Chapter 73.1 - No Need to Deliberately Reinforce the Sentiment

Qiu Yanzhi was silent for a while.

Then he stood up.

He stared at the man for a long time before hesitantly opening his mouth, "...Qin He?"

The man’s face, which was nearly identical to He Zhou’s, took on a very faint smile. “I didn’t expect you to still remember me.”

Qiu Yanzhi’s heart sank. He gripped his phone so tightly like he wanted to snap it in two.

Qiu Yanzhi knew that He Zhou looked like the Qin He from 10 years ago.

But he didn't expect that He Zhou would look exactly the same as Qin He 10 years later.

What did it mean for a NPC and a human to look so much alike?

Qiu Yanzhi didn't dare to think on it.

He Zhou was already bothered by the fact that Qiu Yanzhi chose him at the beginning of the game because of his resemblance to Qin He.

So what would happen if he found out that the resemblance between him and Qin He was more than uncanny? Who knew what strange conclusions he would come to.

Even Qiu Yanzhi himself didn’t realize that he was only thinking about He Zhou when meeting his old childhood friend and first crush again.

It was only when Qin He called out his name again that he finally came back to his senses.

"What are you thinking about?"

Qiu Yanzhi looked up to see his friend whom he had not seen for years.

He was silent for a long time. "It’s been quite a while since we've seen each other."

Qin He looked down. His voice was gentle, “Shouldn’t we hug it out at a time like this?”

His tone was clearly inquisitive, but he didn't wait for Qiu Yanzhi's answer.

As soon as he spoke, he stepped forward with open arms and embraced Qiu Yanzhi.

Qiu Yanzhi froze for two seconds and missed his chance to dodge.

...Long time no see, Little Trash.

Qiu Yanzhi's mind suddenly flashed back to the last time they met, to Little Trash’s red-rimmed eyes.

Actually, there was always an uncomfortable feeling in his chest when he remembered that time.

Over the years, Qiu Yanzhi had envisioned countless scenarios where he and Little Trash would reunite by chance once more.

But none of them contained such a peaceful embrace.

Still, Qiu Yanzhi felt like something was off here.

Little Trash’s face lingered in his mind. He was clearly once such a familiar and warm person, but the only thing Qiu Yanzhi noticed about the man embracing him was his high quality cologne. It wasn’t too strong, but there was a notable tobacco fragrance on him.

...The smell was somewhat strange, making Qiu Yanzhi feel vaguely uncomfortable.

Inevitably, Qiu Yanzhi thought about He Zhou.

They both smelled faintly of tobacco, so why did the scent of He Zhou’s body comfort, reassure and even smell good to him?

Yet Qin He, who looked exactly the same as He Zhou, was...

Qiu Yanzhi snapped out of his reverie.

Then he suddenly saw He Zhou standing off to the side in front of him.

The ice cream He Zhou had bought for him dripped onto the ground beneath the nearby tree.

That tree had very dense foliage. Its branches and leaves divided the sunlight into little bits and pieces, scattering it across He Zhou’s body. The mix of dark and light made it hard to make out the expression on his face.

Then, He Zhou threw the ice cream into the trash can beside him and turned to leave.

Qiu Yanzhi was suddenly seized by panic. He tried to push Qin He away, but the man’s grip was firm and unyielding.

Qin He’s voice was quiet, “Xia Yuan, I thought I hated you at first. But I’m not sure after seeing you in person anymore.”

Qiu Yanzhi: "...Let go of me first."

It took Qiu Yanzhi a lot of effort to push Qin He away.

But when he tried to leave, Qin He caught and tightly held his wrist. “Do you think our meeting today was just a coincidence?”

Qiu Yanzhi looked at his wrist that was turning white. He frowned. “I still have something I need to do. Let's talk later, okay?"

However, Qin He didn’t let go. He rambled on like he didn’t hear a thing, “Actually, this was no coincidence. I already saw you even before you came into the amusement park, but I hadn’t decided whether to see you or not. I sat in the car smoking for a long time, imagining countless ways to fabricate a chance meeting. In the end, I couldn’t resist getting out of the car and going for the simplest route to see you.”

Qin He paused before asking, "I also saw you holding a man's hand. Who was that man?"

"It was his boyfriend."

A deep voice suddenly stated.

