Ah Zhong quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll go bungee jumping with you."
"Today, I'll temporarily be your boyfriend and protect you in my arms, okay?"
The two stood at the edge of the bungee platform, waiting for the staff to check their gear.
Zhou Jinbei was so scared she didn't dare to look around. She closed her eyes, buried her head, and hid in Ah Zhong's arms, her heart pounding.
Her ear was right against Ah Zhong's chest.
Besides feeling his firm muscles and warm embrace, she could also hear his steady, powerful heartbeat.
He was so steady, not nervous at all. It was amazing.
Similarly, Ah Zhong could feel Zhou Jinbei's nervousness.
Her whole body was trembling, and the hands she used to hold him were shaking uncontrollably.
Ah Zhong patted the back of her head to comfort her.
"Is this your first time bungee jumping? Are you afraid of heights?"
"Mind your own business!"
Zhou Jinbei tightened her arms around him again, pressing herself closer.
"Anyway, you have to hold me tight later. If anything happens today, I won't let you go even if I become a ghost!"
The staff finished checking their gear and blew a whistle. The instructor stepped forward and pushed them off.
The feeling of weightlessness struck them instantly.
Their bodies plummeted downwards without any sense of solid ground, the cold wind whistling past their ears.
Zhou Jinbei's heart felt too tense to beat. She held onto Ah Zhong in front of her, screaming loudly.
"Ah—"
Ah Zhong could feel her tension and held her just as tightly, comforting her loudly from above.
"Relax, don't be scared. I'm here, it's okay."
"Open your eyes, look at the surroundings. Let's pretend we're flying. Try it, it's fun."
Zhou Jinbei took two tries before opening her eyes.
Through the gaps in Ah Zhong's arms, she saw the trees on the opposite side receding rapidly.
But what she saw more of was Ah Zhong's bulging white shirt and his firm arms.
Having someone accompany her through this life-and-death experience greatly reduced the fear.
Zhou Jinbei suddenly felt it wasn't that terrifying anymore.
They swung back and forth in the canyon before finally descending slowly towards the water's surface.
Zhou Jinbei's long hair scattered, trailing into the water.
When the staff helped them onto the boat, they saw her small, pale face, her lips tinged blue, and her wet hair clinging to her face, looking utterly miserable.
Ah Zhong couldn't help but smile and reach out to smooth her hair.
"Look at you. You were afraid of heights but didn't say anything beforehand. I wouldn't have laughed at you. You're so grown up, yet you're as willful as a child."
"How was it? Was it fun? Do you want to try again after resting a bit?"
In the bright sunlight, Ah Zhong smiled sweetly, his gaze towards her filled with indulgence.
His gentle actions, accompanied by his doting words, suddenly made Zhou Jinbei feel something different.
She didn't know how to answer him for a moment and just pretended not to understand, deflecting the question.
They sat in silence for a few seconds, many emotions welling up within them. Zhou Jinbei then asked him.
"Brother Zhong, can I ask you a question?"
This girl seemed to have something on her mind today. Ah Zhong had noticed it long ago.
"Of course. Ask whatever you want."
"How did you and your girlfriend meet?"
She didn't expect that question.
Ah Zhong was truly speechless.
"It's been so long, Miss Zhou. Can you stop pestering me with this embarrassing question?"
Zhou Jinbei said seriously.
"I'm not laughing at you. I'm just curious how you two met."
"I don't understand. Men as devoted and good to their girlfriends as you are are rare. Why would she let go after dating for so long?"
Ah Zhong smiled and shook his head.
"I'm not as good as you say. We met very ordinarily, and our relationship was very ordinary. So, if she meets someone better, it's normal for her to want to let go."
"Her company happened to be on the same route as ours for work."
"For a while, my car had issues, so I took the subway to and from work. We met by chance twice. She took the initiative to ask for my number, and that's how we met."
So that's how they met.
This woman actively pursued and actively gave up. Her goals were very clear.
Soon, the boat reached the shore.
As they disembarked, Ah Zhong asked her.
"There seem to be other activities here. Since we're already here, would you like to try them?"
Zhou Jinbei shook her head.
"No. We've played enough today. Let's go back."
"Go back where? Back to accompany your aunt?"
"Otherwise?"
Ah Zhong rubbed her head.
"Didn't you say you were bored staying with elders all day? And you said you wanted me to treat you to a meal."
"You haven't treated me to a single meal today. Are you sure you don't want to eat your fill before going back?"
Zhou Jinbei looked up at him. It seemed she had something to say, but her lips parted and closed again, and she finally said nothing.
They returned to the car in silence. Ah Zhong started the car, picked up his phone, and chose a restaurant.
Zhou Jinbei finally couldn't help it and looked over again.
"Brother Zhong..."
"If you have something to say, just say it. What's wrong with you today?"
Zhou Jinbei looked troubled.
"Will you answer me no matter what I ask?"
"Of course. As long as I can answer."
Zhou Jinbei sighed and looked ahead.
"Tell me, do good men exist in this world?"
Fortunately, he didn't have water in his mouth, or Ah Zhong would have spat it all out upon hearing that.
He never would have expected that Miss Zhou, who was always so suave and decisive in front of the opposite sex, who swore she would never be a fool in love,
would ask such a low-level question.
Connecting it to her unusual behavior today, Ah Zhong guessed:
Could it be that the so-called carefree attitude of this girl was all an act, and in reality, she was also suffering from love?
"Why do you suddenly ask this?"
Zhou Jinbei said, "I didn't just think of it. I've been contemplating this question for a long time."
"Please answer me honestly from a man's perspective. Do they exist?"
Ah Zhong answered without thinking, "Of course they exist."
"Really? But based on my observations, I don't have any good men around me."
"Of course, besides you."
Ah Zhong glanced at her.
"Isn't your second brother one? As a man, after interacting with him for so many years, President Zhan is one of the few good men I know. Don't you see that?"
Zhou Jinbei shook her head. "Him? I don't know him well. I only know he got married and divorced."
"In my opinion, men who have failed marriages are not good men."
Ah Zhong: "If you say that, then there would be no one left in the world. Although I've never been divorced, I've broken up. It's similar in nature."
Zhou Jinbei sighed. "So, there are no good men in this world."
Ah Zhong said, "Perhaps our definitions of good men are different."
"No matter what others think, in my eyes, there are still two good men."
"Who?"
"Your second brother and my father."