I'm Rich - 47
Qi Chengyan fell asleep soon after. Guan Zhiyi stayed in his room for two hours, sneaking in one more temperature check before she left.
Thirty-seven point five. The fever had broken.
The knot in her chest finally loosened. Setting the medicine and the thermometer on his nightstand, she slipped quietly out of the room.
The next day, she went back to the studio to finish shooting the commercial.
They wrapped at eleven. After lunch, the crew had a short break. Guan Zhiyi skipped going back to the hotel and instead grabbed a drink with Xiao Ran and the others at a coffee shop near the set, sitting together to chat.
Or at least, that was the idea. Her mind was anywhere but there. Qi Chengyan's words from last night had landed like a slow-acting drug. Not fatal, just leaving her lightheaded, her thoughts spinning in circles, completely incapable of focusing on the conversation.
"Zhiyi? Zhiyi?"
Guan Zhiyi snapped back. "Huh?"
Xiao Ran laughed. "Where'd you go? Did you hear a word I said?"
Guan Zhiyi rubbed her nose. "Yeah, I heard you..."
"Is that so? What did I say then?"
"..."
She had no idea. Embarrassment flared. Fortunately, Liu Yun waved toward the entrance right on cue. "President Qi, over here! Come sit with us."
Guan Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat. Her gaze darted instantly toward the door. It really was Qi Chengyan. He looked much better than he had last night, color returned to his face.
"What are you all doing here?" Qi Chengyan glanced at Guan Zhiyi, taking the seat Liu Yun pulled out for him.
Liu Yun grabbed another chair from a neighboring table. "Time's a bit tight today, we have to start up again soon. Figured we'd just stay here instead of heading back to the hotel."
"Mm."
"Are you feeling better, President Qi?"
"I'm fine. The medicine helped a lot last night."
Liu Yun nodded repeatedly. "That's good, that's good. Oh, let me get you a coffee. What would you like?"
"An iced Americano."
"You can't have iced." The denial slipped out of Guan Zhiyi automatically. Turning to Liu Yun, she added, "Get him a hot Americano."
Liu Yun's eyes flicked between the two of them, momentarily unsure whose orders to follow.
Qi Chengyan gave a faint smile. "Listen to her."
"Ah, right away." Liu Yun turned and headed toward the counter.
It was an ordinary line, but the gentle, indulged tone in his voice left her feeling strangely flustered.
Guan Zhiyi took a sip of her own coffee, the tips of her ears flushing pink for no reason at all.
Xiao Ran's eyes traveled between the pair, his expression lazy. "So, how many days are you planning to hang around here anyway? Looks to me like Paris doesn't agree with you. Better head home early."
Hearing Xiao Ran's words, Guan Zhiyi quietly took a small bite of the cake in front of her. What had Qi Chengyan said yesterday... He had asked her, When do you want me to go back?
As if he was leaving it up to her.
He must have just been talking offhandedly...
"Nothing pressing at the company," Qi Chengyan said with a faint smile. "Staying a few extra days won't hurt." He paused, looking over. "Xiao Wu, what do you think?"
"Ahem—" Guan Zhiyi nearly choked on the cream. She looked up, completely lost. "I think... whatever you want."
Qi Chengyan hummed. "Then I'll just head back with you guys when the time comes."
"...Oh."
Xiao Ran rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful. "Must be nice to have so much free time. Did your family business go bankrupt or something?"
"Don't worry yourself, we're doing just fine. And even if we did go bankrupt..." Qi Chengyan said mildly, "...there's always Xiao Wu's family."
Xiao Ran scoffed. "Wow, Qi Chengyan, you really have no shame! What does the Guan family have to do with you?"
Qi Chengyan replied softly, "Nothing special. Just the kind of relationship where if the Qi family fell, they'd throw enough money in to build us right back up."
Xiao Ran: "..."
Guan Zhiyi paused. That was actually true. Setting aside the fact that the two families had always been close, her brother Guan Yuanbai alone would never stand by and watch Qi Chengyan's business fall apart.
A moment later, the server brought out Qi Chengyan's coffee. He drank quietly, offering no more to the conversation.
Guan Zhiyi made to take another bite of her cake, but under Liu Yun's warning glare, she meekly set her little fork down.
"Yun-jie, just let her have another bite or two. Look how much she wants it," Xiao Ran teased, catching the visual exchange.
Liu Yun replied, "She's had plenty. Eat any more and dinner is canceled."
Xiao Ran sighed. "What a waste. This cake is delicious."
