I'm Rich - 21
Chapter 21
The girls in the private room erupted in excited chatter, but the man who'd walked in said nothing. He just stared coldly in one direction.
Everyone noticed something was off and followed his gaze... to Hua Hongxi.
"Hongxi, you know him?"
The words had barely landed when everyone saw Hua Hongxi rise shakily from the couch, obvious panic in his eyes. "Ge, Ge..."
The room went silent for a beat, then exploded again.
"Holy shit! Your brother? Your brother is that hot?"
"Introduce us, introduce us! Ge, come play with us!"
"Ge? Wait, is this your cousin?"
"Sit down, Ge! Over here, over here!"
Hua Hongxi glared at the people beside him. "All of you, shut up!"
"Hua Hongxi. Explain. Who is this woman." The man in the doorway finally spoke, but his voice was ice-cold. He didn't sound like he was here to have fun. He sounded like he was here to start something.
The people around them were lost. The woman called Youyou was lost too.
"Not going to talk?" Qi Chengyan's gaze landed on Youyou.
She panicked the moment his eyes hit her, shrinking behind Hua Hongxi and whispered, "Hua Hongxi, what's going on?"
"I'd like to know that myself." Qi Chengyan's mouth curved faintly. "Are you his girlfriend?"
Youyou opened her mouth. She was about to say "Not yet" when Hua Hongxi shouted, "Friend! She's my friend!"
"Just a friend?"
"Yeah!!!"
"Just a friend... then what was that I just saw you doing with her?" Qi Chengyan had been holding his temper in check. Before he walked in, he'd seen the two of them wrapped around each other. After he walked in, he'd seen them still tangled up together.
If Hua Hongxi didn't have a girlfriend, he wouldn't care. But he did have a girlfriend. And that girlfriend was Guan Yuanbai's sister. She was his Guan Xiao Wu, the girl he cared about most.
How much nerve did this kid have, sneaking around behind her back like this?!
Thinking about that little girl being played like this, Qi Chengyan's composure nearly blew apart.
Hua Hongxi saw Qi Chengyan's expression and panicked. "Ge, Ge, let me explain!"
"Get over here."
"No, no, no, Chengyan-ge, I drank a bit too much tonight, and then… and then... I, I really didn't do anything!"
If this counted as doing nothing, what would doing something look like?
Qi Chengyan's anger surged. He stepped forward, grabbed Hua Hongxi by the collar, and hauled him off the couch. "Hua Hongxi, what did I tell you before?!"
"I know, I know! That's why I just came out with friends! I didn't do anything!"
"You think I'm blind?" Qi Chengyan held his collar with one hand, the other balled into a fist, ready to swing.
Hua Hongxi screamed in terror. In his panic, he blurted out, "We broke up! We broke up!!"
The fist stopped.
Qi Chengyan stared at him, stunned. "What?"
Hua Hongxi swallowed hard. "Zhiyi and I... we broke up."
"Why didn't you tell me when I called you before?"
"It happened right after you called me and told me to go see her!" Hua Hongxi didn't dare keep clinging to the relationship now. Getting caught "cheating" by Qi Chengyan would be far worse than a breakup.
"That was only a few days ago!" Qi Chengyan said furiously. "You broke up and you're already out fooling around?"
"Well... we already broke up."
"Say that again."
"N-no, I..."
Qi Chengyan took a deep breath. "You ended it?"
Hua Hongxi's face twisted miserably. "It was mutual."
Qi Chengyan let go. "Why did you break up?"
"That's kind of private, Ge. I don't have to say, right?"
Qi Chengyan gave him a cold, long look. "Hua Hongxi, watch yourself. I'm not covering for you with your parents."
"Then say it properly! Don't exaggerate!"
"What do you mean, exaggerate?" Qi Chengyan couldn't even be bothered to keep talking to him. Another minute and he really wouldn't be able to stop himself from throwing a punch. "Handle it yourself."
With that, he turned and left the private room.
Hua Hongxi didn't breathe easy until he was out the door. Thank god... he'd thought he was about to get beaten to a pulp.
"H-Hongxi, you okay?" His friend saw him finally relax and was amazed. Hua Hongxi was a leader in their circle. They never thought there'd be someone who could scare him this badly.
"I'm not okay. I nearly died of fright..." Hua Hongxi collapsed onto the couch, completely drained.
"That was your brother? Qi Chengyan?"
Hua Hongxi held his forehead. "Yeah."
"Damn... first time seeing him in person. He's better looking than you!"
Hua Hongxi glared at him, and the friend backpedaled. "No, no, I mean, why was he about to hit you? What was that about a breakup?"
"Fuck... it's a long story!"
**
Qi Chengyan returned to his own private room. Once the contract matters were settled, he had his assistant stay behind with the others and drove off alone.
On the way home, he kept regretting how quickly he'd agreed to let the two of them be together in the first place.
He hadn't realized how little he actually knew his cousin, and it had pushed Guan Zhiyi straight into a fire pit. He also regretted being so busy with work lately. He'd assumed someone was taking care of Guan Zhiyi, so he hadn't visited much.
The breakup had only happened a few days ago. Hua Hongxi had called it mutual, but Qi Chengyan didn't believe it. Especially after what he'd seen tonight, his trust in Hua Hongxi had hit zero.
He wondered if the girl could handle being dumped on her own at home.
The thought made him drive faster.
Before long, the car pulled into his garage. Coming up from the garage, he ran into one of the housekeepers who looked after Guan Zhiyi.
