Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 262 Similar People

Ouyang Lianyu lived in an apartment not far from the school. Without wasting too much time, Han Zhou walked there according to the address she had given him.

"Yixia, why do you think Teacher Ouyang asked us to come over?"

Mo Yixia sighed: "First of all, she's looking for you, not 'us'. Secondly, do you think I'm all-powerful? I don't know much about Teacher Ni, so I can't guess what she's thinking out of thin air."

If you hadn't told me, I would have really thought you were omnipotent...

Han Zhou wondered to himself, then asked curiously, "You mean if you know someone, you can guess what they're thinking?"

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "What do you want to say?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering if you could guess what I was thinking if I invited you to my house."

"That depends on whether it's daytime or nighttime."

"daytime."

"I can't guess." Mo Yixia looked uninterested.

"What about tonight?"

"Then I agree."

"What do you mean by 'agree'?" Han Zhou was taken aback.

"Didn't you invite me to your house tonight?" Mo Yixia asked, feigning ignorance.

Han Zhou's lips twitched: "I never said that, don't misinterpret my meaning..."

"Anyway, I'm taking it seriously. Remember to tell me your new address later. If I ever run away from home and stay overnight at your place, you can't kick me out."

"I only have one bed at home," Han Zhou said, somewhat troubled.

Mo Yixia pondered for a moment: "Isn't this even better?"

"..."

Han Zhou sighed and was about to say something when he suddenly received several messages.

Gu Zheng and Tang Wenshuang's investigation has yielded results: the girls' dormitory did not seem to be haunted again during the few days Xiao Xiaoxiao was away last week, but it has recently reappeared.

Tang Wenshuang was unaware of the significance of this matter, but Gu Zheng had a feeling. She was not a slow-witted person, and when she thought of Han Zhou's strange behavior of suddenly paying attention to the ghost incident, combined with the anomalies she had discovered in Beicheng, she quickly made a connection.

So he sent a message asking, "Do you suspect that these things are related to Xiaoxiao?"

“Yes,” Han Zhou replied. “Although it sounds incredible, these anomalies can indeed be connected to Xiao Xiao.”

Gu Zheng found it hard to believe: "No way... Xiao Xiao doesn't look like a ghost at all."

“I didn’t say she was a ghost. This matter still needs further verification before a conclusion can be drawn. However, even if these anomalies are indeed related to Xiaoxiao, it seems that she herself is unaware of it. Let’s not mention this to her before we figure things out.”

"I see."

Gu Zheng also understood that this matter was of great importance, and immediately took it seriously. "I will pay more attention to the time of the 'haunting' and see if I can find any clues."

"Be careful, but don't go out to check. It would be bad if it really is haunted," Han Zhou warned seriously.

"So what if there really is a ghost? I'm not afraid. It might not even be a match for me."

"I'm just afraid you'll knock the ghost away, and then we might lose all the clues." Han Zhou praised him politely, and emphasized again, "In short, you absolutely must not go out to check at night."

He wasn't sure if there would be any problems leaving the dormitory at night, but for safety's sake, he didn't want Guzheng to take any risks.

"I see."

Mo Yixia remained silent until Han Zhou put away his phone, at which point she asked, "So, did you find anything?"

Han Zhou nodded: "You guessed right. The girls' dormitory was normal for the few days Xiaoxiao was away from school, but this phenomenon has reappeared since Xiaoxiao came back... What do you think?"

“I told you I’m not omnipotent. I can’t understand this phenomenon that is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. You can find an opportunity to ask her if there have been similar situations around her before. If not, then let her think about the differences between the past and the present.”

This is indeed a viable direction for exploration. No one had previously connected the unusual phenomena they encountered with Xiao Xiaoxiao, so he hadn't thought about inquiring about these things. Now it seems necessary to ask.

To be honest, he hadn't given the sleeping pills to Xiao Xiaoxiao yet. One reason was that it would be rather strange to suddenly give someone sleeping pills, since the products in the monthly online store didn't have trademarks or ingredient labels. He might end up being treated as a suspicious person and taken to the police station.