Guan Zhiyi looked at him. "Then how come I didn't see you order any?"
Xiao Ran cleared his throat. "I don't really do sweets."
Guan Zhiyi almost rolled her eyes. Don't do sweets? You're just watching your own weight, refusing to touch a single bite of anything with that much sugar.
"Is it really that good?" Qi Chengyan asked idly.
Guan Zhiyi nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty great..."
"Let me try." With complete casualness, Qi Chengyan reached out, picked up the tiny fork she had just been using, and took a bite out of the half-eaten cake.
Guan Zhiyi gasped. "Wait—"
Too late. He had already swallowed it.
"What?"
Guan Zhiyi stared as the fork she had used disappeared between his lips, her ears suddenly burning hot. "That was... I already used that..."
Qi Chengyan let out a low noise of realization. "Weren't you done with it?"
"I was, but—"
"Then it shouldn't matter if I use it." His face was placid, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Guan Zhiyi blinked slowly. "...I guess."
Qi Chengyan said nothing more, continuing to use her fork to finish off the piece of cake.
Xiao Ran watched the deep crimson spreading across Guan Zhiyi's ears, then looked over at Qi Chengyan—who looked for all the world like a refined gentleman, but was acting like an absolute beast underneath—and cursed him viciously in his head. Damn it! Is this guy doing that on purpose?
Liu Yun took in the sight as well. If this had happened in the past, she wouldn't have thought anything of it, assuming Qi Chengyan was simply pursuing Guan Zhiyi.
But now... weren't they supposed to have an ordinary relationship? Why did this look anything but ordinary?
Over the next few days, Qi Chengyan actually stayed in Paris. On the day of their return, he bought a ticket on the same flight as the rest of the team.
Guan Zhiyi had been exhausted lately. Once on the plane, she slept continuously, waking up groggy only when the tires hit the tarmac.
"Are you going straight home later?" Qi Chengyan sat just across the aisle from her.
Unbuckling her seatbelt, Guan Zhiyi nodded.
"Good timing then. Take my car."
Guan Zhiyi had been feeling inexplicably tense around him the last couple of days. "Ah? Let me check with Yun-jie..."
"If you ask her, she'll just come ask me. Why go in circles?"
"..."
"Let's go."
"Mm..."
They disembarked.
"Let Xiao Ran head out first later. We'll leave a bit after," Liu Yun said once they gathered their luggage.
"Okay."
Xiao Ran was bound to have fans waiting at the airport. Even though the public already knew about their shared commercial shoot and there was nothing wrong with taking the same flight, both teams preferred to keep the two stars separate to avoid unnecessary drama.
Naturally, with Guan Zhiyi's current popularity, reporters were bound to be staking out the airport for her as well, so Qi Chengyan didn't walk out alongside her either. It was only after she and Liu Yun had finished collecting their luggage with the rest of the staff that his call came through.
"I had my assistant drive a car over. Do you want to get into your team's van first, or come straight to my car?"
Guan Zhiyi said, "There are reporters at the airport today. Your car is too flashy."
"I had them bring one that looks just like your nanny van."
"In that case... are you in the car already? Where are you?"
"I'm at..."
Before Qi Chengyan could finish, a stranger's voice broke through on her end. "Zhiyi! Zhiyi! Back from France today?"
Qi Chengyan paused. "Reporters?"
Guan Zhiyi was answering the call through wireless earbuds, so passersby couldn't tell she was on the phone. Hearing Qi Chengyan's question, she gave a quiet affirmative before turning to answer the reporter. "Yes, just got back from France."
"Online reports say this is another collaboration with Xiao Ran after The Imperial Court."
"Yes."
"Xiao Ran just passed through a moment ago. Since you were on the same flight, why didn't you head out together?"
Guan Zhiyi smiled, opening her mouth to respond, only for a voice to drop directly into her ear: "Asking what he already knows. Is this reporter lacking a brain?"
The comment almost made her burst out laughing, but she forced it down. "Ah... I had a lot of luggage, waiting for the bags took some extra time."
Qi Chengyan remarked, "Not a bad lie."
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
Reporter: "How was it working together again?"
Qi Chengyan said, "Looks average. I don't think Song Li thought it through when he chose him. He just fell for his traffic numbers."
Guan Zhiyi said, "...It was great, of course. Teacher Xiao is very professional. It was a pleasure working together."
Reporter: "So many people became shippers for the two of you after The Imperial Court. Is there any chance of you two getting together in real life?"
