Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 163 Wenxin Bridge

The sky is getting brighter.

The sun seemed to be still sleeping in, and the faint shadow of the moon could be seen in the sky, only to be swallowed up by the drifting clouds and disappear after a while.

The streets smelled damp with dew, the air was humid, and it added a touch of coolness to the early autumn morning.

Perhaps because it is the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many people on the streets. In addition, with the influx of tourists from other places, the roads are somewhat crowded. Many famous tourist attractions along the way were packed with people early in the morning, and the noise was deafening.

Han Zhou secretly rejoiced that Mo Yixia's decision was correct. If they had also chosen to visit these attractions, they would probably have spent the whole day in crowds, which would obviously not have been a pleasant experience.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Mo Yixia beside him.

This glance was caught red-handed, and the girl happened to look over as well. Their eyes met, and the girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her soft voice following.

"If you want to look, then look openly. Stealing glances like this only makes your eyes look lewd."

"Don't slander me out of thin air," Han Zhou said calmly. "I'm perfectly aboveboard, okay?"

"Oh..." Mo Yixia was a little surprised, "I thought you would deny it to the death and say that you didn't peek at all."

"I already said that wasn't peeping."

Without batting an eye, Han Zhou brought out a theory that Lin Anyu often mentioned: "Scientific research shows that appreciating beautiful things is beneficial to longevity and can also make people feel comfortable. Pretty girls are also part of the beautiful things, so it's good to look at them more often."

"Furthermore, scientific research shows that if a girl is frequently praised for her beauty, she will actually become more beautiful. And a well-placed appreciative gaze is the most direct compliment to a girl. Therefore, 'appreciating beautiful women' is a win-win situation. I am doing a good deed."

Mo Yixia said thoughtfully, "Although I don't know which rogue came up with this, let's just assume there's some truth to it. But you also said that only 'just the right amount of appreciative gaze' can have the effect of praise, so what's the meaning of a lewd gaze?"

This time, Han Zhou was smarter and wisely didn't respond, not even bothering to argue whether his taste was vulgar.

Seeing this, Mo Yixia didn't press the issue further, but reminded her, "Alright, I know I'm pretty, but if you keep turning your head every three steps, we might not have enough time. You should know that our schedule is very tight today, right?"

"Who do you think is to blame for this?"

Han Zhou rolled his eyes at her, annoyed. If this girl hadn't stubbornly refused to get out of bed, they would have left the hotel long ago.

Mo Yixia pretended not to hear.

Han Zhou shook his head helplessly. Although this guy was exaggerating a bit, it was true that he couldn't help but look at her.

There's no way around it, she looks really beautiful today.

As Han Zhou wished, Mo Yixia gave up her mask and baseball cap today, and also changed out of her school uniform that she wore all year round, and instead put on a sky-blue belted dress.

The dress was exceptionally form-fitting, with the neckline just reaching the collarbone. The sleeves had a slight openwork design, revealing glimpses of her fair and delicate arms. The hem was adorned with a lace trim that just covered her knees, and her calves were straight and shapely, like jade.

Her hair was still casually draped behind her, reaching all the way to her slender waist, and a fragrance would waft into Han Zhou's nose when the wind blew.

Aside from changing her clothes, Mo Yixia didn't make any major alterations to her attire, because Han Zhou had chosen the clothes and had no idea how to dress herself. Mo Yixia simply followed his instructions and wore whatever he said she should wear.

But this is enough.

Even though she had only changed her clothes, Mo Yixia was exceptionally beautiful today. This was not only because she already had a stunning face, but also because she had never shown her beauty so completely before. This was perhaps the first time she had revealed herself to the world without any concealment.

Having grown accustomed to seeing the other person wearing a mask and a baseball cap, this scene was extremely impactful for Han Zhou.

"Your eyes tell me you're thinking something very impolite, like, 'I didn't know school uniforms could hide a guy's figure. He's got more to offer than I expected. He probably didn't wear padding, right?' — That's what you're thinking right now, isn't it?"

As the girl's indifferent voice rang out, Han Zhou shuddered and said righteously, "I'm sorry, your mind-reading ability failed this time. I just think this dress is strangely pretty."

