I Am Rich

1

Winter had come, as soon as she stepped outside, she could feel the biting cold.

Guan Zhiyi zipped her padded jacket all the way up to cover half of her face.

Ding--

The elevator arrived at the 26th floor, she walked in once the door opened.

On the way down, the elevator made a few stops as other residents got in. She reached out to pull down the brim of her hat, then lowered her eyes to look at her phone screen.

The screen was displaying the official account of <Ten Thousand Heartbeats>, a web series she'd filmed last year, which got released this year. This was her second lead role, but just like the first one, she still played a foolish but warm-hearted character who wasn't at all appealing in this drama.

Due to the clichéd plot, the drama aired without creating any spark. However, despite its lack of popularity, Guan Zhiyi still faced criticism from fans of the original book who found her portrayal of the heroine to be ridiculous and stupid.

The more she looked at it, the more she found it both frustrating and funny. It's not like she insisted on acting that way; in fact, she, like the audience, also found the heroine's behaviour very baffling. But the screenwriter wrote the script like that, she didn't have the means to change it however she wanted.

Guan Zhiyi sighed and continued to read the comments further.

The last hot comment: [It seems like gzy is just playing herself, a full-blooded silly cute girl.]

After reading this comment, Guan Zhiyi turned off her phone.

As the screen went black, she looked at her reflection on the phone screen. To tell the truth, she too cared a lot about her appearance. Her agency said she looked too innocent and young, combined with her small round face, she was precisely your standard silly cute image on-screen.

Because of her appearance, no one has offered her to act beyond the silly cute or white lotus** characters.

(**metaphor for a pure, innocent and harmless person.)

She was also unwilling to be limited to such roles, but with her current level of popularity, she couldn't afford to be picky.

Having any opportunity to act was already a great achievement for her.

Buzz---

Just then, her phone suddenly vibrated, the word 'Dad' appeared on the screen.

Guan Zhiyi jerked back to her senses and picked up the call,"Hello."

"Xiaowu, you haven't forgotten that you have to meet the Hua family's little son today, have you?"

As soon as the elevator reached the first floor, Guan Zhiyi walked out and said in a suppressed voice, "You even specifically call to remind me for fear that I wouldn't go..."

"You tell me."

Guan Zhiyi said sullenly, "I'm just about to leave."

"Then be on time, it's impolite to be late."

"Got it."

"You ah, live a normal life, don't get too caught up in the entertainment industry. You've only been wasting time without achieving anything…"

The person on the phone is once again lecturing her, Guan Zhiyi sighed, feeling somewhat dejected.

Today, her father, Guan Xinghuai, asked her to meet someone named Hua Hongxi, the sole heir of Hua enterprise, a young master surrounded by a myriad of stars.

Her meeting with him, to put it politely, is to get acquainted with a new friend, to put it bluntly, l is a blind date.

She only turned twenty-three last year. This age is still considered young in the entertainment industry, so she certainly should not be talking about marriage at this stage

But in the interest of the Imperial Capital's economic circle, almost every family from the upper society had already arranged a prospective marriage partner that is well-matched in terms of social status. Additionally, her father despised the entertainment industry because of her mother, so he always tried to steer her away from it.

But she truly loved acting. In order to enter the industry, she secretly participated in a talent show during her freshman year break. Afterwards, she was selected and debuted as a member of a girl group.

Although the girl group did not achieve popularity, she was somehow chosen by the company and entered the show business.

Even so, her father really hated the idea. When he discovered her secret acting endeavours, they had a heated argument. He told her that there's no way she could make a name for herself in the entertainment industry without relying on the family. She was quite strong-willed at the time, so when they argued, she told him straight out that she didn't need the family's money from now on. She vowed to work her way up in her acting career independently, without relying on any family connections.

Her father was so angry that he ignored her for a long time and forbade anyone in the family to help her.

As for her, same as her father, she was obstinate on doing what she said she would do.

Therefore, from her sophomore year until now, she has earned her tuition and daily expenses all on her own by accepting roles. In fact, she just wanted to show her father that she could support herself by doing the job she loved.

It has been four years since she began her acting career, and she has indeed managed to support herself. 

But much to her dismay, she has made no apparent progress on her acting career.

Over time, her relationship with her father has eased, but they quarrelled again when her father mentioned some time ago that he wanted her to return to the company and stop wasting time in that circle.

When their relationship was on the brink of collapse, they decided to take a step back from each other.

In the end, her father gritted his teeth and said he'd give her two more years to act and make a scene. But on condition that she must listen to him, befriend people he approves of, and date someone he deems suitable for her.

Of course, Guan Zhiyi had no interest in dating, but she had to agree in order to appease her father. If she were to completely defy him, she's afraid she would never be able to get ahead in this industry at all.

____

The Hua family's young master chose a Western restaurant as the place to meet. Guan Zhiyi arrived just as the sky began to rain. She quickly got out of the car and trotted up to the entrance of the restaurant.

The waiter opened the door and inquired whether there was a reservation.

Guan Zhiyi nodded her head, "I have a reservation under the name of Hua Hongxi."

The waiter checked the reservation list and led her inside, "This way, please."

The place Hua Hongxi had reserved was not a private room, but Guan Zhiyi did not mind, hardly anyone recognised her on the street, not to mention that she was so tightly covered today.

She's been waiting for half an hour now, and it's well past the appointed time, but Hua Hongxi still hasn't arrived.

However, the longer Guan Zhiyi waited, the happier she felt. She earnestly wished he wouldn't come at all.

Ten minutes later, Guan Zhiyi finally had enough. She happily picked up her phone and intended to leave. But right at this moment, someone on the side suddenly called out to her, "Gu--Guan Zhiyi?"