Qi Chengyan paused for a moment. "Mm... I'd like to know that too."
Guan Zhiyi cleared her throat, her voice strictly official. "We're just friends. Good friends."
"Then could you tell us what your ideal partner is like?"
This time, the line went dead quiet.
Guan Zhiyi's breath caught, a wave of nervousness hitting her. "Just... as long as he treats me well."
"Anything you'd like to add?"
Guan Zhiyi's mind went completely blank. Knowing Qi Chengyan was still on the line, the words choked in her throat. Fortunately, Liu Yun stepped in to shield her. "Sorry, we're in a bit of a rush. Excuse us, excuse us!"
Having finally escaped the reporter's watchful eyes, Guan Zhiyi heard the man on the other end of the line speak up. "'As long as he treats you well'... Xiao Wu, are your standards really that low?"
Guan Zhiyi came to a sudden halt. "I just said that off the top of my head."
"Did you? Then what other standards do you have?"
Guan Zhiyi opened her mouth, feeling her ears ignite all over again.
Why was he asking so much... Did he actually like her?
The moment the thought entered her mind, her entire heart began to beat wildly, struggling to break free from the dark box where she had locked it away ever since deciding to keep her distance from him.
But twice now... She had cried through the pain of this secret crush twice already. The emotion was too subtle, too intense, making her all the more terrified. She couldn't help wondering: was she just being self-indulgent again?
"I have a lot of standards. An ordinary person couldn't meet them," Guan Zhiyi took a deep breath, wanting to end the topic. "Anyway, I'm hanging up. My car is here."
Qi Chengyan was quiet for a moment. "I see it. My car is right behind yours."
"Mm. There are still people taking pictures here, so I won't get in your car."
"Alright," Qi Chengyan said softly. "Get some rest when you get home."
"Got it."
Her family knew Guan Zhiyi was coming back today, so they had prepared a whole table of food early, waiting for her arrival.
"Where's Chengyan?" As soon as she walked in, Guan Yuanbai took her luggage, glancing behind her.
Guan Zhiyi asked, "Why are you asking me?"
Guan Yuanbai said, "Didn't he say he was on the same flight as you and would bring you back?"
Guan Zhiyi explained, "Oh. There were reporters at the airport later, it wasn't convenient to walk out together. We separated."
Guan Yuanbai nodded. "Then I'll give him a call and have him come over for dinner."
When dinnertime arrived, Qi Chengyan came over to eat with the family.
Her father, Guan Xinghuai, had plenty to chat about with Qi Chengyan, bouncing from stock market trends to business projects, his spirits high. Guan Zhiyi was used to it. Whenever those two were together, there was an endless stream of business topics she couldn't contribute to as a complete novice.
She was actually glad for it, content to eat quietly and be done with it. But halfway through the meal, her father suddenly shifted the conversation, turning the spotlight straight onto her.
"Xiao Wu, how are things going between you and that Xiao Ran?"
"Ahem—" Guan Zhiyi nearly choked on her rice.
Guan Xinghuai narrowed his eyes. "What, is there progress?"
Guan Zhiyi choked until her face turned red, taking a moment to recover before she stammered, "What are you talking about? Didn't I tell you there's nothing going on?"
Guan Xinghuai looked at her quietly, as if a four-word bullet-comment banner were scrolling across his forehead: I don't believe you!
Guan Zhiyi: "...Believe what you want."
"He's so good-looking. You don't like him?"
Guan Zhiyi was rendered speechless. "Like there's a shortage of good-looking people around me! Am I really someone who only cares about faces?!"
Guan Xinghuai thought about it, nodding. "True. Your father and your two brothers raised your standards sky-high from the time you were little."
Guan Zhiyi: "...If you're talking about my brothers, talk about my brothers. Dad, why are you dragging yourself into this?"
"What's wrong? Are you saying your old man isn't handsome? Back in my younger days, your dad was known as the finest flower in the whole city!"
Guan Zhiyi gave a dry laugh. "Yes, yes, of course. How else could you have had a daughter as cute as me?"
"Heh." Guan Xinghuai said, "Since you don't like Xiao Ran, why don't you tell me what kind of guy you do like? Dad will find one for you."
Qi Chengyan paused mid-motion, lifting his eyes to look at Guan Zhiyi.
Guan Zhiyi said, "Dad... Can't you stop keeping your eyes glued to me all day? Why don't you focus on my brother instead?"
Guan Yuanbai, suddenly put on the spot, said coldly, "Don't toss that bomb over to me."
