The Only Choice - 2

 As die-hard fans of Guan Zhiyi, they naturally knew their idol's background inside and out.

Guan Zhiyi, nicknamed Xiao Wu, was born into the prominent Guan family, a well-known wealthy family in the capital. As for why she was called Xiao Wu (Little Five) it was because there were five children in her generation of the Guan family, and she was the youngest.

She had one biological older brother, named Guan Yuanbai, who ranked third among the five Guan cousins.

There are many people with the same name in the world, and there might well be another 'Guan Yuanbai' in the capital.

But in this city, with such a specific reference as 'the Guan family's third son,' it was hard to imagine it pointing to anyone else.

"What's wrong, Fanfan?"

Zhou Fanfan took a deep breath and picked up her phone. "It's nothing... I'll tell you later. I need to call my grandma back first."

"Okay."

Zhou Fanfan stepped out of the dorm room. Her first instinct was to rush straight home, but after a moment's thought, she decided to call Zhao Dezhen first to confirm.

On the other end, Zhao Dezhen was somewhat astonished to see the incoming call. "You heartless girl, hanging up on me like that!" she answered.

"Grandma, the person you just mentioned setting me up with… is his name Guan Yuanbai?" Zhou Fanfan's words came out in a rapid-fire burst, and if one listened closely, there was a slight tremble in her voice, one of excitement.

Zhao Dezhen paused. "Yes, it is."

"Which Guan Yuanbai?"

Zhao Dezhen tutted. "How many Guan Yuanbais do you think there are? You know the Guan family, right? Last month, I took you to that banquet. Remember the old lady who spoke to you? That was Yuanbai's grandmother. Well, a couple of days ago, I ran into her again at a jewelry appraisal event. We chatted a bit about matchmaking for our grandchildren, and she mentioned she'd like to match her grandson up too…"

The banquet? Guan Yuanbai's grandmother?

Zhou Fanfan had no memory of it whatsoever.

She hated those kinds of formal occasions. Whenever she accompanied Zhao Dezhen, she just went through the motions, never paying attention to who she met or what was said.

Her heart was pounding, but she forced herself to stay calm. "...How come I've never heard you say you know the Guan family before?"

The Guan family was illustrious in the capital. While Zhou Fanfan had grown up in privilege herself, the Zhou family's business was nowhere near the scale of the Guan's, so their paths had never really crossed.

"We didn't know them before; our businesses don't overlap. So I was also surprised when Old Madam Cui mentioned wanting to set you up with her grandson. But it's a good thing! Oh, right, you quite like their granddaughter, the actress, don't you? What's her name… Zhiyi. Guan Zhiyi, right?"

"Mhmm…"

"But that's not the point. The point is, Grandma has checked him out discreetly, and Yuanbai is a truly excellent young man. Fanfan, I know you dislike these setups, but—"

"I don't dislike it."

"...What?"

Zhou Fanfan stared blankly into the distance. "I suddenly feel… that I might not mind it after all."

Over the past two or three years, blind dates had become routine for her. If it wasn't this one, there would absolutely be another.

So, since she had to go on them anyway, why not go on one with her idol's… well, not her idol, but her idol's brother!

This was fate! And since it was fate, she should heed it.

Besides, who knows? Maybe through this blind date, she'd get to meet her precious Yiyi, who had been absent from the public eye for so long!

And so, Zhou Fanfan decided on the spot that she would go on this blind date.

Hearing her agreement, Zhao Dezhen was delighted, laughing heartily as she immediately sent over Guan Yuanbai's mobile number.

Zhou Fanfan's heart hammered as she looked at the string of digits, but she didn't dare make a move.

While the usual protocol for these things was to call or text first to say hello and chat a bit before the meal…

This was Guan Yuanbai. She was nervous.

This nervousness felt familiar, like that time at Guan Zhiyi's birthday fan meet, where she was separated from her darling daughter by just a barrier, close enough to catch the faint, sweet scent of her perfume. It made her feel giddy, like her heart was about to take flight.

Guan Yuanbai didn't seem inclined to chat beforehand either. In the following days, he didn't contact her once.

Not that it mattered. The date had been arranged by their elders for a specific restaurant that weekend, requiring no direct communication between them.

So, that Saturday, Zhou Fanfan headed directly to the address her grandmother had given her.

