Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 128 The Villainous Duo

Large raindrops pounded incessantly against the window, making a pattering sound. Outside, everything was shrouded in mist; the pattering rain mingled with muffled thunder, as if the downpour had covered the entire world. The distant library appeared dim and blurry, as if shrouded in a layer of fog.

This was a rare downpour, and according to the weather forecast, it would last all day. As a result, not long ago, all freshmen received a notice to suspend military training and returned to their dormitories with great joy.

However, some people were not able to return to their dormitories and were instead taken to the office.

"Tell me, what's going on with you guys?"

At the desk, a serious-looking middle-aged man opened his thermos, took a sip of goji berry water, and sharply scrutinized the freshmen in front of him.

There were quite a few people standing in the office at this time. In addition to the students involved, such as Han Zhou and Gu Zheng, there were two instructors, two counselors, and several teachers who were watching the commotion.

The incident that just happened on the playground had a significant impact, and it was impossible to simply gloss over it because of the heavy rain. Han Zhou and the others were taken to the office and given a detailed explanation of the events that had occurred.

"I roughly understand, so the four of you are the main people involved in this incident, right?"

A few minutes later, the middle-aged counselor put down his thermos and said in a deep voice, "Han Zhou, Gu Zheng, Liu Qiumin, Zhang Wei, do you four think military training isn't tiring enough? You actually caused such a big incident?"

His tone was angry, and the others remained silent.

Seeing that these guys weren't arguing back and forth and seemed to be behaving reasonably well, Xu Weiran's mood improved slightly. He asked, "I heard you guys even got physical? Who kicked someone?"

Gu Zheng silently took a step forward.

Xu Weiran was taken aback, not expecting that the one who had attacked was a young girl, and asked, "Why did you kick her?"

"Who told him to make the first move?" Gu Zheng pointed at Zhang Wei, making no attempt to hide her anger, and said coldly, "If you can't win an arm wrestling match, you resort to dirty tricks. He actually attacked Han Zhou's injured hand. He's shameless, so I made my move."

Despite Gu Zheng's accusations, Zhang Wei, standing on the other side of the desk, seemed not to hear them and did not argue. He simply clutched his chest and pretended to be weak, while Liu Qiumin carefully supported him.

Noticing this, another counselor, Li Shilei, frowned and said, "Watch your words. The other person may have made a mistake, but no matter what, you shouldn't have hit them. Look at the state you've left them in!"

Gu Zheng looked at him, indignantly saying, "So we should just watch him attack Han Zhou, right? Besides, I didn't use much force."

"Didn't use much force? Look at how others are now!"

"Then why don't you look at Han Zhou now!" Gu Zheng showed no respect for the two unfamiliar counselors in front of her and said loudly, "His hand was injured just two days ago, and it has been injured again today. What if it can't recover!"

As she spoke, she looked at Han Zhou beside her with a worried expression. The latter had his arm in a sling, his face was pale, and he looked equally weak, as if he might fall to the ground at any moment.

In fact, Han Zhou and Zhang Wei were acting. They knew that the judgment of all conflicts was based on who was in the wrong and who was more seriously injured. So, from the moment they realized that things had gotten out of hand, they quickly pretended to be seriously injured.

Judging from the process alone, it was indeed Guzheng who started the fight. After all, this happened in front of everyone, so there's no way to deny it. Therefore, Han Zhou and his group were in the wrong in this matter. Fortunately, Zhang Wei's lack of martial ethics was also undeniable. If we insist on arguing, we can also conclude that he started the fight.

It's still unclear who started the fight, so the two are now vying for the "right of the more seriously injured," meaning whoever is more seriously injured will bear less responsibility, which is why they pretended to be badly injured.

In this respect, Han Zhou's acting skills are undoubtedly much better than Zhang Wei's. After all, he was indeed a terminally ill patient for a period of time and personally experienced what it felt like to be weak.

It was precisely because his acting skills were so outstanding that even the usually calm Xu Weiran became a little scared. He quickly had two chairs brought over so that the two men could sit down and talk.

As a university staff member with a career spanning nearly twenty years, Xu Weiran had seen all kinds of students and was very clear about the thoughts of these young guys. When he saw the two of them walk into the office with pained expressions, he roughly guessed what they were up to.

He had been convinced that the two were faking it and hadn't thought of exposing them. However, as Han Zhou's performance became more and more convincing, he gradually began to doubt his own judgment.