"It should be tossed to you! You reached marriageable age ages ago."
Guan Yuanbai reached over and flicked her forehead. "Are you looking for a beating?"
Guan Zhiyi cried out, "Dad, look at him—"
Guan Xinghuai glanced at his son before turning back. "Xiao Wu, I don't care what kind of wife your brother marries, but my precious daughter's marriage is a major life matter."
Guan Yuanbai pulled back the corner of his mouth. "Agreed. We're just afraid you'll go down the wrong path and get taken advantage of."
"..."
Guan Xinghuai continued, "Alright, alright, Dad won't set you up on another blind dates. I'm just asking out of care and concern. Is that so wrong?"
"I don't have a type. I don't like anyone." Guan Zhiyi spoke with a guilty conscience. The person occupying her mind was sitting right across from her, how was she supposed to answer that?!
Guan Xinghuai frowned at her words. "How could anyone not know what kind of person they like?"
Guan Zhiyi huffed. "Well, I just don't know. How about this then, you tell me, what kind of person suits me?"
"You..." Guan Xinghuai pondered for a moment. "His family background needs to be roughly on par with ours. Dad isn't looking down on anyone, but in this world, matching family status really is the right way. If the gap in status is too wide, your values and views will clash, there will be endless conflicts after marriage."
Qi Chengyan smiled faintly. That requirement was met.
Guan Xinghuai added, "He needs a good temperament, but he shouldn't be too smart. Dad prefers someone a bit silly and naive."
The smile on Qi Chengyan's face froze solid. "..."
Guan Zhiyi asked, "Why?"
"Because you're not particularly clever either. If he's too smart, won't he just end up fooling you? Xiao Wu, I just hope he listens to you, someone you can keep wrapped right around your little finger."
Guan Zhiyi: "...Why don't you just come out and say it: a brainless rich kid."
"How can you put it like that? What do you mean brainless? What I mean is—"
"Alright, alright, I get it. Say no more, let's just eat."
...
Quiet returned to the dinner table. Qi Chengyan stared down at the rice in his bowl, lost in thought.
Listens to her... wrapped around her little finger... a bit silly and naive.
The first part was easy enough, but the second part... silly? Naive?
It took some effort, but dinner finally came to an end.
Guan Zhiyi didn't idle around. She picked up a new script she had recently received and began reading. It wasn't time to join the crew yet, but her character had a mountain of lines, requiring large blocks of dialogue to be memorized well in advance.
"What are you reading?" Guan Yuanbai and Qi Chengyan walked over together after finishing up. Guan Yuanbai set a glass of juice down in front of her. "Off to shoot another drama?"
"Not yet, just preparing." Guan Zhiyi handed over a backup copy of the script, asking casually, "Ge, run lines with me for a bit."
Guan Yuanbai blinked. "What?"
"Just read the male lead's lines so I can practice."
Guan Yuanbai hummed an assent and began reading carefully. But right then, his phone rang. He answered it, spoke for a moment, and then tossed the script resting on his knees onto Qi Chengyan's lap. "I have something to take care of in the study. Run lines with her instead."
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
Qi Chengyan glanced down at the script. "Sure."
Guan Yuanbai hurried off to his study, while Qi Chengyan stood up and sat down in the spot Guan Yuanbai had just vacated. "Which part are we doing?"
Guan Zhiyi cleared her throat. "Um, actually, I'm not in a rush to run lines. If you have stuff to do..."
"I don't."
"Oh."
"Go ahead."
If Guan Zhiyi backed out now and said she didn't want to practice anymore, it would seem overly deliberate. Left with no choice, she closed her script, steeled herself, and began reciting her lines from memory. "...I haven't seen you for days. Where have you been hiding? Or are you deliberately avoiding me..."
This scene depicted the male lead avoiding the female lead, leading to days without contact. At this point in the story, the male lead didn't like the female lead yet and felt repelled by her intense advances.
After Guan Zhiyi finished her long string of questions, Qi Chengyan read off the script. "Nowhere. And I wasn't avoiding you."
"Then why couldn't I find you? I went to the palace to look for you, and I went to the clinic too, but you weren't at either. I asked around, and they said you didn't show up for duty."
"Mm."
"Why? Were you sick? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Guan Zhiyi asked, her tone laced with worry.
Qi Chengyan cast a quick glance at her before continuing to read. "I simply didn't feel like going."
"Why..."
"Because I don't want to see you."
Guan Zhiyi naturally stepped into the female lead's shoes, her voice dropping into a low, muffled murmur as she repeated, "Why... don't you want to see me?"
