Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 257 Special Events
When Han Zhou and Xiao Xiaoxiao came downstairs, dinner was already prepared.

Xiao Xiaoxiao's home was small, a somewhat simple brick house. In some places, the cement plaster had peeled off. The living room and kitchen were not separated, except that one was on the left and the other on the right. There was a chimney above the stove, and the walls looked somewhat blackened from long-term exposure to smoke.

A round mahogany table was set in the living room, and a meal of six dishes was laid out on it, prepared by Han Zhou, Gu Zheng, and Lin Anyu, and it looked quite sumptuous.

"You guys came down just in time. I was just about to go up and call you," Lin Anyu said cheerfully upon seeing the two of them.

Han Zhou placed the soup bowl on the stove and noticed that the other person's eyes were red and looked like they were about to cry. He asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you?"

Bai Tongtong said with a wry smile, "He rubbed his eyes without washing his hands after cutting the chili peppers, and that's how this happened."

"People who don't cook often make this mistake. Just wipe it with a damp towel and it'll be fine," Han Zhou said casually. "It shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

"No problem, come on, everyone, make yourselves at home and come and try my chopped chili fish head."

Lin Anyu didn't mind at all. He quickly brought out chairs for everyone to sit down, his smile warm and welcoming. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was the master of the house.

Bai Tongtong silently distributed bowls and chopsticks to everyone, then sat down quietly, placing her hands folded on her lap, a gentle smile on her face, just like a well-bred young lady.

Gu Zheng patted the stool next to her, gesturing for Han Zhou to sit down. She lowered her voice and asked casually, "Why did it take you so long to get up there?"

Han Zhou sat down next to her and replied, "We talked about some things, and I wanted to see if I could remember anything."

"Have you thought of anything?"

"Not yet." Han Zhou shook his head, then asked, "By the way, do you remember anything special that happened around us two years ago?"

“Something special…” Guzheng thought for a moment, “There shouldn’t be anything special.”

"It doesn't necessarily have to be something special. For example, was there anything unusual about me back then, or any changes that left a deep impression on you?" Han Zhou changed his question.

He had thought about it carefully. If he had really lost a part of his memory, he might have shown some abnormalities during that period. He might not have been able to feel these changes himself, but the people around him might not have.

"The unusual places from two years ago, the changes that left a deep impression on me..."

Gu Zheng pondered for a long time, and was about to shake her head when she suddenly thought of something. Her face flushed slightly, and she looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"What's wrong? Did you think of something?" Han Zhou looked at her with surprise.

"I was thinking of something that left a deep impression on me, but it was just something that was special to me. I don't think that's what you're asking about..." Gu Zheng's eyes darted away.

"what's up?"

"Just...just..."

"Just what?"

"That day."

"What day?"

"That one..."

"Which one?"

"think it yourself!"

Han Zhou gave a wry smile: "If I could think of that, why would I be asking you?"

Perhaps feeling she had acted too coyly, or perhaps thinking the guy was too stupid, Guzheng suddenly became a little unhappy. She turned her head away in a huff and said in an impatient tone, "It was the day you first took the initiative to talk to me!"

Han Zhou was taken aback, and the scene from that day suddenly flashed through his mind. He couldn't help but smile: "So that's what it was about. What's so hard to say about it?"

“How can I not say it!” Guzheng said angrily. “It’s just that you’re too stupid. You can’t understand even when it’s so obvious.”

Are you sure you've made it very obvious?

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Okay, if you think it's obvious, then it's obvious," Han Zhou chuckled. "But there's something you're wrong about."

"What's wrong?"

"That day was actually very special for me."

It was clearly a simple sentence, but Gu Zheng's heart skipped a beat. She quickly propped her elbows on her knees and made a sullen face with her hands in her hands to hide the blush on her burning cheeks.

"All you ever do is say nice things..."

Despite saying that, her eyes still involuntarily curved into a smile. Considering that others were watching, she quickly straightened her face and put on an expression that said, "Such sweet talk has no effect on me."

