The Only Choice - 25

Everyone coming and going was glamorous and polished.

It seemed everyone had their own purpose for being here, unlike her, who truly had nothing to do. In the past, her grandmother had insisted on bringing her; now, she was just accompanying Guan Yuanbai.

Zhou Fanfan took a couple of bites of a small pastry. Thinking that Song Li and Yan Chenghuai probably had their own things to attend to, she suggested they didn't need to stay with her, that she'd be fine on her own.

Yan Chenghuai said, "It's fine. Since Yuanbai asked us to, we'll stay with you a bit longer."

"I'm not bored, really, it's okay."

"But it's not about being bored," Song Li chimed in, picking up the thread. "My guess is, Yuanbai wants us here in case someone decides to give you a hard time."

Zhou Fanfan was puzzled. "Give me a hard time? Why?"

A glint of gossip sparkled in Song Li's eyes again. "You noticed the woman in the red dress earlier, right?"

Zhou Fanfan nodded.

"That was one of Guan Yuanbai's former… let's call them 'potential matches.' Well, not exactly an arranged meeting, they already knew each other. Their families initially hoped they'd hit it off, but Yuanbai wasn't interested, so it fizzled out. However, Yao Ruo, that's the woman, she liked Yuanbai."

A light bulb went off for Zhou Fanfan. No wonder she'd felt the red-dressed beauty's gaze was a bit off earlier.

Song Li continued, "Yao Ruo has a bit of a princess complex. If she found you alone, she'd likely come over and snipe at you a few times. And let's be real, Yuanbai is quite the catch. Many of the eligible women here have their eyes on him. You, as his date for today, make an easy target."

Zhou Fanfan understood instantly. As expected of my son! His popularity is through the roof!

Seeing her keen interest, Song Li proceeded to fill her in on the various women present who had crushes on Guan Yuanbai and their respective ‘histories’ with him. He pointed out which ones were from families that had tried to set something up which ultimately failed, and which ones had confessed to him directly only to be politely but firmly rejected.

Zhou Fanfan listened with rapt attention.

Yan Chenghuai shook his head helplessly at one point, shooting Song Li a look that clearly said: That's enough.

Chastened by the glare, Song Li grinned and toned it down. Soon after, a pretty girl came over to talk to him, and he finally stopped regaling Zhou Fanfan with stories, leaving with a smile.

"He's just like that, talks a lot. Don't mind him," Yan Chenghuai said.

Zhou Fanfan waved it off. "It's fine, it's fine. It was… actually quite interesting."

Unlike Song Li, Yan Chenghuai wasn't much of a talker. Seeing Zhou Fanfan wasn't initiating conversation, he didn't force it, simply staying nearby as Guan Yuanbai had asked, keeping an eye on her—though it made him feel a bit like a babysitter.

After they had been standing there for a while, Yan Chenghuai took a phone call.

He discussed some investment matters. Standing close, Zhou Fanfan unavoidably overheard snippets. They were talking about two novels she was very familiar with, seemingly planning to adapt them into dramas.

After Yan Chenghuai hung up, Zhou Fanfan couldn't help but ask, "You're involved in film and TV investments too?"

Yan Chenghuai replied, "Not really. It's just a recent thought."

"Is that so? Are those two novels really being adapted?"

"Yes. A producer friend asked if I was interested."

"Well, those two genres are quite different. One is female-oriented, the other male-oriented. One is an inner-chamber power struggle drama, the other a fantasy epic. Hmm… the latter would definitely require a huge post-production investment, no wonder they're seeking major investors."

Yan Chenghuai looked slightly surprised. "You've read both?"

When it came to novels, Zhou Fanfan perked up. "Of course! I read widely. I've basically read all the notable ones."

Yan Chenghuai smiled. "Really? Then which one do you think has more investment potential?"

"Me?..." Zhou Fanfan thought for a moment. "If I had to choose, I'd pick the inner-chamber drama. I found it utterly captivating when I read it, stayed up all night finishing it! If adapted well, it should be great. Oh, I'm not saying the other story is bad, it's just that the adaptation difficulty is too high, and the special effects requirements are immense. You know, there have been quite a few adaptations of that genre over the past couple of years, and honestly, if you slip up, they can crash and burn spectacularly."

Noticing Yan Chenghuai seemed to be pondering her words, she quickly added, "Uh, that's just my casual opinion, purely from a viewer's perspective."

