I'm Rich - 43
Chapter 43
This was Guan Zhiyi's first time taking care of someone drunk. Luckily, Qi Chengyan could still walk, and luckily, the car wasn't parked far.
She helped him into the passenger seat, then got behind the wheel herself.
"Put your seatbelt on," Guan Zhiyi said.
No response.
She turned to look. Qi Chengyan was leaning lazily against the window, watching her without moving. The car's interior light was dim, and his gaze, soft with drink, seemed like it might dissolve into the night.
She'd never seen him like this. She didn't dare look too long. The more she looked, the more unsettled she felt.
"Put your seatbelt on. Did you hear me?" Guan Zhiyi gripped the steering wheel and spoke stiffly.
"Mhm... I heard." Qi Chengyan finally answered, then unhurriedly pulled the seatbelt across and buckled it.
"I'm driving us home now. I'll go slow, so you can sleep if you want."
Qi Chengyan propped his head on his hand. "I'll watch. No need to panic."
Guan Zhiyi started the car and muttered under her breath, "You watching is exactly what makes me panic..."
"What?"
"Nothing. I said you're drunk, so stop giving orders. I trust myself more."
Qi Chengyan let out a soft laugh. "Oh. Then drive safe."
"I know."
Guan Zhiyi slowly pulled the car out of the club's parking lot and headed toward Yuhe Mansion.
Because she drove so slowly, what should have been a twenty-minute trip took forty. After entering the neighborhood, she killed the engine in front of Qi Chengyan's house and walked around to the passenger side to open the door.
"We're here."
Qi Chengyan murmured an acknowledgement, unbuckled his seatbelt, and reached out both hands toward her. "Come here."
Guan Zhiyi stared at his outstretched hands, confused. "What?"
"Bend down..."
She realized he wanted her to help him up. She leaned in closer, and the moment she did, her entire shoulder was pulled in.
"Ah—"
She couldn't keep her balance in that position. Once her shoulder was hooked, her whole body followed, and she tumbled onto him.
It was practically an embrace.
Guan Zhiyi's breath nearly stopped. He was everywhere; warm, heart-racing, panic-inducing.
"You, you, let go of me! I'll go get someone!"
Qi Chengyan hadn't intended to pull her in like that. Even pretending to be drunk, he hadn't planned it. He just hadn't expected the girl to be so slight, he'd barely used any strength and she'd already lost her balance.
Right now, his nose was full of her scent. A strand of her hair brushed past, sending a ripple through him. He was reluctant to let go. His voice came out low and hoarse. "It's late. Don't call anyone. We can't wake Grandpa."
"Then loosen up first..."
Qi Chengyan hummed quietly, let go, and sat up. But soon he draped an arm over her shoulder again, pressing nearly half his weight onto her.
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
Qi Chengyan: "Let's go in quietly."
Guan Zhiyi was about to collapse under the weight. "But, but you're really heavy!"
Qi Chengyan held her, a smile spilling out at the corner of his mouth. "Mhm. I believe in you."
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
Believe in you, my foot!
But Qi Chengyan wouldn't let go, and she couldn't just shout for someone at the door, that would actually wake Grandpa Qi. So she gritted her teeth and half-carried, half-dragged him inside.
They were about to head upstairs when one of the household staff noticed. "Oh my, what happened? Is he drunk?"
Guan Zhiyi had been straining so hard her face was red. "Yes, Auntie."
"Here, here, let me, Miss Guan. Leave him to me."
Guan Zhiyi murmured assent and reached to pry Qi Chengyan's arm off. But she tried twice and couldn't budge him!
"...Never mind. Auntie, you take his other side. We'll carry him up together."
"Ah, alright, that works." The auntie supported Qi Chengyan's other side and started up the stairs. "How much did he drink? The young master usually holds his liquor so well. I can't believe he's drunk tonight..."
"He probably had a bit too much."
After finally getting Qi Chengyan back to his room, the housekeeper said quickly, "I'll go downstairs and get some hot water."
"Okay."
Guan Zhiyi didn't even bother taking off his jacket. She just pulled the blanket over him. "Phew... I'm exhausted."
"Xiao Wu."
"Hm?" Guan Zhiyi saw Qi Chengyan's eyes half-open, looking at her. "What is it? Are you feeling unwell?"
Qi Chengyan watched her for a moment, then said slowly, "After dinner tomorrow, I'll come find you. We'll go drive a few more laps."
