Chapter 127 Fang Zhou is Also Sick

As the sun rose in the east and set in the west, its rays shone on the fluttering red flag on the playground. Qin Yun, Zhang Zhiyin, and Fang Zhou embarked on their hiking trip.

Although the mountain was only a few hundred meters high, this path was rarely traveled, except by the occasional herb gatherer.

As a result, their shoes quickly got covered in yellow mud, and their pace slowed down.

The cameraman carrying the camera on his shoulder moved even more slowly.

Zhang Zhiyin, feeling hot, took off her sun protection jacket, revealing the short sleeves underneath, and started tying up her hair.

“Let me help you.”

Fang Zhou, standing next to her, instinctively reached out to take her jacket and backpack.

This was their usual practice from before; the guy would help carry some stuff as a sign of understanding.

Only after taking the bag did he realize it was quite heavy.

“Did you pack iron in here?”

Fang Zhou was always curious about how girls’ bags had such bizarre contents.

You’d think they were useless, but they seemed somewhat useful.

You’d think they were useful, but they actually weren’t needed.

And those times on high-speed trains when he’d help a girl with her suitcase, only to nearly embarrass himself by not being able to lift it.

So Fang Zhou asked Zhang Zhiyin if her bag was filled with iron.

She smiled and opened the bag to show him.

“Not much, just a bottle of water, an umbrella, a couple of mandarin oranges, and a few Snickers bars.”

Fang Zhou chuckled, handing her the jacket but keeping the bag on his shoulder.

Qin Yun, nearby, laughed softly, generously praising, “You’re so attentive. I didn’t bring anything, just myself.”

Zhang Zhiyin felt a bit awkward. She could tell Qin Yun was interested in Fang Zhou, but she was forced to join them on the hike because of the binding card.

If she had no feelings for Fang Zhou, it wouldn’t be a big deal; she’d just tag along as a friend.

The problem was, she had secretly liked Fang Zhou for many years!

This new experience of going on a date with a rival was something she had never encountered before.

Zhang Zhiyin decided to return the compliment.

“Beautiful women don’t need to bring anything; their presence is enough. By the way, I heard your hometown is also Henan?”

Know your enemy, know yourself.

Qin Yun nodded, grabbing two tree trunks to pull herself up a slope.

“Yes, same place as you guys. We might have even met before.”

She looked at Fang Zhou with a knowing smile. He was also climbing the slope.

Fang Zhou wasn’t worried. Zhang Zhiyin wasn’t an ex-girlfriend, so even if she knew about him and Qin Yun, it didn’t matter much.

“What a coincidence. We can hang out together when we go home for the New Year.”

“Sure, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Both Zhang Zhiyin and Qin Yun smiled, knowing it was just a polite remark.

Adults have their own circles, and unless they’re social prodigies, they rarely want to hang out with strangers.

The muddy mountain path was exhausting, especially since it was uneven, so they stopped chatting and focused on the hike.

About half an hour later, they finally reached the mountain top.

There was a signal tower there. Looking down from the top, they could see the surrounding mountains, with an even higher one in the distance, partially blocking the view but not the sunset.

Fang Zhou took off his jacket, laid it down for the two to sit on, and sat on the grass himself, admiring the scenery and clearing his mind.

If only every day could be this relaxing.

No dealing with bothersome haters, no ex-girlfriend drama, no struggling with a hard life.

Unfortunately, if Qin Yun behaved, she wouldn’t be Qin Yun.

She started stirring things up shortly after sitting down.

With the camera right beside them, she began gossiping about Zhang Zhiyin.

“Zhiyin, you’re so excellent. Have you ever dated before?”

The live audience perked up, eagerly anticipating her answer.

“Hahaha, no wonder she’s a queen. She asks the best questions.”

“I think she mentioned in an interview before that she hasn’t dated.”

“Honestly, I never thought she’d join a dating show. Maybe even a famous author gets pressured to marry?”

Zhang Zhiyin, peeling an orange, paused but quickly resumed.

“No, I’m just here to see if there’s any fate.”

She smiled and threw the question back, teasing, “What about you? Doctors in your hospital must be excellent.”

Qin Yun tapped her leg absentmindedly, replying, “I don’t like colleagues or older men. Younger guys are the way to go.”

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Fang Zhou, making her intent clear.

Zhang Zhiyin noticed her look, unsurprised.

“What a coincidence. I don’t like younger or older guys. I prefer those my age.”

Among the male guests, only Fang Zhou and Liu Hao were her age.

Their gazes clashed in the air, creating invisible sparks.

Some enthusiastic viewers captured this moment, dubbing it ‘Declare War! Rival!’

Fang Zhou remained silent, knowing it was best not to speak now.

But Qin Yun wouldn’t let him off.

“Fang Zhou, how many have you dated before?”

No one ignores their crush’s dating history.

Fang Zhou’s smile froze, glaring at Qin Yun, knowing she had bad intentions.

He coughed lightly, saying without guilt, “Two.”

Qin Yun squinted, clearly not believing him.

“Really?”

Internally, she cursed Fang Zhou: Nonsense, I know of at least three—Han Xi, Chu Xinran, and myself.

It couldn’t be just two. Besides, with Fang Zhou’s personality, he wouldn’t have only dated these three.

Qin Yun understood Fang Zhou like a farmer understands the twenty-four solar terms, knowing exactly what to do at each time.

She asked to gauge him, but it didn’t matter if he didn’t answer. It was all in the past anyway.

Fang Zhou once called her sick, but he was no different.

This constant dating and breaking up is known in psychology as limerence.

In simple terms: I love you until you love me.

Or commonly: I only like you when you don’t like me.

Fang Zhou was exactly this type.