Chapter 29

In the following days, they basically walked on foot. This had its advantages, such as being able to traverse mountains and forests and enjoy the more enchanting parts of the park. Famous waterfalls, streams, and the large dome, as well as the strangely shaped rocks formed by glacial erosion, were all part of the scenery.

Every night, they camped near the streams, unable to be too far from the water source. However, during camping, Zhen Fan would repeatedly scout the surroundings, having become very cautious due to the previous incident. Claire became a small burden, but Zhen Fan mostly carried her, walking a bit, carrying her a bit, and holding her a bit, which actually made Thomas quite relaxed, as the little girl only recognized Zhen Fan.

Despite this, Thomas even joked that it was God's punishment, taking away his most precious treasures. This comment made Annie unable to resist teasing him. The two girls, Zoe being lively and active, and Julia being calm and quiet, complemented each other well.

For Claire, catching fish in the stream was the most enjoyable thing. Barefoot, stepping on the smooth stones in the water, feeling the cool stream, and watching the fish, she couldn't resist trying to catch them. The result was that she ended up lying in the water, becoming a big fish herself. Zhen Fan had to pull her up, and she choked on the water, her little face turning red, which made everyone laugh.

Of course, they occasionally encountered other hikers along the way, and Zhen Fan even saw someone climbing a vertical rock face with bare hands, which made Zoe shout in amazement. The bravery of these people was undeniable. Even though Zoe looked at Zhen Fan with eager eyes, he had no intention of trying such a dangerous sport.

In the end, due to time constraints, everyone decided to return halfway. Zoe and Julia needed to go back to school to prepare for club activities, Thomas had to return to work, and even Claire had to go back to school. Only Zhen Fan was relatively free, but he wouldn't act alone.

Apart from the incident on the first day of camping that Zhen Fan didn't want to talk about, everyone was quite happy for the rest of the time, especially Claire. This was her first time camping in the park, and she was very excited, chattering non-stop to Zhen Fan about things that interested her.

After retrieving their car, the group set off again, heading back to Temecula City.

Because they had a great time but were also very tired, Zoe was quiet in the car, only exchanging driving duties with Julia. Zhen Fan sat in the back, leaning back and dozing off.

By the time they got home, it was already evening. Zhen Fan invited everyone to his house and took out frozen dumplings from the fridge to cook. It was too late for anyone to want to cook.

The steaming dumplings were served on the table. Everyone except Zhen Fan awkwardly used chopsticks to pick up the dumplings and dip them in garlic sauce, but they still managed to do it properly, as eating Chinese food was becoming more common, and using chopsticks wasn't too difficult.

"Zhen, the two ladies will stay with you tonight!" Annie smiled and winked at Zhen Fan, clearly trying to set him up, with anyone being fine.

After everyone was full, Annie, Thomas, and Claire said their goodbyes. Thomas winked at Zhen Fan as he left, and Annie couldn't help but tap his back and warn him in a low voice.

"Don't even think about it!"

Clearly, Annie knew what Thomas and Zhen Fan's little gestures meant.

"Goodbye, everyone!"

When the door closed again, the room fell silent. The three of them stared at each other, and then Zoe and Julia looked at Zhen Fan.

"Uh... you can sleep in the guest room!"

Zhen Fan, seeing the two women staring at him intently, scratched his nose and laughed awkwardly.

"We know, we want to know where you will sleep?"

Zoe blinked at Zhen Fan, grinning mischievously.

Isn't that obvious? Where would I sleep? Of course, in my own master bedroom!

Zhen Fan looked at Zoe in surprise. Then he quickly realized that her words were ambiguous. Was this an invitation? Thinking back to what happened during the first camping trip, his face turned red.

"I'll sleep here!" Zhen Fan pointed to his master bedroom.

"Are you sure?"

Zoe stared at Zhen Fan, half-smiling.

"I'm sure!" Zhen Fan finally nodded, finding Zoe quite troublesome.

Zoe couldn't ask anymore, and Julia, who was getting annoyed, pulled her into the room and slammed the door.

"Zoe, stop teasing him, he's not that kind of person!"

Julia rolled her eyes at the mischievous Zoe.

"I know, I just couldn't help it! Ha ha..." Zoe held back her laughter until they were in the room, where she could laugh out loud.

Hearing the laughter from the room, Zhen Fan shook his head and smiled bitterly. He went to the bathroom to wash up and then went to bed, not wanting to give the two girls another chance to tease him. But was he really that easy to laugh at?

Zhen Fan was a bit puzzled.

Putting these thoughts aside, Zhen Fan turned on the lamp and read a book before gradually falling asleep.

