I'm Rich - 57
The two of them returned to the suite one after the other. Seeing Guan Zhiyi back safe and sound, the members of the Guan family relaxed, suspecting nothing out of the ordinary.
Around ten o'clock, Guan Yuanbai's group called it a night first. Guan Xi, Song Li, and a few others had gotten far too absorbed in their card game to leave, choosing to stay behind.
Once home, Guan Zhiyi enjoyed a deeply comfortable night's sleep. The next morning, her body clock—honed by weeks of filming—woke her automatically at seven.
Her father and brother were still asleep. When Guan Zhiyi came downstairs, the family housekeeper stepped forward to greet her. "Up so early? I'll head to the kitchen right away and fix some breakfast."
Guan Zhiyi was about to nod when something crossed her mind. "No need, Auntie Chen."
"What's wrong?"
"I'll eat over at Grandpa Qi's," Guan Zhiyi said without batting an eye. "I happen to have a few things to talk over with Chengyan-gege."
It was completely normal for the young masters and ladies to pop in and out for meals since childhood. Hearing this, Auntie Chen held not a single doubt. "Ah, alright then."
Having left her instructions, Guan Zhiyi set out. Still, it was a bit early, and she couldn't be sure whether he would be up for a morning run.
"Miss Guan."
"Mm." Stepping through the front doors, Guan Zhiyi casually grabbed a little bite to eat from the living room. As she ate, she asked, "Where is Grandpa?"
The servant replied, "The master is still asleep."
"Oh." Acting like it was a passing thought, Guan Zhiyi asked, "Is Gege up yet?"
"Probably not yet."
"Alright, go on with what you were doing. I'll just sit here for a bit."
"Of course, feel free. I'll go prepare breakfast."
"Mm."
Guan Zhiyi sat in the living room for a while, unwrapping a few milk candies from the coffee table and popping them into her mouth. Even after finishing them, there was still no sign of Qi Chengyan. Glancing toward the kitchen and seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she walked straight upstairs.
Truth be told, she hadn’t been inside Qi Chengyan's room since growing up. As a child, however, she had been a frequent visitor. Back then, she would often sling her schoolbag over her shoulder, running to his room in tears to beg him to help her with her homework. Every time, he would sit at the desk in his room, patiently guiding her step-by-step...
Navigating the familiar path, Guan Zhiyi reached his room and knocked on the door. After a few taps yielded no response, she pressed down on the handle. To her surprise, it wasn't locked.
Pushing it open a sliver, she lowered her voice. "Gege, are you awake?"
No answer.
Is he really sleeping that soundly...
Guan Zhiyi pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Qi Chengyan's room was spacious. Beyond the bed, it housed a small sitting area where he usually read books and reviewed documents. Guan Zhiyi rounded the sofa and bookshelf, walking toward his bed.
The lights in his room were off, with only a sliver of morning light filtering through the loosely drawn curtains. Reaching the bedside, Guan Zhiyi saw the duvet pulled back; the bed was already empty.
"So he's already up," Guan Zhiyi murmured in confusion.
"Looking for me?" A voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
Startled, Guan Zhiyi whipped around instantly.
A figure had appeared behind her at some unremembered moment. He held a towel, casually drying his hair, though it remained half-damp. Stray droplets of water slid down his cheek to his shoulder, tracing their way downward along his skin without hindrance...
He was wearing only a pair of light gray trousers, his upper body completely bare. At a glance, her eyes caught the firm, carved muscles of his abdomen and the rugged lines that sloped tantalizingly down into his waistband...
Guan Zhiyi swallowed quietly. Even in the dim light of the room, she could feel his skin practically glowing with vitality.
"..."
"Still looking?" Qi Chengyan tossed the towel aside, stepping forward with a low laugh. Bending down to look at her, he murmured, "Does it look good?"
Guan Zhiyi felt her entire face burn. She took a step back, but with the bed right behind her, there was nowhere left to retreat. Losing her footing, she tumbled straight into a sitting position on the mattress.
Her body froze. Not daring to look at his torso any longer, she tilted her head up, fixing her eyes firmly on his face. "Why do you walk without making a sound?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized there was a thick plush carpet beneath her feet. Understanding dawned, and she added, "...I just wanted to see why you weren't up yet. I came to wake you up."
"Mm." Qi Chengyan leaned down, leaning one hand against the mattress to trap her in his space.
A bit too close... Guan Zhiyi was forced to lean back, ensuring her face wouldn't press directly against his chest.
"What are you doing..."
"I was originally going to get up, but now, I suddenly feel like catching a bit more sleep."
Guan Zhiyi blinked in surprise. "Ah?"
Qi Chengyan let out a soft laugh. Reaching out with one arm, he scooped her up by the waist and pulled her straight onto the bed with him. Encircling her completely in his arms, he let her head rest on his arm, her palm pressed against his firm, supple... chest.
Her breath caught instantly. She almost wanted to cover her nose, feeling a sudden, absurd worry that she might embarrassingly burst into a nosebleed...
"What time is your flight tonight?" he asked.
Guan Zhiyi: "...Around four in the afternoon."
"I'll take you to the airport later."
"No, there's no need," Guan Zhiyi said. "Mao Mao will come pick me up and travel with me. It wouldn't be convenient if you were seen with me."
Qi Chengyan knitted his brows, suddenly feeling a surge of frustration over how her public status created such obstacles for them to simply go out together. Feeling a touch melancholy, he pulled her closer into his embrace, his chin brushing against her cheek.
"Gege..."
"Hmm?"
"Can... can you put some clothes on first?"
