Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 170 Interesting Gaze

"Sorry, I'm late."

The young man who climbed into the car was tall and strong, but his voice was quite soft, and his delicate appearance didn't quite match his muscular physique, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the car.

After getting on the bus, Mo Yixia closed her eyes to rest, seemingly intending to conserve her energy for climbing to the top of the mountain. She wasn't interested in who else got on the bus. However, when she noticed that Han Zhou was quite interested in her, she still glanced at the bus door.

"You know him?"

"I wouldn't say I know him," Han Zhou replied, sizing up the burly young man. "He's a third-year student at our school. I've seen him once before on campus."

Mo Yixia had a good memory and quickly made the connection. She said thoughtfully, "It's that 'reckless' Zhang Tao you mentioned before, one of the six famous people in your school."

How did you know?

Han Zhou looked at her in surprise. He had told her about interesting things at school and had naturally mentioned the six famous people, but he had never mentioned Zhang Tao's appearance.

"If someone can leave an impression on you after just one meeting, it means that they have some noteworthy qualities, such as a certain level of fame. And I remember you said that Zhang Tao is a blogger who loves extreme sports. This person is not only strong and healthy, but also carries live streaming equipment with him and wears relatively light clothing, which fits the 'reckless' image you described."

Mo Yixia analyzed, "Of course, the noteworthy trait might also be the contrast between this person's physique and appearance, which is a memorable point. But I know very well that you are just lustful but lack the courage to act on it, rather than liking men, so this trait is unlikely to attract you."

Han Zhou was silent for a moment: "There was really no need to say that last sentence..."

"You don't like men?"

"The phrase 'having the desire but not the courage'."

"hehe."

"..."

The two were in the car because they needed to travel to a mountain town at an altitude of about 2,000 meters later; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to reach the top of the mountain on foot by tomorrow morning.

Logically, they should have gone to the mountain town yesterday to acclimatize to the high-altitude environment, but yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they didn't want to spend all their time climbing the mountain, so they gave up on the step of acclimatizing in advance. The other people in the car had similar plans.

For this reason, although the guides did not say it, they seemed not optimistic about the trip to the snow mountain, believing that few people would be able to reach the summit.

With Zhang Tao getting into the car, everyone was finally present, and the car quickly started moving towards the mountain town.

Zhang Tao, carrying a large black hiking backpack, looked down at his phone, adjusting his equipment while searching for a seat. As if sensing something, he suddenly stopped as he passed Han Zhou, looked at him carefully for a moment, and then smiled: "Hey classmate, we meet again."

His tone was quite enthusiastic, clearly indicating that he recognized Han Zhou.

Mo Yixia glanced at Han Zhou.

Although she was wearing snow goggles and his eyes were obscured, Han Zhou quickly understood her meaning based on what she had just said.

The fact that this guy recognized you means you must have some quality that's quite attractive to him.

My defining trait is probably being handsome, but is being handsome a bad thing...?

Han Zhou muttered to himself, then smiled and looked at Zhang Tao, saying politely, "Hello, senior. I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence."

"That's quite a coincidence," Zhang Tao said with curiosity. "But we seem to have only met once, right? How do you remember me?"

"To be precise, I 'recognize' you. You're quite a celebrity at school, senior. There must be quite a few people who know you." Han Zhou smiled. "I'm more curious about how you still remember me."

Could it really be because he's handsome?

"Because of that day..."

Zhang Tao wanted to explain, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, he abruptly shut his mouth and said with a smile, "Excuse me, I have a phone call to take. Let's talk after we get off the bus."

After saying that, he walked to the back of the car and found an empty seat to sit down.

Han Zhou turned around and gave him a strange look. The other person didn't seem like he was about to answer the phone. Could it be that he was live-streaming and couldn't make it?

He noticed early on that the other person was wearing headphones and seemed to be scrolling through comments on their phone. He wasn't sure if they were streaming themselves or watching someone else's stream.