Secondly, it's because his relationship with Xiao Xiaoxiao isn't close enough for him to risk exposing her insomnia by risking his status bar.

After all, he still doesn't know if the product ingredients shown in the status bar can be tested, and regardless of whether the unknown ingredients can be tested, he doesn't know how to explain the origin of this bottle of sleeping pills.

The status bar is Han Zhou's biggest secret. He has only given Mo Yixia the monthly power pills from the store once, and that was when she was in a coma. Under normal circumstances, he would not dare to take such a risk.

However, the timing of the sleeping pills' appearance was too coincidental, almost as if the status bar was tailor-made for Xiao Xiaoxiao...

If this is some kind of gift from the status bar, then why does it attach so much importance to a non-unlockable character?

Is it because Xiao Xiaoxiao is special, or does it indicate that the status bar values ​​Xiao Xiaoxiao, or perhaps it shows that he values ​​his past relationship with Xiao Xiaoxiao, or something else...?

Xiao Xiaoxiao's insomnia itself is a problem, isn't it?
Han Zhou suddenly had a flash of inspiration and felt that this guess was somewhat possible.

"Did you think of something?" Mo Yixia quickly noticed the excitement on his face.

"Not really, it's more like absurd associations based on an absurd reality," Han Zhou shook his head. "I'm wondering if these things might be related to my minor insomnia?"

Mo Yixia seemed thoughtful; she had just heard about Xiao Xiaoxiao's severe insomnia: "Why do you think that?"

Han Zhou, of course, couldn't tell her that this judgment was based on the status bar, and casually replied, "Because apart from severe insomnia, I really can't think of anything else abnormal about Xiao Xiao's body, but this is just a guess."

"I see." Mo Yixia said noncommittally, "Hurry up, your teacher might be impatient. She didn't seem very happy when she called."

……

Meanwhile, in a living room.

With her left hand immobilized in a cast, Ouyang Lianyu picked up her phone for the third time to check the time, seemingly somewhat anxious.

Sitting on the sofa was a dignified-looking middle-aged woman with well-maintained skin, though the signs of aging were still evident; a few wrinkles appeared at the corner of her eyes, making her look to be in her forties. She was gently sipping her tea, exuding elegance in every gesture.

"Lianyu, hasn't the student you're waiting for arrived yet?"

"They should be here soon."

Ouyang Lianyu forced a smile. To be honest, she really didn't want to see her aunt.

"Then let's wait a little longer."

Aunt put down her teacup and said calmly, "You've always told me you can take care of yourself, but look at you now. You can only move one hand freely, and you can't even make a cup of tea for your elders. If I hadn't come here in person, I really wouldn't have believed that you've become like this."

Ouyang Lianyu maintained a smile throughout her life, a testament to the refinement she had cultivated since childhood. "I can only temporarily not move my left hand, but I can walk again. I'm just resting for a few more days on the doctor's advice. Besides, I can still make you a cup of tea."

"So what if we can do it? If it takes too long, it's considered poor hospitality, which is very impolite to guests."

"But you're not a guest..."

"Are you trying to say we're family? It seems you've been away from home for too long and have almost forgotten your manners."

The aunt interrupted her niece and said in a leisurely tone, "Your parents have been urging you to find someone to marry for a long time. I have always protected you and let you do what you like because you promised me that you could take care of yourself. But now it seems that I was wrong to trust you. You can't keep your promise."

Ouyang Lianyu said earnestly, "Aunt, you can't deny my ability to live independently just because of this one meeting. If you really came here to assess me, you should have noticed that every corner of my house is very tidy. Although I have difficulty moving around, that doesn't matter..."

"Keeping the house clean and tidy is a woman's basic quality; otherwise, how can she take care of her husband and raise her children in the future?"

Her aunt interrupted her again, "The purpose of my visit is very simple: first, to see how you are doing, and second, to pass on a message from your parents: either don't go back home for Chinese New Year this year, or prepare to go on blind dates."

Ouyang Lianyu was silent for a moment: "Is that really what they said?"

