the break room, Emily saw that Zhao Wenwen had written 36D on some official document. She inquisitively gossiped: “Does she really have 36D’s? I couldn’t tell the last time Vivi came looking for President Yi.”
Emily had brought up Zhao Wenwen. Zhang Kai, who had originally been taking a break on a bench, immediately picked up his tea and left.
“Zhang Kai’s acting weird!” Emily said after Zhang Kai left.
Shi Jian was currently helping Emily brew the coffee that Yi Pei wanted. Honestly, she also felt that Zhang Kai had been pretty odd the past few days, the kind of odd where you couldn’t tell what was odd.
Emily was the one more adept at discovering things. She shared: “In the past, when we talked about women and women’s chests, the person most interested was Special Assistant Zhang! Strangely, since Special Assistant Zhang came back from Qinglin City, he’s been completely different. It’s as if his personality had changed.”
Zhang Kai’s strangeness had started when he returned from Qinglin City? Shi Jian turned around. Emily moved near and quietly asked her: “Shi Jian, tell me in confidence…… did something happen at Qinglin City?”
“……eh.” Shi Jian thought about it. A scary thought appeared in her brain with a whoosh. Then, she denied Emily as if she was denying herself: “Nothing happened!”
“Oh.” Emily didn’t think her reaction would be so large and spoke of another topic, “Zhao Wenwen seems to have gone to England. No wonder Yi Pei and Zhao Wenwen haven’t had dates recently.”
Oh……
Shi Jian thought of Ye Jiacheng. She didn’t know when he would return.
Ye Jiacheng flew back the next day. In their previous phone call, he’d said he was having fun in England. In actuality, he flew from Berlin to England to discuss next year’s projects. It was the end of the year. There was much to do, and he also had to plan for upcoming storms even though everything was currently calm. He originally didn’t have to rush so much. If he didn’t need to go to Berlin, he wouldn’t have needed to quickly return.
On the plane, Ye Jiacheng leaned against the back of his seat. He wore a sleep mask and shut his eyes to rest.
There was a long-winded noise coming from the side. Two women sat across the corridor on his left. They kept chatting, chatting, chatting, chatting endlessly. They talked about famous brands, about cosmetics, about Yi Pei…… Ye Jiacheng couldn’t take it and took off his sleep mask. He gazed towards them.
The reason Zhao Wenwen went to England this time was to accompany the broken-hearted Yi Biya. Yi Biya was Yi Pei’s Xiao Gugu2. If Yi Pei had a good relationship with anyone from the Yi family, then it was probably Yi Biya.
Over the past two years, Yi Biya had fallen in love with a poor student who was studying abroad on a program funded by the government. In the end, this man was destitute but had ambitions. He abandoned Yi Biya for his dreams. Zhao Wenwen was immediately elated upon hearing the news. Thinking that Yi Pei was also about to dump her, she just so had a reason to fly to England to put it off.
To women, what was the best way to cure a breakup? That would be to find an even better partner. Zhao Wenwen felt that Yi Biya was quite fake, and it didn’t mean that they had become besties. Zhao Wenwen sat in the plane, then let Yi Biya look to the right.
The sleeping man sitting on the right looked way too handsome!
If a man sat in an airplane wearing a sleep mask, he was either a superstar or a moron. However, Zhao Wenwen still liked men who wore sleep masks. Yi Pei was very handsome when he wore sunglasses as he drove; she had to suppress her desires fully.
The man across from them only wore a black sleep mask, and it was the most rustic kind. From the moment he boarded up until now, he was not awake for much at all. He was either sleeping or snacking on something.
Still, this man was so handsome that people’s hearts fluttered, that the hormones inside a woman’s body rushed up.
He had a slim and sturdy figure, and a high nose bridge. His lips were slightly pursed in a cold yet sexy manner. The best looking part was his jawline, gentle yet not unmasculine.
What’s more, this man was sitting in the first class cabin, indicating that he was wealthy and respectable.
Zhao Wenwen had her status, and it wouldn’t be polite to stare at him in front of Yi Pei’s Xiao Gugu, but she let Yi Biya look. Then, she used her eyes to sneakily ask Yi Biya: “What do you think?”
As expected, Yi Biya’s eyes sparkled for a moment.
Right that moment, the man snagged away his sleep mask and sharply turned his head towards them. He asked: “Excuse me, have you seen enough?”
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