Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 268 I Had No Choice

"Wang Lengqiu? What happened to her?"

Upon hearing Ouyang Lianyu's words, Han Zhou was taken aback for a moment. Following her gaze, he noticed that Wang Lengqiu had appeared in the crowd in the distance at some point, staring at them expressionlessly.

To be precise, it should be said that I was watching him.

Today, Wang Lengqiu was also dressed up carefully, wearing a beige skirt, her long hair tied up with a white ribbon, and a blue belt tied in a bow at the back of her slender waist. Her makeup was light, and her eyes seemed to have water flowing in them. Although she had no expression, she exuded a pitiful and charming temperament.

Several girls, who seemed to be her roommates, were standing around her chatting and laughing. Someone seemed to be asking her what she was looking at, but she seemed not to hear them and just silently stared in that direction.

Ouyang Lianyu's puzzled voice rang in her ears: "I noticed it just now. Wang Lengqiu has been watching us from a distance ever since we arrived at the playground. Her gaze followed our every move. It's really strange."

Han Zhou's heart skipped a beat. His intuition told him that Wang Lengqiu was indeed looking at him, but he didn't intend to admit it. He said seriously, "You said yourself that she was looking at us. How do you know she was looking at me? I think 'Teacher Ouyang who can walk' is much more attractive than me."

Hearing their conversation, Zhong Ling observed Wang Lengqiu in the distance for a moment, her small face showing a serious expression, and said softly, "Junior, I also think that Senior Wang Lengqiu is looking at you."

"Why?" Han Zhou was taken aback at first, then looked surprised. "Wait, do you know her?"

It's worth noting that Zhong Ling is a homebody who spends most of her time in her dorm room except for classes and meals. She only knows the names and nicknames of the six famous figures and has hardly ever met them. It was quite unexpected that she would know Wang Lengqiu.

Zhong Ling nodded and said regretfully, "I've seen her a few times at school recently. My roommate told me about her... she's a bit pitiful."

Although she couldn't hear what Zhong Ling said, Ouyang Lianyu could still guess what it was from her expression and said with a wry smile, "It seems you've also heard about Wang Lengqiu."

She didn't say much, but turned to look at Han Zhou beside her, her expression somewhat suspicious. "You saw Wang Lengqiu's reaction when she saw me at the hospital that day. She wasn't interested in me, so the person she was looking at just now was definitely not me."

Han Zhou sighed: "Even if she really was looking at me, it doesn't mean she has a grudge against me, does it?"

"But the way she looked at you was clearly strange."

"Anyway, I..."

Han Zhou was about to explain when someone suddenly patted his shoulder, and then his eyes were covered. Before the person behind him could speak, he said helplessly, "Gu Zheng, I know it's you."

"What? How did you know it was me?"

Gu Zheng muttered as she let go of the zither, walked around from behind the bench to the front of the group, and said with a resentful look, "It must have been Senior Zhong Ling who told you, right?"

Zhong Ling smiled faintly and shook her head; she didn't see Gu Zheng coming over.

Han Zhou rubbed his shoulder and said irritably, "My shoulder is almost broken from being hit. No one but you has that much strength."

"It's not that exaggerated. I didn't use much strength at all, okay?" Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him, refusing to admit that she had forgotten to control her strength because she was excited to see the others.

"Teacher Ouyang, you're here too."

She smiled at Ouyang Lianyu, her eyes crinkling, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She looked around and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you're not in a wheelchair today?"

Ouyang Lianyu felt a little embarrassed. Was it really such a rare thing that she didn't use a wheelchair? She had been treated like a rare animal ever since she entered the school. She smiled gently and said, "I've almost recovered. Now I need to get out and walk around more, so I took advantage of the free time today to come out for a walk."

"Oh, does that mean I won't be able to help you up and down the stairs anymore?" Gu Zheng seemed a little melancholy, as she had gotten used to carrying her wheelchair up and down the stairs.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Han Zhou said abruptly. “A person’s reputation is like a tree’s shadow; sooner or later, Teacher Ouyang will still be back in his wheelchair.”

Ouyang Lianyu rolled her eyes at him and said helplessly, "You child."

She wanted to say more, but thinking about her past miserable life, where she was either injured or on the road to injury, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty and couldn't really guarantee that she would never have to sit in a wheelchair again.

Zhong Ling made room for Gu Zheng, but Gu Zheng didn't sit down. Instead, she raised her chin and stood there waiting for something.

Han Zhou quickly understood and sincerely praised, "Guzheng, you look beautiful today."

Gu Zheng's eyes curved into crescent moons as she sat down beside him, satisfied, and asked expectantly, "What do you think is different about me today compared to before?"

A delicate fragrance wafted into Han Zhou's nose. He looked the girl beside him up and down, but after observing her for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. Seeing the expectation in her eyes, he didn't want to say he didn't know directly, so he turned his pleading gaze to the bell behind the zither.

Zhong Ling was smiling at the two of them when she noticed Han Zhou's gaze. She tilted her head in confusion at first, then realized what was happening and carefully covered her mouth, looking adorable as if she was afraid that Gu Zheng would hear her. She whispered nervously, "Gu Zheng is wearing a new hair clip today."