"No need, you're already—"
"Sleeping. Gege's head is spinning."
"..."
Qi Chengyan closed his eyes, giving her no room to refuse.
Guan Zhiyi's words were stuck in her throat. She stood in the room for a moment, then had no choice but to turn and leave.
"Miss Guan, are you heading out?" On her way downstairs, she ran into the housekeeper carrying hot water up.
Guan Zhiyi nodded. "He seems pretty drunk. Please keep an eye on him."
"Of course, of course."
Guan Zhiyi left. The housekeeper pushed open the door with a glass of water. But when she entered, she saw that Qi Chengyan, who had been lying in bed, was now sitting up. She blinked in surprise. "Are you alright?"
Qi Chengyan didn't answer. He only asked, "Has Xiao Wu left?"
"She is."
"Mhm."
"Do you... need some hangover soup?"
"No need." Qi Chengyan got up and took the glass from her hand. "I'm fine. You can go."
The housekeeper stared at him blankly. "Ah? Okay."
She retreated and closed the door behind her.
Qi Chengyan took a sip of water and walked to the window. It faced the front gate, and he could see the car lights come on as someone started the vehicle.
Watching the figure in the driver's seat, he smiled faintly.
**
Guan Zhiyi stayed home for a full week. During that week, Qi Chengyan dragged her out to practice driving almost every day. By the third day, she'd already gotten completely comfortable with it, but Qi Chengyan still insisted she was too nervous behind the wheel and needed to build up her tolerance.
The Monday after that week, she finally didn't have to practice. She had a jewelry brand banquet to attend. In the afternoon, she drove off in the car she'd been practicing in and went straight back to her small apartment.
At four o'clock, Liu Yun arrived with the hair and makeup team. Guan Zhiyi changed at home, got her makeup done, and took the car to the venue.
By the time their group arrived, the red carpet hadn't started yet, so all the celebrities were waiting backstage. Guan Zhiyi, in her gown, sat to the side playing on her phone out of boredom. Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder. "Zhiyi."
She turned and saw a friend she hadn't seen in a long time. "Feifei! You're here today too."
"Yep." Song Qiaofei said, "I didn't expect you to be here. I spotted you from a distance and came right over."
Song Qiaofei had been filming a period drama for the past three months and hadn't been back to the apartment complex, it had been a long time since they'd seen each other.
"If I'd known you were coming, I would've come to find you earlier."
Song Qiaofei said, "What, you missed me that much?"
Guan Zhiyi pulled her down to sit beside her. "Yeah. So how've you been? Is everything okay on set?"
"Okay? That Ge Siying does nothing but pick on me. She can't act to save her life, but she's got plenty of demands. She's got someone backing her though, so everyone on set caters to her. I don't dare cross her. Ugh, whatever. I just need to make it to wrap day."
Guan Zhiyi frowned.
She'd heard Song Qiaofei complain about this once or twice over WeChat. Ge Siying resented the director praising Song Qiaofei's acting, and resented that her hair and makeup looked better on camera... After enough of these small things piled up, she'd started bullying her on set.
Song Qiaofei: "Forget it. Talking about her is boring. What about you? What have you been up to?"
After The Imperial Court blew up, Guan Zhiyi's fame had naturally far surpassed Song Qiaofei's. But the two had known each other since debut, understood each other, and genuinely wanted the best for one another. Neither had drifted away just because the other got famous. They chatted for a long while, only reluctantly separating when staff announced the red carpet was starting.
The red carpet wasn't the end of the evening. Afterward, the brand had arranged a banquet. It wasn't open to the public, without reporters or fans, just VIP guests and the celebrities.
For celebrities, this kind of banquet was the perfect opportunity to network with money and wrangle resources. They took it far more seriously than the red carpet.
After coming off the red carpet, Guan Zhiyi returned to her dressing room. The banquet wouldn't start for a while yet, they still had about an hour to wait.
"Let's see if you need a touch-up," Liu Yun said.
The makeup artist came over and looked. "No, she's fine."
"Alright." Liu Yun said, "I'll be very busy once the banquet starts. Just stick close to me."
Liu Yun had clear goals and was already preparing to socialize. Familiar with this mode of hers, Guan Zhiyi simply nodded. "There's still about an hour. I'm going to go next door to find Feifei."
"Go ahead."
