Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 222 Are there any masters?

[Animal Affinity: You are an animal's companion. When this skill is activated, you will more easily gain affection and favor from animals. The effect will fluctuate based on the animal's intelligence level (negatively correlated). Additionally, consuming two points will grant you a weak telepathic ability for the next thirty seconds. When you focus intently on an animal, there is a chance you will hear its thoughts. The effect will fluctuate based on the animal's intelligence level (positively correlated)]

Han Zhou walked down the stairs and carefully examined the description of the new skill.

Animal affinity, this skill may seem like just a change from attracting bees and butterflies to attracting dogs and cats, but in reality, the effect is far stronger than attracting bees and butterflies. Putting aside everything else, the phrase "weak telepathy" alone is enough to illustrate the value of this skill, and like "long-term illness makes one a doctor," it carries an illogical supernatural element.

If we were to rank skills by rarity, Attracting Bees and Butterflies would be at most silver, while Animal Affinity would be at least diamond.

Unfortunately, despite its powerful effects, this skill isn't very practical, at least not for Han Zhou.

He neither keeps pets nor plans to pursue a career related to animals. He has no need to make animals like him, and he has absolutely no interest in spending points to listen to the thoughts of animals. He probably wouldn't hear anything more than fragmented thoughts like "I hid the bones in the backyard."

Of course, having a rare opportunity to experience "mind reading," he was somewhat curious, so he planned to take advantage of the time while Mo Yixia and Guzheng were sleeping to find an animal to test the effect of this skill.

Who knows, you might just overhear something incredible?

It's a pity it can't hear people's thoughts, otherwise this skill would be absolutely divine...

Han Zhou had long coveted Mo Yixia's "mind-reading" ability. When he extracted the skill from her, he had hoped to obtain an enhanced version of the skill so he could hear what she was thinking. Unfortunately, he didn't get it.

Just then, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he realized a possibility—

If we really want to delve deeper, humans are actually a type of animal, and one with a fairly high level of intelligence. So, can the "animal-friendly" mind-reading ability work on humans?

Han Zhou's intuition told him it was impossible. After all, the status bar doesn't study evolution. Its definition of known things should conform to the general public's basic understanding, be clear and concise, and not blur the definition and boundaries. It also doesn't play with words and idioms like contemporary netizens.

He still remembers how he felt when he first heard the saying "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" had a completely new interpretation...

That being said, even though he knew the chances of hearing a person's thoughts were slim, he was still more eager to verify it than to hear what animals were thinking.

To hear someone's innermost thoughts, you have to gaze into their eyes, so a stranger definitely won't do—it's impolite. It's best to find someone you know...

As Han Zhou pondered this, he arrived at the hospital building and saw Zhong Yin coming out of the elevator as soon as he went down the stairs.

"Sister Yin?" He paused slightly, then stepped forward and asked, "You haven't left yet? Where's your senior?"

“It’s raining so hard outside, how can I leave?” Zhong Yin’s tone was stiff, his attitude neither warm nor cold. “Xiao Ling is waiting for me downstairs.”

She had just spoken to Ouyang Lianyu alone. Just as Xiaoling had said, she was a very gentle teacher, but unfortunately, she still refused to accept her fruit.

She didn't want to talk about it; after all, failing to get a favor from someone was not a respectable thing. So she asked, "How did you end up coming down the stairs?"

"Waiting for the elevator is too much trouble. Anyway, it's not that high, so I'll just treat it as exercise," Han Zhou said with a smile.

"Oh."

Zhong Yin nodded and turned to walk towards the hospital lobby.

That's so cold...

Han Zhou muttered to himself, then immediately called out to the other person, "Sister Yin, wait a minute!"

"What is it?" Zhong Yin stopped in his tracks.

She didn't intentionally want to be so cold to Han Zhou; it was just a habit.

For someone as cold and stubborn as her, the way she interacts with someone at the first meeting tends to become ingrained. If she treats you coldly at the beginning, it's very difficult for her to greet you with a smile later on.

This may also be related to self-esteem. Just like some people are used to treating others with aloofness, if they suddenly have a conflict with a friend one day, it is also a very difficult thing to apologize afterwards.

Han Zhou hesitated, though he was considering using Zhong Yin to verify whether the mind-reading effect of "animal affinity" could work on people. But he regretted it as soon as he opened his mouth. Zhong Yin's temper was anything but good, and if he couldn't find a reasonable explanation, staring at her would definitely get him scolded.

"Hmm?" Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Zhong Yin frowned slightly. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"No, nothing..."