Han Zhou realized that he might have overacted a bit, so he toned it down a bit and said to Guzheng beside him with trembling lips, "Guzheng, don't talk to your teacher like that, I'm fine."

He turned to look at Li Shilei, whose face was cold, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, teacher, that's just how Guzheng is. Please don't take it to heart."

Guzheng gave a soft "hum" and didn't say anything.

Li Shilei's expression softened slightly. He had indeed been angry because of Gu Zheng's defiance, but upon hearing this, his anger subsided considerably. He said, "After all, they are injured. I can understand that you are a bit emotional, but no matter what, it was wrong to strike first..."

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject, looking meaningfully at Han Zhou and Zhang Wei, "You two look like you're in quite a bit of pain. Should I take you to the school clinic?"

He's not someone who's easily fooled. This sentence was actually a hint to the two of them: I know what you're thinking, and we can all understand each other without saying a word. But some things can be pretended, but don't fool yourselves. This matter needs to be explained.

Han Zhou understood what he meant and immediately admitted his mistake sincerely: "It was indeed wrong of us to take action. I am willing to make compensation and apologize to Zhang Wei. However, I would like to clarify that Gu Zheng acted in self-defense. Everyone saw what Zhang Wei was trying to do at that time, so I do not agree with the claim that we started the fight."

"Self-defense?" Xu Weiran raised an eyebrow.

"To be precise, it should be said that it was to help me in self-defense," Han Zhou said with a wry smile. "After all, I have physical limitations, so I can't even defend myself if I want to."

He glanced down at his arm in a cast and took the opportunity to play the victim.

"So you think Zhang Wei struck first?" Li Shilei asked expressionlessly.

Before Han Zhou could speak, Zhang Wei, who had been pretending to be seriously injured for a while, couldn't hold back any longer and quickly put on a stern face to argue with the two counselors: "I was just anxious at the time, I didn't really mean to do anything, and I didn't hurt this person, so how can you say that I started it?"

He vaguely understood Li Shilei's implication: it was a trivial matter, no need to go to the school hospital, and no need to argue or shirk responsibility. Both sides could just compromise. He wouldn't be punished by the school, but at most the instructors wouldn't show any leniency and would probably make him do some push-ups or something.

He naturally wanted to downplay the incident, as he had essentially been tricked this time. However, that idiot Liu Qiumin started yelling again: "I can testify that Zhang Wei didn't even touch that cripple's...that guy's hand! That woman kicked him first! And she kicked him really hard!"

Her tone was agitated, and she seemed quite angry. She took the opportunity to give Zhang Wei an encouraging look, as if to tell him not to worry and that she would always stand by his side.

Zhang Wei felt like he'd been struck by lightning, and he wanted nothing more than to strangle this guy. You don't actually think you're helping me by talking nonsense, do you?
Gu Zheng wasn't lying; she hadn't used much force in that kick. Zhang Wei simply lay down on the ground to avoid continuing the fight with Han Zhou, since he would definitely lose if the arm wrestling continued.

He was furious. The reason things had escalated was entirely because of that idiot Liu Wei's shouting. Now that he thought about it, that guy was clearly doing it on purpose. Could it be that those two bastards came here to mess with me?

Liu Qiumin had no idea that Zhang Wei was already seething with hatred for her. All she knew was that she had to stir up trouble to make the situation work in their favor. So she pointed at Han Zhou and said, "And I suspect that this guy isn't injured at all. Who can be injured and still be jumping around and arm wrestling with someone? I suspect he's deliberately faking it to avoid military training!"

Xu Weiran said with a serious expression, "Don't change the subject. We are discussing your actions now, and do you think that exemption from training doesn't require providing corresponding supporting materials?"

However, he was also a little puzzled and turned to look at Han Zhou. "Your name is Han Zhou, right? I'm curious, since you're exempt from training because of your injury, why don't you rest properly and instead go out and fight with others?"

Han Zhou smiled weakly: "I don't think what I did was competitive or aggressive. All the teachers know what happened at the time. Maybe I was wrong, but they were wrong too."

He didn't bother arguing about who was right and who was wrong; he just wanted to show a humble and receptive attitude, which is very important to the school.

Xu Weiran and Li Shilei exchanged a glance but remained silent.

"I'd like to say a few words."

Just then, Instructor Yang spoke up with a cold face, "I think Liu Qiumin should bear the main responsibility for the cause of this incident. I had already warned everyone not to quarrel or cause trouble, but she ignored my words and still took the initiative to provoke Guzheng, which seriously violated the discipline."

