The Only Choice - 50

Though they'd held hands many times, Zhou Fanfan still wasn't entirely used to walking hand-in-hand with Guan Yuanbai in public.

Especially here, on campus.

Passersby almost always turned to look, making it impossible for her to pretend this was just an ordinary stroll.

"Why do you keep looking at our hands?" Guan Yuanbai asked.

Zhou Fanfan started. "Huh? No reason…"

"Does it still feel strange?"

Seeing he'd noticed, she gave up pretending. "A little."

Guan Yuanbai smiled. "No help for it. You'll have to get used to it. It's going to be like this from now on."

When you're in the thick of new love, hearing words like "from now on" feels incredibly sweet.

Even Zhou Fanfan, who usually held a pessimistic view of ‘couples futures’, found herself, in this moment, not thinking of any bad endings. She just felt that the phrase sounded truly wonderful. She liked the sound of that ‘from now on.

She tightened her grip on his hand and nodded earnestly. "Okay, I'll get used to it!"

Guan Yuanbai smiled again and asked what she wanted to eat. Zhou Fanfan said Chinese food, so they drove to a Chinese restaurant.

After the meal, they strolled around the area to walk off the food.

Zhou Fanfan had never thought she could enjoy walking so much. They walked for a long time, yet she didn't feel tired at all.

They only headed back to the car because Guan Yuanbai had a meeting at the company that afternoon.

"I'll take you home first."

"It's almost time, you should head straight to the office."

"It's fine, there's time."

Zhou Fanfan glanced at her watch, still a little worried, and said bluntly, "How about I come with you to the office?"

Guan Yuanbai's eyes lit up slightly.

"I have my laptop with me anyway," Zhou Fanfan explained. "I need to write something, I can just do it in your office." She added, "And it means Grandma won't pop into my room to nag me."

Guan Yuanbai hadn't wanted to part with her in the first place. Now that she suggested coming along, he was more than happy. "Alright. You can work in my office and wait for me. We can have dinner together tonight."

Zhou Fanfan beamed. "Sure!"

And so, she got into his car and went to Nanheng.

When they arrived at the company, his assistant, He Zhi, was already waiting in the lobby with two project managers.

Seeing Guan Yuanbai holding hands with a young woman didn't surprise them much anymore.

After all, their boss had posted about her on social media twice by now. At this point, everyone knew he was with the Zhou family's young lady.

"He Zhi, take her to my office, then come find me," Guan Yuanbai instructed.

"I know where your office is, I can find it myself," Zhou Fanfan said to He Zhi. "You don't need to escort me, go ahead."

He Zhi looked back at Guan Yuanbai, who chuckled and said, "Going by yourself?"

"Yep, I know the way."

"Alright." Guan Yuanbai joked, "Don't get lost."

Zhou Fanfan shot him a mild glare. "...You're the one who'd get lost."

She left them behind and walked on her own. She took the elevator and got off on the floor housing Guan Yuanbai's office. Having been here before, she was familiar with the route. When she walked in, the assistants seated outside the office area immediately stood up to greet her.

"Miss Zhou."

Apart from He Zhi, Zhou Fanfan wasn't familiar with Guan Yuanbai's other assistants. But they knew her very well, having gossiped about her extensively in private.

Zhou Fanfan nodded and returned the greeting.

"Miss Zhou, can I get you something to drink?" asked one of the women, dressed in professional attire.

"No, no, thank you," Zhou Fanfan declined.

As she spoke, her gaze inadvertently fell on the woman's desk. While her attire was formal, her desk was adorned with incredibly cute items: two doll figurines sat prominently, and her computer wallpaper featured a male idol.

The dolls looked like official merchandise. This looked… very much like the desk of a dedicated fan.

However, the male idol on her wallpaper seemed to be a newer star Zhou Fanfan didn't recognize.

She looked a moment longer, curious. "Who is this?"

Fans often feel a kinship with other fans, and she couldn't help but ask.