“Liars will swallow a thousand needles after they die.” Mo Yixia glanced at him. “I’m starting to regret deleting that recording from last night, but actually, it’s very simple to find out if I used a stunt or not, and that is…”

Han Zhou kept his mouth shut and didn't reply. He was willing to bet that if he asked a question like, "You don't mean you want me to touch you directly, do you?" he would definitely fall into this guy's trap, and the other party would likely get another recording.

He won't make the same mistake twice.

Realizing this, he remained calm and even waited with interest for the other party to continue: "What is it?"

Perhaps feeling that her thoughts had been read, Mo Yixia remained silent.

Han Zhou chuckled and pressed his advantage, saying, "Go on, why did you stop talking?"

"Tell me then, how do you find out if you've had padding or not?"

"..."

Mo Yixia ignored him until a few minutes later when she stopped and said calmly, "The solution is to come with me to buy underwear and experience it for yourself."

Han Zhou's expression froze, and he then noticed that the two of them had stopped in front of a lingerie store.

"Buy underwear? Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. You went through my backpack so eagerly yesterday, didn't you notice there was no underwear inside?"

"I am not hungry for it."

"That's like a wolf or a tiger."

"Shouldn't I have told you to watch your words a long time ago?" Han Zhou sighed. "Why didn't you wear underwear when you went out?"

Mo Yixia gave him a disdainful look: "You really did thoroughly search my backpack, otherwise you wouldn't have believed me so easily."

Han Zhou's face darkened: "Didn't you tell me to pick out a nice outfit? How am I supposed to choose one if you don't look through them?"

“That makes sense.” Mo Yixia pondered for a moment. “Then let me look through yours tonight too, and we’ll call it even.”

"Are you still half asleep?"

Mo Yixia didn't reply, but calmly said, "Going back to your question, why don't I wear underwear when I go out? The answer is simple: because people always have to grow up. Since we've grown up, we have to discard things from the past and not be bound by it."

Han Zhou said irritably, "Just talk about yourself, don't drag me into this. Being fickle isn't my style."

"You seem to have misunderstood. When I said 'we,' I didn't mean you and me."

Mo Yixia shook her head slightly, patted her chest twice, and said in a calm tone, "It's 'us' that have grown up." Han Zhou: "..."

……

After finally getting out of the lingerie store, Han Zhou's expression was quite interesting.

Accompanying a girl into a lingerie store is awkward enough, but it's even more awkward when the girl has picked out some expensive lingerie, and the sales assistant is all smiles, waiting for him to pay, only to see her pay alone and say, "Let's go check out the men's lingerie store," leaving him with an incredibly complicated look on his face...

It's practically the same as looking at a gigolo!
The morning air carried a fragrance, seemingly wafting from a park full of flowers and plants, but it couldn't compare to the scent of the girl beside me.

I haven't seen this guy wearing perfume...

Han Zhou touched his nose, then gave a helpless look: "Why do I feel like you're getting more and more into teasing me?"

“You can remove the word ‘teasing’,” Mo Yixia replied casually. “But it is indeed a little personal interest of mine. Your bewildered expression is very interesting. Haven’t I told you that before?”

"What kind of twisted sense of humor is this..."

"I rarely show even a little interest, and I thought you would support me."

"Okay, as long as you're happy."

Han Zhou said expressionlessly, "I understand the logic, but can you tell me why you asked the waiter such a strange question as 'What kind of sexy lingerie is the most tantalizing?'"

He got angry just thinking about it. The reason the waiter's expression was so strange was largely because of Mo Yixia's question.

At that moment, the other person was probably thinking something like this: "Hey buddy, you want someone to wear sexy lingerie for you to see, but you're not even willing to spend money on lingerie, are you? You're so stingy, no wonder she won't wear it for you!"
Mo Yixia turned her head away: "The weather is nice today, let's go to Lakeview Park first."

"Don't think you can get away with this by selectively ignoring me!"

"Next, we'll go to the aquarium, and then take a taxi to Wenxin Bridge."

"I told you, don't pretend you can't hear me..."

“The uncles last night said that you can draw lots at the temple next to Wenxin Bridge. I heard that it’s quite accurate. If the meaning of the lot is not good, you can put it back and draw another one, but you will have to pay more.”

"You can even pay to draw a fortune stick again? What kind of amazing temple is this? It's practically like watching an ad to revive yourself! I'd rather not go... Wait, don't change the subject!"

