The Only Choice - 49

Qi Chengyan came across Guan Yuanbai's WeChat Moments post just as he and Guan Zhiyi had settled into a coffee shop, taking a break from their stroll.

"Your brother has lost his mind," Qi Chengyan stated.

Guan Zhiyi: "What?"

Qi Chengyan handed her his phone. After a glance, she couldn't help but exclaim, "What an adorable brooch!"

"The main point is he's actually willing to wear that. The even bigger point is, he's posting it to show off. Clearly, he's feeling very pleased with himself."

Guan Zhiyi laughed. "Fanfan gave it to him, of course he's going to show off. Pfft... So this is how big brother acts when he's in a relationship. I always thought he'd be rigid and by-the-book, not very considerate, and wouldn't know how to sweet-talk a girl at all."

"It seems our understanding of him in matters of the heart was insufficient."

"Absolutely!"

—

On the other side, Song Li saw it too. Of course, he was busy having fun with Xu Xiaoqian; Qi Chengyan had sent him a screenshot.

Where Song Li saw it, Xu Xiaoqian naturally saw it too. Connecting it with this morning's events, she realized her dear Zhou Fanfan had definitely confirmed her relationship with Guan Yuanbai!

[Look at you go! Congrats congrats!! The little lamb is so cute hahahaha]

By the time Zhou Fanfan received Xu Xiaoqian's message, Guan Yuanbai's Moments post already had a dense cluster of likes.

Knowing Xu Xiaoqian had seen Guan Yuanbai's post through Song Li, Zhou Fanfan felt intensely embarrassed. She started to think she shouldn't have been so casual with her gift; she should have bought something more fitting for him.

"Um, is it really okay for everyone to see? Maybe... you should delete it?" Zhou Fanfan suggested tentatively as they walked.

Guan Yuanbai: "What's not okay about it?"

"It's just... I'll get you a better one next time."

Guan Yuanbai paused. "Isn't this one just fine? You said it suited me earlier."

"I said it suited your... zodiac sign."

Guan Yuanbai countered, "It also suits my outfit quite well. Don't worry, no one will think it's bad. They'll just be jealous."

Zhou Fanfan: "…"

She highly doubted it was ‘jealousy’!!

When they returned from their outing, a bunch of people were eyeing the brooch on Guan Yuanbai's chest, and he simply acted as if he was letting everyone admire it.

Zhou Fanfan found it utterly mortifying and silently retreated to her room.

In the evening, they had dinner at the resort again. After the meal, the weekend mini-vacation came to an end. Guan Yuanbai drove Zhou Fanfan home. On the way, Zhang Luo's songs were still playing in the car.

Zhou Fanfan, tired from the day's activities, fell asleep shortly after getting in the car and didn't wake up until Guan Yuanbai called her name as they neared her home.

"We're here already…" Zhou Fanfan glanced around. "I slept for so long."

Guan Yuanbai: "You did sleep for a long time. Perhaps the environment in this car is particularly conducive to you sleeping."

Zhou Fanfan rubbed her nose. "No, it's because I didn't sleep well last night…"

The car came to a stop.

Guan Yuanbai turned to look at her. "I didn't sleep well last night either."

As for why neither had slept well, they both knew perfectly well.

But Zhou Fanfan was too embarrassed to bring up last night; just thinking about it made her heart race wildly.

"Oh... well, you should go to bed early tonight then."

"Alright."

Zhou Fanfan reached for the door handle. "Shall I get out now?"

"Wait."

Zhou Fanfan stopped. "What's wrong?"

Guan Yuanbai glanced out the window. "No one's around. Should we have a kiss before you go?"

Zhou Fanfan froze, a blush instantly spreading down to her neck. "…Is that appropriate?"

A slight smile touched Guan Yuanbai's lips. "Why wouldn't it be?"

It seemed there wasn't anything inappropriate about it, given they had already kissed last night.

Zhou Fanfan didn't want to be overly coy in her relationship. She quickly checked outside again, confirmed no one was there, and said hesitantly, "Well then… no tongue."

Guan Yuanbai's eyes darkened instantly. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he said evenly, "Okay."

He leaned over, his right hand resting on her arm, and kissed her.

Their lips met softly, sending a shiver through her. He gently sucked on her lower lip.

"Like this?" he asked, pulling away slightly.

Zhou Fanfan stared at his lips, swallowing hard. "Mmm… that's fine."

Guan Yuanbai ruffled her hair but didn't try to kiss her again. If he did, he wasn't sure he could keep himself in check right outside her home.

"Okay, head inside now."

"Okay."

Zhou Fanfan turned to open the door. Halfway out, she suddenly turned back. She flung herself against him, planted a loud, smacking kiss on his lips.