The professionally dressed woman was momentarily startled, then a bit embarrassed. "A new idol, Lu Mingfan."

Seeing Zhou Fanfan's apparent interest, she added, "He debuted second place from a trainee survival show last year. The show wasn't very popular, though, so even placing second didn't make him well-known."

Zhou Fanfan nodded repeatedly. "He's very handsome."

The woman's eyes lit up, radiating the excitement of a proud parent. "Ah! Thank you, thank you!"

Zhou Fanfan gestured towards Guan Yuanbai's office. "Well, I'll head in now?"

"Of course, Miss Zhou. Let me get you some snacks, just a moment."

Zhou Fanfan wanted to refuse, but the woman was already heading enthusiastically towards the pantry.

Later, Zhou Fanfan sat in Guan Yuanbai's office chair, opened her laptop, and prepared to work on her paper.

But before that, she took out her phone and searched for the new idol she'd just seen.

Lu Mingfan, born 1999, graduated from Capital Business College. Last year, he took second place in a variety show called "I Am a New Idol," but the show wasn't a hit, so even as the runner-up, few people knew him.

Zhou Fanfan silently enlarged his photo. His image was really quite good. Given the right opportunity, he could probably become popular.

Of course, her sudden interest wasn't about making predictions. It was just that this person had the perfect look for a male lead, especially with that silver hair from the computer wallpaper. He matched the image of the male lead in Scarlet Flames, a novel she was planning to acquire the rights for, perfectly.

Scarlet Flames have been very popular in the historical romance genre lately. She'd read it and loved it immensely. After talking with Zhao Dezhen last night, she was considering buying the adaptation rights early.

Zhou Fanfan made a note about Lu Mingfan in her memos, then turned her attention to the paper she needed to write.

After working for over an hour, she had more or less finished her planned amount. She played on her phone in the office for a while, but Guan Yuanbai still hadn't returned, so she went out for a stroll.

It was afternoon tea time. The assistants had ordered milk tea and pastries and had gotten a portion for Zhou Fanfan too.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Zhou Fanfan didn't refuse. She pulled up a chair and joined them, eating and chatting. She ended up talking a bit more with the woman who liked Lu Mingfan, named Lin Zhao. As a fan, Lin Zhao could talk endlessly about her favorite idol.

Lin Zhao said Lu Mingfan was an independent trainee with no powerful backing, so it was very hard for him to gain popularity, but his small group of fans would still support him as best they could.

Though not being famous had one advantage: it was relatively easy to get tickets to his fan meetings. He had one coming up next Sunday in the capital, and Lin Zhao planned to go.

Zhou Fanfan's interest was piqued. "Could you help me get a ticket too? Preferably front row. Price isn't an issue."

Lin Zhao was surprised. "Do you like him too?"

Zhou Fanfan wanted to see him in person, to see if he looked as good as he did in photos and videos. "I've got some free time, thought I'd check it out."

"Sure, sure!" Lin Zhao said. "I'll ask in the fan group, see if I can get you one."

"OK."

Lin Zhao and the others hadn't expected Zhou Fanfan to be so approachable, easily blending in with them. As they chatted, they grew bold enough to ask her about Guan Yuanbai.

"So, is he usually very strict?" Zhou Fanfan asked curiously.

Lin Zhao said, "Yes, but while he's strict, he's also generous. We eat well following the boss."

Zhou Fanfan said, "I see. But when he's angry at work, he doesn't yell, does he?"

"Well… if someone really messes up, he definitely… corrects them. It's not yelling, more like precise, sharp criticism. The kind that makes you wish the ground would swallow you!"

"Right, right! Last year's mid-year review, the head of marketing, a grown man, was reduced to tears by Mr. Guan."

Zhou Fanfan ate a potato chip with a slight tremble. "That fierce? What did he say?"

"So curious? Would you like me to tell you myself?" Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind them.

The subordinates froze, spinning around instantly. "M-Mr. Guan…!"

