Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 113 All Personnel in Reserve Positions

When Han Zhou returned to the car with three bottles of water, he sensed a rather heavy atmosphere inside.

Lin Anyu and Gu Zheng both looked a bit off. Gu Zheng's expression was especially strange, as she kept glancing at Lin Anyu, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Huh? What happened between these two?

Han Zhou was suspicious and was about to get into the passenger seat when he heard Gu Zheng in the back seat suddenly say through gritted teeth, "Han Zhou, come sit with me."

Han Zhou was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Why?"

Gu Zheng tried her best to keep a calm expression and said in a low voice, "I have something to tell you."

Han Zhou was even more puzzled. He looked at Lin Anyu, who seemed a little uneasy, and asked, "Did you two have a fight?"

No, you're overthinking it.

Lin Anyu and Gu Zheng denied it almost in unison, but anyone could tell they were lying.

Han Zhou would be a fool to believe that, and frowned, asking, "Then what's your situation?"

The situation is that I've inexplicably become a rival for the guzheng (Chinese zither) spot. For your own good, you'd better stay away from me...

How could Lin Anyu possibly say such a thing? He felt extremely embarrassed and turned his face to the window, not knowing how to answer.

Although a misunderstanding occurred, all the effort was worthwhile. The most dangerous phase has passed. As long as Gu Zheng doesn't meet with that girl named Mo Yixia, Han Zhou will probably be able to go to school alive and kicking...

Gu Zheng couldn't explain Lin Anyu's situation either, and simply said again, "Nothing's wrong, just come and sit with me."

Her attitude was very firm.

Han Zhou didn't move, and unusually, his face hardened: "Tell me what happened first."

These two guys in front of him are arguably his two closest friends. If they haven't had a fight, that's fine. But if they really have a falling out for some reason, and he suddenly abandons Lin Anyu to sit with Gu Zheng, wouldn't that mean he doesn't care about Lin Anyu's feelings at all?
He can change positions, but he needs to figure out what happened first.

Lin Anyu could see through Han Zhou's thoughts and couldn't help but feel touched. He thought to himself that all his efforts had been worthwhile, as this guy didn't show any sign of forgetting his brother for the sake of a pretty girl. He truly was a good brother.

The problem was that the situation was not what Han Zhou had imagined at all. The more the other party acted this way, the more embarrassed he became. So he smiled wryly and said, "It's really nothing. How could I dare to have a conflict with Gu Zheng? Why don't you go sit with her in the back? Which bottle of water is the most expensive?"

"This bottle," Han Zhou handed him a bottle of cola, "is worth three yuan."

Lin Anyu was stunned for a moment. The thought that Han Zhou was a good brother just now vanished instantly. He said with heartache, "Didn't I say that I only drink drinks that cost no less than five yuan?"

"I left my phone on the bus, and all I had was change. This was all I could afford. Didn't you see I was carrying a bottle of mineral water?"

Han Zhou said irritably, "Three yuan is still a drink, take it or leave it."

Lin Anyu was taken aback. He didn't bring his phone? No wonder this guy was so calm; he hadn't seen the message he had just sent.

He took the Coke with a worried expression.

Han Zhou tossed another bottle of mineral water to Gu Zheng and asked again, "Are you all really alright?"

"It's okay."

Gu Zheng caught the bottle of mineral water steadily and gave a somewhat displeased reply. Perhaps Lin Anyu's previous words had left too deep an impression on her, and she now felt that the bottle of cola was like a token of their love.

"Row."

Han Zhou shrugged, knowing that asking further would be pointless, so he simply put aside his questions for the time being. "So, do you still want me to sit with you?"

"Yes!" Gu Zheng nodded quickly.

Han Zhou didn't say much, and pushed open the car door to get out.

However, just as he was about to get out of the car, Lin Anyu, who was drinking cola, suddenly changed his expression and said urgently, "Han Zhou! Why don't you stay in the passenger seat..."

"Ok?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Zhou and Gu Zheng both looked at him with puzzled expressions, with the latter's eyes revealing a hint of disbelief.

Faced with their gazes, Lin Anyu's expression stiffened. He made up a lame excuse and forced a dry laugh, saying, "I suddenly remembered something, and I also have something to say to you."

He certainly didn't want to stop Han Zhou and Gu Zheng from sitting together, but there was nothing he could do. The Zhong sisters happened to come out of the bookstore at this moment, and coincidentally, they were walking in this direction. If Han Zhou got out of the car at this time, he would definitely be seen, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

If a gay man like him could provoke such hostility from Guzheng, let alone a young and beautiful girl, he felt it was necessary to prevent the two from meeting.

