The Only Choice - 13

That night, after Guan Yuanbai finished speaking, he drove her home.

Zhou Fanfan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her heart felt utterly defeated.

He felt she was bothering him.

He no longer wanted to pretend to be her potential match.

So, she couldn't send him things anymore, couldn't send things to Yiyi either, and had lost any chance of seeing Yiyi.

Sure enough, they hadn't managed to hold out until her darling daughter returned.

So sad…

Plagued by sadness and dejection, Zhou Fanfan spent the next two days sighing incessantly, lacking the energy for anything.

"Fanfan, your father called yesterday asking where we're spending New Year's this year. Here, or in France?" Zhao Dezhen walked over and sat beside Zhou Fanfan, who was spaced out on the sofa.

Zhou Fanfan snapped back to reality. "I don't want to spend New Year's abroad. It doesn't feel like New Year's at all. Isn't Dad coming back?"

Zhou Fanfan's father had poor health and had long since stopped working in the company. He liked France, so he went there for recuperation and living, usually returning three or four times a year.

Last New Year, Zhou Fanfan and Zhao Dezhen went to France, but this year she wanted to stay in the country.

Zhao Dezhen said, "I was just asking for your opinion first. If you don't want to celebrate there, I'll have your father come back."

Zhou Fanfan hugged Zhao Dezhen's arm, leaning on her shoulder. "Yes, Grandma is the best~"

"You, always acting cute," Zhao Dezhen said, "But I don't like celebrating New Year's abroad either. You're right, other countries lack the Chinese New Year atmosphere."

"Exactly."

"Good. When your father returns, we'll find an opportunity to visit the Guan family. In the future, when you and Yuanbai—"

"That's not even a sure thing yet!" Zhou Fanfan mumbled, "And it never will be."

"What do you mean? You and Yuanbai aren't working out?"

Zhou Fanfan opened her mouth to say yes. But the next second, afraid Zhao Dezhen would immediately start looking for the next candidate like before, she hemmed and hawed, "That's not what I meant... Well... Let's talk about this later. Oh! Grandma, my supervisor just messaged me. I need to go back to campus!"

"You haven't explained clearly—"

But Zhou Fanfan dashed off swiftly.

Once at school, she told Xu Xiaoqian about the situation with Guan Yuanbai. Thus, the sighing of one person became the sighing of two.

"So, you two haven't been in contact these past few days?" Xu Xiaoqian asked.

Zhou Fanfan shook her head. "You know before, I was always the one initiating contact. Guan Yuanbai never contacted me unless it was related to the elders. Now that we've stopped the pretense, I have no excuse to contact him, and of course, I can't send him things anymore."

Xu Xiaoqian: "And our daughter still hasn't returned. We can't see her either."

"Yeah…"

Xu Xiaoqian patted her shoulder in comfort. "Forget it, it's okay. Even though you didn't get the chance for her to know you, don't forget, you have a book signed by her! And you gave her many small gifts! You've already hit the jackpot."

Put that way, it did make some sense.

Zhou Fanfan suddenly felt a bit happier. "Yeah, it's already really great!"

"Right, look on the bright side. Let's go eat."

Zhou Fanfan: "Huh? Weren't you supposed to have dinner with your boyfriend today?"

Xu Xiaoqian's boyfriend was someone she'd been dating since college. They often ate together, and Zhou Fanfan didn't like being a third wheel.

Xu Xiaoqian: "He said something came up at the research institute; he can't make it. Let's eat together."

"Okay then~"

She had class the next morning, so Zhou Fanfan didn't go home and stayed in the dorm to sleep.

It should have been an ordinary, peaceful day. But who would have thought that close to midnight, the main fan group chat suddenly erupted.

Zhou Fanfan, who happened to be still awake, squinted at the group chat in the dark, and her eyes shot wide open.

Simultaneously, she saw Xu Xiaoqian bolt upright from her bed across the room.

The two looked at each other in the dim environment. Even though they couldn't see clearly, they knew their expressions must be wildly excited!

Because just moments before, someone in the fan group broke the news: Guan Zhiyi was spotted at a foreign airport, preparing to return to China!

OMG OMG OMG!!!

Based on the timing, that meant Guan Zhiyi would land at the capital airport around seven or eight the next morning.

She was finally back!!!

Two other roommates were still sleeping in the dorm. Zhou Fanfan and Xu Xiaoqian didn't dare make a sound, could only switch to vibration mode, and frantically spammed their private four-person group chat!

[Did you see it? Did you all see it?!]

[My daughter!! Darling daughter!!! Mom missed you so much!!!]

[Ahhhhhhh I can't sleep! Finally, we can see our precious one in real life!]

[She'll probably start working again after returning, right? We'll get new content!]

[So beautiful!! Even if the photo is a bit blurry, our daughter's airport photos are always stunning!]

[So happy~~]

…

The four of them went crazy in the group chat until midnight before gradually settling down.

Waking up the next day and seeing some marketing accounts and fan site sisters had already updated with Guan Zhiyi's airport photos, Zhou Fanfan's mood instantly improved a hundredfold.

But what she didn't expect was that an even happier event was about to happen later…

After finishing her morning classes, she suddenly received a call from Grandma Cui Mingzhu of the Guan family.

It seemed Guan Yuanbai hadn't yet told his grandmother that they decided to stop ‘seeing each other’. Over the phone, the grandmother actually invited her to dinner at their house that evening.

Zhou Fanfan's first instinct was, of course, to refuse. After all, Guan Yuanbai had made his position clear, and she didn't want to upset him.

But the words ready to be spoken were completely blocked by Cui Mingzhu's follow-up: "My granddaughter and her husband are back today. It's perfect timing for everyone to have a meal together!"

