Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 261 Telephone
"This is the library, and beyond that is Angel Lake. If you walk straight along the left, you'll find the cafeteria. Speaking of which, Linda University has quite a few cafeterias, and there are some I haven't been to yet."

Han Zhou and Mo Yixia strolled slowly along the tree-lined paths of the campus, patiently introducing the school's environment as they went, like a dutiful tour guide.

In the distance, they could see Lake Angel. The autumn sun shone on the lake, creating ripples that spread gently. The two walked slowly, the fallen leaves rustling under their feet. A cool autumn breeze occasionally brushed their faces, blowing a few leaves that drifted down from their cheeks.

The willow branches by the lake were tinged with a faint golden hue by the sunlight. The branches trembled and occasionally touched the lake surface, creating ripples. Several birds flew across the lake and landed on the shore, preening their feathers. They nodded their little heads and chirped as if they were discussing something interesting.

Mo Yixia stopped and gazed at the golden lake water under the sunlight, pondering, "Angel Lake... Will angels fly out of this lake?"

Why does everyone like to ask this question...?

"That's what the rumors say, but I suggest you don't get your hopes up too high." Han Zhou smiled, and seeing that the other person seemed interested, asked, "Want to go and take a look?"

"Yes, I'm tired, I'll take a rest."

"You're tired after just a few steps?"

"Don't forget, I'm a patient who has just recovered from a serious illness." Mo Yixia said calmly, with an air of self-righteousness.

"Okay, let's go sit over there."

Han Zhou didn't mind. He went straight to an empty bench by the lake, wiped himself with a tissue, and then sat down with Mo Yixia.

A gust of autumn wind blew across the lake, lifting the girl's hair and causing her skirt to flutter, revealing her straight, fair legs.

Han Zhou couldn't help but glance at it again.

Mo Yixia noticed his gaze immediately, but she didn't care at all. Instead, she nodded in satisfaction and quietly looked at the lake in front of her.

"Why can't we see lakes like this in high school?" she asked.

Han Zhou gave a wry smile and sighed, "Perhaps it's because the pressure of high school is too great, and the school is worried that there will be another new way to commit suicide?"

"Your perspective on answering questions is sometimes quite novel."

"This is a reasonable analysis based on reality," Han Zhou said seriously.

Mo Yixia remained noncommittal. For someone like her, high school, apart from being less free, didn't actually have much pressure. However, generally speaking, this was indeed the case. Her deskmate, Zhang Meng, would almost always lie on the desk saying, "I'm so tired."

She rested her chin on her hand and casually asked, "So, is college life easy?"

"That depends on what kind of life you want to live in the future." Han Zhou quoted what Ouyang Lianyu said when she first met the class. "If you want to live a better life in the future, you can't slack off even in college. You still need to work hard. Unlike high school, college and beyond will place more emphasis on self-discipline."

"Keep trying..."

Mo Yixia said lazily, "Everyone says that you have to study hard for three years in high school to get into a better university, but in order to find a better job after graduation, you still have to study hard in university. And even if you do find your ideal job, you still have to work hard to earn a higher salary in the future..."

"From birth to death, whether actively or passively, whether at the beginning or the end, people seem to always be driven by the word 'effort'."

Han Zhou didn't deny Mo Yixia's words; that's just how the world is, neither good nor bad. However, he was a little puzzled: "Aren't you always the 'anti-expectation warrior'? Why are you suddenly criticizing hard work?"

"I'm not criticizing anyone, just making a reasonable analysis based on the facts," Mo Yixia said calmly. "I won't mock hard-working people. I've been paying close attention to them lately, since, from a certain perspective, hard work is mostly the product of expectation."

"Really? Then what did you observe?" Han Zhou asked, intrigued.

Mo Yixia thought about it seriously. In fact, she never had a clear conclusion about this matter, and perhaps she never would. But at least one thing was certain.

The sky was a clear, deep blue, without a single cloud in sight. The lake was as smooth as a mirror, and if it weren't for the occasional ripples, it would be hard to tell whether the sky was reflecting the lake or the lake was reflecting the sky.

"This world is far more interesting than I ever imagined."

She paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, her voice slightly muffled behind her mask, "After all, even someone like me is trying my best to make you like only me, isn't she?"

"What?" Han Zhou didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing," Mo Yixia shook her head and said slowly, "I'm afraid you'll fall in love with me immediately if you hear me clearly."

Han Zhou still seemed not to have heard clearly and silently looked away.

Mo Yixia observed his expression and said with a half-smile, "Are you thinking that even if you didn't hear me clearly, you've already fallen in love..."

"I think we should have a proper discussion about whether angels actually exist in this world," Han Zhou interrupted her.

"..."

After resting by the lake for more than ten minutes, the two had a serious discussion about whether angels really exist in this world, and finally came to a conclusion—

"Indeed, I am more like an angel than an angel."

Walking along the tree-lined path again, Mo Yixia said with satisfaction.

Han Zhou sighed helplessly: "In terms of narcissism, you are indeed no less than an angel."

“Including purity and beauty,” Mo Yixia added.

Han Zhou chuckled dryly twice: "I don't deny her beauty, but her purity..."

Are there any pure angels who are always spouting dirty jokes?

Mo Yixia pretended not to hear and pondered, "Walking on campus with someone you like is clearly an important part of a date, so why don't I feel anything special? Is it because we didn't hold hands?"

Han Zhou shook his head and said calmly, "You shouldn't ask me about this. I've never gone on a date with anyone."

“But you must often be seen with other girls,” Mo Yixia said quietly.

"Just walking together on campus doesn't automatically create special feelings. It has nothing to do with dating. I'm curious where you learned this dating theory?"

"Over there, at my deskmate's."

Han Zhou probed, "Has your deskmate had many relationships?"

"No, but she claims to have read quite a few romance novels."

"..."

Just as Han Zhou was about to complain, his phone suddenly rang. His heart tightened, thinking it was Gu Zheng calling. He quickly took out his phone to check and then breathed a sigh of relief.

The call wasn't from Guzheng, but from Ouyang Lianyu.

Seeing that Mo Yixia was staring at him, he didn't try to hide anything and answered the phone in front of her.

"Teacher Ouyang, is there something you need?"

Several seconds passed before Ouyang Lianyu's gentle voice came from the other end of the phone: "Han Zhou, are you free now?"

"without……"

Han Zhou glanced at Mo Yixia, about to say he was too busy, when he saw Mo Yixia shake her head, telling him to give a different answer.

He paused, somewhat confused about what Mo Yixia was trying to do, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "...It's nothing, I'm pretty free right now, what's wrong?" "Then, then..."

Ouyang Lianyu hesitated for a while before finally saying, "Can you come to my house now?"

Han Zhou was startled. Seeing the faint smile in Mo Yixia's eyes, he immediately became nervous and said seriously, "Teacher Ouyang, please be clear. Do you want to go to your office or your home?"

"my home."

Ouyang Lianyu said gently, "By the way, you haven't been to my house here before, have you? If you'd like to come, I'll send you the address. It's okay if you don't want to come. Remember to attend the social gathering this afternoon."

it's over...

Han Zhou's heart sank. Ouyang Lianyu hadn't deliberately emphasized anything, but her casual words revealed two key pieces of information—

First, he had visited another of the other party's homes.

Secondly, he has a social gathering to attend in the afternoon.

With Mo Yixia's keen perception, it was impossible for her not to notice these two things.

Mo Yixia was wearing a mask, so her expression couldn't be seen, but the smile in her eyes grew even stronger, as if she were watching a good show and was obviously waiting for his answer.

It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, I have a clear conscience...

Han Zhou tried to calm himself down and asked, "Teacher Ouyang, could you tell me what I need to do at your house?"

"I need your help with something."

"What's the deal?"

"This...this is not convenient to say over the phone, I'm sorry," Ouyang Lianyu said apologetically.

Han Zhou looked at Mo Yixia, waiting for her instructions.

The latter nodded slightly without much thought.

He breathed a sigh of relief: "I understand. Send me the address and I'll be right there."

"Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Han Zhou was pondering why Ouyang Lianyu wanted him to go to her house when he heard Mo Yixia say calmly, "Why were you staring at me like that? I won't influence your decision."

