The Only Choice - 43

She had promised him this before: that she would cook him a hundred meals.

In the end, that promise was never fully kept, eventually fading away without a conclusion.

And now, he had suddenly brought it up again…

Zhou Fanfan knew the point wasn’t really about the meals this time. And maybe… it hadn't been about the meals back then either?

Could it be that what Qiqi and the others had said was true? That all those things were just part of a ‘scheme’ after all.

But if that were the case, wasn't it all a bit too soon? Had he actually liked her back then?

Yet she distinctly remembered how angry he had been when he found out she'd only approached him because of Guan Zhiyi. He must have really disliked her at that moment, so how could it have been liking?

Zhou Fanfan racked her brains but couldn't figure it out. But after turning it over and over in her mind, she felt that, no matter what, the fact remained that he had said he liked her now.

To be honest, before Guan Yuanbai's confession, she hadn't considered getting seriously involved in a relationship at this point in her life…

She had only vaguely felt that her feelings towards Guan Yuanbai seemed… different somehow.

But were those feelings what people called 'heart-fluttering'?

---

The next day, Xu Xiaoqian went out early to tutor Song Li's niece.

Zhou Fanfan was still worried about her, but there wasn't much she could do. Besides, Xu Xiaoqian said she was happy, and Zhou Fanfan had no right to interfere with that happiness.

After finishing her homework in the morning, she got in her car and drove to Xinghe Bay.

Yes. She had decided to go to Guan Yuanbai's house to see him.

Because she wanted to figure out if all the feelings she had when she was with him were, in fact, heart-fluttering.

She wanted to know if the reason she couldn't bring herself to refuse him was because she liked him…

Arriving at his place, she got out of the car and effortlessly keyed in the passcode.

Beep—

The door unlocked.

She hesitated, then pushed the door open in one decisive motion.

In the entryway, her pair of pink fluffy slippers were already waiting for her, a clear sign the master of the house had been expecting her.

She stared at the slippers for a moment, hung her bag on the hook, and changed into them.

The living room was empty. Guan Yuanbai wasn't there.

She initially thought he might still be at the office and hadn't made it back yet, but then she heard a faint noise coming from the kitchen.

She walked over and saw a man with his back to her, rubbing something onto a steak.

Hearing her approach, he turned. "You're here."

Guan Yuanbai wore a loose white sweater and light grey pants, an apron tied over them. His hair wasn't meticulously styled, falling softly, making him look unusually gentle.

Zhou Fanfan was momentarily stunned. "What are you doing?"

"A friend sent these steaks. Since you were coming over today, it seemed like a good time to cook them."

"Can you actually cook? Do you need my help?"

"No need. Go wait in the living room. This should be ready soon."

His movements were clearly unpracticed, obviously a last-minute learning endeavor.

Despite her nerves, Zhou Fanfan stepped closer. "Um… are you sure you don't need any help?"

"All the other ingredients are prepped. Nothing else needed." He was still carefully tending to the steak when he suddenly said, "Could you pull my sleeve up for me?"

His sweater was the loose, slouchy kind, and the cuffs he'd rolled up wouldn't stay put. One sleeve had started to slide down, and both his hands were dirty.

Zhou Fanfan immediately reached out. "Oh! Sure."

She took hold of the sleeve, preparing to roll it back up.

But rolling it up meant her fingers would inevitably brush against his arm. His skin felt smooth, warm… Zhou Fanfan froze for a second.

Guan Yuanbai also paused. He glanced down, his gaze landing on her earlobe.

Hidden by her falling hair, her earlobe was a bright, telling red, the blush spreading down to her neck.

His eyes darkened slightly. "Why did you stop?" he asked softly.

"Ah… I didn't."

As if snapping back to reality, she quickly folded his sleeve up twice and pushed it to his elbow.

She snatched her hand back. "...Done."

His gaze still lingered on her ear. "Mm. Thanks."

Oblivious, Zhou Fanfan let out a soft breath, trying to change the subject. "Are you following a tutorial? Is it going to work? Don't waste such good steak."

"It's not difficult. Just searing it."

"Okay… then, I'll just go wait outside?"

"Mm."

Zhou Fanfan made a quick escape, practically scurrying to the living room.

She touched her cheek, feeling the heat there.

Was her reaction so strong now because she knew how he felt?

It was just rolling up a sleeve! Why was she blushing?!

So embarrassing…

After a moment, her cheeks finally cooled down.

Only then did Zhou Fanfan notice the coffee table was laden with food—not just fruit, but all sorts of snacks.

Did Guan Yuanbai even eat snacks like these? She'd never seen them here before.

Were they… for her?

She glanced toward the kitchen and couldn't help a small smile, picking up a small bag of dried fruit and opening it.

To distract herself, she turned on the TV and found a variety show to watch.

She hadn't been watching long when Guan Yuanbai suddenly walked in. "I forgot to tell you, don't eat the snacks."

The half-eaten bag still in her hand, she set it down awkwardly. "They're… not for eating?"