New card?
Did people wear hair clips when playing the guzheng?

Han Zhou paused for a second, then smiled and said, "You're wearing a new hair clip today."

Gu Zheng's eyes lit up, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling: "I did change my hair clip. I didn't expect you to notice even that... But it's not just this, is there anything else?"

Han Zhou was speechless. He hadn't even seen where the hair clip was yet, so how could he see any other changes? Seeing Zhong Ling shaking her head apologetically, he had no choice but to turn his attention to Ouyang Lianyu on the other side, and nudged her with his elbow without making a sound.

Ouyang Lianyu had of course noticed Han Zhou and Zhong Ling's whispering just now. Seeing that this guy actually wanted to ask her for help, she was both annoyed and amused. After thinking for a moment, she lowered her head to avoid Guzheng seeing her speak, and said, "She is wearing makeup today."

Han Zhou's lips twitched. He wasn't blind; how could he not tell whether Gu Zheng was wearing makeup or not? If the answer were that simple, he would have given it a long time ago.

It seems that Teacher Ouyang's observation skills aren't very good...

He shook his head inwardly, completely forgetting that he himself lacked observational skills. Seeing that Guzheng seemed a little impatient, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer, "You're wearing makeup today..."

"Do you even need to say this?"

Gu Zheng was indeed dissatisfied, rolled her eyes and said, "Anyone with eyesight can tell I'm wearing makeup. It's not like I haven't worn makeup before."

Han Zhou suppressed a laugh, his expression tense as he glanced back at Ouyang Lianyu. The latter had taken off her glasses at some point and silently lowered her head, looking dejected.

It's alright, Teacher Ouyang. You already have an eye problem; the guzheng isn't targeting you...

He silently comforted himself, only to see Gu Zheng stand tall and say, "I'll give you another chance. Take a good look and see what makes me different."

Han Zhou knew that he could only rely on himself now, so he immediately held his breath and began to think seriously.

Although one cannot observe many differences with the naked eye, one can reason logically—

Gu Zheng is not good at hiding her emotions; if she has something to be proud of, she will definitely show it off without hesitation, as if afraid he won't notice. But now, the other person is suddenly holding his head high and puffing out his chest, perhaps to hint at something...

Thinking of this, Han Zhou suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He looked down at the girl's chest thoughtfully, and after a moment's recollection, he felt that the rise and fall of her chest seemed more pronounced than before.

Could it be that……

He paused for a moment, then hesitated before tentatively saying, "You didn't send another one..."

Before he could even utter the word "nurture," Gu Zheng, noticing his strange expression, immediately guessed what he was going to say. Her face flushed red, and she gave him a light punch, saying in embarrassment and anger, "You...you...what have you been thinking about all day!"

"My neck, I'm showing you my neck!"

What's wrong with your neck?

Han Zhou, being thick-skinned, quickly pretended to observe, showing no embarrassment at being wrong.

He looked closely and then noticed that the blue dolphin pendant around Guzheng's neck had had its thin cord replaced with a small silver chain. He was taken aback and asked, "You don't mean you changed the cord on the pendant, do you?"

"if not?"

Gu Zheng's blush hadn't faded when she heard this. She glared at him and pouted, "The previous rope was about to break, so I replaced it with a sturdier one. What do you think? Doesn't this look good?"

"nice."

Han Zhou smiled and said, "I think this is the third time you've changed the rope. Is the quality of this thing really that bad?"

"No, that's not true. This pendant has always been fine, hasn't it?" Gu Zheng touched the dolphin pendant somewhat guiltily, of course too embarrassed to admit that it was because she touched the pendant so often that the rope broke so quickly.

She looked so adorable that Han Zhou's tone softened: "Your birthday is coming soon, I'll give you a new one then."

Gu Zheng wasn't a coy person, except when it came to emotions. Her eyes immediately curved into crescents, and she nodded quickly, a joyful smile spreading across her face: "Okay."

Ouyang Lianyu listened silently to their conversation. Although they didn't talk much, she could tell from their words that they had a deep affection for each other. The thought that she was about to deceive... no, send Guzheng away for Han Zhou made her feel a strange sense of guilt.

Especially after seeing the genuine smile on Guzheng's face, this sense of guilt made her feel a faint urge to repent.

"Um... Han Zhou, I have something I want to tell you."

After hesitating for a long time, she gently patted Han Zhou's shoulder.

"What is it?" Han Zhou turned to look at her, and Gu Zheng and Zhong Ling also looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Ouyang Lianyu hesitated and said, "I want to talk to you alone..."

"Then Zhong Ling and I will wander around for a bit."

Although curious, Guzheng was quite understanding and was about to get up without any suspicion. However, Ouyang Lianyu stopped her and said with a gentle smile, "Please sit down. Han Zhou and I will go over there to talk."

There were too many people around this bench, and she was worried that passersby would hear her if she spoke.

"Are your legs okay?" Gu Zheng asked with some concern.

"It's alright, Han Zhou will help me, you shouldn't mind, right?" Ouyang Lianyu smiled apologetically.

