Chapter 9: Then There’s No Other Way
Unlike the old Huadu residential area, Yunhuan residential area’s elevators not only don’t break down every now and then, but they are also equipped with generators, so they can be used normally even during a power outage. Otherwise, walking down from over thirty floors would be quite a challenge.
The rain had grown heavier. Most residents in the community had received power outage notifications, and they clearly didn’t want to suffer in the heat at home. They were leaving the community, umbrellas in hand, a colorful river of umbrellas flowing together in the rain.
Mo Yixia was still wearing a mask, so it was hard to see her expression, but her slightly flickering eyes revealed her excitement. It seemed that as long as she could escape all restraints and go out, even braving heavy rain was something to be happy about.
The two walked side by side in the rain, each holding an umbrella. Han Zhou asked curiously, “It’s one thing to wear it at home, but do you even wear a mask when you go out?”
“Yes, I’m used to it,” Mo Yixia’s voice was soft, sounding a bit muffled in the rain.
“Even at school?”
“Yes.”
Han Zhou wasn’t trying to criticize other people’s habits, but he was still curious, “I know why you wear a mask, but why do you always wear a hat?” He looked at the black baseball cap on her head.
Mo Yixia glanced at him, then raised her hand and pulled the brim of her hat down further, stating calmly, “Pulling it down can cover my eyes. That way, no one will know what I’m thinking.”
“Then you might as well buy a pair of sunglasses…” Han Zhou was a bit speechless, thinking to himself that this guy might have gotten too addicted to being a “secret agent,” or perhaps this wasn’t the real reason.
The two took a taxi. They were originally going to the Trade Building, but halfway there, they suddenly saw a food street that seemed to be hosting a food festival, looking quite lively.
Although Mo Yixia didn’t say anything, her eyes didn’t leave the street once she saw it. Seeing this, Han Zhou simply asked the driver to stop there.
It didn’t matter where they went anyway. Since this guy was interested, they might as well stay here.
“I’ll stay in this shop to do the test papers. You can wander around nearby, but you have to be back by four o’clock at the latest. Don’t go too far. Oh, and save my phone number…” Han Zhou found a milk tea shop and sat down. The cool air from the air conditioner made him feel refreshed, but since he was taking his employer’s daughter out to play behind his employer’s back, he felt a bit guilty, so he kept reminding Mo Yixia, afraid that something might go wrong.
Mo Yixia listened obediently, nodded, and then was about to leave, seemingly a bit impatient.
“Wait a moment.” Han Zhou’s voice rang out behind her. She turned her head and saw him hand her a fruit tea, saying casually, “This one’s for you.” The cup was cold. She paused, then held it carefully with both hands, said thank you, and then quickly left.
She really didn’t want to stay a moment longer… Han Zhou shook his head to himself, though he could somewhat understand. If he had been cooped up for so long, he’d probably feel the same way. He just hoped she’d come back on time and that nothing would go wrong.
“But the task of making this guy not dislike me still hasn’t been completed. Does that mean she actually dislikes me right now? It’s hard to tell…” Han Zhou didn’t think he could increase her favorability much in less than a day. He just found it a bit strange and didn’t know what the baseline for a girl like her to not dislike someone was.
The difficulty of the test papers was slightly high. Before coming, Han Zhou had specifically looked into Mo Yixia’s academic level. Besides math and physics, her other subjects were actually quite good, making her a rather imbalanced student.
Thinking of this, Han Zhou had a rough idea in his mind and began to answer the questions.
Of course, the Chinese test paper still had to be left for her to do herself. Subjects with a lot of subjective questions, especially essays, were more prone to issues if someone else did them.
Han Zhou became more and more engrossed in answering the questions. Just as he was feeling a sense of being back right before the college entrance exam, his phone suddenly rang. The caller was Lin An Yu.
It must be about last night… He instantly knew the other party’s intention, pressed the answer button, and silently moved the phone away a bit.