He looked at Liu Qiumin, his brows furrowed, and said, "If you have any complaints, tell me. What do you mean by taking it out on your classmates?"

Liu Qiumin lowered her head, clenched her fists, and looked resentful.

Another instructor, who hadn't spoken until now, said, "She was indeed wrong in this respect, but the one who started it should bear the primary responsibility. I heard that Zhang Wei went to help out of good intentions and didn't know the cause and effect of the matter beforehand. It's a fact that he was beaten, so these two people must be dealt with."

He pointed to Han Zhou and the guzheng.

He was the instructor in charge of Zhang Wei, so naturally he was more inclined to side with his own people. Moreover, before he came to the office, all the students in the group had indignantly asked him to severely punish the other party. Even if it was just to maintain his prestige, he had to make his position clear.

Instructor Yang clearly favored the guzheng, coldly saying, "Don't you know what it means to resort to such a clumsy sneak attack during a fair competition? Should we go back and ask everyone for their opinions? It's hard to say who started it, but I'll just say this: if anyone dares to do this, I might have to take action too."

The instructor sighed, "Old Yang, we're discussing right and wrong now, not how to act on emotion."

"Even if we're discussing right and wrong, the one who's wrong is that guy under you. Playing dirty tricks in competition is utterly shameful, especially during military training!"

"You're going too far. It's not that serious. It's not as embarrassing as it sounds."

"Isn't this embarrassing? Then when we go back to the army for training, I'll sneakily kick you and see what happens. You'd better not be angry."

"you……"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Xu Weiran quickly advised, "Instructors, our school will handle this matter properly. You can also impose certain penalties on your side, but there's no need to argue like this."

The two instructors, realizing they had overstepped their bounds, nodded and remained silent. They had come to understand the situation, not to influence the school's decision.

Xu Weiran pondered for a while but did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he said to Han Zhou and the other three, "Alright, we understand the cause and effect of the matter. We will deal with the specific results after contacting your respective counselors. I will notify you to come again at any time. Now you can go back first."

"understood."

This meant that the first round of questioning was over. Han Zhou and Gu Zheng ignored Liu Qiumin and the other person, turned around and left the office.

Midway through, Gu Zheng ran to apologize to Instructor Yang, saying she shouldn't have caused him trouble. He shook his head, indicating it was alright; he didn't think Gu Zheng had done anything wrong and told her to go and spend time with her boyfriend. Seeing Gu Zheng return with a flushed face, Han Zhou asked, puzzled, "Why is your face red?"

"It's nothing, it was just too stuffy in the office."

Gu Zheng turned her head away, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly said, "It's all my fault for being too impulsive back then, otherwise things wouldn't have turned out like this."

She felt somewhat guilty, thinking that things wouldn't have escalated like this if it weren't for that kick.

Han Zhou smiled nonchalantly and joked, "Haven't you always been like this? Like my number one bodyguard, how could I possibly blame you?"

"Don't worry, it's not a big deal. The school will most likely just let us make peace with those two guys and we won't get punished."

"Who is your number one bodyguard...?"

Gu Zheng pouted, but seeing Han Zhou's relaxed expression, her mood improved, and she asked with concern, "Does your hand still hurt?"

"It didn't hurt at first, I was faking it, can't you tell?"

"Pretending?" Guzheng was taken aback. "But didn't you keep saying your hands hurt?"

"How come you believe everything I say..."

Han Zhou smiled helplessly and explained, "If I hadn't pretended, things would have been troublesome. Those two teachers might have directly assumed that we started it, and who started it would seriously affect the school's division of responsibility. But in this situation, it's a case of both sides sharing the blame equally, although those two teachers have probably already seen through my act."

"I was so worried about you, you big liar..."

Gu Zheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, then glanced at him and said speechlessly, "Where did you learn so many schemes and tricks?"

Han Zhou smiled and said, "Of course it was Sister Miao who taught me. She gave me a simple pointer, but this is not a conspiracy. She also taught you 'self-defense,' and I see that you use it quite skillfully. If we have to say, we are equally good at it."

Why would she teach you these things for no reason?

"Of course, it's so that I can better protect you."

Gu Zheng paused for two seconds, then pouted and said, "You think you can protect me?"

Han Zhou said in a serious tone, "Didn't I just protect you? So, what do you say?"

"How about what?"

