Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 187 The Pursuer

Mo Yixia helped Han Zhou wipe the water off his face, but she had no good intentions and used all her strength to almost rub off a layer of skin from his face.

He was certain that this guy was definitely looking for an opportunity to retaliate.

His cheeks burned with pain, and he gasped, ignoring the pitying looks from Xiao Yuyan and Zhang Tao, before turning to look at the girl with waist-length hair.

The latter breathed on his palm, rubbed it gently, and then slowly withdrew his hand back into his palm, saying innocently, "You'll catch a cold if you get wet at this temperature. You should understand the principle of friction generating heat."

Han Zhou laughed angrily: "So I should thank you?"

“Isn’t that so?” Mo Yixia met his gaze calmly and said lightly, “Of course, if you really don’t appreciate my kindness, then I don’t mind if you retaliate in kind.”

She looked down at her hand that was being held.

"You think beautifully."

Han Zhou rolled his eyes at her, annoyed. He had no intention of helping this guy rub his hands.

Mo Yixia seemed to see through his thoughts, moved her lips, and said in a voice that only he could hear, "I didn't say you were going to rub my hands together to make them warm."

"Even the face won't do."

Han Zhou also moved his lips. In order to "fight" against her mother who could read lips, Mo Yixia had also learned a little lip reading and could understand his meaning.

He chuckled inwardly, realizing that they were actually able to communicate without words.

Mo Yixia looked at him for a while, then suddenly curled the corners of her lips and said in a meaningful tone, "I didn't say it was the face."

"..."

Han Zhou opened his mouth, then fell silent.

Seeing that the two seemed to be communicating in secret, Xiao Yuyan couldn't help but smile like an aunt, while apologizing, "I'm sorry, Han Zhou, I just couldn't help myself..."

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

Han Zhou shook his head. He had lost count of how many times he had been sprayed with water in his face; he had simply gotten used to it.

Fortunately, no one has sprayed boiling water in his face so far.

……

"I'm going out to use the restroom, anyone want to come along?"

Chen Xiang got out of bed, and the moment he stepped out of the warm blankets, he shivered violently and quickly put on his coat and got out of bed.

Liang Qian was feeling sleepy and curled up in the blankets, not paying any attention to him.

Lin Ming was still playing games when he heard this and casually said, "I'm not going. You can have Xinyu go with you."

Liao Xinyu sat dejectedly on the stool, looking utterly hopeless. Chen Xiang shook his head in dismay, walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Xinyu, come with me to the restroom."

Liao Xinyu absentmindedly hummed in agreement, then got up and went out the door with him.

Although the door was only open for a short while, the cold air and wind that rushed into the room still made Lin Xiaoyou shiver. She shrank her neck and muttered, "I didn't expect you boys to like going to the toilet together too."

Lin Ming rolled his eyes at his girlfriend, annoyed: "Don't be so naive. Going to the toilet in a group isn't a girl's privilege. Besides, it's dark outside, so it's safer to have a partner."

Lin Xiaoyou was waiting for these words, and said in a low voice, "Then you'll come with me later, I'm a little scared."

"I'm not going." Lin Ming shook his head and sneered, "It's freezing outside, only a fool would go out."

"Go." Lin Xiaoyou said with a stern face.

"Don't go."

"go with!"

"Don't go."

"are you going?"

Lin Xiaoyou raised her eyebrows and stuffed her cold hand into the back of her foolish boyfriend's collar.

"hiss--"

Lin Ming gasped, nearly jumping up from the cold. He quickly apologized and begged for forgiveness, "Go, I'll go, okay? I was just joking. Take your hand out right now!"

"late!"

Lin Xiaoyou gritted her teeth and grabbed her foolish boyfriend's ear with her other hand.

The toilets at the base camp were not as rudimentary as Chen Xiang had imagined; on the contrary, they were quite "high-class." Apart from being relatively small, they looked much like ordinary public toilets, with a washbasin, a mirror, and a working light. Moreover, they were not squat toilets as he had expected, but rather Western-style toilets. Although they had a slight odor, they looked fairly clean.

