Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 254 Wish List
Han Zhou had no idea that Gu Zheng's competitive spirit would be used to compete with Cheng Ge, who was in another world; otherwise, she would never have been talking nonsense just now.

He had already stuck his head close to Xiao Xiaoxiao, but she had obviously noticed his movements long ago and covered the wooden sign with both hands, glaring at him fiercely.

"Don't look!"

Han Zhou chuckled, stopped writing, and said, "I wasn't planning on looking at it either. I just wanted to ask if you get tired of writing like this."

He really didn't intend to look at it. His desire to see the guzheng was because the two of them were very familiar with each other, and the other party had seen his wooden plaque first. It was only natural for him to look back, and the guzheng wouldn't mind. But it might not be the same for others.

Of course, Lin Anyu is an exception.

If nothing unexpected happens, this guy will probably come running over with a smirk later, secretly showing off his "wonderful" wish.

"What's so tiring about this?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows and waved her hands at him impatiently, as if shooing away a fly, "Go away and don't disturb my wish!"

After saying that, he continued writing his wish in that same guarded posture.

Isn't this tiring...?

Han Zhou muttered to himself, and just as he looked away, Lin Anyu excitedly ran over and whispered, "Guess what I wished for?"

"What else could it be but finding true love sooner or something?" Han Zhou said casually.

"To be honest, Han Zhou, sometimes I really feel that we are a match made in heaven. You understand my thoughts so well."

Lin Anyu shook his head with feigned regret, but then suddenly heard a noise behind him. He turned around and saw that the brush in Gu Zheng's hand had broken into two pieces, and his heart tightened immediately.

Is it just his imagination...? He felt that Gu Zheng's possessiveness towards Han Zhou had been getting stronger lately, like a protective mother hen, who would peck at anyone who coveted her chicks.

Han Zhou is that little chick.

Lin Anyu inwardly groaned, but gave Gu Zheng an awkward yet polite smile and explained, "Um... Han Zhou and I are just friends."

"I know," Guzheng said, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"

She bent down and picked up the broken pen. The pen was too brittle; it broke with the slightest force. Fortunately, she had already finished writing her wish.

"Ignore him, he just talks nonsense all day long."

Han Zhou interrupted their conversation, indicating that Gu Zheng didn't need to worry about it. Gu Zheng said "Oh" and subtly held the wooden plaque behind her back to prevent the other party from seeing the wish behind it.

Realizing that Guzheng wasn't interested in competing with him, Lin Anyu breathed a sigh of relief, looked at his friend again, and asked with a wink, "What did you wish for?"

Han Zhou sighed: "May Brother Cheng bless me so that I won't be split in two in the future."

Who is Brother Cheng?

Lin Anyu looked bewildered and asked the same question as Gu Zheng.

"An angel, not many people know about him."

Does it work?

Han Zhou pondered for a moment: "At least when it comes to winning over girls, he's quite good at it."

Lin Anyu's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "I'll add the phrase 'Brother Cheng blesses you' right away!"

Han Zhou hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Good luck."

When the topic of making a wish came up, he suddenly remembered the item that had just appeared in the mall that day, something called "Interesting Fortune Telling".

He had never seen a product like this before, where the effects could only be seen after use. Could it be something that could affect his luck?

It shouldn't be that bad, considering the price is only 33 points. Items at this price shouldn't significantly affect your luck...

Thirty-three points weren't too expensive, so Han Zhou thought about it and decided to take this opportunity to draw a lot. He then directly purchased items from the shop.

A bamboo skewer about the thickness of a thumb appeared silently in his palm. Han Zhou was startled, not expecting that this thing was actually a physical object. He opened his hand and observed it for a while. It was just an ordinary bamboo skewer with no words on it, and he couldn't tell what kind of skewer it was at all.

Could it be because I haven't shaken it yet?

He pondered for a moment, then tentatively shook the bamboo skewer and dropped it on the ground.

"Han Zhou, what are you doing?"

Hearing the sound, Guzheng immediately noticed the commotion and walked over, looking curiously at the bamboo sticks on the ground. "What are these?"

"I'm still thinking about it too."

Han Zhou wasn't worried about being seen. The physical items provided in the status bar were all very down-to-earth and had ordinary appearances, so they wouldn't be easily noticed. However, he didn't know the effect of the item yet, so he didn't dare let Gu Zheng touch it. Therefore, he picked up the bamboo stick to check it before the other person could.

