Lin Mo had a small appetite. She never ate much before feeling full, and she wasn’t picky about food either. She was the kind of person who was easy to take care of.
Just as she was debating whether to force down the last two bites of rice in her bowl or simply throw them away, she heard a voice.
A voice that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
“Lin Mo?”
She looked up, momentarily stunned.
Qin Fengzhou.
For a brief second, she wondered if she was imagining things.
“I didn’t expect to run into you so soon. I was planning to ask around tomorrow and see if I could find you. What a coincidence.”
Unlike Lin Mo’s calm and reserved expression, Qin Fengzhou’s eyes sparkled with unconcealed excitement and happiness.
Only then did Lin Mo fully regain her composure. Her brows knitted slightly together.
“Aren’t you in Beijing?”
She remembered clearly that Qin Fengzhou was from Beijing. After graduation, he had returned there.
“I’ve been traveling around Chongqing recently. I was already planning to visit western Sichuan afterward. I’d done some research before coming, so the moment I saw the snow-capped mountain in your post, I recognized it.”
He paused before adding,
“But why did you delete me? I couldn’t get through on your phone either. In the end, I decided to come here and try my luck.”
Qin Fengzhou was still exactly the same as he had been in college.
Simple-minded, carefree, open-hearted.
Like a big kid who had never really grown up.
Lin Mo didn’t know what to say.
She had never been good with words.
What she had thought was a clean and peaceful breakup suddenly felt awkward now that they were face-to-face again.
Fortunately, Danzeng appeared and saved her from the situation.
In truth, he had noticed Qin Fengzhou the moment the young man sat across from Lin Mo.
He couldn’t quite explain what he was feeling.
The guy looked bright and energetic, with a clean, refreshing temperament and the vibrant confidence of youth.
To be honest, he seemed like a perfect match for Lin Mo.
For some reason, that realization sparked a trace of hostility inside Danzeng.
Without hesitation, he walked straight over.
“Your friend?”
His voice was slightly lowered, carrying a hint of displeasure that even he himself hadn’t noticed.
Lin Mo didn’t answer.
A flash of panic crossed her eyes.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t.
Qin Fengzhou looked up immediately, confusion and caution appearing on his face.
“And you are…?”
“I’m the owner of this guesthouse, Danzeng Luobu.”
Danzeng politely extended a hand.
“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you. So you’re the owner.”
Qin Fengzhou’s tense expression instantly relaxed as he smiled and shook his hand.
“Your friend?”
Since Lin Mo hadn’t answered the first time, Danzeng turned to her again.
His gaze remained fixed on her, stubbornly waiting for a response.
“Uh… a college classmate.”
Lin Mo answered vaguely, unable to hide her embarrassment.
Perhaps deep down, she had never truly regarded Qin Fengzhou as a real boyfriend.
Even now, the words “ex-boyfriend” felt difficult to say out loud.
But Qin Fengzhou introduced himself openly.
“We were college classmates. Also her ex-boyfriend.”
His tone was completely straightforward, as though it were a title he was proud of.
“Oh?”
Danzeng’s eyes darkened slightly.
“Ex-boyfriend? So you’re here to win her back?”
To Lin Mo’s surprise, he pulled out a chair and sat down as if preparing for a lengthy conversation.
A smile lingered on his lips, but it never reached his eyes.
There was testing curiosity beneath the casualness.
“You two talk. I’m going back to rest.”
Lin Mo abruptly stood up.
The atmosphere had become far too strange.
She hated discussing personal relationships in public.
Qin Fengzhou immediately tried to follow her.
Before he could move, however, Danzeng grabbed his arm.
Tall and broad-shouldered, Danzeng’s grip was powerful.
His face was expressionless, his presence overwhelming.
For a moment, Qin Fengzhou felt completely restrained.
“She said she wants to rest. Whatever it is, you can talk tomorrow.”
Qin Fengzhou turned back and looked at him.
Only now did he realize that Danzeng seemed to be much more than just a guesthouse owner.
“She’s working for me right now. I’m responsible for her safety.”
Danzeng raised an eyebrow.
“Working for you?” Qin Fengzhou frowned. “Doing what?”
“Volunteer work. Taking photos and helping out. Food and lodging included.”
Qin Fengzhou couldn’t understand it at all.
But Lin Mo was already gone, and there was nothing more he could ask.
