The Only Choice - 19

January, evening temperature: -2°C.

Zhou Fanfan drove over from her university and arrived at Xinghe Bay at 5 p.m.

Following the directions from Guan Yuanbai's phone, she parked in his home's parking space. As she wrapped herself in her down jacket and got out of the car, she noticed a black coupe parked nearby, the same one Guan Yuanbai had driven before.

Yesterday, after receiving Guan Yuanbai's call where he said it was hard to explain over the phone and asked if she could come find him here today if it was convenient, she had agreed.

Zhou Fanfan walked to the villa's entrance and glanced at the house next door. The lights were on on the second floor.

It was her first time at Xinghe Bay, but she had seen this place online before.

It was from an earlier news story about Guan Zhiyi. Back then, Guan Zhiyi and Qi Chengyan weren't together yet, and a paparazzo had sneakily photographed her driving into Qi Chengyan's home at Xinghe Bay.

Later, Guan Zhiyi clarified that she had actually entered her own brother's house that night, and Qi Chengyan lived next door.

The house next door...

So, if where she was standing now was Guan Yuanbai's home, then the one next to it was Qi Chengyan's house, the place where her beloved Yiyi currently lived!

Zhou Fanfan felt a surge of excitement. Breathing the same air as her idol made the atmosphere feel sweeter~

"What are you looking at? Come in." Suddenly, Guan Yuanbai's voice came from the intercom next to the door.

Zhou Fanfan immediately pulled her gaze away from the neighboring house and leaned toward the intercom. "The door isn't open. What's the code?"

"410000."

"Oh."

Zhou Fanfan entered the code, the door unlocked, and she stepped inside, pausing in the entryway.

Guan Yuanbai emerged from the living room just then, dressed in greyish loungewear, which made him seem much softer. He held his phone, the screen still showing the intercom system he'd just used to speak with her.

Zhou Fanfan stood somewhat stiffly and greeted him politely, "Good evening, Mr. Guan."

Guan Yuanbai gave a noncommittal "Hmm." "There are slippers in the cabinet. Any are fine."

"Okay."

Zhou Fanfan opened the nearby cabinet. Among a row of black and grey slippers, there was one pair of light yellow women's slippers with a cute little duck on the front.

"Wear the yellow ones. They're what my sister wears when she visits. They might be a bit small for you."

Guan Yuanbai had said it offhandedly, meaning the other slippers were all men's and would be too big for her. But no sooner had the words left his mouth than he saw the person before him instantly blush. Though her eyes were fixed intently on those slippers, her hands were waving frantically.

"No, no, no! I can't wear those! Th-that would be too presumptuous! Not appropriate at all! I'll just wear any pair!"

With that, she bent down, randomly grabbed a pair of light grey slippers, and put them on.

Only then did Guan Yuanbai realize she had latched onto the word ‘sister’ again. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "...Suit yourself. Come over here."

Zhou Fanfan shuffled after him in the oversized slippers, the sound of her steps echoing softly.

Guan Yuanbai sat down on the sofa, took a sip of cold water, and looked up at her.

The men's slippers were indeed far too big for her; she walked with noticeable difficulty.

After his visual assessment, Guan Yuanbai's gaze shifted to her clothes and her clean, makeup-free face.

He remembered how meticulously dressed and made-up she had been for every previous meeting, her clothes always tasteful and elegant. But now it was different. After being exposed, she didn't seem to bother with appearances around him anymore.

Right now, she wore no makeup, a light-colored down jacket, simple jeans, and her hair was tied up in a messy bun, with lots of soft, flyaway hairs framing her face.

She looked even younger than she did when she was all dressed up.

To be honest, she looked soft and round, kind of... cute.

But the stark contrast between then and now was somehow irritating...

Guan Yuanbai took a deep breath. "Sit."

Zhou Fanfan nodded and sat down properly.

"Do you have your class schedule? Can I see it?"

Zhou Fanfan was puzzled. "I do. Why?"

"I'm thinking meal times need to align with your class schedule."

Zhou Fanfan didn't quite understand. "Why? I don't have many classes. I have plenty of time to take you out for meals. Don't worry, Mr. Guan. Whenever you're free, I'm available. I don't mind how many meals it takes."

Guan Yuanbai: "...And what if I said it's not about eating out, but the kind you make at home?"

Zhou Fanfan was surprised. "You mean like the dinners I used to send to your office?"

Guan Yuanbai: "Mhm. Homemade is healthier, after all."

"..."

Zhou Fanfan usually enjoyed experimenting with food and took pleasure in others praising her cooking. She actually liked cooking for family or friends occasionally.

But hearing this from Guan Yuanbai, who clearly disliked her now, felt strange. Didn't he not like it? And ‘homemade is healthier’! As if the restaurants he usually frequented used gutter oil!

Wait, no, the real point was... was he planning to make things difficult for her now?!

