I'm Rich - 14
Chapter 14
“Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you spacing out?” Guan Yuanbai said. “Grandpa asked you a question.”
Guan Zhiyi came back to herself. When she looked up again, the confusion in her eyes had already been forcibly suppressed. “Ah, Grandpa. What is it?”
“Nothing, just asking what you’ve been busy with all this time. You haven’t been back in so long.”
“Oh, that. I filmed a variety show a while ago…”
Guan Zhiyi began telling Qi Mingsheng about some of the amusing things that had happened while she was acting and filming the variety show. But no matter how animatedly she spoke, it felt like a stone was pressing down on her heart.
Later, Qi Mingsheng went upstairs to rest, and Guan Zhiyi and Guan Yuanbai were getting ready to leave as well.
Qi Chengyan walked them to the door. Just after stepping out of the Qi residence, Guan Zhiyi suddenly turned around.
Qi Chengyan was still standing at the entrance, watching them leave. “What? Did you forget something?”
Guan Zhiyi shook her head and forced a smile. “What Grandpa said just now… the person you like, her name is Yang Mengjia, right?"
“Like?” Qi Chengyan gave a small laugh. “You're going to gossip about this too?"
“Of course I am. I remember meeting Miss Yang once a few years ago, she really is pretty. It's Yang Mengjia, right?"
Qi Chengyan thought for a moment. “Yes.”
Guan Zhiyi asked, “So do you really like her a lot?”
Qi Chengyan tapped her lightly on the head. “So many questions? What are you up to?"
“I’m just… curious.” Guan Zhiyi's hands clenched at her sides. "And besides, shouldn't you introduce your girlfriend to everyone?"
The words “your girlfriend” came out with difficulty.
Qi Chengyan, however, laughed. “Girlfriend? You’re already drawing conclusions for me? You’re awfully concerned about my business, kid.”
Guan Yuanbai said, “Who wouldn’t be concerned about the marriage of Young Master Qi? Plenty of eyes are on you."
Qi Chengyan shot him a glance. “And you're one to talk?"
“My family hasn’t gotten to the point of forcing me to go on blind dates yet.”
“How impressive.”
“It is pretty impressive.” Guan Yuanbai looked rather pleased with himself. “All right, Xiao Wu. We’re heading home.”
Guan Zhiyi let Guan Yuanbai pull her around.
Guan Yuanbai hadn’t noticed anything unusual about her. But as they walked, he suddenly remembered something, took out his phone, and sent Qi Chengyan a message.
Qi Chengyan had just turned to go inside when his phone received a message.
Guan Yuanbai: : [That female celebrity you were shielding at the hotel last time wasn’t your girlfriend?]
Qi Chengyan stopped in his tracks and glanced back. At the end of the road, the two figures were slowly receding. His gaze fell on the small figure beside Guan Yuanbai, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
[No]
If she were, there’d be a problem.
**
Every year, the entire Guan family gathered for New Year’s Eve dinner. The location rotated from household to household, and this year it was Guan Zhiyi’s family’s turn to host.
Around noon, her grandparents, her first uncle’s and her second uncle's family started arriving one after another.
When Guan Zhiyi came downstairs, the living room was already full of people. But aside from her uncle's son Guan Ziqian, none of her other cousins were in sight.
Guan Zhiyi walked into the living room and greeted everyone in turn. Once she had finished, she quickly found an excuse to slip away.
The others who weren’t there probably had the same idea as her; they didn’t want to become targets for the elders. Sure enough, when Guan Zhiyi made her way to the activity room downstairs, she found her two older brothers playing billiards.
“I knew you’d be here.” Guan Zhiyi walked over. “Where’s my sister? Why isn't she here?"
“A-Xi hasn’t arrived yet.” The one who answered was Guan Ziyu, her eldest uncle’s second son. He was three years older than her own brother, Guan Yuanbai, but he was outgoing by nature, and whenever he got playful, he seemed more like a younger brother.
“Xiao Wu is getting prettier and prettier.” Guan Ziyu set down his cue and came over to pinch her cheeks.
