Chapter 206: Liking a Fool
Chen Yao didn't cry for long before she grabbed Zhou Fan's clothes and wiped away her tears.
'Ever since her parents passed away, Chen Shilei had been the last person she could rely on. But she never imagined that he was the one who had murdered them. How could she not be breaking down?'
'And Chen Feng—her uncle's son, with whom she'd never gotten along—was the one who had been secretly protecting her all these years!'
"This stays between you and me. If a third person finds out I cried today, I will not let you off!" Chen Yao put on a fierce act, her small hand gripping Zhou Fan's collar as she threatened him without a hint of actual menace.
"Nope. Not unless you give me something in return!" Zhou Fan shook his head, his expression making it clear that was out of the question.
"Something in return? Didn't you take enough advantage of me at the bar? You bastard!" The words sent Chen Yao into a rage. Remembering how Zhou Fan had taken all sorts of liberties with her at the bar, she grabbed his wrist, opened her mouth, and bit down hard.
"Hey! What are you, a dog?" Zhou Fan quickly pulled free and put her in a gentle headlock with one arm. With his other hand, he gave her a light smack on her little head.
"You bastard, let me go! I'm going to duel you today!" Chen Yao flailed wildly, but she was no match for Zhou Fan. With a final cry of surprise, he threw her right over his shoulder.
"You bastard, put me down right now! I haven't even finished my wontons!"
"Zhou Fan, I was wrong! This is so humiliating! Everyone behind us is staring at me, and they're laughing!"
"Zhou Fan, you scoundrel! All you ever do is bully me and take advantage of me! I'm going to kill you!"
"Aah! Don't spank me! I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! Stop it, this is mortifying!"
All the way up, Chen Yao cycled through threats and pleas for mercy, but nothing worked. It wasn't until they reached the summit that Zhou Fan finally set her down.
"You two are so slow! Hurry up, I saved us a couple of good spots for the sunrise!" Just as Chen Yao was gearing up to fight Zhou Fan to the death, a voice called out. Not far away, on a large rock, Fan was waving energetically, a military-style greatcoat in his hand.
Zhou Fan let out a mischievous laugh and ran over first. Chen Yao could only stomp her foot. As reluctant as she was, she had no other choice but to follow.
"When we got here, there were only two coats left at the rental place, so I saved one for you two." Fan handed the coat to Zhou Fan, gesturing for him to give it to Chen Yao. After all, it was very cold at the summit.
In Fan's mind, he and Zhou Fan were men—and not ordinary men at that. A little cold was nothing to them. So, he'd given one coat to Zheng Sisi and saved the other for Chen Yao.
"Thank you!" Outside of when she was with Zhou Fan, Chen Yao was quite the polite and proper lady. She smiled sweetly, accepted the coat, and shot a smug look at Zhou Fan. "See? *That's* how a gentleman acts!"
"You're not cold?" Zhou Fan snatched the coat from Chen Yao's hands. He then frowned and looked over at Fan, who was trying to look suave in just a thin jacket.
"Are you kidding? A real man like me, afraid of the cold?" Fan was actually a bit chilly, but he glanced over at Zheng Sisi and saw that his goddess was watching him. He immediately puffed out his chest and declared it proudly.
"Alright then." Zhou Fan nodded. Then, to everyone's utter disbelief, he put the greatcoat on himself. He held it open, facing Chen Yao, and gestured for her to come closer.
"Hmph. I guess you have a conscience after all." Although a little embarrassed, Chen Yao walked over and hugged Zhou Fan. He wrapped the greatcoat around her, and she pressed her face against his chest.
"Learn from this," Zhou Fan said, shooting Fan a disdainful look while also giving him a subtle wink. "A coat keeps you warm, sure, but it doesn't generate its own heat. As men, our body temperature is higher. Holding your date like this keeps her much warmer." He then turned back to holding Chen Yao.
"The sun should be up in about half an hour. You can rest your eyes for a bit," Zhou Fan said softly, looking down at her. Chen Yao nodded slightly.
Fan was now in a bind. 'That shameless bastard Zhou Fan,' he cursed inwardly, while also berating himself for being so stupid. 'Why didn't I think of that?'
'Look at that guy—he gets to hold a beautiful girl, be romantic, *and* keep her from freezing. Meanwhile, what do I get for giving her the coat and freezing my ass off? At best, a 'he seems like a nice guy' impression, maybe?'
'Sigh. No wonder Zhou Fan is always surrounded by beautiful women, while I can't even win over this one!'
"Hmph. My righteous spirit keeps me warm. The cold is nothing to me!" Fan muttered proudly, which made Zheng Sisi—who had been about to suggest they try Zhou Fan and Chen Yao's method—want to cough up blood.
'Pah! Keep your righteous spirit to yourself!'
'How did I end up liking such an idiot?'