I'm Rich - 74
Extra 3
News of Guan Zhiyi being pregnant would make the rounds two or three times a year. Every time, not long after the rumors spread, everyone would see her looking as light and graceful as ever at a press conference or on a variety show.
When she wasn't pregnant, reporters were always breaking stories about her supposed pregnancy. Yet in the very year she actually was pregnant, the media didn't leak a single word.
It wasn't until the baby was born, and Guan Zhiyi posted a picture on Weibo of the hands of their family of three, that everyone finally found out. Little Yiyi had really arrived this time.
It was a girl, and her nickname was Ruirui. She had fair skin, big eyes, and an exceptionally adorable face.
Because she was a little girl, everyone in the family doted on her. And after having her, Guan Zhiyi cut back on the time she spent filming away from home, often staying in to run wild with her daughter.
Guan Yuanbai often said that Qi Chengyan was practically raising two children at home. It was a little pitiful.
That day, Guan Zhiyi had just wrapped a production and returned home.
It had been a full month since she'd last been home. After spending some time playing with her daughter, she lay down outside the little courtyard to bask lazily in the sun.
She had barely settled in when a sudden cry of alarm came from inside. Guan Zhiyi lifted the book covering her face and glanced toward the house.
"Ruirui?"
"Something's happened! Something's happened!" The housekeeper came rushing out. "Please, come inside and take a look! Something's happened!"
Thinking something might have happened to the child, Guan Zhiyi hurried to her feet and went inside. But when she saw Ruirui standing perfectly unharmed outside the study, she let out a sigh of relief.
"What happened?"
The housekeeper's expression was grim. She pointed toward a painting hanging inside the study. "Sir's favorite painting..."
Qi Chengyan had always loved buying paintings. He often purchased expensive works at auctions, the kind that left everyone else scratching their heads, and hung them around the house.
The painting in the study was one he'd gone abroad specifically to acquire. He'd spent a great deal of time, money, and effort competing against a group of collectors to get his hands on it. He was particularly fond of this one.
So when Guan Zhiyi followed the housekeeper's finger and saw two splashes of blue and green paint across the oil painting on the wall, her heart immediately began to race.
"Wh-What happened to it?"
Ruirui said, "I was painting just now..."
"And then you got paint all over the painting hanging on the wall? How did you even manage that?"
Ruirui looked guilty. "...I was playing, and then I flicked my brush, and it splattered."
Guan Zhiyi felt a wave of dizziness. She knew how much Qi Chengyan loved that painting. Never mind how much it had cost. He'd made several trips abroad to get it, and had been over the moon when he finally brought it home.
If he found out the painting had been ruined...
"We're doomed." Five-year-old Ruirui looked bewildered. "Daddy's going to be angry. Really, really angry..."
"So you know your daddy's going to be angry." Guan Zhiyi pressed a hand to her forehead. "You really are..."
"Uuuuh, what are we going to do?" She was still a child, after all. The moment she remembered what her father looked like when he got serious, her eyes filled with tears.
Guan Zhiyi was anxious herself, but seeing her daughter so frightened broke her heart. She quickly crouched down and wiped away the tears on Ruirui's face.
"...We need to think of something."
The painting was one of a kind. There was no way to buy another.
Guan Zhiyi stood there studying it for a while. Actually, the two marks weren't all that noticeable. Their colors even came somewhat close to the shades already present in the painting.
"Got it."
She took the painting down, then grabbed her daughter's paints and brushes.
Half an hour later...
"I can't believe I don't see much of a difference!" Guan Zhiyi marveled at her own almost supernatural talent.
Ruirui's eyes widened too. "Mommy, you're amazing!"
"Hehe. I think so too."
"Then do you think Daddy won't be able to tell?"
"Well... It's hanging on the wall. If he doesn't look closely, he probably won't notice." Guan Zhiyi considered it. "Let's not say anything for now. Hey, even if your daddy gets angry, that's one thing. I'm more worried he'll be sad."
"Mm..."
"Anyway, Ruirui, you were the one who made the mistake. From now on, you need to be extra well-behaved and take good care of your dad. No more making trouble for him, understood?"
"Mm!"
Qi Chengyan was busy at the office that day. At five in the afternoon, Guan Zhiyi brought her daughter along to pick him up. She still felt guilty about the painting, so she wanted to make it up to him properly.
Qi Chengyan was a little surprised to see them. "You just got home and haven't even had time to rest. What are you doing here?"
Guan Zhiyi approached with a bright smile and slipped her arm around his. "I just suddenly wanted to come. It's been so long since I've seen you. I couldn't wait any longer."
"That's right, that's right." Ruirui trotted along beside them. "I couldn't wait to see Daddy either. We haven't seen you all day!"
