I'm Rich - 51
The tension in the air turned bizarre, though the thick-headed Hua Hongxi didn't notice a thing. Grinning, he slid into the chair next to Qi Chengyan. "Honestly, Ge, I never saw this coming. I had no idea you were into Zhiyi's type. Back then, I told myself you'd never go for a girl you practically watched grow up, so I figured Zhiyi was smart to keep her feelings to herself."
Qi Chengyan's expression remained unreadable as he studied Guan Zhiyi across the table in silence.
Guan Zhiyi felt her face burning up. "Hua Hongxi, what are you blabbering about? When did I ever say I was going to confess?"
Hua Hongxi gave a breezy laugh. "Right, right, you never said it directly. But I wonder who it was that insisted on clearing up our rumors right in front of Ge."
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
"Still, looking at you two now, you actually make a pretty good match."
Guan Zhiyi wanted nothing more than to rush over and bury Hua Hongxi alive on the spot.
She'd planned to keep her past crush hidden forever, but with Hua Hongxi barging in like this, her secret motives and cowardice were laid completely bare.
She didn't even dare look Qi Chengyan in the eye now. Lately, she'd been holding all the cards in their dynamic, playing it off as though she was merely giving his pursuit some thought.
Now, with Qi Chengyan being as sharp as he was, Hua Hongxi's slip-up left no room for doubt.
Flustered and mortified, Guan Zhiyi gave up on the idea of burying Hua Hongxi. She wished she could just dig a hole and bury herself instead.
Silence fell over the dining table for a long stretch until Hua Hongxi finally sensed something amiss. "Uh... wait. Don't tell me you two aren't on a date?"
Qi Chengyan watched Guan Zhiyi's flushed, helpless face, feeling something swell in his chest—a dense, intense rush of shock and utter joy that swept through his entire body. He had to exert every ounce of self-control to keep from losing his composure over the revelation that she actually liked him.
"We are on a date," he said.
Hua Hongxi let out a breath of relief. "Oh, man, you scared me. I thought Zhiyi hadn't confessed yet and I just blew her cover."
"She didn't confess."
"Huh?" Hua Hongxi blinked.
Qi Chengyan turned to glance at him with a faint smile. "I did."
Hua Hongxi froze for a second, then slowly gave a thumbs-up. "Ge, you're legendary."
"If you're done here, you can go," Qi Chengyan said, shifting his gaze back to Guan Zhiyi's face.
Hua Hongxi immediately wore a look of instant understanding. "I'm out! Ge, Zhiyi, enjoy your date!"
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
With Hua Hongxi gone, the remaining two stared at each other in the quiet room.
"My stomach suddenly hurts. I don't feel like eating anymore!" Exposed so abruptly, she felt as if she were sitting on a bed of nails, unable to endure another second under his gaze. The moment the words left her mouth, she bolted for the exit.
Qi Chengyan, caught off guard, called out, "Wait—"
Guan Zhiyi moved fast, but only after bursting out of the restaurant did she realize she hadn't driven there.
Where was she supposed to run now?
Just as she was pulling out her phone to call a ride, a hand reached from behind and smoothly retrieved the device from her grip.
"What are you running so fast for?"
She turned to find Qi Chengyan standing right behind her, his eyes locked on hers. Seeing the faint smile in his gaze, she wished the ground would swallow her whole. "My stomach hurts. I want to go home."
"Then I'm driving you back. Or were you planning to hail a car by yourself? Do you really think that's a good idea right now?" Qi Chengyan didn't bother calling out her paper-thin excuse. He simply took her by the hand and led her toward the parking lot.
Guan Zhiyi had no choice but to follow, her face a portrait of utter resignation.
Nothing was more humiliating than acting high and mighty one second, claiming to consider his proposal, only to have it revealed the next that she'd been secretly in love with him long before he ever fell for her.
"Put your seatbelt on," he said, settling her into the passenger seat.