"You rarely come all this way, so I definitely want to spend time with you. I can't just leave you here alone, can I?" Han Zhou said with a wry smile.

"Who said I was going to stay here alone?"

Under Han Zhou's astonished gaze, Mo Yixia said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Of course I'll go with you, including the social gathering this afternoon."

"This……"

"Can't you?"

"That's possible, but Teacher Ouyang didn't say I could bring someone along. What if it involves privacy..."

Mo Yixia didn't take it seriously: "Then you should ask her if she can bring a friend. If it's something private that only you can see, then you should know whether you should go or not, right?"

She wasn't really indifferent; the information she could observe at the hospital last time was limited, so this time she could take another look.

Han Zhou thought so too, but he never thought that Ouyang Lianyu would have special feelings for him. The nervousness and guilt he felt just now were mainly caused by Mo Yixia. So he sent a message to ask if he could bring a friend along.

Ouyang Lianyu quickly replied, "Friend? You mean the guzheng? Of course."

"That... isn't a guzheng."

"Not a guzheng? Is it for a boy?"

"Girls."

"Do I recognize him?"

"Well... I guess you could say we know each other."

"Sure, bring her along. My home is very close to the school, but we'll have to cross a few roads on the way, so please be careful."

"understood."

Han Zhou showed his phone screen to Mo Yixia, who unabashedly leaned her face closer, the brim of her baseball cap constantly poking his face, making him wonder if it was intentional.

The sweet scent of her hair wafted into my nose, and the beauty mark under her right eye was clearly visible. The girl said thoughtfully, "It seems that you are quite special in this teacher's eyes. She was clearly resistant to the idea that you might bring other boys, and only accepted it after learning that you brought girls she knew. This means that you are not on the same level as other boys."

Han Zhou asked in bewilderment, "How can you glean so much information from just a few messages?"

"Of course, it's not just because of that."

Mo Yixia glanced at him. Because the two were very close, Han Zhou could clearly see the disdain in her eyes. "If it were just a normal teacher-student relationship, a teacher wouldn't cover up for a student for no reason, much less let a student of the opposite sex stay at home overnight."

Han Zhou was startled. He knew that the other party was referring to what happened at the hospital. It wasn't surprising that Mo Yixia could figure that out. The question was, how did she know that he had spent the night at Ouyang Lianyu's house? Ouyang Lianyu had only mentioned on the phone that he had been to another of her houses!
Mo Yixia clearly saw through his thoughts and said calmly, "If it was just a simple visit to her house, you wouldn't have shown any nervousness just now. The reason you acted like that is because you were worried that I would overthink it. You have the desire but not the courage. You don't even dare to touch me, let alone others. If it wasn't physical contact, and it could cause me to overthink it, there shouldn't be any other reason besides staying overnight."

Han Zhou was amazed and said in admiration, "It would be a waste of your talent if you didn't become a consultant in the police force in the future."

"The police force is too dangerous, but if you're willing to protect me closely, I might consider it."

Mo Yixia said unhurriedly, "Don't try to change the subject. Tell me why you went to her house to stay overnight."

Han Zhou hesitated for a moment before telling the other party that he had returned to Lincheng and found his door blocked.

Mo Yixia listened quietly: "You didn't even contact me about moving? You clearly know that my family lives in a residential complex."

"Weren't you in school at the time? Besides, I didn't really want to be kept by you."

"Are you worried that living under my nose will make it difficult to meet that girl named Guzheng?" Mo Yixia easily saw through his thoughts.

Han Zhou awkwardly touched his nose and admitted, "I can only say that this is not the main reason. If I had to say, wouldn't it be inconvenient for me to see you if I lived under your mother's nose?"

There's a saying: "The darkest place is under the lamp."

Mo Yixia didn't dwell on the matter, saying, "In short, your teacher seems to be a little too concerned about you, even reminding you about something as simple as crossing the road. You're not a child anymore; who would have an accident while crossing the road?"

Han Zhou was taken aback, his expression gradually turning strange: "You might have guessed wrong about this matter..."

"Ok?"

“People still have accidents while crossing the street. Perhaps it is because I have experienced this firsthand that Teacher Ouyang specifically reminded me of this…”

(End of this chapter)