Chapter Seventy-Five: Still a Secret

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Entertainment Around You—No Pop-Up Windows
Story Setting: February 2006
Recommended Song: Fish Leong—Happy Breakup
Disclaimer: This work is purely fictional. Please do not relate it to real people. If there are any similarities, it is purely coincidental!

“I’m really sorry, Yimei. I can’t spend Valentine’s Day with you today,” Jiang Yihan said as he sat in the nanny van heading toward Busan. There was an outdoor concert and a movie promotion scheduled in Busan that day. Li Ran was driving, taking Jiang Yihan and Kim Jaejoong toward their destination. “I’m truly sorry. This is our first Valentine’s Day together, and we still can’t spend it together.”

“You have work commitments. I understand,” Li Yimei replied considerately.

“But I still feel guilty. We’ve been together for over half a year, and we haven’t even gone on a date for our anniversary, let alone any regular outings. These past six months, my schedule has been so tight. Our only proper date was for my birthday last year. When I think about it, I feel embarrassed—I'm such an incompetent boyfriend. I really am sorry.” Jiang Yihan’s face was full of regret. “But today Yiyi didn’t come with me. I gave her your gift, and soon she’ll bring it to you. Even if I can’t be there, I’m sending my sister as my envoy to deliver my feelings, is that okay?”

“You having that intention makes me happy already, really!” Li Yimei chuckled softly. “Yihan, take care of yourself. Don’t overwork.”

They chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up. Even though she repeatedly said it was fine on the call, as a woman, how could she not look forward to spending Valentine’s Day—the most special of days—with her boyfriend? Li Yimei couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Since last August, it had already been half a year. Dates? Li Yimei thought carefully, and realized their only proper date was last November, on Jiang Yihan’s birthday—a truly unforgettable day. Thinking about it made her smile sweetly. Other than that, their time together was either on set or at home, and even more often, over the phone. Opportunities to be alone together were painfully rare.

Still, Li Yimei tried to convince herself to be satisfied. Apart from not being able to accompany her often, Jiang Yihan was truly the perfect boyfriend—he cared for her, was thoughtful and gentle. He always let her know his whereabouts so she wouldn’t worry; he took a genuine interest in her life, worried about her health and studies; he would sometimes show up at her door with a steaming hot breakfast, even if he could only stay for ten minutes, it warmed her heart; he’d call her immediately when she was sick, joking that they had a telepathic connection; he occasionally surprised her with gifts, though most of the time his sister delivered them for him.

Everything was perfect, except for his lack of presence. Li Yimei even felt Jiang Yihan had started to truly fall for her—not out of guilt or compensation, but genuine affection. Li Yimei smiled and reminded herself to be content—after all, this was the result of her pursuit over more than half a year, and she should be satisfied!

But perhaps, maybe, the missing piece—“companionship”—was the most important part.

Her smile froze, and she sighed, shaking her head, trying hard not to dwell on it.

Even without her boyfriend’s company, Li Yimei decided to dress up and go out, hoping a stroll would lift her spirits.

Running into Quan Chan-yu was a surprise. Li Yimei was sure of that.

Quan Chan-yu was a humorous guy, very different from Jiang Yihan’s shy and playful nature. He was somewhat assertive, often made girls laugh, took charge of things, and dominated the dynamics among friends. Compared to Jiang Yihan, he was a completely different type.

Li Yimei had met Quan Chan-yu at the premiere of “Can I Love You?” He was the guy sitting next to her. During the film, Li Yimei cried, and it was Quan Chan-yu who handed her a handkerchief. After leaving the cinema, he enthusiastically invited her for coffee, but Li Yimei sensibly declined. Today’s encounter, she believed, was purely accidental.

“Yimei, what a coincidence! What brings you here?” Quan Chan-yu greeted her with a smile.

“Ah, it’s you?” Li Yimei was surprised.

“What? So surprised?”

“Of course! It’s Valentine’s Day, after all. Seeing you alone here is definitely surprising!”

“If that’s the case, I should be the one surprised. Why would such a beautiful girl spend Valentine’s Day alone?” Quan Chan-yu teased with a mischievous grin.

Li Yimei laughed at the compliment. “You should save that line for the younger girls—it doesn’t work on me.” Clearly, she was experienced in handling such situations.

“I’m just being honest—why don’t you believe me?” He feigned a wounded expression. “So, where’s your boyfriend? Where did he go?”

