Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 212 A Good News and a Bad News
With the college entrance examination approaching, the atmosphere during breaks between classes for the entire senior year of high school was quite somber. Even though the sky was clear and blue, it was easy to think of a gloomy, rainy day shrouded in dark clouds.

The desks were crammed with textbooks, and numerous reference books were stacked high on them, as if a wall had been built between each student.

Even so, there still wasn't enough room for all the books. The aisle was filled with storage boxes of all sizes, each containing a large number of books and notes.

If you look into the classroom from outside the window, the first thing you might notice isn't the people, but rather the stack of books taller than a person.

Perhaps this is what is meant by an ocean of books.

Although it was break time, the students basically didn't leave the classroom except to go to the toilet. Instead, they studied hard and made the most of every minute. Even when they talked to each other, they consciously controlled their volume, for fear of disturbing others.

They study during class time, they study after class, they study at school, they study at home, and even when it's time to turn off the lights and go to sleep, they still sacrifice their rest time to continue studying.

People like to call this hard work.

But Mo Yixia preferred to call this kind of life hell.

Of course, she never considered scoffing at such efforts; not everyone is born into a wealthy family and possesses unparalleled talent like her.

Talent needs to be matched with hard work, and wealth needs to be acquired with sweat. She was born standing on the finish line that most people pursue. Although she cannot truly empathize with her, she never dislikes hardworking people, but rather the driving force behind their hard work.

Most people in this world are pushed around. They may not even know what they want. They are gradually transformed into what others expect them to be through repeated pushing and shoving.

In the past, Mo Yixia would have found it boring and had no desire to associate with such a person.

But after this trip to the snow mountain, she realized that the world is not just a simple interweaving of expectations, but also contains many other things. Therefore, she is willing to place more expectations on the world and to observe the people or things that are caught up in these expectations from more perspectives.

"Mo Yixia, can you teach me how to do this problem?"

A slightly nervous voice pulled Mo Yixia back to her senses. She turned to look at the girl beside her, Zhang Meng, her deskmate, a girl who had always wanted to be her friend.

"Ah."

The faint nasal tone made Zhang Meng pause for a moment, unsure if it was an affirmative tone. Before she could confirm, the girl wearing a mask and a baseball cap said, "Let me see it."

Zhang Meng looked bewildered, but quickly snapped out of her daze and handed over the test paper, explaining in a low voice, "I actually wanted to ask the teacher, but there were too many students asking questions in the office, so..."

She knew that Mo Yixia was a cold person who usually ignored everyone. If it weren't for the upcoming exams, she wouldn't have wanted to bother her.

"This question?"

However, Mo Yixia clearly didn't care about her explanation and interrupted her by pointing to the last multiple-choice question on the test paper.

"Yes... I've thought about it for a long time but I still can't figure it out."

"It's very simple. Choosing B means your thinking is fine, but you've fallen into a mental trap."

Mo Yixia spoke calmly and explained the solution to the question in just a few words. Zhang Meng felt enlightened and thanked her repeatedly.

She glanced at the other person cautiously, and whether it was just her imagination or not, she felt that Mo Yixia seemed a little different after returning from her vacation.

Zhang Meng let out a long breath and planned to redo the problem after dinner to solidify her knowledge. However, before she could even pick up her pen, Mo Yixia's voice suddenly rang in her ears.

"Zhang Meng, I remember the teacher praised you more than once for being a very hardworking student."

His tone was calm, offering neither affirmation nor praise for the effort, nor disdain or ridicule, as if he were simply stating a fact.

"what?"

Zhang Meng was taken aback, not only because she was confused as to why Mo Yixia would suddenly bring this up, but also because it seemed to be the first time the other party had taken the initiative to talk to her.

"No la……"

She smiled a little shyly, "I'm not very smart, so I have to work harder. And even then, my grades only improve so much. Don't make fun of me. If we're talking about hard work, you're probably the hardest working one. You're improving so fast."

Her tone was tinged with envy. Mo Yixia had been receiving praise almost every day lately. Previously, Mo Yixia's grades were similar to hers, but now she had broken into the top ten in the class.

“We’re different.” Mo Yixia shook her head slightly. “At least when it comes to studying, the word ‘effort’ has nothing to do with me.”

This sounds a bit Versailles-esque, but it's true.

"This, this is it..."

Zhang Meng smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

However, Mo Yixia didn't care whether she could respond or not, and suddenly asked, "Can you tell me what you're working hard for?"

"what?"

"What I mean is, is there some special reason why you study so hard?"

Zhang Meng hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Is this some kind of social research activity?"

"You could say that, but it's just my personal research."

"Oh."

