CHAPTER 154: A NAME THAT ONLY SHE KNEW

"You’ve changed a lot..." Qi Jianyi’s gaze lingered on the man seated across from her. Somehow, Xu Yichen—who had clearly been on his way out of the restaurant—had ended up following her into the private dining room.

She had been too lost in her thoughts to stop him. And now, here they were.

Offering a polite smile, she responded softly, "Well, it’s been years since we last met."

"That’s true..." Xu Yichen replied, his tone light, almost nostalgic, before silence once again settled between them—familiar, yet slightly suffocating.

Qi Jianyi shifted slightly in her seat, trying to dispel the awkward air. "How... how have you been?" she asked, her voice tentative as she fumbled for conversation.

Xu Yichen chuckled, sensing the hesitation in her voice. A trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes, barely visible before he masked it with a gentle smile.

"I’m doing well. I graduated recently and... I’m a professor now," he said, leaning forward slightly, propping his chin on his hand.

"A professor?" Qi Jianyi echoed, her eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. Then, slowly, a smile—warm and sincere—spread across her face. "Looks like you really achieved what you wanted."

Her words caught him off guard. That smile, one he hadn’t seen in so long, made something stir in him. He quickly turned his head, ears tinged red as he cleared his throat in a poor attempt to mask his flustered state.

"I did," he replied softly. "I didn’t think you’d still remember my dream."

"It’s hard to forget," she said with a light chuckle. "You used to talk about it all the time."

Xu Yichen let out a laugh, her words pulling him back to a time when everything was simpler—when they were just two teenagers, full of ambition and dreams, untouched by the weight of reality.

"What about you?" he asked, his tone shifting slightly as he looked at her with quiet curiosity. "No one’s heard much from you since high school. Even at the reunion... you didn’t show up."

Qi Jianyi looked away, her eyes drifting toward the window. "I’ve just been busy running my business. Nothing really worth talking about."

Xu Yichen’s eyes softened. "So, you’re not writing anymore..." he said quietly, more to himself than to her.

He already knew the answer. Her name had once been everywhere—on screens, in bookstores, in the hearts of fans across the country. Then, suddenly, it vanished.

She had vanished.

He had tried to find her, to reach out, but every attempt led to a dead end. It was as if Qi Jianyi had deliberately erased her existence from the world that once adored her.

Qi Jianyi met his eyes briefly before offering a nonchalant answer. "At some point, I just stopped writing."

"But you loved writing," Xu Yichen murmured, unable to hide the note of disbelief in his voice.

"Did I?" she asked, tilting her head with a faint, unreadable smile.

"Didn’t you?" he pressed gently, seeking the truth in her eyes.

But Qi Jianyi didn’t answer immediately. After a few seconds, a small mumble left her lips.

"Maybe," she finally replied, her voice quiet. But her heart stirred.

His question pulled at a memory buried deep within her—of someone else who once asked her the same thing. Someone who hadn’t made assumptions.

Someone who had looked her in the eyes and asked: "Do you like writing?"

The question that sounded so simple yet it managed to make Qi Jianyi fall into a deep trance back then.

That memory—so tender, so painful—wrapped itself around her like a whisper from the past. And in that moment, Xu Yichen wasn’t just a familiar face from high school. He was a reflection of a past she had long tried to forget, and a reminder of someone she could never truly let go.

"Jianyi?" Xu Yichen called her name softly, concern etched into his features when he noticed her sudden silence. "Are you alright?" he asked gently as her gaze met his.

"Yeah," Qi Jianyi nodded, taking a small sip from her glass to mask the heaviness in her chest.

"I was just thinking about something," she added casually, forcing a small smile as she redirected the conversation. "What were you saying again?"

Xu Yichen paused, sensing the shift in her mood, but decided not to press. If she wasn’t ready to talk, he wouldn’t push. "Our old friends have been trying to reach you," he said instead.

"We all miss you. How about setting up a time to catch up with everyone?" He watched her closely as he spoke, looking for any sign of hesitation or discomfort.

Qi Jianyi’s brows furrowed slightly at his suggestion, but she responded with a faint smirk. "After all that happened, you’re still willing to look for me?" she teased, though her voice carried a hint of guilt.

"You know it was never your fault," Xu Yichen replied immediately, his tone sincere. "We were young... immature. The truth is, we were the ones who hurt you, not the other way around."

His voice grew quieter, thick with remorse. The memories from those years still stung—especially the ones where he let his emotions spiral and took it out on her.

Just because she couldn’t give him the attention he selfishly demanded, he made a scene... and in doing so, he destroyed something precious.

Qi Jianyi let out a soft laugh, though there was a gentleness in her eyes. "It was so long ago. There’s no point in playing the blame game now, is there?"

Xu Yichen looked at her, a little stunned at how gracefully she let it go. It made the guilt weigh heavier.

"I’m a little busy these days," she continued, "but maybe... I’ll try to make time for the school reunion." Her voice was calm, but her words carried weight.