Guan Zhiyi removed his hand, displeased. “Second Brother, can you not pinch my face every time you see me?”
Guan Ziyu laughed. “Your little round face is so fun to pinch.”
Guan Zhiyi moved behind Guan Yuanbai, putting some distance between herself and him. “When is my sister coming, anyway?”
“That young lady’s busy.”
“Busy with what?”
Guan Ziyu: "Oh, you know—eating, drinking, and having fun, of course."
“…Oh.”
Just then, the roar of a sports car echoed from the garage.
Guan Ziyu raised an eyebrow. "Speak of the devil, here she comes."
“I’ll go see.” Guan Zhiyi headed out.
The activity room and underground garage were on the same floor, not far from each other. When Guan Zhiyi reached the garage, she saw a flashy blue sports car parked among the other vehicles.
The car door swung upward, and a pair of long, slender legs stepped out. But instead of getting up right away, the driver bent down to swap her flat shoes for a pair of stilettos, then rose gracefully and shut the car door.
“Jie.” Guan Zhiyi waved.
The woman not far away removed her sunglasses, revealing a striking, beautiful face. She looked over and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Xiao Wu."
Everything about this woman was exquisite, right down to the last strand of her hair.
“You’re only just getting here?” Guan Zhiyi hurried over in her fluffy slippers. “Why didn’t you come with Second Uncle and the others?”
“I just finished afternoon tea with some friends.” Guan Xi gave her a once-over. "Xiao Wu, you've lost a lot of weight, haven't you?"
“I’m okay.”
"Beautiful." Guan Xi's eyebrow arched. "I told you ages ago you needed to lose some weight.”
Guan Zhiyi: “…Yes.”
“Is everyone here?”
“Mm.”
“Then let’s go inside.”
Guan Xi was the only daughter of Grandpa Guan Hong’s second son. Since her father had married and had children later in life, Guan Xi was only a year older than Guan Zhiyi. Yet despite being almost the same age, the two couldn't have been more different in temperament or the way they carried themselves.
That didn't affect their bond, though. Guan Xi had impossibly high standards and carried herself like she owned the world, but she'd always had a soft spot for her younger cousin.
So after greeting the elders, the two girls retreated to Guan Zhiyi’s room.
“Your variety show is pretty funny.” Guan Xi sat on her bed, scrolling through her phone as she spoke.
“Is it?”
“I heard online that you and Xiao Ran are both going to act in that… what’s it called? The Imperial Court?”
"Yeah. Filming starts after the New Year."
Guan Xi nodded. "Finally a role worth watching."
“…”
“You’re so stubborn. Your dad and your brother said we couldn’t help you openly, so we didn’t. But you wouldn’t even let me quietly pull a few strings for you… Thank God you're finally showing signs of getting popular lately.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m popular.”
“I mean, I keep seeing you all over the internet lately.” Guan Xi paused. “Oh, speaking of—I heard from my dad that you have a boyfriend now?"
Guan Zhiyi choked. “How does everyone know already?”
“Of course we know. It’s important news.” Guan Xi tilted her head. “I’ve never heard of this Hua Hongxi, but he’s Qi Chengyan’s cousin?”
“Mm.”
“Seems decent, then. Bring him out to meet me sometime.”
Guan Zhiyi gave a noncommittal “Oh.” “...We’ll see.”
Guan Xi thought about it for a moment, then suddenly said, “Actually, I think it's kind of strange. If you were looking for someone through a blind date, why go for Qi Chengyan’s cousin? Why not just go straight for Qi Chengyan himself?”
“Cough…” A mouthful of water caught in Guan Zhiyi’s throat. “Cough, cough, cough!”
Guan Xi hurriedly pulled out a tissue for her. “Did I say something wrong? Qi Chengyan’s back in the country, isn’t he? Wouldn’t he be perfect?”
“Cough, cough… He, I… How could I possibly be with him?”
Guan Xi looked puzzled. “Why not?”
Guan Zhiyi recovered, but looking at Guan Xi, who clearly understood nothing, a lump formed in her throat.
Why not?
Because it really was impossible.