Guan Zhiyi let out a muted groan.
Qi Chengyan took the driver's seat, but he didn't start the car immediately. He just turned to look at her.
He didn't say anything, choosing instead to simply watch her.
Guan Zhiyi held out for a full minute before her composure snapped. Taking a deep breath, she whirled around and glared at him. "What are you looking at? Fine, yes, I like you! I've liked you for a really long time! So what? Is that a crime?"
Qi Chengyan remained quiet for a moment. "How long ago is 'a really long time'?"
"When you came back to the country? Or maybe earlier. Either way, it was before you liked me. But I'd already decided to stop liking you, so I wasn't playing hard to get on purpose now!"
Qi Chengyan had been basking in the joy of learning she'd liked him so early on, only to be thrown off completely by her last sentence. He blinked, stunned. "Why did you decide to stop?"
Guan Zhiyi pressed her lips together, staring straight ahead through the windshield as she murmured, "I heard you."
"Heard what?"
"That day at the Nanjue. You told my brother and Xiao Ran that you could never be interested in me. I knew you didn't like me, so I gave up."
The scene from that day rushed back into Qi Chengyan's memory. He remembered the three of them waiting in the room for her to join them for dinner, but she never showed. When he called her later, she claimed she was already asleep.
"You actually came that day?"
Recalling the pain of hearing him say he didn't like her, Guan Zhiyi still felt a sting in her chest. "Yeah."
Seeing her slumped in dejection, Qi Chengyan was seized by a wave of intense regret and frustration. Back then, he truly hadn't seen his own heart clearly, caught in a tangle of hesitation and conflict, but he'd never been indifferent to her.
He'd only said those words to stop Xiao Ran from teasing them.
"So I just don't get it," Guan Zhiyi said, a trace of confusion in her eyes. "Why are you saying you like me now? I thought... I thought you'd only ever see me as a kid."
Before she could finish, Qi Chengyan pulled her into his arms. She froze against his chest, and when she tried to lift her head, he gently pressed her back against him.
"I'm sorry," she heard him say.
Guan Zhiyi went still as the man holding her continued softly, "It was my fault. I only said that back then because I was still trying to figure out how to handle my feelings for you, and I couldn't bring myself to say it in front of them yet. I should've told you that I liked you much sooner."
He truly regretted it. All this time, he'd believed he was protecting Guan Zhiyi well, only to realize he'd been the one hurting the girl he held dearest.
He couldn't be sure how early her "really long time" went back, but as she said, it was certainly earlier than his own realization. While he'd been blissfully unaware of his own changing feelings, she'd been quietly carrying the ache of believing he didn't care for her.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Wu."
Qi Chengyan's voice was heavy with deep emotion.
Guan Zhiyi felt a sting in her nose as the old hurt and disappointment briefly resurfaced, only to be swept away by his apology and explanation. So even back then, he'd actually liked her?
A sudden realization dawned on her.
Feelings like these were hard enough for her to admit to him. For a mature man like him, falling for a girl he'd practically taook care, the hesitation and doubts must've been far greater. How could he have blurted it out so easily in front of her brother?
"So that was why..."
"Yes, I would never lie to you." Qi Chengyan released her slightly, looking straight into her eyes. "So, take back your decision to stop liking me. Start liking me again, all right?"
Framed by his hands, Guan Zhiyi stared up at him in a daze. "That's so sudden... How can you just demand that..."
"You can," Qi Chengyan coaxed softly after a moment's thought. "It was my fault in the past. I let you down."
Guan Zhiyi let out a quiet huff, though deep down she knew there was no right or wrong in this, nor had anyone been wronged. It was simply a series of unfortunate misunderstandings.
Seeing her fall silent, Qi Chengyan seemed to remember something suddenly. "Now that I think about it, you took advantage of me once too. How about we call it even and clear the ledger?"
Guan Zhiyi paused, looking puzzled. "When did I ever take advantage of you?"