Han Zhou smiled awkwardly. The experiment wasn't urgent, and there was no need to make things difficult for himself. He could have waited until Gu Zheng woke up before trying it.

As for verifying it with Mo Yixia, forget about it. Trying to "read minds" in front of her would be like showing off your skills in front of an expert, and she might even see through your act.

Zhong Yin initially intended to leave, but then she remembered how well the boy had taken care of her younger sister at school, and felt she should reciprocate in kind. So she asked again, "Are you really alright?"

"No."

"Oh, then I'm leaving."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Zhong Yin left without looking back, then suddenly stopped as if she remembered something and said, "Oh right, Xiao Ling said you really like our mooncakes. If that's the case, I'll have her bring you some other pastries when she goes back to school."

Han Zhou was taken aback for a moment: "Thank you."

Zhong Yin didn't reply and left.

My senior always says that Yin used to be a lively and cheerful girl, but I wonder what she was like back then...

Watching Zhong Yin's figure disappear, and remembering the hearing aid in her ear, Han Zhou sighed inwardly and turned to walk in another direction.

It's raining heavily now, and you definitely won't find any animals if you walk out of the main gate of the hospital. He remembered that there were several thick trees outside the other gate, and the eaves of the houses were also quite close together, so maybe he could find a bird there.

It didn't matter if he couldn't find her; he planned to get some fresh air and then go back. If Mo Yixia suddenly woke up and didn't see him, that would be a serious problem.

As expected, the weather forecast for Lincheng was unreliable. As soon as Han Zhou stepped outside, he saw a dense curtain of rain, with water droplets splashing on the ground, as if the outside world was shrouded in fog, making it impossible to tell that it was "moderate rain turning into light rain".

It would be a miracle if you could find any animals in this heavy rain...

Han Zhou had to abandon the idea of ​​finding animals to test his new skills. He stood by the door, quietly breathing in the fresh air for a while, before returning to the ward.

Just then, he saw a figure running briskly through the rain. Judging from her build, it should be a girl. She was holding an umbrella in one hand and seemed to be carrying something in her arms.

Because of the heavy rain and strong winds, the girl's umbrella was suddenly blown off her hand, but she didn't care and let the umbrella be blown away, and rushed to the hospital entrance in the heavy rain.

She was moving too fast, her steps were erratic, and with the floor covered in rainwater, she suddenly slipped and fell forward uncontrollably.

Even in this critical moment when she was about to hit her head on the ground, the girl's first reaction was not to protect herself, but to hold tightly to what she was holding.

At the critical moment, a large hand firmly wrapped around the girl's waist, forcefully stopping her from leaning forward and pulling her up.

"Are you OK?"

Looking at the girl in front of him, who was soaked to the bone, Han Zhou withdrew his hand with a strange expression. He had actually wanted to help her up, but the girl was curled up tightly, and he didn't know where to start, so he just hugged her waist. Only then did he notice that what she was hugging tightly was a pure white pet dog, which was very small and looked quite cute.

Recalling how she had preferred to get soaked and injured herself rather than let her pet dog suffer, Han Zhou couldn't help but sigh, "It seems she's a girl who really loves dogs."

Skills like "animal affinity" should be passed down to people like this...

He thought to himself, the girl's hair was messy, covering most of her face, but just by looking at her figure, you could tell she was a pretty girl.

He just didn't know why, but he felt like he recognized this person...

"Thank you."

The girl seemed to only then realize what was happening. She thanked him in a flat tone, first looking down at the pet dog in her arms, then brushing her hair aside to reveal a pitiful face.

Yes, she looked pitiful.

The word popped into Han Zhou's mind almost instantly.

He knew where he had seen the girl before.

【Name: Wang Lengqiu (Unlockable)】

It was none other than Wang Lengqiu, one of the six famous figures of Linyi University, known as "Immovable as a Mountain".

Han Zhou had seen her once before by Angel Lake on campus. It was said that this senior had been ridiculed in the past, which made her a bit eccentric now, always giving irrelevant answers and living in a fantasy world. But now it seemed that this was not the case.

At least she will say thank you.

Han Zhou had a toothache. He had already changed "Attracting Bees and Butterflies," but he didn't expect to encounter an unlockable character he had seen before here. Could this be the last ripple of "Attracting Bees and Butterflies"?

Fortunately, he wasn't familiar with this senior student and wasn't bumped into by Mo Yixia, otherwise he might have really had to go back and study the almanac.

These thoughts flashed through his mind quickly, and he said dismissively, "You're welcome."

He believed that saying nothing and asking no questions would avoid most problems.

