Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 108 You Can't Just Take It All and Leave It All
Xiao Yuyan was dressed quite fashionably today, with her long hair up, light makeup, a brown shoulder bag, and high-heeled sandals, looking like she was about to shoot a magazine.

It was clear she genuinely wanted to be a model; she had Lin Anyu take many photos of her along the way. He initially didn't want to be manipulated, but he was quickly taken advantage of.

When he heard that the other party was going to give him his best friend's contact information, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree to take a photo.

Of course, best friends are secondary; he simply cherishes the bond between his cousins.

However, Lin Anyu had never learned photography, and his cousin was always fussy, complaining that one photo wasn't professional enough, another wasn't good enough, and making a whole bunch of incomprehensible demands.

After countless retakes, he finally lost his temper, put down his camera, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Is it possible that the bad thing isn't the photo, but you?"

This was just him venting; it doesn't mean he really thought that way.

Xiao Yuyan has a very good appearance; both her figure and looks are great. As a dance student, she has been practicing her posture regularly, so she can definitely be considered a beauty.

It's a pity she's a fool who randomly ships couples and has absolutely no inner beauty.

Xiao Yuyan knew her cousin was getting impatient, so she patiently persuaded him, "Cousin, taking photos is a skill. It's a bit tough to learn, but it's very useful once you've mastered it."

"for example?"

Lin Anyu sneered. He vowed that even if this woman offered him the contact information of ten... no, five more of her best friends, he would never listen to her again.

He was confident in his unwavering will to resist all temptations.

"Many girls hope to have someone take beautiful photos of them, especially college girls."

With a smile on her face, Xiao Yuyan reposed under the tree after speaking, seemingly certain that her cousin would continue to take pictures of her.

Sure enough, Lin Anyu's eyes lit up when he heard this. He thought to himself that people who can take photos seem to be quite popular. Besides, it's not a loss to master this skill. In that case, he might as well work hard a little longer.

One or two trees can be ignored, but a large forest is obviously not to be abandoned. It's not that he couldn't resist the temptation, he just wanted to improve himself.

However, just as he was about to raise the camera again, his expression suddenly changed as he turned his head. It was unclear what he saw, but he put away the camera and ran away.

Xiao Yuyan was stunned. Although she didn't quite understand what had happened, she quickly followed.

She was wearing high heels, which made it a little difficult for her to run, but judging from her cousin's sudden, disheveled escape, he must have seen something terrifying, otherwise he wouldn't have run so urgently.

Why are you running? Did you see someone you know?

"If it's someone I know, that's good. Let's run first!"

As Lin Anyu ran, he kept looking back, and he even covered his face with his hand, just like a gambler who was running away from his enemies and was afraid of being found.

If Xiao Yuyan hadn't known that her cousin had just graduated from high school and wasn't particularly popular with women, she might have already suspected that he had seen one of the girls he had seduced and then abandoned.

Lin Anyu had no time to explain. He covered his face and ran wildly, but halfway through, his expression changed again. He turned around and continued running, and soon changed direction again. His expression was frightened, and it was unclear what he was hiding from.

Xiao Yuyan, standing behind him, looked bewildered, wondering if this guy was just bored and had nothing better to do. She hadn't seen anything unusual on the way.

If we don't count those bald guys...

The two wandered around, eventually stopping in front of a restaurant.

Lin Anyu looked like he'd seen a ghost, panting heavily as he looked around for a while before finally letting out a sigh of relief and muttering, "Damn it, where did all these bald guys come from in this godforsaken place..."

It's one thing that they're bald, but the real problem is that these guys all look pretty much the same. They almost all have fierce-looking middle-aged men's faces, and they all look like Bai Tongtong's father.

He hadn't forgotten the other party's warning from last time. He once dreamed that several bald men were beating him up. Yesterday, he fell for Han Zhou's provocation and, in a moment of impulsiveness, provoked that guy again. He was probably furious. If the other party saw him, he would definitely be dead.

Xiao Yuyan, equally breathless, was taken aback when she heard his muttering: "Are you afraid of bald men?"

"Hmm...more or less. I'm allergic to bald heads lately, so I'll just go somewhere else."

Are you allergic to... being bald?

Xiao Yuyan doubted her ears.

Lin Anyu didn't want to explain. After all, it would be too embarrassing to be caught confessing by the girl's father. He looked around the restaurant and saw that the decor was pretty good. He said, "Alright, it's lunchtime. Let's eat here."

However, as soon as he entered the restaurant, his expression changed again, looking quite strange.

"What, you see a bald guy again?"

Xiao Yuyan's expression tightened; she didn't want to run anymore, her shoe heels were almost broken.

"Do not."

Lin Anyu gripped the camera tightly. "This time it's someone I know."

