I'm Rich - 2
The Guan family was renowned throughout the imperial capital. Back when Guan Zhiyi's grandfather, Guan Hong, founded the Guan Corporation, his decisive leadership and bold business instincts became textbook examples that people still studied today. After decades of expansion, the company had grown into a dominant force across multiple industries, with influence that few could rival.
Guan Hong was now well into his old age and had long since stepped away from the front lines. The family business was currently operated under his children and grandchildren. He had three sons. His eldest son had given him two grandsons, while his second son had one daughter.
His youngest son had a son and a daughter, and Guan Zhiyi was that daughter.
She had three older brothers and one older sister ahead of her, making her the fifth child in her generation. That's why relatives had called her Xiao Wu, or "Little Five," ever since she was a child.
Outside the family, though, almost no one called her that.
Except...
"What? It's only been a few years. Have you already forgotten who I am?" The smile on the man's lips faded slightly, his eyes deep and still as an unfathomable lake.
Guan Zhiyi stared at him blankly for several seconds. A distinct joy and a strange, nameless sense of grievance surged up together the moment she realized who he was.
Of course she recognized him.
Qi Chengyan. She'd known him for as long as she could remember. He was her brother's good friend, and someone who had watched her grow up.
She remembered when she was little, Qi Cheng Yan loved to tease her with this question: So, who do you want as your brother? Guan Yuanbai, or me?
Back then, Guan Yuanbai had always been strict with her, while Qi Chengyan would take her out for delicious food and fun games every time he saw her. Naturally, every single time, she'd chosen him as her brother instead of Guan Yuanbai.
Eight years had passed. She was still in her final year of middle school when Qi Cheng Yan very suddenly went abroad. And when she heard he wouldn't be coming back, she'd been heartbroken for a very long time…
She'd almost managed to forget.
Yet a single sentence from him had pulled every memory flooding back.
"So it's really you, Gege. You're... back?" Guan Zhiyi asked.
"You still remember to call me that. Looks like you haven't forgotten." Qi Chengyan looked her over. "I'm back. You haven't changed much after all these years."
Guan Zhiyi protested, "That's not true... I've grown taller."
"That's about the only thing that's changed."
Guan Zhiyi's eyes widened ever so slightly.
She wasn't sure whether she'd changed, but Qi Chengyan certainly had.
If Hua Hongxi had given off the unruly energy of a carefree young man at first glance, then Qi Chengyan was his complete opposite. Everything about him carried the quiet confidence of a fully grown, mature man.
"You still haven't said why you're here. Eating alone?" Guan Yuanbai asked then.
Guan Zhiyi shook her head. "No. I'm with someone."
"Who?"
"Just... a friend."
Guan Zhiyi suddenly couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. Admitting she was here on a blind date somehow felt embarrassingly awkward with Qi Chengyan standing right in front of her.
Unfortunately, just as the words left her mouth, she heard Hua Hongxi's voice ring out behind her.
"Chengyan-ge! You're here too today!" Guan Zhiyi turned around to find Hua Hongxi walking over with a delighted grin. "Why are you all standing here? Zhiyi, you know my cousin too?"
Cousin?
Such a coincidence?
The corner of Guan Zhiyi's mouth twitched. "I... do."
"Right, of course. Ge, you were pretty close with their family before you left, right?" Hua Hongxi slung an arm over Qi Chengyan's shoulders. "Guess I don't need to introduce you then. Ge, this is the girl I told you about. My blind date."
"What?"
"What?"
Qi Chengyan and Guan Yuanbai turned toward Hua Hongxi at the exact same time.
Completely oblivious to the atmosphere, Hua Hongxi nodded. "Yeah. I told you a couple days ago, remember? My mom set me up on a blind date."
"Xiao Wu." Guan Yuanbai drew a slight breath, his voice dropping low.
One look at her brother's expression was enough to make Guan Zhiyi shrink a little. She blinked innocently. "Why are you looking at me like that? Dad arranged it."
"Dad?"
"Yeah. Go ask him if you don't believe me."
Guan Yuanbai frowned. He knew their father had always intended to find Guan Zhiyi a suitable match, hoping marriage might finally settle her down. But he hadn't expected him to act this fast.