Seeing the two of them whispering even while eating, Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. She had been staring at the "Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup" in the bowl since she sat down, anxiously waiting for the meal to be served. She was wondering why no one had called her to eat when she remembered that she was the master of the house.

So she coughed lightly twice, puffed out her small chest slightly, and said with a rather imposing air, "Everyone, let's eat first, the food will get cold soon."

Everyone had been preparing dinner for quite a while and was now quite hungry, so upon hearing this, they all picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

After eating for a while, Xiao Xiaoxiao said in a muffled voice, "Our house only has two rooms, but the beds are very big. Tonight, the three of us girls will sleep together, and you two boys will sleep together. That should be fine, right?"

"no problem."

No one objected; they weren't delicate people, and it was only for one night anyway, as they would be going back tomorrow.

Lin Anyu chuckled and said, "Han Zhou, it seems we can have another long talk tonight."

Han Zhou ignored him and asked, "Can we take a bus to town tomorrow morning?"

“Okay, the driver can go to town at nine o’clock tomorrow morning, so you don’t have to get up that early,” Xiao Xiaoxiao said. “That’s great! I’ve been getting up early these past two days, and it’s exhausted,” Lin Anyu said with a satisfied sigh of relief.

Gu Zheng, however, expressed some regret: "I'll be on the bus all day again tomorrow. I wanted to spend more time in Beicheng."

“I remember there are direct flights from Beicheng to Lincheng, and the journey takes no more than two hours. Why don’t we take a plane back?” Bai Tongtong suggested.

She seemed to want to stay in Lincheng a little longer.

However, she did not know that Xiao Xiaoxiao was afraid of heights, otherwise she would not have made this suggestion.

"But little her..."

Gu Zheng was about to explain that Xiao Xiaoxiao didn't want to fly, but the latter interrupted her, "Then fly, don't worry about me."

"Are you alright?" Han Zhou glanced at her.

Although he could tell that this girl was just worried about the money and not actually afraid of heights, he was still a little worried. Earning money must not be an easy thing for this girl. She usually doesn't sleep well and has to work part-time at the cafeteria every day. He didn't seem to remember ever seeing her buy snacks or drinks, which showed that she was quite strapped for cash.

He had also experienced financial hardship before and understood the feeling of wanting to save as much as possible.

"No problem, you all want to play a little longer, I can't hold you back, can I?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao said nonchalantly, "I'll take you out to play tomorrow, and you can go back in the afternoon."

"That's great! I want to go to the beach!" Lin Anyu's eyes lit up, and he quickly raised his hand to express his opinion. Clearly, he still couldn't forget about bikinis.

Xiao Xiaoxiao gave him a disdainful look: "Aren't you afraid of seeing those footprints again?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Since it's here, let's make the best of it. I'm actually more afraid it won't come," Lin Anyu said defiantly.

Mentioning footprints changed everyone's mood, and the topic was discussed again.

Han Zhou seemed to be deep in thought. Come to think of it, the mysterious pouch hadn't given any hints in this regard. He didn't know if it was because it could only give hints for one event per use, or if he had missed the relevant information because he used the pouch at the wrong time.

Or perhaps it's because it's not a mysterious event that's difficult to explain?

Unfortunately, the Mysterious Pouch has a three-day cooldown period. By the time it can be used again, he will no longer be in Beicheng. The time and place will be wrong, and the Mysterious Pouch will probably no longer be able to provide this information.

Starting with the discussion of footprints, everyone immediately started talking about all sorts of things. Four of them were classmates from high school, so they mostly talked about things from their high school days. Lin Anyu couldn't remember much else, but Han Zhou could recount a lot of embarrassing stories. Gu Zheng was very interested in this, and even slowed down her eating speed.

Han Zhou's attitude was not bad. Even when the embarrassing past was mentioned, he didn't care. However, Xiao Xiaoxiao's laughter was too grating. She clearly had a clear voice, but she made it sound like a terrible tractor.

Amidst such laughter, even with his good temper, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed and started revealing Lin Anyu's embarrassing moments. Lin Anyu, with his thick skin, didn't think much of it, but he soon realized the terrifying power of Xiao Xiaoxiao's laughter and his face became somewhat awkward.