……

Han Zhou never expected to run into Lin Anyu and Xiao Yuyan here, but he didn't see them at the moment and was asking the waiter.

"Hello, do you have any private rooms available?"

"Yes, and there are still some left over."

The waiter gave a polite smile and asked, "Are there only two of you?"

"Correct."

"plz follow me."

Led by the waiter, Han Zhou and Mo Yixia entered a small room. The room was not large, and the table was a small square table covered with a red cloth, which was perfect for two people to dine at.

This place must be a Chinese restaurant, right?
Han Zhou muttered to himself, glanced at the words "Qixi Festival Special Offer" posted on the wall, and then handed the menu to Mo Yixia: "You order."

"Do you eat everything?" Mo Yixia took the menu and started flipping through it.

"Yes, I'm not a picky eater."

"Is there anything you particularly like?"

"No."

"Not having a particular favorite doesn't mean you like everything...tsk, you really are a fickle person."

As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter, who had been smiling the whole time, looked at Han Zhou with surprise.

Mo Yixia quickly ordered the food. After the waiter left with the menu, Han Zhou asked in surprise, "You always eat lavish meals at home, so why are you eating so... so simply when you're out?"

He had been listening to what Mo Yixia had ordered: very cheap dishes, not a single meat dish. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the waiter's gaze towards him was becoming increasingly strange.

"Isn't this to save you money?"

Holding the black cat plush toy, Mo Yixia looked like a quiet high school student when she wasn't speaking. She said calmly, "By the way, apart from not liking fish, I'm not picky about food either. I can eat just vegetables for every meal."

Han Zhou chuckled, recalling how this guy always ate his vegetables in small bites: "You'll become malnourished like that. What are you trying to say?"

“I’m easy to take care of, right?” Mo Yixia asked instead of answering, staring straight at him.

"You could say that... and then what?"

"I'm very easy to take care of."

Han Zhou was speechless. He knew without even listening to what the guy was about to say that he was going to talk nonsense again. So he stood up and said, "Stop repeating yourself. I'll go out and ask the waiter to add two more dishes. It's your birthday, after all. We can't let you eat so poorly."

With that, he left the private room.

Mo Yixia watched him leave quietly, then lowered her head and gently tugged at the two ears of the black cat doll.

Is it shabby?

Her birthday celebrations are never shabby; her mother prepares gifts and a big meal for her every year, and I believe this year will be no exception.

If it weren't for what happened this morning, she would probably be at home right now with a huge three-tiered cake, topped with seventeen candles, their flames shining brightly.

The gift will likely be a bracelet or necklace or similar accessory. Mom will sing her a birthday song and say that she's all grown up and looks good in anything.

Such a birthday is clearly not shabby.

However, she never thought it was anything special before. It was pretty much the same as any other day, except that there was a better reason to eat cake and receive gifts on this day. That was all.

She could do these things every day if she needed to, and if the essence of special days was merely a slight change in the form of life, then she found it hard to understand what was so memorable about them.

In her view, what makes a day special is not the meaning it is given, but the mood of that day.

Her mood often depended on the people around her. She had to admit that even if she added up all her previous birthdays, none of them seemed to make her as happy as that guy's "Happy Birthday" today.

She still remembers that thrilling feeling.

Is this considered ingratitude?

Yes, that's right.

but……

A simple "Happy Birthday" is enough to make me happy. Maybe I'm really that easy to please?

Mo Yixia's eyes softened as she held the black cat doll, lost in thought, when the door suddenly opened and Han Zhou walked into the private room with his hands behind his back.

What are you hiding behind your back?

Mo Yixia looked up and immediately noticed the other person's hand hidden behind their back.

Han Zhou was taken aback, then sighed reluctantly, "You found out so quickly?"

"If you could have toned down your lewd laughter a little, I might have noticed it later."

"You... never mind, I'm too lazy to correct your wording."

Han Zhou walked to the table in a few steps, magically produced something from behind his back, and said smugly, "How about that?"

Mo Yixia was slightly taken aback.

This cake is actually the size of a palm.

Although the cake was small, it looked quite exquisite. It was just a pity that the two characters "Yixia" written on it with jam were too ugly, which somewhat ruined the aesthetic appeal.

She wanted to reach out and take it, but she held back in time, and calmly and succinctly gave a four-word evaluation.

"Pshawy and ugly handwriting."

Han Zhou said helplessly, "You should be grateful. You suddenly told me it's your birthday today, and there are no cake shops around here. This little cake is one I got from a child. His parents initially thought I was trying to rob him."

He looked shaken, and it was unclear what he had gone through.

Mo Yixia asked with interest, "Was the jam also obtained through trading?"