“He had to go to Busan for work today. How’s that for an answer—satisfied?” Li Yimei’s tone relaxed.

“That’s perfect. I’m alone today, too, so why don’t we spend the day together?” Quan Chan-yu put on a sacrificial look, drawing the attention of passersby.

“My boyfriend is pretty formidable, you’d better be careful!” Li Yimei winked.

“Trust me!” Quan Chan-yu patted his chest.

Li Yimei didn’t refuse—she just didn’t want to spend Valentine’s Day alone.

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Amusement park, cinema, lunch, bookstore, coffee shop.

Her day was packed, and Li Yimei had a wonderful time. Indeed, Valentine’s Day needed someone by your side, even if it was just a friend.

“Yimei, where are you? I’ve got my brother’s gift for you,” Jiang Ziyi called Li Yimei.

“Oh, Ziyi, I’m at the coffee shop just outside our school. Are you coming?” Li Yimei smiled and nodded, indicating to get up as she took the call. Quan Chan-yu gave her a warm smile.

“I’m nearby with Xiaolong. I’ll come straight over,” Jiang Ziyi discussed with Kwon Ji-yong and decided to head directly to Li Yimei.

Li Yimei met Jiang Ziyi at the coffee shop entrance. Jiang Ziyi handed over the large bouquet of roses and a brooch from Jiang Yihan. “Yimei, why are you at the coffee shop?”

“Oh, just bored alone, so I came out for a bit.” For some reason, Li Yimei chose not to mention the presence of another person.

“I see. My brother’s so busy, he couldn’t even spend Valentine’s Day with you. Please don’t blame him, Yimei!” Jiang Ziyi still made sure to defend her brother.

After saying goodbye, Li Yimei went back inside. Jiang Ziyi and Kwon Ji-yong continued their outing.

Suddenly, Kwon Ji-yong stopped. “Xiaolong, what’s up?” Jiang Ziyi was pulled back, confused by her boyfriend’s reaction.

“Yiyi, look—beside Yimei, isn’t that a man?” Kwon Ji-yong pointed out that Li Yimei was chatting and laughing with Quan Chan-yu.

“No way.” Jiang Ziyi looked closely, seeing Li Yimei laughing happily and chatting with Quan Chan-yu. Suddenly, a surge of anger welled up in her. “What is Yimei doing?!”

“Calm down, Yiyi, calm down.” Kwon Ji-yong quickly pulled her back. “What if it’s a misunderstanding? If we jump to conclusions, Yimei and Yihan might end up with grudges. We need to make sure first.”

Jiang Ziyi looked angrily at the pair inside, then glumly at Kwon Ji-yong. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Kwon Ji-yong pinched Jiang Ziyi’s puffed cheeks. “If it’s true, we should tell Yihan and let him decide what to do. After all, relationships are between two people. We can only give advice, not interfere directly.”

Seeing Kwon Ji-yong’s earnest expression, Jiang Ziyi reluctantly nodded her agreement.

Then came their special agent phase.

Report: Target individuals are chatting and laughing.
Report: Target individuals have physical contact—a handshake.
Report: Target individuals are drinking alcohol.
Report: Target individuals are walking very closely together.
Report: Target individuals got into a taxi together.
Report: Target individuals went upstairs to the man’s home together.
Report: No reaction after half an hour.

Kwon Ji-yong and Jiang Ziyi exchanged depressed glances as they sat downstairs at Li Yimei’s building, huddled together for warmth on a cold night. Jiang Ziyi hesitated, then asked, “Xiaolong, should we tell my brother?”

…

Kwon Ji-yong was silent. “I think we should tell Yihan. He has the right to know. No matter what happened upstairs, Yihan should decide for himself.”

Jiang Ziyi bit her lip. She was really afraid her brother would get hurt, but even more afraid that the longer they waited, the greater the damage would be. Finally, she nodded her agreement.

By the time they got home, it was nearly midnight. Jiang Yihan had already showered and was sitting in the living room with Li Ran, watching TV.

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Jiang Ziyi and Kwon Ji-yong didn’t know how to broach the topic, so they went straight to the point, recounting everything they had witnessed that day. Li Ran and Jiang Yihan listened quietly, not interrupting.

Seeing Jiang Yihan’s calm expression, Jiang Ziyi had no idea what her brother was thinking. “Brother, are you okay? Xiaolong and I saw it all with our own eyes, but as for what happened after they went upstairs, we don’t know.”

