Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 176 The Way to Defeat the Green Plum

As the altitude increases, the surrounding plants become shorter and shorter, and tall plants gradually disappear, leaving mostly shrubs and meadows.

There were also many brightly colored flowers with large, unique shapes, probably unique to the snow-capped mountains. These flowers are rarely seen on ordinary days, and the girls were quite interested. They ran over and took many photos, then gathered around the flower bushes chatting and laughing.

It's time for a break. Everyone will stay here for a short while to recover their strength.

Mo Yixia wasn't particularly interested in the flowers. She sat quietly next to Han Zhou, pulled her mask down, took out a water bottle from her backpack, sipped hot water, and gazed at the distant mountains.

They hadn't seen any unusual snow mountain animals along the way, which made Han Zhou a little disappointed. Looking at the girl beside him, who seemed quieter than usual, he couldn't help but smile and ask, "How are you? Tired?"

Mo Yixia shook her head slightly: "It's alright, it's easier than I imagined."

She took out a chocolate from her backpack, broke off half and put it in her mouth, then handed the other person the other piece, asking, "Are you tired?"

Han Zhou took the chocolate: "I'm not tired either. I heard that the route before reaching the base camp wasn't too difficult. The most difficult part is when we're climbing to the summit in the middle of the night. You just heard Sister Yuyan say that the temperature is quite low today, so it will probably be more troublesome to climb."

"So you want me to back down?"

"What are you talking about?" Han Zhou laughed. "What I mean is that you should follow closely behind me and try to step in my footprints every time. That way, your chances of reaching the top will be higher."

These are the words Liao Xinyu said to Xiao Yuyan before. Although this guy has a bit of a sycophantic nature, what he said still makes a lot of sense. With someone blocking the snow and clearing the way in front, the people behind can save a lot of energy.

"Is it just that the probability is a little higher?" Mo Yixia asked indifferently. "I thought you would promise to carry me to the top of the mountain, just like their boyfriends would."

"Let's hold out until we get to base camp first," Han Zhou said irritably. "By the way, take off your snow goggles and mask so I can see them."

"Do you miss my beauty?"

"I just wanted to see how you looked."

Han Zhou was still a little worried that this guy was pushing himself too hard, enduring his discomfort without saying a word in order to reach the top of the mountain.

"No need to look anymore, I'm fine now."

"Really?"

"real."

"Then take off your snow goggles and let me see them."

"No."

"why?"

Han Zhou looked suspicious, both worried that Mo Yixia was really hiding something and suspecting that she was deliberately using this method to trap him.

Mo Yixia paused for a moment: "You seem reluctant to let that muscular senior film our faces in the live stream, so I'm respecting your wishes."

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Tao, who was studying the flower bushes with Xiao Yuyan and the others. He said with a wry smile, "He's so far away from us, how could he possibly take a picture of you? Just pull your goggles back a little so I can see you."

And what I'm really worried about isn't one of us being photographed, but both of us being photographed together... he silently added to himself.

For some reason, he regretted it the moment the thought crossed his mind.

As if responding to his premonition, the next second, Mo Yixia slowly pulled up her snow goggles, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed, and a cold smile appeared in her deep, pool-like eyes.

"Were you just thinking that even if I get photographed, it's not a big deal, as long as we're not both photographed together?"

No way, this is way too much... I'll definitely have to wear a mask next time I see this guy...

Han Zhou was startled, but quickly composed himself and looked at the girl's face thoughtfully, "Hmm, your complexion is not bad, rosy and glowing, but a little pale, probably because you're cold... Do you want me to give you this scarf?"

Mo Yixia stared at him without saying a word.

Han Zhou forced a smile and said, "Replenishing energy is also important. How about another piece of chocolate?"

Mo Yixia remained silent.

"……never mind."

After a long pause, she seemed to sigh, put her snow goggles and mask back on, and said in a tone devoid of any emotion, "If you're worried about me being cold, you can hug me right now."

Perhaps knowing full well that Han Zhou didn't have the guts, she didn't give him a chance to speak and continued, "Also, if you're really worried that I'm hiding something from you, you can take off my mask and goggles. You know perfectly well that I'm not on guard with you."

"If it's just this level of contact... it shouldn't cross the line you're worried about, right?"

Han Zhou was taken aback.

Seeing the other person propping their chin up and looking into the distance, his feelings became incredibly complicated, a mix of emotions swirling within him, but not a hint of surprise.

Sure enough, this guy can see through everything.

It would be strange if she didn't notice, right?

A few snowflakes began to fall from the sky, the cold wind made it even chillier, and the atmosphere became somewhat stagnant.

Looking at the girl in front of him who didn't seem to want to look at him, Han Zhou was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long while, he took a deep breath and whispered, "Yi Xia, yes..."

"You don't need to apologize to me."

Mo Yixia interrupted him, took out another piece of chocolate from her backpack, kept half for herself and handed the other half to him, saying in a casual tone, "I've only known you for two months, and we've only spent a month together. In terms of time, the moment you hesitated and couldn't give an answer, it was already the moment I won."