"Why would I care..." Gu Zheng looked bewildered, then reminded him, "Han Zhou, be careful when you leave, don't let Teacher Ouyang fall."

"I see."

If it were any other girl playing the guzheng, she might care, but the person in front of her was Han Zhou's teacher, a gentle and easy-going elder. She didn't think anything would happen between the two of them.

After a few seconds, she suddenly realized—

Wait a minute... Could it be that Teacher Ouyang is thinking of me as Han Zhou's girlfriend? Is that why she specifically asked for my opinion?
Her face flushed slightly, and her already good mood became even more cheerful. She smiled and hummed a little tune. Zhong Ling, who was beside her, asked her several times why she was so happy, but Gu Zheng didn't hear her and naturally wouldn't answer. Zhong Ling was used to this, so she could only lower her head weakly, looking a little aggrieved.

"Teacher Ouyang, what's wrong?"

Han Zhou could tell that Ouyang Lianyu was in a bad mood, so he asked her as soon as he helped her walk away.

Ouyang Lianyu remained silent for a long time, not entirely because she was angry at Han Zhou's indecisiveness, but because she was somewhat embarrassed.

Her legs were so weak that half of her body was leaning on Han Zhou's shoulder. Han Zhou must have noticed this, so to prevent her from losing her balance, he had to support her with one hand. The two looked almost like they were holding hands. Even though this action was not easy to be misunderstood, she still couldn't get used to the stares from those around her.

"Teacher Ouyang?"

Seeing that Ouyang Lianyu was in a daze, Han Zhou called her softly a few times before she came back to her senses. Seeing that no one was around, her expression became more serious, and she said, "I want to talk to you again about your playboy ways. Guzheng is so happy now, can you bear to see her sad and crying?"

Han Zhou's face was blank.

Ouyang Lianyu thought he had reflected on his actions, so she continued, "I don't know much about Yixia, but I imagine she would never accept you being with two girls at the same time. Rather than hurting both girls, it's better to make a choice sooner rather than later. That would be better for both of you."

"Han Zhou?"

Are you listening to the teacher?

She noticed that Han Zhou seemed somewhat distracted.

Han Zhou snapped out of his daze, nodded quickly, and said with a strange expression, "I'm listening."

"What's with that expression? Do you think the teacher is wrong?" Ouyang Lianyu asked, frowning.

"No, teacher, you're absolutely right."

Han Zhou said seriously, "However, this matter is not as simple as you think. As I said before, the choice is no longer in my hands. The only thing I can do is to have it all."

Why isn't the choice in your hands?

“You don’t understand Guzheng’s personality enough. She is very competitive, and the same goes for her in relationships. Once I confess that I will choose between her and Yixia, she will definitely be motivated to compete with Yixia to the death.”

Ouyang Lianyu didn't quite understand: "Isn't it normal that relationships shouldn't tolerate a third party interfering?"

Han Zhou shook his head and said, "Gu Zheng likes fair competition. This competition must not be rigged in any way. She will not let her opponent win, nor will she allow her opponent to let her win. Winning is winning, and losing is losing. And feelings are always the hardest to judge. Even if I ultimately choose her, if I show the slightest hesitation in the process, she will not think that she has really won. She will not be happy if that happens."

"Then you should firmly choose..."

“I’m sorry, Teacher Ouyang, I can’t do it.” Han Zhou interrupted Ouyang Lianyu. “It’s true that I like the guzheng, but I can’t make you choose only her. Yixia has said more than once, ‘I am hers.’ You don’t understand her and you don’t understand the meaning of those words.”

"Similarly, I can't firmly choose Yixia either. As you said, I don't want to see Guzheng sad and in tears."

"So I had no choice."

"The only perfect answer is to keep them all by my side."

Ouyang Lianyu remained stunned for a long time, then smiled bitterly and said, "This is the first time I've ever seen a scumbag give such a convincing reason..."

However, it must be said that she was persuaded by Han Zhou. Perhaps she really doesn't understand love and can't truly appreciate its magic.

"If he were just a complete scumbag, I wouldn't have so much trouble." Han Zhou smiled bitterly.

Ouyang Lianyu glared at him: "If you ever become that kind of person, I will never help you no matter what."

Han Zhou smiled and said, "So you're not going to back out?"

"You've already said all that, how can I go back on my word?" After a moment's hesitation, Ouyang Lianyu said earnestly, "I hope you'll never let me have a day of regret."

She hoped to see Han Zhou bring happiness to the two girls, not harm.

"I must be crazy to have accepted such an absurd thing so easily..." Ouyang Lianyu sighed inwardly, feeling ashamed to be a teacher.

"Thank you, I owe you a favor," Han Zhou said with a smile. "If you ever need me to run errands in the future, just call me."

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on Ouyang Lianyu's soft hands, feeling a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected bonus...

That's right, the reason he was in a daze just now wasn't because of Ouyang Lianyu's questioning, but because he saw the notification that the mission was completed—

You have successfully held hands once and earned two task points.

You have completed one fancy hand-holding session (gentle caress), earning one mission point.

No, I can understand holding hands, but what's with this tender caress?

I overslept, so there will only be one update today. I'll use the rest of the time to revise the previous content and make up for it tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)