Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 243 I'm also worried about failing to confess my feelings.
"Wang Lengqiu is treating me to dinner tonight, and Teacher Ouyang is treating me to dinner tomorrow night too. During the summer vacation, I ate at Guzheng and Mo Yixia's houses every day. I feel like I'm getting further and further down the path of being a kept man..."

On his way back to school, Han Zhou couldn't help but have this strange thought.

He ate his fill at the buffet, while Wang Lengqiu was practically the same as not eating at all. He ate less than the pigeons he fed. Apart from occasionally looking up and asking, "Is it good?", he mostly just stared blankly at the pot or the baking pan, perhaps trying to understand how these animals felt when they were being eaten.

The two remained silent the entire way, barely exchanging a word as they approached the school gate. In the past, Han Zhou would have naturally thought this was a good thing, but as the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to him," and the girl's meager diet might be related to her past experiences, so he couldn't help but feel a little worried now.

"Um... Senior Wang Lengqiu?"

Wang Lengqiu seemed not to hear, walking forward while looking down at the leaves on the ground. Occasionally, she would look up and break off a small piece of twig, holding it in her hand and examining it carefully, like a child full of curiosity about everything.

"Senior Wang Lengqiu?"

Han Zhou was puzzled, so he had to call out again.

Wang Lengqiu still didn't react, so she carefully broke off the small branches of the tree in her hand, leaving only the bare trunk.

"You couldn't have missed it, could you...?" Han Zhou hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and tentatively asked, "Senior Qiuqiu?"

"Senior Qiuqiu?"

"Qiuqiu? Qiuqiu?"

However, no matter how he shouted, Wang Lengqiu ignored him and was happily fiddling with that small piece of twig.

It was definitely intentional...

But this is fine too. He had wanted to minimize his contact with Wang Lengqiu anyway, and had even made two agreements for this purpose. Now that the other party could enter a state of non-interference with him ahead of time, it suited him perfectly...

and many more.

Thinking of this, he paused slightly, then suddenly realized something and turned to look at the girl beside him—

Could this guy really be thinking that way?

The pigeons have been fed together, and they've eaten together, so now it's time to keep the promise: stop bothering him before he becomes a stick figure? Not even say a word?
Surely they wouldn't be that honest?

Thinking about Wang Lengqiu's various actions, Han Zhou's expression gradually became strange. He thought to himself that if it were this Hu, it seemed that such a possibility really existed...

He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Senior Wang Lengqiu, how about we ignore the stick figure's agreement for now?"

"it is good."

Almost at the same time he finished speaking, Wang Lengqiu immediately nodded, as if afraid that he would take back his words.

"That's really how it is..." Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated, and asked, "Was it because of the stick figure's promise that you ignored me?"

"Hmm." Wang Lengqiu nodded, then asked疑惑地问道, "Is there something wrong with this?"

"It's not that it's wrong... it just doesn't need to be so rigid..."

Han Zhou didn't know how to answer. Should he tell the other party that the agreement was nothing and that he could talk to him whenever he wanted?

In a sense, this girl took the agreement quite seriously.

He quickly stopped worrying about it and asked curiously, "What were you doing just now?"

"just?"

Seeing Wang Lengqiu's puzzled expression, Han Zhou pointed to the tree branch in her hand.

Wang Lengqiu understood and explained in a slow voice, "I've seen people peel bark off tree branches and use it as a flute to make beautiful sounds, but I've tried to learn it for a long time and I still can't."

Han Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You have to choose the right tree to make a flute from tree bark. You have to use a willow or poplar. How can you use a dead tree like this? And the best time is in the spring when the branches are tender."

He doesn't have any unforgettable childhood memories in this life, but in his previous life he often played with these things as a child, catching pheasants in the mountains and fishing in the river. Every plant and tree around him could be used as a toy, so he has some understanding of these things.

Wang Lengqiu silently noted it down, then asked, "What about the flower wreath? How should this be made?"

Why did you suddenly bring up flower wreaths again?

Han Zhou shook his head and said, "I don't know how to do this, but actually, as long as you don't care about making it look good, you can make it up however you want."

"I understand, thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for. Actually, if you really want to learn, there are tons of tutorials on weaving flower wreaths online."

"It's not just about thanking that."

Wang Lengqiu shook her head and said seriously, "Then I'm going back to my dorm. I'll come find you again after I turn into a stick figure."