“Why didn’t you reply to my message, you little brat?” Lin An Yu’s first sentence was indeed a loud complaint, full of deep resentment.
Han Zhou lightly tapped the paper with his pen, a habit he had when thinking while answering questions. He said helplessly, “You only talk useless nonsense, what am I supposed to reply with?”
“Forget it, let’s not talk about that for now. Quickly tell me if you’re free tomorrow. I really need you, it’s urgent!”
“You tell me what you want me to do first.” As soon as he mentioned what to do, Lin An Yu became vague, perfunctorily saying, “In short, it won’t be too difficult for you.”
Han Zhou sneered, “Not too difficult, that means it will still be somewhat difficult…” He was about to play tai chi with this guy, but then he looked up and saw a familiar figure outside the milk tea shop. So he quickened his speech, “I won’t be free until after six in the evening tomorrow at the earliest. If it’s still urgent then, call me. That’s it.”
Ignoring Lin An Yu’s shouts, he hung up the phone, got up, and asked the shop assistant to help watch the test papers on the table. The assistant, blushing, agreed.
At the same time, in front of a barbecue stall opposite the milk tea shop, Gu Zheng was in the midst of a fierce internal struggle. Suddenly, the corner of her mouth curved slightly, and without turning her head, she firmly grabbed the hand that reached for her shoulder from behind, instinctively trying to twist it back.
To her surprise, the hand was astonishingly strong. She turned around in surprise, just in time to see a distorted Han Zhou.
“Han Zhou? What are you doing here?” Han Zhou was struggling to hold on, speaking with difficulty, “You let go of my hand first…”
“Ah, I’m so sorry, so sorry!” Gu Zheng exclaimed, quickly letting go and explaining, “I’ve been practicing self-defense lately, it was a bit of a reflex.” However, despite what she said, her eyes were almost crescent-shaped from smiling, showing no sign of embarrassment whatsoever.
Her cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel’s, filled with an unknown amount of food. Suddenly, she looked at Han Zhou suspiciously, “But when did you get so strong?”
You’re the strong one, aren’t you? If I weren’t in a “dying” state right now, my hand might already be broken… Han Zhou couldn’t be bothered to expose this guy. The barbecue grill in front of her was brand new, its surface gleaming so much it could be used as a mirror.
He could tell that Gu Zheng had definitely seen him approaching. Her heavy-handedness was probably revenge for him making her watch a horror movie yesterday. She really held a grudge.
The barbecue stall owner was a kind uncle, subtly fanning the aroma of the skewers towards the two of them. When he felt the time was right, he said with a beaming smile, “What would you two like to eat?”
The aroma, like a soul-snatching chain, quickly drew Gu Zheng’s gaze. She secretly swallowed, wanting to eat but also hesitating, “I’ve eaten enough today…”
Han Zhou nodded, “Good that you know. You haven’t even finished chewing what’s in your mouth.” Gu Zheng punched him, then quickly swallowed the food in her mouth.
After pondering for a moment, she took a deep breath, then, as if making some difficult decision, declared righteously, “Alright! Since you want to eat so much, then there’s no other way. I’ll treat you this time. Boss, this one, this one, and this one… two portions of each!”
Han Zhou was dumbfounded, looking as if he had seen a ghost, “Can you stop lying through your teeth? When did I say I wanted to eat?”
Gu Zheng pretended not to hear, focusing intently on the boss grilling the skewers and brushing them with oil. Her eyes were shining, and she even specifically reminded him to add extra chili when seasoning.
The boss glanced at the two, smiled without speaking, thinking how wonderful youth was.
Han Zhou sighed inwardly. He had originally wanted to ask Gu Zheng why she was here, but after remembering this was a food street, he couldn’t be bothered to ask—this guy was Mo Yixia’s dream glutton, so it would be truly strange if she didn’t come here several times.
But it was good. He had planned to go find this guy to earn points after four o’clock anyway, so now he saved the trouble.
So the two found a spot and sat down, chatting idly while waiting for the barbecue to be served.