Qi Chengyan chuckled and took the little one's hand. "With a mouth as sweet as that, what kind of trouble have you gotten into?"
Guan Zhiyi and the little girl both froze.
"N-No trouble..."
"Hm?"
Guan Zhiyi summoned every ounce of her acting ability and gave him a calm smile. "Ruirui missed you, so of course we came. You really do think too much. Come on, come on, let's get in the car!"
When the three of them got home, Ruirui scampered off to set out Qi Chengyan's slippers. Once he sat down on the sofa, she brought him fruit, then snacks. Meanwhile, Guan Zhiyi enthusiastically announced that she'd been away for so long and absolutely had to cook him a proper meal.
Qi Chengyan glanced at the two figures bustling around him.
Mm. They always act like this whenever they've caused some kind of trouble.
After dinner, the family of three sat together on the sofa. Guan Zhiyi and the little one each took a side, diligently massaging Qi Chengyan's shoulders.
After a while, Qi Chengyan caught Guan Zhiyi's hand and leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Xiao Wu, what kind of mischief have you been up to?"
"Nothing..."
"Then why are you being so good today?"
Guan Zhiyi gave him an awkward smile. "Aren't I good every day?"
"How come I don't know anything about you being good every day?"
"Of course I am..." Guan Zhiyi blinked at him, her expression meek and obedient. "You're the head of the household. Of course I listen to you."
"Oh... You listen?" Qi Chengyan suddenly asked. "To everything I say?"
"Of course."
Qi Chengyan gave her a slow, knowing smile, leaned toward her ear, and whispered something.
Guan Zhiyi's eyes widened. Her face instantly flushed.
"Th-That won't do!"
"See? You're not listening after all."
Guan Zhiyi fell silent.
When Guan Yuanbai and Song Li arrived, they walked straight into a scene of domestic bliss. Little Ruirui was earnestly massaging Qi Chengyan's shoulders, while that shameless man was doing who-knows-what to make his wife blush from ear to ear.
Song Li clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Qi Chengyan, are you abusing a child?"
Ruirui's eyes lit up when she saw them. "Uncle! Uncle Song!"
Guan Yuanbai stepped forward and scooped her into his arms, looking distressed on her behalf. "Your dad's making you work this hard? Why don't you just come home with your uncle?"
"Ah... No, he isn't." Ruirui spoke in her little baby voice. "I'm happy to massage Daddy!"
Guan Yuanbai sighed. "Happy to, my foot. Ruirui, that's one thing you don't need to learn from your mother."
Guan Zhiyi said nothing.
Seeing that guests had arrived, Qi Chengyan finally released Guan Zhiyi's hand.
"What brings you two here? Is something going on?"
"Yes. It's about the project," Guan Yuanbai replied.
"All right. Let's discuss it in the study."
"Wait!"
"Wait!"
The voices came simultaneously, one big and one small.
Qi Chengyan paused and looked at Guan Zhiyi. "What is it?"
Guan Zhiyi's smile stiffened slightly. "It's... nothing. Why don't you discuss it in the living room? You can have something to eat while you're at it."
She hurried to her feet and took Ruirui from Guan Yuanbai's arms.
"I'll take her upstairs. We won't disturb you."
With that, she scampered upstairs.
Their behavior was strange, but Qi Chengyan didn't think much of it. He simply motioned for Guan Yuanbai and Song Li to follow him into the study.
Once inside, he suddenly stopped.
Guan Yuanbai glanced at him, then followed his gaze.
"Hey? Isn't that the painting you bought in England? The one you went all the way there for?"
Qi Chengyan narrowed his eyes. "Mm."
"Oh, this thing?" Song Li said. "Looks fine to me. I heard you paid a fortune for it?"
Qi Chengyan stepped closer.
"Song Li, you really can't tell?"
Song Li looked puzzled. "Tell what?"
Qi Chengyan didn't say anything more. Guan Yuanbai, however, moved closer and examined the painting carefully. After a moment, he said, "Chengyan, seriously? You're putting a fake on display? What, are you worried someone's going to steal it?"
Song Li looked astonished. "It's fake? You're kidding. Why would he use a fake?"
Guan Yuanbai frowned. "I couldn't tell from a distance, but up close, it's obvious. These parts have been painted over recently."
Song Li grinned. "Wow... President Qi, what kind of ridiculous operation is this?"
"It's not fake. It's real," Qi Chengyan said.
Guan Yuanbai frowned. "But the colors aren't right."
"It's been modified."
Qi Chengyan had already understood the moment he'd seen the painting. Remembering the antics of the two little troublemakers earlier, he couldn't help but smile faintly.
Looks like they were really afraid of making him angry.
