The Only Choice - 8

Guan Yuanbai wasn't driving his usual coupe today, but had switched to a much larger vehicle. Its body lines were sharp and angular, finished in a uniform black, giving off a wild and imposing feel.

This was different from the impression Guan Yuanbai himself gave her, but for some reason, it didn't seem incongruous.

Zhou Fanfan was wearing a dress today, which made moving her legs difficult, causing some trouble when trying to get into such a high car. Guan Yuanbai noticed and steadied her forearm, allowing her to use the support to climb in.

"Thank you."

Guan Yuanbai gave a slight nod, walked around to the driver's side, and got in.

Before coming, Guan Yuanbai had already reserved a restaurant and planned to take Zhou Fanfan there for dinner.

Halfway there, his assistant called. Since he was driving, he put it on speakerphone.

Sitting in the car, Zhou Fanfan naturally overheard the conversation between Guan Yuanbai and the other person. She turned her head towards the window, not wanting to intrude.

It wasn't until he ended the call that she looked back at him.

A brief, apologetic look flashed across Guan Yuanbai's face. "There's an urgent matter at the company. I need to go there."

Zhou Fanfan, having heard the entire conversation, had already gathered the gist from the person on the phone. "Then let's head straight to the company. I'm not hungry and I'm in no rush to eat."

"Thanks."

Guan Yuanbai quickly changed direction. When they arrived at the company, several people were already waiting at the entrance of the main hall.

Guan Yuanbai got out of the car, tossed the keys to one of them, and said to his assistant, He Zhi, who was standing by, "Take Miss Zhou to my office."

"Understood, President Guan."

By the time Zhou Fanfan got out of the car, Guan Yuanbai was already striding away. It was clear the situation was urgent.

"Miss Zhou, please come with me to rest for a while."

"Alright." Zhou Fanfan, holding the cake she had bought earlier, said, "This needs refrigeration."

"Of course, I'll handle it. There's a fridge in President Guan's office; I'll put it there shortly."

"Okay, thank you, Xiao He."

"No problem."

Zhou Fanfan had heard of the Guan family's Nanheng Group, but this was her first time at the corporate headquarters.

Even though it was evening, the company campus was brightly lit, and there were quite a few people around. Zhou Fanfan walking alongside Guan Yuanbai's assistant attracted some sidelong glances.

However, once they took the elevator up to the floor housing Guan Yuanbai's office, the number of people dwindled drastically. Only one woman with black-rimmed glasses, working overtime in the assistant's area, was visible.

He Zhi led her into the office, carefully stored the cake, and then said, "Miss Zhou, we have various teas and snacks here. You can use the projector over there for movies or games, and there are many books on the bookshelf... President Guan might be a while. Please make yourself comfortable."

"Okay, I'll be fine on my own."

He Zhi added, "If you need anything, just ask the woman with glasses outside. She'll assist you. I need to head to the meeting room now."

"Mm-hmm, go ahead with your work."

After the assistant left, Zhou Fanfan took a slow stroll around Guan Yuanbai's office, cautiously observing her surroundings.

His office was spacious, divided into a work area, a reception area, and a lounge area. The various snacks, drinks, and entertainment options the assistant mentioned were all here, along with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf.

Zhou Fanfan randomly pulled out a book, Liar's Poker, flipped through a couple of pages, realized it seemed to be about bond markets, and put it back.

Since childhood, her favorite reads have always been various novels. Books like this were too obscure and boring for her.

She browsed along the bookshelf again. Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly spotted a familiar title. It was the original novel for a drama Guan Zhiyi had starred in years ago, Court and Country.

She took it down. The moment she opened the first page, her breath caught.

Because on the title page, there were two signatures!

One was the original author's autograph, and the other was Guan Zhiyi's!

If she had seen this elsewhere, she might have guessed the signatures were printed or forged. But on Guan Yuanbai's bookshelf, how could this signed copy possibly be fake?

Unable to contain her excitement, Zhou Fanfan took the book and settled on the sofa to read.

Unexpectedly, she ended up reading for a long time, even starting to feel a bit drowsy.

Outside the office's floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights blazed, neon signs flashing.

Three hours had passed. The sky was completely dark now. Zhou Fanfan yawned, grabbed a cushion to lean against, and continued reading while waiting for Guan Yuanbai. Gradually, her eyelids grew heavy and drifted shut.

After Guan Yuanbai and the team of senior managers rehashed the project details and finished the conference call with the team in the US, they finally resolved the night's emergency.

Stepping out of the meeting room, he rubbed the back of his neck with a frown, feeling somewhat fatigued.

"President Guan, the restaurant we booked for tonight is already closed. Should I arrange for another one?" his assistant, He Zhi, asked beside him.

Guan Yuanbai paused, suddenly realizing something. He turned to him. "Where's Zhou Fanfan?"

"I had Miss Zhou wait in your office earlier."

Guan Yuanbai checked the time. Fully absorbed in the meeting, he had almost forgotten someone was waiting outside. But with so much time passed, she probably realized dinner wasn't happening and had gone home.

"Never mind. No need to arrange anything. We'll do it another time."

"Understood."

Guan Yuanbai walked towards his office while checking his phone. There were no missed calls, and no messages from Zhou Fanfan.

Frowning, he pushed open his office door.

The lights were on inside, the bright white illumination making the entire space clear and bright. In this day-like environment, someone was actually asleep on the sofa.

When his eyes landed on the figure, Guan Yuanbai froze for a moment. A subtle sense of guilt quickly washed over him.

He walked over and stopped in front of her.

She slept peacefully, using a cushion as a pillow, leaning against the sofa armrest, a book held in her arms.

