Chapter 62: The Rabbit Doesn’t Eat the Grass Around Its Burrow

Just now, in front of Mei Chuanchuan, Fang Zhou didn’t expose Zhang Zhiyin, wanting to save her face.

Now that it was just the two of them, it was time to get to the bottom of things.

“Are you really just out here looking for inspiration?”

Fang Zhou found it hard to believe.

“I’ll take what you said earlier as a joke, but don’t say it in front of others again.”

He looked at Zhang Zhiyin seriously.

There were already four of his exes on the show. Adding another baseless one would be too much for him to handle.

Fang Zhou didn’t want the show to end before it even started.

Zhang Zhiyin smiled nonchalantly at Fang Zhou’s warning.

“What, is it embarrassing to say you dated me?”

Her eyes curved into crescents when she smiled, resembling a crescent moon.

But when she wasn’t smiling, her face looked serious, with a slight melancholy between her brows.

If Zhang Zhiyin had entered the entertainment industry instead of the literary world, many directors would have cast her in tragic love stories.

Her face was perfect for such roles.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Fang Zhou avoided her gaze, looking at the banana that Mei Chuanchuan had just picked and that he hadn’t eaten yet.

“But we never dated, so why say that?”

He just didn’t want to create trouble for himself or Zhang Zhiyin.

Zhang Zhiyin was famous in the literary world, with a young reader base. If they found out she had dated him, they would dig into their history.

It could even involve Qiao Sisi.

Things hadn’t even happened yet, but Fang Zhou already felt a headache coming. It was a foreseeable mess.

“What if I said I regret it?”

Zhang Zhiyin suddenly reached out and picked something off Fang Zhou’s bed. It was a lily left by Han Xi earlier.

She waved the white flower in front of Fang Zhou, implying, “What if I hadn’t gone abroad and stayed to wait for you to break up with Qiao Sisi? Would we have been together?”

The same woman who had just called Fang Zhou overconfident now started another hypothetical, leaving him stunned.

“What are you saying?”

“That’s impossible.”

This hypothesis was like a sharp sword, piercing Fang Zhou’s most hidden fears. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility and directly denied her words.

“I wouldn’t date my friends.”

“I wouldn’t before, and I won’t now.”

It seemed Fang Zhou was advising Zhang Zhiyin and himself, emphasizing twice that it was impossible.

“Good, remember your words.”

Zhang Zhiyin, being rejected, didn’t show much disappointment.

She smiled ambiguously and slowly said, “Even rabbits don’t eat the grass around their burrow, but you, Fang Zhou, are worse than a rabbit, eating everything.”

These words were both mocking and a warning.

Fang Zhou immediately retorted, “I’m not someone who takes anything I can get.”

“Really? Did you carefully choose the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 you dated?”

Zhang Zhiyin countered, making Fang Zhou ask in embarrassment.

“How do you know I dated so many?”

Wasn’t she abroad? How did she know so much?

“Heh, there are no walls without cracks. Did you think you could hide your relationships?”

Zhang Zhiyin didn’t answer directly, instead glancing at him sideways and warning, “If you want to live longer, stop provoking certain people.”

Her words seemed to hide a deeper meaning, making Fang Zhou’s heart skip a beat. He looked at Zhang Zhiyin suspiciously and asked, “What do you mean?”

Did she know one of his exes was dangerously possessive?

How could that be? She didn’t know them.

“What do you mean? Look at you, ending up in the hospital over a dating show. What’s wrong with telling you to choose your partners carefully?”

Fang Zhou’s heart, which had been hanging, suddenly relaxed.

She was just worried about him, after all.

He had always been straightforward with friends, and Fang Zhou knew Zhang Zhiyin had a fiery temper, harsh words but a kind heart.

Despite her constant mocking, it was a form of concern.

This kind of care was unique, and many couldn’t accept it.

It was like parents caring for their children, using their own methods rather than the child’s understanding.

This was the root of many family conflicts.

But Fang Zhou was familiar with Zhang Zhiyin. Even after so many years, her words still had that high school flavor.

“I know.”

He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to communicate with Zhang Zhiyin.

She was like a porcupine now, probably still angry about not contacting him for so many years.

It wasn’t that Fang Zhou didn’t contact her, but she had changed her phone number and WeChat ID after going abroad, making it impossible to find her.

Plus, he had moved away from his hometown, putting things on hold.

Seeing Fang Zhou’s concession, Zhang Zhiyin felt a pang of sadness.

No, you don’t know, you know nothing.

She took back the lily, slowly rubbing it in her hand, her aura weakening.

Fang Zhou noticed her sudden silence and felt puzzled. Why wasn’t she talking?

Looking up, he saw Zhang Zhiyin’s eyes were red, brimming with tears like a dam about to burst.

Except for their last parting, Fang Zhou had never seen Zhang Zhiyin like this. He panicked.

Hurriedly getting out of bed, he grabbed two tissues from the bedside table and handed them to her.

“Are you okay? Don’t cry.”

His clumsy comfort made Zhang Zhiyin’s already low spirits overflow even more.

She spoke with a sob, her voice hard, “I don’t need your fake concern.”

Such words were best ignored.

Fang Zhou didn’t take it to heart. She didn’t take the tissue he offered, and tears started flowing from her eyes.

Her tear-streaked face was heartbreaking.

Fang Zhou couldn’t stand women’s tears, especially from a former close friend.

“If something’s bothering you, you can tell me. Don’t cry.”

Fang Zhou couldn’t resist and reached out to wipe her tears.

“Who’s crying? I just got something in my eye.”

Zhang Zhiyin was still stubborn, but Fang Zhou’s hand was already close.

The soft tissue brushed against her elastic skin, instantly soaking wet.

Just as Fang Zhou was about to comfort Zhang Zhiyin, someone walked in from outside.

That person coldly asked, “What are you doing?”