Song Qiaofei was in a different dressing room. Waiting around for an hour was boring, Guan Zhiyi figured she'd go chat with her. But the moment she walked in, she sensed something off about the atmosphere.
A dressing room like this was usually shared by two or three celebrities. This one was shared by Song Qiaofei and Ge Siying. Right now, Song Qiaofei was standing in front of Ge Siying, head lowered, face unreadable—she'd clearly been told off about something.
The staff nearby were either busy with their own tasks or watching from the sidelines. No one stepped in. Guan Zhiyi remembered how Song Qiaofei was always being bullied by this woman and walked straight over.
"Qiaofei, what's going on?" Guan Zhiyi asked.
"Nothing, nothing." Song Qiaofei gave her a light push. "Go wait outside for me. I'll come find you when I'm done handling this."
"Handling? How are you going to handle it?" Ge Siying sneered in anger. "I picked this gown out of hundreds. You smeared it, and there's a banquet later. What am I supposed to wear out there?"
Guan Zhiyi glanced at Ge Siying after hearing her out. Today Ge Siying was wearing a floor-length white dress, and at the hem there was a faint red mark, it looked like a lipstick stain.
But the skirt had so many folds that a slight adjustment would've hidden it completely.
Yet Song Qiaofei clearly didn't dare confront her, only apologized repeatedly. "I didn't mean to. My lipstick fell, and I didn't expect you to suddenly walk over, so..."
"What's that supposed to mean? You're saying it's my fault for being unlucky?"
Song Qiaofei turned her head away and mumbled, "No."
Ge Siying looked at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Ha. Song Qiaofei, I think you did it on purpose. I came to this banquet, and you schemed your way into a ticket too. I wore a white gown today, and you copied me with something similar. What, the director praised you a couple times on set and now you think you're on my level? You're really shameless, aren't you? Deliberately dropping lipstick on my dress?"
Several staff members nearby were eavesdropping. With her friend standing right there, Song Qiaofei's dignity was in shreds. She defended herself in disbelief. "I didn't know you'd be at this banquet, and I had no idea what color your gown would be. As for the lipstick, it really was an accident. I'm sincerely apologizing. Or let's think of something, it's just a small mark. I could touch it up with some white paint. Your skirt is so big, no one would be able to tell—"
"You say no one can tell, so no one can tell?" Ge Siying was livid. She grabbed a glass of juice from the table and hurled it at her. "Then I'll say the same about you, no one can tell!"
Song Qiaofei was also wearing white. The juice splattered across her, instantly ruining the dress. It dripped down the hem and onto the floor. Now no one in the dressing room could ignore it now, they all looked over in shock.
But looking was all they did. No one dared do more. Ge Siying was notorious for being spoiled and headstrong in private. Since she was deliberately targeting Song Qiaofei, no one was going to step in and risk offending her.
Song Qiaofei looked down at the gown her manager had gone to such lengths to borrow for her. Her eyes went red. "You—"
She was about to raise her head and demand an explanation when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone pick up another glass of juice from the vanity table and, without a flicker of hesitation, dump the entire thing onto Ge Siying.
From chest to hem, she was instantly soaked, even worse than Song Qiaofei!
Song Qiaofei was stunned. She forgot her own fury entirely and turned stiffly to look at Guan Zhiyi, who was still holding the glass.
"!!!"
It wasn't just Song Qiaofei. Everyone in the room was frozen.
Of course they all knew Guan Zhiyi. She was everywhere lately thanks to The Imperial Court, one of the hottest rising stars. But Ge Siying wasn't someone to mess with either. Though her acting was mediocre and she had no real breakout roles, her resources had always been excellent. It was an open secret that she had someone backing her. Almost no one in the industry dared touch her.
They never imagined Guan Zhiyi would actually... drench her in juice.
"You... you..." Ge Siying glared at Guan Zhiyi, blood rushing to her head. "You deliberately ruined my dress!"
Guan Zhiyi looked at her expressionlessly, set the glass down beside her, and said coldly, "Didn't you just deliberately ruin someone else's too?"
**
The venue had different lounge areas on different floors. Above the celebrity dressing rooms were the guests the brand had invited tonight.
In room 502, the host, Song Li, was entertaining two friends over tea.
"Though it's a new jewelry brand, it's been selling well overseas. Today's basically a promotional event for its official launch here. What do you think, Yuanbai? Wasn't a bad idea to get you to invest, was it?" Song Li said.
