Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 213 Teacher, help!

Let time rewind a little—

After noticing that the girl wearing a mask in the next hospital bed looked familiar, Gu Zheng quickly noticed the baseball cap on the other girl's bedside and then remembered who she was.

She had seen this girl once at Lin Youya's birthday party; if she remembered correctly, she was a student Han Zhou tutored during the summer vacation.

Although she had never seen what the other person looked like, the mask and baseball cap she wore left a deep impression on her. Han Zhou had mentioned this student to her a few times, saying that his family situation was rather complicated.

Thinking of this, Gu Zheng smiled warmly and greeted them, "Hello, I remember you're Han Zhou's..."

“Friends,” Mo Yixia continued, “Han Zhou and I are friends.”

She recognized the guzheng, and knew very well that the girl in front of her was her number one rival in love, so she began to carefully examine her from the very beginning.

She's a very pretty girl, and seems to be the innocent type. Her smile is adorable... She doesn't seem to be hostile towards me. It seems Han Zhou hasn't dared to mention me much in front of her, or perhaps she hasn't suspected our relationship at all...

So that's how it is. Han Zhou only told me about his desire to have his cake and eat it too, and didn't dare tell anyone else... Mo Yixia thought to herself.

In fact, Han Zhou had no intention of telling her; she just saw right through him.

Silently noting this debt in her heart, she asked, "May I ask who you are...?"

"My name is Gu Zheng. I'm friends with Han Zhou, and we're also classmates."

Gu Zheng smiled, her eyes crinkling. She didn't care about Mo Yixia's emphasis on their friendship. After all, summer vacation was over, and Han Zhou was no longer this girl's teacher, so it wasn't surprising that they were friends.

It was a very frank answer, but her tone carried a hint of excitement and anticipation, as if she was certain that her relationship with Han Zhou could take another step forward... It seems that their relationship is indeed extraordinary, and it looks like Han Zhou has recently said something quite remarkable to her...

Mo Yixia pondered, "Besides friends and classmates?"

"what?"

"I heard him say that your relationship is similar to that of childhood sweethearts."

"Really?" Gu Zheng was taken aback.

"Yes, but that's relative."

In comparison...

Gu Zheng was pondering those words when she heard the other person continue, "You two must have a very good relationship, right?"

She initially wanted to deny it subconsciously, but for some reason, she suddenly became wary and nodded very seriously: "It's very good."

"So are we."

Mo Yixia suddenly asked a question, her tone so calm it was as if she were asking what to have for dinner.

"That's it..."

Gu Zheng felt inexplicably uncomfortable, but she quickly calmed down and a smile appeared on her face. "I know, I've even heard Han Zhou mention you."

She thought she was overthinking it. Han Zhou and this girl spent a lot of time together during the summer vacation, so it wasn't strange that they got along well. In any case, they couldn't get along better than she and Han Zhou.

It wasn't a forced smile; I genuinely didn't care... Was I just too naive, or was I so confident that I didn't even consider myself a rival?
Mo Yixia's thoughts raced, but only now did she truly realize that she was ill. Her mind was foggy, her limbs were weak, and her thinking was not as sharp as usual.

It seems now is not the time to clash, at least not before Han Zhou arrives...

"Then I'll conserve my energy first," she thought.

Mo Yixia had a premonition of an interesting scene. Han Zhou obviously didn't know that this girl named Gu Zheng was also in this ward, otherwise he would never have rushed over to his death without saying a word. She was looking forward to seeing his expression when he entered the room.

Gu Zheng was also unaware that Han Zhou was coming, and Mo Yixia didn't plan to tell her in advance, only saying that someone would come to take care of her later.

The sound of leaves falling outside the window could be heard from time to time. Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the branches outside the window, casting shimmering shadows on the ground. The smell of disinfectant filled the room, only to be dispelled by the fragrance of an unknown flower.