Qi Chengyan smiled faintly. "Does getting kissed without permission count?"
"Huh?"
"Just tell me if it counts or not."
Guan Zhiyi had no idea where he was going with this. "Getting taken advantage of like that... I guess it counts?"
"Then it's settled," Qi Chengyan said, his lips curving up. "You kissed me without permission, so I was the one who lost out."
Guan Zhiyi's eyes widened in shock. "What nonsense are you—"
"The night of The Imperial Court wrap party. You were drunk, remember? I was the one who brought you back to your room. I intended to just drop you off and leave, but you wouldn't let go, pulling me down for a whole round of kisses." Qi Chengyan pinched her cheek with an amused, helpless expression. "I was completely trapped, and to make matters worse, you forgot all about it the next morning. But I didn't forget. So, that counts as you taking advantage of me."
The Imperial Court wrap party... that time at the resort estate?
Wait, so those fleeting memories of kissing and tumbling around weren't just a dream?
Guan Zhiyi was too stunned to speak. "That was all real..."
"What do you mean real? Don't tell me you actually remember?"
Guan Zhiyi swatted his hand away. "That—that was clearly a dream! If that really happened, why didn't you say anything the next morning!"
Qi Chengyan raised an eyebrow slightly. So she really did remember.
"I didn't know you liked me back then, of course I couldn't bring it up. I didn't want to embarrass you."
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
"Since you remember, then it's a deal. We're even."
"But—"
"No buts, and don't go liking anyone else." Qi Chengyan let out a soft sigh, cutting off all her excuses. "Xiao Wu, like Gege again just like you used to, okay? Otherwise, I'm really going to die of heartbreak."
On the drive home, Guan Zhiyi felt as though she were floating on air.
When they pulled up to her front gate and Qi Chengyan signaled that she could get off, she was still sitting there in a daze, unable to snap out of it.
"Don't want to go home yet? I can take you for another drive if you like," Qi Chengyan offered.
Guan Zhiyi shook her head hastily, instantly unbuckling her belt and pushing the door open. "I'm going home!"
"Xiao Wu."
Guan Zhiyi stopped in her tracks, though she didn't turn around.
"See you tomorrow."
"...Okay."
Leaving him with a hurried response, she dashed up the steps and slammed the front door shut behind her.
Leaning back against the door, she felt the tips of her ears burning hot all over again.
"Back so early?" Guan Yuanbai was coming down the stairs just at that moment.
Guan Zhiyi jolted violently at the sight of him. "Ah, yeah... yeah."
"You spent two hours on makeup just to come back this soon? You really like making a spectacle over nothing."
Guan Zhiyi mumbled, "No, my friend had a sudden emergency, we called it off before eating."
"I see. I'll have the auntie whip up something for you."
"I'm not hungry."
"You need to eat even if you're not hungry." Guan Yuanbai walked over and pulled her toward the dining room. "Let's see what you want."
"Then... whatever's fine..."
Guan Yuanbai turned back to look at her, his gaze catching her ears, and paused. "Why are your ears so red?"
Guan Zhiyi instantly covered them with her hands. "Are they?"
Guan Yuanbai narrowed his eyes, studying her suspiciously.
Guan Zhiyi let out a light cough. "It's just a bit warm in here... Um, Auntie Chen, I want some dumplings! Do we have any?"
"We do, Miss! Just give me a moment, I'll cook them right up."
"Oh, great!"
Guan Zhiyi pulled her hand free from Guan Yuanbai's grip. "I'll wait in the living room!"
Guan Yuanbai: "..."
Guan Yuanbai had only asked out of mild curiosity, but Guan Zhiyi was consumed by guilt. Especially when her phone vibrated in her hand, revealing a WeChat message from Qi Chengyan: [You ran off without eating dinner. Remember to get something to eat at home.]
She shot a sneaky glance at Guan Yuanbai, making sure he wasn't walking over, before typing back in secret: [Got it.]
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