Chapter 102: Even Friends are Blooming Like Iron Trees!

After finishing today’s six-hour stream, it was already around four or five in the afternoon.

Fang Zhou had planned to personally cook a meal for his sister, but received a call from Li Siming.

“Hey? Come out for dinner! Zhi Yin is back, shouldn’t our trio celebrate?”

Fang Zhou raised an eyebrow, remembering that Zhang Zhi Yin had just returned to the country and hadn’t yet met with Li Siming.

“Alright, you pick a place. I’ll ask her if she’s free.”

Li Siming agreed cheerfully.

“Sure, let’s go to Chef Guo’s place. His iron pot-stewed goose is amazing!”

Fang Zhou responded affirmatively, hung up the phone, and opened the WeChat chat window with Zhang Zhi Yin.

Yi Ye Qing Zhou: Are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner with Li Siming.

An Zhi Ting Lan: Sure, where?

Fang Zhou sent her the location, informed his sister, and then headed out.

When he arrived at the location Li Siming had specified, Li Siming was already waiting in the private room.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Li Siming grinning at his phone.

Fang Zhou lightened his steps, circled behind Li Siming, and suddenly clamped his neck, laughing sinisterly, “This is a robbery!”

Li Siming, his neck held, could only grab Fang Zhou’s hand while cursing.

“Fang Zhou, you bastard, robbing your godfather? Are you tired of living?”

Fang Zhou laughed heartily, releasing his hold and plopping down beside Li Siming.

“You recognized me? As expected of my good son!”

Li Siming slapped Fang Zhou’s shoulder in return, retorting with a laugh, “Go away, you’re the good son.”

They exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

After a while, Fang Zhou stopped laughing and, with a wink, asked Li Siming, “What were you laughing about earlier? Did you get lucky in love?”

Li Siming’s reaction was uncharacteristically shy, a hint of bashfulness on his face.

“Heh, you guessed it.”

Fang Zhou’s eyes widened in surprise, “Really? The iron tree bloomed?”

His reaction was due to Li Siming’s past heartbreak, where he spent years chasing a class beauty only to see her marry someone else, leaving him in a slump for a long time.

Fang Zhou encouraged Li Siming to pursue love again, but Li Siming shook his head, claiming his heart was broken and beyond repair.

He said, “I’ve cemented my heart; I’ll never love again.”

Yet today, he admitted to being in love?

Isn’t this the iron tree blooming?

“Wow, tell me, how did it happen?”

Fang Zhou’s curiosity was piqued, wondering what circumstances led Li Siming to reopen his heart.

Li Siming scratched his head and began recounting.

“About a year ago, I had a car accident and met her in the hospital. We were in the same ward…”

“Later, we kept meeting by chance, and I found my attention always on her, my emotions following her moods.”

“So I tested her feelings, and it naturally led to us being together.”

After hearing the story, Fang Zhou could only say one thing.

“Fate!”

Isn’t it said that the right person will always appear in your life?

Li Siming’s relationship was just a matter of fate!

Fang Zhou patted Li Siming’s shoulder, feeling gratified, “It’s not easy to meet a good girl. Cherish her!”

Li Siming’s face lit up with a blissful smile, nodding earnestly, “Of course, I’m planning to introduce her to my parents after the New Year, then we can get engaged.”

Fang Zhou was stunned for a moment. After the New Year? That was only half a year away.

Engagement—a term that was once close to him but ultimately out of reach due to insufficient fate.

Fang Zhou’s mood suddenly turned a bit melancholic.

He was genuinely happy for his friend finding love, but it contrasted with his own plight of being entangled with a yandere ex-girlfriend.

He silently hoped: After finishing that show, I hope I can completely get rid of them.

As they were discussing, someone pushed the door open.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

It was Zhang Zhi Yin, in a light blue dress with light makeup, looking fresh and youthful.

“No, we just got here.”

Fang Zhou stepped forward, gentlemanly taking her bag and hanging it up.

Li Siming greeted her with joy, “Long time no see!”

“Long time no see.”

The three friends had endless topics to talk about.

After about ten minutes, the food started arriving.

First up was the iron pot-stewed goose, its aroma instantly capturing everyone’s appetite.

“Come on, let’s eat while it’s hot!”

As Fang Zhou reached out to grab some food, Zhang Zhi Yin was quicker, placing a piece of meat in his bowl naturally.

“Li Siming said it’s delicious, you try it first.”

Zhang Zhi Yin smiled brightly, seemingly unaware of the implications of her action, genuinely wanting Fang Zhou to taste the food.

Li Siming, also smiling, didn’t notice anything unusual.

“Eat! My recommendations are always spot-on!”

But Fang Zhou thought differently.

He recalled their last dinner, which ended unpleasantly, starting with Zhang Zhi Yin serving him food.

Back then, he didn’t realize the implication of her gesture and accepted her kindness without a second thought.

It wasn’t until Zhang Zhi Yin clarified, saying, “Do you think I’d serve food to someone I don’t like?” that he understood.

Indeed, Zhang Zhi Yin never served food to Li Siming.

Fang Zhou hesitated, suppressing his unease, and took a bite, then said, “Delicious, everyone try it!”

She probably didn’t mean anything by it, right?

This gesture probably didn’t carry any other significance, right?

Sitting beside him, Zhang Zhi Yin lightly bit into a piece of goose, chewing thoughtfully, pondering: What kind of girl does Fang Zhou like now?

She returned to the country for him, and if she didn’t seize the opportunity to spend time with him, things would repeat after the show ended.

No, that dream was too terrifying, Fang Zhou being with someone else felt unsafe.

Only by keeping an eye on him herself could she be at ease.

She would never let Fang Zhou die as miserably as in her dream.