I'm Rich - 20
Chapter 20
Qi Chengyan was probably busy. Over the next few days he dropped by occasionally to see her, but never stayed long before he left again.
Guan Zhiyi had nothing to do all day. She wasn't much of a gamer, so aside from browsing the news online, her only other option was memorizing her upcoming lines.
That afternoon, just after lunch, the housekeeper suddenly came to tell her she had a visitor.
Guan Zhiyi's heart lifted. "Is he back?"
The housekeeper clearly knew who "he" was, and shook her head. "It's Mr. Hua."
Guan Zhiyi blinked. "Hua Hongxi? What's he doing here?"
"I came to see you. Is that so wrong?" Hua Hongxi's voice arrived before he did.
Guan Zhiyi had been bored out of her mind, she was genuinely happy to see him walk in. "No, I just wasn't expecting you."
"That's more like it." Hua Hongxi sat down beside her and gave her casted leg a serious once-over. "Wow, that does look pretty bad."
"Tell me about it. I can't even walk."
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll keep you company."
"Sure," Guan Zhiyi said. "But why'd you come today?"
"My cousin told me days ago that you got hurt and I should visit. But I was traveling abroad at the time... Of course, not on purpose. I just couldn't get out of it. The itinerary with my friends was already booked." Hua Hongxi propped his chin on his hand and looked at her with an infuriating grin. "You're not going to hold it against me, right?"
Guan Zhiyi waved a hand. "I'm not that badly hurt. You really didn't need to rush back."
"I figured it wasn't serious either, but now that I see it, it's actually pretty bad." Hua Hongxi said, "Seriously, you have no idea. When I said I couldn't come back, my cousin nearly chewed my head off. So here I am, straight from the airport. My luggage is still in the car outside."
"Then I'm deeply touched. Thank you."
"Pfft. Don't mention it."
Once Hua Hongxi sat down, his mouth never stopped. One minute he was asking about her life on set, the next he was regaling her with tales of his wild, carefree European trip. He wasn't the most reliable guy, but his personality suited Guan Zhiyi just fine. With him around, you never had to think of conversation topics. You just listened.
...
"So, how good was the figure of that girl you went traveling with?" Guan Zhiyi cut in halfway through his travelogue.
"Huh? Why are you asking that?"
Guan Zhiyi rubbed her chin. "You've mentioned her eight times. I'm guessing it's because she has a great body."
Hua Hongxi stared at her in amazement. "How do you know me so well?"
"I'm smart."
Hua Hongxi chuckled and lowered his voice. "Total bombshell type."
"Ooh."
"What's with the 'ooh'? I'm a gentleman. I didn't do anything."
"I don't believe that for a second."
"It's true! Those kinds of things only happen when you're actually in a relationship. I have principles. Besides, I'm tied to you right now, so I can't make a move on the next step."
Guan Zhiyi shot him a look. "Well, sorry about that. My fault entirely. If not for me, you could be chasing after someone else right now."
Hua Hongxi said, "You can't put it like that. I still need you. My parents like you."
Since they'd planned to chat, she'd already sent the housekeeper away. Now that the topic of their arrangement had come up, Guan Zhiyi figured it was time to bring it up with him.
She thought for a moment, then said, "Hua Hongxi, what if we just... ended this?"
Hua Hongxi looked confused. "Ended it?"
"I mean... let's stop lying to our families."
Hua Hongxi's eyes flew wide open. "Why?!"
Guan Zhiyi had been thinking about this for a while. It was just that she'd been busy filming and never had the time to sit down and talk to him properly.
The truth was, if Hua Hongxi had nothing to do with Qi Chengyan, she might have kept playing along. But he was his cousin...
At first, when her feelings for Qi Chengyan hadn't yet grown so intense, she'd foolishly agreed to Hua Hongxi's proposal. But now that she realized the difference in her emotions, hearing Qi Chengyan mention her and Hua Hongxi together made her deeply uncomfortable. It felt wrong.