Guan Yuanbai took a sip of tea. "It's alright."
"Right? Anyway, it's just a matter of waiting to collect the money." Song Li turned to the other man. "Chengyan, interested in playing too? I can sell you ten percent. Then the three of us split the brand. You know you've always been the best at advertising and marketing."
Qi Chengyan didn't refuse outright. He'd come today precisely to get the details in person. "Tell me more."
"Sure, so basically—"
Knock, knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Song Li stopped and turned. "Come in."
A staff member pushed the door open, nodded briefly at the three men, and walked to Song Li's side. "President Song, there's a problem with Miss Ge. She's throwing a fit."
Song Li made a sound of acknowledgment. "What now?"
"Miss Ge got into a conflict in the dressing room. The dress you gave her got juice poured on it." The staff member said, "She's making a scene right now and told me to come get you."
Song Li was surprised. "Someone poured juice on her? On my turf? This person's got some nerve. Hang on, I'll be right there."
"Okay."
Qi Chengyan watched Song Li hurriedly pull on his jacket and smiled. "Miss Ge? Which one?"
"My girlfriend."
"Your girlfriend?" Qi Chengyan thought for a moment. "Last time we had dinner together, didn't you say the one sitting next to Jiang Suizhou was your girlfriend?"
"Her? I made that up. I just didn't want Guan Xi thinking Jiang Suizhou was involved with her."
"So Jiang Suizhou actually is involved with her?" Guan Yuanbai asked with a frown.
"How could that be? You know your sister's temper." Song Li muttered. "Even if Jiang Suizhou did have someone, he'd never dare bring her around openly. Not unless he wants Guan Xi to blow up his entire company."
Guan Yuanbai: "Fair point."
"Alright, I'll head down and deal with this. You two sit tight."
"Mhm."
Song Li got up and asked the staff member as he walked to the door, "What's going on? Who's bold enough to mess with my girlfriend?"
"It's Miss Guan. Guan Zhiyi."
Song Li's steps halted dead. He turned to the staff member in shock. "Say that again?"
"Guan Zhiyi. The artist from Yixing Entertainment."
A chill ran down Song Li's spine. Guan Zhiyi??
He took a slow moment to process, then looked back at the two men sitting inside... Clearly, they'd already heard. They were looking at him now, expressions cold and... terrifying.
Song Li: "............"
The staff member had no idea what had suddenly come over his boss. He just asked, "President Song, are we still going?"
"Go! Of course we're going!" Song Li said loudly. "I want to see exactly who… has the guts to provoke that shrew."
The staff member: "???"
Meanwhile, in the dressing room.
Liu Yun rushed in after getting the news. When she entered, Guan Zhiyi and Song Qiaofei were standing to the side, while Ge Siying was throwing a full-blown tantrum, cosmetics now scattered across the floor.
Liu Yun's heart lurched. She grabbed Guan Zhiyi. "How could you—"
Song Qiaofei said quickly, "Yun-jie, it's all because of me. Zhiyi couldn't stand it and did that. Don't blame her."
Song Qiaofei was also signed to Yixing, but her manager also handled other artists, they had too many people under them and hadn't come with her tonight.
Liu Yun had already heard the whole story. Looking at the scene now, her head was pounding. She lowered her voice. "Guan Zhiyi, do you know who Ge Siying is? The brand's President Song is her boyfriend. He dotes on her like crazy. She'll probably be handed an endorsement just for fun. We still have future collaborations with this brand. What, what have you done!"
Guan Zhiyi: "Yun-jie, you didn't see how she treated Qiaofei."
"You still can't just physically…"
"But—"
"Here's what we'll do. You come with me and apologize. After you apologize, you leave. I'll handle the rest. I'll cover for you." Liu Yun pulled Guan Zhiyi toward Ge Siying. But before they could move, someone appeared at the dressing room door.
"Song Li!" Ge Siying saw the man and went over in tears, her expression shifting so dramatically it could've won her Best Actress.
The staff watching felt a flicker of sympathy for Guan Zhiyi. Everyone knew Ge Siying's patron was powerful, not someone you could afford to offend.
"Song Li, look, I can't even wear this dress out anymore." Ge Siying clutched his arm, eyes brimming. "It's all her. I only said a few things to her friend, and she just went at me. I couldn't even dodge—"
She hadn't finished when Song Li silenced her with a look.