Zhou Fanfan hadn't expected to be caught gossiping either. She offered a dry laugh. "You're done?"

The others silently shuffled aside, internal alarms blaring.

They'd gotten carried away, rare as it was to chat with the boss's girlfriend. How much had he heard?!

Seeing how nervous everyone looked, Zhou Fanfan felt a little guilty. It was her fault for asking so many questions. She quickly stood up to explain, "We were just chatting over afternoon tea. It's not their fault, I was the one asking all the questions."

Guan Yuanbai said, "Oh? All you?"

"Of course. I was just curious about what you're like at work." Zhou Fanfan ventured tentatively, "Am… am I allowed to be curious?"

Guan Yuanbai looked at her for a moment, then smiled. "You are. Of course you are."

Zhou Fanfan breathed a sigh of relief. Eagerly, she pulled a chocolate stick from the snack bag and offered it to him. "They bought these for me. They're really good, try one."

Guan Yuanbai glanced down but didn't take it. Instead, he leaned down and took a bite directly from her hand. The remaining half of the stick was still in Zhou Fanfan's grasp. He straightened up and gave a slight nod. "Not bad."

The subordinates, used to their boss being a driven workaholic, were stunned by this display of tender, human-like behavior. They stared, transfixed.

Guan Yuanbai didn't seem to care at all. He took Zhou Fanfan's hand and led her towards his office.

"You can get back to work now," he tossed over his shoulder just before entering.

The assistants snapped out of it, quickly averted their eyes, and obediently returned to their stations.

"Want more?" Inside the office, Zhou Fanfan offered him the remaining half of the chocolate stick.

Guan Yuanbai grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. But he didn't go for the chocolate. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her lips.

It was too sudden, too natural.

Zhou Fanfan blinked twice, stunned. "I was asking… if you wanted more chocolate stick."

"I know. I do." Guan Yuanbai then turned his head and ate the remaining half from her hand before releasing her.

Zhou Fanfan stood there for a moment, lightly rubbing her nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

If she wasn't used to holding hands yet, she was even less used to kisses.

Guan Yuanbai sat down on the sofa and patted the spot beside him, indicating she should sit. "Weren't you supposed to be working? How did you end up outside chatting?"

Zhou Fanfan moved over and sat down. "I finished… I was bored, so I went out for a stroll. They were having afternoon tea, so we chatted for a bit. Oh, your assistants are really nice. They gave me lots of snacks. Look, a whole pocketful of candy."

A slight smile tugged at Guan Yuanbai's lips. "So much candy? Are they treating you like a kid?"

Zhou Fanfan pouted. "Treating me like a kid? They're just being friendly."

"Oh. Friendly."

Zhou Fanfan glanced at him, a hint of smugness in her expression. "You're so strict. I bet your assistants aren't this friendly with you, are they?"

Now she was boasting.

Guan Yuanbai played along. "You're right. I'm too strict, so they never share their candy with me."

Zhou Fanfan knew he was teasing her. She humphed lightly. "Just jealous… Oh, and seriously, don't blame them. I was the one asking about you at work, they weren't gossiping."

"Got it. Do I really seem that unreasonable?"

Zhou Fanfan unwrapped a candy and popped it into her mouth. Strawberry flavor. "No, no, 'we eat well following the boss.' They were praising you just now." As she spoke, she unwrapped another candy for Guan Yuanbai. "Enjoy, Boss Guan."

Guan Yuanbai smiled and looked down. The one in her hand was purple. Probably grape flavor.

He said, "I want strawberry."

"Strawberry? Oh, let me find one for you."

Zhou Fanfan set the grape one aside and rummaged in the pocket for a pink wrapper. But she had only just started looking when Guan Yuanbai cupped her face and lifted her head.

"You already have one in your mouth," he said.

Zhou Fanfan was momentarily confused. "Huh?"

Before she could process it, he was already leaning in, kissing her, parting her lips, and deepening the kiss.

The taste of sweet strawberry spread easily as their tongues met.

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