And every time he brought it up, it was a reminder to her: he didn't like her.
Of course, wanting to stop the act with Hua Hongxi wasn't about making Qi Chengyan like her. She knew he liked someone else.
She just didn't want to be reminded of it over and over again.
"No, no, no! I don't agree. If you break up with me, my parents will start up their blind date nonsense again." Hua Hongxi grabbed her arm. "Zhiyi, be reasonable! You don't want your family pushing blind dates on you either, right? We agreed to help each other out!"
"...That's not it. Didn't you just say you have someone you like?"
"That's just—that's just liking someone. She's not suitable to be my wife. My parents would never approve anyway."
Guan Zhiyi stared at him in shock. "Hey, I'm not going to be your wife either, you know!"
"I know, I know. But it's a temporary measure."
"No."
"Why not?!" Hua Hongxi was panicking. As a rich kid, he had a crystal-clear picture of what his future wife should be. Liking someone was one thing, but when it came to marriage, love alone would never be enough.
Besides, finding someone like Guan Zhiyi, who could shut his family up completely, wasn't easy.
Hua Hongxi stared at her, thinking hard. "Wait. You're this determined... is it because you have someone you like?!"
Guan Zhiyi froze, then immediately shook her head. "No!"
Hua Hongxi narrowed his eyes. "I can tell there is! Tell me, who! Which bastard pushed me off my throne?"
How could Guan Zhiyi ever admit it in front of Hua Hongxi? Liking that person was her own secret. Hers alone.
"There's no one."
"I don't believe you."
"There really isn't!"
"If you don't tell me, I won't break up with you."
Guan Zhiyi glared at him. "Hua Hongxi, are you seriously being this shameless?"
"Shameless and proud of it. Look, I finally got a stretch of peace and quiet. I'm not letting you ruin it. How about this, you go after the guy you like. If you land him, then we'll talk about saying goodbye. Deal?"
"???"
"Great, it's settled! I'm heading out. See you next time." Hua Hongxi grabbed his phone and stood up. He bolted so fast, it was like he was afraid she'd say something to refuse.
Guan Zhiyi stared at the doorway in disbelief. "Hey!"
**
Hua Hongxi wouldn't pick up her calls for the next few days. Guan Zhiyi was genuinely torn between furious and amused. But since she couldn't find him, there was nothing she could do. She'd have to wait until her leg healed before bringing it up again.
That evening after dinner, someone helped her back to her room. She'd been catching up on sleep aggressively lately, trying to make up for everything she'd lost during filming. But before she could drift off tonight, her phone rang. It was Liu Yun.
"Zhiyi."
"Yun-jie, what's up? Is something wrong with the production?"
"No." Liu Yun's tone wasn't great. "Have you been spending time with President Qi lately?"
Guan Zhiyi paused. "...Not really. I'm recovering. He doesn't come by often."
"What? So you two haven't even been together lately?"
Guan Zhiyi felt a bit awkward. "Why are you asking? What's going on?"
"You're asking me what's going on? Do you know what happened today? A woman showed up at President Qi's office. And she's not just anyone, I heard she's his fiancée??"
Guan Zhiyi froze. "What?"
"The whole company is talking about it. She's the Yang family's daughter. The Yangs, you know, the kitchenware family? Never mind, you probably don't know them. Anyway, she's a real heiress!"
"..."
Guan Zhiyi had told herself hundreds of times not to react to things involving Qi Chengyan. She'd thought she was past it, immune.
But hearing from someone else about him and some girl—a girl who already had the title of his fiancée—she realized she couldn't be completely unaffected after all.
She felt her heart being ripped without warning, the pain spreading instantly.
Guan Zhiyi gripped her phone and took a quiet breath. "Oh. I see..."
"What do you mean, 'I see'? Wasn't he all worried about you, chasing after you? When did a fiancée pop up?"
Guan Zhiyi shook her head, then remembered Liu Yun couldn't see her. "I don't know."