"A viewer's perspective is important too," Yan Chenghuai said. "Why don't you tell me the general premise of both? I was only planning to invest in one IP anyway."

"Sure! I can even tell you what's been hottest over the last couple of years."

…

When Guan Yuanbai returned after making his rounds socializing, the scene that greeted him was Yan Chenghuai and Zhou Fanfan leaning to the side, chatting and laughing quite happily.

He didn't know what they were discussing, but Zhou Fanfan's eyes were sparkling, her grin practically reaching her temples.

Guan Yuanbai walked over.

"Yuanbai, you're back." Yan Chenghuai spotted him first.

Hearing this, Zhou Fanfan also looked over. Upon seeing him, the smile on her face noticeably cooled.

Guan Yuanbai's brow furrowed slightly. What's that supposed to mean? Am I interrupting?

"Mn. I'm about done here, planning to leave," he replied to Yan Chenghuai.

"So soon?"

"I've made the rounds. Nothing else to do, so I'll head off. What about you?"

Yan Chenghuai glanced around and straightened up. "Alright then, you two go ahead. I'll go find Song Li."

"Mn."

Yan Chenghuai then looked at Zhou Fanfan. "Miss Zhou, I gained some valuable insights today. Thank you. Let's chat again another time."

Zhou Fanfan was momentarily flustered and surprised. When had someone from the business world ever told her they'd 'gained insights' from her?

"Ah… You're welcome. Next time, let's chat next time."

After Yan Chenghuai left, Guan Yuanbai gave Zhou Fanfan another once-over. "What were you talking about that had you so happy?"

Zhou Fanfan was a little excited. "We were talking about novels!"

"Novels?"

"Yeah! Mr. Yan is considering investing in some IPs recently, so I told him about the content of those novels, and also about the market trends and production teams in recent years. Because of Zhiyi, I happen to know a lot about this stuff."

Guan Yuanbai understood. No wonder she was so happy. He'd thought it was because of Yan Chenghuai, but it turned out it was just her talking about something she was interested in.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Guan, we can go home now, right?"

"Yes."

Zhou Fanfan's delight was visibly obvious."Then let's go quickly!"

"Mn."

As they walked out together, they ran into the woman in the red dress again, Yao Ruo.

Guan Yuanbai glanced at her sideways and suddenly said, "Take my arm."

Zhou Fanfan looked at his slightly proffered elbow, then at the beauty a few steps away staring directly at them, and understood. She gently linked her arm with his.

The woman in the red dress's face visibly fell again.

Zhou Fanfan felt a bit awkward but had to play along. After leaving the reception, she asked, "Song Li said that woman in the red dress likes you, right?"

Guan Yuanbai halted his steps. "He told you that?"

"Uh-huh…and more. He said there are several of your former 'potential matches' here at this event tonight."

The corner of Guan Yuanbai's mouth twitched. He immediately felt the urge to kick Song Li again. "Ignore him."

"What he said was quite interesting! Your history of matchmaking attempts rivals mine, Mr. Guan. Quite impressive!"

"…"

Completely oblivious to Guan Yuanbai's expression, Zhou Fanfan continued on her own, "But after looking around, I still think that woman in the red dress is the prettiest and has the best figure! Eh… why don't you like her?"

Guan Yuanbai said coldly, "Just because someone is good-looking and has a good figure means I have to like them?"

"What else do you men look at then?"

Guan Yuanbai was stumped. He turned and stared at Zhou Fanfan for a good while before saying, "What about the feeling?!"

"What feeling?"

"The feeling of liking someone."

Zhou Fanfan looked confused. "If a feeling leads to liking, then where does the feeling come from? Isn't it based on whether the other person catches your eye? So, it still comes down to looks and figure, right?"

Guan Yuanbai nearly got tangled in her logic. He frowned. "What kind of theory is that?"

"It just makes sense…"

Guan Yuanbai retorted, "Have you ever liked someone, ever been in love? A young girl like you, with such a shallow theory."

At this, Zhou Fanfan felt unconvinced. "How is it shallow? I think it's true. And I have been in relationships! In middle school, high school, and university."

Guan Yuanbai was stunned. "Middle school??"

"Yeah, my first love was in middle school," Zhou Fanfan said seriously. "And after those experiences, I discovered something."

