The Only Choice - 45

Zhou Fanfan later had no recollection of how she had even gotten out. For the entire second half, she had kept her eyes shut tight, trailing along like a wooden puppet.

The whole time, Guan Yuanbai's low, calm voice was beside her, sometimes explaining, other times even addressing the ‘ghosts’ directly.

"That kid's actually kind of cute. Ever seen The Grudge? You know, the little ghost boy? Don't look, I'll just describe it for you."

"Though, isn't using a kid child labor? Is that even legal?"

"They're all just people, Zhou Fanfan. Staff. You don't need to be so scared."

"That must be the ghost bride... Excuse me, could you please not stand so close? Yes, a bit further back. You'll scare her."

The ‘her’ in that sentence was undoubtedly her.

Sticking close to Guan Yuanbai, her heart was hammering so wildly she couldn't tell if it was from the ‘ghosts’ or from him.

After what felt like an eternity, a noticeable brightness finally seeped through her eyelids. Zhou Fanfan cracked her eyes open. "Are we out?"

Guan Yuanbai gave a soft hum of affirmation.

She finally opened her eyes fully, and seeing the exit right in front of her, she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"That was terrifying…"

"Fanfan! Fanfan, you liar!" Xu Xiaoqian, who had already reached the exit and been waiting, rushed over to her. "You said it was all fake and super cheesy! You said it wasn't scary at all! Do you have any idea how scared I was? My back's drenched in sweat!!! That was horrifying!"

Song Li chimed in, "Damn, I gotta admit, it was pretty scary. I almost turned back to find you guys, but I didn't dare!"

Song Li was also pale, looking genuinely shaken.

Originally, he had planned to play the tough guy in the haunted house, to build up a super impressive image in front of Xu Xiaoqian. Instead, he and Xu Xiaoqian had ended up shrieking in terror together, practically clinging to each other as they stumbled out.

Zhou Fanfan felt a wave of exasperation. "I wasn't lying before! When I came years ago, it was really cheesy… wouldn't even scare a kid. How was I supposed to know they'd switched to live actors playing ghosts and renovated the whole place? If I'd known, I'd never have gone in!"

Guan Yuanbai added, "I can vouch for that. She was pretty terrified in there."

Seeing how composed Guan Yuanbai looked, Song Li suddenly remembered. "You probably didn't think it was scary at all, right?"

Guan Yuanbai: "It was alright."

Xu Xiaoqian looked impressed. "Mr. Guan, you're amazing…"

Song Li: "This guy's never been scared of horror movies, even as a kid. This stuff doesn't faze him."

Xu Xiaoqian: "Lucky for you. At least you could protect Fanfan. Unlike some people who were so scared they almost pushed me forward as a shield."

Song Li looked sheepish. "No way, I wouldn't dare use you as a shield."

Xu Xiaoqian gave a light humph, ignoring him. But then her gaze dropped, noticing the hands Guan Yuanbai and Zhou Fanfan were still firmly clasped together. She shot Zhou Fanfan a meaningful smile.

Following her gaze, Zhou Fanfan looked down and realized she and Guan Yuanbai were still holding hands tightly.

Her face flushed, and she quickly pulled her hand away.

Guan Yuanbai glanced at her. "Let's go."

"Okay…"

After that, the group spent a bit more time in the amusement park before heading back to the resort around dinnertime.

Song Li immediately went off to make arrangements for the upcoming party, and Xu Xiaoqian went with him.

With nothing else to do, Zhou Fanfan wandered into the villa's small garden and settled on a swing. Not far in front of the swing was a heated swimming pool, where a few people were already swimming.

She swayed lazily back and forth, watching the swimmers. They were all friends Song Li had invited. A few of them had quite good figures, diving in wearing just swim trunks and swimming with a practiced ease.

"Watching so intently?" Suddenly, Guan Yuanbai's voice came from behind her.

Zhou Fanfan turned her head. Seeing the look in his eyes, she stammered a denial, "N-no, I wasn't watching them swim."

Guan Yuanbai said, "I never said you were watching them swim so intently."

He'd deliberately set a trap, hadn't he? Just to see her flustered.

Zhou Fanfan choked up, then suddenly remembered her earlier resolution: He was the one who had confessed; she needed to be more assertive!

"Have a seat," she said, suddenly calm, shuffling over and patting the space beside her.

The swing was a bench-style, with plenty of room for two.

Guan Yuanbai made a sound of acknowledgement and sat down next to her. "Hungry?"

"...A little."

"Have some biscuits first. Dinner will still be a while."

Guan Yuanbai handed her a pack of chocolate biscuits. Imported products; she'd bought them before. They were delicious.

"Thanks… Where did these come from?"

"Brought them. There's quite a lot in the car."

The fact that Guan Yuanbai kept snacks in his car… it didn't take a genius to figure out who they were for.

Little bubbles of delight fizzed up in Zhou Fanfan's heart. She lowered her head, opened the packet, and began eating quietly.

After a couple of bites, she sneaked a glance at him. "Do you want some?"

"You have them."

"There's too many for me to finish. These are really good, you know? The chocolate flavor is super rich, and the filling is almost like it's melting. When you take a bite, the chocolate and the crumbly biscuit just take over your taste buds all at once. The only downside is that the biscuit is so crumbly; it gets everywhere…"

Guan Yuanbai had just randomly picked these snacks at a supermarket near his home. He'd never actually tried them himself.

But of course, Zhou Fanfan was still someone who loved her snacks. Even something he'd grabbed on a whim, she could describe in mouth-watering detail.

He leaned back on the swing, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he watched her talk animatedly.