His gaze shifted toward Hua Hongxi.
They had never met before, but Qi Chengyan had mentioned this younger cousin more than once. The only son of the Hua family. His family background was certainly respectable. As for his character, that remained to be seen.
"Wait... you're Guan Yuanbai?" Hua Hongxi remembered his family's repeated instructions to build a good relationship with the Guans and immediately extended his hand. "Yuanbai-ge! I've heard so much about you."
Though thoroughly displeased inside, Guan Yuanbai still accepted the handshake out of courtesy. "Mm."
"So Xiao Wu's already old enough for blind dates." Qi Chengyan remarked with quiet reflections.
Embarrassed, Guan Zhiyi hurried to explain, "It's not really like that... My dad's just in a hurry."
"I'm not at the blind date age either," Hua Hongxi chimed in. "Ge, you're several years older than me, and you're not even married yet. How did this become my turn already?"
Qi Cheng Yan shot him a sideways glance, his expression turning somewhat stern. "Maybe because you've never acted maturely in front of uncle."
"I am very mature, alright..."
"Enough. So, have you two finished your meal?"
Afraid Hua Hongxi might say no, Guan Zhiyi answered before he could. "All done!"
Hua Hongxi coughed awkwardly. "I guess you could say we're done eating. Just about to head home. Oh yeah, did you drive? Give me a lift."
"You didn't bring your own car?" Qi Chengyan asked, then glanced at Guan Zhiyi. The meaning couldn't have been more obvious. You invited a girl to dinner and weren't even planning to take her home?
Unfortunately, Hua Hongxi completely missed the hint.
"I was supposed to meet some friends afterward, so one of them was going to pick me up. But he bailed on me."
"What about Xiao Wu?" Qi Chengyan asked.
Guan Zhiyi blinked. "Me? I'll just go back myself."
"You didn't drive?"
"She? Drive?" Guan Yuanbai snorted. "She gets nervous the second she's behind the wheel."
Qi Chengyan laughed softly. "In that case, ride with me. I'll take you home."
Guan Zhiyi instinctively looked toward her brother.
Qi Chengyan lifted a brow and lightly flicked her forehead. "Your brother has other plans and can't take you. What? You don't trust me to drive you home?"
The familiar gesture was exactly the same as when she was little.
She touched her forehead, suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity, as though the missing years had simply melted away.
"Of course I do," she answered quietly.
"Then let's go."
"Okay."
Guan Yuanbai still had another business engagement to attend to, so after they left the restaurant, he headed for his own car. Hua Hongxi and Guan Zhiyi followed Qi Chengyan to his. Hua Hongxi reached for the front passenger door, only for Qi Chengyan to pull him back.
"Back seat."
Hua Hongxi was about to complain, but then his eyes fell on the young woman trailing behind Qi Chengyan. His gentlemanly instincts immediately returned. "Right, ladies first. Zhiyi, you take the front."
Guan Zhiyi thanked him and settled into the passenger seat.
"Where do you live?" Qi Chengyan asked once the car merged into traffic.
She gave him the address and watched him enter it into the navigation system.
After being away for so many years, was this city feel unfamiliar to him now?
Guan Zhiyi stole a sidelong glance at him.
Qi Chengyan’s profile was sharp and handsome, every line clean and well-defined. Under the glow of the dashboard lights, his features seemed cool yet gentle at the same time. She imagined the city must feel foreign to him now. Seven or eight years had transformed everything. New skyscrapers filled the skyline, roads stretched in every direction, and little remained of the place he had left behind.
"What are you looking at?" Qi Chengyan suddenly turned and caught her staring, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
She immediately looked away. "Nothing. I just think... it feels kind of surreal."
"Oh?"
"I never thought you'd actually come back. I really believed you weren't going to."
Qi Chengyan gripped the steering wheel, his gaze fixed ahead.. "There are more opportunities back home these days."
"So you're staying in China from now on?"
"Mm."
There was no denying how happy those words made her.
No matter what, Qi Chengyan had been one of the closest people in her childhood. Back then, in her heart, even Guan Yuanbai couldn't compare to him.
