The Only Choice - 31

Zhou Fanfan met his gaze. His eyes were deep, like an abyss that could pull a person in.

Her mind wandered for an unguarded moment before her focus dropped to the scarf, and she reached out.

Guan Yuanbai was very tall, but he cooperatively bent down, making it possible for her to reach.

She took the ends of the scarf, mentally reciting 'see no evil'... because Guan Yuanbai's eyes were truly captivating.

"You just fold it like this... see, tuck this part in, then pull. My mom taught me when I was little." She rose slightly on her toes, wrapped the scarf around his neck, and then worked on the front.

"Alright, that should do it."

With the scarf properly arranged, Zhou Fanfan took a step back, surveying her work with satisfaction.

Guan Yuanbai straightened up and looked down at her.

Zhou Fanfan: "Shall we go?"

He didn't move.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Fanfan asked, puzzled.

The next moment, she watched as Guan Yuanbai raised his hands, slowly unwound the scarf, and then, to her surprise, draped it back around her own neck.

Zhou Fanfan was stunned. "I just fixed it for you! I told you, my collar is enough, I'm not cold..."

"Fine, I know you're not cold. I've discovered I'm not used to wearing a scarf, alright?" Guan Yuanbai mimicked her earlier actions, securely wrapping the scarf around her neck. "Keep it on. Stay warm."

Zhou Fanfan tucked her chin in. She saw him toss one of the hand warmers back into her pocket, then gesture with the one remaining in his palm. "This one is enough for me."

Zhou Fanfan blinked. This guy, why is he so changeable...

Guan Yuanbai, however, just clutched the hand warmer and walked ahead. Faintly, he could still feel the lingering sensation of her scarf against his skin.

Soon, they reached the food street near the university. As it was the holiday break, there weren't many students; most patrons at this hour were local residents.

Zhou Fanfan led Guan Yuanbai into a small soup dumpling restaurant after a short walk. The shop also sold dumplings, noodles, and various other delicious carbs.

The place wasn't big, with only six tables in total. Four were already occupied. Zhou Fanfan ushered Guan Yuanbai to the table in the corner.

After they sat down, people at the next table glanced over, sneakily sizing up Guan Yuanbai.

Zhou Fanfan noticed and said with a smile, "Mr. Guan, with your looks, you could be the campus heartthrob at our university."

Guan Yuanbai glanced at her.

Zhou Fanfan lowered her voice. "I'm serious. Everyone was looking at you when you came in. And if your own sister can be a big star, your looks are more than enough to be a campus heartthrob."

Guan Yuanbai said, "Your main goal was just to praise Xiao Wu, wasn't it?"

Zhou Fanfan grinned. "Not at all, I'm complimenting you."

Having developed some immunity to her obsession with his sister, Guan Yuanbai didn't comment further and picked up the menu to order.

Zhou Fanfan, worried he might not know what to choose, leaned in to recommend dishes. "The soup dumplings are the signature dish, a must-order. Let's get two baskets! And this noodle dish is super tasty too, you have to get the medium spice level..."

Soon, they had a table full of various snacks.

Guan Yuanbai frowned. "This much? Can we finish it?"

"We can, we can! Xiaoqian and I used to order this much! Although, to be fair, I'm usually the one who eats most of it."

Zhou Fanfan wasn't joking. When her appetite was good, she could really pack away a lot of food.

Guan Yuanbai watched her eat with considerable gusto. As he watched, he found it somewhat amusing. Having meals with her over this period had given him a real insight into what she was like when she ate freely.

"Why are you staring at me? Are you full?" Zhou Fanfan looked up midway through her meal and asked curiously.

Guan Yuanbai lowered his gaze. "No, I'm just taking a break."

"Oh, okay!"

Zhou Fanfan went back to devouring her soup dumplings. Just then, someone suddenly called her name.

She turned to look and saw two men had just entered the small restaurant. One of them she recognized—it was Yang Cheng.

Her expression immediately soured. She pretended not to see him and focused on her food.

But Yang Cheng had already spotted her. He seemed agitated and hurried over. "Fanfan, you... do you know where Xiaoqian is? She's blocked me. I can't reach her at all. Can you please help me? Could you call her?"

Zhou Fanfan put down her chopsticks, her voice cold. "She already broke up with you. Isn't it normal not to be in contact after a breakup? Why call?"

"But I didn't agree to the breakup! I still like her, really! Fanfan, please help me contact her. Just one phone call, okay?"

Zhou Fanfan frowned. "Why would she need your agreement to break up? If you liked her so much, where was this earlier? When you were being ambiguous with someone else... I'm not calling her for you."

Yang Cheng grabbed Zhou Fanfan's arm, his eyes even looking a bit red. "Fanfan, I'm begging you. I know I was wrong before. I'll definitely change."