The reunion was three weeks away. It would give her time to prepare—not just her schedule, but herself. Emotionally. Mentally.

Seeing those familiar faces again would mean revisiting a part of her that she’d convinced herself to leave it behind. But maybe...she could finally find closure for her regrets and move past it.

Finally getting a positive answer, Xu Yichen smiled and lowered his head to take a sip in his drink. In the end, both of them fell back into deep silence.

One was thinking about the past regrets while the other thinks about the future that will unfold once they all reunited again.

...

"Jianyi, how’s work?" Mother Qi asked as she stepped into her daughter’s room, her voice soft and familiar.

Qi Jianyi, lounging on her bed and scrolling through her phone, lifted her head at the sound of her mother’s voice. She saw the gentle smile on her face and quickly put her phone aside before sitting upright.

"Same as always," she replied with a shrug, her tone casual. But then, something crossed her mind, and her expression turned into a scowl. "Oh, but I had to deal with that old man Li again today."

Mother Qi chuckled at her daughter’s grumbling, walking over to the bed and settling down beside her. "Did President Li start nagging you again?"

Qi Jianyi nodded firmly, her face scrunching up as she vented her frustration. "He just won’t stop. Even after I told him clearly I have no intentions of writing anymore, he keeps pushing. It’s like he hears me, but he doesn’t listen."

She let out an exasperated sigh, "Why is it so hard for people to understand when someone says no?"

Mother Qi couldn’t help but laugh again. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard this complaint—and it likely wouldn’t be the last. President Li’s persistence had become somewhat of a recurring theme in their conversations.

Out of all the people who missed Qi Jianyi’s writing, only President Li had the nerve and audacity to keep pestering her like this. And all because his daughter adored Qi Jianyi’s work.

Truth be told, Mother Qi couldn’t help but admire the man’s dedication. He was shameless, yes—but it was all for his daughter. Still, she knew just how exhausting it must be for her own child.

"You know how he is," Mother Qi said, patting her daughter’s arm. "Just let it go in one ear and out the other. Eventually, he’ll tire himself out."

Qi Jianyi sighed again, dramatically shaking her head like a tired sage. "Good thing I’m a mature adult, or I would’ve lost it by now. Honestly, if it were someone else, they might have snapped already." She put on a faux understanding expression, trying to look wise and dignified.

The more Mother Qi watched, the more amused she became. Her daughter really had a flair for dramatics. Then again, where did she get that from?

"Tsk tsk," she muttered with a shake of her head. "Sometimes I wonder who you inherited this side from."

Qi Jianyi gave a wide, cheeky grin. "Dad once told me I was just like you when you were younger," she said teasingly, clearly enjoying herself.

Her declaration made mother Qi gasp in mock horror. "Your dad must’ve been spouting nonsense again. I was never as shameless as you."

At that, Qi Jianyi let out a loud, playful gasp and threw herself into her mother’s arms like a spoiled child.

"Well," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "if being shameless gets me what I want, then I’ll take the title proudly."

Mother Qi let out an exasperated laugh and gave her a gentle slap on the back. "You’re impossible."

But minutes later, the energy shifted. Qi Jianyi’s playful tone faded, her eyes softening as a memory returned—uninvited but persistent.

"I met Xu Yichen today..." she murmured.

Mother Qi stilled for a moment, glancing at her daughter. She saw how her gaze dropped, how her hands suddenly fidgeted in her lap. She reached up and gently stroked Qi Jianyi’s hair, sighing deeply.

"Do you still blame yourself for what happened back then?" she asked quietly. Her voice was kind, but tinged with concern. "Jianyi... you were both just kids. You can’t keep letting what happened years ago hold you back."

Qi Jianyi didn’t answer right away, but the silence in the room said enough. And so Mother Qi simply held her daughter closer, letting her know that even in silence, she was never alone.

"Mom, back then, I thought ruining my relationship with Xu Yichen would be my biggest regret. The kind of pain I’d never move on from," Qi Jianyi said softly, her voice filled with reflection as she leaned into her mother’s warmth.

"But then I realised... maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Or maybe, it was that bad for the younger me—and I’ve just grown past the pain." She paused, fingers lightly brushing over her bedsheet, her gaze distant.

"Or maybe... it’s because there’s something else now. Something that makes me regret far more than anything that happened with Xu Yichen."

Mother Qi glanced at her daughter, brows drawing together in concern and curiosity. The sadness in Jianyi’s voice wasn’t the same sadness she’d heard years ago when things ended with Xu Yichen.

No, this one was deeper. More complex.

"You mean to say... there’s another regret? Something even heavier?" she asked gently. Qi Jianyi didn’t respond immediately, but the look in her eyes gave her away.

Both of them fell into a heavy silence for a few moments before Mother Qi gently spoke, uttering the name of someone Qi Jianyi had long banished from her world.

It was a name she never allowed to be spoken, one that had been carefully buried in the depths of her heart—a name that only she knew.

"Are you talking about that man... Song Chengfeng?" Mother Qi finally asked, her voice laced with a mother’s intuition.