Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 245 Prepare for a rainy day
"If our eyes meet, I will never be the one to look away first."

Looking at Mo Yixia's profile, Zhang Meng was stunned for two seconds before her face showed surprise.

Because Mo Yixia's words made it very clear that she really does have someone she likes.

Although she had vaguely suspected it before, she found it hard to believe when she actually heard it from the other party. After all, Mo Yixia had always been a rather aloof person. She never participated in any topics about love, let alone liked anyone. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe her as "desireless." How could she suddenly have someone she liked?
Her gossip-fueled curiosity burned brightly, and she even forgot her shyness at having her crush exposed. She quickly asked, "Wait, wait, wait, you really have someone you like? Who is it? Can you tell me?"

She kept her voice low and kept glancing around warily as she spoke, afraid that someone might overhear. After all, for a high school girl, it's embarrassing even if her best friend finds out about her crush, let alone if a regular classmate hears it.

Mo Yixia glanced at her: "You look like you have 'a guilty conscience' written all over your face."

Zhang Meng was startled and realized that her current appearance was indeed too suspicious. So she coughed lightly, straightened her expression slightly, and asked without looking at him, "How am I now?"

"There's not much difference. The only difference is that the words 'guilty conscience' have moved from your face to your hands."

Zhang Meng looked down at her hand, which she had instinctively covered her mouth, and awkwardly lowered it. Then she smiled sheepishly and said, "I learned it from TV dramas when I was little, it's just a habit."

Mo Yixia rested her chin on her hand and gazed into the distance, her waist-length hair fluttering in the wind: "Why do we have to be so dishonest when we're just talking about someone we like?"

"Because it would be very embarrassing..."

As Zhang Meng spoke, she glanced shyly at Liu Hao on the basketball court. Just then, he turned his head and looked over, grinning and winking at her.

She hurriedly looked away, then said in a way that seemed to be trying to cover up her mistake, "Why do you say boys have such good stamina? They can play basketball after just a short rest, and they're also thick-skinned, unlike us girls who are so easily embarrassed."

Seeing Mo Yixia staring thoughtfully in the direction of the basketball court, her face flushed slightly. She felt that the other person was making fun of her, so she changed the subject.

"Sometimes I really admire you. You are so good at studying, but you can hold back from showing it. Whether it was being told by the teacher that you were not ambitious or being laughed at by your classmates the day before yesterday, you didn't care. If it were me, I would have been eager to surprise everyone."

Mo Yixia saw through her thoughts but didn't expose her. She said dismissively, "Whether it surprises everyone or disappoints everyone, why should a person's actions be decided by a group of unrelated people?"

A gust of autumn wind swept by, scattering the leaves on the ground.

Zhang Meng was stunned for a moment before she smiled wryly and said, "That's true, but it's definitely more satisfying to gain everyone's approval than to disappoint them... That's why I admire you; you have such a good attitude."

She was somewhat envious, "I just can't be as carefree as you are about what others think, and I'm not embarrassed to talk about people I like."

"you are wrong."

Mo Yixia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice softened by the afternoon sun, "I do feel embarrassed sometimes."

Zhang Meng was slightly lost in thought. She didn't know why, but she felt that Mo Yixia was particularly charming at this moment.

Wait a minute, one person's actions shouldn't be decided by a group of unrelated people...

Suddenly, the sentence popped into Zhang Meng's mind, and she had a flash of inspiration. She excitedly asked, "I know! Is the person you like at Lincheng University?"

Mo Yixia, who had never been interested in anything before, must have had a reason for suddenly wanting to visit Lincheng University.

And the reason... is very likely the person she likes!

Zhang Meng felt she had uncovered the truth.

Mo Yixia was silent for a moment: "You're only finding out now?"

Although his tone remained calm, Zhang Meng detected a complex meaning in it, a kind of helplessness that seemed to say, "I've already shown you the answer, but you're still working on it."

Her mind went blank, and she said nervously, "Shouldn't I have known all along?"

"You've met him."

"I have seen?"

Zhang Meng was startled and quickly tried to recall. The only place she and Mo Yixia had spent time together was at school. Since this was someone Mo Yixia liked, and she had seen him before, it meant that this person was very likely someone from the school. Since that person was at Lin University, it meant that he had excellent grades and was a graduate from a previous graduating class, possibly even appearing on the honor roll...

