Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 265 What exactly is your relationship with them?
For Han Zhou, the biggest crisis right now is not Mo Yixia, but Guzheng.

The previous encounter at the hospital didn't seem to have much of an impact on Gu Zheng, and she never took the initiative to ask about Mo Yixia's affairs. But this was more due to her inner pride. Just like she would never ask about the second-place student's learning progress, she wouldn't consider a rival she had only met once as an opponent.

But this is actually a form of self-deception.

From that day on, Guzheng seemed to have activated a surveillance radar, subconsciously becoming wary of any girl who appeared next to Han Zhou, and secretly testing the relationship between the two.

Her probing was clumsy, so clumsy that Han Zhou quickly noticed. As a highly competitive girl, Gu Zheng didn't seem as confident in matters of the heart as she was in her studies and sports. Perhaps that's why she showed such a complicated expression when Han Zhou took the initiative to suggest dancing with her at the social gathering.

It looked like she was about to cry.

Han Zhou knew that Gu Zheng had high expectations for today's social gathering and had prepared for it for a long time. However, once she saw Mo Yixia, she might not get angry on the spot, but her good mood would definitely be ruined, and it was not impossible for her to leave in disappointment.

This is something Han Zhou doesn't want to see.

The ideal solution would be to prevent Guzheng and Mo Yixia from meeting at the social event, but this solution would be difficult to achieve.

The simplest solution is naturally not to take Mo Yixia to the social event. The reason is simple: it's an event for students from Lin University, and it's not appropriate for her, an outside high school student, to participate. However, this will most likely provoke Mo Yixia's dissatisfaction.

When Mo Yixia first arrived, she made it clear that she didn't want to see herself in Han Zhou's eyes as inferior to others. In other words, she wanted to have what the other had, and if they appeared in the same situation, she would never be the one to give way.

Whether Han Zhou is in a complete mess or a chaotic scene unfolds, she doesn't care.

As a newcomer, she wouldn't impose the expectation of "choosing oneself without reservation" on the other person, but that doesn't mean she would be too tolerant of this greedy guy.

Han Zhou understood this as well. This was Mo Yixia's "revenge" for his two-timing. If he wanted to avoid this mess, he couldn't expect Mo Yixia to back down. He could only try to keep Gu Zheng unaware of the situation, and that was the current predicament.

However, he knew very well that the playground was only so big, and expecting Guzheng and Mo Yixia to play hide-and-seek and not see each other would be playing with fire. Therefore, the best way was to prevent Guzheng from participating in the afternoon's social event and to stagger the time when the two of them appeared at the event.

This obviously requires a suitable reason, and it's best if Han Zhou doesn't bring it up himself, so as not to arouse Gu Zheng's suspicion. In other words, someone needs to keep Gu Zheng in check. Han Zhou originally wanted to ask Zhong Ling for help, but now it seems that Teacher Ouyang is indeed the most suitable.

Mo Yixia was still waiting in the kitchen, and he didn't want to linger too long in the living room, so he didn't say anything and left the bewildered Ouyang Lianyu behind before returning to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

What did you talk about?

Mo Yixia was washing the ribs, her sleeves pulled up to her elbows, revealing half of her fair and tender arm.

"It's nothing, I'll take care of the rest. The butter is in the cupboard."

Mo Yixia picked up the kitchen knife from the cutting board, held it above her head, examined it silently for a while, and asked, "Really nothing?"

She picked up the washed carrot, lowered her head, and slowly got up.

Han Zhou's heart tightened, and he forced a laugh as he explained, "It's really nothing, I just... I just wanted her to do me a favor..."

"To help you fool that girl named Guzheng?"

Mo Yixia easily saw through his thoughts. Perhaps because she was chopping vegetables, she exuded the gentle temperament of a virtuous wife, and her tone became slightly softer.

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from you." Han Zhou gave a wry smile. "But actually, it's not exactly fooling you..."

"It's all deception at its core, so there's no point in getting hung up on the wording."

After a pause, Mo Yixia said calmly, "That girl clearly trusts you a lot. Is it really okay for you to keep deceiving her like this?"

Han Zhou was taken aback and remained silent.

"I didn't mean to interrogate you, I just wanted to remind you of something."

