Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 177 Understanding Who the Love Rivals Are

"Have you...thought you come up with a solution?"

Han Zhou was startled by Mo Yixia's words.

"You seem nervous?"

Mo Yixia glanced at him, then put her mask and snow goggles back on. Perhaps feeling a bit cold, she tucked her neck into her scarf.

"To be precise, it was an accident..."

Han Zhou was indeed somewhat surprised. Given Mo Yixia's style of doing things, he was filled with apprehension about the "method" this guy was talking about...

Just as he was about to ask, Xiao Yuyan came running towards him and reminded him, "Han Zhou, how's your rest? It's time to set off!"

"Got it, come right now!"

Han Zhou responded, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and stood up. Mo Yixia was also ready, but she remained seated, raising her right hand as if she were an empress dowager.

Han Zhou sighed and reached out to help her up.

Xiao Yuyan gave the two of them a strange look and said, "The guide said the road ahead is not easy, so please be careful."

"understood."

Han Zhou nodded, and seeing that she seemed to want to say something but hesitated, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Sister Yuyan? Is there anything else?"

"that……"

"You want us to get along well with your friends, right? And also to apologize to us on behalf of that Chen Xiang guy." Mo Yixia saw through her thoughts at a glance. "If I'm not mistaken, you were just apologizing to your friends on our behalf."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Is that so, Sister Yuyan?"

“Yes…” Xiao Yuyan was surprised by Mo Yixia’s keenness and said with a wry smile, “You are all my friends, and I don’t want you to have any unpleasantness.”

Mo Yixia said calmly, "Since that's the case, then I'll give you some advice. That guy named Chen Xiang is not a good person. If you want to know why, you can stay with us when we get to the headquarters tonight, and I'll tell you slowly."

"Chen Xiang? Not a good person?"

Xiao Yuyan looked bewildered. Seeing that Mo Yixia was no longer speaking, she could only turn her confused gaze to Han Zhou.

The latter gave a wry smile: "I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but Yixia is very good at judging people. If you're concerned, you can come with us later, which will also help you avoid that Liao Xinyu."

"All right……"

Xiao Yuyan had her doubts. Chen Xiang was not only Liang Qian's boyfriend, but also her classmate. The two had a fairly good relationship, and she did not think he was a bad person.

To be honest, her first impression of Mo Yixia wasn't very good. This girl was a bit cold and would argue with people over trivial matters. She was clearly acting from Han Zhou's perspective, but she didn't care at all about the consequences for the latter.

She felt that Han Zhou probably didn't take Chen Xiang's joke seriously at the time, but it was this girl named Mo Yixia who took it seriously first. Although it was a way of protecting him, it was somewhat irrational.

However, it's not hard to see that Han Zhou also protects this girl. He remains unmoved even when he hears a baseless judgment and doesn't tell her to stop talking nonsense.

Xiao Yuyan didn't voice her thoughts; she planned to wait and see what explanations the two would give.

Seeing her go back to get her backpack, Han Zhou asked in a low voice, "Why did you suggest that she come with us?"

"You're asking a question you already know the answer to; you should know the reason very well."

Mo Yixia glanced at him. "There are some things you definitely won't tell me. I'm so understanding and don't want to make things difficult for you, so I have to find another way. This opportunity is rare."

She stretched and spoke casually.

"Let's go, let me find out more about... who my rivals are."

Han Zhou's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Mo Yixia had this in mind. She wanted to get information from Xiao Yuyan, not to meddle in other people's business and judge who was good and who was bad.

and many more……

He suddenly realized something terrifying.

Could this guy have deliberately provoked that guy named Chen Xiang before?
The purpose was to get Xiao Yuyan to avoid other people and stay with them, so that it would be easier for her to gather information.

hiss……

Looking at the figure with waist-length hair in front of him, Han Zhou gasped sharply.

Was this also part of your plan?!
For some reason, he suddenly became more worried about the method the other party had mentioned—a method that supposedly miraculously helped him defeat his childhood sweetheart…

……

The weather on the snow-capped mountain is very changeable. One second it's snowing, and the next it's sunny again. Occasionally, hail will fall.

The slope of the mountain became increasingly steep, and some places were slippery. Fortunately, the guides were all quite experienced and would warn people almost every time they passed a dangerous spot, so no one slipped and got injured.

As the altitude increased, the air became thinner and the temperature gradually decreased. Everyone began to feel unwell and their strength began to wane. Almost no one spoke along the way.

The guide inquired about everyone's physical condition and, seeing that no one said they couldn't continue, continued leading them forward. After walking for an unknown amount of time, a silvery-white light suddenly appeared ahead.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyou exclaimed excitedly, "We can see snow ahead! I remember the snow line of the Five-Colored Snow Mountain is around 3,800 meters. Does this mean we're almost at base camp?"

Under the combined pressure of physical exhaustion and thin air, she even found it difficult to breathe, and her voice sounded somewhat weak, but she still couldn't hide her excitement.

Green Mountain's base camp is at an altitude of 4,300 meters. Reaching that point means their long day's trek is over, and they can rest for a while before setting off again at dawn to climb to the summit.

