The Only Choice - 23

Zhou Fanfan slept soundly that night.

When she woke up the next day, she was still happy, but a faint sense of puzzlement lingered. Why was Guan Yuanbai being so nice? He'd previously said he was done with the act, so why was he offering to help her again?

Had his family started pressuring him about marriage too, making him rediscover the agony of blind dates and decide that their little "partnership" was the better option?

Zhou Fanfan couldn't quite figure it out, but she decided it didn't really matter. The bottom line was she didn't have to go on any more blind dates, and that was the greatest victory!

During lunch, she used Guan Yuanbai as her excuse to decline Zhao Dezhen's latest matchmaking suggestion.

Zhao Dezhen wasn't upset. After all, of all the potential suitors, Guan Yuanbai was the most outstanding and her personal favorite.

Hearing her granddaughter say she wanted to keep seeing him and see where things went naturally made her very supportive.

Monday arrived.

With classes in the afternoon, Zhou Fanfan spent the morning in the library. After her last class, Xu Xiaoqian dragged her to the basketball courts.

Xu Xiaoqian's boyfriend, Yang Cheng, was an avid basketball player. Whenever he played, Xu Xiaoqian would be there on the sidelines, cheering him on and handing him water.

Zhou Fanfan wasn't Yang Cheng's biggest fan these days, not after how he'd upset Xu Xiaoqian recently. When the two had fought, Zhou Fanfan had spent a long time venting with Xu Xiaoqian, trashing him thoroughly.

And now they were back together… Ugh!

If Xu Xiaoqian hadn't explained at length that it had all been a misunderstanding and coaxed her for ages, Zhou Fanfan would never have agreed to come.

Now, just seeing Yang Cheng felt awkward, especially since she'd said every terrible thing about him in private.

"Fanfan, you came today too," Yang Cheng said during a break, walking over. Xu Xiaoqian promptly handed him water and a towel.

He took them and, in a sickly sweet voice totally unbefitting his size, said, "Thanks, babe."

Xu Xiaoqian ate it up, beaming like a flower.

Zhou Fanfan made a face, utterly grossed out. She gave him a nod in greeting, then went back to watching a variety show on her iPad.

She'd been dragged to watch basketball by Xu Xiaoqian before. She wasn't really into it, usually just chatting with Xu Xiaoqian on the sidelines or entertaining herself.

After drinking, Yang Cheng ruffled Xu Xiaoqian's hair and headed back onto the court.

"Hey, didn't I ask you before to get me her WeChat? How come you never did?" A guy in a black basketball jersey slung an arm around Yang Cheng's shoulder and glanced toward Zhou Fanfan.

"It's not a good idea," Yang Cheng said.

"Why not? Isn't she Xiaoqian's best friend? Getting a WeChat referral should be easy."

Yang Cheng shook his head and sighed. "Buddy, not to be harsh, but I don't think you have a shot."

"Tch. The girl's good-looking, sure, but good-looking doesn't always mean hard to get. I haven't even tried, and you're already shooting me down."

"Looks are secondary. The main thing is, she's loaded," Yang Cheng advised. "The car she drives around in costs over a million. What are you going to use to chase her?"

The guy in the black jersey was taken aback. "Seriously? But… does that mean I can't like her because of that?"

Yang Cheng paused, having no rebuttal. He just shrugged and went back to playing.

There were quite a few girls in the stands today. According to Xu Xiaoqian, it was because a fairly well-known guy from the Computer Science department was playing.

Xu Xiaoqian pointed him out to Zhou Fanfan: the one in the black jersey, named Chen Ke, who also happened to be her high school classmate.

Every time this guy scored, a small wave of cheers and squeals erupted from one section.

Zhou Fanfan glanced at him a few times. He was okay-looking, but just… okay.

For dedicated star-chasers like them, ordinary good looks just didn't move the needle.

She lowered her head and went back to her iPad.

"Xiaoqian, these are for you two." Soon after, a bag appeared in front of them, it contained milk teas. The speaker was Chen Ke.

Xu Xiaoqian looked surprised. "Ah… thank you. You really didn't have to."

