The Only Choice - 41

The room plunged into an enigmatic silence.

Zhou Fanfan stared at Guan Yuanbai's face, her brow twitching slightly before freezing completely.

She was bewildered, as if she hadn't heard him clearly, or as if she couldn't comprehend his words.

Guan Yuanbai tilted his head slightly. The spreading effects of the alcohol made him increasingly dizzy, but seeing her stunned expression brought a sliver of his rationality back.

He pressed his lips together and offered a helpless smile. "Forget it. I should give you time to think about it."

This sentence seemed to jolt Zhou Fanfan awake again. Her pupils dilated slightly as she finally processed what he had just said.

She scrambled up from the edge of the bed in a panic, stumbling and nearly falling.

Guan Yuanbai reached out to steady her, relieved when she didn't fall. "Careful."

"I... I have to go!"

"Alright." Guan Yuanbai braced himself on the edge of the bed, his voice still hoarse. "Just take my car."

"Okay!"

Her voice was unusually loud, unable to conceal her shock and fluster.

With a loud bang, she pulled the bedroom door shut and was gone.

Guan Yuanbai looked at the closed door for a long moment, then let out a soft sigh and fell back onto the bed.

He'd scared her.

Oh well... for now, he could only take one step at a time.

—

When Zhou Fanfan left Guan Yuanbai's house, she was clutching his car keys.

The cool night air hit her as she stepped outside, making her shiver violently. The chaotic thoughts in her mind slowly began to realign.

What had he just said…?

Consider? Consider what…?

Oh, right. The sentence before that was, Would you like to try it with me? Try dating.

Had he lost his mind…?

It was only then that Zhou Fanfan's face flushed crimson. She practically marched stiffly to the car, her arms and legs moving awkwardly.

Crazy, crazy, he must be crazy.

He drank a lot tonight. He must be drunk and not thinking clearly. That's why he suddenly asked her that.

After all, under the influence of alcohol, people sometimes do things beyond their normal behavior. So it wasn't impossible for Guan Yuanbai, after drinking too much, to suddenly feel like being in a relationship.

When he woke up tomorrow morning, he would definitely die of embarrassment, the kind of regret that makes you pound your pillows!

Although Zhou Fanfan thought this, her heart continued to pound like a drum. She took several deep breaths, but couldn't calm the palpitations that had nearly swept her away.

She stood still, looking up towards the upstairs window from which a faint light glowed—Guan Yuanbai's room.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered playing cards with Song Li and the others. She had felt something was off even then.

Had he… already been drunk starting from that time?

—

Zhou Fanfan didn't sleep well that night.

The moment she closed her eyes, she could see Guan Yuanbai leaning towards her, his beautiful, deep eyes gazing at her as he softly asked if she wanted to try with him.

Zhou Fanfan was going crazy.

She finally managed to fall asleep when the sky was almost light. She had class the next afternoon. Auntie Feng, seeing she still hadn't gotten up, came upstairs to knock on her door.

Zhou Fanfan emerged painfully from under the duvet and let Auntie Feng in.

"Oh, my dear girl, did you pull an all-nighter? Still not awake?" Auntie Feng brought her a cup of warm water. "Sit up now, you can't sleep any longer."

Zhou Fanfan rubbed her eyes. "What time is it…?"

"It's noon. You have class this afternoon. If you don't get up now, you'll be late."

The mention of class made her somewhat more alert.

"Ah, right, right. I'll get up right away."

"Good thing the Madam went to the company today and isn't home, or you'd get an earful," Auntie Feng said as she walked out. "I'll prepare some food for you. Come down immediately, eat, and then go to school."

"There's no time. Just make me a sandwich to take away."

"Alright, sure."

Zhou Fanfan quickly got out of bed. While changing clothes, she saw the car keys on the table—Guan Yuanbai's.

Her hand paused again, her heart inexplicably fluttering nervously. Last night felt like a dream.

She didn't dare dwell on it. After changing, washing up, and grabbing the sandwich, she left directly.

She was driving Guan Yuanbai's car, thinking she would drive it to his company later when she left school, then retrieve her own car parked there. That way… she wouldn't have to go to his house.

Even though she knew Guan Yuanbai must have been out of his mind last night, she was a little afraid to see him now.