"Bye!" She immediately pushed the door open and ran out.

Her figure quickly disappeared through the doorway. Guan Yuanbai was still processing her sudden kiss, staring blankly at the door for a long moment before finally raising a hand to touch his lips.

—

"Fanfan, you're back. Have you eaten?" The moment she stepped inside, Zhao Dezhen spotted her.

Zhou Fanfan's face was still flushed. She avoided direct eye contact. "I've eaten!"

"Oh, what did you have… Hey, why are you running off?"

"I need to use the bathroom! I'll be right out!"

Zhou Fanfan ran into her bedroom's bathroom. Leaning against the door, she saw her own wildly grinning reflection in the mirror. Despite her shyness, her smile was radiant.

It was true, then. Kissing a handsome guy… was a genuinely happy thing.

After she had completely calmed down, Zhou Fanfan went downstairs.

Zhao Dezhen was still having her dinner. Zhou Fanfan sat down beside her, sweetly wrapping her arms around her. "Is it delicious, Grandma?"

"Delicious. Could Aunt Feng's cooking be anything less? Do you want some more?"

"No, I'm completely stuffed."

Zhao Dezhen looked at her knowingly. "What did you eat with Yuanbai?"

"Just ate at the resort. It's really quite fun there, perfect for a short vacation. I'll take you next time, it's not far anyway."

"Alright."

Zhou Fanfan stayed with Zhao Dezhen until she finished her meal, listening to her talk about company matters for a while.

As she listened, Zhou Fanfan suddenly remembered a plan she had been considering earlier. She broached the topic of investing in film and television productions with Zhao Dezhen. Naturally, Zhao Dezhen initially thought she was just dabbling, but seeing Zhou Fanfan's serious expression and her detailed explanation of the novel IPs she was optimistic about, she began to give it some consideration.

She knew her granddaughter wasn't interested in the family's traditional businesses. Now that she suddenly wanted to pursue something, Zhao Dezhen, while not saying much, was inwardly willing to support her.

"You need to understand this isn't as easy as you might think. Alright, later, properly prepare a business plan for me. Whether we follow through with the investment or not, I'll decide after reviewing it."

"Great! Thank you, Grandma! I'll prepare it properly."

"Good."

Having received Zhao Dezhen's tentative approval, Zhou Fanfan's mood was even brighter that day.

Back in her room, she opened her computer and happily started editing a video.

For her, editing videos of her idol was also a form of relaxation.

But as she worked, something suddenly felt off. She felt like… the person's features in front of her were starting to resemble someone else.

Zhou Fanfan's hand, holding the mouse, stilled. She jerked back in her chair. "Holy crap."

While editing a video of her precious ‘daughter’, she was seeing Guan Yuanbai!!

How did this happen?!

Okay, maybe there was a slight resemblance, one or two points… but this had never happened before.

Ahhhh! She was the worst!

Zhou Fanfan grabbed her hair, filled with remorse!

She shook her head vigorously to dispel the image, finally allowing herself to continue editing…

By the time she finished the video and uploaded it to Weibo, it was already late at night. Friends in the group chat popped up as soon as she posted it.

Qiqi: [Ya, haven't seen you post a video in days! Love you, Fanfan!!!]

Liuliu: [So beautiful~]

Qiqi: [Fanfan, have you seen our daughter lately?]

Seeing her friends ask this, Zhou Fanfan suddenly remembered she hadn't yet told her close friends about her new situation.

So, after weighing her words, she typed: [Friends, here's the thing. I have an announcement to make.]

The group chat fell silent for a few seconds before—

Qiqi: [You're really together with our son now, right?]

Liuliu: [Did you kiss our son? Was it a French kiss? If not, don't bother announcing it.]

Zhou Fanfan: [？？？？]

Did these people have some kind of precognition?!

Zhou Fanfan: [How did you know?]

Qiqi: [！！！！！]

Liuliu: [Damn!!]

Qiqi: [I just knew you'd end up together! So! You're really together, right?!]

Zhou Fanfan: [Yes…]

Liuliu: [Ahhhh I was just running my mouth! I didn't expect the dream to become reality!]

Xiaoqian also joined in: [Our Fanfan is now the bona fide sister-in-law! So happy!]

Qiqi: [Congrats, sister-in-law! I want an autograph, a personalized one!!]

Liuliu: [Congrats, sister-in-law! Can you invite me to the wedding? I want to see Yiyi again!]

Qiqi: [Seconded!]

Zhou Fanfan: [Gotta go…]

Qiqi: [Hey! If you don't invite me, you're no friend of mine!]

Zhou Fanfan: [We're just dating! Why are you talking about marriage! Jinx!]