Guan Yuanbai: "…What?"

Zhou Fanfan shook her head, leaned slightly closer to his ear as if sharing a big secret, and whispered, "Being in a relationship is really not interesting at all."

As for the notion that dating was uninteresting, Zhou Fanfan had really only needed one proper experience to confirm it.

Middle school and high school were just years of youthful ignorance, blindly following trends. Back then, everyone was experiencing their first crush, so she too, somewhat muddled and unaware, dated a boy.

Later, she found that between finishing homework and secretly finding time to hold hands with a boy was utterly exhausting, so she broke up with him for no particular reason.

In university, everyone started dating openly. She hadn't been interested initially, and even found it strange when her roommate was all sweet and lovey-dovey. Is it really that enjoyable?

Her roommate at the time had retorted that Zhou Fanfan just hadn't met the right person.

She asked what constituted the 'right person.' Her roommate said, someone handsome who treats you well, that's the right person. Dating someone like that is definitely interesting.

Zhou Fanfan was a bit lost, wondering if her previous boyfriends hadn't been handsome enough.

In her second year of university, she got together with a popular, good-looking guy from her department who had pursued her for a while. To be fair, she had started dating him because she felt somewhat attracted to him, he was genuinely good-looking, like a trainee idol.

But the good times didn't last. During that period, she was obsessed with chasing a particular talented singer. Because she kept flying to other cities for fan events, her ‘trainee idol’ boyfriend got into arguments with her, demanding she choose.

Stopping her from chasing her stars was worse than killing her. Zhou Fanfan couldn't compromise, so she quickly broke up with him.

In short, she derived very little joy from this adult relationship either.

Thus, she solidly confirmed that dating really wasn't as interesting as chasing stars!

However, not all fans felt this way.

Take Xu Xiaoqian, for example. They had known each other since their early fan-girl days, but Xiaoqian still managed to have vibrant romantic relationships.

She had been with Yang Cheng since their freshman year and were still together now in their first year of graduate school.

Although, since starting grad school, inexplicable problems seemed to have cropped up between them.

It was sweet when it was good, but they could fight fiercely when they argued. Zhou Fanfan had witnessed one such fight before and thought to herself that such a rollercoaster of sweet and painful love was not for her.

---

After the reception, Zhou Fanfan was busy with university matters and didn't go to Guan Yuanbai's place to cook.

She had thought Guan Yuanbai might call her directly or give her a hard time, but surprisingly, he didn't contact her at all these past few days, not a single message.

Zhou Fanfan found it a bit strange, but was also quite relieved.

After a few busy days, the weekend arrived. Zhou Fanfan originally planned to just stay home, but on Saturday afternoon, she received a phone call from Xu Xiaoqian.

On the phone, Xu Xiaoqian was crying miserably, her words broken and unclear.

Zhou Fanfan didn't even hang up properly before rushing downstairs, getting in her car, and driving straight back to campus.

Only about half an hour had passed from the call to her arrival, but by the time she got there, Xu Xiaoqian had already stopped crying. She was sitting expressionlessly at her desk putting on makeup, as if the person wailing loudly not long ago wasn't her at all.

Zhou Fanfan felt uneasy. "Xiaoqian… you… are you okay?"

"I'm fine."Xu Xiaoqian even turned and gave her a faint smile. "Fanfan, let me treat you to drinks tonight. Let's go clubbing."

"Ah? You… what you said on the phone just now…"

"Yes.Yang Cheng and I broke up yesterday."

Although Zhou Fanfan had been in relationships, she had never cried over a breakup. She couldn't truly empathize with that heart-wrenching feeling.

She didn't know if Xu Xiaoqian's current state was normal. She could only pat her shoulder and comfort her, "Don't… don't be too sad."

"I'm not sad. I've actually figured it out. Why should I be sad? He thinks I'm too controlling. He thinks I'm too suspicious. He thinks there's nothing wrong with him going out drinking and singing with other girls… Fine, whatever. Breaking up is for the best. I won't bother with him anymore, and he can't bother me either. I'll do whatever I want."

The mask Xu Xiaoqian was wearing developed a crack. She tilted her head back slightly, holding back tears.

"Last time, wasn't it a misunderstanding about him helping that girl with her assignment? How did something similar happen again? What's his problem?"