"I don't mind cooking a few meals as an apology... but it might be inconvenient. If I cook at home, my grandmother might get the wrong idea again. How about I just treat you to meals out instead? Anything you want!" Zhou Fanfan said cautiously.

Guan Yuanbai thought for a moment. "If you're worried about your grandmother, you can cook here at my place."

Zhou Fanfan: "..."

Guan Yuanbai remained unruffled. "I already gave you the code. You can come over anytime you don't have class."

"Mr. Guan... don't you have a cook?"

Guan Yuanbai turned his head slightly, perfectly composed. "Haven't found a suitable one."

"Really?" Zhou Fanfan muttered. "You can't find a suitable cook?"

Guan Yuanbai: "...Not yet."

Finding a cook was, of course, easy. But yesterday, provoked by Qi Chengyan's words, a thought had flashed in his mind, and he'd suddenly remembered Zhou Fanfan.

To be honest, after dropping her off that day, he genuinely couldn't think of anything she could help him with.

Except for the various delicious foods she had given him before.

Most importantly, he felt he didn't want to simply ‘let her off the hook,’ allowing her to forget the whole matter completely. Nor did he want her to disappear without a trace like she had before.

"What's the matter? If I had a cook at home, would you not intend to keep your promise?" Guan Yuanbai asked.

Zhou Fanfan said, "No, no! Of course I'll do what I promised. Taking you out for meals is no problem. It's just cooking here at your place..."

"Don't worry, usually no one else is home."

"I see. That's good then."

Seeing her acquiesce, Guan Yuanbai quickly seized the moment to conclude, "Good. Then it's settled."

"Wait, wait, wait." Zhou Fanfan asked, "How many meals do I need to cook...?"

Guan Yuanbai raised an eyebrow. "Didn't someone just say she didn't mind how many meals it took?"

Zhou Fanfan gave a dry laugh. "Haha, did I?"

"How about we make it a round number? One hundred meals," Guan Yuanbai said suddenly.

"Huh?"

Guan Yuanbai smiled slightly. "I think it's better to have an upper limit, don't you agree?"

One hundred meals.

An upper limit.

He's definitely planning to make me pay somehow, isn't he...?

And she had just been shooting her mouth off, words she couldn't take back now.

"What's wrong? Any other objections? Go ahead, I'm listening," Guan Yuanbai said mildly. "If you want to take back everything you said, that's fine with me."

He knew perfectly well she wouldn't go back on her word.

Zhou Fanfan gritted her teeth. Fine, it's just a hundred meals. What's the worst that could happen with cooking?

It's not like he could actually... do away with her in his house?!

"I'm not taking it back. One hundred meals it is," Zhou Fanfan said. "But after these hundred meals, what happened between us is settled! You can't be angry anymore, and you can't badmouth me in front of Zhiyi either."

Guan Yuanbai was taken aback, then laughed in disbelief. "When have I ever badmouthed you to her?"

"Just promise you'll maintain my good image in her eyes!"

"..."

"Then... it's happily decided." Zhou Fanfan stood up. "Mr. Guan, I'll be going now?"

Guan Yuanbai pinched the bridge of his nose and waved a hand dismissively.

Zhou Fanfan quickly shuffled away in the oversized slippers.

Two minutes later, she walked out of Guan Yuanbai's house.

The lights were still on on the second floor of the neighboring house. Zhou Fanfan glanced over, and a thought suddenly struck her.

Wait... if it's a hundred meals, that means she'd be coming here frequently for a long time. If you round it off, doesn't that almost count as living in the same area as her beloved idol?!

She might even run into her one evening?

Zhou Fanfan's eyes lit up slightly. Amidst her bewilderment and nervousness, she felt a glimmer of sudden clarity.

If she could run into Yiyi frequently... then even if she was being punished... so be it!

A true Yiyi fan fears nothing!

---

The next day, Zhou Fanfan had classes in the afternoon.

After class, she checked her phone. Seeing no message from Guan Yuanbai saying he was working late, she drove towards his house.

Parking her car in the same spot as the previous night, she entered using the passcode on Guan Yuanbai's door lock.

"You're quite early."

Just as she reached the living room, a familiar voice came from the upper right. Zhou Fanfan turned her head sharply towards him. "Y-you're home?"

Guan Yuanbai walked down leisurely, his voice carrying a hint of lazy indifference. "Had nothing this afternoon, so I didn't go in."

"Oh..." Zhou Fanfan had been thinking she could leisurely cook alone in his house. She hadn't expected him to be home, which made her a bit nervous. "Um, are you hungry? Should I start cooking now?"

Guan Yuanbai seemed rather pleased that she was actually keeping her promise. He gave a faint smile and said, "Suit yourself."

Zhou Fanfan nodded and walked into his kitchen.