However, judging from Zhang Tao's high-quality equipment, whether he's live-streaming now or not, he'll definitely start live-streaming while climbing the snow mountain later; otherwise, there's no need to bring so much stuff in the car. But then again, a seasoned extreme sports expert suddenly climbing a snow mountain suitable for beginners… is this a change in his live-streaming style, or is he planning to try some more thrilling activities like skiing later?

Han Zhou made a wild guess but didn't pay much attention. However, just then, Mo Yixia suddenly said, "The way your senior looked at me just now was quite interesting."

Han Zhou was taken aback and asked curiously, "Interesting? How interesting?"

Mo Yixia's face was now completely covered by snow goggles and a mask, so Zhang Tao was obviously not attracted by her beauty, and even if he did react that way, Mo Yixia would not describe it as 'interesting'.

So here's the question: her appearance is completely covered, and she hasn't said anything or made any other moves. She hasn't shown any highlights at all, so why is Zhang Tao looking at her with an "interesting" expression?
"He seems to think I'm your girlfriend."

Mo Yixia's tone was quite subtle. She paused for a moment and then continued, "But that's not the point."

"What's the point?"

"The key point is that after having this idea, he quickly began to doubt it."

Han Zhou said irritably, "What's so strange about that? The only thing you can see right now is your aura, and well... well, it's not really there."

"Oh, does someone mean that someone who isn't good-looking, has no figure, and no temperament isn't good enough for you?" Mo Yixia understood what he meant and spoke sarcastically.

Han Zhou shrugged: "At least that's how it seems to outsiders. Although society keeps emphasizing not to judge people by their appearance, when all other factors are unknown, appearance is always the primary factor in judging a person. This also applies to judging whether two people are a good match."

“I don’t deny that,” Mo Yixia nodded. “But are you indirectly praising your own handsomeness? Has anyone ever told you that you’re narcissistic?”

She threw back the question Han Zhou had asked her that morning.

"No, recognizing your strengths in a timely manner is not narcissism. People who think you are narcissistic are usually those who are jealous of you. Think about it from another perspective: if I told everyone that I was not handsome, many people would definitely say that I was pretentious, right?"

Han Zhou replied with the same words she had used that morning.

"Is that right?"

Mo Yixia seemed to understand something and suggested, "Practice makes perfect. How about this, there are more than ten people on the bus, which is a good sample size for observation. You can stand up now and loudly say that you are not handsome, and I will analyze their psychological activities for you."

Han Zhou was silent for a moment: "I can guess what they're thinking without you analyzing it."

This guy is an idiot...

If he really does that, then that statement will become everyone's thought process at that time.

"Alright, you're not finished yet, are you? What was so interesting about Zhang Tao's look just now?"

Han Zhou had personally experienced Mo Yixia's "mind-reading" ability, so he was very curious about what she had seen in Zhang Tao's eyes.

However, whether it was just his imagination or not, after he asked the question, he noticed that Mo Yixia's emotions seemed to have changed to some extent. She looked at him meaningfully for a while, as if she was deliberately teasing him, and never spoke.

The scenery outside the car window rushed past, with snow-capped mountains appearing and disappearing in the distance. The girl's snow goggles were completely black, obscuring her eyes, but reflecting her slightly confused expression.

"Why are you staring at me like that? It feels like you're looking at a criminal..."

Han Zhou felt uncomfortable under their gaze, but pretended to be calm and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."

He suddenly didn't want to know what was so interesting about that look anymore.

However, Mo Yixia clearly did not want him to have his way, or rather, the other party had been observing his expression all along, and only spoke softly at this moment.

"'Is this girl this classmate's girlfriend? But something doesn't seem right. She wasn't the one I saw last time. Never mind, it's best not to ask...'"

"That's what your senior's eyes meant."

At this point, Mo Yixia paused slightly, then asked with a half-smile, "So, is it interesting?"

Han Zhou felt a chill run down his spine and quietly swallowed, feeling a strange sense of guilt.

"It is...it is quite interesting..."

(End of this chapter)