Does "seen" mean the honor roll?

But she and Mo Yixia weren't friends when the previous graduating classes went on to graduate, and they had never looked at the honor roll together, so that's probably not what she meant...

Wait, it doesn't necessarily have to be a student at the school. We can't limit our thinking to one scope. We can use the process of elimination—it fits the identity of a student from the university, and it's someone she's met. Since that person could win Mo Yixia's favor, it means that person must have considerable charm. They also need to have spent enough time with Mo Yixia...

"I understand," Zhang Meng said confidently.

"Hmm, then I have..."

"Is it the physics teacher surnamed Zhao who came here for an internship before?"

Zhang Meng said excitedly, "I remember Teacher Zhao was a student at Lin University. He was handsome, humorous, and very kind to us. He often asked why you were dressed like that. It's just a pity that he was only here for an internship and left after a short time..."

The more she talked, the more she felt that her reasoning was sound, but then she turned her head and met Mo Yixia's eyes.

The other person had at some point withdrawn their gaze from the distance and silently turned to look at them.

A rare emotional fluctuation appeared in those deep eyes, and Zhang Meng roughly understood the meaning behind that look—

Who is Teacher Zhao?

Her face stiffened, followed by embarrassment and nervousness. "Did I...did I guess wrong?" she said.

Mo Yixia silently withdrew her gaze: "Han Zhou, the person I like is Han Zhou."

Her tone carried a barely perceptible sigh, as if she had already given up all hope for this classmate.

Zhang Meng wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground, but she couldn't care less about being embarrassed at this moment. She exclaimed in shock, "Han Zhou... isn't that your cousin's name?"

Thinking about it carefully, Mo Yixia's cousin does indeed meet all the criteria: he's a student at Lin University, very handsome, and has visited the school more than once. He has a good relationship with Mo Yixia and even carries her into the school on his back...

But the problem is, aren't they relatives?
As if she had read her mind, Mo Yixia said calmly, "He is not my real cousin."

That's good... Zhang Meng asked doubtfully, "If he's not your real cousin, then why is he able to attend your parent-teacher conference?"

"Parent-teacher meetings don't require checking household registration."

"That's true, but aren't you being a bit too bold... What if the teachers and parents find out?" "My mom knows and agrees, so it doesn't really matter whether the teachers know or not."

"Your mom agreed?!"

Zhang Meng's mouth dropped open, her expression changing repeatedly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Mo Yixia glanced at her: "Are you trying to ask me what my relationship with Han Zhou is, and whether my mother knows about this relationship?"

Zhang Meng nodded blankly. No matter what, it was absurd for a parent to let a boy who wasn't a relative take their daughter to a parent-teacher conference, unless they really trusted the boy.

Even with the utmost trust...

"Our relationship is still unclear at the moment. If I had to give an official definition, it would be friends."

Mo Yixia said calmly, "Of course my mother knows about this kind of relationship."

Zhang Meng probed, "From what you're saying... it seems like you two have some other relationship?"

“That’s not important.” Mo Yixia shook her head. “My goal is to become his girlfriend, and I want him to confess his feelings to me first.”

His tone was casual and indifferent, as if he were considering what to eat in the afternoon.

Zhang Meng's eyes widened. Although most people have this kind of feeling towards someone they like, it takes a lot of courage to say it out loud like this.

It took her a full half minute to process the news, but then she perked up, raised her fist, and said, "Good luck! I'll be supporting you from behind!"

Mo Yixia glanced at her: "I do need your support, but not behind your back. In exchange, I will do everything I can to help you improve your grades."

Zhang Meng was stunned.

"Eh?"

……

At this moment, Han Zhou was of course unaware that Mo Yixia would come to the school on the day of the social event, and even less aware that she had already made preparations in advance, cultivating support to prevent anyone from interfering with their time alone that day. Otherwise, she would never have given a second glance to the social event, let alone dared to consider holding hands with someone else on that day.

Event tasks always offer rewards beyond points. Whether it's drawing skills, obtaining new statuses, or even getting a chance to refresh the shop, these are all things you shouldn't miss. You should try your best to get them if you can, so he has decided to get the most basic reward.

