I'm Rich - 72
Extra 1
Six months later, Qi Chengyan and Guan Zhiyi got married.
It was a grand wedding, one that sent ripples through the entertainment industry and the entire city of the Capital. Afterward, the newlyweds flew abroad for an exceptionally long honeymoon, traveling for two whole months.
But once Guan Zhiyi was married, her brother, Guan Yuanbai, found himself facing even more pressure from the older generation of the family. His little sister had already settled down, yet he was still single. It was simply unacceptable.
And so, the grandparents' generation began arranging blind dates for him nonstop. Guan Yuanbai was thoroughly fed up. Whenever he could avoid one, he did. The last time, however, his grandmother personally came to his place and watched him all the way to the restaurant, leaving him no choice but to be "set up" one more time.
He arrived a little earlier than his blind date. As he mentally rehearsed what to say and how to behave so he could bring this ridiculous dinner to a swift end, the woman arrived.
She had long black hair, a white knee-length dress, and delicate, attractive features. Gentle and sweet, she looked every bit the well-behaved girl.
Guan Yuanbai took only a brief look before rising to his feet. He extended his hand politely. "Hello, Miss Zhou."
He wasn't particularly fond of these deliberate attempts at matchmaking, but since he had come, his upbringing wouldn't allow him to cut the evening short without going through the motions.
The woman reached out and shook his hand. "Hello, Mr. Guan. My name is Zhou Fanfan."
"I know." Guan Yuanbai gave her a faint smile. "Please, have a seat."
"Okay."
Once they were seated, Guan Yuanbai wasn't particularly skilled at matters of romance, but he had met countless people and entertained all kinds of guests over the years. Having a meal with a young woman was hardly difficult.
After ordering, he remarked casually, "You look quite young, Miss Zhou."
Zhou Fanfan took a small sip of water. Her voice was soft. "Yes. I'm a year younger than your sister."
Guan Yuanbai paused, speechless inside. He had already noticed that she was young, but he hadn't expected her to be younger than his sister. What exactly was his grandmother thinking? Was she asking him to raise a child?
Guan Yuanbai cursed inwardly, but his expression remained composed. "I see you're quite familiar with my family."
Zhou Fanfan nodded, smiling without showing her teeth. "Your sister is a huge celebrity. Of course I'd know about her."
Guan Yuanbai said, "You're quite young. Why did you agree to come on a blind date just because your elders asked you to?"
"Because I knew the other person was you." Zhou Fanfan blurted it out. The moment the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize how direct she'd sounded. A little embarrassed, she lowered her eyes.
Guan Yuanbai froze for a moment. "Hm?"
Zhou Fanfan spoke quietly. "I... I wanted to get to know you."
After hearing that, Guan Yuanbai felt he had no choice but to understand what was going on. This girl had come with genuine feelings. She had already taken a liking to him. He hadn't seen that coming at all. He'd assumed she was being forced into this, just like he was.
The speech he'd prepared beforehand suddenly became useless. After thinking for a long while, he said, "Actually, I only came because my grandmother asked me to. And right now, I'm not really looking to date anyone."
"That's okay." Zhou Fanfan glanced at him, shy but hopeful. "It's fine if you don't like me right now. I just thought... I'd like to be friends with you."
Guan Yuanbai cleared his throat. "I see..."
The two of them parted politely after the blind date.
But the girl was genuinely serious about becoming his friend.
After that, she sent him messages on WeChat every day, asking how he was doing. She also frequently waited for him in the parking lot of his company, bringing him little snacks and gifts. And she always prepared two of everything, one for him and one for his sister. She was thoughtful and considerate in every possible way.
As time went on, everyone around Guan Yuanbai learned that there was a young woman pursuing him.
One day, Song Li came to Guan Group on business. After they finished discussing work, he sat in Guan Yuanbai's office and began teasing him. "Yuanbai, I hear some young girl is chasing after you."
Guan Yuanbai shot him a glance. "And where did you hear that?"
"Oh, come on. Who doesn't know someone's pursuing you by now? She's always bringing you this and that, waiting for you to finish work. She's practically treating you like royalty."
Guan Yuanbai looked unusually uncomfortable. "I already made it perfectly clear to her that I don't like her. I never asked her to do any of this."
"That's what makes it so touching. You've been that straightforward with her, and she still refuses to give up. That means she's head over heels for you!"
"Get lost." Guan Yuanbai gave him a sidelong look. "You're insane..."
"Oho, someone's getting defensive. Don't tell me you've started liking her after all this time."
"Stop talking nonsense." Guan Yuanbai said the words, but the image of that girl standing obediently beside his car, waiting for him, surfaced in his mind. She had never formally confessed her feelings, but she was genuinely good to him. Nearly two months had passed, and she was still single-mindedly trying to win him over.
