The Only Choice - 55

After the tumult of their passion, a gentle calm finally settled.

Guan Yuanbai turned off the main light, leaving only the soft glow from the bedside lamp and the light seeping from the bathroom. He gathered Zhou Fanfan into his arms, his voice a tender murmur as he asked if she wanted water.

Her throat was raw, both from crying out and the remnants of alcohol, her mind foggy and adrift in a dizzying haze.

"Yes, please," she whispered.

"Alright, sit up a little. Lean on me."

"Okay…"

She nestled against him, her hands cupping the glass he offered, and took several gulps. She drank a little too eagerly, a trickle of water escaping the corner of her mouth and tracing a path down her neck.

In her current state of undress, the way she held the glass did little to conceal the soft, full curves of her breasts.

Guan Yuanbai's gaze dropped, and his breath hitched.

"Finished?"

"Mmm." She handed the glass back and rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes.

"Still dizzy?"

"...A little."

He made a sound of acknowledgement, nuzzling her forehead gently before lowering her back onto the bed. His lips began to wander along the shell of her ear.

Zhou Fanfan's eyes flew open, and she brought a hand up to block his face. "What are you doing…?"

"Hmm? You said you were only 'a little' dizzy."

"I am! But that doesn't mean… this." She couldn't possibly go another round. She felt thoroughly wrecked, her body aching as if it had been taken apart and poorly reassembled. "I'm still sore. Don't touch me."

A faint crease of concern appeared between Guan Yuanbai's brows. "Let me see."

"No!" She squirmed away, putting distance between them. "Don't look!"

"Fine, fine, I won't look." He relented, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Then come back here."

Zhou Fanfan ignored him, yanking the covers over her head to create a barrier.

So much for him not being petty or holding a grudge! What a naive thought.

He'd clearly been keeping score. Why else would he have paused in the middle of everything to ask, "So, am I capable or not?"

The memory made her eyes well up with frustrated tears. She never should have casually agreed with Liuliu's assessment over WeChat that day…

—

That night, Guan Yuanbai finally took pity on her and let her be.

But when she woke the next morning, the deep, pervasive ache remained, a stark reminder of the previous night's activities.

Zhou Fanfan sat up, blinking blearily at the trail of discarded clothing littering the floor. Her mind went blank…

How was she supposed to wear any of that again?

"I had breakfast delivered. You can go down whenever you're ready." Guan Yuanbai walked in from outside the room, carrying a bag.

In the stark light of day, fully conscious and seeing him there, the memory of everything that had happened in that bed washed over her, bringing a fresh wave of heat to her cheeks.

"Ah… okay. Got it." She clutched the sheet tighter, keeping her eyes downcast.

He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I had Lin Zhao pick up a few outfits. They're all new. Wear one today, and you can leave the rest here for when you stay over." He pulled a set of clothes from the bag. It contained not just outerwear, but also underwear and socks.

Zhou Fanfan's embarrassment skyrocketed. She was grateful he'd had the foresight to ask his female assistant, but the thought was still mortifying!

"This…"

"I checked the size on your… discarded pieces," he said matter-of-factly. "They should fit."

The image of him picking up her underwear to examine the tag flashed in her mind.

She could just die on the spot.

"Get out. I need to get dressed," she mumbled, her face flaming.

"I can't stay?"

"No. Go. Now."

He chuckled, deciding not to tease her further. "Alright. Toiletries are already set up for you in the bathroom. Come down to eat when you're done."

"Okay…"

She had morning classes. After breakfast at his place, Guan Yuanbai drove her to campus.

Her friend Xu Xiaoqian had the same class. Once it was over, they decided to get lunch together.

The day was sweltering, so they headed to the nearest cafeteria. Zhou Fanfan ordered a bowl of rice noodles and a bubble tea.

As they ate and chatted, Xiaoqian's eyes suddenly narrowed. She leaned back abruptly. "Fanfan. What is that?"

Zhou Fanfan stared at her, confused. "What is what?"

Xiaoqian pointed near her collarbone. "You didn't sleep at home last night, did you?"

Zhou Fanfan's hand flew to the spot. "…"

"Oooh~ Someone's been busy."

Zhou Fanfan didn't answer, instead frantically digging through her bag for a compact mirror. Her round-necked t-shirt had shifted, revealing faint, reddish marks near the edge of the collar. They were surprisingly dark.

Her eyes widened in horror. She immediately yanked her collar up. "Let's just eat."

Xiaoqian grinned, her expression knowing. "Spent the night with a certain Mr. Guan, huh?"

"Well… who else?"

"True," Xiaoqian nodded. "Turn your head to the left a bit."

Zhou Fanfan froze, then complied. "Don't tell me there's one on the back, too…"

Xiaoqian snorted with laughter. "Yep. Right on the nape of your neck."

"…………"

She'd been in such a hurry to get dressed that morning, she'd completely missed them.

Thankfully, both marks were close to her collar, and she'd sat in a corner during the lecture. She hoped no one had noticed.

"Mr. Guan doesn't hold back, does he?" Xiaoqian prodded. "Are you… okay?"

Zhou Fanfan let her ponytail down, using her hair as a makeshift shield. "I'm fine!"

"Really?"

"Of course I am!"

She insisted she was fine, but the moment she got back to her dorm room, she pulled out her phone, snapped a picture of the evidence, and sent it to Guan Yuanbai with a forceful accusation.

[Look what you did!!!]

