I'm Rich - 24
Chapter 24
Guan Zhiyi's leg healed faster than expected. A little over a week later, the doctor confirmed she was fine, and she rejoined the production.
Xiao Ran fussed over her the moment she was back, hovering until she rushed off to get her makeup done. Only then did he leave the dressing room. Once outside, he called Qi Chengyan.
"Hey."
Xiao Ran: "Where are you? How come you didn't show today?"
"Show where?"
"The set. I figured you'd bring Zhiyi back yourself."
Qi Chengyan's voice came through the phone: "Something came up at work. I'm out of town."
"Oh. So Zhiyi's fully recovered? No lingering issues?"
"The doctor said she's fine."
"Good, good. I've been worried sick this whole time." Xiao Ran's tone sharpened. "Speaking of which, where did you take her? You wouldn't even tell me. I wanted to visit the patient and couldn't."
"She needed quiet to recover. There are probably reporters always trailing you. It wouldn't have been convenient."
Xiao Ran: "..."
"You're blaming me for hiding her away?" Qi Chengyan's voice cooled. "I haven't even blamed you for hurting her leg."
Xiao Ran choked on his words. "Not blaming? You've been blaming me this whole time. How many times have you brought it up now... But it was my fault. I own that."
"Good that you know."
"But it's not like I get photographed by paparazzi every single day. I just wanted to visit once and apologize, and you wouldn't even allow that."
Qi Chengyan gave a very perfunctory "oh," clearly unconvinced.
Xiao Ran wanted to roll his eyes. "I ran into Yuanbai earlier. Her own brother didn't blame me, and you? You've been holding it over my head from the start."
"You're overthinking it. Guan Yuanbai just didn't have the heart to say it to your face."
The sarcasm was unmistakable. Xiao Ran was left speechless. With Qi Chengyan, he never came out ahead.
"Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up," Qi Chengyan said.
"Wait!"
"What."
Xiao Ran glanced around and lowered his voice. "Hey, be honest with me. You like Guan Zhiyi, don't you?"
It came out of nowhere, completely disconnected from everything before it.
If Qi Chengyan had been standing next to Xiao Ran right now, he would have grabbed the nearest object and thrown it at him. As it was, all he could say was, "...Can you talk like a normal person?"
"How is that not normal?" Xiao Ran said, baffled. "I've never seen you treat any other woman like this. You're too good to Zhiyi. If you told me you didn't like her, I wouldn't believe it."
"She and I are just..."
"Just childhood friends. Just helping your buddy look after his little sister." Xiao Ran laughed. "That sounds a lot like an excuse."
An excuse?
He had never thought of it as an excuse.
Qi Chengyan drew a slow breath. "Don't talk nonsense."
"That's not it, though. I also think Zhiyi likes you."
Qi Chengyan's hand trembled around the phone. "...Xiao Ran, you should quit acting and become a screenwriter."
Xiao Ran said, puzzled: "What, you can't tell? Every time I see her looking at you, it's with eyes full of affection."
"..."
"Why aren't you saying anything? You think it's impossible? Come on, you're not her real brother. Being overly affectionate with her is a problem too, you know. And someone like you, being so good to a girl in the prime of her youth, who could resist that?"
"............"
**
Some people at Yixing and on the The Imperial Court crew thought Qi Chengyan and Guan Zhiyi's relationship was unusual. Qi Chengyan never explained, because privately, he hoped to give Guan Zhiyi a bit of a protective umbrella. What outsiders thought or saw was just a rumor. Harmless.
His indulgence and affection toward her had always been this way. As a boy, he hadn't had many people close to him. His father died young, his mother left, and he grew up with his grandfather. Later, because of his grandfather's favoritism and conflicts over the family business, his relationships with his uncles' children soured, even to the point of enmity.
Back then, only Xiao Wu was close to him. That kind of purity she possessed made him want, for once, to treat someone sincerely. After returning to the country, though the girl had grown up, he still felt close to her, and so he naturally looked after her.
Was he different with her? Absolutely.
Apart from her, he truly couldn't think of a second girl he'd be willing to treat that way.
And her too. He could feel her trust and dependence on him.
But—
"What, you can't tell? Every time I see her looking at you, it's with eyes full of affection."
"Come on, you're not her real brother. Being overly affectionate with her is a problem, you know."
Outside the car window, tall buildings receded endlessly. Qi Chengyan hung up and leaned back against the seat. But the moment he closed his eyes, Xiao Ran's meaningful expression seemed to surface in his mind.
No rest.
He opened his eyes. Somehow, he suddenly thought of what Guan Zhiyi had said that night when he carried her upstairs on his back.
"Gege, I think you're really great..."
"So, are you this good to everyone?"
"I just feel like a lot of people must notice how good you are, but... I don't really want that many people to notice."
Actually, that night, listening to her, he'd thought it was a little strange. But only a little. Later, thinking it over carefully, it seemed like nothing.
Now, though, if he added what Xiao Ran had said, those few sentences took on a completely different flavor.
All ambiguity.
Xiao Wu liked him?
When that thought surfaced in Qi Chengyan's mind, his first emotion was, honestly, a flash of panic.
She clearly called him gege, gege all the time... For it to suddenly involve romantic feelings made Qi Chengyan feel something close to alarm.
Buzz—
Just then, his phone vibrated again.
He pulled it out and saw Guan Yuanbai's name on the screen.
At the sight of Guan Yuanbai's name right now, his heart clenched sharply. Alongside the alarm came a sudden, inexplicable sense of guilt...