Unlike before, this time a line of small characters appeared on the bamboo skewers—

"Please carry this divination slip with you at all times. The interpretation of the slip will be conducted within twelve hours, and the information of the person seeking the divination will be determined based on the length of time the slip is carried."

Han Zhou was taken aback. He had to wait another twelve hours?

The lottery draw is determined by the length of time the item is carried... Does this mean that whoever carries the item for the longest time within those twelve hours is the one who draws the lottery?

The novelty of the product surprised Han Zhou. At this moment, there was still no information about "interesting fortune slips" in the status bar. It seemed that he would only see it after drawing the first fortune slip.

Gu Zheng leaned closer, her hair scent filling his nostrils, and asked in confusion, "Is this a fortune stick?"

"Ah."

What does it mean to sign these words?

"I don't know, I guess someone just wrote it randomly."

Han Zhou shook his head, casually put the sign into his pocket, and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, it's about time. The driver should be waiting for us. Let's hang up the signs and then leave."

Everyone nodded and hung the wooden plaques with wind chimes on the tree branches. Those who didn't care, like Han Zhou and Lin Anyu, just hung them on any branch they could find, while those who were worried about being seen, like Gu Zheng and Bai Tongtong, deliberately buried their plaques among other plaques.

Han Zhou had just hung up the wooden sign when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Xiao Xiaoxiao with a sullen face and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

"me……"

Xiao Xiaoxiao hesitated, then secretly glanced at the others. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she lowered her voice and warned, "I told you, you're not allowed to laugh at me!"

Why would I laugh at you for no reason? What's wrong?

Xiao Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly raised the wooden sign behind her and said in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, "You...you help me hang this up..."

Han Zhou was taken aback. He looked at the tree branch above his head, then at the girl's height—she couldn't even reach the branch when she jumped—and immediately understood why she was acting so shy and hesitant.

"I told you not to laugh!"

Xiao Xiaoxiao kept staring at Han Zhou. Seeing him smirk, she immediately blushed and kicked him hard, looking furious and angry. "I wasn't laughing at you, give it to me," Han Zhou said nonchalantly, extending his hand with a smile. "But aren't you afraid I'll see your wish now?"

"So what if he sees it? It's not a big deal anyway." Xiao Xiaoxiao pretended to be nonchalant and casually handed him the wooden sign.

"Now you're being so generous, but why didn't you want me to see it just now?"

"I was thinking about what to wish for, and your big face was getting in my way!"

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll really watch it?"

"Look! After you've read this, hurry up and hang it up for me. You're so nagging!"

Han Zhou chuckled, thinking to himself that this guy's exasperated look was too amusing, and then he reached out and hung the wooden sign on the tree branch.

He was certain he hadn't intended to look at it; he'd only glanced at it unintentionally. However, thanks to the combined effects of "speed reading" and "photographic memory," he quickly memorized the densely packed contents of the wooden sign. Even if he didn't want to look, it was as if he had.

"First, grow up quickly, and grow ten centimeters taller for every year you grow older."

Second, study hard so you can earn lots and lots of money in the future.

"Third, buy a house of your own, with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom."

"Fourth, have a different kind of birthday. Buy a three-tiered cake, each tier has a different flavor, and put in double the number of candles."

"Fifth, don't go home alone during the Chinese New Year. Invite at least ten friends over to play."

"Sixth, may your health improve and may you become a successful person in the future."

"Seven, confess your feelings to the person you like, and the two of you will become very happy together."

"..."

The entire wooden plaque was almost entirely filled with words, with each wish connected by a number. It was more like a list of plans than a wish list.

However, as a to-do list, the contents seem too fragmented, written down as thoughts come to mind, even including trivial wishes such as "being able to take out two clean bowls from the cupboard at any time".

"You're quite greedy, making so many wishes at once," Han Zhou couldn't help but tease.

"No one says you can only make one wish, so what's wrong with making a few more?" Xiao Xiaoxiao said irritably.

This is no longer just a matter of "a few more"...

Han Zhou laughed and said, "It's amazing that you can write so much. I doubt I could even put together three hundred words."