"Xiaoyou, what is the snow line?" her boyfriend Lin Ming asked breathlessly.

"The snow line? It refers to the lower boundary of the perennial snow cover, which is the equilibrium line where the annual snowfall equals the annual snowmelt."

Zhang Tao spoke first, explaining with a smile, "Simply put, the snow line is the dividing line between areas with year-round snow cover. Above the snow line, there is year-round snow cover, but below the snow line, it may not be."

The snow line is a climate marker line whose altitude is mainly determined by conditions such as temperature, precipitation, slope, and aspect. As Zhang Tao explained, it is the equilibrium line where annual snowfall equals annual snowmelt.

Above the snow line, temperatures are low, and the annual replenishment of snow and ice exceeds the amount of melting, forming a perennial snow-covered area. Below the snow line, temperatures are high, and the annual replenishment of snow and ice is less than the amount of melting, making it impossible to accumulate snow and ice for many years; therefore, it can only be a seasonal snow-covered area.

Unlike the exhausted crowd, Zhang Tao's voice was full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue. Moreover, he interacted with the viewers in the live stream the whole way. Even the guides, including Brother Wang, were surprised by his boundless energy.

Everyone understood that since they could see snow ahead, it meant they had reached the snow line. The snow line in Green Mountain was 3,800 meters, and they were only 500 meters away from the base camp.

Although it is a snow mountain suitable for beginners, the climbing difficulty of Green Mountain is still higher than they imagined. Physical strength is secondary; climbing continuously is a real test of perseverance. After learning that they could rest soon, everyone could not hide their joy.

Just hang in there a little longer...

However, Brother Wang quickly poured cold water on their enthusiasm, saying with a smile, "The snow line of Green Mountain is indeed 3,800 meters, but what you see now is not the snow line, but the snow below the mountain. It's already October, and the snow on Green Mountain has long since extended below the snow line."

With everyone's hopes dashed, Lin Xiaoyou asked with a bitter face, "Then, Uncle Guide, approximately how many meters are we at now?"

She could barely walk anymore.

"Based on my experience, it should be around 3,400 meters, or roughly within that range."

Lin Ming was dumbfounded: "So that means there's still almost a thousand meters left?"

One thousand meters may not sound like much, but here one thousand meters refers to altitude, not length, and the two are worlds apart in terms of difficulty.

“That’s right, we expect to arrive before eight o’clock. Don’t you even know what time it is?” Brother Wang looked at the group of young people and encouraged them with a smile. “Just hang in there a little longer. You’ll have time to rest later. You young people are already doing very well, unlike my son, who has no idea what perseverance is…”

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the two young men he had brought with him, and was surprised to find that the boy's stamina was much better than he had imagined. He showed no signs of fatigue and his steps were light and steady, while the girl seemed to be struggling to keep up, and her steps appeared very heavy.

That's not surprising. Girls are generally weaker physically, and most of the girls in the team are in this condition right now. The boys are in a slightly better situation, but they can't do it as easily as Han Zhou and Zhang Tao.

Han Zhou clearly noticed Mo Yixia's fatigue and asked with concern, "Are you very tired?"

Mo Yixia is not a weak girl, but she is not someone who exercises regularly either. It's already quite impressive that she has managed to persevere this far.

Mo Yixia didn't say anything, but just shook her head slightly, as if she didn't even have the strength to speak.

Han Zhou didn't hesitate for long and stretched out his hand, saying, "You walk behind me and give me your bag too."

There was no snow on the road, but the wind was strong. He could walk in front to shield the other person from the wind and save them some energy.

Mo Yixia shook her head again, and silently walked behind him, her meaning clear: she didn't want to hand over the bag.

"Didn't I say I wouldn't try to be a hero?"

Han Zhou knew what she was worried about, and said in an annoyed tone, "You don't need to worry about me. I'm in great shape. Running a lap around here won't be a problem for me."

His tone was firm, and he was about to take the other person's backpack off.

Mo Yixia stepped back to show her resistance. She did want to reach the summit, but she didn't want to become a burden. Han Zhou had already carried a lot of things for her, and if she added more weight, the rest of the journey would definitely be very difficult.

Even though she could tell that the other party was indeed holding back some strength.

However, Han Zhou displayed an unprecedentedly tough attitude. Without saying a word, he pressed down on her shoulder with one hand and quickly snatched the backpack from her back with the other.

Mo Yixia was too exhausted to resist. She didn't make a sound, but just held tightly to the backpack straps, her eyes behind her goggles staring straight at Han Zhou.

Han Zhou met her gaze without flinching, then suddenly sighed.

"You can read minds, right? You must be able to tell I'm not lying. I can carry you all the way to the top of the mountain, let alone carry an extra backpack."

Mo Yixia seemed not to hear, and continued to hold on to the straps.

"If you like holding on, then hold on. It's good that I can't keep looking back at you all the time, so I won't lose you on the way."

Han Zhou had no choice but to shake his head, both amused and exasperated, and turned around to walk on, carrying his backpack in one hand.

The backpack was suspended in mid-air, with the other end connected to the silent girl.

(End of this chapter)