What was he thinking right now?
How could he make such a judgment about their relationship based on a few vague words from Xiao Wu that night and Xiao Ran's inexplicable teasing?
He'd watched her grow up like a little sister. What kind of thought was this?
Qi Chengyan frowned, certain he'd misunderstood. If Xiao Ran hadn't said anything, those few sentences would have just been ordinary words. The girl always had some possessiveness toward the person who doted on her. It was nothing.
Besides, her attitude toward him had always been the same as toward Guan Yuanbai. How could it be romantic?
**
Guan Zhiyi didn't have many scenes left. A week later, she wrapped filming.
Because she'd already signed on for a variety show earlier, she had no time to rest. She packed her bags and was sent straight to the airport the moment she left the set.
This time it was a travel variety show called Wandering the World, six people total, four women and two men, a month-long trip.
She was fairly familiar with Europe. Before university, she'd often flown out with Guan Xi during summer and winter breaks, so this trip shouldn't be too difficult. It was just... the thought of not seeing Qi Chengyan for over a month left her vaguely depressed.
The first stop was London. After landing, the six celebrities had to handle everything themselves. There were a few seniors on the team, throughout the subsequent itinerary, Guan Zhiyi felt awkward just standing around.
Over the course of that month, she was almost constantly busy helping everyone with the small things that came up during travel.
And because of the time difference, she rarely messaged Qi Chengyan during that period.
Eventually, the month crawled by. On June fifteenth, the group could finally head home. After this variety show, Guan Zhiyi had a week off. So, keeping her earlier promise to Guan Yuanbai, she went straight home.
Guan Yuanbai was home today, but Guan Zhiyi hadn't told him her detailed schedule, so he didn't know she was coming. When he suddenly came downstairs and saw her dragging her suitcase in, he was caught off guard.
"Why are you back?"
Guan Zhiyi handed her suitcase to the housekeeper nearby. "The show's done filming. Of course I'm back."
"Just off the plane?"
"Mm."
"Why didn't you say so earlier? I would've sent someone to pick you up."
Guan Zhiyi said, "My manager picks me up. I went back to my own apartment first. I only came over after my manager left."
Guan Yuanbai was actually happy to see her, but in front of her, he always maintained his aloof older-brother demeanor, not one to show much expression.
"How many days are you staying?"
"Mm... four or five, I think." Guan Zhiyi said, "Where's Dad?"
"Went to the neighboring city. He won't be back for two days."
"Okay."
Guan Yuanbai hadn't seen Guan Zhiyi in a month and had been worried about her. Now, seeing her as lively as ever, it seemed the earlier relationship drama hadn't affected her. He relaxed a little and asked, "A whole month in Europe. How was it?"
"Exhausting, obviously." Guan Zhiyi gestured for the housekeeper to take her suitcase up to her room. "Oh, by the way, Ge, is Chengyan-gege around today?"
"Him? He should be at the office right now."
"Then let's have him over for dinner tonight. For... a welcome-home for me!"
Guan Yuanbai shot her a look. "You really know how to make an occasion out of yourself."
"I don't."
It was just that she couldn't wait to see him.
"Why don't you tell him yourself?"
Guan Zhiyi stepped forward and looped her arm through Guan Yuanbai's, grinning. "Give him a surprise. Scare him a little."
Guan Yuanbai tapped her forehead. "Brat."
"Anyway, you tell him. I'll have the housekeeper make something good!"
"Got it."
Guan Zhiyi chatted with Guan Yuanbai downstairs for a while, then went up to her room to rest. By the time dinner was approaching, she came back down. The kitchen was already preparing food, but Qi Chengyan still hadn't arrived...
She wondered when he'd come.
Guan Zhiyi couldn't sit still. She pulled out her phone, about to send him a message to test the waters. But just then, there was movement at the entrance. She blinked, quickly set down her phone, and looked toward the door.
A figure came through the front gate. Then footsteps approached, and that tall, upright silhouette reached the entryway.
Exactly as she'd hoped. It really was Qi Chengyan!
Guan Zhiyi's eyes lit up. Too excited to even put on slippers, she leapt off the couch and ran at him. "Gege!"
Qi Chengyan had gotten Guan Yuanbai's message at the office and come over after work. Dinner at his place was nothing new, he hadn't thought much of it.
But who knew that today, the moment he walked in, he'd see a familiar figure dart toward him. Before he could say anything, she'd already crashed into him, throwing herself into his arms.
His waist was suddenly encircled by two hands. He froze slightly, looked down at her. "Xiao—"
"I'm back! Surprised? Happy?" The girl in his arms tilted her head up at him, her doe eyes glinting with scattered light, almost dazzling.
"..."
She was soft and sweet in his arms, and every word he'd meant to say died in his throat.
In the past, he wouldn't have thought twice about this. But after what Xiao Ran had said, he actually found it strange.
Qi Chengyan cleared his throat and peeled her off him. "Xiao Wu, you're back."
"Yes, boss. The trip is officially over!"
Her smile was simple and unguarded, the one he knew so well...
Qi Chengyan let out a light sigh. How could he let himself think so much?
"Why didn't you tell me in advance?" he asked.
"To surprise you. Oh right, I brought you a gift. It's in my room. Let me go get it."
Guan Zhiyi grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the stairs. Just then, Guan Yuanbai happened to come down. He glanced at the two of them and asked, "A gift? What gift?"
---
Author's Note:
Don't ask, my Bai. There's none for you.
---
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