"I bought them for you, but not before a meal." He glanced at what she'd been eating and seemed relieved she hadn't had much. "Don't spoil your appetite for dinner."

"Oh…"

---

About half an hour later, there was movement from the dining area.

Zhou Fanfan caught a whiff of something delicious. She stopped watching the show and headed toward the kitchen.

Guan Yuanbai had indeed finished the steaks and prepared a few side dishes.

"Go wash your hands."

"Okay."

When she returned, Guan Yuanbai gestured for her to sit opposite him, and they began their dinner.

Zhou Fanfan took her seat, picked up her knife and fork, and cut a piece of steak.

The steak was tender, the cooking time surprisingly well-judged. After taking a bite, she looked up and met Guan Yuanbai's gaze. "It's delicious."

She knew better than anyone that every cook wants to hear praise for their food.

"Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "Well, it is high-quality steak…"

He smiled. "So it's good because of the steak, nothing to do with me."

"That's not true! You got the timing and temperature just right." She took another bite, reinforcing her point. "I mean it."

Guan Yuanbai looked pleased. "Alright, then enjoy it."

She nodded and then asked, "Why did you decide to cook steak at home today? Is work not too busy?"

"I came back early."

Zhou Fanfan opened her mouth but found she couldn't ask the next logical question—why did you come back early?—because the answer seemed a little too obvious.

"There's something I meant to ask you last time…" she began, as they were nearly finished eating.

Guan Yuanbai set down his cutlery. "What is it?"

"You… why do you like me? I think it's… kind of strange." She felt like her head might start steaming as she asked.

Guan Yuanbai paused. "Why is it strange? Do you think so little of yourself that you're unworthy of being liked?"

"No… It's just, without our families' connection, we're polar opposites. We're different in so many ways."

It wasn't like back in school, where you shared the same environment, similar lives, and were close in age… back then, you could get together in a haze of youthful innocence.

"Similar people aren't necessarily drawn to each other," he said. "We are different in many ways, but what does that have to do with liking someone?"

"...Is that so?"

"I like you simply because I like you." Guan Yuanbai thought for a moment, then continued slowly, "If I had to give a reason, it's probably because being with you makes me happy. My heart stirred, and I can't control that, can I?"

The Guan Yuanbai before her wasn't spouting flowery words, but his eyes were utterly serious.

Heart-fluttering is something you can't control.

That statement felt undeniably true.

Her own heart was beating so fast right now… Was this also what they meant by uncontrollable heart-fluttering?

Guan Yuanbai appeared calm, but inwardly, he was uneasy.

He knew that all of Zhou Fanfan's feelings towards him stemmed from Guan Zhiyi. Initially, it was because he was her idol's brother that she was willing to get close.

Later, it was because she didn't want Guan Zhiyi to think poorly of her that she went along with his unreasonable demand for home-cooked meals.

From start to finish, her kindness to him was based on his identity as ‘her idol's older brother’.

He was fully aware of this, so he didn't have much confidence.

"I said before that I'm not in a hurry for your answer," he said. "The reason I told you I like you is because I feel I can no longer hide my feelings for you. As for your feelings towards me… I hope you can think it through completely. Whether there is… a genuine liking for me." Guan Yuanbai continued, "If you're sure you could never be with me, if you're certain you have no feelings for me at all, then tell me, and what we have now can end here. But until then, I hope we can continue as we are."

---

The meal wasn't exactly a light-hearted affair.

But by the time she left Guan Yuanbai's house, the nervous tension she'd arrived with had eased considerably.

Because Guan Yuanbai had given her space. He wasn't pressuring her; he genuinely wanted her to think things through clearly.

Back home, after her shower, Zhou Fanfan lay down in bed.

[Are you home?]

He had sent the message about fifteen minutes ago, while she was still in the bathroom.

She rolled onto her side and replied: [I'm home. Actually, about to go to sleep now.]

She thought for a moment, then added another message: [Thanks for the steak today. It was really good.]

Guan Yuanbai: [Then come over for it again next time.]

Zhou Fanfan: [You're cooking again…?]

Guan Yuanbai: [Mm.]

Zhou Fanfan: [It just reminded me… I still owe you eighty-six meals.]

Guan Yuanbai: [You remember that clearly?]

Zhou Fanfan: [Of course. I was counting them one by one before… So, are they cancelled?]

Guan Yuanbai: [No.]

Zhou Fanfan: [Oh…]

Guan Yuanbai: [For the remaining ones, I'll cook.]

Zhou Fanfan: [I'd feel bad about that o.o]

Guan Yuanbai: [You don't need to feel bad with someone who's pursuing you.]

Zhou Fanfan could almost picture the expression on Guan Yuanbai's face if he'd said that to her in person. There would be a hint of laughter in his eyes, a slightly teasing tone. But you'd still feel that he was being sincere.

Her gaze lingered on the words ‘pursuing you’. Little bursts of joy and sweetness bubbled up inside her. Suddenly excited, she rolled over in bed, then grabbed her phone to look at the message again.

Pursuing her, huh…

---

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