"What's the use of begging me? Hey... what are you doing?" Yang Cheng held on tightly. Zhou Fanfan tried to pull away but couldn't break his grip.

"Let go." At that moment, Guan Yuanbai clamped his hand around Yang Cheng's wrist. With a forceful squeeze, Yang Cheng immediately released her in pain.

Guan Yuanbai stood up, placing himself between them, his face cold. "The breakup is between you two. She's just a bystander. What are you manhandling her for?"

Everyone in the shop looked over. Yang Cheng, not knowing how to handle the situation and also somewhat intimidated by Guan Yuanbai, backed down.

"Yang Cheng, Xiaoqian has decided to move on. Stop bothering her," Zhou Fanfan said.

Yang Cheng took another step back, his face alternating between pale and flushed. "I haven't moved on! Fanfan, if you see her, tell her I'll wait for her. I will definitely wait for her."

"..."

After this commotion, Zhou Fanfan lost her appetite.

After Yang Cheng left, she sent a message to Xu Xiaoqian telling her what happened. Xu Xiaoqian replied telling her not to bother with him, which finally let Zhou Fanfan relax a little.

However, as they left the restaurant, she was still fuming!

"He's the one who developed a wandering eye, the one who couldn't draw clear lines with another girl. How can he now righteously claim he still likes Xiaoqian? It's so fake!" Zhou Fanfan vented. "Can men really like multiple people at once? Liking this one and that one, holding onto this one while unable to let go of that one—"

"No, they can't."

Zhou Fanfan stopped short and looked sideways at Guan Yuanbai, who had suddenly spoken.

She was momentarily stunned, her anger cooling a little as she realized she might have been ranting too much in front of him...

But he didn't seem annoyed by her rambling. He glanced at her and said slowly, "If he can like several people, it means he's too greedy and doesn't truly like any of them enough. The problem lies with him. But you can't generalize and say all men are like him."

Zhou Fanfan stared blankly for a few seconds. "...Huh?"

"I would not, and could not, like many people at the same time. My choice is singular." Guan Yuanbai looked at her steadily. "Zhou Fanfan, I am not like him."

He spoke with seriousness, even severity.

Zhou Fanfan's heart gave a little jump. It took her a moment to say, "Then... you're a good person..."

Guan Yuanbai smiled faintly. "That makes me a good person?"

Zhou Fanfan sighed. "Of course... I wish Xiaoqian had met someone like you. Ah... meeting Yang Cheng was her misfortune. Actually, she should have broken up with him long ago. But I don't really understand why she could stay with him through all those previous arguments. Is being in a relationship really that enjoyable?"

"Meeting someone who genuinely likes you can make a relationship a joyful thing."

Zhou Fanfan frowned. "When I was in relationships before, they all said they liked me a lot. But I never found it particularly enjoyable."

Guan Yuanbai looked down. "Feelings have to be mutual. Perhaps it just means you didn't actually like them."

Zhou Fanfan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Have you ever liked a woman?"

Guan Yuanbai paused, then looked at her. "Yes."

"Was being in a relationship with her very happy?"

Guan Yuanbai was silent for a moment. "I don't know."

"Why wouldn't you know?"Zhou Fanfan was astonished. "Ah, was it one-sided? An unrequited crush? She wasn't interested in you?"

Guan Yuanbai clearly didn't want to discuss it further and walked straight ahead.

Zhou Fanfan quickly caught up, her mind reeling with surprise. I can't believe my son, such a handsome man, liked someone once but it didn't work out!

She sighed and patted his arm, attempting to comfort him. "Well... it's actually not that uncommon. It's pretty normal for the person you like not to like you back. And besides, being in a relationship isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's not as fun as you say."

Guan Yuanbai gave her a cool glance. "Don't talk about things you don't understand."

"..."

—

As expected, after the Starry Night Gala, some rumors about her and Guan Yuanbai began to circulate.

But this time, Zhou Fanfan couldn't post a clarification on Weibo because... well, they were true.

And Guan Yuanbai had a point—she wasn't a celebrity. Who she was with wasn't something she needed to explain to the public.

So, her Weibo account continued its usual output of Guan Zhiyi content. As for the other comments and everyone's speculations and curiosity, she simply ignored them.

After New Year's Eve, Guan Yuanbai came to her house for a meal, this time with the specific purpose of meeting her father.

The two men got along quite well. Zhou Fanfan thought that someone like Guan Yuanbai, who navigated the business world, knew how to keep a conversation going if he wanted to.

With the New Year passed, the winter break soon ended, and Zhou Fanfan entered her second semester.

