I'm Rich - 52
He said he'd meet her tomorrow, but in truth, they wouldn't be able to meet. Guan Zhiyi had been so disoriented by her rapid shift in feelings that she'd completely forgotten her schedule. By the next day, she was already flying to Shanghai for work.
A celebrity, especially one in the rising stage of her career, simply didn't have the luxury of idling at home.
The moment her commitments in Shanghai ended, she went straight from one project into the next, heading to Hengdian to begin a new shoot.
On her third day on set, while waiting between takes, she received a message from Qi Chengyan: [When can you come back?]
She typed back: [I only just started three days ago...]
Qi Chengyan: [Liu Yun has scheduled far too much work for you.]
Guan Zhiyi: [Compared to other artists, it's actually not that bad.]
Qi Chengyan: [We need to hold another meeting specifically for your future career path. Quality over quantity. You need to free up more of your time.]
Guan Zhiyi: [Wouldn't I be sitting around idle then?]
Qi Chengyan: [I'll keep you company. You won't be idle.]
"..."
Guan Zhiyi stared at his message, falling silent. Over the past few days, Qi Chengyan had texted her every single day, and occasionally even tried to video call. Ever since that invisible boundary between them had broken, she didn't dare to answer any of his video calls.
It wasn't that she didn't want to see him. It was just that whenever she recalled his words about "taking liberties while utterly intoxicated," her whole face would burn beyond control.
"What are you smiling at?" Yang Ziruo, a fellow actress on the project, leaned over. The two had previously collaborated on the variety show Get Lost, Fat!, so they were quite familiar with each other.
Guan Zhiyi instantly wiped the smile off her face. "Nothing."
"Nothing? You're practically glowing with love. Texting your boyfriend?"
Was it really that obvious?
Guan Zhiyi composed her expression. "I just saw something funny. Wait, where would I get a boyfriend from?"
Yang Ziruo said, "Hardly anyone in our circle goes public when they date. It wouldn't be surprising if you had someone in secret."
"I really don't..."
Or rather, not yet.
Her phone vibrated as another message from Qi Chengyan came through: [Why did you stop replying? Are you filming?]
Guan Zhiyi quickly sent back a simple "Mm."
Qi Chengyan: [Alright, I won't disturb you then.]
Guan Zhiyi didn't reply again, but her mood remained remarkably bright for the rest of the day. His affection and concern filled her with a soft, quiet happiness, so much so that she actually began to miss him.
Missing him was one thing, but work still had to go on.
A week passed in a flash. One morning, Guan Zhiyi finished her scenes and returned to the hotel.
Since she had another shoot scheduled for three in the afternoon, she didn't bother taking off her makeup or hair styling. She simply lay down on her bed to rest while waiting for Mao Mao to bring her lunch.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell chimed.
Lightly asleep, Guan Zhiyi opened her eyes at the sound.
Did Mao Mao forget her room key card again?
With a small sigh, she forced herself off the bed, walked over to the entry, and pulled the door open. "Did you forget your key card again—"
The words froze in her throat the moment she saw who was outside.
A person stood at the doorway, but it wasn't her assistant Mao Mao.
"What is it? Aren't you going to let me in?" the man asked.
Guan Zhiyi finally snapped fully awake from her daze. "Ge... Gege?"
Qi Chengyan gave a low hum of affirmation. "Are you in here alone?"
"Mm."
"Have you eaten yet?"
Guan Zhiyi shook her head. "Mao Mao is bringing me lunch later. Um... come on in."
Why had he suddenly shown up here?
Her heart thrashed against her ribs like a trapped bird. After locking the door behind them, she turned back to look at him.
Qi Chengyan was quietly taking her in. She was dressed in ancient attire, her hair swept up into a single high ponytail, the traditional look of a young lord.
She was inherently delicate and sweet, yet this disguise gave her an unexpected trace of sharp, noble grace.
"What's wrong?" Guan Zhiyi asked in a small voice when she noticed his gaze lingering on her.
