I'm Rich - 22
Chapter 22
Guan Zhiyi had known her breakup with Hua Hongxi would reach her family quickly, but she hadn't expected it to be this quick...
She'd gone to bed late last night, her mind wandering elsewhere, and by the time she woke up the next day, it was almost noon.
After waking, she called the housekeeper up. The woman helped her dress and wash, and only when Guan Zhiyi was about to leave the room did she say, "Miss Guan, there's a guest today."
"A guest?" Not many people knew she was staying here, and after last night, Hua Hongxi wouldn't be coming by so soon. Where would a guest come from?
The housekeeper saw her confusion and explained, "It's the master's guest."
"He's home?"
"It was too late last night, so the master slept here."
"Oh..."
Guan Zhiyi hadn't actually known Qi Chengyan stayed over. "Then help me downstairs."
"Of course."
She hadn't expected it to be Guan Yuanbai. The moment she saw him, her first instinct was to bolt upstairs. But she was a certified invalid now. When Guan Yuanbai lifted his eyes to look at her, she couldn't even turn around.
"Ge." Under his gaze, Guan Zhiyi managed a weak greeting.
"You—" Guan Yuanbai's eyes landed immediately on her casted leg. Worry and heartache hit him at once, and he didn't even know what to say first.
"What are you doing here?" Guan Zhiyi glanced at Qi Chengyan, who was sitting on the couch, who then said, "He found out you and Hongxi broke up. He was going to look for you."
With that one line, Guan Zhiyi understood. If her brother had gone to the set and found her missing, he'd have tracked down where she was anyway. Rather than let him run around, Qi Chengyan had obviously just told him directly.
"You dare ask why I'm here? Your leg is broken and you didn't say a word? You told me nothing. Guan Zhiyi, do you even consider me your brother?"
Guan Zhiyi murmured softly, "I'm still standing... Can you at least let me sit down before you yell at me?"
Guan Yuanbai gritted his teeth in frustration, but still made room and had someone help her sit.
"If you hadn't gone and broken up with someone, I wouldn't even know you were hurt. You're really something. And hiding out here? What, you think I'm some kind of monster who'd beat you and yell at you for getting injured?"
Guan Zhiyi touched her ear. "More or less..."
"What did you say?"
Guan Zhiyi turned her head away and said nothing.
Seeing this, Guan Yuanbai was about to go off again when Qi Chengyan reached over and touched his arm. He paused and turned to look. Qi Chengyan gave him a look, signaling him to hold back.
Guan Yuanbai took a quiet breath and remembered. He'd come here in the first place because he'd heard she broke up. And Qi Chengyan had just told him his sister had cried her eyes out last night over the breakup.
So he needed to be mindful of her low mood and restrain himself.
"Sir, lunch is ready. You can eat now," the housekeeper said, stepping forward.
Qi Chengyan knew Guan Zhiyi had woken up late and hadn't eaten breakfast. "Alright, let's eat first. We can talk about the rest later."
Guan Yuanbai snorted and rose, heading toward the dining room.
Qi Chengyan walked over to Guan Zhiyi and reached out to help her up, but she shifted away. "Let Auntie do it."
Qi Chengyan paused slightly and looked at her. The girl's eyes were red and swollen, with dark circles underneath. She must have cried again after returning to her room last night.
He slowly withdrew his hand, remembering the study last night.
He'd seen her cry before, but never like that. Her eyes had been full of raw hurt and grievance, and yet she'd forced it all down, stubborn to the bone.
"Help the young lady to the dining room. Be careful."
"Yes."
The three of them soon settled at the table.
Guan Yuanbai genuinely worried about Guan Zhiyi. She was his only sister, and he fretted over her more than anyone. The thought that his sister could be dumped by some boy made his blood boil.
"When are you coming home?" Guan Yuanbai asked, holding back his temper.
"I have to go back to filming once I'm healed. About a week's worth of scenes left."
"Come home for a few days when you're done."
Guan Zhiyi paused, surprised he wasn't saying things like "what's the point of filming."
She nodded, caught off guard. "Yeah, sure."
Guan Yuanbai said, "Then just stay here for now. Someone's taking care of you, and moving around won't be good for your leg."
"Okay..."
Guan Yuanbai glanced at her and put some food on her plate. "Eat more. Look at you, you've gotten so thin."
Both Guan Yuanbai and Qi Chengyan tacitly avoided mentioning Hua Hongxi. Eventually, probably because the silence felt forced, Guan Yuanbai turned the conversation to Qi Chengyan.
"I heard the Yang family's daughter is set. She's your fiancée now?"
Guan Zhiyi's hand paused on her chopsticks. She shot a quick look at Qi Chengyan, then lowered her head and picked at her rice.
"Fiancée? Who decided that?"
Guan Yuanbai laughed. "Who decided? Your old man, obviously."
Qi Chengyan said, "The old man likes to spread things around. Probably trying to drum up some public pressure to corner me."
"What, you don't agree with it?"
"Agree with what? Am I supposed to be close with Miss Yang?"
Guan Yuanbai seemed to have expected that answer. "Still, from what I can tell, the girl seems to like you. She's happy to be your fiancée."