Jiang Yihan still didn’t speak, and the room was frighteningly quiet. He looked up at the harsh, glaring fluorescent light overhead. Staring at it made his head spin, but he refused to close his eyes until they hurt.

After a long, long time, Jiang Yihan finally lowered his head and spoke his first words, “I want to choose to trust Yimei.”

That sentence had come after much deliberation, after reflecting on all their moments together and the difficulties they’d endured. Jiang Yihan struggled for a long time before making his decision.

Li Ran looked at Jiang Yihan’s determined expression, then nodded to Jiang Ziyi and Kwon Ji-yong. The two saw Li Ran’s gesture and understood his decision—he had chosen to support Jiang Yihan. Jiang Ziyi knew that if even Li Ran couldn’t sway her brother’s decision, then it was set in stone. Her brother was stubborn; usually everything was fine, but when he was set in his ways, not even Li Ran could change his mind. Now was one of those times.

Suddenly, Jiang Yihan stood up. Li Ran grabbed him as he tried to leave. “Where are you going, Cat?”

“I want to wait for Yimei at her door.” Jiang Yihan’s confidence was faltering.

“Yiyi said Yimei isn’t home right now, so why go?” Li Ran held on tightly.

“Precisely because she’s not home, I want to wait for her return. She’ll come back tonight, won’t she?” Jiang Yihan spoke with agitation.

Li Ran stared hard at Jiang Yihan’s stubborn face, and finally gave in. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Turning his head, Li Ran instructed, “Xiaolong, stay here tonight—sleep in our room. There are only Yiyi and Xu Xian at home, help keep an eye on things.” Then he left with Jiang Yihan.

Sitting on the steps outside Li Yimei’s apartment, Jiang Yihan pulled his coat tighter. The winter midnight was bitterly cold. His stiff hands kept dialing Li Yimei’s phone, but all he got was, “The number you dialed is switched off.” Nevertheless, Jiang Yihan kept calling, again and again.

Li Ran stood a few meters away, watching Jiang Yihan. No one knew what was on his mind.

As the night deepened, Jiang Yihan’s nerves grew numb, his cheeks frozen into insensibility. Li Ran, seeing Jiang Yihan’s dazed state, kicked the wall hard, pain shooting up from his toes. He forced himself to stay awake, then walked over and sat beside Jiang Yihan, pulling his head onto his shoulder.

“Cat, why are you doing this to yourself?” Li Ran’s tone was full of helplessness.

“Because…” Jiang Yihan’s lips were cracked and dry—he hadn’t drunk water all night, had been up late, and his schedule had been grueling. His body was in a terrible state. “Because I’ve fallen for her.”

“Everything was fine before, nothing unusual. We were so happy, remember? When I talked to her this morning, everything was normal. So, I choose to trust her. I want to trust her.” Jiang Yihan muttered, almost to himself, repeating the words.

As he spoke, Jiang Yihan drifted off to sleep. Li Ran looked at the deep dark circles under his eyes, gently laid his head on his lap, wrapped him with his own body to shield him from the cold.

Dawn broke.

Li Yimei woke up in Quan Chan-yu’s bed. When she realized she was not clothed, she knew what had happened. She hurriedly left Quan Chan-yu’s home, telling herself it was all just an accident—just an accident. Nothing would ever happen again, nothing more would happen.

Muttering to herself, Li Yimei returned home. When she saw Li Ran and the sleeping Jiang Yihan at her door, she froze. Li Ran’s gaze was terrifying, making her feel afraid.

Jiang Yihan woke and saw Li Yimei before him, still just as beautiful. Dressed in a bright red coat, she stood in the bleak winter wind, especially stunning.

“Yimei, happy belated Valentine’s Day,” Jiang Yihan said with a smile, though the exhaustion on his face was heartbreaking. “Was everything okay yesterday?”

The moment she saw Jiang Yihan, Li Yimei regretted her actions from the previous day. The two of them had been so harmonious, so lovely. Jiang Yihan had waited outside her home for her return. Li Yimei truly regretted it. After a fraction of a second’s hesitation, she forced herself to smile. “Yihan, everything was wonderful yesterday. Thank you for your gift.”

Jiang Yihan’s smile grew even brighter. In that instant, the rest of the world faded away.

Rambling Cat’s chatter time—chapter two for today. Hope everyone enjoys the holiday!

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