It had rained that day, leaving the streets outside glistening and wet. Pedestrians hurried past, umbrellas still in hand.

Settled in the back seat of the car, Zhou Fanfan took two more deep breaths. Her phone, placed beside her, chimed repeatedly with new messages.

Finally steeling herself, she picked it up.

Grandma: [Don't mess this one up. If you do, don't bother coming home.]

Zhou Fanfan: "…"

She ignored that message entirely and opened the chat with Xu Xiaoqian instead. [I feel so guilty.]

Xu Xiaoqian: [?]

Zhou Fanfan: [I remember our dream. I remember we vowed to be our darling daughter's stepmothers forever. But now… I'm going to try to become her sister-in-law. I've betrayed our cause. I feel guilty.]

Xu Xiaoqian: [Get lost.]

Zhou Fanfan sent two whining emoji stickers. [Not just guilty, I'm also nervous. What do I do? How should I act? What should I say?]

Zhou Fanfan had only told Xu Xiaoqian about the blind date with Guan Yuanbai.

When Xu Xiaoqian found out, she was utterly shocked, and in her excitement, nearly shook Zhou Fanfan to pieces.

Xu Xiaoqian: [Don't you dare be nervous. Just talk less and act more refined. Remember, be elegant! Pleasant! You have to project the image of a well-bred young lady from a good family!]

Zhou Fanfan: […Roger that!]

Xu Xiaoqian: [Don't panic. It's not like this is your first blind date. Get a grip, Zhou Fanfan! My future chances of getting a personalized signed photo from our darling daughter, maybe even a picture with her, all depend on you now!]

A personalized signature! A photo together!

Suddenly, Zhou Fanfan felt all her nervousness vanish!

"Miss, we've arrived," the driver said soon after, pulling over and turning to her.

Zhou Fanfan nodded. "Okay."

The driver got out, opened an umbrella, and came around to open her door.

"Uncle Chen, you can head back. There's no need to wait for me," Zhou Fanfan said.

The driver looked hesitant.

"I'm already at the door; I'm not going to run away," she assured him. "Tell Grandma to rest easy. I'm taking this seriously and won't leave."

The driver finally smiled. "Alright."

The restaurant for tonight's date was a French establishment. A server took her umbrella and coat from Uncle Chen and escorted her inside.

Inside, her eyes met French-style pillars and a warm-toned design with carved decorative elements—elegant, upscale, yet not lacking a unique romantic atmosphere.

"Right this way, Miss Zhou."

After she gave Guan Yuanbai's name, the server led her upstairs.

A mirror was placed on the curved section of the staircase. As Zhou Fanfan passed it, she caught her own reflection.

A meticulously applied makeup, an elegant little white dress, and flowing, lovely hair.

She had put considerable effort into her appearance for today's meeting with Guan Yuanbai. She'd hired a makeup artist, had her hair done just yesterday, and bought the dress specifically for the occasion.

This look wasn't her usual style at all, but it suited her surprisingly well.

In Xu Xiaoqian's words, she looked like a pure, innocent, delicate white flower, and a very expensive-looking one at that.

Upstairs, there were noticeably fewer tables than downstairs, creating a more intimate and quiet ambiance.

From a distance, Zhou Fanfan spotted a figure. There were other people seated upstairs, but with just one glance, she felt sure that he was Guan Yuanbai.

Sure enough, the server led her in that direction.

As she got closer, his features became clearer.

She didn't know if Guan Yuanbai had seen a photo of her, but as she approached, he looked up.

The soft, ambient lighting of the French restaurant fell on his eyelashes and skin, casting a hazy golden glow that made him resemble a piece of exquisitely carved jade.

She had seen him before online and in some business and finance interviews.

There was a certain gentleness to his features, and he was exceptionally handsome. No wonder so many of Guan Zhiyi's fans, upon seeing leaked photos of Guan Yuanbai, had howled about wanting to become Guan Zhiyi's sister-in-law.

She had scoffed at that back then!

But who would have thought that she would be the one actually taking steps to become that sister-in-law.

Not that it was a bad deal at all…

Seeing him in person, Guan Yuanbai was even more handsome.

Look at that aura! Look at those features!

As expected of her idol's full brother, he shared a solid twenty percent resemblance with her beloved Yiyi!