"I'm guessing plenty of people would be happy to be your fiancée too. If they're happy, does that mean you'd take them?"
Guan Yuanbai said, "Oh."
What... were they talking about?
Guan Zhiyi kept her head down, eating, a little dazed.
"Why are you eating so fast?" Qi Chengyan suddenly asked.
He was talking to Guan Zhiyi. Guan Yuanbai looked at her too. Sure enough, his sister, who normally ate at a snail's pace, was shoveling food into her mouth like she hadn't eaten in days.
Guan Zhiyi said, "Hm?"
Qi Chengyan smiled and handed her a tissue. "Eating like that, you're going to make your brother think I've been starving you."
Guan Zhiyi took the tissue and stared straight at Qi Chengyan.
Qi Chengyan felt her gaze and was confused. "What?"
Guan Zhiyi swallowed with difficulty. Her brain was slowly grinding back to life.
Had he just said he wasn't close with Yang Mengjia? That he didn't agree to her being his fiancée?
Wait. He didn't like that person?
"Is my face blooming flowers or something?" Qi Chengyan asked Guan Yuanbai.
Guan Yuanbai shook his head, equally clueless.
Guan Zhiyi swallowed the food in her mouth and wiped her lips hastily with the napkin. She couldn't wait any longer. "You, you don't like Yang Mengjia?"
Qi Chengyan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Who told you that?"
Guan Zhiyi was stunned into silence. Who told her? Hua Hongxi? Or Grandpa Qi?
Wait. Actually... Qi Chengyan had never said he liked Yang Mengjia.
"I, I just assumed since you went on a blind date with her, you must like her. And Yun-jie told me Yang Mengjia went to Yixing..."
Qi Chengyan said, "So you've been gossiping about me."
"No... I just happened to hear someone mention it."
Qi Chengyan said, "Right. No. Who told you a blind date means you like someone? You think I'm like you kids?"
"I'm not—" Guan Zhiyi stopped short.
"You're not what?"
"I, I... nothing." Guan Zhiyi glanced at Guan Yuanbai and swallowed the rest.
She wanted to say she wasn't like that either! She didn't like someone just because of a blind date! She hadn't fallen for Hua Hongxi at first sight. They were just pretending!
But with Guan Yuanbai watching, she couldn't get the words out!
Guan Zhiyi's heart was pounding. Everything felt like it had been turned upside down. The tears she'd cried last night suddenly felt like water her brain had leaked out. How could she have been so stupid? Why hadn't she just asked?
Guan Zhiyi gripped her chopsticks, the corners of her mouth starting to lift uncontrollably.
But smiling right now would be weird, wouldn't it?
She pressed her lips together and fought to control her expression.
Don't smile, don't smile...
But what was she supposed to do? She was so happy...
He didn't have anyone he liked after all...
"You should stop worrying about other people's love lives. Handle your own business first. And don't go falling head over heels after meeting someone a few times." Guan Yuanbai said, exasperated. "I really don't know what goes on in that head of yours."
"Oh!"
Qi Chengyan said, "Don't just say 'oh.' He's right. Remember that."
"I will." Guan Zhiyi put some food on Qi Chengyan's plate and beamed at him. "Thank you, Gege."
She actually smiled?
Qi Chengyan was taken aback. But after the surprise came relief. The way she'd looked before had worried him. Seeing her smile now, the tension he'd been holding finally eased a little.
Maybe... she was just a kid after all. Love comes fast and goes fast?
Guan Yuanbai cleared his throat. "Ahem!"
Guan Zhiyi turned, looked at Guan Yuanbai, and immediately caught on. She put a piece of meat on his plate too. "And thank you to my real brother, for coming all this way to see me."
Guan Yuanbai grunted, marginally satisfied.
After lunch, Guan Yuanbai had things to do and left first. Qi Chengyan stayed a while longer, but he had work too. After taking a few calls, he was ready to head out.
Guan Zhiyi had been sneaking glances at him the whole time. Seeing him stand, she quickly called out, "Gege, are you going out?"
"Yeah."
"Then when will you be back?"
Qi Chengyan said, "Why?"
"I, I want you to bring me a late-night snack."
"A late-night snack?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Guan Zhiyi wanted to punch herself. What a terrible excuse.
Qi Chengyan smiled. "That's rare. You actually want a late-night snack."
"...Just indulging myself for once."
"What do you want?"
Guan Zhiyi thought about it and remembered something her friend Song Qiaofei had mentioned before. "The thirteen-spice crawfish from Chenguan Road!"
Qi Chengyan had stayed over last night because he was worried about her, but he hadn't planned on coming back today.
For one thing, his business obligations might run late. For another, with a young woman staying in the house, it wasn't really appropriate for him to live there too.
"I'll wait for you. It's fine if it's late. I sleep late anyway," Guan Zhiyi added while he hesitated.
A girl who was usually terrified of gaining weight wanting a late-night snack. It was probably her way of coping with the breakup.
A pang of sympathy went through Qi Chengyan's eyes. He reached out and ruffled her hair, his heart softening. "Alright. I'll bring it back for you tonight."
"Yeah!”
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