Guan Yuanbai was baffled. "Are you insane? You took a painting like this and modified it? Even your idea of wasting money has gotten out of hand."
"Wasn't me."
"Then who..." Guan Yuanbai paused. He suddenly realized something. "Don't tell me it was those two geniuses in your house."
"Yep."
Guan Yuanbai stared at him.
"...This is not the moment to sound so proud."
**
Guan Zhiyi had been worried sick that Qi Chengyan would discover what happened to the painting. But when she heard no commotion downstairs for quite some time, she happily concluded that he hadn't noticed a thing. She and her daughter then settled into their room for a movie night.
An hour later, the bedroom door opened. Qi Chengyan had already showered and changed into his pajamas before climbing into bed.
"What are you watching?" He propped his head up on one hand and looked at the mother and daughter beside him.
Ruirui was engrossed in the movie and didn't even turn around. "Frozen!"
"All right. Ruirui, take the iPad back to your room and watch it there."
Ruirui paused and turned to look at him. "I want to watch it here..."
"Go back to your room."
"No. I want to sleep with Mommy tonight."
Qi Chengyan smiled faintly. "No. You're a big girl now. You need to sleep on your own."
"But I've been sleeping alone for a whole month! Mommy finally came home. I want to sleep with her just once!" Ruirui protested. "Daddy, you can't cheat! You always send me away."
Ruirui clung to Guan Zhiyi's clothes, refusing to leave. Seeing how desperately her daughter wanted to stay, Guan Zhiyi's heart softened.
"How about she sleeps with us tonight?"
Qi Chengyan wasn't about to agree. He hadn't seen her in a month, and they'd had no time together either. He sat up, his expression changing in an instant as his face darkened.
"Ruirui."
"...What?"
"What did you do to the painting in my study today?" Qi Chengyan asked suddenly.
The little girl froze.
"Ah..."
"You made a mess of it, didn't you?"
Ruirui stared at him. "H-How did you know?"
"Did you really think you could hide it from me?"
Guan Zhiyi hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly. She hurriedly spoke up.
"I... I did it. It was me."
Qi Chengyan glanced at her, his face still stern.
"Mm. I'll deal with you later."
Ruirui's face crumpled. "Daddy, don't be mad at Mommy. It was my fault. Mommy only fixed it because of me."
"Is that so?"
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!"
Qi Chengyan gave a soft scoff, then lifted the little girl off the bed along with her tablet.
"Then you need to go think about what you did and why you managed to get the painting into that state."
"But..."
"Go back to your room and reflect. Don't come back until tomorrow."
"..."
Ruirui didn't want to leave, but she knew she'd been in the wrong. She didn't dare provoke her father any further, so she trudged away with her head hanging.
Seeing this, Guan Zhiyi began to suspect that Qi Chengyan really was angry. She quietly extended one leg from beneath the covers, preparing to get out of bed.
"I... I'll go reflect too."
"Come back."
He caught her by the wrist.
Guan Zhiyi turned to look at him. "Um... I'm sorry, okay?"
"Compensation."
"...You can't buy another painting like that."
"Not that kind of compensation."
Qi Chengyan pulled her toward him and pushed her back onto the bed.
"Use yourself."
Guan Zhiyi immediately remembered what he'd whispered in her ear downstairs. She grew wary.
"Don't tie my hands..."
The memory of that previous incident, when he'd indulged his mischievous streak and tied her wrists with a necktie, leaving her so thoroughly exhausted the next day that she could barely move, still made her uneasy.
But Qi Chengyan had no intention of letting her off so easily. He brushed his lips near her ear, his voice low and coaxing.
"But you did something wrong. You're going to have to make it up to me."
"Mm... Can't we do something else?"
Qi Chengyan lightly nipped at her neck and murmured, "No."
...
Some time later, Song Li came over to Qi Chengyan's house for dinner and noticed that the expensive painting in the study had been replaced.
"Ruirui, did your dad get angry with you afterward?" he asked.
The little girl sighed sadly. "I was fine. Daddy just made me go back to my room to reflect. But poor Mommy..."
"Huh? Did your dad scold her?"
"Yeah. Mommy's eyes were all red the next day. She must've been crying. Sigh, he must've really yelled at her."
Song Li was taken aback. Everyone knew Qi Chengyan doted on his wife like she was the most precious person in the world. Could he really have gotten angry with Guan Zhiyi?
He was silent for a moment.
"Are you sure... she was being scolded?"
"Otherwise what would it be?" Ruirui huffed. "I have to be extra nice to Mommy from now on. She sacrificed so much for me."
Song Li's eyebrows rose slightly. He patted Ruirui on the head.
"Mm, that's right. What a thoughtful, well-behaved little girl.”
---
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