Qi Chengyan smiled softly. "Looking at you like this, you really do resemble a handsome young lord."
Guan Zhiyi felt a flush of shyness. "Today's scene calls for my character to disguise herself as a man. I have to go back to set soon, so I didn't change out of it."
"Mm." Qi Chengyan turned and walked further into the room, scanning the surroundings before offering his critique: "This room is a bit small."
For convenience, the cast and crew were put up in the hotel closest to the set. While it wasn't the absolute best hotel in Hengdian, it was hardly poor either. The room consisted of a small sitting area and a bedroom, making for a comfortable enough stay.
Of course, for someone like the man standing in front of her, it was indeed rather modest.
Guan Zhiyi cleared her throat lightly and followed him in. "It's fine, really. It's not that small, and the room service here is actually quite good. Besides, my bedroom faces the lake, so the air is lovely."
She barely knew what she was blathering about anymore. Having not seen him for days, his sudden presence made her unreasoningly tense.
Yet Qi Chengyan seemed completely oblivious to her nervousness. Hearing her mention that the bedroom faced the lake, he stepped up to the bedroom doorway and cast a brief glance toward the floor-to-ceiling windows inside.
His glance at the view outside was only momentary, however, because his attention was instantly captured by her bed.
Following his gaze, Guan Zhiyi realized what he was looking at. Her mind went blank, and she rushed inside to sweep her clothes and stray items off the mattress, tossing them blindly into her open suitcase.
"I just got back, and I was so tired that I lay down for a bit without cleaning up."
Qi Chengyan leaned against the doorframe, watching her with a quiet smile. "It's fine. It's not that messy."
Was he blind? How was this not messy!
The tips of Guan Zhiyi's ears burned a faint crimson. Once the clothes were hidden away, she smoothed down the duvet with quick, nervous strokes. "So... how come no one told me you were coming today?"
"No one knew."
"Then how did you know where I was staying?"
"I asked Liu Yun a few days ago, and she told me. I was originally going to come over earlier, but a few work matters held me up, I only managed to come today."
"Oh... Why did you come all the way here..."
It was a foolish question to ask. What else could it be? He simply wanted to see her. But his unexpected arrival had left her mind completely scrambled, she has lost all her senses.
Qi Chengyan said, "You haven't been back in a long time. I wasn't entirely at ease, so I came to see you."
"Not at ease about what?"
Instead of answering, Qi Chengyan curled his index finger toward her in a silent summons.
Puzzled, Guan Zhiyi stepped closer to him. "What?"
The moment she came within reach, Qi Chengyan placed one hand casually on her shoulder and leaned down slightly, bringing his eyes level with hers. "Xiao Wu, do you really not know why?"
He was suddenly so close that every warm, subtle whisper of his breath brushed against her skin, sending an electric thrill straight through her.
Guan Zhiyi's eyelashes fluttered as she swallowed hard. "I... I don't know."
Qi Chengyan stared directly into her eyes, looking altogether helpless. "I was afraid that if you went too long without seeing me, you might end up liking someone else more than me. So, I thought I should come by often."
Guan Zhiyi froze. "What nonsense are you talking about—"
Qi Chengyan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Nonsense?"
"No, I mean..."
"I know." Qi Chengyan let out a soft laugh. The hand resting on her shoulder moved to cup the back of her head, his fingers sliding gently through her hair in a gesture that felt like both comfort and deep attachment. "You mean, how could you possibly like anyone more than you like me?"
"..."
"It makes sense. I'm so good to you, if you still managed to fall for someone else, you'd be a truly ungrateful little wolf."
Guan Zhiyi stared at him in a daze, her instinct telling her that she should firmly and fiercely deny it. But looking into his smiling eyes, even her heart had run completely out of control, let alone her mouth.
"I... I'll call Mao Mao and ask when she's bringing lunch over." She forcefully steered the conversation away.
Yet Qi Chengyan showed no intention of letting her escape. "Wait a moment."