"How impressive did it look when I stood up for you? Wasn't it?"

Seeing this guy deliberately making a smug expression, Gu Zheng's eyes curved into a smile, but she quickly rolled her eyes and said with a straight face, "It's like a shrew cursing in the street, so embarrassing, and I don't need you to stand up for me."

Han Zhou's face fell: "Isn't it a bit much to call her a shrew who's yelling in the street?"

"That's just how it is, not impressive at all..."

Gu Zheng muttered something, then looked down and couldn't help but laugh, "But this is the first time I've ever seen you swear like this."

Han Zhou laughed along, "That's because you used to beat people up before I could even speak, never giving me a chance to reason with you."

Gu Zheng glanced at him sideways and said disdainfully, "Is that what you call being reasonable?"

Instead of answering, Han Zhou asked, "Do I need to reason with that kind of person?"

As they spoke, the two had already arrived downstairs. Outside, it was pouring rain, and the rain was extremely heavy.

Gu Zheng thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's not necessary. I actually enjoyed listening to it. But I didn't expect you to be so talented at cursing. That's perfect. From now on, if anyone curses me, you can curse them back for me."

"Why do I get the feeling you're actually looking forward to that day?" Han Zhou gave a wry smile, pulling the guzheng back to avoid the splashing rain. "It's best to avoid these kinds of things if possible..."

"You don't want to?" Gu Zheng raised her eyebrows.

She looked into the distance. The sky was dark and the rain was pouring down. She and Han Zhou stood together in the rain. Their shadows were shattered and blurred by the rain, and looked as if they were mixed together.

This scene seems familiar.

"Yes, of course I'm willing."

Han Zhou also gazed into the distance, unable to see anything through the rain curtain, and smiled as he said, "I won't let you suffer any injustice."

His voice was drowned out by the heavy rain, sounding somewhat muffled, as if he were joking, yet also serious.

Gu Zheng paused for two seconds, somewhat doubting her ears, and asked uncertainly, "What did you say?"

"I said I would."

"Next sentence."

"I won't let you suffer any injustice."

Han Zhou looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "Is there something wrong with what you said?"

Gu Zheng's eyes widened, and she immediately punched Han Zhou, stammering, "Ding ding ding... Of course there's a problem! What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly be wronged!"

Her heart raced, and a blush crept onto her face.

This guy is shameless! He can just say things like that so casually, and he looks so serious. Is he going to confess his feelings next...?

But it's strange, Han Zhou seems to have really changed...

Would he have said something like that before?

Gu Zheng stole a glance at Han Zhou's profile, tilted her head, and said calmly, "Then it's settled. From now on, if anyone dares to insult me, you'll insult them for me. Similarly, if anyone dares to hit you, I'll hit them for you. We're the strongest alliance of mutual support!"

She curled her lips into a smile, her face full of ambition.

Han Zhou laughed: "Why do you talk about it like you're part of a villainous duo?"

Guzheng was amused by her own words, and her eyes curved into crescent moons.

"I think you're the most like a villain."

"Click."

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a camera shutter being pressed. Gu Zheng looked up and realized that Han Zhou had taken a picture while she wasn't paying attention. She couldn't help but frown.

Before she could react, Han Zhou proudly presented her with the camera, saying confidently, "This is definitely the best photo I've taken in the last few days."

Gu Zheng didn't believe it. She took the camera, looked at it, opened her mouth slightly, and then quickly pretended to be disdainful, saying, "Tch, what's so interesting about this?"

This guy is so stubborn he can even criticize himself.

Although she wouldn't admit it, she actually thought the photo was pretty good, and that she looked really good when she smiled. Sure enough, only this guy looked like a villain.

Han Zhou praised earnestly, "This photo would definitely be published in the school newspaper. The gloomy sky, the torrential rain, the bright girl, and the sun-like smile are just like the sunshine after the rain. It perfectly shows the beauty of campus life."

The guzheng, embarrassed by the praise, couldn't help but raise its head proudly and say, "Is it really as good as you say?"

"Of course there is, but after thinking about it, I think this photo can't be published in the school newspaper."

"Why?" Gu Zheng looked at Han Zhou in confusion.

"Why did you say?"

Han Zhou gave her a strange look, and their eyes met, their pupils reflecting each other's images.

"Because it belongs to our villainous duo..."

Han Zhou smiled and slowly transferred the photo to his phone.

"Others have to pay to see it."

(End of this chapter)