Qiu Yanzhi's heart nearly leapt out of his throat. He frantically turned his head.

He Zhou had appeared beside them at some point.

He was still wearing a black cap and mask, so the only things visible were his dark, glaring eyes.

As soon as he spoke, he reached over and forcibly broke Qin He’s hold on Qiu Yanzhi’s wrist.

"...He Zhou."

Qiu Yanzhi blinked dumbly at He Zhou.

After prying off Qin He’s hand, He Zhou’s fingers slid gently but firmly down and linked with Qiu Yanzhi’s.

Qiu Yanzhi froze for a moment before grasping his hand as well.

The very next second, he was led by He Zhou with great strides.

Qin He stood where he was. He faintly heard a game notification from the phone Qiu Yanzhi was holding in his right hand.

"Game over."

His eyes darkened, his index finger carelessly caressing and tapping the face of his watch. He watched the duo leave with a dark and unpredictable look in his eyes.

He Zhou seemed to be a little angry. His pace was fast and furious.

Qiu Yanzhi found it hard to keep up. He peeked up at the man and carefully called out, “He Zhou?"

He Zhou's thin lips pursed, but he remained silent.

Qiu Yanzhi thought for a moment, but he decided to whisper an explanation in the end, “I really didn't know I would meet him here."

He paused and added: "And also, I really haven’t seen him for more than ten years. I honestly didn’t know that he looked...exactly like you.”

...Liar.

He Zhou's footsteps came to a halt. His dark eyes stared at Qiu Yanzhi, but he didn’t say a word.

Qiu Yanzhi's heart was beating out a staccato rhythm. He was afraid He Zhou wouldn’t believe him because of his less than stellar track record.

He Zhou suddenly spoke after a long silence, "You just hugged him."

"I didn't!" Qiu Yanzhi hastily denied with wide eyes, "He was the one who hugged me!"

Qiu Yanzhi recalled how his heart did soften at the memory of a young Little Trash just now. Somewhat guilty, he whispered, “Although we just hugged, there was absolutely nothing else going on. It was just a friendly hug, and I pushed him away later."

Qiu Yanzhi even looked around after saying his piece. Upon discovering that they were basically alone, he pulled down He Zhou’s mask and quickly smooched him on the lips.

Qiu Yanzhi blinked. "Please believe me ah, He Zhou."

He Zhou felt that this side of Qiu Yanzhi was truly hateful, but all the air seemed to leave his sails. Thus, he could only coldly continue walking away.

Qiu Yanzhi scrambled after him and held his hand tightly. "He Zhou, where are you going?"

He Zhou stiffly answered, "Home."

Qiu Yanzhi: "But we haven't watched the movie yet."

He Zhou: "We’re not going.”

“But I’ve already bought the tickets.” Qiu Yanzhi looked down and whispered, “It's a semi-virtual reality movie. Normally I wouldn’t go see this type of movie because it’s too expensive, but I bought tickets with you in mind.”

He Zhou was silent.

Qiu Yanzhi upped the ante. He whined aggrievedly, “They’re really expensive. They cost me more than $500, you know? $500! Do you know how many hours I have to work for that amount?”

He Zhou: "...Where’s the movie theatre?"

Qiu Yanzhi's eyes immediately lit up. He took He Zhou's hand and continued walking. “It’s straight, straight ahead. Really close by. We can definitely walk to it. The movie starts in half an hour.”

Halfway there, Qiu Yanzhi saw another ice cream store.

He glanced up at He Zhou. "...You just threw away my ice cream."

He Zhou coldly stared back. “Was I wrong to?”

Qiu Yanzhi shook his head frantically. “No, no, no.”

With one last look at him for good measure, He Zhou pulled him into the ice cream store and coldly stated, "One ice cream."

"Make it two." Qiu Yanzhi added from the side.

He Zhou frowned. "I don't like ice cream."

Qiu Yanzhi blinked and said, "But if I’m the only one eating pink ice cream, I’ll look like a petulant child who was just scolded.”

He Zhou: "......"

He Zhou looked up at the clerk and expressionlessly stated, "Two ice creams. One original and one strawberry."

Rain

Haha He Zhou’s so whipped.

*A wild He Zhou appeared!*

Qiu Yanzhi uses Charm! It’s super effective!

He Zhou fainted!