I'm Rich - 49
When Guan Zhiyi came up from the underground garage, she was completely dazed.
Qi Mingsheng spotted the two of them returning together and glared at Qi Chengyan. "Look at you. Even if you're dropping someone off, you have to drag Xiao Wu along as a third wheel? Is Yang Mengjia really that beneath you? What's so wrong with her!"
Qi Chengyan glanced at the young woman beside him and smiled faintly. "There's nothing wrong with her. It's just..."
"Just what!" Qi Mingsheng barked.
"I already have someone I like."
Guan Zhiyi froze, her limbs suddenly moving in stiff, mechanical awkwardness.
"What? Someone you like?" Qi Mingsheng's eyes lit up. "Who?! From which family! What's her name!"
Guan Zhiyi burst into a violent coughing fit. "G-Grandpa, I just remembered I have something to do. I'll head back first."
"Wait, wait, wait, let's hear him out first. Who is it, anyway!" In truth, Qi Mingsheng was not particularly set on Yang Mengjia. He simply wanted Qi Chengyan to hurry up, date someone, and get married. Unfortunately, his grandson was completely unmoved by any attempts, showing zero interest in the matter.
Just as he was fuming over the hopeless situation, hearing him suddenly claim he had someone he liked felt to the old man like a ray of light breaking through the clouds.
Facing Qi Mingsheng's eager gaze, Qi Chengyan glanced at the panicked young woman and offered a faint smile. "I won't tell you just yet."
Qi Mingsheng choked on his breath. "Why can't you tell me!"
"I'm still pursuing her. Before she accepts, I don't want you interfering, Grandpa."
"How would I interfere!"
Qi Chengyan ignored him. "Regardless, once she gives me her answer, I will let you all know."
Guan Zhiyi no longer dared to look at Qi Chengyan. The sheer volume of information today was far too much for her to process all at once.
On her way back, her mind remained consumed by his soft, low words: Otherwise, how about letting me be your boyfriend.
Boyfriend...
How about...
Was he actually serious??!
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu!"
Guan Zhiyi flinched at the sudden rise in volume right in her ear. "What is it..."
"Where is your mind wandering? I called you several times and you didn't answer," Guan Yuanbai said, clearly displeased.
Guan Zhiyi pressed her hand against her ear. "I was just thinking about something..."
Guan Yuanbai's expression grew serious. "Honestly, does Chengyan really have someone he likes? Who?"
Guan Zhiyi's face shifted instantly. "W-Why are you asking me?"
"You're usually close with him. Haven't you noticed anyone?"
"Since when am I close with him!" Guilty warmth flushed through her. "He's your good friend. You should reflect on yourself and figure out why you don't know!"
With that, she stomped away into the house in a huff.
Guan Yuanbai was left completely baffled, though after a moment's thought, it seemed to make a bit of sense.
As his good friend, he had no idea such a person even existed... Perhaps Qi Chengyan had simply made it up on the spot to brush off his grandfather?
Guan Zhiyi's old secret was that she liked someone, a secret she had never shared with anyone. So later, when she decided to stop liking him, she simply digested it on her own, slowly and quietly.
Now, she had another secret, and that secret was that very same person had said he liked her, and had even confessed to her. He had been so sudden, so abrupt, catching her entirely off guard, leaving her with no choice but to digest it on her own once more.
Except this time, she clearly couldn't process it.
Her heart fluttered continuously all night long, lost and overwhelmed.
Perhaps she was a kind of person who, when handed a piece of candy too unexpectedly, would hold it in trembling palms, afraid to eat it, afraid to touch it, only knowing how to stare foolishly at it to confirm whether this piece of candy truly belonged to her.
The next morning, Guan Zhiyi woke up with dark circles under her eyes.
Her waking hour usually coincided with lunchtime, so after heading downstairs, she sat straight down at the dining table to begin lunch. She picked up her chopsticks in a daze and offered a faint greeting to those seated nearby. "Dad, Ge, morning."
Guan Xinghuai and Guan Yuanbai exchanged a glance. Guan Xinghuai asked, "Xiao Wu, are you feeling unwell?"
Guan Zhiyi shook her head.
Guan Xinghuai continued, "Did you stay up late then? Look at how pale you are. Did you not sleep all night?"
"Ah... I slept."
Even if she'd only fallen asleep at seven in the morning.
Guan Yuanbai frowned. "I bet you were just playing on your phone until late. Relying on your youth to stay up recklessly like this, aren't you afraid of aging prematurely?"
Guan Zhiyi kept her head down and shoveled rice into her mouth without replying.
It wasn't as if she chose not to sleep. She simply couldn't control herself. What was she supposed to do when her mind was so wired that sleep was impossible!