Aunt picked up her teacup: "Oh, right, there's another option. Your parents aren't old-fashioned; they support free love. You can bring a boyfriend back to meet them, but they'll definitely have to investigate him carefully. Once he passes their test, you can prepare for marriage."

"Auntie, I've said it many times, I don't want to get married so early."

“I know,” Auntie said calmly, “but your marriage is not something I can control. It’s already a lot of work that I’ve managed to buy you so much time.”

That's it again.

always like this.

Ouyang Lianyu stopped smiling and lowered her head in silence.

She used to like this aunt very much. Her parents were always urging her to get married as soon as possible. If it weren't for her aunt's mediation, she would probably have married someone she didn't like by now. It was also because of her aunt's support that she was able to escape to a place far away from her parents and do what she liked.

But she later learned that her aunt helped her not because she supported her idea of ​​living independently, but simply because she looked down on her family.

Ouyang Lianyu's family was a scholarly family. When her grandfather was still alive, he always liked to talk about self-cultivation, which influenced the thoughts of her son and two daughters to varying degrees.

This is certainly not a bad thing. Ouyang Lianyu likes her kind grandfather very much. In addition to verbally educating the children, the old man teaches by example more often, demonstrating his educational philosophy through his words and deeds.

Just like her grandfather, Ouyang Lianyu's father also paid great attention to cultivating his child's manners. However, he was too conservative and strict, always feeling that girls should get married early.

His second sister, who is also Ouyang Lianyu's aunt, is a typical example of someone who talks a big game but doesn't walk the walk. She always talks about manners and likes to intentionally or unintentionally show off her superiority, all because she married a rich man.

Indeed, Ouyang Lianyu had realized not long ago that her aunt would speak up for her in front of her parents entirely because she looked down on her parents' taste and thought that the blind dates they found were not worth mentioning and could not compare to the wealthy partners she had helped find.

Even so, Ouyang Lianyu was still very grateful to her aunt, after all, she had indeed given her a taste of freedom, and she didn't care even if the other party would bring it up as a favor every now and then.

What she really couldn't stand was her aunt's outdated ideas—

Whether it's getting into a prestigious university or honing their speaking skills, all a woman's efforts are aimed at marrying into a wealthy family. She doesn't need any independent abilities; she just needs to learn how to be a good wife and mother.

Her aunt had always supported her "independence" because she had never found someone who met her standards. Now, perhaps she had finally found someone, which is why she was now negating everything from her past and urging her to return to the right path of being a good wife and mother.

Ouyang Lianyu was not unaware of this, but she simply hadn't thought to point it out. As someone who was also influenced by her grandfather's ideas, she also valued personal conduct and was unwilling to easily fall out with her elders.

Thinking of this, she took a deep breath and said seriously, "Aunt, thank you for your help all this time. My marriage is indeed not something you can control. It should be my own decision. I can take good care of myself now, and I will tell my parents about this myself."

She was initially a little nervous and uneasy, but when she realized that she had subconsciously changed her form of address from "you" to "you," she inexplicably relaxed and thought of the student who had never shown her any respect.

"We always said that the child was immature, but it turns out we're actually the same kind of people..."

With this thought in mind, a smile returned to Ouyang Lianyu's lips, and she said gently, "That's all I wanted to say, Aunt. If there's nothing else, please leave."

The aunt frowned slightly, seemingly very dissatisfied with her niece's attitude: "I've already told you, you can't take care of yourself right now, you need a man."

“I am 27 years old and have been living alone away from my parents since high school. I am the youngest professor at the university, which means I can live well without a man.”

"Then why is there a pair of men's slippers outside your door? Don't think I don't know you have a nickname at school called 'covered in wounds.' There will be times when you can't take care of yourself. What will you do then? Someone will have to take care of you, right?"

“Even in my current state, I can take care of myself, and if there ever comes a day when I am unable to take care of myself, I can ask my students to take care of me—if you have inquired about me at the school, you should know that I am a very popular teacher.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.

Ouyang Lianyu gave her aunt a smile of apology.

"They're coming."

(End of this chapter)