The two girls lay on the hospital bed, quietly discussing what the fragrance was. They had only just met, but they seemed to get along quite well, and as they talked, they became sleepy.

Both of them had high fevers and had just taken medicine, so they weren't feeling well.

It has to be said that it's quite a coincidence that the two of them were both running a high fever on the same day and ended up in the same hospital room. If you also consider that they were rivals in love, then it's even more of a coincidence.

Half asleep and half awake, Mo Yixia heard the sound of the ward door opening. She immediately woke up and looked up. It wasn't Han Zhou who pushed the door open, but a man and a woman who looked somewhat like the girl named Guzheng.

It seems to be her parents.

Gu Zheng was also startled awake. Seeing her parents enter the room, she perked up and asked, "Did you finish eating so quickly?"

"Yeah, I didn't go home. I ate at a restaurant." Gu Lang put the bags he was carrying on the table and said with a smile, "I specially bought a bowl of porridge from the best-reputed restaurant nearby. I heard it tastes really good. Come on, have a taste."

"I don't want to eat. I have no appetite right now."

Gu Zheng sniffed, instantly losing interest in the bowl of porridge. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Mo Yixia in the next bed, "By the way, have you had lunch? Why don't you have some porridge?"

"I don't have an appetite either," Mo Yixia gently shook her head.

"Yes, we are both patients with loss of appetite now."

Although Gu Zheng had no appetite, she was a little hungry and said with some regret, "If Han Zhou had made the porridge, I might have wanted to eat it. He's such a good cook."

"Really?" Mo Yixia became interested. "You've eaten his cooking?"

"Yes, I just ate it yesterday. Your cooking skills have improved a lot since then."

"It's delicious?"

"delicious."

"Then I must try it if I get a chance."

"..."

Seeing her daughter chatting with a strange girl, Miao Yan'er, who was peeling an orange, asked curiously, "Xiao Zheng, is this your friend?"

Gu Zheng then remembered to introduce her, saying, "Her name is Mo Yixia. She is Han Zhou's friend. Han Zhou had a tutoring job during the summer vacation, and this was his student at that time."

Mo Yixia thought for a moment and then politely greeted, "Hello, Uncle and Aunt."

"Hello, hello! I didn't expect to run into Han Zhou's friend here. What a coincidence!"

Miao Yan'er smiled, then realized they were in a hospital room and felt a little embarrassed. "But it seems the timing is rather unfortunate..."

It's definitely not the right time—

Han Zhou, who had not yet arrived, wholeheartedly agreed with this statement.

Miao Yan'er poured a cup of hot water and placed it on the bedside table next to Mo Yixia's bed. She said with a smile, "Your name is Yixia, right? It's a very nice name. Since you're Han Zhou's friend, you're Xiao Zheng's friend too."

As she spoke, she picked up a peeled orange and said in a gentle tone, "When you're sick, your mouth tends to taste bitter. When I was little, I always put something sweet in my mouth. Would you like to try some?"

She put a segment of orange to Mo Yixia's lips.

The latter stared at her for a moment, then raised his head slightly and put the orange in his mouth.

"Thank you." She closed her eyes. "It's very sweet."

"You're welcome."

Miao Yan'er smiled, walked over to Gu Zheng, and fed her a segment of orange.

Gu Zheng's eyebrows twitched twice: "I don't want the rest. I have no appetite right now."

Miao Yan'er keenly sensed something, beckoned her husband over, and said with a light laugh, "Then you can eat the rest, don't waste it."

"Row."

Gu Lang was flattered and immediately accepted the orange with a happy smile. However, after eating just one segment, his smile froze and his expression gradually became distorted.

Ignoring her husband's grimacing face from the sourness, Miao Yan'er looked apologetically at Mo Yixia: "I'm sorry, I picked a sour orange for you."

"It's okay," Mo Yixia said in a nonchalant tone. "It's good to taste the bitterness once in a while." "Did you hear that? Remember to savor every bit of bitterness."

