Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 221 Animal Affinity
"She is actually in this room."

Han Zhou's choice of this answer was carefully considered.

First of all, this answer is not a lie. The girl he likes is indeed in this room. It wouldn't be right to keep dragging it out. There's nothing wrong with being open about it. It's just that whether it's one or two is up to everyone to analyze.

Anyway, he didn't lie.

Secondly, this answer would definitely put Guzheng at ease, and putting Guzheng at ease would put Uncle Gu and Sister Miao at ease. He didn't want to be questioned by the two of them every time he went to Guzheng's house in the future, nor did he want them to worry about Guzheng.

Han Zhou had to admit that, regardless of their motives, these two elders had always treated him very well. At least they had never regarded him as a bad boy who harassed their daughter all day long. Otherwise, if Uncle Gu and Sister Miao had ever forbidden him from seeing Gu Zheng even once when he was looking for her, he wouldn't even have the chance to live to this day.

Therefore, if possible, he really didn't want to create any rift between them. He thought that if he could find a way to persuade Guzheng in the future, even if the two of them were dissatisfied, they would compromise for Guzheng's sake.

Although it was a shameless idea, at least before things progressed to that stage, Han Zhou didn't want his emotional entanglement with Gu Zheng to affect his relationship with these two elders.

Secondly, although this answer did not explicitly name the person he liked, it was already quite clear and represented the limit of what he could give at the moment. If he continued, it would be time to move on to the selection phase.

This is something Han Zhou has been avoiding.

It's important to understand that there's a difference between having another woman after expressing your feelings and establishing a relationship, and having someone else involved from the beginning. The former can be defined as infidelity, and the third party will undoubtedly be condemned. The latter, on the other hand, can be politely described as being a womanizer, and the only one who will be condemned is that womanizer.

It's a very self-deceiving idea, though.

Of course, having already answered to this extent, anyone with a modicum of emotional intelligence wouldn't press the issue further. To continue asking questions would simply be nitpicking.

In addition, before answering, Han Zhou deliberately glanced at everyone present and used a helpless tone to create a half-joking feeling, making it difficult for others to figure out whether his answer was serious.

Since it's impossible to determine whether it's true or false, it's essentially equivalent to not answering at all.

As expected, perhaps because Han Zhou's answer was too direct, everyone seemed to be stunned by his answer. No one chose to continue asking questions, but just pondered silently.

Apart from Mo Yixia, the others' thoughts were basically the same as Han Zhou's predictions, with only slight differences in the details—

Gu Zheng naturally identified with "the woman in the room" and felt her heart flutter with excitement and shyness. But then she became a little nervous, wondering if Han Zhou was talking about someone else.

Although she wasn't too worried, since Han Zhou had already prepared the love letter, she was still somewhat concerned, especially when she saw Mo Yixia on the next hospital bed.
As an outsider, Zhang Xinyue was simply watching the drama unfold. She looked around and let her imagination run wild. With her flexible criteria for choosing a partner, she even had unrealistic fantasies, wondering if Han Zhou was talking about her since she was also in the room.

Then she remembered that she felt guilty towards Han Zhou. It was good enough that he didn't hold a grudge against her. Instead of indulging in self-pity, she should hurry up and think of a solution.

Yan Mei, who was also an outsider, seemed to be deep in thought. Since Han Zhou did not have a girlfriend, the misunderstanding that Lian Yu and the others were worried about was not a problem. They could explain it clearly and openly, since no one had the right to blame them.
Zhong Yin didn't care who Han Zhou liked, but she did know that Xiao Ling cared a lot about him, though she didn't think it was love.

As the only person who can communicate normally with Xiaoling, Han Zhou is undoubtedly special in Xiaoling's heart. This can be seen from the fact that Xiaoling often talks about how the two of them are destined to be together. It is not surprising that she pays more attention to this guy.

However, the reason she had a bad first impression of Han Zhou was mainly because she thought he was a stupid man trying to pick up her sister. Now that she thinks about it carefully, it doesn't seem like such an unacceptable thing if this guy and Xiao Ling were really together.

After all, putting everything else aside, Xiaoling's future happiness will definitely be entrusted to a man who is willing to patiently respond to her at any time, and Han Zhou perfectly meets this condition.

Of course, this is based on mutual affection. Zhong Yin did not believe that the girl Han Zhou was talking about was Xiao Ling, and it was even less likely that she liked him, unless the guy was lusting after her body.