Chen Ke glanced at Zhou Fanfan. "It's fine. We're all friends. Didn't want you two getting bored sitting here."

"We're alright," Xu Xiaoqian said. "Is the game almost over?"

"Yeah, just about. Let's all get dinner later. Didn't Yang Cheng just win that award? I promised I'd treat him if he placed. Perfect chance for everyone to go together."

Xu Xiaoqian laughed. "If he won an award, he should be treating. Why would you pay?"

"A promise is a promise," Chen Ke said. "Let's all go together. Your friend too." He turned to leave, but not before his gaze lingered on Zhou Fanfan.

Seeing him look at her, Zhou Fanfan finally tore her attention from her show. "Go together for what?"

"Dinner later. Yang Cheng got a small award with his advisor recently, so we're celebrating," Xu Xiaoqian murmured. "But we can't let Chen Ke pay. I'll have Yang Cheng sneak off and settle the bill later. So, are you coming?"

Zhou Fanfan checked the time. It was three o'clock. She still had plenty of time before she needed to be at Guan Yuanbai's.

Xu Xiaoqian linked arms with her. "Come on, come on, let's eat together. I don't really know the other girls well. It'll be boring if you're not there."

Since Xu Xiaoqian put it that way, Zhou Fanfan didn't refuse. She figured she could leave a bit early when the time came.

"Alright, where are we eating?"

"Not far from campus."

About ten minutes later, the group left campus and took taxis to a pre-booked restaurant.

After they were seated, Chen Ke took the spot to Zhou Fanfan's left.

When the menu arrived, he asked her first what she wanted to eat. With such a big group, Zhou Fanfan wasn't about to order a bunch of dishes for herself. She passed the menu to Yang Cheng, the guest of honor, letting him decide.

When the food arrived, Chen Ke continued to be attentive toward Zhou Fanfan, pouring her drinks, rotating the lazy Susan to bring dishes closer to her, and making conversation.

Before long, pretty much everyone at the table had picked up on the vibe.

Xu Xiaoqian nudged Yang Cheng, her eyes asking what was going on. Yang Cheng leaned in and whispered that Chen Ke wanted to pursue Zhou Fanfan.

Having been by Zhou Fanfan's side for so long, Xu Xiaoqian was no stranger to this kind of situation. Watching Chen Ke's attentive performance, she shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Sure, Chen Ke was considered handsome on campus, but she knew her friend too well. Zhou Fanfan turned a blind eye to all those exceptional blind date candidates, her heart belonging only to the world of celebrity fandom. Chen Ke didn't stand a chance.

"You should talk Chen Ke out of it. It's hopeless," Xu Xiaoqian whispered.

Yang Cheng sighed helplessly. "I already tried. He wouldn't listen."

On the other side, Zhou Fanfan didn't want to be presumptuous, but Chen Ke's actions were a bit too obvious. She was starting to get a hint of his intentions. And when she went out to the restroom, she happened to overhear a conversation between two other girls from their room at the sinks.

One of the girls seemed to like Chen Ke, and the other was comforting her, telling her not to give up so easily and not to just hand Chen Ke over to Zhou Fanfan.

Zhou Fanfan felt a little awkward...

Mainly because, today was the first time she'd even registered Chen Ke's existence. She had no desire to be part of any love triangle.

She waited for the two girls to leave before emerging from the stall.

Just then, Guan Yuanbai called. Zhou Fanfan answered it right there by the restroom entrance.

"Hello?"

"You're supposed to come over today, right?" Guan Yuanbai asked.

Zhou Fanfan: "Yeah."

Guan Yuanbai: "I'll be home around a little after four."

Zhou Fanfan checked the time. It was already four. "That early? But I'm still at campus, I won't have time to prepare today's meal."

"In class? Forget it, then. Focus on your studies."

When it came to academic matters, Guan Yuanbai always had this inexplicable ‘parental’ air, as if he was afraid she wasn't taking her studies seriously.

Zhou Fanfan found it somewhat amusing. "Not exactly. I was watching some classmates play basketball earlier. After the game, everyone decided to get dinner, so a friend dragged me along. We're at a restaurant near campus, though."