Xu Xiaoqian laughed bitterly. "A misunderstanding…? Just another lie he told to deceive me again, and I was foolish enough to believe him. Actually, he did help her, he did have ulterior motives… Fanfan, I told him so many times to maintain boundaries, but he always lets me down."

Zhou Fanfan's heart ached for her, and she grew angry. "Yang Cheng is such a scumbag! You've been so good to him, you have so many years of history, and he still pulls this shady crap!"

"Maybe it's because of all these years. Perhaps he's tired of it too, or perhaps… he knows what kind of person he should really choose." Xu Xiaoqian took a deep breath. "Hah. It's so pointless. What's the point of dating? Dating only makes people sad…"

Zhou Fanfan knew Xu Xiaoqian was suppressing her emotions. She took her hand. "Right! Xiaoqian, we can be perfectly fine without dating! There are plenty of other things to do! What does Yang Cheng matter? Let him choose someone else, he'll definitely regret it!"

"Mn." Xu Xiaoqian forced a smile. "I don't want to think about him anymore either, Fanfan. Will you accompany me today? Let's go have some fun and not think about anything else."

Hearing this, Zhou Fanfan became cautious again. She was worried Xu Xiaoqian's state wasn't as stable as it seemed. "We can… but you mentioned clubbing earlier. Are you really okay for that right now?"

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly good. I just want to go out, I want to drink. I don't want to stay on campus, I don't want to think about him…"

Seeing her best friend like this, Zhou Fanfan's resolve instantly hardened. "Okay, I'll go with you. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you!"

An hour later, they arrived at a famous nightclub in the city.

It was the one Xu Xiaoqian had named. She said that Yang Cheng had come here once before with a group of friends, including that girl he was very close to. The girl came from a wealthy family and had apparently treated them all to expensive drinks.

As they had come last minute, the booth seats were all booked. Zhou Fanfan sat with Xu Xiaoqian at the bar counter.

Xu Xiaoqian ordered expensive drinks and drank fiercely.

Zhou Fanfan knew she needed to vent, so she didn't stop her. She just took a few sips herself before secretly switching her own drink to juice.

She needed to stay sober to watch over Xu Xiaoqian tonight.

"I thought you looked familiar! It really is you." The music in the club was loud. Half an hour later, amidst the noise, someone tapped her shoulder.

Zhou Fanfan turned, surprised to see a familiar face—Song Li.

"What are you doing here?"

Song Li laughed."I was about to ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?"

Xu Xiaoqian squinted. "Fanfan, you know him?"

Zhou Fanfan explained near her ear, "He's a friend of Guan Yuanbai. I've met him a couple of times."

"Oh…"

Zhou Fanfan said to Song Li, "My friend and I just came to hang out."

Song Li: "So, it's just the two of you?"

Zhou Fanfan nodded."Yes."

Song Li glanced at Xu Xiaoqian and said, "Then do you want to come over to our area? We have a booth. I'll buy you drinks."

Zhou Fanfan waved her hand to decline, but before she could get the words out, she saw Xu Xiaoqian tilt her head and ask him loudly, "Are there any handsome guys there?!"

Song Li was taken aback for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Of course there are."

Xu Xiaoqian made a sweeping gesture. "Alright! Let's go!"

Zhou Fanfan hurriedly tried to pull her back. "Hey, Xiaoqian!"

Song Li patted Zhou Fanfan's shoulder. "It's fine, come on. It's more fun with more people. But… does Yuanbai know you're at a nightclub?"

Zhou Fanfan was already rushing after Xu Xiaoqian and said hurriedly, "No, he doesn't."

"Ah? Then I should probably tell him. Otherwise, he'll blame me for corrupting a minor later."

The environment was too noisy. Zhou Fanfan's focus was entirely on Xu Xiaoqian, and she didn't catch this last remark.

She failed to hold Xu Xiaoqian back anyway. Before long, both she and Xu Xiaoqian were seated in Song Li's group's booth.

Xu Xiaoqian, fueled by alcohol, was already starting to lose inhibitions tonight.

Zhou Fanfan couldn't hold her back at all, so she could only choose to accompany her.

And as Song Li had said, his group was indeed full of attractive men and women.

Xu Xiaoqian, who was usually quite reserved in such settings, was unusually excited, stimulated by the breakup. She sat down boldly and drank a round with everyone.

"These are two friends I brought. Everyone, look out for them a bit, don't mess with them," Song Li reminded the group.