Zhang Meng seemed to understand but not quite. She tapped her forehead with the tip of her pen, tilted her head, and said, "There's no particular reason... My parents both hope that I will become a successful person in the future. I don't want to disappoint them, and to become a successful person, I need to study more, so I study hard... That's about it."

She smiled sheepishly, "It's pretty ordinary, isn't it?"

It's really quite ordinary. Perhaps most people work hard for the same reason as this girl: they just don't want to disappoint certain people. There's nothing lofty or noble about it.

"Is that all?"

Mo Yixia met her eyes, "Besides not wanting to disappoint your parents, is there nothing else that motivates you to study hard?"

Her tone became more serious, as if this were a very important issue.

"This one……"

Zhang Meng hesitated for a moment, then nodded honestly, "It seems like there isn't any... Although I want to be a successful person, it's just something I think about occasionally. To call that a motivation is probably a bit of a stretch."

"In other words, your motivation to study hard comes entirely from the expectations of others, rather than your own desires?"

"desire?"

"It's your personal motivation."

"That's not quite right to say that..."

Zhang Meng hesitated for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "I don't want to disappoint my parents. I guess that's my own desire?"

Mo Yixia was stunned.

"thank you, I know now."

After a moment, she nodded thoughtfully, rested her chin on her hand, and turned to look at the sky outside the window.

The autumn sky was clear and cloudless.

The weather is so-so today, she thought.

Zhang Meng was about to say something when she suddenly heard two soft coughs and couldn't help but ask with concern, "Do you have a cold?"

“It’s not serious,” Mo Yixia said.

"Oh……"

Zhang Meng noticed that Mo Yixia seemed unusually easy to talk to today, so after thinking for a moment, she tentatively asked, "Um... how about we go out for lunch together?"

"Ah."

"Hmm?" Zhang Meng repeated nervously.

Mo Yixia seemed to see through her thoughts and said calmly, "It means I agree."

She had promised Han Zhou that if the trip to the snow mountain was a perfect score, she would try her best to make friends.

This isn't something she's forcing, but she's going to give it a try.

"Great!"

Zhang Meng was overjoyed, but before she could say anything, her homeroom teacher walked into the classroom with a stern face, holding a stack of brand-new test papers.

"Everyone, please tidy up your desks. If you need to use the restroom, go now. We'll have a combined science test in the next few classes."

The classroom erupted in the students' wails.

Mo Yixia didn't like taking off her mask in crowded places, so she brought her food to her dormitory to eat.

She is now a boarding student, and she has her own room. This was her own request, and Jiang Baiqian had no objection. After all, she knew her daughter's habits. The only thing she was a little upset about was that her daughter suddenly wanted to live on campus, but she didn't care after hearing her promise to get first place in the grade.

Anyway, nothing bad is going to happen at school.

It just goes to show that rich people are different; the school can even agree to let one person live in a dormitory room. Of course, this is also related to the fact that Mo Yixia requested to live on campus too late, when the girls' dormitories were basically full.

Zhang Meng followed Mo Yixia back to the dormitory, and the moment she saw Mo Yixia take off her mask, she felt full.

It has to be said that Mo Yixia's appearance was so stunning that even she, a girl, would be captivated by her. No wonder she usually wore a mask to cover it up. However, she quickly noticed something was wrong; the other woman's face was a little red, and the redness was not normal.

Mo Yixia has a fever.

After realizing this, Zhang Meng immediately ran to the office to explain the situation to the homeroom teacher and suggested taking Mo Yixia to the hospital.

Their high school doesn't have a school hospital, but there's one not far away, just a few steps from the school gate.

Upon learning that Mo Yixia was sick, the homeroom teacher dared not take it lightly and immediately contacted her mother. Jiang Baiqian was extremely anxious upon hearing this, but she was busy with something and could not come over at the moment, so she had no choice but to call Han Zhou.

This behavior clearly shows that Mo Yixia was right; this mother still trusts Han Zhou quite a bit.

Han Zhou was eating at the time. Upon hearing the news, he didn't hesitate and immediately said that he would rush over as soon as possible.

Mo Yixia was initially reluctant to go to the hospital, as she hated such places. However, upon hearing that Han Zhou would be coming, she immediately changed her mind, realizing that she was very ill and would not recover without a day and a night of IV drips.

Illness cannot be ignored. Because Mo Yixia injured her foot, two female classmates, including Zhang Meng, took her to the hospital. Han Zhou had already learned the hospital's address and was on his way.

"Mo Yixia, why didn't you tell me you were sick sooner? The doctor said you have a high fever and need an IV drip."

At the hospital, Zhang Meng supported Mo Yixia and said anxiously.

"I'm sorry, I'll tell you later," Mo Yixia said softly.

Zhang Meng wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt she could hear a hint of laughter in her voice, which left her feeling bewildered.

Is being sick something to be happy about?