Xiao Xiaoxiao raised her head, glanced at him sideways, and said in an old-fashioned tone, "This shows that you have no plans for the future."

Just then, Gu Zheng and the others came over and said, "Our wooden signs are all up, let's set off now."

"Well, let's go."

The group followed Xiao Xiaoxiao to an intersection, where the driver, who they had arranged to meet at five o'clock, also came over, carrying many bags and gesturing for everyone to get in the car.

Compared to the previous bus drivers, this driver was more taciturn and rarely initiated conversations along the way.

Everyone was happy to accept this arrangement. They weren't there to experience the local customs and culture, and they didn't talk much with the driver. They chatted casually among themselves, and in the middle of the trip, they discussed the issue of accommodation for the night. Xiao Xiao patted her chest and said that she would make the arrangements.

Forty minutes later, the van stopped at the entrance of a village. The group paid the fare, thanked the driver, and got out of the van. Just as they were about to walk into the village, Xiao Xiaoxiao called out to them.

"No, it's not over there. The place I'm talking about is outside the village."

The group exchanged glances and silently followed behind the girl.

The scenery around Yancun Village is beautiful, seemingly untouched by modern industry. While this has preserved a great deal of natural beauty, it has also contributed to the village's relative backwardness. Along the way, you can see some village names, mostly inhabited by elderly people and children; you can hardly see any middle-aged people.

Clearly, apart from the elderly and some left-behind children, no one is willing to stay in such a backward village to raise cattle and pigs, even though they can earn more by carrying bricks on construction sites outside the village.

Compared to her lively demeanor in Linhai Town, Xiao Xiaoxiao was much quieter at this moment, barely introducing the village's situation. Everyone looked around curiously, enjoying the fresh air around them.

As they walked further and further into the remote area, and the surrounding vegetation became more abundant, Lin Anyu asked in surprise, "I wonder if some wild animal will suddenly jump out of here?"

“It’s not impossible.” Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was walking in front, said in a sinister tone, “I heard that there are tigers, bears and lions all over this area. If anyone dares to run out, they’re doomed.”

Bai Tongtong smiled and said, "Generally speaking, lions don't appear in the jungle."

Even now, she still doesn't know where Han Zhou and the others are going, but she still followed them without complaint, even though the road ahead is becoming more and more remote.

"Even if there really are lions, it doesn't matter. We have General Guzheng. She can take on ten lions by herself without any problem." Lin Anyu didn't hold back in flattering Guzheng.

"It's not that exaggerated. Am I that fierce?" Gu Zheng gave him a disgruntled look.

Just how deep is this guy's phobia of the guzheng...?

Han Zhou was puzzled, but shook his head seriously and said, "Ten heads is indeed too exaggerated, but I think five heads is still possible."

"Isn't that an exaggeration?"

Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him, though she was clearly unhappy, her tone was quite pleased, and she smiled smugly.

Xiao Xiaoxiao reminded them, "Be careful. I don't know about tigers and bears, but there are likely snakes in this area. You'd better watch your step."

Lin Anyu's expression changed slightly, and he quickly became wary of his footing. Then he asked in bewilderment, "Wait, since the forest is so dangerous, why did you go in there if you had nothing to do?"

"There's nowhere else to go in this run-down village, so where else can we go but into the woods?" Xiao Xiaoxiao complained impatiently. "Stop talking nonsense, we'll be there soon."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment and followed in silence, stopping shortly in front of an open space.

"right here."

Xiao Xiaoxiao brushed the leaves off her head and pointed to a thick tree in front of her, saying, "It's behind that tree. Go see for yourself."

The "you" she was referring to was undoubtedly Han Zhou.

Han Zhou nodded slightly, his mood inexplicably becoming somewhat tense, and he walked cautiously toward the thick, large tree.

What will we see behind this? Will he experience the same "psychological shock" as Xiao Xiaoxiao?
The sound of leaves crunching underfoot filled the air. Han Zhou slowed his breathing and walked heavily to the thick, large tree, turning his head to look behind it.

The next second, his face went blank, and a sudden electric shock flashed through his mind.

I was truly shaken.

Behind the tree, there was nothing particularly striking, only a wooden room about waist-high, seemingly hand-carved. Although the workmanship was rough, with pits and burn marks, he recognized the room's layout and appearance at a glance.

Isn't this his house?

(End of this chapter)