The group laughed and agreed good-naturedly.

"What do you mean, 'don't mess with them'? You think we're easy to push around?" Xu Xiaoqian, hearing this, frowned at Song Li beside her.

Song Li spread his hands, amused. "That's not what I meant at all."

Xu Xiaoqian, her alcohol buzz kicking in, was being illogical and unrestrained. "Then what did you mean?"

Song Li shook his head, a somewhat captivating look in his peach-blossom eyes. "I meant, you can drink to your heart's content, and no one is allowed to stop you. How's that?"

Xu Xiaoqian snorted lightly. "That's more like it."

Feisty one, Song Li thought, finding it somewhat amusing. He picked up his glass and clinked it with hers. "How about honoring me with a drink, beautiful?"

Xu Xiaoqian glanced at him sideways, a smile on her lips but her eyes glistening. "Sure."

Song Li paused for a moment, staring into her eyes. "You seem upset. Who upset you?"

Xu Xiaoqian clinked her glass with his, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, and murmured, "No, I'm perfectly happy."

Song Li, however, gave an understanding smile.

Zhou Fanfan sat beside Xu Xiaoqian, worried she'd drink herself into a stupor. Under Song Li's watchful eye, she started diluting Xu Xiaoqian's drinks with water.

Xu Xiaoqian didn't notice at all, happily playing games with the handsome guy next to her.

Seeing Zhou Fanfan struggling with the dilution process, Song Li crooked his finger, signaling for her to hand the task over to him.

Although Song Li looked like a playboy, Zhou Fanfan trusted him to some extent, for one reason only: he was Guan Yuanbai's friend.

With Song Li now taking over her mission and helping dilute Xu Xiaoqian's drinks, Zhou Fanfan finally felt she could relax a little for the first time all night.

But before she could enjoy the respite for long, the couch cushion beside her dipped. A unfamiliar scent approached as a handsome guy in a black T-shirt sat down beside her.

He had been sitting opposite them earlier.

"Song Li called you Fanfan, right? Fanfan, you've been sitting by yourself. Want to play a drinking game with us? We're short one person."

Zhou Fanfan glanced at the guy and shook her head. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

With her alcohol tolerance, one drink might be all it took to finish her off.

Zhou Fanfan knew her limits and raised a hand to politely decline. "Sorry, I don't really drink."

"You're kidding, right? Coming here and not drinking? Just one glass. Consider it making a new friend."

The guy in the black T-shirt insisted, pushing the drink on her, suddenly seeming much less handsome.

Zhou Fanfan was getting annoyed fending him off, her temper starting to flare. Just as she was about to get up and change seats, the drink in the guy's hand was suddenly plucked away.

Both of them were startled. They followed the path of the taken drink and saw a man standing in front of them. He wore dress pants and a shirt, silhouetted against the backlight. The arm holding the glass had clearly defined lines, hinting at latent strength.

Zhou Fanfan blinked and looked more closely, then stood up in surprise. "Guan… Guan…"

"Having quite the wild time, aren't you?" Guan Yuanbai interrupted, his voice cool.

Zhou Fanfan didn't quite understand. "Huh?"

Guan Yuanbai's eyes darkened. "Does your grandmother know you're out partying at a nightclub in the middle of the night?"

This time Zhou Fanfan heard him clearly. For a second, she felt the awkwardness of being caught, but the next second she thought, I'm twenty-three! Why should I be afraid of my grandmother knowing I'm at a nightclub?

"So what! I'm an adult."

"An adult?" Guan Yuanbai's gaze was sharp. "You could have fooled me. I thought you were a high school student."

Tch… What's with the sudden put-down? Who does he think he is?

Zhou Fanfan secretly glared at him and said reluctantly, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Can't I be here? Am I interrupting your drink with someone else?"

"Not really, I…"

"Fanfan, is this your friend?" The guy in the black T-shirt also stood up and gave Guan Yuanbai a once-over. "Want to join us?"

This guy was just one of Song Li's casual drinking buddies and didn't know Guan Yuanbai.

Guan Yuanbai said coldly, "No."

The guy said, "Oh," and didn't press further, turning back to Zhou Fanfan. "Then let's continue."

Guan Yuanbai's face was expressionless, his long eyebrows aloof. He pulled Zhou Fanfan to his side. "Who said you could continue?”

---

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