He has already carried too much burden today for Han Zhou's sake, so it doesn't matter if he carries a little more.

If a brother can do this much, he can say he has a clear conscience.

Lin Anyu felt a surge of emotion.

Seeing Lin Anyu's suddenly complicated expression, Gu Zheng panicked, thinking that what he wanted to say was a confession, and wished she could just pull Han Zhou over: "Come sit with me!"

Lin Anyu wasn't as assertive, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Listen to me, don't go anywhere, just stay in the passenger seat."

"Come sit with me!"

"Stay in the passenger seat."

"Come sit with me!"

"..."

Han Zhou was at his wit's end and sighed, "Are you two teaming up to mess with me?"

He ultimately decided to get off the bus because Gu Zheng's expression was very strange; she looked like she wanted to eat someone alive, and he needed to appease her.

He was still a little puzzled. Although Gu Zheng had a bad temper, she wasn't the type to lose her temper easily. Why would she suddenly get so angry? Could it be that Lin Anyu had overheard her saying that she wasn't human?

"Don't get out of the car!"

Seeing Han Zhou stick his foot out of the car, Lin Anyu's expression changed drastically. He reached out to stop him, but it was too late. As the car door closed, the Zhong sisters, who were walking in this direction not far away, saw Han Zhou getting out of the car.

It’s over.

Lin Anyu's face was blank. He dejectedly lowered his outstretched hand, looking utterly hopeless.

In the end, they still couldn't stop it...

Gu Zheng gasped at his appearance, which seemed to have lost all his soul, but unfortunately, Han Zhou didn't like men, and she wouldn't give him up to a man.

Neither can women.

If Gu Zheng hadn't wanted to ruin Han Zhou and Lin Anyu's relationship, she would have told the truth and pulled Han Zhou out of the car long ago.

"Go sit on the left."

Instead of giving up her right-hand door, she let Han Zhou get in from the left. This way, he would sit right behind Lin Anyu, with a seat behind him so that even if the latter occasionally turned around, they wouldn't see each other.

Han Zhou had no choice but to comply. He had to walk around the car again. Just as he was about to open the left door, he suddenly heard a light stomping sound behind him.

He was slightly taken aback, feeling that something similar had happened before, but before he could recall it carefully, he heard a somewhat annoyed female voice.

"Hey."

My name isn't Hey, it's Chu Yuxun...

Han Zhou thought to himself, then immediately remembered whose voice it was. He turned around and saw that it was indeed the Zhong Yin and Zhong Ling sisters.

Today, Zhong Yin was no longer dressed as a car mechanic. Instead, she wore a loose blue short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, and her straight and round thighs were particularly eye-catching. Although her outfit was quite simple, she still attracted a lot of attention on the street.

There was no way to hide it; even in loose clothing, her heavy bosom was still impossible to ignore.

Zhong Ling was dressed similarly in a simple outfit. Unlike Zhong Yin, who looked annoyed at being owed hundreds of thousands, Zhong Ling had a surprised smile on her face, but there was a hint of disappointment hidden deep in her eyes, as if she was wondering why her junior had ignored her earlier.

Zhong Yin clearly noticed this disappointment. Her sister was unhappy, and as a sister-obsessed sister, she was naturally unhappy as well, which is why her tone was so unpleasant just now.

Han Zhou realized that it was Zhong Ling who had just stomped her foot, but he couldn't react in time to being greeted from behind. He first changed his status to "Leave it to fate" to enhance his hearing before asking, "Senior, what are you doing here?"

"We've come here to buy books."

Zhong Ling smiled gently and replied, "My sister really enjoys reading a detective novel. I heard that the latest volume came out this week, so we came to read it together today. Unfortunately, we were unlucky, as the new books here are already sold out."

Detective novel?

Han Zhou was taken aback after hearing this, glanced at Zhong Yin in surprise, and blurted out, "You actually like detective novels? Are you learning how to be a serial wrench killer?"

He regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. He quickly glanced at Zhong Yin's thigh and then at the pocket of his jeans. It didn't look like he was carrying a wrench, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he remembered that Zhong Ling had mentioned before that Zhong Yin liked racing and detective novels. So this guy likes exciting things?
"Can't you?"

Zhong Yin glared coldly at Han Zhou, not particularly angry, but thinking that if she ever committed a crime, she would definitely target this guy first. However, since this guy knew she liked detective novels, it meant her sister had just told him. This kid's hearing was fine, so why did he pretend not to hear when Xiao Ling greeted him so excitedly?

Zhong Yin frowned slightly, his gaze falling on the white sedan in front of him.