Zhou Fanfan swore she genuinely didn't want to cause trouble for Guan Yuanbai, didn't want to bother him, or give the elders the impression that there was still something between them.

But! That was her precious Yiyi! If she went, she could see her! Up close! And even talk to her!

At a time like this, what did causing Guan Yuanbai a little trouble matter?!

What did going against her conscience matter?!

At a time like this, she had no conscience, alright?!

So, with trembling hands, Zhou Fanfan very happily agreed.

—

When Xu Xiaoqian found out, she went completely wild.

Before the dinner, she dragged her to get her hair done, bought a new outfit, and applied beautiful makeup, so careful and serious, it was almost like preparing for a sacred ritual.

After the initial excitement, Zhou Fanfan was actually in a bit of a daze, her thoughts not quite connecting smoothly.

Arriving punctually at the Guan residence, their kitchen was still in full swing preparing dinner. She sat in the living room, pulled into conversation by Cui Mingzhu.

Grandma Cui shared many stories about her grandchildren's childhoods. Zhou Fanfan listened attentively but remained tense throughout.

It was as if her soul had split in two. One sat obediently listening to Cui Mingzhu, while the other paced restlessly around the large living room, breathing nervously, constantly glancing towards the door, waiting for that person to appear.

About half an hour later, faint sounds came from outside.

Then, the housekeeper came in carrying several bags. Immediately after, she saw the girl she had been longing for day and night.

Dressed in a black-and-white checkered coat and short boots, her hair was shorter than a few months ago, but her little face was as adorably beautiful as ever, with fair, tender skin that made you want to pinch it.

For a moment, Zhou Fanfan felt the world turn black and white, leaving only Guan Zhiyi in full color.

She almost held her breath. Her mind went blank initially, then, upon realizing it was all real, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry. Really!

However, she held it all back, knowing she couldn't lose her composure.

When she heard Guan Zhiyi point to the person beside her and say, "Hello, I'm Guan Zhiyi, his sister," she couldn't even make a sound, her heart trembling with nervousness.

"Are you Zhou Fanfan?" She heard her ask again, her voice so gentle it could melt her.

Zhou Fanfan secretly took a deep breath, stood up, and forced herself to speak calmly, "I... I am."

"Nice to meet you. This is for you." Guan Zhiyi handed her a souvenir gift bag, saying, "The pastries inside are delicious. I brought them back specially. You must try them."

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome~"

Oh my god, I really saw my daughter…

She's so beautiful and gentle, and she smells so good up close!

She even gave me sweets she brought back from her honeymoon, wuwuwu, how is she so nice!

Zhou Fanfan's heart was a storm of emotions. After the brief greetings, everyone took their seats.

Guan Zhiyi sat beside Cui Mingzhu, chatting with her and sharing interesting stories from her time abroad. It was only then that Zhou Fanfan calmed down a little and noticed two men had arrived with Guan Zhiyi.

One was Guan Zhiyi's husband, Qi Chengyan. The other was Guan Yuanbai.

Right now, Guan Yuanbai was sitting next to her.

Zhou Fanfan felt a flicker of panic when she saw him sit down, afraid he would be displeased, especially since she hadn't mentioned coming today.

But then she thought, it's just this once.

After this, she would absolutely not bother him again. She swore!

"Are you nervous?"

Due to his busy schedule, Guan Yuanbai hadn't found the time to explain the situation with Zhou Fanfan to his grandmother, which led to her being here today.

Before coming, Guan Yuanbai knew seeing her might feel somewhat awkward.

But he hadn't expected her to seem even more uncomfortable.

Then again, it made sense. After what he said that day, it was normal for her not to know how to interact with him in front of the elders.

Hearing his voice, Zhou Fanfan glanced at him. Not knowing how to respond, she simply nodded vaguely.

Seeing her so tense, Guan Yuanbai actually felt a twinge of regret.

That day outside the theater, influenced by work pressure and family urging, his mood hadn't been great, leading to his harsh tone when speaking to her.

To be honest, her sending him those snacks hadn't really bothered him. On the contrary, she was very thoughtful, and the things she made were quite delicious.

He just felt that her doing so wasn't quite appropriate for a young woman.

"Have something to eat. No need to be nervous." Guan Yuanbai cleared his throat, unconsciously offering a comforting word.

Zhou Fanfan made an affirmative sound and said, "Thank you."

The coffee table was laden with various foods—snacks, desserts, and a fruit platter.

"Fanfan, Xiao Wu, dinner will still be a while. You two, have some fruit first."

Guan Zhiyi: "Okay, Grandma."

Zhou Fanfan also nodded, then very swiftly swapped the plates of cherries and strawberries originally in front of her, placing them before Guan Zhiyi.

She knew Guan Zhiyi's favorite fruits were cherries and strawberries.

Guan Zhiyi was momentarily stunned. She had been thinking those two plates were a bit far and was about to just have a grape first, never expecting Zhou Fanfan to directly bring them over.

Both Qi Chengyan and Guan Yuanbai also looked at Zhou Fanfan, who had moved so abruptly.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Fanfan belatedly realized her action might have been too obvious. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she said to Guan Zhiyi, "...For you."

Guan Zhiyi was somewhat surprised. "How did you know I wanted these two fruits?"

Zhou Fanfan's heart leaped into her throat. "I... didn't know. I just wanted to move them closer, so it's easier for you to reach."

"I see. Thank you." Guan Zhiyi gave her a friendly smile.

"You're... welcome."

Damn, I'm dead.

Seeing her precious idol's smile, Zhou Fanfan felt she had instantly ascended to heaven.

---

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