Guan Yuanbai wasn't unfamiliar with being pursued, but he'd never encountered anyone so persistent, so completely free of expectations. He had already told her that he wasn't interested in dating and didn't like her, yet she kept showing up, rain or shine.
"All right, enough. If you've got nothing else to do, leave. I've got a meeting."
"Okay, okay." Song Li headed for the door, grinning. "Looks like someone's not far from becoming a taken man~"
"...Just leave."
After Song Li left, the tension in Guan Yuanbai's face finally eased into the faintest smile.
Head over heels?
Hmph. What an exaggeration.
**
On March 2, Guan Yuanbai received a call from his grandmother. She told him that Zhou Fanfan would be visiting her that evening and asked him to come over as well. As it happened, Qi Chengyan and Guan Zhiyi were also returning from their honeymoon that very day.
When Guan Yuanbai received the call, Qi Chengyan was sitting at home with him, chatting.
The moment Guan Yuanbai hung up, Qi Chengyan said, "I've heard about it even while I was abroad. Apparently, you've been getting pretty close to a girl lately."
Guan Yuanbai glanced at him. "Getting pretty close? Let me guess, Song Li told you. Don't listen to his nonsense."
Qi Chengyan wore an expression that clearly said he didn't believe a word of it. "Guan Yuanbai, who would've thought? You're the real animal here."
"?"
Qi Chengyan continued, "And you have the nerve to talk about me? I heard the girl is pretty young. Younger than Xiao Wu, even?"
Guan Yuanbai nearly choked on his tea. "I only agreed to the blind date out of respect for Grandma. I didn't even know how old she was when I went, all right?"
"But Song Li said she's been pursuing you lately." Qi Chengyan leaned forward slightly. "You haven't developed feelings for her?"
Guan Yuanbai's expression tightened. "No."
"Oh." Qi Chengyan nodded. "So Grandma just called to ask you to go over for dinner, right? She's probably trying to set you two up again. Aren't you going?"
Guan Yuanbai shook his head. He was just about to say no when Guan Zhiyi came downstairs.
"Go! I want to go!"
Guan Yuanbai stared at her. "...Why are you getting involved?"
"I want to see my future sister-in-law."
His expression shifted. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Guan Zhiyi huffed and ignored him. Walking over to Qi Chengyan, she said, "I haven't seen Grandma in ages. Let's go have dinner with her tonight."
Qi Chengyan nodded. "Sure."
"Then let's bring an extra portion of the souvenirs and snacks we brought back. We'll give them to my sister-in-la... I mean, that mysterious girl."
Qi Chengyan was remarkably agreeable. "Sounds good."
Guan Yuanbai: "..."
In the end, Guan Zhiyi managed to drag Guan Yuanbai along, albeit "unwillingly," and the three of them headed to the Guan family's old residence.
When they arrived, Zhou Fanfan was sitting with Grandma, chatting.
"Oh, Xiao Wu and Chengyan are back too?" Grandma exclaimed, delighted to see them.
Guan Zhiyi nodded. "Yes, Grandma. We got home around noon."
As she spoke, she looked toward the girl beside her grandmother. When she noticed that Zhou Fanfan was looking at her too, she quickly pointed at Guan Yuanbai.
"Hi! My name is Guan Zhiyi. I'm his sister."
Zhou Fanfan stared at her blankly. For some reason, she couldn't seem to get a word out.
Guan Zhiyi blinked. "Your name is Zhou Fanfan, right?"
"Ah... I, yes."
"Nice to meet you. This is for you." Guan Zhiyi handed her a souvenir. "The pastries inside are delicious. You have to try them."
Zhou Fanfan accepted it slowly. "Thank you..."
"You're welcome."
After the initial pleasantries, Guan Zhiyi and Qi Chengyan joined Grandma in conversation.
Guan Yuanbai sat beside Zhou Fanfan. When he noticed how silent she was, her entire body stiff with nerves, he smiled.
"Are you nervous?"
Zhou Fanfan turned her eyes toward him. "A little..."
They'd already met so many times. Why was she still nervous around him?
Guan Yuanbai found her astonishingly introverted, but at the same time, he couldn't help feeling a strange little swell of pride.
He cleared his throat and reassured her, "Have something to eat. You don't need to be nervous."
Zhou Fanfan gave a soft hum.
The coffee table was covered with all kinds of snacks. After a while, one of the household helpers came out with several plates of freshly cut fruit.
"Here, Fanfan, Xiao Wu. You girls are both so thin. Have some fruit."
"Okay, Grandma," Guan Zhiyi replied.