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly decided to stop exposing each other's shortcomings, changing the subject to something else.

Bai Tongtong is rather quiet, or perhaps she learned the etiquette of not talking while eating from a young age, so she rarely participates in discussions. Occasionally she will say a few words, but most of the time she just listens quietly with a faint smile on her face.

Lin Anyu thought she couldn't join the conversation and was worried that she might feel neglected, so he asked, "By the way, Bai Tongtong, I heard that you are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Your family must have been very strict, right?"

Bai Tongtong put down her chopsticks and smiled, "I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I just know a little bit about everything. As for my upbringing, it's true that my family is stricter than the average family."

"You must work very hard all the time..."

Lin Anyu suddenly remembered the other party's fierce-looking bald father. He had heard that parents in this era were more likely to place their hopes on the next generation if they lacked something themselves. That bald uncle seemed to be quite rude, which was why he had raised his daughter to be like this.

Bai Tongtong shook her head: "It's not hard. Actually, my family didn't have any special requirements for me. My words and actions are all influenced by my parents."

"Influenced by parents?" Lin Anyu asked with a strange expression.

“Yes.” Bai Tongtong smiled bitterly. “You seem to have some misunderstanding about my father. He is not actually a fierce person. He is very kind most of the time. He just dislikes people with improper attitudes. He believes that confessing one’s feelings must be done face-to-face. Sending a message is too informal and no different from being glib.”

Everyone was taken aback, unsure whether this should be considered a traditional or a modern idea. Han Zhou asked, "Was he angry because Lin Anyu confessed his feelings to you in a message, or because he felt you were being harassed?"

“There are two reasons. My dad has always been at the forefront of internet surfing and knows the terms ‘player’ and ‘casting a wide net.’ He thinks that sending a message to confess one’s feelings is a form of harassment.”

"What if I confess to him in person? Will he stop me?" Gu Zheng asked curiously.

"I don't know, but at least I won't show any bad attitude. My mother is quite happy to see people confess their feelings to me; she thinks it's a sign that her daughter is popular," Bai Tongtong replied with a smile.

Xiao Xiaoxiao gradually understood, and pointed at Lin Anyu in surprise, then at Bai Tongtong, her eyes wide as she exclaimed, "Wait, you confessed to her before?!"

"That's a game punishment," Han Zhou explained.

"So what if it's a punishment? I've seen it all before. Things like this usually require willingness. Otherwise, even punishment might not make someone go and confess their feelings." Xiao Xiaoxiao had an expression that suggested she was quite knowledgeable about this.

She's right. The reason why games like Truth or Dare are so popular at gatherings with friends is not only because of their interactive, exciting, and fun gameplay, but also because some of the punishments are not really punishments at all.

There are many opportunities to confess your feelings to someone you like under the guise of punishment. Even if you fail, it doesn't matter, because you can use the punishment as a cover-up. There will be no awkwardness afterwards, and you can still remain friends.

In Xiao Xiaoxiao's opinion, when accepting punishments like confessing one's feelings, the more feelings one has for the person being confessed to, the more hesitant one becomes. On the other hand, one doesn't care about those who aren't interested. The former fantasizes about the possibility of a successful confession, while the latter doesn't care at all.

She actually figured out what Lin Anyu was thinking at the time, but unfortunately the timing wasn't right. The person in question was right there in the room. She realized she had said too much after she finished speaking. Seeing everyone looking at her, she quickly said, "Never mind what I said," and then lowered her head to eat her rice.

Lin Anyu glanced awkwardly at Bai Tongtong, who smiled and seemed unconcerned.

After dinner, the girls cleaned up the dishes together, while Han Zhou and Lin Anyu went to their room to make their beds—Xiao Xiaoxiao only had one room she used regularly, which further confirmed Han Zhou's guess that she had been living alone for a long time.

Silent all night.

The next day, everyone got up late and didn't take a bus to Linhai Town until 8:30. They then took a bus to Beicheng and played there until the afternoon before taking a plane back to Lincheng.

(End of this chapter)