Wang Lengqiu seemed to have run all the way here; her breathing was unusually rapid. She asked, "Excuse me, do you know where the orthopedics department is?"

In Germany...

Han Zhou couldn't help but have this thought pop into his mind, and said seriously, "I'm not sure. I only know that the orthopedic operating room is on the third floor. I don't know if the other departments are there too."

Although he had previously suffered from a terminal illness, he had actually only been to the hospital a few times and was not familiar with the hospital layout. He only saw the location of the orthopedic operating room when he came downstairs.

"Thank you."

Wang Lengqiu looked down at the pet dog in her arms, a hint of relief appearing on her otherwise expressionless face.

Han Zhou raised an eyebrow, recalling the rumors about the other person's mental problems. Looking at the other person's expression, which seemed to be saying "you're finally saved" to a pet dog, he hesitated for a long time before finally giving a reminder.

"Well, if you want to treat your pet, you should see a veterinarian..."

He forced a smile, trying his best not to make his words seem offensive.

"Thank you."

It's unclear whether Wang Lengqiu heard this, but she didn't show any particular reaction. She thanked him for the third time, then hurriedly ran away with her pet dog in her arms.

Han Zhou watched her leave.

Based on previous experiences, Wang Lengqiu, who is also an unlockable character, must also have some psychological problems, which should be what is known as mental illness. This trauma is most likely the result of years of bullying.

He had no in-depth contact with Wang Lengqiu, but judging from the rumors alone, this girl's psychological problems were probably the most serious. After all, although Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia didn't have many friends, no one had ever said that they were mentally ill.

Of course, thinking about these things subconsciously was just a habit. Han Zhou didn't intend to have too much contact with Wang Lengqiu. He returned to the ward while pondering these thoughts.

Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia were still asleep. He pulled the blanket up for Gu Zheng and then sat back down in his chair for a nap.

Midway through, Ouyang Lianyu sent him a message saying she wanted to talk to him in person, but he said he didn't have time today and that if it wasn't important, they could talk about it another time.

Ouyang Lianyu couldn't wait until next time, so she called and told him that Guzheng's parents knew he had stayed overnight at their house.

This surprised Han Zhou, who had been prepared to be judged as a scumbag by Ouyang Lianyu and had specially gone to the corridor to answer the phone.

"Teacher Ouyang, is this the important thing you mentioned?"

"Isn't it important?" Ouyang Lianyu said cautiously, "What if we get misunderstood..."

She thought Han Zhou was being sarcastic.

"Oh, that's true."

Han Zhou's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "This matter may indeed affect your reputation. Don't worry, I'm always a person who keeps my mouth shut and won't spread it around."

"No, no, no, I don't mind at all, I'm just worried it might affect you..."

Han Zhou laughed: "If you don't care, teacher, what do I, a grown man, have to be afraid of? Besides, I won't say anything carelessly."

Ouyang Lianyu bit her lip and stopped beating around the bush, saying directly, "I'm afraid you'll be misunderstood by Guzheng's parents!"

"Me? Misunderstood by Guzheng's parents?"

Han Zhou paused for two seconds before realizing what was happening, then chuckled and said, "No, don't worry, teacher."

Although he didn't explicitly tell Gu Zheng that he had stayed at Ouyang Lianyu's house for one night, this was mainly to protect Ouyang Lianyu's reputation. He told her everything that needed to be said except for her name, including the fact that he was blocked at the door when he got home. Gu Zheng and Uncle Gu knew all of this, and Gu Zheng even clamored to avenge him at the time.

If he could tell the truth, he really didn't want to lie to Guzheng at all.

But now that the situation has already been set, sincerity is indeed a sure-fire way to win, but honestly saying that I want to have my cake and eat it too is a sure way to lose. Therefore, he can only keep lying to Guzheng now and in the future, and then ask for her forgiveness afterward.

He said somewhat guiltily, "My character is still considered acceptable by Uncle Gu and the others. A normal person wouldn't overthink things just because a student stays at a teacher's house for one night. There's no need to worry about it."

Seeing Han Zhou repeatedly emphasize that there would be no problem, Ouyang Lianyu finally felt relieved. Zhang Xinyue, who was beside her, was so happy that she cried and kept wiping away her tears.

Signaling to Xiaomei to comfort her, Ouyang Lianyu pushed the wheelchair a little further away, looked around, and then asked in a low voice the question that had been bothering her for a long time.

"If it's convenient, you should tell your teacher now why you asked me to help you get rid of Guzheng's parents, right?"

(End of this chapter)