Liu Yun heard the faintness in Guan Zhiyi's voice and figured the girl genuinely didn't know. "Tsk. Rich families do this sometimes. They've got the main wife at home, and flags flying outside."
Guan Zhiyi faltered, instinctively pushed back. "He's not that kind of person."
"Oh, so now you're defending him? And here I was worrying for nothing. I thought a stubborn girl like you would never allow herself to be some man's side piece—"
"Yun-jie!"
"What?"
"...I'll hang up if there's nothing else."
Liu Yun paused. "Alright, alright. You rest up. Call me if you need anything. But listen, don't do anything impulsive with Qi Chengyan. Remember, he's the boss and you're—"
"I know all that." Guan Zhiyi cut her off, her voice low. "I won't fight with him. I... I don't even have the right to."
After hanging up, the room fell silent. Guan Zhiyi stared at her blanket, all trace of sleep gone.
Fiancée...
In such a short time, she'd already become his fiancée?
He must really have liked that person so much.
**
Meanwhile, outside an entertainment club, Qi Chengyan stepped out of the car with several project leads from partner companies and walked in together.
The business talks were only half done for the day, tonight he was hosting them here. Over drinks and entertainment, they'd finalize a few key matters.
Qi Chengyan had been in the middle of the group, being led by a server toward the private room. But on the way upstairs, he caught sight of a familiar figure. He paused mid-step.
"President Qi?"
The person beside him noticed and asked in confusion.
Qi Chengyan looked away and turned to his assistant. "Go ahead and get everyone settled."
Then, to his partners, "I just remembered an urgent call I need to make. My apologies, everyone."
"No problem, no problem. Take your time."
Qi Chengyan gave a slight nod and headed toward the figure.
Earlier, on the stairs, he hadn't been sure the person was Hua Hongxi. Because that figure had an arm around a girl, acting all intimate, which was the last thing Hua Hongxi should be doing right now.
But now, as he got closer and saw the figure push open a door to a private room, revealing half a profile, he was certain.
It really was Hua Hongxi. His dear little cousin.
**
Hua Hongxi was out tonight with a group of friends. Several of them had been on that trip with him recently, including the curvy girl he'd mentioned to Guan Zhiyi.
They'd started drinking somewhere else, but then a friend called, and everyone relocated here.
By now he'd had a fair amount to drink, so when he walked with the curvy girl, he let the alcohol guide him and slung an arm around her shoulder. The girl was into him too, and the two of them clung to each other, naturally intimate.
Inside the private room, they settled onto the couch.
"Hongxi, can you stop making out with Youyou for two seconds? Are we playing the game or not!" a friend called out.
Hua Hongxi shot him a look. "We're playing. I'm here, aren't I? Hand me the dice!"
"Fine, fine. Loser drinks. And if Youyou loses, you drink for her too~"
Hua Hongxi was generous. "Easy. I can hold my liquor."
"Aw, I can drink on my own. Why make Hongxi do it?" the curvy girl, Youyou, said with a coy pout.
Hua Hongxi pulled her closer. "It's fine. You drink less. Too much alcohol isn't good for girls."
Another round of teasing erupted from the group.
Hua Hongxi rolled his eyes at them. He was about to say something when the door to the private room suddenly swung open.
The hallway was brighter, when the door opened, a burst of harsh light flooded in. Everyone instinctively turned to look. Against the backlight, a single figure stood in the doorway.
For a moment, no one could make out the face. They only registered that the person was very tall.
"Who's that? Someone's friend?"
"Don't recognize him."
"Hey, you got the wrong room?"
...
The person in the doorway didn't answer. He stepped forward, the door swung shut behind him.
Now everyone could see him clearly. He was an exceptionally handsome man. But his face was blank, and his expression was ice-cold.
A few of the girls in the room exchanged glances, all stunned.
"Hey, handsome, who are you looking for—"
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Author's Note:
Hua Hongxi: RED ALERT!!!!
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