"Huh?"
"I traveled all this way just to find you. Don't I deserve a hug?"
Before Guan Zhiyi could even formulate an answer, he added smoothly, "I think I do."
With those words, he stepped forward and drew her into his arms. The movement was remarkably gentle, gathering her completely against his chest.
Guan Zhiyi was instantly struck mute. All she could hear, pressed close against her ear, was the steady, rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat... beating just a little fast.
Beep—
Suddenly, the electronic chime of a key card echoed from the front door.
Guan Zhiyi snapped out of his arms like a startled spring, her eyes darting toward the entryway.
The latch clicked open, followed immediately by the sound of two voices drifting inside.
"You're only eating lunch now?" a man's voice asked.
"Yeah, today's shoot wrapped up a bit late," Mao Mao replied.
The moment they recognized that male voice, Guan Zhiyi and Qi Chengyan exchanged a sudden look—one pair of eyes filled with utter shock, the other with sheer terror!
Without a single word of explanation, Guan Zhiyi slammed the bedroom door shut!
Guan Yuanbai?!! Why on earth was her brother here!!!
Panic seized her completely. She'd been terrified of her brother finding out about them in the first place, and now they were on the verge of being caught red-handed! She hadn't even figured out what to say or how to face him!
What to do, what to do? Ah! Right! Hide him! Hide Qi Chengyan first!
"Where's Xiao Wu?"
"She should be sleeping in the bedroom."
"Oh, I'll go wake her."
The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. Guan Zhiyi stood frozen in place for a few frantic seconds. When her eyes swept across the room and landed on the wardrobe, her brain went completely short-circuited. Dragging Qi Chengyan by the arm, she rushed straight toward the closet.
Pull open, shove him inside, pull shut!
However, the wardrobe door was caught halfway by the man inside.
Qi Chengyan stood within the cramped wooden space, his eyes still holding a trace of bewildered disbelief. "Mm?"
Guan Zhiyi trembled under his look. "Just hide for a little bit, just a little bit! I'll get rid of him right away!"
Without daring to look into his eyes for a second longer, she slammed the wardrobe door shut with a sharp bang. At that exact instant, a knock sounded at the bedroom door.
"Xiao Wu."
Guan Zhiyi darted behind the door, took a deep breath, and pulled it open. "Hi, Ge!"
Guan Yuanbai stood in the doorway. "Just woke up?"
"Yeah... I heard you guys coming in and got up. What are you doing here?"
"I flew to Shanghai on business yesterday, but my schedule for today got canceled last minute because the other party had something come up. So, I came over to see you."
Guan Zhiyi forced a bright smile. "I see! Then why didn't you call to let me know beforehand?"
"I did call, but you didn't pick up, so I contacted your assistant directly. Why, am I not welcome here?"
"How could that be!" Guan Zhiyi said, her voice rising unnaturally out of sheer guilt. "I'm... I'm super happy to see you!"
Guan Yuanbai gave her a cool, sideways glance. "I'm not deaf. What are you shouting for?"
"..."
"Alright, come on out. I brought you some food."
Guan Zhiyi looked over at the coffee table in the small sitting area, now piled high with food, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. "Ah... since you're here, Ge, I really ought to treat you to a proper meal. Come on, let me take you out to eat."
Guan Yuanbai walked straight over and sat down on the sofa. "Dressed in that eunuch's outfit, you shouldn't be wandering outside for dinner."
"...This is an Imperial Guard uniform."
"Is that so? I thought it belonged to the Eastern Depot."
"..."
"Stop fussing. I'll just eat this with you."
Guan Zhiyi shook her head vigorously. "No, no, no! You came all this way, I absolutely have to take you somewhere nice."
"No need."
"I insist, really! Let's go."
"I said, there's no need."
"It's an absolute must!"
Guan Yuanbai paused, turning his head to glare at her with a sharp, piercing stare. "What kind of crazy mood are you in today? Sit down."
"...Oh."
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