From his vantage point, he could clearly see the contours of her face—a slightly rounded oval shape, thick eyelashes, very fair skin, lips slightly parted, the upper lip somewhat upturned.

He'd made her wait so long that she had fallen asleep.

But why hadn't she just gone home by herself? How did she have the patience to wait for him like this?

Guan Yuanbai's brow furrowed tightly, his lips pressed together. Waves of guilt and helplessness made him feel somewhat at a loss.

"Ah, you're back." Perhaps the disturbance finally roused her. Zhou Fanfan suddenly woke up, saw someone standing there, and immediately sat up straight.

Guan Yuanbai made a slightly awkward sound of affirmation. "How long have you been asleep?"

Zhou Fanfan didn't even know how she had fallen asleep, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Not sure. I was reading and just dozed off... Sorry."

Shouldn't he be the one apologizing at a time like this?

Guan Yuanbai shook his head and said, "My apologies. I didn't expect the meeting to run so long either."

Zhou Fanfan rubbed her eyes, her voice husky and soft. "Did you manage to resolve everything?"

"It's all handled."

"That's good."

Relieved, Zhou Fanfan smiled, the last traces of sleepiness vanishing, leaving her looking sweet and adorable.

Guan Yuanbai felt an unexpected pang of softness. "You must be hungry."

"Well... it's alright."

Guan Yuanbai said, "It's too late to go out now. I'll have some food delivered. After we eat, I'll drive you home."

His tone left little room for refusal. Thinking that after waiting so long, she deserved a meal, Zhou Fanfan didn't object.

She stood up, the book still in her hand.

Guan Yuanbai noticed and glanced at the title. "Court and Country?"

Zhou Fanfan followed his gaze downward and explained, "I was just trying to pass the time earlier, so I took it from the shelf to read. I'll put it back now."

"It's fine. But, do I have this book here?"

Guan Yuanbai looked genuinely puzzled. It was He Zhi, who had followed him in, who reminded him, "Miss Guan brought it last year. She said your bookshelf needed to be more interesting. You were aware at the time."

"Was that it?" Guan Yuanbai thought back, finally getting a faint recollection. He turned to Zhou Fanfan and said, "My sister left that book here."

Mentioning Guan Zhiyi made Zhou Fanfan unable to suppress her delight. "I know, I know! Miss Guan played a role in the adaptation. I really like this novel."

"You really like it?"

"Yes!"

Guan Yuanbai said offhandedly, "Then it's yours."

Zhou Fanfan's eyes widened instantly. Looking closely, there was even a hint of bewilderment. She looked at the book, then at Guan Yuanbai, then back at the book. "But... this is a signed copy."

Guan Yuanbai's eyebrow twitched slightly, confused. "What?"

Zhou Fanfan opened the cover and pointed to the two signatures inside. "It has the original author's and Miss Guan's autographs. This... you'd really give it to me?"

Guan Yuanbai had no idea there were signatures inside. He had never opened this book since it was placed here last year; he didn't enjoy reading novels.

But seeing Zhou Fanfan's astonished expression, he figured a young girl who liked reading novels would probably appreciate it. He nodded in confirmation. "It's yours."

Soon after, He Zhi brought the food in, and the two ate at the small dining table in the office.

Thrilled that Guan Yuanbai had given her such a precious book, Zhou Fanfan could barely contain her smile. She repeatedly served dishes to Guan Yuanbai.

"This fish is delicious, have some."

"The pork rib soup is great too. Let me get you a bowl."

"Here, have some vegetables."

...

She diligently served him food, then properly switched to another pair of chopsticks to eat her own meal.

After eating for a bit, she picked up the serving chopsticks again, ready to give Guan Yuanbai more food, when he stopped her.

"Just eat yourself. I can serve my own food."

Fireworks of excitement were going off in Zhou Fanfan's heart. Suppressing her exhilaration, she reminded him, "Okay, but be careful with the fish bones."

Guan Yuanbai glanced at her and put down his chopsticks.

Zhou Fanfan, confused, asked, "Mr. Guan, are you full already?"

Guan Yuanbai's expression suddenly turned somewhat serious. He didn't speak.

Zhou Fanfan, her head still spinning with excitement, remained completely unaware. "Ah, then let me get that cake. It's been in the fridge the whole time."

She walked over to the fridge, retrieved the small cake, came back, unwrapped it, and placed it in front of Guan Yuanbai.

"Something sweet after the meal."

Watching her series of actions, Guan Yuanbai pressed his fingers against his brow.

She had waited for him for so long tonight without a single complaint, was now so happy, and so eager to look after him... Was it really good for a girl to lower herself like this for a man?

If this were his sister, he'd probably break her legs.

Guan Yuanbai didn't pick up the fork to eat the cake. He cleared his throat and said, "Miss Zhou."

"Yes?"

"You don't need to be so... good to me."

Zhou Fanfan instantly went on high alert. "No, I'm not."

Guan Yuanbai let out a breath, his face stern. "I kept you waiting for hours today. You shouldn't have waited for me. You also don't need to take care of everything for me, or keep thinking about buying me things I like to eat. These things... shouldn't be done by the girl."

Zhou Fanfan breathed a sigh of relief. She thought he had figured something out...

She shook her head and said, "But you gave me that book today. You've been very good to me too. So, isn't it only right for me to be good to you in return? We're cooperative partners, right? That makes us half-friends, at least. What's the big deal?"

That book counted as being good to her?

That was her excuse?

Guan Yuanbai felt stumped, yet there was also a conflicting sense of being pleased that he didn't want to acknowledge.

After a long moment, he turned his head away, masking the strange feeling in his heart. "Forget it. Do as you like."

---

Author's Note:

That book counted as being good to her?

:)

---

← Previous | Table of Contents | Next →

0