Qi Chengyan glanced at the next line, his gaze drifting away from the page to land softly on Guan Zhiyi. Slowly, he spoke. "Because I like you."
Guan Zhiyi had been fully immersed in her character, preparing to deliver her next line with an even sadder tone, but Qi Chengyan's sudden sentence left her completely frozen. "Huh?"
They stared at each other, one frozen like a wooden block, the other entirely composed.
Watching the tips of her ears turn red, a trace of a smile flickered at the bottom of Qi Chengyan's eyes. He looked back down at the script, as if only just realizing his mistake. "Ah, missed a word. The male lead says: Because I don't like you."
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
So he had simply misread it. Yet even knowing he had just misread the line, hearing those words slip so suddenly from his mouth had still shaken her to her core.
Her heart pounded like a thunderstorm, the heavy, rapid strikes accompanied by flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, beating so loudly she felt almost deafened by the noise.
"What's wrong? Not continuing?" Qi Chengyan asked.
Guan Zhiyi hastily lowered her head, hiding her panicked expression. "Oh, I... I forgot my lines a bit. Let me look at it again."
Qi Chengyan hummed softly, watching her head hang low.
The young girl's eyelashes fluttered rapidly, the tips of her ears bright red, a soft flush spreading across her cheeks.
Was she blushing?
Qi Chengyan curled his lips into a faint smile. If she was... that was good.
It didn't take long for Guan Yuanbai to finish his business and return. Guan Zhiyi couldn't bring herself to continue running lines anyway, so after telling them she was done practicing, she scrambled back to her room.
Seeing her leave, Qi Chengyan stood up. "I'll be taking off then."
Guan Yuanbai asked, "Leaving already?"
Qi Chengyan gave a meaningful smile. "Mm. I'll come over again tomorrow."
Guan Yuanbai suspected nothing. "Alright."
However, Qi Chengyan didn't manage to come over the next day, all because Old Master Qi had dropped yet another obstacle in his path.
"Mengjia, you really are so thoughtful, sending all these tonic supplements over just because you heard my legs were bothering me."
"You're too polite, Grandpa Qi. I only heard about it from my grandfather and thought these might be useful to you, so I brought them over."
"Ah... what a wonderful child you are."
The two sitting in the living room were exchanging pleasantries back and forth. When Qi Chengyan walked downstairs, this was the sight that greeted him.
He froze for a moment when he saw Yang Mengjia. He recalled that after he publicly denied the engagement in front of the media, she hadn't shown her face again.
He had thought that as a young lady of a wealthy family, having her pride bruised like that would make her feel humiliated enough to stop appearing.
And yet, here she was again.
"Miss Yang, long time no see." After offering a completely perfunctory greeting, Qi Chengyan turned to Master Qi. "Grandpa, I have some business over at Yuanbai's place. I'll be going now."
"Hold on!" Qi Mingsheng called out to him. "It's right at lunchtime. Leave after lunch."
Qi Chengyan let out an sound of assent. "It's fine, I'll eat over at their place."
Qi Mingsheng glared at him, gritting his teeth. "No need. Stay here. I happen to have invited Yuanbai and Xiao Wu over for lunch today as well."
Qi Chengyan: "..."
"We have a guest over today anyway. The more, the merrier!"
Inviting the two Guan siblings over for a meal was a regular occurrence, but today the old master was clearly doing it on account of Yang Mengjia. He was immensely satisfied with this prospective granddaughter-in-law, so he was pulling out all the stops to match his grandson up with her.
When Guan Yuanbai asked Guan Zhiyi to head over to Qi Chengyan's house for lunch, she didn't think twice about it. Since Grandpa Qi was the one asking, she certainly wouldn't refuse.
She hadn't expected that after ringing the doorbell, the person who opened the door would be a strikingly beautiful woman.
Guan Yuanbai was also momentarily taken aback. "Miss Yang?"
Yang Mengjia smiled gently. "Just call me Mengjia."
Guan Yuanbai gave a polite nod, though a look of amusement flickered in his eyes. It seemed Qi Chengyan was being dragged into another attempt at "building a relationship."
"Please come in."
"Alright."
Guan Yuanbai stepped inside, while Guan Zhiyi, following behind him, stole a glance at Yang Mengjia. With that single look, all the subtle, floating guesses that had taken root in her heart over the past few days popped like fragile bubbles, vanishing without a trace.
It seemed... she had been overthinking things after all.
---
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