Qiqi: [Don't you dare sneak off and get married without us finding out!]

Zhou Fanfan: [Oh. Okay, announcement over. Going to sleep now, goodnight.]

Liuliu: [You're not chatting with us, you're going to chat with our son, aren't you?]

Xiaoqian: [Does that even need to be said? It's obvious.]

Qiqi: [As expected, friends can't compare to a freshly minted lover.]

Zhou Fanfan: "…"

She exited the group chat decisively and tossed her phone aside.

But after lying there with her eyes closed for a while, she silently retrieved her phone and clicked on Guan Yuanbai's profile.

She saw comments from a few people she knew under his Moments post from today.

Song Li had said, "So showy," to which Guan Yuanbai replied, "Don't be sour."

Qi Chengyan said,"You're sure active on Moments now," and Guan Yuanbai replied, "Well, I have a girlfriend now."

Between the lines, there was a distinct flavor of smug delight.

Even though she felt embarrassed about it during the day, looking at it now made her happy.

Suddenly… she missed him so much.

Zhou Fanfan, beaming, opened her chat with him. Just as she started typing, the indicator showed "Guan Yuanbai is typing..."

[Getting ready for bed. How about you?]

Zhou Fanfan had been about to send the exact same words. Seeing this, she quickly deleted them and said: [Me too.]

Guan Yuanbai: [Do you have class tomorrow?]

Zhou Fanfan: [Just a morning class. What about you tomorrow?]

Guan Yuanbai: [I have a meeting scheduled for the afternoon.]

Zhou Fanfan: [Oh~ Okay.]

Guan Yuanbai: [I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon.]

Zhou Fanfan: [What for…?]

Guan Yuanbai: [No reason. To see you.]

Zhou Fanfan instantly curled up into a shrimp on her bed.

A few seconds later, another message from him popped up: [We can have lunch together then.]

Curled up under the covers, the light from her phone illuminated her silly grin: [Alrighty then.]

It seemed her friends hadn't lied to her. Being in a relationship could actually be really fun.

Just the prospect of seeing him tomorrow was enough to make her too excited to sleep.

—

The next day, her mood was exceptionally buoyant as she went to class. Even when her professor assigned an extremely difficult project first thing in the morning, her spirits remained completely unaffected.

After getting through the morning, it was time for her last class.

With half an hour left before the end of class, Zhou Fanfan was already getting antsy. She glanced at her phone and sent a message to Guan Yuanbai: [Class ends in half an hour.]

Guan Yuanbai replied quickly: [I know. Pay attention in class. No phones.]

So strict.

Zhou Fanfan chuckled softly but still stuffed her phone back into her desk, not looking at it again.

The seconds and minutes ticked by, seeming to move especially slowly.

After what felt like an eternity, the bell finally rang.

The teacher shut down the computer, picked up their bag, and left. The twenty-plus students in the classroom began gathering their things to leave. Zhou Fanfan was the fastest, shoving her books into her bag and immediately darting out of the classroom.

"Zhou Fanfan." Just as she stepped out and turned right, a familiar voice called from the left.

She whipped her head around. Seeing Guan Yuanbai standing by the doorway, her eyes widened in surprise.

Guan Yuanbai walked forward a few steps and handed her a juice he'd bought. "Ready to go?"

Zhou Fanfan's face lit up with delight. "How are you here?"

"Waiting for you after class."

"But… how did you know which classroom I was in?"

Guan Yuanbai said, "I asked Song Li to check with your friend. She sent me your class schedule."

"Xiaoqian?"

"Mn."

"You should have told me!" Joy and nervousness intertwined, making her heart pound. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Just got here a little while ago."

"Oh!"

"Fanfan! Is this your boyfriend?" A classmate coming out of the classroom stared curiously at Guan Yuanbai.

Zhou Fanfan felt a little shy, but looking at Guan Yuanbai, she nodded. "Yeah."

"Your boyfriend is so handsome! Haven't seen him before! Which department is he in?"

Zhou Fanfan said, "He, uh, he's graduated."

"Ahh~" Her classmates understood, though they still found it novel. Zhou Fanfan usually kept to herself; many guys pursued her, but they'd never seen her with anyone before.

"Way to go, Fanfan! Well, we're off to lunch."

"Okay, see you."

"Bye!"

Her classmates left, looking back over their shoulders a few times. Zhou Fanfan, unable to suppress her smile, said to Guan Yuanbai, "Let's go eat too, then."

Guan Yuanbai didn't move. He reached out his hand.

Zhou Fanfan looked at his open palm, then back at him. "Huh?"

Guan Yuanbai's eyebrow quirked slightly as he took her hand. "Hold my hand."

---

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