The Only Choice - 1

 [Sorry, I've given this a serious thought. We're just not a good match.]

Zhou Fanfan tapped the enter key lazily, sending the message off into the digital void.

The next second, she switched screens, pulling up her video editing software to continue working on the clip she'd left half-finished last night.

The moment a sweet girl with bouncy curls appeared on the screen, the dullness in Zhou Fanfan's eyes vanished, replaced by a spark. The irritation left over from the forced ‘blind date’ slowly dissipated, leaving only her fingers flying across the keyboard and an expression of utterly besotted delight.

"Awwww, my darling daughter is just too adorable~"

The editing took her about two hours. Once done, she first tossed the video into a WeChat group, then picked up her phone and sent a voice message: "Hey! Hey! Is anyone there? Come out and appreciate this masterpiece!"

Replies trickled in within seconds.

"Not bad, Fanfan. You're efficient as always."

"In the dark days when our darling daughter goes off-grid, your videos are the only thing keeping me alive."

"Pfft! You dare post something edited like this? Don't make me kneel down in worship right here!"

"Ahhhhh! Damn! Our daughter looks incredible!"

The other three in the group gushed and raved, sending a flurry of voice messages. Zhou Fanfan skimmed through the praise, feeling thoroughly satisfied, then exited the group chat.

She proceeded to upload the finished video to Bilibili. As the progress bar crept along, the WeChat group continued to chime incessantly.

Whenever this group started talking about their ‘darling daughter’, it could go on for ages. The group's very existence was dedicated to her.

This ‘darling daughter’ was the shared object of their devotion—Guan Zhiyi.

Guan Zhiyi is a celebrity. She had debuted in a girl group before transitioning to acting. The four of them had become fans at different times, but once hooked, their devotion was steadfast.

They had honed their skills to the max: video editing, photo retouching, digital art, organizing fan support, you name it.

Their shared, lifelong ambition was simple: to become their precious idol's stepmothers and spoil their beautiful Yiyi rotten!

"By the way, Fanfan, how did things go on your end? Any update on the blind date situation?" Probably because she'd gone quiet in the group, Xu Xiaoqian called her. Of the three in the group, only Xu Xiaoqian was also in the capital and was her real-life friend.

Just thinking about it made Zhou Fanfan feel drained. "Consider it handled, I guess. I just sent him a message saying we're not compatible."

"Ah… But you said he was pretty good-looking."

"What good is good looks anyway?" Zhou Fanfan leaned back in her chair, propping her feet high on the desk, and sighed dramatically. "We have absolutely nothing to talk about. He's six years older than me, that's a whole two generations apart!"

"I guess so."

Zhou Fanfan heaved another sigh. "I don't know what Grandma is thinking, setting me up on these blind dates every other day. I'm only twenty-three! Why must I suffer this fate?"

Xu Xiaoqian cackled on the other end of the line, showing zero sympathy. "She's from an older generation, her thinking is just more traditional. She wants her precious granddaughter to marry well and start a family~"

"Rubbish… Let someone else go on those blind dates. I'm done."

The video finished uploading to Bilibili. After hanging up, Zhou Fanfan used her phone to post the video to her Weibo account as well.

Her Weibo handle was ‘Yiyi's Wild Step-Mom’, and she had 400,000 followers.

Her fans were like hungry chicks, constantly waiting for her to feed them new content, and she never let them down.

Whenever she had time, she rarely missed Guan Zhiyi's press conferences, stage performances, or official airport send-offs/greetings, always managing to capture stunning photos with her powerful camera.

Her editing skills were top-notch too; every video she produced was pure quality.

Today was no exception. It didn't take long for the comments on Weibo to reach several hundred.

Knock knock—

Just as she was repeatedly admiring her own fancut of her idol's various roles, her room door rattled. Unfortunately, she had her headphones on and didn't hear a thing.

"Fanfan! Zhou Fanfan!"

Suddenly, her pink cat-ear headphones were yanked off from behind. Zhou Fanfan jumped, quickly grabbing the cord. "Hey! What was that for?!"

She turned to see a sprightly old lady standing there. The woman wore a traditional-style dress in burgundy, her short, permed hair piled on her head like a fluffy cotton candy cloud, and she was glaring with clear annoyance.

"I should be asking you what you're doing! Explain yourself. What's going on with you and Xiao Lu?"

Seeing her grandmother, Zhou Fanfan felt a familiar sense of dread. She shrank back slightly. "What do you mean, what's going on…"

Zhao Dezhen tapped her on the forehead. "Don't play dumb! Xiao Lu just told me everything. You won't go out to eat with him, you barely reply to his messages. And today, you sent a WeChat saying you're 'not compatible'? How can you possibly know that after just two meetings?"

Ugh, that tattletale! He went running to the elders already?!

Zhou Fanfan mentally stomped on him a few times. "Grandma, I knew he wasn't my type from the first meeting. During dinner, he went on and on about all the awards he won abroad and how many projects he's handled since graduating. It was pure bragging. I just can't connect with him."

Zhao Dezhen narrowed her eyes. "'Can't connect with him' again, is it? That's your excuse every single time. Let me ask you, with you fiddling around with all this celebrity-chasing nonsense all day, what boy could you possibly connect with?!"

"Then let's not connect!" Zhou Fanfan muttered under her breath. "It's not like men are that interesting to talk to anyway…"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing! I just said that guy, Xiao Lu, and I aren't compatible." Zhou Fanfan stood up and sidled over to the old woman, resting her chin on her shoulder in a wheedling gesture. "Grandma~ Don't be angry. I genuinely don't like him; I'm not trying to upset you. Please don't make me talk to him anymore."