Mo Yixia put the chopped carrots into a bowl, turned on the tap to wash her hands, and said, “You should remember that I hate the phrase ‘this is for your own good.’ If you think that lying is protecting that girl, then you’d better never apply that protection to me. Putting aside the past, at least from today onwards, I don’t want you to lie to me, not even a ‘white lie’.”

Han Zhou hesitated for a moment: "I didn't mean to lie to you... but why bring this up all of a sudden?"

"Because in my opinion, it seems that it will take a long time for us to be together, and before that, we should have a special relationship, not just a vague 'friend' relationship."

"Like a relationship where you never deceive each other?" Han Zhou realized and asked tentatively.

That's it, never lie.

Mo Yixia nodded. "I don't want to see you lie to me. It's tiring to constantly observe your expression. In the future, even if you want to have ten relationships at the same time, remember to report to me. However, I'm not sure if I will accept it."

Han Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then a thought struck him, and he shamelessly asked, "Um... Yi Xia, does 'not certain' mean... that you might still accept it?"

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "Your skin is getting thicker and thicker."

After a moment of silence, she sighed, "I don't make hasty judgments about the future, so I don't deny this possibility, even if its probability is close to zero. However, there's one thing I can say for sure right now—"

"You can't have your cake and eat it too. Otherwise, even if I don't do anything, someone else will always put you on a boat on the River of Three Crossings."

Never deceiving is mutual; if she demands that this guy not lie to her, then she shouldn't lie to him either.

Han Zhou smiled wryly and said, "I never said I wanted to have my cake and eat it too..."

Mo Yixia remained noncommittal, shook the water off her hands, and said, "Alright, hurry up and cook, I'm hungry."

"You're not going to help?"

“I said I was a guest brought by a guest, so cooking is not something I should be doing.”

"Then what is it that you should be doing?"

"Waiting for dinner."

Mo Yixia, feeling justified, was about to leave the kitchen when she seemed to suddenly remember something and stopped at the door.

"Oh, right, there's another future that can be determined right now—"

"Remember, you are mine, and you will always be mine."

……

Sunlight streamed into the house from the balcony, landing on the square table in the living room.

"This is the first time I've ever seen a steak like this."

Looking at the steak on the table... no, it should be called beef cubes, Mo Yixia rarely showed a blank expression, "What did you make?"

Han Zhou placed the washed dishes and chopsticks on the table, saying nonchalantly, "It's nothing, I just chopped them a little too finely. Teacher Ouyang can't possibly use a knife and fork in this state, can she?"

“Even with a knife and fork, you don’t need to cut the steak to this extent,” Mo Yixia said helplessly. Ouyang Lianyu smiled wryly: “You don’t need to be so considerate of me.”

Han Zhou served rice to the two of them, shaking his head and sighing, "It's not that I'm being considerate of you, teacher. It's just that my talent in cooking is too amazing. I made such a delicious steak on my first try. If I don't cut it into smaller pieces, there definitely won't be enough to go around. It wouldn't be good if you two started fighting."

Ouyang Lianyu found it amusing: "Is it really that exaggerated?"

“You’ll know after you try it.”

Han Zhou smiled proudly and gestured for the two to start eating.

The steak he made this time was a delicacy, and he was sure it would win over both of their taste buds. His gaze was mainly focused on Mo Yixia's face, wanting to see if she would show any surprise this time.

Both Ouyang Lianyu and Mo Yixia ate with great elegance. The moment Ouyang Lianyu took a bite of her steak, she stopped eating, a look of shock and disbelief on her face. She blurted out, "It's really delicious..."

She couldn't understand why Han Zhou's cooking was so much tastier than hers, even though it used the same ingredients and the same materials.

However, she quickly came to terms with it, because even with the same numbers and the same operators, a slight adjustment in the arrangement and combination would yield a completely new answer.

Ouyang Lianyu's reaction was within Han Zhou's expectations, but to his disappointment, Mo Yixia still did not show any special reaction, only saying "delicious" indifferently.

This girl has incredible self-control; no wonder she can always hide her true feelings. I guess only the finest food can make her lose her composure.

Ouyang Lianyu asked curiously, "Han Zhou, do you have any secrets to cooking? Why can you make it so delicious?"

"Talent," Han Zhou said shamelessly.

The status bar is part of him; calling it a talent wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Mo Yixia glanced at him, and said thoughtfully, "It seems that your talent doesn't quite work when it comes to ribs."