"Your brother tells me you've been filming these past couple of years."
Guan Zhiyi said, "Mm."
"Your father and brother aren't happy about you being an actress, are they?"
"They don't." Guan Zhiyi's mood dipped slightly at the topic. "But I never asked them to approve. As long as I like it, that's enough."
Qi Chengyan seemed to smile again. "Just as stubborn as you were when you were little."
"It's not stubbornness. I really love acting. Dad and my brother don't support me, but that's okay. I don't need them to. I'll just focus on doing this job seriously on my own."
"That's some determination."
His tone remained calm and even. To anyone unfamiliar with him, he might have sounded detached or indifferent. But Guan Zhiyi knew better; that was just his way. He wasn't a cold person. At least, the Qi Chengyan she remembered had always been incredibly kind and gentle.
"But navigating that industry all by yourself must be tough."
Guan Zhiyi paused. "Huh?"
"From what I can tell, your father and your brother are doing it on purpose. They want you to realize how difficult it is and give up."
She hadn't expected him to see through everything so quickly.
"I'm not giving up just because it's hard," Guan Zhiyi declared. "I'm going to push forward no matter what."
"I like that attitude, Zhiyi. I'm exactly the same." Hua Hongxi leaned between the front seats. "Besides, you're this cute and this pretty. Becoming famous is only a matter of time."
Qi Chengyan glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Sit properly."
Hua Hongxi blinked, said "Oh," and obediently sat back.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Guan Zhiyi's apartment complex. Qi Chengyan pulled over by the curb, and she opened the door.
"Stay safe,” he said.
Guan Zhiyi bent down and waved a hand at him. "Mm, I will. Goodbye, Gege."
Qi Chengyan gave a small nod.
Hua Hongxi rolled down his window. "Zhiyi, goodbye!"
Her eyes shifted from Qi Chengyan to Hua Hongxi. "Bye."
"We'll chat on WeChat. Let's set up another meal next time, or maybe a movie."
Guan Zhiyi laughed awkwardly. "...Sure."
With that, she turned and walked into the residential complex.
Only after her figure had completely disappeared from sight did Qi Chengyan start the car again. By then, Hua Hongxi had already climbed from the back seat into the passenger seat.
"Hey, Ge, I remember grandpa saying you're interested in getting involved in the domestic entertainment industry. Now that you've returned, are you planning to make any moves?"
"Why so many questions? Thinking of getting involved?"
"Nah, I'm busy enough already." Hua Hongxi grinned. "I was just thinking that if you ever have good resources, let me help Zhiyi out. If I'm nice to her, maybe I'll get closer to the Guan family too."
"You think that if you try to boost Xiao Wu's career, her family will be grateful to you?"
"I'm not looking for gratitude, just want to express my good intentions."
Qi Chengyan said evenly, "Don't waste your effort. Her family is trying to pull her out of that industry, and you're thinking of pushing her further in."
Qi Chengyan understood better than anyone how dissatisfied Guan Yuanbai and his father were with Guan Zhiyi's acting career. He himself didn't believe she would stay in the industry for long. The girl had been pampered since childhood. Without her father and brother's help, how much real hardship could she actually endure?
Her current resolve was nothing more than youthful pride.
Still holding the steering wheel, Qi Chengyan suddenly asked, "Do you actually like Xiao Wu?"
"Why does everyone call her Xiao Wu? Is that her nickname? It's kind of cute." Hua Hongxi laughed. "We've only met once, so I can't say I like her that much yet. She's definitely beautiful, though."
"If you don't, then don't fool around with her."
"How am I fooling around? I'm not. I just want to ask her out a few more times, then..."
Before he could finish, Qi Chengyan shot him a cold look.
Hua Hongxi immediately choked on the rest of his sentence, then said quietly, "This is... this is all just part of the dating process."
Qi Cheng Yan looked back at the road. "I watched Xiao Wu grow up. If you mess with her, you'll answer to me first."
"Alright, alright, I got it." Hua Hongxi fastened his seat belt with a dissatisfied huff, muttering under his breath, "Why are you siding with an outsider against your own family? I'm your cousin…”
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