112: Clarification

Xiao Bai immediately tried to make amends, "Why don't you strip naked in front of him and then hug him? That would definitely make his heart race."

Xiao Qi moved to pluck its fur, "Xiao Bai, you're too wicked. I really need to discipline you today."

Xiao Bai jumped off the bed, keeping a safe distance, "Xiao Qi, did you eat gunpowder? Why so indignant?"

Xiao Qi sighed, lying limply on the bed with her limbs splayed, "I just feel a bit restless."

Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she sat up, "Isn't he holding a media press conference tomorrow? He probably hates me now because I’ve been pestering him. If I go to the press conference tomorrow and clarify everything myself, he might stop hating me."

As Xiao Qi spoke, she felt her plan was sound.

"That's right. Tomorrow, I'll take the initiative to clarify my relationship with him. Not only will this protect Lin Yichen's reputation, but it will also stop him from disliking me. It’s settled!"

"I don't think this is good for you," Xiao Bai said disapprovingly. "If a girl like you goes to clarify things on your own, it won't look good for your image. Plus, that Earthling still hasn't returned your signal device; you shouldn't be helping him at all."

See? Xiao Bai was truly the clever one.

Xiao Qi, however, had twisted logic, her ultimate goal being to help that person.

Xiao Qi argued, "This isn't just helping him. First, I'm just an ordinary person anyway; my image is as light as a feather to me. Second, if I go, he'll definitely change his mind about me. If he stops hating me, I might have a chance to get close to him, and then there's hope for getting my signal device back."

Hearing the second point, Xiao Bai felt there was some merit to her logic.

With her mind made up, Xiao Qi collapsed and fell asleep.

She had a dream like no other...

In the dream, Xiao Qi was strolling alone down the school's tree-lined boulevard. The school entrance was bustling, filled with students carrying luggage, their faces bearing simple, happy smiles.

Xiao Qi walked toward the playground and stood at the edge, watching several students jogging on the synthetic track.

"Hey, how long does it take you to run eight hundred meters now?" a student jogging on the track asked his companion.

"I don't know. I'll find out once I run it."

"Then pick up the pace."

Xiao Qi smiled at them, then ducked through the railing, stepped onto the track, stood on her tiptoes to draw a starting line, counted "one, two, three" to herself, and sprinted off at the speed of an eight-hundred-meter dash.

Closing her eyes, she wove through the night breeze until she reached the finish line.

"Four minutes and twenty-five seconds. Too slow," someone suddenly knocked her on the head.

Xiao Qi turned back and saw the person in front of her muttering gloomily, "What should I do? It's even slower than yesterday."

Then, her eyes lit up as she looked at him, "Yichen, why don't you run in front and I'll chase you during the test? I'll definitely run fast then!"

Yichen glared at her.

Xiao Qi thought her idea was brilliant, but felt a sense of frustration at being unappreciated by that glare. It was clearly a good idea, "Or, how about you hang your photo in front of me while I run? That would give me motivation..."

"Ye Xiyang, have you no shame!" Yichen finally couldn't help but scold her.

Xiao Qi noticed Yichen's earlobes and, as if discovering a new continent, said, "Yichen, why are your ears red?"

The latter glared at her again, "Ye Xiyang, you are the stupidest person in the world. Even a pig is smarter than you."

The scene shifted. Xiao Qi was in a house in the United States, pen in hand, writing: "Yichen, did you know? During these few years abroad, I often found myself lost in thought, often fantasizing about reuniting with you, imagining us living happily together. These fantasies were my only solace and joy during my long, lonely days here. All my strength and persistence stemmed from these happy imaginings. However, every time I thought of my best friend, your childhood sweetheart Zhuang Jia, who told me she loved you and had liked you since she was a child, and that you didn't love me at all—that you were only with me because of my relentless pestering and that you only agreed to be my boyfriend because you couldn't take it anymore—her words were like a blade, cutting off all those fantasies, making me retreat, making me run away..."

"I was never confident in myself, and even less confident in our relationship. Although you agreed to be my boyfriend, you never once said you loved me. I thought, perhaps Zhuang Jia was right; you were only with me because of my pestering. Yichen, although I lack self-confidence, I have strong self-esteem, so I ran away. I love you, and that is why I don't want to bind you with my one-sided affection. So, I left."

"Yichen, please forgive my silent departure. I am such a person without confidence, such a cowardly person."

"I know that in this vast world, there will be no place for you, Yichen, and from now on, any destination will no longer have the Lin Yichen I love..."

Tears fell one by one, unbidden, onto the letter, blurring the ink.