Miao Yan'er looked at Gu Lang with a smile, her eyes full of dissatisfaction. This guy had volunteered to pick all the fruit. If she had picked them herself, she wouldn't have embarrassed herself in front of her daughter's friends.

She picked out another orange, tasted it herself to make sure it was sweet, and then fed Mo Yixia a segment, asking with concern, "Are you sick and no one comes to the hospital to take care of you?"

"Yes, my family will come."

Mo Yixia calmly asked, "By the way, Auntie, are you all very familiar with Han Zhou?"

Miao Yan'er paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, that child stayed overnight at my house. Also, I'm still young, calling me 'Auntie' makes me sound a bit old. You can call me Sister Miao like Han Zhou does."

"Overnight stay..." Mo Yixia nodded slightly: "I understand."

During their casual conversation, Gu Lang finally finished the whole sour orange with tears in his eyes. To prove that he was good at picking fruit, he took out a strangely shaped red fruit from the plastic bag he had brought with a look of grief and indignation.

"Open your eyes wide and look! This is a treasure I found!"

Gu Zheng looked up and stared at it for a moment, then instantly lost interest: "It's just an apple, what's so special about it?"

“Although it’s an apple, it’s no ordinary apple,” Gu Lang said mysteriously.

Miao Yan'er rolled her eyes: "I saw you pick these from a pile of apples that cost eight yuan a pound. How special could they be?"

"The important thing isn't the variety or price, but the shape! Look closely at its shape! This is a truly unique apple, one in a century!"

Mo Yixia looked up and saw that the man wasn't exaggerating; the apple in his hand was indeed uniquely shaped, with sharp edges and corners, quite different from ordinary apples.

"That's certainly rare," she commented aptly. "It looks a bit like a gorilla."

"This child has good taste."

Gu Lang felt a sense of relief upon finding a kindred spirit and said with a look of satisfaction, "You know, when we were kids, this kind of apple was called 'Falling Star,' a true symbol of peace and safety, and you couldn't buy it even if you had money."

"Dad, I think they were talking about the gorillas in the zoo..." Gu Zheng reminded him reluctantly.

Gu Lang was struck dumb: "Is that so?"

Miao Yan'er didn't want her childish husband to steer the conversation off-topic, so she said, "Since they are peace apples, let's give them to the children to pray for their safety."

"But there's only one of these items. So, what do you think we should do with it?"

……

Time returns to the present.

In the almost stagnant ward, Han Zhou carefully observed the expressions on everyone's faces.

Mo Yixia goes without saying. This guy has seen the guzheng before. Knowing that the other party was here, he didn't warn him beforehand. It's obvious that he had been planning to watch the show all along. Now he's looking at him with a half-smile.
Gu Zheng's expression was somewhat complicated, a mixture of surprise and confusion. She seemed happy to see him, yet puzzled as to why he was there.
Miao Yan'er seemed to be deep in thought, her smile gradually fading as her gaze shifted back and forth between Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia.
Gu Lang held a peculiar apple shaped like a gorilla in both hands, his expression visibly becoming serious, and he cast an unusually dangerous glance at him.

The nurse holding the IV drip looked completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on.

Time only resumed its flow after the nurse finished changing the IV drip and ran away, but the atmosphere remained oppressive.

"Han Zhou, what are you doing here?"

Gu Lang put down the apple and stared intently at Han Zhou's expression.

They never told the kid he brought a guzheng to the hospital, nor did they tell him his room number. If this guy dares to say he came to see the guzheng, then there's definitely something wrong.

But if the answer is to visit that girl named Mo Yixia... then that might also be a bit problematic.

"He came to take care of me."

Just then, a clear, cold female voice rang out, resounding like thunder in everyone's ears.

"Oh?" Miao Yan'er glanced at Han Zhou with a smile, then looked at Mo Yixia who had spoken up, "Yixia, you need to be clear, 'coming to see you' and 'coming to take care of you' are two completely different concepts."