Suppressing his inexplicable thoughts, Zhong Yin had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. He figured the kid probably liked either the guzheng or Mo Yixia, but he didn't know which one it was...

Zhong Ling didn't think as much as her sister. Her thoughts were always very simple—the girl her junior liked was in this room, so who could this girl be?

After thinking for a while, she also felt that it was either Guzheng or Yixia;
Ouyang Lianyu's thoughts were not complicated. She believed that Han Zhou truly liked Guzheng. After all, she had just learned more about the relationship between the two from Guzheng's parents. And in terms of both the amount of time they had spent together and the depth of their feelings, there was almost no chance that the two of them would not end up together.

But just then, a sudden thought flashed through her mind, and she remembered the two questions Han Zhou had asked her the night before last when he took her home—

"Teacher Ouyang, do you think greed is wrong?"

"What about emotional greed?"

At the time, she didn't think much of it, assuming it was just the anxieties of young people about love. But now she sensed something was off, especially after recalling Han Zhou's awkward reply that he was "a little greedier than that."

Wait, this greed... could it mean something like that?

Ouyang Lianyu's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Han Zhou in shock.

The reason she suddenly thought this way was because she gradually realized that Han Zhou and the girl named Mo Yixia in the hospital bed had a good relationship.

According to what she just learned from her conversation with Guzheng, Han Zhou was actually there to take care of Mo Yixia, but he just happened to run into Guzheng, who was also staying in the same room.

This could easily be seen as a coincidence, since no one has ever stipulated that a boy can only have one close female friend. However, if we combine this with Han Zhou's sudden, frantic SOS message and the strange request to send Gu Zheng's parents away...

Ouyang Lianyu felt she had uncovered the truth—

Could it be that Han Zhou is dating both Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia at the same time?

After a brief moment of stunned silence, she felt it was unlikely.

Although he has some minor issues, Han Zhou is a very upright person. Based solely on her subjective judgment, she doesn't think Han Zhou would be a student who flirts with everyone.

and……

If Han Zhou really told the truth that night, wouldn't his later statement about wanting to pursue her also be true? Besides, she specifically emphasized that he wasn't joking...

and many more.

Han Zhou didn't directly reveal who the girl he liked was, but instead hinted that she was in this room...

She's in the room now, doesn't that mean Han Zhou might also like her?

Ouyang Lianyu's thoughts gradually became chaotic.

Han Zhou had no idea what these people were thinking, but seeing that they didn't continue to ask, he knew that he had probably achieved his goal. It was no use for them to guess anymore, since he wouldn't answer any more questions anyway.

Seeing that Gu Zheng had buried her head in the blanket, he turned to observe Mo Yixia's expression.

The latter seemed to sense something, turning her head to glance at him indifferently, silently moving her lips. "A clever answer."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "But at least it can be considered an answer."

His tone was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, but he was probably not angry...

Han Zhou thought to himself silently.

If you think about it carefully, if Mo Yixia really wanted to cause trouble, he wouldn't have had a chance to maneuver at all. He would have faced a choice from the moment he first entered the ward.

Mo Yixia looked at him for a while, then closed her eyes quietly without saying anything more.

She's been enduring the fever since it started and is now very tired.

The sky remained overcast, and outside the window, dense rain lines intertwined, the sound of rain pouring down incessantly, large raindrops constantly tapping against the windowpane, making a rhythmic sound.

It looks like the rain won't stop anytime soon.

“I’m sleepy,” she said.

"Then get some sleep."

Mo Yixia was silent for a moment: "If I can't see you when I open my eyes, then you'd better be prepared."

It wasn't specified what preparations were made, but it certainly wasn't something to look forward to.

Before she could hear Han Zhou's reply, the girl could no longer resist the overwhelming drowsiness and quickly fell asleep, her breathing even and seemingly at ease.

Looking at the girl's peaceful sleeping face, Han Zhou breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although he didn't say it explicitly, Mo Yixia's meaning was quite clear: the other party was letting him off the hook this time.

Or perhaps she never intended to make things difficult for him from the beginning.

I won't force you to make a choice.

Han Zhou suddenly remembered what Mo Yixia had said on the snow mountain.

He turned to look at the heavy rain outside the window and fell into a long silence.

It was a good thing that Mo Yixia was asleep. Not only did all the threats from her disappear, but it also made everyone else leave the ward to avoid disturbing her rest.

The crowd came and went quickly, and the ward soon returned to quiet.