—

Xu Xiaoqian was also at school for classes today. After class, since they both had homework to do, they agreed to go to the library together.

"You didn't sleep well last night?" Zhou Fanfan asked, noticing the faint dark circles under Xu Xiaoqian's eyes.

Xu Xiaoqian's expression shifted slightly. "R-Really?"

"Yeah, the dark circles are pretty noticeable."

"Maybe… I've been too busy lately." Xu Xiaoqian then glanced at her. "Look who's talking. You didn't sleep well either. Your dark circles are worse than mine."

"I didn't sleep well…"

"Were you editing videos again? Don't always do that in the middle of the night from now on."

What happened last night was, after all, Guan Yuanbai's embarrassing moment. It was better not to spread it around.

Thinking this, Zhou Fanfan didn't explain. "...I know."

After entering the library, they found a spot. It wasn't very crowded today, and this area had several empty seats.

After putting down her laptop, Zhou Fanfan asked, "By the way, has Yang Cheng been bothering you lately?"

Xu Xiaoqian: "I've been ignoring him."

Zhou Fanfan: "He's still contacting you…"

"I don't know why. I never felt he loved me that much before, but now that we've broken up, he's acting all devoted." Xu Xiaoqian smiled sarcastically. "Maybe that's just how men are. What they can't have is always the best."

Zhou Fanfan sighed softly. "Then… are you okay?"

Xu Xiaoqian gave her a reassuring look. "I'm fine, don't worry. There's no chance with him anymore. I won't forgive him and get back together like I used to."

Zhou Fanfan nodded. "Anyway, just do what makes you happy. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Mhmm…"

After chatting briefly, they started on their own homework.

About an hour later, Zhou Fanfan's phone vibrated, showing a WeChat message.

She stretched and picked it up to look.

Guan Yuanbai: [Where are you?]

She was so startled she nearly dropped the phone.

The words she had finally managed to quiet in her mind resurfaced: "Would you like to try it with me?"

"..."

Zhou Fanfan took a moment to collect herself, letting out a soft breath.

Not replying wasn't an option; that would only make Guan Yuanbai more embarrassed.

So, she typed carefully: [At school]

Guan Yuanbai: [In class?]

Zhou Fanfan: [No, doing assignments in the library]

Guan Yuanbai: [When will you finish? I'll come find you]

"!!!"

Zhou Fanfan immediately typed: [Not yet! The assignment is a bit complicated! It'll probably be a while! Is something wrong?]

The phone was quiet for a moment. Two or three minutes later, Guan Yuanbai replied: [My car is still with you]

Zhou Fanfan: [Yes, that's right! It's okay, I'll bring it to your company later. My car is parked there too, anyway.]

Guan Yuanbai didn't reply after that. Zhou Fanfan breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn't mentioned last night... Of course, he was the one most embarrassed about it. He probably wished he could drag her along to erase the memory; why would he bring it up himself?

So... she needed to relax, not be nervous, and definitely not overthink it!

After calming down for a moment, Zhou Fanfan reopened her laptop and peacefully continued her work.

Another hour and a half passed, and the sky outside darkened.

Xu Xiaoqian, sitting across from her, gave her a look asking if she was done. Zhou Fanfan nodded, packed her things, and left the library with Xu Xiaoqian.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Zhou Fanfan asked.

Xu Xiaoqian: "How about the fried rice from Canteen 3?"

"Sounds good. Haven't had it in ages."

The beef fried rice from Canteen 3 was legendary at their school. Zhou Fanfan perked up. "I'm going to devour a big bowl. Let's get bubble tea too."

"Sure—" Xu Xiaoqian was already thinking about what to order when her gaze, looking down the library steps, froze. "Ah, looks like we're not having bubble tea today."

Zhou Fanfan was confused. "Why not?"

Xu Xiaoqian tugged her sleeve, gesturing for her to look down.

Zhou Fanfan looked down curiously and saw a man standing at the bottom of the library steps. He wore a black overcoat, was very tall, and stood straight and clean against the night, like frost on a tree in the snow.

Zhou Fanfan's footsteps halted abruptly. For a moment, she actually wanted to run away.

But it was too late. The man on the steps looked up and saw them.

His expression was normal, as if he wasn't having any difficulty facing her after last night's events.

