A Billion Stars Can’t Amount to You

It was already evening when she leisurely circled Houhai, pausing a few times in her walk.

She seemed tired from walking—she suddenly stopped at an empty spot. She took some tissues out of her bag, laid them on the ground, and sat down.

After staring pensively out at the lake for a long time, she blinked then lowered her head. Her fingertips explored the ground beneath her, gently picked up a pebble, then crouched as she dug the pebble into the ground and started to draw.

He was afraid she’d notice him, so he kept his distance. From his position, he could tell she was writing something on the ground.

A good while passed before she stopped.

She stared at the words she’d written over and over again in a daze. He Jichen could clearly tell that she was infinitely sadder compared to how calm she was before. Just when he thought she was going to cry, she turned her head and stared out at the lake once more.

Since she crouched for such a long time, her legs were sore. She quickly came to her senses, threw the pebble aside, and got up.

She wiggled her toes on the spot for a while to ease the numbness, then looked down at the floor and walked off.

He Jichen waited until she walked into the distance before he moved to where she’d been sitting.

Darkness fell and the streetlights around Houhai were lit, illuminating the lake and emphasizing the incredibly beautiful landscape.

He Jichen used the pale yellow light from the streetlight and made out the words carved with stone on the ground: I only see you 1 .

He read those simple words a few times before he started to connect the words.

He didn’t know just how many times he repeated those words, as four words ran circles in his mind over and over.

”Yuguang”, ”Manman”, ”Full”, ”My eyes”...

A gust of the evening breeze brought a bone-chilling air which snapped He Jichen out of his daze.

He lowered his eyes to hide the sadness and disappointment in his eyes. He turned his head and looked all over for Ji Yi.

She wasn’t anywhere in sight, so he started to quickly walk in the direction where he’d seen her last. Then, through the window of a bar called Flying Fish, he saw her sitting quietly by a window seat with her head tilted as she ordered a drink from the waiter.

He Jichen stood by the roads and stared at Ji Yi for a while before he stepped into the bar.

The only lights in the bar came from the stage and the candles on each table.

The dim lights made it difficult to see other people’s faces. He Jichen silently gestured for the waiter to come over, and he chose to sit behind Ji Yi. As he took a seat with her back turned towards him, he ordered a cup of green tea from the menu.