However, it must be said that sitting on the toilet in such a low temperature environment is a real test of willpower. He hesitated for a while before daring to sit down, and suddenly gasped for breath.

In the dead of night, all that could be heard outside was the howling of the wind, occasionally accompanied by strange noises that sounded a bit like howling wolves. The thought that he was now on a snow-capped mountain at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, far from any human habitation, made even a big man like Chen Xiang feel a little scared, so he couldn't help but knock on the bathroom door.

"Xinyu? Xinyu? Are you outside?"

"Ah."

Liao Xinyu's muffled voice soon rang out from outside the door.

Hearing his friend's voice, Chen Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and reminded him, "Wait a little longer, my stomach is a bit upset."

"Ah."

Liao Xinyu's tone was quite dejected, and he seemed melancholy.

Chen Xiang sighed and comforted him, "There's no need to hold a grudge. Some things can't be forced. There are plenty of women in this world. At worst, I'll send you a few pretty junior girls' WeChat contacts when we get back."

"If Xiaoyu could win me over, I would have pursued her back then..." he thought to himself.

"no need."

Liao Xinyu remained silent for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Chen Xiang, you...you mean...Xiaoyu really doesn't have any feelings for me at all?"

"Hmm... I guess so."

Chen Xiang hesitated for a moment, not wanting to be too blunt, but still felt it necessary to dissuade his affectionate roommate. After all, there are plenty of fish in the sea, why hang yourself on one tree? This guy hasn't even had sex yet, he should have found a new target long ago.

He yawned and casually said, "If a girl had even the slightest bit of affection for you, she would never publicly express her rejection like she did today. Xiaoyu left no way out, whether for you or for herself. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Besides, you've already gone to such lengths; those who were meant to be moved have already been moved...

Chen Xiang didn't say these words aloud; he just shook his head inwardly.

Liao Xinyu remained silent outside the door for a long time. If Chen Xiang didn't know his personality, he might have thought Liao Xinyu had already left.

They're still not giving up...

Chen Xiang frowned, thinking of his roommate's stubborn temper. After a moment's thought, he slipped a cigarette and a lighter through the crack under the toilet door: "Want some?"

"No," Liao Xinyu said sullenly. "I don't smoke, and Xiaoyu doesn't like the smell of smoke. I don't want her to hate me."

Dude, you're really going overboard with this. Can't you see she's starting to dislike you...?

Chen Xiang was speechless. Since this guy was stubborn and wouldn't turn back even after hitting a wall, he was too lazy to persuade him anymore. He casually put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, and the toilet was soon filled with smoke.

"Ugh."

Although he couldn't understand the mentality of a simp, they were brothers after all, and he still felt a little sorry for them. He sighed and said, "I have one last way to bring you two closer. Want to hear it?"

Liao Xinyu was silent for a moment, then his voice finally showed a bit more energy: "W-what method?"

Sigh, it's hopeless...

Chen Xiang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, also remained silent for a while.

Have you heard of the suspension bridge effect?

……

Inside the room, Han Zhou and the others promptly ended the conversation about "Chen Xiang carrying a backpack".

After all, the only person truly connected to him was Xiao Yuyan; others could only offer condemnation and didn't care about how things would develop.

Xiao Yuyan was in a bad mood, but she knew that thinking about it now would be useless. She silently pondered for a while how to comfort her best friend, and then temporarily put this upsetting matter out of her mind.

She exhaled a breath of stale air, barely managing to calm her bad mood. Then, she looked at Han Zhou and Mo Yixia with expectant eyes, coughed twice, and hinted, "Um... our Texas Hold'em game isn't over yet, is it?"

According to the game rules, she could ask Han Zhou and Mo Yixia, the losers, a question each. As a CP leader and gossip enthusiast, this was the part she looked forward to the most.

Mo Yixia glanced at her and said calmly, "Speak, what do you want to ask?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Zhou's heart jumped.