"See you."

Han Zhou nodded, without asking why the other party was thanking him.

"Goodbye."

Wang Lengqiu stared at him silently for a while, then turned and disappeared into the night.

Han Zhou watched the girl leave. He wanted to remind her that she was already very thin and didn't need to diet so strictly, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

Most behaviors that seem incomprehensible are caused by experiences that are difficult to empathize with. The formation of such behaviors involves a variety of factors and cannot be easily changed by a few words from outsiders.

Although Wang Lengqiu appeared very "enthusiastic," he was not familiar with the other person at all, not even to the point of knowing them well. Therefore, there was no need for him to arbitrarily define or change the other person's habits.

Even if there really is a problem, Wang Lengqiu's parents and relatives must have mentioned it many times. If even they can't change Wang Lengqiu's habits, then he, as an outsider, has even less of a position and ability to do so.

Back in the dorm, it was unusually empty. Even Chen Long, who usually liked to stay in the dorm playing games in his free time, wasn't there. However, his computer was on, and the screen showed a game interface, so he was probably just away temporarily.

Sure enough, Chen Long and Chen Zheng returned together not long after, carrying plastic bags, presumably having gone to the supermarket to buy things.

Interestingly, these two get along like enemies and friends at the same time. They can be like brothers and stick together even when going to the toilet, but they can also insult and attack each other without mercy. The transitions between them are very smooth. Sometimes they are angry with each other one second and laughing together the next.

"Han Zhou?"

Upon seeing Han Zhou, Chen Long was visibly taken aback. "You're back so early?"

Han Zhou filled his glass with water from the water dispenser, took a sip, and said, "It's already past seven o'clock, isn't it a bit late?"

Chen Long looked surprised: "I heard from Brother Hai that he saw you and Wang Lengqiu go out together. Such a good opportunity, and you came back at seven o'clock?"

"What else can we do?"

Han Zhou put down his cup, but did not deny going out with Wang Lengqiu.

"Then tell me what you did when you went out?" "Feed the pigeons and had a meal together."

"Gone?"

"Gone."

Chen Long stared blankly for two seconds, then suddenly looked indignant and said with a look of disappointment, "Han Zhou, are you stupid!"

Han Zhou was startled by his agitated appearance and turned to look at Chen Zheng: "What's wrong with him?"

"What else could it be? He got provoked."

Chen Zheng pushed up his glasses and explained, "This guy heard that you went out with Senior Wang Lengqiu, and he was both envious and jealous. He couldn't hold back and sent a confession message to a girl in our class."

"Which girl?" Han Zhou was taken aback.

"Liu Na, the girl who usually sits in the third row from the back, Chen Long got along with her fairly well and originally planned to take things slowly, but today, I don't know what got into him, he suddenly confessed his feelings."

Chen Zheng remained calm, appearing as if "this matter has nothing to do with me," but in reality, he was the one who instigated it.

After telling Chen Long that Han Zhou and Wang Lengqiu had left the school together, he couldn't stand seeing the guy constantly complaining about the unfairness of fate, so he told him to quickly find someone to confess his feelings to and stop complaining about fate.

Chen Long already had this intention, having forgotten his famous saying, "A rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow." Upon hearing this, he impulsively sent out a confession message.

"And then?" Han Zhou asked, intrigued.

Judging from Chen Long's expression, he had most likely failed in his confession, but he was still quite interested in the process.

He remembered Liu Na; she was a very generous and cheerful girl who always dressed in a trendy way, with a kind of sexy vibe. Unlike other girls who were shy, she got along well with both boys and girls in her class.

Perhaps that's why Chen Long had the illusion that "she likes me".

"And then, and then... pfft!"

After all, it was a friend's confession that failed, and Chen Zheng tried hard to maintain a sad expression of shared sorrow, but he couldn't help but laugh out loud when the topic came up.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh! What's so funny!"

Chen Long glared at him, coughed twice, and said, "Then Liu Na asked to meet me, saying that she was focused on her studies and couldn't accept my feelings for the time being, and repeated several times that I was a good man and would definitely find my true love... Anyway, that's about it, nothing funny."

Although this is a very common "friend zone" rejection template, Han Zhou did not intend to expose it. However, he only believed half of Chen Long's explanation, because it was obviously not enough to make Chen Zheng laugh like that.