This requires finding a girl to hold hands with for more than thirty seconds.

The person she was holding hands with was undoubtedly the guzheng (a traditional Chinese zither).

Holding hands with Guzheng is almost not difficult; the only thing to consider is what reason to use that will allow you to hold her hand without making her overthink it...

How about dancing?
Han Zhou preferred this approach. He had inquired with Tang Wenshuang about the arrangements for the day of the social event. In addition to many fun activities, a small dance party would also be held in the gymnasium.

It's not really a dance party; it's more like a chance for everyone to dance and relax, while also creating an opportunity to get up close and personal with someone they like.

Although he had never danced before, he had seen many dances on television and knew that there was a type of dance that required holding hands for a long time. He could easily hold hands for thirty seconds if he delayed a little.

Moreover, Guzheng has been practicing dancing recently, so inviting her to dance wouldn't seem out of place. However, Guzheng practices classical dance, which is quite different from the kind of dance Han Zhou is familiar with. He doesn't know if she can handle it.

Han Zhou didn't care. For him, this kind of event wasn't a competition, so he could just dance casually. Even if he needed to learn, it wouldn't take too much time with the help of "learning by analogy".

But the guzheng is different.

She was naturally competitive, and even in things where there was no need to compete, she would subconsciously want to do better, let alone at a ball where there would be many people present.

Of course, Guzheng is probably not interested in this kind of thing, and she doesn't want to get close to anyone, but Han Zhou knows that once he invites her to dance, she will definitely accept while pouting, and then get up to accept his invitation.

But when the time comes, this guy will probably be tempted to compete with others to see who can jump better...

Han Zhou smiled bitterly to himself. If that was the case, then he didn't plan to use dancing as a method. After all, losing with the guzheng would make her unhappy, and she would definitely find time to practice secretly in order to win, which would not be good for her either way.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Han Zhou decided to go to the dance studio to check on his departure from school tomorrow.

Today is Thursday, and there are no classes in the afternoon. As agreed, today should have been the day Ouyang Lianyu treated him to dinner, but this "injured" guy once again performed steadily, accidentally injuring his hand and going to the hospital to see those familiar faces again.

After learning about this over the phone, Han Zhou originally wanted to visit her, but Ouyang Lianyu refused.

She knew the student meant well, but not entirely; once he learned her injuries weren't serious, he would surely mock her.

After all, she had just ordered Han Zhou to participate in the social event two days ago, which involved some personal grudges, and she didn't believe he was unaware of it.

After expressing her apologies for breaking the appointment, she quickly hung up the phone.
Han Zhou felt that he had been seriously misunderstood. He genuinely wanted to visit Ouyang Lianyu and would never easily mock her unless he couldn't help it.

The dance studio was located near the playground, which is also near the gymnasium. After asking a few students, Han Zhou quickly found the location of the dance studio.

Hearing the music, he worried that it would disturb the people inside, so he slowed down and walked to the door of the dance studio, looking into the room through the glass door.

The dance studio was large, and there were many people practicing dancing to music. Han Zhou immediately spotted the guzheng in the corner.

Even among a group of tall girls, she was still the most dazzling at that moment.

It wasn't just because of her bright and beautiful face, but also because of her focused expression and the sweat on her forehead.

Even without anyone explaining it, just by standing at the door and observing for a while, you can easily tell who is the hardest working person in the dance studio.

Of course, as a club that exists out of interest, the guzheng players obviously can't put in as much effort as professional dancers, but Han Zhou has always found the guzheng players very attractive because they can show 100% determination and effort in any field they set foot in.

Even if such efforts are almost brute force.

The music played for a long time, and most of the other girls practicing dance saw Han Zhou standing outside the door. Only Gu Zheng was still immersed in her own rhythm and was completely unaware of the discussion around her.

Han Zhou didn't know if it was because of the built-in filter, but even though the movements seemed a little stiff, he still thought the guzheng was danced very well, only the expression was a bit stiff.

But thinking about it, it's not surprising. Getting this girl, who likes to punch him for no reason, to smile gently and dance gracefully is probably not an easy task.

Han Zhou chuckled inwardly, suddenly feeling a sense of anticipation for that day.

(End of this chapter)