"Hello, Miss Zhou," Guan Yuanbai said, rising as she reached the table.

Zhou Fanfan had purposely worn high heels today, but even so, she was still a good half-head shorter than him.

Snapping back to reality, she forced herself to appear composed as she shook his hand. "Hello, Mr. Guan. I'm Zhou Fanfan."

"I know," Guan Yuanbai replied with a faint smile. "Please, have a seat."

Zhou Fanfan made an affirmative sound and offered what she hoped was an ‘elegant and well-bred’ smile. "Alright."

Once seated, a server came over with menus.

Guan Yuanbai gestured to Zhou Fanfan. "Miss Zhou, please."

Zhou Fanfan restrained herself from staring at his face. Her hands, resting on her knees, trembled slightly. "Anything is fine, I'm not picky. Please, you order."

Seeing this, Guan Yuanbai didn't insist. "Alright. Any dietary restrictions?"

"No."

Guan Yuanbai lowered his gaze to the menu, and because of that, Zhou Fanfan felt bold enough to let her eyes linger on his face.

From this angle, his eyelashes were very long, just like Yiyi's.

His lips were nice too, thin and with a light hue, perfectly shaped. Wait, no, there was a flaw here. While nice, they weren't like Yiyi's.

His nose, however, was similar—both very straight. And his skin was also…

"Can you drink red wine?" Suddenly, the man across from her looked up.

Zhou Fanfan's brightly shining eyes met his directly. Both were momentarily caught off guard.

"Is something wrong?"

Zhou Fanfan: "...It's nothing."

Guan Yuanbai didn't press further, simply repeating his question about the red wine. Zhou Fanfan gave a ‘reserved’ nod. "I can drink a little."

"Then I'll order juice for you instead."

Zhou Fanfan was more than accustomed to the blind date routine. In the past, she'd just power through, focus on eating, and occasionally throw out a random comment or two to test the guy's patience.

But this time, she was acutely aware that she needed to maintain an image. Today, she was the gentle, graceful, and poised Zhou Fanfan. Just stuffing her face was out of the question, and trying to provoke Guan Yuanbai was even more unthinkable.

So, although she was happy to be there, she felt unusually constrained throughout the meal.

"Miss Zhou, you seem quite young," the man across from her remarked after a while.

Zhou Fanfan took a small sip of water. "Yes, I'm one year younger than your sister."

Guan Yuanbai paused briefly. "It seems you're quite familiar with my family."

Zhou Fanfan nodded, smiling without showing her teeth, as a proper young lady should. "Your sister is a big star. Of course I know of her."

I don't just know of her, I'm a fan! I adore her!! Wuwuwu your sister is the most adorable girl in the whole world!!

Guan Yuanbai probably was used to his sister's fame and didn't comment further, simply saying, "You're quite young. Why did you agree to a blind date arranged by the elders?"

"Because I knew it was you."

The fingertip resting on his glass stilled. "Oh?"

Crap… I got too excited and spoke too directly.

"Knowing it was me is why you came?" Guan Yuanbai asked, seeming to seek confirmation.

Zhou Fanfan thought for a moment and decided it was better to be subtle.

She couldn't say it was because he was Guan Zhiyi's brother, because she was crazy about his sister. Saying that might make him think she was some kind of weirdo…

Besides, if this blind date fell through, not only would her grandmother be furious, but her chance to see her precious Yiyi would vanish too.

Zhou Fanfan didn't want to explain fully, but she didn't want to lie either. She hedged, "Well, I… I wanted to get to know you."

A flicker of surprise passed through Guan Yuanbai's eyes, as if this was unexpected. He looked at her for a few moments before saying, "Miss Zhou, I assumed you were like me, pressured into coming."

Zhou Fanfan was taken aback. She looked up at him.

He said calmly, "I'm sorry, but I think I should be clear with you. I'm only here because my grandmother insisted. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now."

Huh? That's it?

Was she being rejected before things had even started?

The thought of her failed sister-in-law mission brought a fleeting two seconds of disappointment.

Guan Yuanbai continued, "After I go back, I'll explain things clearly to my family. You—"

"It's fine, there's no need to explain anything or apologize," Zhou Fanfan interrupted, her cheeks flushing slightly with urgency. She kept her eyes downcast and murmured softly, "It's okay if you don't want a relationship. I… I just want to be friends."

---

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