Upon arriving at the ward, one of the beds was already occupied. The person was sleeping with their head covered by the blanket, leaving only one arm sticking out. It appeared to be a girl.

Mo Yixia didn't care. She looked down at the hospital bed for a while until she heard the nurse say that the sheets had just been changed, and then she quietly lay down on it.

This is one of the reasons why she hates hospitals.

The nurse quickly brought the IV drip and hung it on the shelf next to the bed. The thin needle made her a little uneasy, which was another reason why Mo Yixia hated hospitals—she had almost nothing to be afraid of growing up, except for injections.

However, this fear was not deep-seated. Getting an IV drip wouldn't make her lose her composure. The nurse's injection technique was very skillful. She left in a hurry after saying, "Let me know when the IV fluid is almost gone."

Lying in bed, it was inconvenient to continue wearing the baseball cap. Mo Yixia took off the cap and placed it on the bedside table, her long black hair falling loose. She said to Zhang Meng and another classmate, "You guys go back for your lunch break first. You have classes this afternoon."

Zhang Meng refused, shaking her head and saying, "If I stay here to take care of you, someone will have to notify the nurse to change the IV drip later. Besides, you can't walk back to school by yourself."

"Don't worry, someone will come to take care of me soon. Class is important, you guys go back first."

Mo Yixia spoke calmly. If she hadn't heard the doctor's diagnosis from her own ears, it would have been hard for anyone to believe that she had a high fever.

"I see... Are your family members coming?"

"Yes, family."

"That's good..." Zhang Meng breathed a sigh of relief and stopped insisting. "Then you should rest well, we're leaving."

"Thank you all for today," Mo Yixia said.

"You're welcome."

Zhang Meng smiled, turned around and left the ward with another classmate, closing the door behind her.

The room quieted down, and Mo Yixia turned to look out the window.

The sky was clear, the sun was shining brightly, and contrails could be faintly seen.

It's a nice day, she thought.

Just then, the girl huddled under the covers in the next bed seemed to wake up. She twisted her body a couple of times, then poked her head out from under the covers, revealing a pale, round face and shoulder-length short hair.

She thought of getting up to get a drink of water, and when she turned her head, she saw that there was someone else on the next bed. It was a girl wearing a mask, who was thoughtfully looking at her.

This girl looks familiar...

Gu Zheng frowned.

……

Han Zhou rushed to the hospital and found the ward according to the ward number sent by Mo Yixia. Just as he was about to push the door open, he heard a familiar voice coming from inside the ward.

"There's only one of these things. You tell me, how do you want to divide it?"

That's... Sister Miao's voice?!
Han Zhou was startled. His first reaction was that he had misheard, and then he suspected that he had misread. He quickly took out his phone to check. The room number was indeed sent to him by Mo Yixia. Why was Sister Miao here?
A bad feeling suddenly arose in his heart...

His premonition soon came true; the next second, he indeed heard the indifferent sound of the guzheng.

"Why not just split it in the middle?"

Han Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

No, no, no...

Taking a deep breath, he quickly reassured himself. The room number wasn't wrong, but he must have gone to the wrong hospital. How could Mo Yixia be in this room? Hahaha…

He prayed silently, but what he heard was not a response from heaven, but a cold female voice.

"I don't mind whether it's split in the middle or at the top or bottom, but this process requires a knife. Did you bring a knife?"

It was Mo Yixia's voice.

It's over... Han Zhou's heart sank to the bottom.

"Hahaha, no need for a knife." Gu Lang laughed heartily in the ward. "Your Aunt Miao could tear it open with her bare hands."

"It's Sister Miao!"

Miao Yan'er first corrected him, then laughed and said, "Tearing it apart is indeed not a problem, but it might not be evenly divided and it will splatter everywhere."

Han Zhou felt a chill run down his spine.

What are they divided into?
What exactly do they want to divide?
Almost instinctively, a horrific scene flashed into his mind: being torn in two by his bare hands, blood splattered everywhere.

Escape, we must escape immediately...

Just as he was hesitating about whether to retreat, a nurse carrying an IV drip suddenly walked over, gave him a strange look, and then pushed open the ward door and went in.

Upon hearing the door open, everyone in the ward turned their gaze towards the entrance, where they saw the nurse who had come to change the IV drip, and also Han Zhou, whose expression was stiff outside the door.

The air suddenly became quiet.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.

It took Han Zhou a full five seconds to mentally prepare himself before forcing a smile and greeting everyone.

"Hello everyone."

Now there's good news and bad news.

The good news is that he had good luck today. He thought he wouldn't get any points at all, but now he can get points for two people at once, which is a huge profit.

The bad news is...

After collecting the points from both of them... he will likely be divided in two in a very cruel way.

(End of this chapter)