As she spoke, she walked toward the door, seemingly ready to close it at any moment.

Gu Lang and Miao Yan'er were both worldly-wise. Before their marriage, the former was a "former veteran scumbag" and the latter was the "former president of the Anti-Scumbag Association." Naturally, they could see a lot from Han Zhou's arrival. Coupled with their doting on Gu Zheng, they were intolerant of any imperfections and would nip any potential danger in the bud.

Gu Zheng didn't think as deeply as her parents did; she just looked at Han Zhou with a blank and confused expression, waiting for him to give an explanation.

Mo Yixia did not answer Miao Yan'er's question, but looked at Han Zhou with a half-smile, throwing the question back to him.

"You did come here to take care of me, right?"

Han Zhou was sweating profusely, but he tried his best to remain calm. He nodded without changing his expression, then secretly gave Mo Yixia a pleading look, hoping that she would spare his life.

He knew that Mo Yixia could definitely understand what he meant.

However, the other party acted as if they hadn't seen it, keeping their mouth shut and not saying a word.

Just then, Guzheng suddenly said, "If I remember correctly, you said before that your family would come to take care of you, right?"

These words were clearly directed at Mo Yixia.

“Yes.” Mo Yixia said calmly.

"But Han Zhou can hardly be considered your family, can he?" Gu Zheng's voice grew deeper.

Mo Yixia looked at Han Zhou and said calmly, "That depends on how you interpret the concept of family."

Miao Yan'er patted Han Zhou's shoulder meaningfully, and made a move to close the door, intending to discuss the meaning of family properly after closing the door.

In the nick of time, Mo Yixia suddenly sighed, "Looks like my mom's busy again. How many times has she called to ask you to come and take care of me?"

Her tone was sorrowful, with a hint of self-mockery in her words, "I don't know whether I should be considered her daughter or your daughter."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Han Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and quickly seized the opportunity, saying with a wry smile, "I asked, and Auntie is indeed very busy these days and really can't find the time to come see you."

He knew Mo Yixia would let him off the hook, but even so, he still felt a sense of exhaustion, as if he had just survived a disaster. Gu Zheng's bewildered expression just now made him not even dare to look at her.

"Really? If you don't have time, then you don't have time."

Mo Yixia continued her acting, closing her eyes in disappointment.

Gu Lang and his wife exchanged a glance.

So that's how things are with the family? Han Zhou was actually just here to help take care of the girl in place of her mother?

Thinking about it, it's not surprising. Han Zhou had been Mo Yixia's tutor, so he naturally knew her mother, and they might even have a good relationship. It seems reasonable to ask him to help take care of her daughter when she couldn't find the time...

But isn't this relationship a bit too close?
Putting themselves in their shoes, they wouldn't easily let a guy they'd only known for a month help take care of the guzheng.

Gu Zheng didn't think too much about it. She had already heard Han Zhou mention that Mo Yixia's family situation was complicated, so she could understand the situation better. She breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Seeing that the others had stopped thinking about trapping the dog and were all deep in thought, Han Zhou felt a little relieved, but he knew very well that now was not the time to completely relax.

Although Mo Yixia let him off the hook, now that the team fight has started, she will definitely not be as docile and harmless as a little lamb. Right now, with her eyes closed, she might be thinking of some ultimate move.

He can handle the guzheng, but it would be best to find a way to get Uncle Gu and Sister Miao away; those two are really too intimidating here…

As his thoughts raced, he suddenly heard a deliberately hushed chatter outside the ward, one of the voices sounding quite familiar.

Han Zhou was stunned, feeling as if the voice was heavenly, and almost burst into tears.

Passionate young man... are you protecting me?

Ignoring the puzzled looks from the crowd, he quickly took out his phone and sent a message as fast as he could.

"Teacher, help me!"

(End of this chapter)