There were fewer classes, but her workload increased. The assignments from her advisor were enough to keep Zhou Fanfan buried in the library for days on end. Because of this, she hadn't been to Guan Yuanbai's place to fulfill her ‘hundred meals’ obligation for a long time. He didn't seem to mind, though, and never pressed her.

Zhou Fanfan figured that regarding the past incidents, Guan Yuanbai probably wasn't angry anymore, since he didn't bring them up. She suspected that before long, the hundred-meal deal might just fade away entirely.

One day, just as she was leaving the library, Zhou Fanfan received a phone call.

"Sis!"

A young boy's voice, not perfectly standard but clear and bright, came through the phone.

Zhou Fanfan was surprised. "Xiao Heng? Why are you calling me? What's up?"

"I'm in China now, of course I'd call you!"

"You're in the country? Where?"

Xiao Heng said,"At your school gate. Me and Mom."

A wave of joy washed over Zhou Fanfan. "Really? Wait for me, I'll be right there!"

"Okay! Hurry, Sis! I brought you a present."

It had been a year since Zhou Fanfan last saw her mother, Fang Ting. She jogged all the way to the school gate and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure.

The woman stood beside a car, dressed fashionably, her long hair flowing, waving at her.

Zhou Fanfan's excitement peaked as she ran towards her.

"Mom!"

She threw herself directly into the woman's arms.

Fang Ting hugged her and stroked her head. "Fanfan, are you tired from your studies?"

"Not at all."Zhou Fanfan took a deep breath, inhaling her mother's scent, which she loved most. "Why are you back? You didn't even tell me."

Fang Ting said, "We just decided to come back for a visit a couple of days ago. Thought I'd surprise you."

"How long will you stay?"

"A week."

Zhou Fanfan was even more delighted. "Then I'll sleep with you every night this week!"

"Sis, what about me?" Suddenly, a curly-haired, mixed-race boy of about six or seven, very cute, popped up from the back seat of the car.

Zhou Fanfan pulled away from Fang Ting and bent down to pinch the child's cheek. "I was wondering where you were hiding!"

"Sis, I want to sleep together too!"

"Sure! But you have to take a bath every night."

"I do! I take a bath every day now! Ask Mom."

"You'd better."

Zhou Fanfan got into Fang Ting's car, planning to go with them to their hotel and have a meal together.

Xiao Heng sat beside her, chattering nonstop, calling her 'Sis' repeatedly.

Xiao Heng was her younger brother, sharing the same mother but a different father. After her mother Fang Ting divorced her father, she got together with an American man and soon gave birth to Xiao Heng. The siblings didn't see each other often, but whenever they met, Xiao Heng was very attached to her.

"We're staying at Nanjue," Fang Ting said.

Zhou Fanfan didn't think much of it at first and just hummed in acknowledgment.

Fang Ting continued, "I heard you're together with Guan Yuanbai."

Zhou Fanfan was taken aback and stammered, "Who... who told you that?"

Fang Ting smiled. "Your grandmother told me. I went to see her before coming to pick you up."

"Oh..."

"What's wrong? You didn't even tell me you were dating."

Zhou Fanfan felt a little awkward and forced an embarrassed smile. "I... forgot..."

Fang Ting said, "Honestly, how could you forget something like that? Well, since I'm back this time, let me meet him? We're going to eat at Nanjue later. You can invite him to join us."

Zhou Fanfan: "Um... I'm not sure if he's busy."

Fang Ting said, "It's fine. Just call and ask. If he's busy, I can meet him next time."

"Alright."

Since Fang Ting insisted, Zhou Fanfan had no choice but to call Guan Yuanbai.

She assumed Guan Yuanbai would be at his office around this time and didn't have high hopes. When the call connected, she asked, "What are you doing...?"

She skipped his usual title directly, as she was used to calling him 'Mr. Guan,' but that might sound too distant in front of her mother.

Guan Yuanbai: "At the office, preparing for a meeting. What's up?"

Hearing this, Zhou Fanfan felt relieved. "Oh... you're busy. Good, good, that's fine. You go ahead then."

Guan Yuanbai sensed something. "Is something going on there?"

Zhou Fanfan said, "It's... it's nothing major. My mom is back in the country, and we're going to eat at Nanjue. I was just asking if you wanted to join us. If you're busy, it's totally fine, we can do it another—"

"Your mother?"

"Yes. And my little brother."

There was a moment of silence on Guan Yuanbai's end. Zhou Fanfan thought he might have hung up, but a glance confirmed the call was still connected. "Hello? Are you still there?"

"MN. I was just sending a message to He Zhi."

"Oh...I'll hang up then."

"You haven't told me which restaurant in Nanjue."

Zhou Fanfan was startled. "Aren't you in a meeting?"

Guan Yuanbai said, "I've notified He Zhi. It's postponed."

---

Author's Note:

Meeting the parents takes priority.

---

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