Perhaps because Guan Yuanbai's gaze was a bit too focused, Zhou Fanfan's voice gradually trailed off.

She remembered that photo taken of them at the concert. When she'd first seen it, she thought it was just a candid shot—there was no way Guan Yuanbai had been looking at her with that expression.

But now… as she looked into his eyes, she realized the way he was looking at her now was almost exactly the same as in that photo.

She pressed her lips together slightly. Just his gaze alone sent hyperactive little sparks zipping through her bloodstream, making her heart race, leaving her whole body feeling tingly and numb, even a little exhilarated.

"It really does get everywhere. You've got some on you," Guan Yuanbai said.

Zhou Fanfan's heart was pounding too hard to catch his words clearly. She made a questioning sound.

"I said, the corner of your mouth."

Zhou Fanfan reached up and wiped, but she got the wrong side.

Guan Yuanbai let out a soft sigh, reached out, and gently brushed the crumbs from the corner of her lip.

Zhou Fanfan froze, staring at him in surprise. Guan Yuanbai didn't immediately pull his hand back either, just looked back at her.

Faint sounds of splashing water and laughter drifted from nearby, but in that moment, it was as if they were enclosed in a transparent bubble. Everything outside was shut out. In this tiny world, it was just the two of them.

An atmosphere thick with tender intimacy wrapped around them. For a fleeting second, Zhou Fanfan suddenly thought, Why not just throw caution to the wind? How much does he like me? How long will it last?... What does it matter?

Xiaoqian had been right about one thing before: when it comes to dating, being happy is the most important thing.

She never really understood before what was so great about being in a relationship, but now… she thought she might be starting to get it.

"You two are certainly dating, aren't you? We're running around busy inside, and you're out here making eyes at each other." Suddenly, a voice came from above.

Zhou Fanfan jolted as if waking from a dream, snapping her head up to look.

On the balcony above stood Song Li and Qi Chengyan, looking down at them with amused, teasing expressions.

Zhou Fanfan hadn't realized their little moment had been on full display. Instantly flustered, she quickly stood up from the swing. "I, I'm going to find Xiaoqian."

Song Li: "She's changing in her room."

Zhou Fanfan: "Oh! I'll go check on her."

Zhou Fanfan fled as if making a escape.

Guan Yuanbai sat in silence for a moment, then looked back up at the balcony.

"Song Li, you're the one in charge of this party. Is there a problem with you being busy?" The annoyance in his tone was unmistakable.

Song Li promptly hid behind Qi Chengyan. "He's mad. He's blaming us for interrupting his time with Fanfan."

Qi Chengyan pushed him aside. "You interrupted. I didn't say a word."

Song Li: "Just watching quietly is still interrupting! And it's creepy!"

Qi Chengyan laughed and scolded, "I came out for some air. Don't drag me into your creepiness."

"You're just shirking responsibility…" Song Li leaned on the railing and called down to Guan Yuanbai, "I swear, he was definitely curious about how you act when you're dating. He was watching with great interest, I tell you."

Guan Yuanbai narrowed his eyes. "So you're that curious, huh? Fine. Wait right there. I'm coming up to have a little chat with you."

Song Li sensed a hint of danger. He patted Qi Chengyan's shoulder. "You wait, you wait. I'm out of here. Got a ton of things to check on for tonight."

With that, he beat a hasty retreat.

Qi Chengyan: "..."

—

Zhou Fanfan hurried all the way to Xu Xiaoqian's room. Xu Xiaoqian was touching up her makeup. She let Zhou Fanfan in and then settled back in front of the dressing table.

"You're not with Mr. Guan? What brings you to me?"

Zhou Fanfan sat down on a nearby sofa. "Well, I can't be glued to him every second… What, I can't come find you?"

"No, no," Xu Xiaoqian said with a laugh. "So, how was spending the whole day with him? Happy? Did you get a little taste of… the fun of being in a relationship?"

Zhou Fanfan: "We're not in a relationship…"

Even as she said it, Zhou Fanfan thought about the haunted house and the moment on the swing. That kind of heartbeat… it was downright breathless.

"But if I said I wanted to be in a relationship with him now, wouldn't it be a bit too soon?"

Xu Xiaoqian's eyes widened, and she swiveled around to look at her. "You've made up your mind that fast?"

Zhou Fanfan rubbed her nose, a bit awkwardly. "I'm just saying if…"

Xu Xiaoqian was delighted. "I think you're just realizing you're developing stronger feelings for him. Go for it! Of course you can. Mr. Guan is so handsome, why wouldn't you?"

...

Xu Xiaoqian had become increasingly meticulous about her appearance since getting together with Song Li. Even touching up her makeup took ages.

After hanging out for a while, Song Li showed up. Not wanting to be a third wheel, Zhou Fanfan said she'd head out first.

Just after leaving the room, Guan Yuanbai called, asking where she was.

Perhaps because she'd reached a decision in her heart, Zhou Fanfan's throat felt a bit dry talking to him on the phone. She swallowed before saying, "I just came out of Xiaoqian's room."

"Dinner is in the Mingqi Hall."

The villa was huge, and Zhou Fanfan still hadn't figured out which hall was where. She asked, "First floor or second floor?"

"First floor." Guan Yuanbai paused, then added, "Do you know where it is? Do you want me to come get you?"

If it was on the first floor, there were probably three main halls. She didn't know which one it was, but it couldn't be far. She could just look around.

And if she couldn't find it, there were people downstairs; she could just ask.

Yet, after hesitating for two seconds, Zhou Fanfan heard herself speak, with a hint of deliberate helplessness, "I don't know where it is… Can you come get me?”

---

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