Seeing Han Zhou's questioning gaze, Chen Zheng nodded to indicate that Chen Long was not lying, and then added while suppressing a laugh: "You didn't see it, this guy's face was almost splitting with laughter. He patted his chest and told me that I would soon have a sister-in-law. But when I went over, I saw Liu Na with a long face. She was really about to cry, especially when she saw that Chen Long had a flower."

Liu Na is a thoughtful girl. She was worried that Chen Long would be heartbroken after being rejected, so she chose to explain the situation to him face to face and repeatedly said that she would not tell anyone about this confession.

At this point, Chen Zheng couldn't help but admire Liu Na's gentleness, and even said that he had started to like her a little. But as soon as he finished speaking, he was punched by Chen Long, who was already not very happy.

Han Zhou quickly pulled the two apart and comforted them, saying, "It's just a failed confession, there's no need to buy a bottle of wine specifically for that, is there?"

He glanced at the plastic bag in Chen Long's hand and saw a brand new bottle of liquor inside.

"puff!"

Hearing this, Chen Zheng, who had been quiet after being punched, laughed again and spoke up before Chen Long could stop him.

"This bottle of wine was a gift from Liu Na. She was worried that he would run out alone to drown his sorrows in alcohol, so she specially bought a bottle of wine from outside the school and gave it to him, telling him that if he was in a bad mood, he could drink it in the dormitory, and also asking me to take good care of him."

Han Zhou was stunned and exclaimed in astonishment, "Isn't this a bit too thoughtful?"

Rejecting a confession and then giving away alcohol... If he confessed to Liu Na every day, wouldn't he get alcohol every day?
It must be said that she is indeed a very gentle girl.

"You don't know that."

Chen Long pushed up his glasses, glanced around furtively, and whispered, "Liu Na's gentle personality is one thing, but it's also related to a ghost story that's been circulating in the girls' dormitory lately..."

"What a load of bullshit."

Chen Long interrupted him irritably, "Isn't it just that a boy confessed his love to a girl, got rejected, and jumped off the rooftop in a fit of sadness, and has since become a vengeful ghost haunting the girls' dormitory? And what's with the claim that someone heard strange noises in the middle of the night? I think we're all college students, we should all be materialists, why should we be afraid of ghosts?"

With a serious expression, he tried to steer the conversation away from his failed confession and towards criticizing superstition.

Chen Zheng retorted, "It's precisely because we're university students that we should learn to think more. You know, this rumor has never existed at Linda before; it's only recently started circulating. And as far as I know, quite a few girls have heard strange noises in the middle of the night."

Have you heard about the recent case of a boy jumping off a building?

"No, not at all..." Chen Zheng was speechless for a moment.

"That's it."

Chen Long shrugged and was about to take the wine out of the bag when Han Zhou stopped him and reminded him, "It's just a failed confession, there's no need to drown your sorrows in alcohol."

"Why worry? I'm going to hide this thing. It wouldn't be good if the dorm supervisor found it."

He sighed, pulled his hand away, and hid the wine in the wardrobe. "But Han Zhou, although I also think that failing to confess is a normal part of life, you're making it sound too easy."

“Different people have different attitudes toward the same thing. After all, Han Zhou isn’t like you, so he doesn’t have to worry about failing to confess his feelings.” Chen Zheng mercilessly poked at his sore spot.

"Don't say that."

Han Zhou gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "Actually, I'm also very worried about failing to confess my feelings."

"real or fake?"

Chen Long and Chen Zheng were both stunned. They had thought this guy was in Versailles, but when they saw his slightly bitter expression, they realized that he wasn't lying.

"No wonder..."

Chen Long pondered for a moment, then quickly revealed a look of sudden realization. "So that's why you get along well with so many pretty girls, but never have a girlfriend. It turns out you can only maintain a friendship with them."

Han Zhou was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "You're right, I can only maintain a friendship with them for the time being."

In fact, Han Zhou's understanding of the failure of confession is completely different from that of Chen Long and the other person.

Most people worry about their confession failing because the person they're confessing to won't accept it. While Han Zhou also has this worry, his main concern is how to get two girls he likes to accept his confession at the same time.

The former was worried about how to "get it," while Han Zhou was worried about how to "have it all."

Ugh.

There's nothing more troublesome than confessing your feelings...

(End of this chapter)