When she was little, she'd thought of him as her older brother. He was an adult in her eyes, someone she admired and adored, someone whose presence had become an instinctive kind of attachment. When they met again, she was overjoyed, quickly pushing aside the resentment she'd once carried over the way he suddenly left and stayed away for so long.
That was always how it was with him. No matter what happened, she could never stay angry with him for long.
She didn't know when her feelings for him had shifted. No, maybe they hadn't shifted. Maybe the difference had always been there, even when she was young, and she just hadn't noticed it. As for Qi Chengyan, she knew he always thought of her too much as his little sister. He'd watched her grow up, and that kind of feeling was probably rooted too deeply to change.
That was why she neither could nor dared to ask him anything or confess what she felt. Because she was afraid. Afraid he would look at her in surprise and confusion. Afraid he would smile and tell her that he only saw her as nothing more than his little sister…
And besides, it seemed he already had someone he was interested in. What was she supposed to say or do then?
The thought of "he already had someone he was interested in" made her chest tighten again.
She'd felt this way ever since leaving the Qi Residence that day. There was nowhere for it to go, and nothing she could do about it.
“Go on, why not? Oh, is it because you think he's too old?” Guan Xi frowned. “It’s not that bad, is it? He should only be six years older than you?”
“No…”
“Then is he not handsome enough? Or not rich enough? That can’t be... I remember he’s very handsome, and he’s definitely rich. Hmm… So is his cousin just that much better than him…”
“Jie, stop guessing.” Guan Zhiyi sighed helplessly. “Can we just not talk about this?”
"I'm just telling you, your other half has to be worthy of you."
Guan Zhiyi looped her arm through Guan Xi’s. “I know, I know—just like you. My future brother-in-law and you are the perfect match."
“Jiang Suizhou?” Guan Xi gave a soft snort and inclined her chin. “Perfect match? Not necessarily. But passable, I suppose."
**
Not long after, the New Year's Eve dinner began. The whole family was lively, eating and talking at the same time.
Guan Zhiyi went through the motions of toasting the elders, and then, because she was in low spirits, she just drank quietly on her own. After a few drinks, she felt a little lightheaded, a little restless, and also… began to miss him.
The more she told herself it was impossible, the more she wanted him.
She felt like she was still trapped in those childhood memories of being doted on by Qi Chengyan, and couldn't get out. Now that she was grown, she couldn’t immediately change the way she saw him. And when she thought about how he'd be so, so good to someone else someday filled her with endless jealousy.
It was wrong. But she couldn’t control it.
“Xiao Wu, what are you doing? Don’t drink too much.” Guan Yuanbai was sitting beside her. Noticing how much she had drunk by herself, he reminded her.
Guan Zhiyi didn’t answer. She lowered her head and suddenly murmured, “Ge, do you think the Qi family is lively right now too…”
“Probably.”
“Do you think they have lots of good food?”
Guan Yuanbai smiled, suddenly remembering what she used to do as a child. He teased, “What, you want to crash their New Year's dinner like you used to?”
Guan Zhiyi swayed her head. “How'd you know I want to?"
"Still thinking of causing trouble?"
Guan Zhiyi pushed her chair back. “I’m going.”
Guan Yuanbai grabbed her, looking at her in disbelief. “You’re actually going?”
“Just kidding.” Guan Zhiyi pulled her arm free. “I’m just going outside for some air. I drank a little too much.”
Guan Yuanbai gave her a sidelong look, then relaxed. "Don't wander off."
“I know, I know.”
The elders were all caught up in their own conversations. No one noticed Guan Zhiyi leave the table.
She walked out through the small courtyard and out the gate.
The winter night in the capital was bitterly cold, with a light snow drifting through the air. The moment she left the warmth of the house, a cold wind rushed straight into her face. Yet perhaps because of the alcohol, her whole body felt warm. She walked straight ahead, seemingly without a destination, but her feet were carrying her toward one person all the same.
She wouldn’t be as reckless as she had been when she was little, running over to someone’s house on New Year's Eve.
But still... she wanted to see him.
---
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