The words had barely left her mouth when Zhou Fanfan suddenly moved with remarkable speed, transferring the cherries and strawberries in front of her to the space in front of Guan Zhiyi.
Guan Zhiyi had been about to say that the two plates were farther away from her and that she could simply reach for them herself. She hadn't expected the fruit to appear right in front of her.
She looked surprised. Qi Chengyan and Guan Yuanbai were equally taken aback, both turning their eyes toward Zhou Fanfan.
Under their gazes, Zhou Fanfan's cheeks flushed. "You eat."
Guan Zhiyi blinked. "How did you know I wanted these two?"
Zhou Fanfan pressed her lips together. "I... I didn't."
"Huh?"
"I just wanted to move them closer so you could reach them..."
Guan Zhiyi smiled. "Thanks. Cherries and strawberries are my favorite."
"Y-you're welcome."
Later, everyone had dinner at the old residence. Afterward, Guan Zhiyi and Qi Chengyan got into their car and headed home, while Guan Yuanbai drove Zhou Fanfan back.
Once the car was moving, Zhou Fanfan said, "Could you tell Zhiyi that I'm really, really grateful for the gifts?"
"It's nothing. She just brought them along."
"No, no, I still want to thank her. I really like them." Zhou Fanfan paused. "And thank you for coming today."
Seeing the faint flush on her face, Guan Yuanbai worried she might misunderstand again. He explained stiffly, "I didn't come specifically to see you. My sister wanted to come and insisted on dragging me along."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So... don't read too much into it." Guan Yuanbai kept his eyes on the road as he spoke slowly. "I think some things are better left to happen naturally."
"Mm-hmm."
"Girls pursuing guys isn't always a good idea. You could end up getting hurt. You shouldn't be so persistent."
"Mm..."
"From now on, you don't need to keep bringing me things. And you don't have to prepare gifts for my sister just because of me. It's not appropriate for you to keep doing that."
"Oh, okay."
"And..."
Guan Yuanbai glanced at her. She was looking down at her phone, lips pressed tightly together.
She looked a little hurt.
Guan Yuanbai hesitated, swallowing the rest of his words.
Had he gone too far?
Just as Guan Yuanbai began regretting saying so much, Zhou Fanfan opened a WeChat group chat on the other side of the car.
Her face appeared calm, but her lowered eyes were practically glowing.
Her fingers flew across the screen as she typed out a long message, punctuated with an absurd number of exclamation marks.
The group was named: Yiyi's Wild Stepmoms
The message read: [Damn!!!!!!!!! GIRLS!!!! COME OUT RIGHT NOW!!!! I'M ABOUT TO DIE!!!! QUICK!! QUICK!! GIVE ME MOUTH-TO-MOUTH!!!!]
Ten seconds later, someone replied.
Liu Liu: [What the hell? What happened this time? Why are you dying again?]
Xiao Qian: [Wait... does that mean you actually met her?]
Zhou Fanfan: [YES!!!! I DID!!!! I MET MY BABY GIRL!!!! IN PERSON!!!! SHE'S SO CUTE!!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH]
Liu Liu: [Holy shit, seriously? Isn't baby girl still on her honeymoon?]
Zhou Fanfan: [SHE'S BACK AAAAAHHHHHHH. AND SHE BROUGHT ME SOUVENIRS!!!! I DON'T CARE, I'M PUTTING THEM ON AN ALTAR. I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE MY DESCENDANTS PASS THEM DOWN FOR EIGHTEEN GENERATIONS!!!!!]
Liu Liu: [Holy crap, you really met her. This blind date was worth it after all. Girl, I finally believe you're a rich second-generation kid.]
Qi Qi: [If you strike it rich, don't forget your friends. I don't want anything else. Just send me an autographed photo whenever you get the chance.]
Zhou Fanfan: [AAAAAHHHHH I DON'T DARE!!!! I COULDN'T EVEN SPEAK PROPERLY WHEN I SAW HER!!!!!]
Qi Qi: [Have some dignity, will you? You're about to become her sister-in-law. What are you so scared of?]
Zhou Fanfan paused. A tiny, secret sadness settled over her for five whole seconds.
Zhou Fanfan: [Ugh, that guy doesn't even like me. I've probably heard him reject me five, six, seven, eight times by now.]
Qi Qi: [HAHAHAHAHAHA THAT'S SO PATHETIC.]
Zhou Fanfan bravely sent a meme of a woman declaring that she didn't need men.
Zhou Fanfan: [WHATEVER!!!! I DON'T NEED TO BE HER SISTER-IN-LAW!!!! I'M GOING TO BE MY BABY GIRL'S MOM!!!!]
---
Comments
Post a Comment