Guan Zhiyi asked, "Why are you both at home today?"
Guan Xinghuai replied, "Dad has to go on a business trip. My flight is this afternoon."
Guan Yuanbai said, "I don't need to go to the company until this afternoon."
"Oh..."
Guan Yuanbai added, "If you didn't get enough sleep, go take a nap this afternoon. It's not like you have anything to do at home anyway."
"Got it."
After finishing the meal, Guan Xinghuai left for the airport first. Since Guan Yuanbai was in no rush to leave for the company, he stayed in the living room to watch a movie with Guan Zhiyi.
After a while, a sound came from outside the front door.
Guan Zhiyi asked, "Who's here?"
"Probably Chengyan. He's coming to our company today to discuss some matters, he's swinging by to head over together with me."
Hearing Qi Chengyan's name, the hair on Guan Zhiyi's neck practically stood on end.
Over this period of time, she had appeared to be keeping her distance from him, but deep down, she had never truly forgotten him. Yesterday, when he confessed, she had to admit that deep inside her heart, she was ecstatic.
Yet she was still panicked, thoroughly panicked.
It was as if all of this were merely an illusion, one that a single careless move from her would shatter into pieces.
Sure enough, it was Qi Chengyan who walked in. The moment he stepped inside, his gaze fell squarely on Guan Zhiyi. Then, he walked straight over and sat down beside her.
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
Guan Yuanbai stood up. "You're quite early. Wait a moment then, I'll go upstairs to change before we head out."
Qi Chengyan replied, "Go ahead, no rush."
"Mm."
As Guan Yuanbai headed upstairs, only the two of them were left in the living room. Guan Zhiyi sat stiffly upright, the throw pillow in her arms nearly squished out of shape by her grip.
"Have you thought it through yet?" Suddenly, the person beside her spoke.
Guan Zhiyi's breath caught. "W-What?"
Qi Chengyan turned to look at her, a faint trace of laughter lingering at the bottom of his eyes. "What I said last night. Have you thought it through?"
Guan Zhiyi froze as the memory flooded back. Last night, he had said: If you thought it through, you might realize that having gege as your boyfriend isn't so bad.
"I, you... But, it's only been one night..."
Qi Chengyan pondered for a moment. "True enough. Then I'll give you one more night."
Guan Zhiyi choked, staring at him in slight disbelief. "And what if I still haven't figured it out..."
"Then I'll just have to give you another night."
"..."
Qi Chengyan reached out and gently rubbed her hair. "It's fine. I'll wait until you figure it out."
Guan Zhiyi stared at him in a daze. "So, you mean to say... you're going to pursue me?"
"Is it not obvious?"
"...Why?"
Qi Chengyan smiled softly. "What do you mean 'why'?"
Guan Zhiyi's face burned with heat, her hands trembling so hard from nervousness. "I mean... why do you like me? Haven't you always just treated me as a younger sister?"
The smile on Qi Chengyan's face faded slightly. Hearing Guan Zhiyi ask this made him feel, for a split second, like an absolute scoundrel. He cleared his throat lightly, admitting with no small amount of embarrassment, "Without realizing it, I ended up falling for you, little brat. This matter... I couldn't control it either."
With a sudden burst of warmth, it wasn't just her face; even Guan Zhiyi's neck turned completely red.
Qi Chengyan glanced at her, testing the waters gently. "Though I don't think that matters, does it? I'm not your biological brother, so I can pursue you, can't I?"
Guan Zhiyi rested her chin on the throw pillow, her voice tight, yet she forced herself to put on an air of composure. "Oh... Then how do you plan to pursue me?"
Seeing that she showed no rejection, a surge of joy washed over Qi Chengyan's heart. He asked, "Is there anything special that Xiao Wu particularly likes?"
Guan Zhiyi stole a quick glance at him. "...I don't know."
"Mm, then I'll just pick things out myself?"
"..."
"I also need to think about what good restaurants are around lately that I can take you to," Qi Chengyan said. "Come have dinner with me tomorrow."
Guan Zhiyi's eyes flickered with nervousness, not daring to look at him. "I have to go to Shanghai tomorrow, I'll stay there for the next five days."
Qi Chengyan paused briefly. "Alright then. Once you're back, I'll take you out for something delicious."
"..."
"Chengyan, did you drive over?" Just then, Guan Yuanbai, now dressed in a formal suit, came downstairs.
"I did."
"Oh, then let's just take your car. Let's go."
"Alright."
Qi Chengyan patted Guan Zhiyi lightly on the shoulder, got up, and walked toward Guan Yuanbai.