"Hello, Mr. Guan," Xu Xiaoqian said, pulling Zhou Fanfan down the steps and greeting him first.

Guan Yuanbai nodded. "Hello."

Xu Xiaoqian glanced between the two. "You probably have things to talk about, right? I'll head off first. You two chat."

"Xiaoqian!" Zhou Fanfan grabbed her. "We were going to eat together!"

Xu Xiaoqian waved her hand. "Next time. I suddenly feel a bit tired. I'll go back to the dorm and order takeout."

"..."

Xu Xiaoqian: "Well, I'm off now. Bye~"

Xu Xiaoqian, for some reason, was suddenly very perceptive and made a quick escape.

Left with no choice, Zhou Fanfan forced herself to appear calm and looked at Guan Yuanbai. "Um... why did you come? I said I'd bring the car to you."

Guan Yuanbai pressed his lips together slightly and said, "I was just passing by your school, so I dropped in."

"Oh."

Guan Yuanbai glanced at her, choosing his words carefully. "You haven't eaten, right? How about we grab dinner together?"

"Alright... sure."

Zhou Fanfan had eaten with Guan Yuanbai many times and had no real reason to refuse now.

Of course, there was no need to refuse.

Unless she was the one with a guilty conscience!

So, to prove she had no guilty conscience, Zhou Fanfan remained perfectly ‘calm’ the entire way to the school canteen.

"You're sure you want to eat at our school canteen?"

Guan Yuanbai said, "Since we're already at your school, let's eat here. Any recommendations?"

"Xiaoqian and I were just going to get the beef fried rice. It's pretty famous at our school..."

Guan Yuanbai nodded. "Then let's have that."

"Okay."

Zhou Fanfan led Guan Yuanbai to the school canteen. At this hour, it was quite crowded.

They walked together to the fried rice window and lined up at the back of the queue.

Guan Yuanbai was tall, standing out in the line like a crane among chickens. Students coming to buy food frequently glanced back at him, but seeing him standing behind a girl, talking only to her, they dismissed the idea of approaching.

After waiting ten minutes, it was their turn. Guan Yuanbai paid, picked up both portions, and went to find a seat.

"I still want to go buy bubble tea... Do you want one?" Zhou Fanfan asked after they sat down.

Guan Yuanbai: "Water is fine for me."

"Then I'll get you a bottle of water."

"Okay, thanks."

Zhou Fanfan got up again to buy bubble tea, but because it would take a while, she came back first to eat while waiting.

"Your water."

Guan Yuanbai: "Mhm."

They picked up their chopsticks and started eating their respective meals.

No one spoke.

No one spoke at all!!

Zhou Fanfan knew this was weird because when they had eaten together before, they would talk—sometimes about the food, sometimes about family... There was always something to say, not like now, each eating in silence.

Zhou Fanfan felt like she was choking!

"I'll go get the bubble tea…"

"About what I said yesterday…"

They spoke at the same time.

Zhou Fanfan was startled, then forced a laugh. "Yesterday? Oh, that! It's fine, don't worry! I won't take it seriously!"

She laughed it off, wearing an expression that screamed: It's okay, no problem, don't be embarrassed!

However, her face was practically stiff from smiling, and she didn't see a trace of embarrassment on Guan Yuanbai's face.

"Why wouldn't you take it seriously?" Guan Yuanbai asked her suddenly.

Zhou Fanfan stopped laughing.

Guan Yuanbai put down his chopsticks. His hands rested lightly on the table. "You can take it seriously."

"Huh?"

Zhou Fanfan was dumbfounded again.

This wasn't going according to her script…

He was drunk last night, wasn't he? He should be sober now. Why… wasn't he acting sober?

"Last night, I did drink a bit much," Guan Yuanbai admitted, knowing he had been somewhat rash. But since he had already said it, he might as well continue.

He looked up at her, his gaze focused. "I was drunk, but not to the point where I didn't know what I was saying."

Zhou Fanfan immediately said, "Is it because your grandma is pressuring you too much, so you just thought about actually getting into a relationship?!"

Guan Yuanbai paused, then smiled wryly. "Is that what you think?"

"What else…?"

Guan Yuanbai looked somewhat helpless. "Why can't it be that I like you, that I genuinely want to be in a relationship with you?"

---

Author's Note:

My boy Yuanbai can use his words~~~

---

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