Meanwhile, Gu Zheng, who was sitting in the car, couldn't sit still any longer. She was eager to know who the two women outside were, so she rolled down the window and asked, "Han Zhou, are these two your friends?"

She first looked at Zhong Yin, then suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. Her eyes widened abruptly, her gaze seemingly drawn to him by a magnet, uncontrollably focusing on his chest, and she almost stopped breathing.

Without comparison, there is no harm. Looking down at her chest, Guzheng's feelings suddenly became incredibly complicated.

But then she thought again, this woman looked much older than her... I mean in terms of age. Since she was older, it was normal for her to have bigger breasts. Right now, the other woman was ahead, but she would definitely catch up in the future.

After some self-consolation, Guzheng gradually calmed down and turned to look at Zhong Ling.

The girl in front of her had exceptionally fair skin, which made her eyes light up. She thought to herself that the girl was so cute and looked a little younger than herself, probably still a high school student.

However, when she looked down and saw the other woman's equally impressive breasts, her eyes instantly dimmed, as if she had lost all her dreams.

Han Zhou had no idea that Gu Zheng was having a dramatic internal struggle in those few seconds. He smiled and introduced her, "This is Zhong Ling. She's a sophomore at Lincheng University, just like us. This is her older sister, Zhong Yin. You can call her Sister Yin, just like I do."

"Senior?"

A glimmer of hope rekindled in Guzheng's dim eyes.

"Yes, they're only one year ahead of us."

Being a year older means being a year older, and there's still a chance, still a chance... Gu Zheng gently patted her chest, which was not rising or falling, silently comforting herself.

Han Zhou then pointed to the guzheng and introduced it: "Her name is Guzheng. She is my high school classmate and a freshman at Lincheng University this year."

After hearing the words "high school classmate," Zhong Yin lost interest in the guzheng. Clearly, the keyword she wanted to hear was "younger sister."

Although she wasn't very friendly to men, she was very polite to girls. She first greeted Guzheng with a smile before asking, "Isn't your sister here today?"

She glanced inside the car and saw no one except for a man she didn't recognize. She didn't see Yixia and felt a little disappointed.

"Sister? You mean Han Zhou?" Gu Zheng asked疑惑地, "When did that guy get a sister?"

She glanced at Han Zhou strangely, but he pretended not to see her and turned his head away without making a sound.

Zhong Yin then remembered that she had been tricked, glared at Han Zhou and said, "I misspoke. It wasn't a younger sister, but a girl wearing a mask and a baseball cap. Her name was Yi Xia."

Face mask and baseball cap...

Gu Zheng's expression changed slightly. Wasn't this the student that Han Zhou had been tutoring?
When did she become Han Zhou's sister?

Han Zhou ignored Gu Zheng's suspicious gaze. Finding someone to impersonate his sister to deceive another pair of sisters was not only shameful to admit, but could also get him beaten up. He decided to gloss over it for now.

Just then, Lin Anyu, who was in the car, suddenly rolled down the window and suggested, "Why don't you guys come and talk in the car? There's air conditioning."

He had been observing silently, and seeing that Han Zhou dared to introduce Zhong Ling and Gu Zheng so openly, and didn't seem too worried when mentioning Mo Yixia, as if he wasn't worried about being attacked at all, he realized that he had probably been overthinking things.

Han Zhou and these girls haven't developed any ambiguous relationships yet, at least not at the moment. Their meeting isn't a matter of life and death, which is why he felt at ease inviting Zhong Ling and the other girl into the car.

This was also to take the opportunity to help Han Zhou change the subject.

Han Zhou nodded repeatedly upon hearing this and said, "That's right. Besides, didn't you want to buy books? You can take a ride with us to other bookstores."

"Can...is it okay?"

Zhong Ling was somewhat tempted, but she was worried that it would be too much trouble for Han Zhou and his friends. She had met Lin Anyu and knew that he was a good friend of her junior.

"My senior asked if it was okay."

Han Zhou looked at Lin Anyu and asked him to relay Zhong Ling's question.

"Of course," Lin Anyu said cheerfully.

Zhong Yin was actually reluctant to agree, since she didn't like owing favors, but seeing her younger sister looking at her expectantly and cautiously, she had no choice but to give up and said somewhat helplessly, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

However, she soon discovered a problem.

This car isn't small. It can seat one person in the front passenger seat and three people in the back, making it comfortable for a total of four people. However, it might be a little cramped for three people in the back. While they won't be sitting right next to each other, there will inevitably be some physical contact.

So she suggested that Han Zhou sit in the passenger seat and the other three sit in the back, so that even if the three girls squeezed together, it wouldn't be a problem.