……

Among the "couples' hot spots" recommended by those uncles last night, Wenxin Bridge was a name that was mentioned repeatedly.

This place is not well-known to the general public, so it has not become a famous tourist attraction in Yecheng. Only the locals of Yecheng know its origin and legends.

Actually, it doesn't have any special origin, but there are quite a few rumors about it.

Han Zhou wasn't interested in the so-called "romantic hotspots"—these days even a small grove of trees could be called a sanctuary—but Mo Yixia insisted on dragging him along, so he had no choice but to patiently come and take a look.

Upon seeing Wenxin Bridge, he immediately understood why the place hadn't become a well-known tourist attraction.

This bridge is in a terrible state.

Judging from the nearly dried-up river water under the bridge, this bridge was probably only used for temporary river crossing, so it wasn't built with much care. The material of the bridge is unknown, but it looks quite sturdy. The bridge surface is weathered and looks bumpy, making it difficult to even stand firmly on. In addition, the bridge is only slightly wider than a log bridge, so crossing the river on such a bridge is probably not an easy task.

This is just a place with no scenery or historical and cultural sites around it, and its location is also remote. It would be too difficult to turn it into a tourist attraction. In addition, because it is a holiday today, there is not a single person to be seen. If it weren't for the stone tablet with "Wenxin Bridge" clearly standing by the bridge, Han Zhou might have thought he had come to the wrong place.

"Yisha."

"I am willing."

"What do you mean, 'I'm willing'?"

"I thought your first reaction upon arriving in a place like this was to confess your feelings to me. This is my response."

Han Zhou: "..."

"I didn't have time to hear that part, so can you tell me why this place has become a popular spot for couples in Yecheng?"

Mo Yixia pondered for a moment: "Perhaps it's because the area under the bridge is relatively secluded, and the sound of flowing water can mask some of the noise..."

"Be serious."

“Okay.” Mo Yixia readily agreed and recalled, “According to the uncles, this place seems to have a certain ‘magic’. In the twenty years that Yecheng has been in operation, it has facilitated the birth of a lot of couples at the two universities nearby. Later, a legend gradually emerged—as long as you walk across the Wenxin Bridge with your loved one, you can hear each other’s heart voices during the process, and as long as the two of you can successfully cross the bridge, you will definitely be together in the future.”

"Did it lead to the formation of a bunch of couples on campus?"

Han Zhou listened, stunned, and said with a strange expression, "I don't know why, but I suddenly start to think that your reasoning just now makes a lot of sense..."

Realizing that he had become the less-than-serious one, he coughed twice and analyzed, "Actually, the bridge probably has nothing to do with the formation of couples. After all, to be honest, if someone of the opposite sex is willing to come to a place like this with you to do such a boring thing, then the other person is probably already interested in you. Becoming a couple is only a matter of time. This bridge just accelerated the process and doesn't have any 'magic' in itself."

This is actually the truth behind most so-called romantic destinations.

Most romantic spots are well-known, with all sorts of rumors flying around, and almost everyone knows about them. When someone of the opposite sex is willing to accompany you to such a place, it doesn't mean they are unaware of it; rather, it means they are indirectly expressing their feelings. Only a fool would believe that some kind of romantic magic exists in this world.

It's because so many couples visit these romantic spots that they become popular destinations, not because these romantic spots possess any magical power that attracts so many couples.

Thinking about it carefully, if these so-called romantic havens truly possess some kind of love magic, then it's undoubtedly a tragic thing. Is love controlled by magic truly real? Such happiness is hard to judge.

Therefore, Han Zhou has never been particularly fond of such places, even though he knows that most of these rumors are just a gimmick.

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "You've thought this through quite clearly, although it's a real downer... But you did say one thing right: 'If someone of the opposite sex is willing to come to a place like this with you to do such a boring thing, then they've probably already been interested in you for a long time.'"

"If that's the case, what are your thoughts on coming here with me?"

Han Zhou was taken aback.

Mo Yixia didn't press further, and continued, "I know you can't answer, or you just don't want to answer, but it's okay. The answer isn't important. Just as romantic spots are born because of couples, some things will naturally develop in the direction they should."

"Come on, come with me to cross the bridge."

(End of this chapter)