Han Zhou remained calm: "This is a new dish, so it's normal for it to have some minor flaws."

The ribs he made this time weren't a gourmet dish, just a regular dish with enhanced flavor. Naturally, they couldn't compare to steak. He anticipated that Mo Yixia might notice something amiss, so he deliberately used an unusual cooking method.

"You can even research new dishes?" Ouyang Lianyu asked in surprise.

"sometimes."

Han Zhou smiled. Actually, it wasn't a new dish; it was just a replica of some dishes from his previous life. He would try it when he was bored.

"You're willing to put in the effort to learn, no wonder your cooking is so delicious."

Ouyang Lianyu smiled gently, turned to look at Mo Yixia, and asked, "Speaking of which, Yixia, you should still be a high school student, right? What brings you to our school today?"

She had seen Mo Yixia at the hospital the last time, and remembered that Mo Yixia was wearing a high school uniform.

"Organized by the school."

Mo Yixia's answer was brief, so Han Zhou had to explain it in detail for her. Ouyang Lianyu smiled and said, "Top fifty in the grade, that's a very good result. Your goal should be Lin University, right?"

"Hmm." Mo Yixia nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, "Teacher Ouyang, I'd like to ask you a question."

"You said."

Do you know the fastest way to get into university?

Ouyang Lianyu was taken aback: "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean..."

"What I mean is, is there any way to go to Linda University now without taking the college entrance exam?" Mo Yixia asked seriously, not at all like she was joking.

"Not through the college entrance examination...you mean direct admission, right?" Ouyang Lianyu seemed to understand something and replied with a smile, "Direct admission requires certain conditions, and the conditions for schools like Lin University are even stricter. I haven't paid much attention to them usually, but I can inquire for you if you need to."

She didn't ask any more questions, but just glanced at Han Zhou, who was eating with his head down, seemingly oblivious to everything.

"Thank you."

Mo Yixia thanked him softly. There were still more than half a year until the college entrance examination, which was far too long for her. If she had the opportunity to be recommended for admission, she would not let it go.

Actually, whether it's the college entrance examination or being recommended for admission, the biggest obstacle is not her grades, but her mother. Although Linda University is one of the most famous universities in China, it is not the best. Her mother may not support her studying at Linda University.

But it doesn't matter. Whether they support her or not, when high school ends, they should keep their promise and give her the freedom she deserves.

The three chatted while eating, and the topic of a social event came up. Ouyang Lianyu suddenly remembered the unusual relationship between Han Zhou and Mo Yixia, so in front of the girl, she asked Han Zhou to help her walk for a while. Mo Yixia had no objection to this and even said that she could help.

Although she didn't say it explicitly, her meaning was clear: she absolutely had to go to this social event.

After dinner, Mo Yixia offered to wash the dishes, leaving only Han Zhou and Ouyang Lianyu in the living room.

Looking at the girl's retreating figure, Ouyang Lianyu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I'm clearly the host, yet I've made you two guests run around like this."

"What's the big deal? You're a patient now," Han Zhou said with a smile.

Ouyang Lianyu remained silent for a moment, then hesitated before asking, "Since I asked you to come here today, do you think your teacher is a troublesome person?"

"No, if it were too much trouble, I wouldn't have come." Han Zhou's tone became more serious. "Teacher Ouyang, although I don't agree with your aunt and parents' ideas, even the most independent woman needs to rely on others occasionally. You don't need to feel burdened by troubling others. Besides being teacher and student, we are also friends."

“You’re right.” Ouyang Lianyu smiled gently.

"Also, what's wrong with leaving an extra pair of slippers at the door? It's not like we stole them from someone else. Your aunt is just nitpicking. Why bother with her?"

"You heard everything?" Ouyang Lianyu blushed.

"More or less, but I didn't mean it. You know I have good hearing," Han Zhou sighed helplessly.

Ouyang Lianyu shook her head: "Teacher doesn't mean to blame you, but I hope you can keep these things a secret for me."

"Of course I know that."

"In addition, I hope you can answer one of my questions seriously."

"What?" Han Zhou had already vaguely guessed what the other party wanted to ask.

Ouyang Lianyu looked him seriously into the eyes: "What exactly is your relationship with Guzheng and Yixia?"

(End of this chapter)