Then Xiyang could no longer control herself; she put down the pen, buried her face in her hands, and wept bitterly.

Xiao Qi suddenly opened her eyes.

She felt something at the corners of her eyes and touched them.

Wet.

Are these tears?

Why would I cry while sleeping soundly?

That dream just now...

She touched her chest. She couldn't understand the dream, but the heart-wrenching pain she felt in it was very similar to the feeling she had when she went to find Lin Yichen and then ran away.

No, it was as if she had experienced it herself.

But how could I have experienced it myself?

Also, why would I dream of Ye Xiyang?

I only look like her; I don't even know her.

And that dream, why did it feel so surreal?

Xiao Qi looked at the sleeping Xiao Bai, wanting to wake it up and ask.

Forget it, it's just a dream. I won't let myself be troubled by it!

Besides, waking Xiao Bai up for some inexplicable dream would surely make it despise me.

Xiao Qi closed her eyes again, but her mind kept dwelling on that heart-wrenching pain from the dream, which seemed to have started ever since Lin Yichen lost his memory and forgot her.

Sigh! He just forgot me, didn't he? Why be so sentimental?

Worries never lingered long with Xiao Qi, and with her eyes closed, she soon met the God of Dreams again.

***

The next day, Yichen stepped out of his car in a tailored black suit, and immediately, a crowd of reporters swarmed from the building's entrance.

Bodyguards immediately stepped forward to block them. Yichen had his hands in his pockets, his every gesture radiating poise and cold arrogance.

His black eyes swept over the reporters, "I asked you all here today to answer your questions. You can ask them one by one; I don't like people clamoring over each other."

The reporters were eager, but no one dared to be the first to ask.

"If you have questions, ask me."

Hearing the voice, all the reporters turned around and saw a girl in a long pink knit dress.

Their photos had been posted online, so the reporters recognized her.

They immediately swarmed toward Xiao Qi.

Yichen frowned, never having expected her to show up.

For some reason, his first thought was that he didn't want her dragged into this.

Just as he was about to step forward, his arm was held back.

Anna had appeared beside him at some point.

"Why are you here?"

Anna smiled, "I told you, I want to help you."

Yichen pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Camera flashes went off incessantly in Xiao Qi's direction.

The sound of shutters was continuous, and the lenses were all uniformly aimed at Xiao Qi.

Questions were pelted at her one after another.

"Are you Miss Ye Xiyang? May I ask how you got into TC? Are you and President Lin in a romantic relationship?"

"Have you and President Lin broken up now?"

"Why did you break up?"

"Who suggested the breakup?"

...

Xiao Qi was facing such a situation for the first time, and she felt nervous and a little tempted to retreat.

She looked up.

She saw a beautiful and elegant woman standing beside Yichen, and that person was holding his arm.

Xiao Qi lowered her eyes.

They are already so intimate; why are you still pestering him?

Right, hurry up and clarify! The whole reason you came to be surrounded by so many reporters and cameras was to clarify.

Xiao Qi took a breath, looked up again, and said to the cameras with clear, determined eyes, "I begged President Lin. Previously, the restaurant I worked at had problems, and President Lin came forward to help me out. To show my gratitude, I asked him to hire me into the TC Group. President Lin has said that as a CEO, he shows care for every employee. At work, President Lin has shown me no inappropriate affection, and I have no other feelings for him. All the news about our romance is fake. That is the truth of it."

Just then, a reporter turned and suddenly asked Yichen, "President Lin, is what she said true? Did you hire her because she requested it? Is your romance really fake?"

Yichen looked at Xiao Qi, his expression indifferent.

Anna looked up at him, her eyes narrowing slightly, and then she smiled at the reporters, "Miss Ye has already made things very clear. There's no need for Yichen to repeat it, is there?"

At this, the reporters' attention immediately shifted to Anna holding Yichen's arm, "May I ask what the relationship is between this lady and President Lin?"

Anna gracefully withdrew her arm, "I am President Lin's business partner and good friend. I came today because I have some business to discuss with Yichen. Well, Miss Ye has already clarified things, and we still have business to discuss. You all should go back now!"

Business between men and women was normal, and even if the reporters felt there was something fishy and wanted to get a scoop, this was Lin Yichen. Without solid evidence, they didn't dare to photograph or gossip wildly.

Moreover, Anna's appearance completely dispelled the reporters' associations between Xiyang and Yichen.

If a man loved a woman, how could he let her come to clarify things alone, and even walk with another woman right in front of her?

The reporters had all left.

Xiao Qi watched their departing backs.

She needed to go inside, too.

She still had to work!