Han Zhou was taken aback, his expression gradually becoming somewhat strange. This guy's reaction was quite different from what he had expected...

Also, what does it mean that you won?
"I like the stories that Ya Ya tells me, especially the ones about the green plum being defeated by a sudden rain, even though her storytelling skills are just average."

Putting her water bottle in her backpack, Mo Yixia reached out and caught a slowly falling snowflake, watching it melt quietly in her hand. "I asked her why in stories, the childhood sweetheart always loses to the one who falls from the sky. If two people have equally charming personalities, shouldn't the one who has the advantage of time be the winner? Just like these snowflakes, the snowflakes that fall later will always melt before the snow that has accumulated above the snow line for many years." Han Zhou was struck dumb, his heart leaping into his throat—Mo Yixia's meaning was clear: she not only knew about Guzheng's existence all along, but she also knew very well about the relationship between her and him.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have mentioned childhood sweethearts and sudden arrival for no reason.

Without a doubt, most of this intelligence came from Lin Youya. That girl is a bit dim-witted, and to an "agent" like Mo Yixia, she's practically a living intelligence bank. Getting information out of her is easier than drinking water.

"So what's Ya Ya's answer?" He couldn't see Mo Yixia's expression, so he could only cautiously probe.

“What decent answer could a child possibly give?” Mo Yixia shook her head slightly, then changed the subject, saying with a half-smile, “But I think her answer probably reflects your true thoughts…that kind of naive and unrealistic fantasy.”

Han Zhou remained silent; he would rather die than utter the words "I want them all."

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, this is most likely what the other party meant by "unrealistic fantasy."

Mo Yixia didn't continue the topic, but pretended to ponder and said, "To be honest, I can't think of a definite answer to the question of how Tianjiang should defeat Qingmei. Do you have any ideas?"

Han Zhou shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

"You shook your head so firmly because you felt that Tianjiang had no chance of defeating Qingmei?"

Han Zhou dared not answer and shook his head even faster.

The snow gradually intensified, with snowflakes swirling in the air before finally settling on the brim of the girl's hat.

She sighed and said, "Indecisive, cowardly, despicable, blind, foolish, and excessively indulgent... what a terrible man."

His words were full of disdain, and some of his statements were clearly not objective, but Han Zhou did not dare to speak up to defend himself.

Mo Yixia lowered her head. The snowflakes in her hands had melted. Because she was wearing warm gloves, she couldn't directly feel the temperature of the snowflakes, just as she couldn't truly see through everyone's heart.

including yourself.

I took off my gloves, and a few snowflakes fell into my palm. They were icy cold to the touch and melted quite quickly. However, because the cold surrounding me had already taken away the warmth from my palm, I could hardly feel the coolness.

"...I don't know why I fell for someone like you."

The girl murmured softly, her tone flat, as if she were simply discussing what to eat that evening.

No.

It's more like saying what we absolutely must eat tonight.

"Don't take off your gloves in places like this."

Han Zhou didn't hear Mo Yixia's last words. He immediately took out a tissue to dry the girl's hands and then helped her put her gloves back on.

“You should breathe on my hand first.” Mo Yixia glanced at him.

"Will this make it warmer?"

"That way, when you get close to me, I can slap you and give you a stern warning to stay away from those slutty bitches."

Han Zhou: "..."

"However, I've changed my mind."

Mo Yixia thought about it seriously, "After all, if we really want to investigate, I should be the 'seductive and shameless one' who appeared later, even though you are the real culprit."

Han Zhou hesitated, unsure of what to say. This guy's way of thinking was sometimes really peculiar, and he still didn't quite understand the other party's attitude.

This doesn't seem like an accusation...

"Take off your snow goggles and mask so I can see them too."

Just as he was feeling confused, Mo Yixia suddenly spoke, her cool voice pulling him back to reality.

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment: "Me?"

"Of course it's you."

Han Zhou didn't hesitate for long and carefully took off his snow goggles and mask.

Although he didn't ask why, he was somewhat worried that this guy wasn't really planning to slap him.
At an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters, the temperature was already quite low, and cold air kept whipping against his face.

Mo Yixia didn't hit him. Instead, she looked him over carefully for a while, getting closer and closer to him. Suddenly, she also took off her snow goggles and pulled her mask down.

The two stood facing each other in the snow, their hot breaths hitting each other's faces.

The girl's hair was slightly disheveled by the wind, and her deep eyes reflected her slightly tense face.

Han Zhou suddenly realized that the other party might be trying to see into his heart.

He really wanted to ask this guy what he had figured out, because even he himself didn't know what he was thinking at that moment.

Faced with the increasingly intense gaze of the other person, he did not choose to avoid or back away, but he felt a little uncomfortable being stared at. After hesitating for a moment, he raised his hand and brushed the snowflakes off the brim of the girl's hat.

After an unknown amount of time, Mo Yixia finally withdrew her gaze, tucked her hair back, and a smile appeared on her face.

"I've got it! A way to defeat the green plum by sending a divine intervention."

She also raised her hand and brushed the snowflakes off Han Zhou's hat.

(End of this chapter)