The Zhou family had only one granddaughter, and Zhou Fanfan had been spoiled rotten since childhood. Although Zhao Dezhen was angry, if her granddaughter truly didn't like the guy, there wasn't much she could do.

Add the cuteness to the mix, and her resolve crumbled. Frowning, she stewed for a moment before reluctantly giving in. "Fine. Since you really don't like Xiao Lu, I won't force you."

Zhou Fanfan immediately wrapped her in a huge hug. "Yes! Grandma, you're the best~"

"I'll just find you a new one."

"…"

Instant, soul-crushing despair painted across her face.

Zhao Dezhen marched out of her room with an air of finality, clearly ready to dive back into the quest for a suitable grandson-in-law.

This place is no longer safe…

So, that Monday, Zhou Fanfan packed her bags and moved into her university dorm.

She was currently a postgraduate student in Chinese Literature at Jing University. The school wasn't far from home, and she usually commuted by car.

But staying at home was no longer an option.

She had to get away from Grandma! Away from blind dates!

"You really think moving out will make your grandma let you off the hook?" Xu Xiaoqian pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

Not only were they friends, but they were also roommates in the postgraduate dorm.

Their room housed four people. The other two were academic powerhouses who were barely in the dorm during the day, leaving only Xu Xiaoqian, a fellow slacker of similar disposition, to loiter around with her.

Zhou Fanfan waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever. I'm just not going on any more blind dates."

"So, are you going to live on campus from now on?"

"Not necessarily, but I will for a while."

"Good! When you're not here, I have no one to gush about Yiyi with in person. It's torture!"

Zhou Fanfan nodded in understanding. If she weren't averse to sharing a room with multiple people, she would have chosen to live on campus sooner. After all, it meant she could admire their idol's beauty with Xu Xiaoqian every day.

Having a partner-in-crime for fangirling was a wonderful thing.

"Speaking of which, our Yiyi hasn't made an appearance in ages. I miss her so much." Xu Xiaoqian sighed.

Zhou Fanfan's face fell too. "I miss her too. But our darling daughter still has her honeymoon… Who knows how long that will take."

Their idol, Guan Zhiyi, had gotten married recently. On the wedding day, Zhou Fanfan had felt like a father marrying off his daughter. She hadn't slept all night, crying through two whole boxes of tissues.

Because of the marriage, Guan Zhiyi had been out of the public eye for a long time. And now, she is off on her honeymoon… While her fans offered their blessings verbally, their hearts were bleeding inside, knowing it would be a long, long time before they got any new content from their idol.

With Guan Zhiyi on hiatus, Zhou Fanfan's schedule of flying around to events also dried up.

During the day, she attended classes diligently. At night, she stuck to Xu Xiaoqian like glue, watching variety shows and laughing their heads off.

Life was comfortable, but she knew it was just the calm before the storm. Her grandmother would never let this go.

Sure enough, a week later, Zhao Dezhen called. She launched right in, announcing she'd found a truly exceptional candidate for a blind date.

Zhou Fanfan felt her soul leaving her body after just the opening line. "Grandma, I'm super busy with my studies right now. No time! Not going."

"I haven't even finished—"

Zhou Fanfan slammed her milk tea down on the desk with a thump. "No need. I'm not going."

"Oh, you silly child, Grandma is only doing this for your own good." Zhao Dezhen launched into her familiar spiel on the other end of the line. "Our Zhou family line rests on you alone. Your father's health is poor, and his heart isn't in the company. I'm old and don't have many years left. Soon, the entire Zhou Corporation will be yours! How can you possibly manage alone among all those outsiders? How will you protect the Zhou family's legacy? Our family needs a capable partner by your side, you need the support…"

Here we go, here we go. Zhou Fanfan had been hearing this speech since she was seven. It was replayed yearly, and she could recite it in her sleep.

She took a long slurp of her milk tea and acted cute, "Grandma, you're going to live to a hundred, okay? And don't worry, I can always hire a professional team to help manage the company in the future. I know what I'm doing."

"What could you possibly know about it?!"

"Ah? Grandma, the signal's really bad here." Zhou Fanfan had lost all patience. She rubbed the phone against her bedsheet, creating a static-like noise. "Bzzt— crackle— Can't hear you."

"Stop your acting! Be good and go meet him this weekend. This one is really excellent. The Guan family's third son, Yuanbai. That child's family background and personal capabilities are one in a million…"

"Oh! The class bell's ringing! Gotta go, Grandma, bye!"

"Wait—"

Zhou Fanfan hung up before grandma could finish, promptly setting her phone to silent mode.

She leaned back comfortably at her desk and took another slurp of milk tea. "Third son, whatever. I'm the boss here…"

Thud—

Her heart skipped a beat. Something flashed through her mind too quickly to catch.

Huh?

Wait a minute.

Had she just heard something… odd?

Yuanbai? Why did that name sound so familiar?

Zhou Fanfan squinted. The Guan family's third son… Surname Guan…

Guan Yuanbai?

Zhou Fanfan froze instantly. She sat motionless for five or six seconds, then suddenly shot upright.

No way…

It couldn't be…

"X-Xiaoqian." she stammered.

Beside her, Xu Xiaoqian was passionately engaged in a online feud with anti-fans and couldn't be bothered to look over. "Huh? What's up?"

"Um… that… what's the name of our Yiyi's older brother again?"

Xu Xiaoqian was exasperated. "What is this, a pop quiz? Please, save those basic, no-brainer questions for the new fans."

Zhou Fanfan turned her stiff neck towards her friend. "No, just… tell me. What is it?"

"Guan Yuanbai."

---

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