The Healing Sunshine (一厘米的阳光)

Chapter 17.1 - Beneath the Same Roof (1)

Jì Chengyang bent down and clamped both his hands on her shoulders, wanting to continue telling her that she could not be so willful and just shut off her mobile phone whenever she felt like it, that regardless of what happened, she could not solve her problems this way.

Before her eyes was Jì Chengyang's face.

Because the headlights were beaming directly onto them, his seldom-seen blatant anger was highlighted, and she felt very frightened.

"Why didn't you call me first and tell me where you had gone?"

"My phone's battery died," Jǐ Yi explained, her voice soft. "My phone's battery died. It wasn't because I shut it off. And there were no shops that had phones for public use. There were only those types of telephone booths that you need to plug a card in to use. If you don't have an IC card, you can't use those... I wasn't able to catch a cab. There are no cabs out and about... It could be because of SARS that no cabs are out working. So, I waited for the bus..."

The glow of the headlights shining on her made her face seem terribly pale. And then, she suddenly said, "Nuannuan knows. She's really mad."

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The weight of all of the different negative scenarios that he had speculated on was still crushing down on him.

Earlier, he had received Nuannuan's phone call and rushed back. After managing to calm that little niece of his, who had been sobbing until she was an utter mess, and taking her back to her school, he had been unable to get ahold of Jǐ Yi. Or it should be said, since receiving that phone call from Jì Nuannuan while he was still at the television station, he had been unable to get ahold of her.

He was not able to keep himself from being angry.

Even after she explained things to him, he still was unable to make all the stress that had amassed for more than two hours completely dissipate.

"I know. I've already talked with her about this matter." Jì Chengyang said quietly, "We'll go home first and then talk about it."

"Mm."

They were already standing in a place not far from the entrance gate to the community compound, so Jǐ Yi did not get into the car with him and simply waited for him at the top of the stairs outside of the underground parking garage. As Jì Chengyang strode up from the bottom of the stairs, his hand holding his car keys, he saw her outline enveloped in the hazy moonlight. She was dressed in a rather thick, rose-coloured hoodie and a slim pair of beige pants, and her hair draped down over her shoulders—a very pure and innocent, young-girl type of look.

She was waiting quietly for him.

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Jì Chengyang recalled what Nuannuan had said when she threw herself into his arms and sobbed. These were all things he had carefully thought through before, so they had not been much of a surprise to him. Because he was a twenty-six-year-old, mature adult man, this situation was one he had considered long ago. But it was different for Jǐ Yi. She still was not mature enough yet. He had not yet had the opportunity to talk thoroughly and in detail with her about all these future hindrances and obstacles before, without any warning, accusations were already being hurled at her.

The brunt of the responsibility should fall on him, should it not?

Jì Chengyang gave a slight laugh. From the bottom of the darkened staircase, he walked up, facing into the moonlight.