It's obvious to anyone that Xiao Yuyan will most likely ask questions related to romance, and Mo Yixia is the kind of person who thrives on chaos, so even if she answers, she probably won't give a proper answer.

This made him feel somewhat uneasy.

Xiao Yuyan's eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands to her chest, eagerly asking, "I want to know about your first time!"

the first time?
Seeing Han Zhou's stiff expression, Zhang Tao's shocked eyes, and Mo Yixia's calm demeanor, Xiao Yuyan realized she hadn't explained herself clearly. Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly added, "The first time we met! I meant the first time we met!"

Han Zhou's heart, which had been pounding, slowly calmed down. The question was actually quite normal... However, to prevent Mo Yixia from spouting nonsense, he still looked at her seriously and reminded her, word by word, "Answer truthfully."

Mo Yixia ignored him, tilting her head slightly, seemingly lost in her memories.

After a brief silence, she spoke: "We first met on a summer afternoon."

"It was a very hot and humid day. I was walking to my tutoring class when I suddenly noticed a shifty-eyed guy staring at me."

Xiao Yuyan and Zhang Tao looked at Han Zhou at the same time. The latter's lips twitched. Clearly, this "shifty-eyed" guy was referring to him.

"I walked over, and the shifty-eyed guy immediately offered me a bottle of water with a fawning expression. I could tell he had some ulterior motive, but it didn't seem to be entirely about me, which made me a little curious."

"I thought he looked familiar, and I recognized him soon enough. He was a student I had seen on the honor roll of a middle school not long ago. At that time, I needed someone to tutor me so that I wouldn't have to go to tutoring classes under the scorching sun every day. So I invited him to be my tutor, and he agreed eagerly."

"What a coincidence..."

Xiao Yuyan listened with great interest, automatically ignoring some of the strange wording, and wore a satisfied smile on her face.

Wait, has your threshold for shipping couples always been this low...?

Han Zhou could hardly help but complain. What kind of fate was this? It was just an ordinary encounter.
"I don't believe in fate, but there was definitely an element of chance in our meeting that day."

However, Mo Yixia seemed to have a different perspective, pondering, "I've never taken that road before. That day was the first time, and perhaps the only time. And the moment I saw that shifty-eyed guy, I suddenly had a strange premonition..."

She gave Han Zhou a meaningful look, and there seemed to be something else in her otherwise cool voice.

"...It seems like he was waiting for me on purpose."

Although she said "it seems," her expression and tone conveyed a sense of certainty.

Xiao Yuyan's eyes widened as she looked at Han Zhou excitedly: "Is that so?"

Han Zhou was also taken aback by Mo Yixia's words, and quickly retorted, "Does this count as me losing to you?"

"No."

Xiao Yuyan quickly shook her head. Her opportunity to ask a question was precious, and she couldn't waste it on such a simple question.

“Then I refuse to answer,” Han Zhou said righteously.

“Sometimes refusing to answer is itself an answer.” Mo Yixia turned to look at him. “My hunch was right.”

She had never verified this before, but now she has a definitive answer.

Although the guy didn't give a direct answer.

Han Zhou remained silent. In a sense, Mo Yixia was indeed the person he was waiting for, but the person he was waiting for did not necessarily have to be Mo Yixia.

There is a difference between the two.

What would this guy think if he knew that?

Or perhaps... she had already figured it out?
"I remember something funny."

Mo Yixia withdrew her gaze and continued, "Just as I was about to leave, that shifty-eyed guy suddenly played a song for me."

"What song?" Xiao Yuyan immediately asked.

"I Want to Fall in Love"

I want to fall in love... Xiao Yuyan's eyes became intense.

“I’ve heard this song, it’s pretty good,” Zhang Tao interjected.

"Sister Yuyan, don't look at me like that."

Han Zhou said without changing his expression, "That's Lin Anyu's ringtone, it has nothing to do with me."

"Hehe." Mo Yixia gave a forced smile.

"That's it, that's it..."

Xiao Yuyan was so excited that she suddenly stood up, her eyes wide, and exclaimed, "So Han Zhou, you...you fell in love with Mo Yixia at first sight?!"