Ge Siying: "Why are you glaring at me? Can't you see what I look like right now!"
Song Li took a deep breath, ignored her, and walked straight toward Guan Zhiyi. He stopped in front of her and looked her up and down. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"............"
The dressing room went dead silent.
Liu Yun's mouth twitched slightly. She looked at Guan Zhiyi. Guan Zhiyi herself was taken aback, not expecting Ge Siying's boyfriend to be Song Li.
"I'm fine," she said.
"Good, good." Song Li exhaled in relief, then looked at Song Qiaofei. "And your friend... oh man, her dress is completely ruined."
Song Li scratched his head and turned to a staff member. "Xiao Liu! Go get a new gown right now for this young lady to change into."
"Ah, yes, right away."
"Song Li!" Ge Siying stared at her boyfriend in disbelief. "What is wrong with you? Don't you see what I look like right now? And you're worried about someone else?"
"Shut up!"
"You, do you like her?" Ge Siying was losing face in front of everyone. "Explain yourself."
Song Li's face went dark. "Ge Siying! I told you to shut up. Did you not hear me?"
Song Li had been with Ge Siying for a while. He'd kept her around simply because she knew how to please him. He knew how willful and spoiled she was in front of others, but he couldn't be bothered to manage it. Sometimes when she came to him with sweet talk and complaints, he'd even casually help her out.
He hadn't expected that spoiling her would make her forget who she was.
Song Li's head throbbed.
Of all people to provoke today, she had to provoke Guan Zhiyi!
How many people stood behind this girl, others might not know, but he knew very well!
Song Li: "Apologize to Miss Guan. Now."
"She hasn't even apologized to me yet." Ge Siying was on the verge of tears. "Song Li, are you sleeping with her? What kind of spell has she cast on you?"
"Miss Ge, that's rather unpleasant." Just then, everyone saw two more men walk in through the door.
Ge Siying turned at the sound.
As Song Li's girlfriend, she wasn't close with these two, but she'd seen them before when she'd been out with Song Li. One was Guan Yuanbai, the other Qi Chengyan. After meeting them, she'd even bragged to people in her circle about having a connection to the capital's elite...
But why were they here today? And what did Qi Chengyan mean by that?
Ge Siying was confused. Song Li, now fully sober, felt his head swell at the sight of them.
"Why did you two come down?"
Guan Yuanbai's lips curved. "Your girlfriend's got such a temper. I was worried my sister couldn't hold her ground."
Huh?
Huh?!
Guan Yuanbai's casual remark was like a bomb dropped in the dressing room. The explosion left everyone stunned.
There weren't many people present, but they were either core staff for the celebrities or internal staff for tonight's banquet. Of course they all knew Guan Yuanbai. They knew exactly who this man was, someone even more untouchable than Song Li.
They looked at each other, unable to process the shocking news.
The actress Guan Zhiyi was Guan Yuanbai's sister?
What a massive scoop!!!
Liu Yun and Song Qiaofei were stunned too. Liu Yun even thought maybe they'd become sworn siblings at some point without her knowing, like a honorary brother situation.
But then Guan Yuanbai's next words shattered that fantasy. "Oh right, do you have any more work after this, or are you coming home with me?"
Although Guan Zhiyi hadn't been trying to hide her connection to Guan Yuanbai anymore, she hadn't expected him to just announce it like that. She instinctively looked at Liu Yun, and Guan Yuanbai followed her gaze. "Miss Liu, can my sister come home with me after the banquet?"
Liu Yun's breath caught in her throat. It took her a long moment to say, "Yes..."
"Good. Thank you."
Ge Siying's face went rigid. She truly hadn't expected to kick an iron wall. No wonder even Song Li wouldn't help her!
Ge Siying: "Song Li..."
"Shouldn't Miss Ge apologize for what she said earlier?" Qi Chengyan's expression had been dark since he walked in. The look on his face was enough to make anyone uneasy.
Ge Siying couldn't muster any defiance now. "I, I..."
"No need to apologize to me. I already poured juice on you anyway." Guan Zhiyi said. "I just want you to know, Qiaofei isn't someone you can push around as you pleased!"
Song Qiaofei grabbed her hand, moved. "Zhiyi..."
"Let's go. We need to get you changed. You can't stay like this."
"Mhm..."
---
Author's Note:
Heh... when the youngest of the Guan family decides to bare her teeth, she's got a whole crowd behind her.
---
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