After hastily finishing dinner, he returned to his room in a gloomy mood.
The next morning, Qin Fengzhou waited for Lin Mo outside the dining area.
It looked as though he’d been there for quite some time.
“Can we talk?”
His voice was slightly hoarse, as if he hadn’t slept all night.
“Let’s eat breakfast first.”
Lin Mo’s tone remained calm.
She walked past him and headed straight for the breakfast counter.
Qin Fengzhou followed, but he barely touched his food.
Lin Mo sighed inwardly.
There was no avoiding this forever.
She might as well have the conversation, clear everything up, and finally turn the page for good.
After breakfast, she led him toward a small hillside behind the guesthouse.
A conversation like this felt out of place anywhere on the property.
“The day I saw your post, I found out you were in Genie.”
Qin Fengzhou gazed at the distant snow mountains.
“I felt like fate was giving me one last chance.”
He turned to her.
The passion in his eyes hadn’t faded in the slightest.
“A thousand kilometers isn’t exactly close. But it isn’t impossibly far either. I rented a car and drove all the way here without hesitation.”
His voice grew softer.
“I didn’t come because I expected a result. I just wanted one last chance to fight for myself.”
“For my youth.”
“For this relationship that ended without ever reaching a real conclusion.”
After a pause, he continued,
“Once summer ends, I’ll be heading to the UK for graduate school.”
“When I broke up with you back then, I was actually testing your reaction. I thought you’d at least show some emotion.”
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
“But you were so calm.”
“So calm that it felt like you were relieved.”
He laughed quietly at himself.
“I know.”
“You never liked me, did you?”
“Not even a little.”
His gaze drifted toward the distance.
Not far away, Danzeng was tending to the horses.
Qin Fengzhou’s expression darkened slightly.
“That man likes you too, doesn’t he?”
“I’ve seen that look countless times while we were together.”
“The way he looks at you.”
For the first time, Lin Mo’s calm heart rippled.
A faint tremor passed through her chest.
Almost unconsciously, she looked toward Danzeng as well.
The distance blurred his figure slightly.
Yet even from afar, his striking presence remained impossible to ignore.
Handsome.
Confident.
Free and spirited.
For a moment, Lin Mo found herself distracted.
Qin Fengzhou continued talking.
One thing after another.
Words poured out endlessly.
Only then did Lin Mo realize that the peaceful breakup she’d remembered had merely been an illusion.
There had been so many things he had wanted to tell her.
She listened quietly the entire time.
She didn’t know how to respond.
Most of what he said, she silently accepted.
Finally, she spoke.
“Let’s part on good terms.”
“Thank you for liking me.”
“I hope you find the right girl soon.”
In the end, Lin Mo remained as calm and gentle as ever.
But this time, there was a trace of guilt hidden in her voice.
She truly meant her blessing.
Qin Fengzhou’s heart sank completely.
Though deep down, he had known the answer long ago.
Qin Fengzhou stayed in Genie for three days.
Aside from accompanying him on a short outing during the first day, Lin Mo barely showed herself afterward.
It wasn’t because she was avoiding him.
She was genuinely busy.
Classes.
Creative work.
Field research.
Every task consumed a tremendous amount of time and energy.
Danzeng, on the other hand, behaved unexpectedly.
Whether it was simple hospitality or something else entirely, nobody knew.
He enthusiastically volunteered to act as Qin Fengzhou’s guide.
He showed him around the area, took him sightseeing, and even dragged him into the courtyard at night to drink barley wine together.
Before long, the two men had become surprisingly friendly.
By the third evening, the moon hung bright and clear above the mountains.
Qin Fengzhou would be leaving the next day.
The two had already finished several cups of highland barley wine.
Qin Fengzhou’s cheeks were flushed red, and his eyes had become unfocused.
He slapped Danzeng on the shoulder.
“Brother…”
His words carried obvious drunkenness.
“You like Lin Mo, don’t you?”
Danzeng paused.
The hand holding his cup stopped midair.
He didn’t deny it.
He simply looked up at Qin Fengzhou.
Qin Fengzhou smiled faintly.
“It’s too obvious.”
“I’ve seen that look too many times.”
A trace of sadness churned beneath his smile.
“But honestly, that’s normal.”
“Someone as outstanding as her was always going to attract people.”
He took another large gulp of wine.
Then, slightly drunk and increasingly sentimental, he continued talking.