The kitchen was large but also very unfamiliar. Zhou Fanfan looked around, inspecting the cookware and seasonings, then went to the refrigerator.

The moment she opened the fridge, she froze.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Fanfan came out of the kitchen and addressed Guan Yuanbai, who was sitting in the living room. "Mr. Guan... there's nothing in the fridge. What am I supposed to cook?"

Guan Yuanbai had a book resting on his knee, not yet opened. He turned to look at her upon hearing her voice. "No ingredients at all?"

Zhou Fanfan: "...None."

Guan Yuanbai was completely unfazed. "Oh. I forgot to buy groceries."

For a split second, Zhou Fanfan was speechless. But then she thought, it made sense that someone who didn't cook wouldn't have food in his fridge.

"Is there a supermarket nearby?"

Guan Yuanbai: "There's one within the complex."

"Then I'll go buy some ingredients now." Zhou Fanfan picked up her keys from her bag and headed for the door again. After a few steps, she turned back. "Do you want to come with me?"

Guan Yuanbai was taken aback. "You... want me to come along?"

"Mhm."

Guan Yuanbai's eyebrow rose slightly in surprise. He stared at her for a moment, then moved the book from his knee to the side.

"Since you want me to, then I—"

"If it's too much trouble, it's fine if you don't come. I don't mind." Zhou Fanfan interrupted him. "It's mainly because I don't know what you'd like to eat, so I thought you could come along and see. If you don't come, you can just text me."

Guan Yuanbai's movement halted. He gripped the corner of the book, the veins on the back of his hand slightly prominent.

Zhou Fanfan tilted her head, waiting for his definitive answer. Seeing his expressionless face, she assumed he probably didn't want to go. So she said, "Then just text me. I'll be back soon."

"Did I say I wasn't going?"

"Huh?"

Guan Yuanbai tossed the book onto the sofa, strode towards her, passed by her, and coldly tossed out the words "Keep up" before walking out the door first.

Zhou Fanfan: "..."

Xinghe Bay was very large, containing all the facilities residents needed for daily life. The supermarket was a bit far from Guan Yuanbai's house, requiring a six or seven-minute drive.

Zhou Fanfan drove her own car. Guan Yuanbai sat in the passenger seat, glancing around the interior.

The car was plum pink on the outside, and all the little trinkets inside were pink too: a pink pig plushie, pink hanging ornaments, it was decked out like a children's amusement ride.

Guan Yuanbai rested an elbow on the window frame, frowning slightly, regretting his momentary lapse of judgment that made him agree to come along...

Oh well, he could just consider it showing her the way, so the kid wouldn't get lost trying to buy groceries later.

A few minutes later, Zhou Fanfan parked the car in a spot outside the supermarket.

They got out and went straight in. Earlier in the kitchen, Zhou Fanfan had noticed the seasoning section was missing many items, so she headed there first.

Guan Yuanbai, with one hand in his pocket, pushed the shopping cart, lagging a few steps behind her.

"Aren't we here for ingredients? What are you getting here?"

Zhou Fanfan didn't look back, carefully examining items on the shelves. "You rarely cook, right? You don't have oyster sauce at home, or Sichuan peppercorns... you're missing a lot of things. If we're going to cook later, we need to get them all today."

Hearing this, Guan Yuanbai fell silent and simply waited nearby.

Zhou Fanfan was picking things rather slowly, taking a long time to choose one item from several options.

Watching her sluggish pace, Guan Yuanbai reminded her, "You don't need to be so meticulous with seasonings. For home cooking, it's fine to be less picky."

"We can't be careless. You can't cut corners with things your family eats."

Your family.

Who exactly was 'family' here?

Guan Yuanbai glanced at her, feeling puzzled, strange, and yet, inexplicably... somewhat pleased.

After painstakingly selecting various seasonings, Zhou Fanfan moved into the sauce aisle, filled with salad dressing, black pepper sauce, ketchup... a wide array.

Guan Yuanbai waited nearby, expecting her to take another long time choosing. But surprisingly, this time she was very quick. She didn't even look closely, directly grabbing a specific brand of salad dressing and ketchup and placing them in the cart.

Guan Yuanbai asked casually, "How come you're not being picky with these?"

"No need to pick. Just get this one."

"Why? Is it especially good?"

Zhou Fanfan turned to him, her eyes bright. "Of course! It's endorsed by Zhiyi. It must be good."

"…………"

Zhou Fanfan beamed and continued walking ahead. Guan Yuanbai looked down, picked up the ketchup bottle, and indeed found his sister's photo on the label.

His face impassive, Guan Yuanbai tossed the ketchup back into the cart.

'You can't cut corners with things your family eats'??

If all these seasonings were endorsed by Guan Zhiyi, you'd probably be very careless indeed!

---

Author's Note:

Fanfan: My idol's endorsements? Blind faith is totally fine, okay?!

---

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