Guan Yuanbai replied almost immediately: [You probably shouldn't send me photos like that of yourself.] 

Zhou Fanfan: [?]

Guan Yuanbai: [I'm at the office. It's… inconvenient.] 

Inconvenient? What did that mean?!

It took her a moment to process his implication, and her cheeks flushed crimson. [That's NOT what I meant! I'm saying these marks are too obvious! What am I supposed to do now?!]

Guan Yuanbai: [My apologies. I wasn't thinking clearly last night. I'll be more careful next time. I'll make sure they're in places your clothes can cover.] 

Zhou Fanfan: "…"

That was not the solution she was looking for!

Guan Yuanbai: [Class over?] 

She deflated, all the fight gone out of her. [Yes…]

Guan Yuanbai: [Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?] 

Zhou Fanfan paused, then typed out a firm, two-word reply: [No.]

—

Before leaving campus, she changed into a shirt she kept in her dorm, buttoning it up securely to cover every inch of skin. Only then did she drive home.

"Auntie Feng, where's Grandma?" she asked, collapsing dramatically onto the living room sofa the moment she walked in.

Auntie Feng took her laptop bag and backpack and set them aside. "The Madam just got home herself. She's right over there."

Zhou Fanfan turned to see her grandmother walking from the direction of the study. "Fanfan, you're back for dinner? You should have told me."

"Nothing going on at school, so I came back early."

"I see."

Zhou Fanfan took in Zhao Dezhen's rather formal attire. "You're all dressed up. Where did you go?"

At this, Zhao Dezhen's face lit up. She sat down beside Zhou Fanfan and pulled out her phone, scrolling through her photos. "I went to a friend's great-granddaughter's full-moon banquet today. Oh, the baby was just adorable! Look, look."

Zhou Fanfan took the phone and flipped through a few pictures. "She's a beautiful little girl."

"Exactly! Just like you were at that age, all chubby and sweet." Zhao Dezhen sighed wistfully. "My friend is the same age as me, and she already has a great-grandchild. Oh, I'm so envious."

Zhou Fanfan shot her a sidelong glance. "That just means her children or grandchildren married young. Otherwise, how could she have one already?"

"It's not so strange! Look, you're twenty-four now. It's a perfectly legal age."

Zhou Fanfan: "?"

Zhao Dezhen pressed on. "Do you enjoy being with Guan Yuanbai? Are you happy?"

Zhou Fanfan could see where this was going. "Yes," she said flatly.

"Well, that's wonderful!" Her grandmother beamed. "Fanfan, since you're so happy, why don't the two of you just get engaged? What do you think?"

There it is.

Zhou Fanfan sat up straight, her expression turning stony. "Grandma, we've talked about this. Why are you bringing it up again?"

"But you're so well-suited, and you like each other so much! What's the harm in getting engaged? Right, Auntie Feng?"

Auntie Feng chimed in from the sidelines, "Yes, yes. I think getting engaged now is a fine idea. It brings stability."

"Stability? Emotional stability? What good is an engagement if our feelings change? A piece of paper doesn't magically make a relationship stronger." Zhou Fanfan couldn't fathom this old-fashioned logic. Her voice grew tight with displeasure. "I told you last time, we'll handle these things ourselves. Let things happen naturally."

Zhao Dezhen's smile faded. "I just want to see you settled down with Guan Yuanbai. You know that. Seeing you married is my greatest wish."

It was true, she liked Guan Yuanbai a great deal. But their relationship was still so new. How could they possibly rush into marriage?

"It's your wish, Grandma, not necessarily mine. I've already gone along with your matchmaking and I'm dating him. Shouldn't the rest follow my pace? You can't keep meddling like this."

"What do you mean, 'meddling'? Was it wrong of me to arrange those meetings? Look, you ended up with someone you like! It worked out perfectly!"

"That was just a coincidence! Grandma, please stop going on about marriage. I'm sick of hearing about it."

Her good mood was thoroughly ruined.

With that, Zhou Fanfan stormed upstairs, ignoring her grandmother's calls after her. She slammed her bedroom door shut.

Once inside, she scrubbed her hands over her face and flopped onto the bed.

She had to admit, because of her parents, she held a deep-seated aversion to marriage.

She loved Guan Yuanbai. She loved the feeling of being with him. But the moment marriage was mentioned, a visceral resistance bubbled up, completely beyond her control.

After stewing in her frustration for a while, she decided she didn't want to think about it anymore. She got up and sat at her computer, hoping to lose herself in some videos and calm down.

Just then, Zhao Dezhen knocked on her door.

Zhou Fanfan, still upset, didn't answer. Her grandmother cracked the door open, saw she was on her computer, and came in.

"You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Auntie Feng made your favorites. Come have a bite."

Zhou Fanfan refused to look at her. "I'm not hungry."

"Alright, then at least have some fruit for now." Zhao Dezhen set a plate of cut fruit on her desk, her voice softening into a plea. "Okay, okay. Grandma was wrong. I won't bring it up again, I promise. It's your decision."

Zhou Fanfan pressed her lips together and stayed silent. She didn't believe for a second that her grandmother would actually drop it!

Seeing she wouldn't get a response, Zhao Dezhen didn't push it. She patted Zhou Fanfan's head gently. "I'll leave you to it, then."

"…"

Her grandmother retreated, quietly closing the door behind her.

Only then did Zhou Fanfan glance back at the door, then at the plate of fruit. Amid her lingering annoyance, a pang of regret surfaced.

Maybe she should have said something.

---

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