The young girl in his arms was blushing crimson, her eyes darting nervously. Qi Chengyan looked down at her, only to hear her murmur softly, "Otherwise, I don't think I can handle this."
Qi Chengyan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Handle what?"
Guan Zhiyi stammered, "Just put your clothes on... keep my eyes off what I shouldn't see."
"Oh." Qi Chengyan suddenly reached out, pulling the nearby duvet over them in one motion, covering them both completely. "Can you see anything now?"
Guan Zhiyi: "..."
Tucked firmly under the blanket in absolute darkness, she could feel only the warm rise and fall of his breath against her cheek. With only a single layer of fabric separating them, it felt as though she could distinctly sense the rush of blood beneath his skin.
Guan Zhiyi instantly grew immensely nervous, turning her head away to avoid facing him directly. "I want to get up! What if someone comes in?"
"Besides you, no one dares walk in without a word."
"The housekeeper downstairs saw me sitting in the living room just now. I can't stay missing for too long..." Turning her head was originally meant to distance herself from his presence, only for her to realize that doing so made every breath he spoke brush straight against her ear instead.
A dense, prickling shiver ran down her spine in waves.
Guan Zhiyi shrank back slightly. "Don't get so close."
"Xiao Wu, have you actually grown up or not?" Qi Chengyan suddenly blurted out an inexplicable question.
Guan Zhiyi froze. "What?"
Qi Chengyan chuckled softly. "Look at you, all grown up, yet you still carry a milky scent on you."
"Where... where do I smell like milk?" she turned back to ask him.
The instant she turned her head, her lips lightly brushed across his cheek. Qi Chengyan paused for a brief second. Taking a light breath near her face, he moved slowly until he hovered right at her lips.
"Mm... right here, the milky scent is strongest."
Guan Zhiyi gasped in realization. "That's because I just ate a milk candy! That's not my scent!"
"Oh, really?"
"Really! I picked it up downstairs at your house. Haven't you eaten one before..."
"No," Qi Chengyan said. "Some relative's child probably came over a few days ago and left it there."
"..."
"Eating a child's candy with such enthusiasm... looks like you're still just a kid."
What kid? Have you ever seen a kid with a figure as curvaceous as this!
Guan Zhiyi glared at him, but then remembered how dark it was under the duvet, he couldn't see her expression. With a surge of newfound boldness, she suddenly flipped over, swinging one leg across his waist to sit atop him in a position of complete dominance.
"Gege, would a kid do this?" Guan Zhiyi sat on him, brimming with triumphant satisfaction.
Qi Chengyan's breath was cut short the very second she took that bold move. His restraint and tenderness hovered like fragile bubbles, swaying on the verge of popping.
"Xiao Wu." His voice dropped into a deep register.
Guan Zhiyi remained entirely oblivious. Leaning down, her hands mapped his face in the dark. Once she confirmed her position, she lowered her head to press a gentle kiss on his forehead, then on the arch of his brow, his nose, and finally his lips.
She lightly stamped a kiss against his mouth, shy yet devout. "Making up for the kiss I owed you yesterday."
Having spoken her piece, she happily made to sit up and throw back the duvet. But just as she began to move, the man beneath her caught on instantly. Slipping his hand behind her neck, his fingers wove through her hair, pinning her downward as he suddenly flipped over with force.
The world spun around her. By the time Guan Zhiyi caught her breath from the shock, she had already been pinned underneath him.
"You call that making up for it?"
Guan Zhiyi: "Otherwise..."
"You're being far too casual."
Qi Chengyan's voice was exceptionally low, but Guan Zhiyi could feel his presence drawing closer. The hand resting at her side gripped the bedsheet in a flurry of nerves. "Um, are you sure you don't want to get out of bed first..."
"One minute."
"Hmm?"
Qi Chengyan offered no answer, simply leaning down to kiss her, his movements slow and lingering.
The minute he spoke of was precisely a minute of such tender intimacy.
Yet in a place like this, with movements like these, restraint was a fragile thread that snapped at the slightest touch. Moving from gentle to intense took nothing more than a matter of seconds.
As fabric rubbed against the bedsheets in total darkness, Guan Zhiyi could hear nothing but his breath growing progressively heavier, while her own thoughts drifted into a hazy blur.
It was too chaotic...
She didn't even realize how tightly they were clinging to each other.
The air inside the duvet was rapidly running out... unable to draw a proper breath, yet unwilling to pull away.
"Hss—" In the darkness, Qi Chengyan suddenly let out a muffled groan.
Guan Zhiyi froze completely. Her legs, which had just bent slightly, trembled as she dared not make another move. Qi Chengyan went still as well. The two of them breathed heavily together, the atmosphere instantly charged with an overwhelming wave of intimacy.
Guan Zhiyi's face burned like fire. Just now... what had she touched...
She bit her lip tightly. After a long moment, she stammered, "I... I think I should go outside?"
Qi Chengyan stopped kissing her, resting his face against the side of her ear instead. A moment later, he rolled over to the side and threw the duvet completely off them.
Fresh air rushed over them instantly, yet Guan Zhiyi didn't feel her breathing grow any lighter. Scrambling off the bed in a hurry, she called out, "I'll go downstairs and wait for you!"
She didn't even dare look back.
Qi Chengyan watched her retreating back. "Mm."
The moment he gave his reply, Guan Zhiyi bolted straight out the door.
Only after she had left the room did Qi Chengyan pull the covers entirely off himself. After a brief silence, he stepped off the bed and walked straight into the bathroom.
——
Author's Note:
My eyes went to the bathroom with him : )
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