"Sir, you're back?"
Qi Chengyan said, "Where's Xiao Wu?"
"Miss Guan went back to her room to sleep earlier, but then she called us up to help her to the study. She said she couldn't sleep and wanted to read."
"Read?"
"Yes. But I thought she didn't look well."
Qi Chengyan paused.
The housekeeper continued, "When I asked, she said she was fine, so I didn't push. But she seemed... very sad."
"..."
Qi Chengyan frowned. "I see."
He turned and went upstairs, heading for the study.
At the door, he knocked. A voice inside said, "Come in."
The study had been specially designed. Besides the work area, a large bay window had been built into the wall, with blankets and cushions on the sill, perfect for reading.
He pushed the door open and saw Guan Zhiyi sitting at the bay window, a book in her hands, but her eyes were fixed blankly out the window. "Xiao Wu."
The girl turned her head in surprise.
Qi Chengyan walked closer, acting like he knew nothing. "Why are you staring off into space here?"
Guan Zhiyi said, "Chengyan-gege, why are you back..."
Qi Chengyan thought for a moment. "No reason. I was passing by. Figured I'd check on you."
Guan Zhiyi murmured an acknowledgement and lowered her eyes, saying nothing more.
Qi Chengyan knew her. He knew she loved to talk when she was with him. But today she was listless. Clearly, it was about the breakup.
Qi Chengyan suddenly found himself at a loss. This seemed like a moment when he should say something, but he had no idea how to comfort a girl with a broken heart.
"Chengyan-gege."
"Hm?"
Guan Zhiyi lifted her eyes to him. "Is something wrong?"
Qi Chengyan hesitated. "No."
Guan Zhiyi smiled at him. "If you're not busy, go rest. Don't worry, I've been recovering well. A little longer and I can get the cast off."
Her smile didn't reach her eyes. It was barely even a smile.
For a moment, Qi Chengyan felt she was truly different from when she was little. When she was small and upset, she'd tell him she was upset. Then she'd cry and fuss beside him, begging for comfort. But now, she was this sad, sad enough that the housekeepers had noticed, and yet she still pretended everything was fine in front of him.
Qi Chengyan had already felt guilty. Seeing her like this made his heart ache even more.
"Xiao Wu, you're still young. You'll meet a lot of people in the future. There will be so many possibilities. Don't let one person make you too sad, understand?" Qi Chengyan finally spoke.
Guan Zhiyi froze for a moment, then realized what he meant. She already knew about Hua Hongxi being caught. Right after Qi Chengyan left the private room, Hua Hongxi had called her and told her everything. But she hadn't been interested. She'd just said, "Got it, so we've broken up," and hung up.
Now, seeing that Qi Chengyan had come back just to console her about this, she felt an inexplicable ache in her chest.
"But what if, after meeting so many people, you still find that person is the one you like most? Then what?" she asked quietly.
Qi Chengyan hadn't expected her to push back like that. "You like him that much?"
Guan Zhiyi looked at Qi Chengyan and unconsciously tightened her grip on the book in her lap.
She'd asked herself the same thing. Did she like him that much?
She did.
Every time she asked herself, the answer was yes.
She didn't know what to do either. Seeing that he had someone who could stand by his side, her heart tore apart with pain...
She couldn't control it.
"Xiao Wu, it also depends on whether the person is worth it. You like him most, but he isn't worth that much."
"He is worth it..."
"What makes him—" Qi Chengyan pressed a hand to his forehead, nearly blurting out what had happened tonight. But he knew they'd already broken up. Telling her now would only hurt her more.
He really didn't know what kind of spell that kid Hua Hongxi had cast on this girl!
Qi Chengyan coaxed gently, "I know losing a relationship hurts. But it will pass. If he's not willing to stay by your side, that's his loss. Don't keep looking like this, you'll worry the people who care about you."
"Yeah... I know that in my heart. Don't worry. I'll be sad for a while, and then it'll pass. Next time, next time I won't like someone this much. I won't..."
Before he came, when he wasn't here to comfort her, she'd held it together. She hadn't cried. She'd told herself she shouldn't cry.
But now he was really here in front of her, and she could hear him speaking to her so gently, and suddenly she felt so unbearably sad. The tears seemed unstoppable, one after another spilling out.
But the breakdown only lasted a dozen seconds.
Guan Zhiyi scrubbed at her face hard and said hoarsely, "I'm fine now, Gege. Don't worry."
Her eyes were red and frightening. The tears had been forcibly swallowed back.
Qi Chengyan's brow was tight, irritation simmering in his chest.
Not beating that kid up tonight had been a mistake.
"I want to go back to my room and sleep. I'll call Auntie to help me up." She lowered her head and tapped on her phone, her voice low. "Thank you for coming today... to comfort me."
"You..."
"Really, I'm fine." Guan Zhiyi laughed softly, following along with what he wanted to hear. "A breakup, right? Cry it out and it's over."
For the first time, Guan Zhiyi didn't want to stay by Qi Chengyan's side. She wanted to leave quickly, hide back in her room, and not let him see her inexplicable loss of composure.
After the housekeeper helped her into her room, she had them close the door. The main light was off, leaving only the dim glow of the bedside lamp.
She curled up in bed and vaguely heard voices talking outside the door. It was Qi Chengyan, though she didn't know what he was saying to the housekeeper.
Guan Zhiyi sniffled and raised a hand to cover her eyes.
It would pass, she thought.
---
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