Gu Zheng peeked out from under the covers, feeling that Mo Yixia was pretending to be asleep. After observing her carefully for a while and confirming that she was really asleep, she finally let down her guard and drifted off to sleep herself.

Unlike Mo Yixia, she didn't say anything before falling asleep because she knew Han Zhou wouldn't leave.

Seeing that the two of them had fallen into a deep sleep, Han Zhou put aside his complicated thoughts and decided to go out for some fresh air, while also taking the time to check his status bar.

There were just too many coincidences today. He actually bumped into so many girls he knew at the same time. After thinking it over, he felt that the reason he was having such bad luck was probably related to that useless "attracting bees and butterflies" skill.

This skill offers no benefits, but it brings a ton of trouble. After today's events, he's made a painful decision to replace the skill and no longer intends to save points. He'll just use this opportunity to test the effects of the two new products this month.

[Skill Refresh Pill (Low-Tier): A one-time use item. After consumption, it will randomly select one of your skills to refresh, permanently acquiring a brand new skill. The original skill will be permanently lost. Limited to 2 purchases per month. Price: 70 points. First purchase price: 20 points.]

【Product Level Upgrade Device: A one-time use item that can be used on any product marked with a level in the current month. After use, there is a high probability that the product's level will be upgraded by one level, up to a maximum of "Advanced". It disappears after use. Price: 100 points. First purchase price: 20 points】

To replace "Attracting Bees and Butterflies," skill refresh pills are obviously essential, but the risk of randomly selecting any skill to replace it is too high. He can't bear to give up top-tier skills like "Experience is the Best" and "Mastery of Cooking," as he would be devastated if they were refreshed. That's why he plans to use a product level upgrade device at the same time.

Currently, the skill refresh pills in the shop are only low-level. Using the item level upgrader has a chance to upgrade them to medium-level, at which point the effect should be improved. It would be even better if you could specify a particular skill to refresh. If not, it's not a waste. You can roughly estimate the success rate of the item level upgrader.

The status bar rarely displays specific values, including probabilities. It usually uses general descriptions such as "larger," "certain," or "smaller." Han Zhou guessed that this was because these data were fluctuating, and the values ​​depended on external conditions.

He spent forty points to buy two items, and while praying, he used the Item Level Upgrade Device on the Skill Refresh Pill.

"Higher probability" is indeed different; it has a much higher success rate than making gourmet food. This upgrade was very easy and successful. Han Zhou immediately checked the effect of the intermediate skill upgrade pill.

[Skill Refresh Pill (Intermediate): A one-time use item. Select three skills. After consumption, one of the three skills will be randomly selected to refresh the skill, permanently acquiring a brand new skill. The original skill will be permanently lost.]

It's not the ideal situation of randomly selecting any skill to refresh; it's a choice of one out of three, but that's already acceptable.

Theoretically, skill refresh pills can be upgraded to higher levels, but Han Zhou doesn't plan to continue buying item level upgrade devices. The second purchase would cost 100 points, which is not cost-effective.

[Skills: Efficient learning, Culinary proficiency, Speed ​​reading, Expertise gained through experience (enhanced), Powerful throwing, Photographic memory, Attracting attention, Adrenaline, Strong will, Comprehensive understanding]

Looking at the skill bar, Han Zhou pondered for a while and finally selected the three skills: "Attracting Bees and Butterflies", "Speed ​​Reading", and "Unwavering Will".

The former is the target he wants to replace, while the latter two have only average skill enhancements, so he won't feel bad if they are refreshed. If he can replace them with a powerful skill, he can actually make a profit.

After selecting three skills, Han Zhou did not hesitate and immediately used the intermediate skill refresh pill.

It's worth mentioning that although it's called a pill and the instructions say to take it, it's not a physical object. Otherwise, he really wanted to see what would happen after someone took the pill.

After all, ordinary people don't have a status bar or the concept of skills; they can only see them through the status bar. If they take the pill, who knows if strange changes will occur? For example, if they gain a powerful throwing skill, will their bodies show external manifestations such as developing muscles?

Gathering his wandering thoughts, Han Zhou waited silently for a while until a notification appeared in the status bar.

It seems he had exceptionally good luck this time, not only successfully upgrading his product level in one go, but also completing the skill replacement in one go.

[Successfully used. The skill "Attracting Bees and Butterflies" has disappeared. You have acquired a new skill - Animal Affinity]

There was a minor issue earlier; the overnight stay at Ouyang Lianyu's house happened the night before last, and that has already been corrected.

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(End of this chapter)