Guan Yuanbai was in the car, being driven home. Hearing this, he paused. "Watching classmates play basketball?"

"Mm. I didn't know you'd be back so early. You didn't tell me beforehand," Zhou Fanfan said. "I can grab a taxi back to campus to get my car now."

"Near campus, you said?"

"Yes."

Guan Yuanbai glanced at the navigation. "The route will take me past your university later. Send me the exact address."

Surprised, Zhou Fanfan asked, "You're coming to pick me up?"

Guan Yuanbai replied casually, "Mm. It's on the way."

After hanging up, Zhou Fanfan returned to her seat. As she sat down, Chen Ke considerately asked if she wanted more juice. Catching the somewhat resentful, somewhat sorrowful look from the girl across the table, Zhou Fanfan took a deep breath and declined, saying she'd be leaving soon.

"The food just arrived. You're leaving already?"

Zhou Fanfan: "A friend is coming to pick me up. You all go ahead and eat."

"Don't be like that. It's rare for everyone to get together. There are still a few really good signature dishes that haven't arrived yet."

Zhou Fanfan just smiled and didn't engage further.

Meanwhile, she secretly texted Guan Yuanbai: [Mr. Guan! How much longer? Hurry, hurry, hurry!] 

Guan Yuanbai sent back a question mark.

Zhou Fanfan explained: [If I don't leave soon, I'm going to get dragged into a triangular drama.] 

Guan Yuanbai: [What do you mean?] 

Not wanting to encourage Chen Ke by talking too much, Zhou Fanfan used her phone as a shield against his attentions. Since she had nothing else to do, she explained the situation to Guan Yuanbai. Her final summary was: Come get me, I need to leave.

Guan Yuanbai replied with a simple "OK."

After waiting another ten minutes or so, Zhou Fanfan, who wasn't very hungry, hadn't touched her food and kept checking her phone.

Chen Ke noticed. "Fanfan, is whatever your friend is picking you up for really urgent?"

"Uh... you could say that."

Chen Ke said, "If it's not too urgent, your friend could always join us? We have plenty of food left."

Zhou Fanfan said, "Thanks, but we're probably a bit pressed for time..."

Seeing her determination to leave, Chen Ke looked disappointed. Not wanting to leave empty-handed, he quickly asked, "By the way, Fanfan, I've seen you a few times but never got your WeChat. How about we add each other? If you ever want to watch a basketball game, you can let me know. I'll save you a good seat."

Being from the same university and a friend of Xu Xiaoqian's, Zhou Fanfan felt a bit awkward about refusing outright, but she also really didn't want to add him. Plus, the girl across the table was still staring daggers at her, making her feel like she had pins and needles in her back.

She was just worrying about how to handle this when she suddenly heard someone call her name from behind.

"Zhou Fanfan."

They were at a large table in the innermost part of the restaurant, a relatively quiet area, so the voice was very clear.

Everyone instinctively looked toward the source. A few steps away, a man in black stood, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

He was tall and straight, with a handsome, upright bearing. The restaurant lighting cast a slight shadow under his brow bone, making his eyes seem cool and profound.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

Only Xu Xiaoqian widened her eyes, looking straight at Zhou Fanfan.

Seeing him, Zhou Fanfan breathed a sigh of relief and waved. "Over here, over here!"

Guan Yuanbai walked over and stopped behind Zhou Fanfan's seat. His gaze swept over Chen Ke, noticing the phone in his hand displaying a WeChat QR code.

He'd seen the attempt to get her contact just moments before and recognized him as the male classmate Zhou Fanfan had mentioned in her texts—the one who seemed interested in her.

"Ready to go?" Guan Yuanbai's eyes moved from Chen Ke back to Zhou Fanfan.

Zhou Fanfan nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, just let me grab my bag."

"Fanfan, who is this...?" Yang Cheng was the first to recover and ask.

Zhou Fanfan was still mentally scrambling for a way to introduce Guan Yuanbai when he spoke up himself, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Her blind date."

"…………"

Silence fell over the entire table.

Guan Yuanbai, however, offered a faint, polite smile. "I need to take her for our date now. I hope you don't mind us leaving early.”

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