Han Zhou was startled by her reaction: "Why are you so agitated?"

"Excuse me."

Xiao Yuyan realized she had lost her composure and gave an awkward laugh, which then widened as she said with longing, "I just think it's so romantic, you two are such a perfect match, hehe..."

Han Zhou fell silent, followed by a sudden toothache.

If he remembered correctly, this didn't seem to be the first time this guy had said that to him.

This guy's threshold for shipping couples is really low...

Han Zhou couldn't quite understand Xiao Yuyan's thought process. He thought that if this girl really met someone who fell in love with her at first sight in the future, she probably wouldn't find this romantic anymore.

He shook his head, adopting a businesslike demeanor: "Unless this is a question I lost to you on, I refuse to answer."

"All right……"

Xiao Yuyan wasn't disappointed. With a smile, she said, "Then I'll ask you a different question. This time, it's the question you lost to me on. You need to answer properly. You... what's that sound outside? Can you hear it?"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly turned her head to look towards the door, her expression somewhat tense.

Han Zhou listened carefully and answered quickly, "There's only the sound of the wind outside, I can hear it very clearly."

He is still in a state of enhanced hearing and can hear the sounds outside very clearly.

"Is it just the sound of the wind?" Xiao Yuyan asked in surprise and uncertainty, "Why do I think I heard a wolf howling?"

"You misheard, these are just rumors."

Zhang Tao, who had barely spoken, finally spoke up, "I asked the guides beforehand, and they told me there wouldn't be any wolves in this area, otherwise I would have tried to take some photos."

His tone was somewhat regretful.

"Oh, that's good..."

Although she didn't know why the burly man had such a regretful expression, Xiao Yuyan finally felt relieved and looked at Han Zhou again with a smile, saying, "Then I'll continue asking."

Han Zhou, thick-skinned as ever, feigned confusion: "What do you mean?"

"Of course, it's to ask questions."

"But didn't you already ask that?"

"Really?" Xiao Yuyan was taken aback.

"I asked." Han Zhou nodded seriously. "You asked what the sound was outside, and I answered that it was the wind. I've already answered that."

Xiao Yuyan stared at him blankly, and it took her two seconds to react. The smile on her face gradually disappeared, her eyes widened slowly, and she said angrily, "You're cheating!"

Han Zhou was just teasing her. Although he was a little nervous, he wasn't really afraid of anything and wouldn't cheat. Just as he was about to speak, Mo Yixia spoke first.

"This guy has always been thick-skinned. You can ask me any questions, and I'll answer them for you."

Xiao Yuyan's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "I want to ask you what your relationship is!"

She spoke very quickly, as if afraid that Han Zhou would jump out and ruin the conversation. At this point, she could tell that Han Zhou clearly did not want to answer her questions, as if he were on guard against a paparazzi reporter.

This hurt her deeply.

Mo Yixia considered for a moment: "I can't give you a good answer to this question either, but if I had to give a specific relationship, then I'm currently pursuing this guy... so I'd say I'm his pursuer."

She paused, then nodded as if confirming her own opinion, "That's right, a suitor."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the other three people in the room were all stunned.

"Are you Han Zhou's suitor?"

Seemingly doubting her own ears, Xiao Yuyan repeated herself, word by word, "You? Pursuing Han Zhou?"

"Isn't it obvious enough?"

Mo Yixia looked down at her hand that was being held, her expression calm, without a trace of embarrassment or awkwardness on her face.

It's obvious, but you two are clearly a couple...

Xiao Yuyan followed her gaze and saw a large hand warming a small hand—clearly a public display of affection. Recalling the scene of feeding chocolate she had witnessed before, her expression grew increasingly strange: "So, did you succeed in your pursuit?"

"No."

Mo Yixia glanced at Han Zhou first, then shook her head, "That man is as hard as iron, and I can't move him no matter what I do."

The tone wasn't sad, but it seemed to hide a self-deprecating sigh.

For some reason, Xiao Yuyan suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

(End of this chapter)