She didn't suspect Han Zhou of having any ulterior motives; in fact, she didn't dislike him much, otherwise she wouldn't have asked him to take her sister to buy a cell phone last time.

Her bad attitude stemmed mainly from her terrible first impression of Han Zhou. Out of pride, she couldn't find an opportunity to change her attitude, so she simply continued as before.

However, there are differences between men and women, and this is something that definitely needs to be considered.

Zhong Yin made no attempt to hide her opinion, but before Han Zhou could speak, the short-haired girl named Gu Zheng objected, firmly stating that Han Zhou had to sit in the back seat, and the passenger seat could be anyone, but it absolutely could not be Han Zhou.

Gu Zheng certainly knows that there are differences between men and women, but the problem is that there are also differences between men nowadays, so we must be careful.

Han Zhou finally couldn't hold back any longer and insisted that she give a reason, but Gu Zheng just kept a straight face and refused to say. Lin Anyu just smiled awkwardly and expressed his support for Gu Zheng's suggestion.

He was determined to clear up the misunderstanding afterward, otherwise things might just get worse...

Zhong Yin looked at the three of them with a puzzled expression, as if he was thinking about what had happened between them. In the end, he decided to let Zhong Ling sit in the passenger seat. After weighing the options for a moment, he hesitated and said, "Then I'll sit in the middle, and you two can sit next to me."

Her intention was simple: to act as a dividing line to prevent the girl named Guzheng from having unnecessary physical contact with Han Zhou and thus causing him distress.

Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated. This guy probably treated every girl younger than him as a potential younger sister, protecting her to this extent. It was rather clumsy.

Zhong Yin's intentions were good, of course, but unfortunately Gu Zheng didn't appreciate it. Instead, she looked at her with a wary gaze and said seriously, "But I want to sit with Han Zhou."

Zhong Yin was taken aback, realizing that she seemed to have misjudged the relationship between the two young people. Just then, she suddenly recalled the time when Han Zhou pretended not to hear his sister's greeting, and her eyes became a little subtle.

Seeing her silence, Han Zhou smiled and said, "Then I'll sit with Gu Zheng, and you can sit next to Gu Zheng, Sister Yin."

"no need."

Zhong Yin snapped out of her thoughts, shook her head slightly, and said calmly, "You sit in the middle, I'd like to sit next to you too."

Lin Anyu: "?"

Guzheng: "?"

Han Zhou: "?"

Zhong Ling: "?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's heads were filled with questions.

The reason why the first two people had question marks above their heads was roughly the same: they were both convinced of one thing. Zhong Yin's words largely indicated that her attitude towards Han Zhou was unusual.

As for the guzheng, if it weren't Han Zhou in the car but another man, she definitely wouldn't want to squeeze in with him unless absolutely necessary.

Not just her, most girls would probably have similar thoughts, so when she heard Zhong Yin insist on squeezing next to Han Zhou, her expression immediately became wary;
Lin Anyu's expression became even more varied, even quite layered. He suddenly realized that although the battlefield was not yet in full swing, the tension seemed to be igniting at this moment.

However, he never expected that, in addition to Zhong Ling, the person suspected of participating in the war was actually Zhong Ling's sister. Hiss... What exactly has Han Zhou been doing lately?
So, it seems like everyone on the bus except myself is a potential member of a chaotic battleground...

No, Lin Anyu felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

It seems I'm now considered a prospective member...

Thinking of this, his expression became more nuanced.

Han Zhou didn't think too much about it; he was simply confused. Zhong Yin probably had something he wanted to say to him, but was it necessary for him to sit with him?

As for the reason why Zhong Ling had question marks on her head, it was much simpler, and unlike the others, she was just confused as to why everyone was suddenly showing such shocked and puzzled expressions. Had something happened?

After some twists and turns, the seating arrangement was finalized.

Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere in the car, Lin Anyu asked, "Shall we go to the nearest bookstore?"

“Yes.” Han Zhou nodded. “I suggest you buy some books to enrich your meager spiritual life.”

"I don't need it. I can't even finish reading all the comic books that Ya Ya gives me every day."

Lin Anyu shook his head, turned on the navigation, and drove to the nearest bookstore.

They overestimated themselves, both in terms of their condition, hand speed, and time management.

I should have updated 24,000 words yesterday and today, but I've only updated 11,000 so far, leaving 13,000 to go. I'll make up for the shortfall. Update times will be flexible from now on; I'll post each chapter as soon as I finish it. Please don't keep urging me, and I won't be posting as many explanations anymore.

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(End of this chapter)