Guan Zhiyi froze for a second before turning her head to look.

The woman who called her was a complete stranger. At this moment, seeing her turn her head over, the woman's previous hesitation and speculation instantly turned to joy, her eyes lit up and she immediately put down the fork in her hand, "It's, it's really you, hello hi, I'm your fan!"

Dumbfounded, Guan Zhiyi looked at her current outfit. She was dressed very casually today, wearing a padded jacket that didn't show off her figure in the slightest, wrapped in a scarf, and put on a hat to keep people from noticing.

Logically speaking, with her level of popularity, it's highly unlikely that anyone could recognize her in this kind of appearance, but now someone has unexpectedly called out her name?

This, this is a true fan.

"Ah...hello, hello," Guan Zhiyi quickly greeted the person.

The girl was a little excited, "I can't believe I ran into you here. I'm a huge fan of yours. I've watched all the vlogs posted on your Weibo. They're really entertaining."

After reading so much scolding, who wouldn't feel happy to hear such compliments once in a while?

Happiness spread inside Guan Zhiyi's heart, she felt a little shy, "Thank you."

"Actually, I wasn't really sure if it was you just now. I noticed that you've been sitting here for quite a while. Are you waiting for someone or..."

"Hey! It is you, right?" A male voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

Guan Zhiyi turned around and saw a guy dressed in a light blue jacket sitting in front of her. The guy had fair skin, charming features, and a wild unrestrained eyebrow, looking exactly like the photos her father had sent.

"Hua Hongxi?"

"It's me." Hua Hongxi seized her up and down a few times and said with a big white-toothed grin, "Hello, blind date partner."

"Blind— blind date partner?" The fan at the next table was shocked.

Guan Zhiyi was stumped for words and hastily shook her head, "No, no...."

Not what? She doesn't seem to be mistaken.

Instead of explaining further, Guan Zhiyi picked up her glass and took a sip of water to calm herself down. Forget it... it's not like she was a big traffic celebrity, nor was she an A-list actress, whether she was on blind date or getting married, who cares.

Hua Hongxi suddenly realized something and said in a low voice, "Ah, I heard you're an actress, do we have to keep a low profile about this matter?"

Guan Zhiyi looked up from her glass and gave him a glare. Wasn't it a bit late to say that now?

Hua Hongxi, however, was taken aback by her glare. He had just returned from abroad, so he hardly knew anyone in the domestic entertainment industry.

A few days ago, when his family showed him Guan Zhiyi's picture, he thought she looked cute. But now, seeing her glare at him like this...she was really too cute. She had big eyes, a round face, and a delicate, doll-like appearance. It was no wonder she became an actress.

However, she looked very young.

"Sorry I'm late, I was caught in traffic." There was not a hint of apology in Hua Hongxi tone. The young master seemed to have no concern for making others wait, showing no guilt whatsoever. "Uh... Are you really twenty-four?"

"I will be one in a few months." After saying this, she lowered her voice and said, "Er, I don't blame you for coming late. I know you were also being forced by your family. Now that we've met, the mission is complete. Let's go."

Hua Hongxi: "Huh? But we haven't eaten yet."

Guan Zhiyi had no interest in carrying on this blind date under the watchful eyes of her fans, "Something suddenly came up, why don't we make up for it another time?"

"I see….well, sure then."

Seeing him agree, Guan Zhiyi turned to greet her fan and quickly walked away.

She walked really fast.

Hua Hongxi stared at her back with a dumbfounded expression....He had indeed arrived late on purpose because he didn't want to go on this blind date.

But how unattractive he was, that this girl looked much more displeased than he did.

____

The restaurant was especially big. Once Guan Zhiyi went downstairs, she walked along the corridor towards the door. Her footsteps were rather fast, when she turned a corner, she accidentally bumped into two men.

She pulled her hat down, apologized, and tried to slip past without looking at the people opposite, but as she did so, someone grabbed her by the collar.

In an instant, her throat was jammed by her jacket.

Startled, she reached out to pull at the collar, but just as she raised her hand to touch it, her entire body was pulled back.

"Eh?"

Feeling flabbergasted, Guan Zhiyi raised her head, a slight anger in her eyes as she finally looked out from the brim of her hat.

But the moment she saw the person in front of her, her anger vanished like a puff of smoke.

She didn't expect to run into Guan Yuanbai here.

He was her biological brother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time since she hadn't been home for ages. Judging by the way he was dressed in a rather formal suit, he must have just come from his company for a meal or something.

"What brings you here?" Guan Yuanbai asked with a frown.

It seemed like her brother had no idea that her father had urged her to go on a blind date.

Guan Zhiyi pulled open his hand that grabbing her collar and sheepishly took a step back. Just as she was about to explain, her gaze landed on the person standing next to Guan Yuanbai.

The moment she saw him, she was stunned.

The man wore a black suit, but didn't wear a tie, the collar on his shirt is casually unbuttoned. He did not look as serious as her brother, but he exuded a refined and noble aura.

As Guan Zhiyi stared at him, he was also looking back at her. The soft yellow light from the restaurant cast a glow on his face, giving a layer of veil to his clear eyes.

He was an exceptionally good-looking man.

Not only that, he felt unfamiliar yet also…..familiar.

After staring blankly for a few seconds, Guan Zhiyi's felt her heart quivered remarkably. She hurriedly looked at Guan Yuanbai and pointed at the man next to him in surprise, "Br–brother, he..."

Before Guan Yuanbai could respond, the man let out a gentle laugh.

It was a light, deep, and pleasant laugh, filled with calmness and composure.

The veil under that person's eyes seemed to unravel as he smiled. The next second, Guan Zhiyi heard him ask softly, "Xiaowu, you don't recognize brother?"