As Guan Yuanbai buttoned his cuffs while walking out, he happened to look back, asking in confusion, "What is that girl doing?"
Qi Chengyan followed his glance and looked back as well. Not far away on the sofa, Guan Zhiyi was curled up in a ball, her entire face buried deep into the throw pillow, looking as though she didn't even need to breathe.
Qi Chengyan smiled faintly. "Maybe... the movie is pretty scary?"
Guan Yuanbai shot him a baffled look. "That's a comedy."
Qi Chengyan let out a soft laugh. "Is it?"
Guan Zhiyi truly had work the next day. Early that morning, Liu Yun came over to pick her up, and she flew to Shanghai alongside her staff.
She had three assignments lined up in Shanghai this time: a shoot for a game endorsement, a magazine photoshoot, and finally, a commercial red carpet event.
[Have you arrived?]
The moment she turned on her phone after stepping off the plane, a message popped up. It was from Qi Chengyan.
In the past, he would also pay attention to her itinerary and often check in on her when her flight landed, but today felt entirely different. Looking at his message, a thousand thoughts swirled through her mind.
[Just arrived]
[Let me know when you reach the hotel. Get some rest]
[Mm]
Qi Chengyan: [By the way, even while working, remember to think about it every day]
[Think about what?]
[Think about whether I'm suitable to be your boyfriend]
"..."
Guan Zhiyi glanced at the screen before hurriedly stuffing her phone into her pocket. Her hand inside her pocket gripped the device tightly, her palm sweating slightly.
A quiet, hidden crush; a firm, resolute end. All of it had been completely shattered the moment he told her he liked her that day.
Looking at his messages, hearing his words, she felt ecstatic, yet intensely nervous and lost.
And within that nervous confusion, she also harbored her own little selfish wish. She had liked him for so long, and only she knew the bittersweet ache of those years.
So she wanted to properly confirm his feelings, wanted to selfishly hold a tiny bit of the upper hand, and of course, wanted to know what it felt like to be passionately liked and pursued by him.
The first three days in Shanghai were dedicated entirely to the game commercial shoot. The workload for the first two days was heavy, with a brutally tight schedule, so Guan Zhiyi barely had a chance to touch her phone until nighttime.
Over those two days, Qi Chengyan sent her messages every day, sometimes asking if she had eaten, sometimes asking if she was tired from work. But because of her busy schedule, she couldn't reply promptly.
The third day was no different. After shooting for the entire morning, she finally got a bit of time for lunch. Walking toward the break room, she asked Mao Mao to bring her phone over.
She unlocked it, her heart set on seeing a message from him. But today, there was none.
Disappointment immediately settled in her chest. She actually found herself thinking that she had only enjoyed two days of sweetness...
"Zhiyi-jie, let's eat at the motorhome today."
Over the past two days, they had been eating alongside the rest of the staff in the break room, though in the past, it was also common for Liu Yun to buy separate, tailored meals for her to manage her figure. So Guan Zhiyi didn't overthink it and walked straight toward the motorhome.
In a low mood from not seeing a message from him, she scrolled through her phone while walking, so distracted that by the time she reached her motorhome, she realized Mao Mao was no longer behind her.
Guan Zhiyi turned around to look, but still saw no sign of Mao Mao. She had no choice but to reach out and knock on the door.
The door opened, and Guan Zhiyi stepped inside. "Mao Mao suddenly vanished out of nowhere. We were walking and then—"
Her words ground to a sudden halt.
Guan Zhiyi stared dumbfounded at the person sitting inside the motorhome, her throat feeling as though it were blocked.
Why wasn't it Liu Yun...
How could it be Qi Chengyan, who was supposed to be in the capital?
"You..."
Qi Chengyan said, "I told her to let you come over alone."
"...Why are you here."
Qi Chengyan didn't answer right away. Instead, he stood up, closed the motorhome door, and took her by the wrist to sit her down at the table. "I bought you some delicious food. Come here."
Guan Zhiyi lightly bit her lower lip. "You still haven't said how you—"
"I missed you."
"..."
Her heart thrummed violently. In that instant, all her selfish desires to see him pursue her, all her bittersweet aches of unrequited love, were completely thrown to the wind. Guan Zhiyi only felt her heart beating faster and faster. It took every ounce of strength she possessed to press down the words Actually, I missed you so much too.
Guan Zhiyi, calm down! He's pursuing you right now! Have some backbone, alright? Don't lose your composure so easily!
"Just because of that... you came?"
Qi Chengyan used a small fork to pick up a piece of fruit and held it to her lips, his voice tender yet helplessly affectionate. "Mm. I realized I was thinking about you a bit too much. Couldn't stand it, so I had to come."
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