The next day, Zhen Fan woke up, and the two girls were still asleep. He went out for a run alone, hoping to meet Christine, as talking to her was very comforting.

Unfortunately, he didn't meet Christine. When he got home, the two girls were making toast for him, and the toaster "dinged" as the bread popped out.

A typical Western breakfast: a glass of milk and two slices of toast. Zhen Fan had intended to cook some noodles, but it seemed he would have to get used to the custom of eating bread and milk with Westerners.

After eating, the two girls also said their goodbyes. Julia gave Zhen Fan a light hug, touching his cheek with a smile.

"Goodbye, I had a great time these past few days!"

"Thank you!" They separated, and Zhen Fan nodded and smiled at her.

"And me, Zhen!" Zoe gave Zhen Fan a big hug and whispered in his ear, "Don't forget what I said that day!"

Zhen Fan was taken aback, clearly not remembering.

Seeing Zhen Fan's expression, Zoe felt a bit discouraged, glared at him, and pulled Julia out, even leaving the door open.

"Goodbye, Zoe! I remember now!" Zhen Fan's voice made Zoe laugh.

"What did he remember?" Julia looked at Zoe, who was pulling her out.

"Nothing!"

"Really?"

"Really, okay, I'll tell you, I like him!" Zoe opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and said to Julia, who was already in the driver's seat.

"What?" Julia stared at her in surprise, "Oh, that's incredible, what are you going to do?" It was only a few days, and she had already fallen for a man, quite fast.

Zoe smiled and shook her head, "I just find him very special, a Chinese man, like a treasure that tempts you to explore!"

"Or because of his exotic charm?"

Julia couldn't help but tease her, starting the car and quickly driving away with the somewhat infatuated girl.

With the girls gone, Zhen Fan had nothing to do, and life seemed to return to its usual calm. However, Zhen Fan quite enjoyed this, living quietly, which aligned with the Daoist concept of "wu wei" (non-action). Perhaps it was because of his study of Daoist classics and the insights he gained that he could maintain a calm mind, rather than using his knowledge to do earth-shattering or heroic deeds.

"Wu wei" is a form of self-cultivation of one's Daoist heart.

Moving a chair to the backyard, he sat down, closed his eyes, and basked in the sun, holding a book. When he wanted to read, he would, and when he didn't, he would cover his face with the book and rest his eyes.

"Hi!" Someone was breathing lightly in his ear.

Zhen Fan opened his eyes suddenly, put down the book, and saw a white girl of about seventeen or eighteen smiling at him.

"Brenda?"

Zhen Fan called out immediately.

"You remember? Great, I was worried I'd have to introduce myself again." Brenda beamed and naturally turned around in front of Zhen Fan.

"I'm curious about you!"

"Oh? Why? Because I'm Chinese?" Zhen Fan smiled at her, still sitting in the recliner, looking at the girl with a sideways glance. She had a good figure.

"No, because you're handsome, like Taylor Lautner, do you know him? Of course, you don't have his prominent nose, but that's not a problem. Mainly, your eyes, if they were emerald green, it would be perfect. But this is good too, at least better than most people!"

"Compared to your high school classmates?" Zhen Fan found it amusing. He knew who Taylor Lautner was because of Christine. He had watched "Twilight" twice, ordered online.

"Of course, they're all little kids!"

Brenda said disdainfully.

"I transferred to a nearby high school, and it's still those immature little men. It's tough, but you're better than them, at least you're older!"

This reason? Zhen Fan was taken aback.

"But..." Brenda's eyes roamed over Zhen Fan's body, then she smiled mysteriously, "I wonder how your body compares to Taylor Lautner's? If you don't mind..."

This girl actually wanted him to take off his clothes, if he followed her.

"This is a secret, I only let one person see it!"

Zhen Fan suddenly looked at Brenda mysteriously.

"Who? Your girlfriend?" Brenda scoffed.

"No, myself!"

Zhen Fan laughed out loud.

"Narcissist!" Brenda was angry, holding her phone, planning to take a photo of Zhen Fan undressing to show her classmates, boasting that he was her boyfriend!

"Brenda!" A girl of about fifteen or sixteen was shouting at her, her sister Vira.

"I know, I'm coming!" Brenda shouted back, muttering, "What a pest!" and walked toward her house, giving Zhen Fan the middle finger and sticking out her tongue.

Zhen Fan couldn't help but laugh, about to cover his face with the book and bask in the sun again when his phone rang.

"Zhen, it's me!"

"Sarah?" Zhen Fan was surprised. Sarah hadn't contacted him for days, and he had forgotten about it.

"The coffee shop owner went crazy, right there in France..."

Sarah's tone was very dejected.