"I asked for it from the kitchen. The handwriting is a bit ugly, but there's nothing I can do about it. It's not like I wrote it with a pen. If you wrote it, it might not be as good as mine... Reach out."

Mo Yixia obediently extended her palm.

Han Zhou carefully placed the small cake in her palm, then took out a small candle that was only half lit from somewhere and carefully inserted it into the cake.

"Go ahead and blow it. Since it's your seventeenth birthday, just pretend these are seventeen candles."

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "You haven't even lit it, how am I supposed to blow it?"

Han Zhou said, forcing himself to speak, "I've tried this thing. It goes out as soon as you touch it. There's no time to blow it out. You might as well use your imagination and just pretend it's lit."

Mo Yixia sighed, but didn't say anything more. Instead, she took off her mask and gently blew on the cake in her hand.

She didn't even dare to blow too hard, otherwise the little cake might break.

"So, you specifically asked the waiter to book a private room just so I could take off my mask?"

"Of course, don't you dislike taking off your mask in front of strangers?" Han Zhou asked cheerfully. "Otherwise, what else could it be for me to make it easier for you to touch me inappropriately?"

"I don't mind, it's just a pity that some guy who doesn't consider himself an outsider has the desire but not the courage."

Mo Yixia pouted slightly. She had clearly given this guy a chance to make advances when they left the residential area, but he pretended not to hear and was not honest at all.

Han Zhou said irritably, "Now is the time to blow out the candles and make a wish, don't talk about irrelevant things."

“I have already made my wish,” Mo Yixia replied.

"Really? What kind of wish is it?"

Mo Yixia rolled her eyes at him: "Does saying your birthday wish aloud make it less likely to come true?"

"Just bear with it for now, keep using your imagination, and pretend it's already working. Tell me about it."

Han Zhou was very curious about what kind of wish this guy who hated most things would make.

Surely it's not the end of the world, is it?
"That's not how you use the word 'make do'. Why don't you use your imagination as if I've already told you my wishes?"

Mo Yixia looked at her with disdain and reminded her, "Also, now is the time for you to sing me a birthday song."

"Row."

Han Zhou sang a couple of lines perfunctorily, then shamelessly continued, "I've finished singing, and I'll consider it as if I've already heard you say it, but I didn't hear you clearly, so please say it to me again."

This guy……

"Why are you always so shameless at times like this?"

Mo Yixia turned her head away, not letting the other person see the slight upturn of her lips.

"This isn't called being thick-skinned; it just means I have a strong thirst for knowledge."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

Mo Yixia glanced at him and said calmly, "If my wish doesn't come true because I told you, then you'll have to take full responsibility for making it come true. Can you make that promise?"

"Well..."

"Don't overthink it. Even if you make a promise, I still won't tell you. Wishes are personal expectations, and I'd rather realize them myself."

After saying that, Mo Yixia put the black cat doll aside, stared at the small cake in her hand for a long time, and then carefully cut it in half and handed one half to Han Zhou.

Han Zhou asked in bewilderment, "Other people cut cakes horizontally, why did you cut it vertically?"

He was holding the top half of the cake, with the words "Yi Xia" clearly visible on it. "You can't dislike it just because the handwriting is ugly, can you?"

"My name is on this, I can't just eat myself, can I?"

Mo Yixia rested her chin on her hand, looking at him with a half-smile.

"So 'Yixia' belongs to you."

"You can't just take advantage of me and leave me all alone."

Seeing Han Zhou's dumbfounded expression, the girl's smile gradually widened.

Today's birthday is indeed quite meager.

A cake the size of a palm, a candle that won't light, a cheap toy won from a claw machine as a gift, a companion who's mentally challenged and needs brain repair, and most of the activities require imagination...

But that's really strange.

Why am I so happy on such a shabby birthday?

Mo Yixia reluctantly put half a piece of cake into her mouth.

The cake was small, small enough to fit in one bite, but it was surprisingly delicious.

It's a pity I can't ask Han Zhou if there's any more jam, otherwise I could secretly write his name on it before eating.

"How about it?"

Seeing the girl eat the cake, Han Zhou smiled and asked the same question he had asked at the beginning.

"Stingy".

Mo Yixia smacked her lips, wiped the cake crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a tissue, and gave the same answer as before.

However, this time there was an extra sentence at the end.

"But I like it very much."

I originally planned to end this part in the previous chapter, but after thinking about it, I realized that the plot on her birthday couldn't be skipped directly. So this chapter and the next one were added at the last minute. After this plot, Mo Yixia's appearances will be relatively reduced, which is also a way of writing a little more about her. The following content still needs to be adjusted and revised, so it may be released a little later. Including tomorrow, it will be 16,000 words in total. It will only be late, but it will not be delayed.

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(End of this chapter)