Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 269 The Day We First Met
It seems the status bar has a rather low standard for judging holding hands... Is this meant to encourage me to hold hands with girls more often?

Han Zhou thoughtfully helped Ouyang Lianyu back to Guzheng and Zhong Ling's side. He never expected that he would complete a hand-holding task and a fancy hand-holding in a muddled way. It was an unexpected surprise.

Originally, he only wanted to hold hands with Guzheng once, but now it seems he can try to get more rewards. Besides Guzheng, holding hands with Mo Yixia is not difficult either. If he adds fancy hand-holding, he can get at least nine mission points...

Han Zhou was quite interested.

"Teacher Ouyang, you don't look well. Is your leg injury still not healed?"

Seeing that Ouyang Lianyu was walking with great difficulty, Guzheng asked her with concern.

Faced with Gu Zheng's concerned gaze, Ouyang Lianyu felt guilty again. She really couldn't bear to lie to this girl, but thinking of what Han Zhou had just said, she could only grit her teeth and smile bitterly: "It seems that I am not fully recovered yet. I was too impatient. It is a bit difficult for me to get out of the wheelchair now."

This wasn't exactly a lie. The doctor advised her to try walking again in a few days, but she was provoked by her aunt's words today and subconsciously wanted to regain her ability to walk as soon as possible to prove herself. She was indeed too impatient. Han Zhou had actually advised her not to push herself too hard before, but she insisted that she could do it.

Thinking of this, Ouyang Lianyu breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt somewhat dejected. She felt relieved because she hadn't really deceived Guzheng, but she felt dejected because she was disappointed in her weak body, unable to even recover quickly.

Gu Zheng was unaware of Ouyang Lianyu's complex inner thoughts at that moment. After thinking for a moment, she suggested, "Then why don't you go back and rest, teacher? Or I can go and bring your wheelchair over for you?"

Just as Han Zhou guessed...

Ouyang Lianyu sighed inwardly, but smiled gently and said, "Thank you, but there's no need to bring the wheelchair. I just came to take a look. Staying here would only interfere with the conversation between you young people. I'd better go back and rest."

She turned to Han Zhou, looking apologetic, and said, "I'm sorry, Han Zhou, I'm troubling you again. Could you take the teacher home?"

"What's the trouble?" Han Zhou smiled nonchalantly and said to Gu Zheng and Zhong Ling, "You two stay here for now. I'll help Teacher Ouyang home and be back soon."

"No."

Gu Zheng gave him a disgruntled look and shook her head, saying, "Teacher Ouyang's leg isn't fully healed yet, she can't keep walking. What if she suffers any aftereffects? I'll take her home instead."

"What's the difference between you giving it to me and me giving it to you?" Han Zhou said with a wry smile.

“I’ll carry Teacher Ouyang back.”

"I can carry it too..."

"Of course you can't! Men and women shouldn't touch each other. You might not mind, but Teacher Ouyang does!" Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at Han Zhou, giving him a helpless look that said, "You really don't understand anything."

"What do you think, Teacher Ouyang?" she asked, looking at Ouyang Lianyu.

It's exactly what Han Zhou said...

Ouyang Lianyu was surprised, but pretended to hesitate and said, "This is too much trouble for you. Actually, I can still leave..."

"No trouble at all, it's easy for me to carry you. We can just take a taxi after we leave the school."

Gu Zheng was resolute. As she spoke, she walked up to Ouyang Lianyu and gestured for Han Zhou to help her onto her back.

Han Zhou tentatively suggested, "Why don't I come along too?"

"Where are you going? I'll be back soon. You can play with Senior Zhong Ling for a while."

Zhong Ling spoke up timidly, "Actually, I could go too..."

Unfortunately, no one heard her speak at that moment.

Everything went according to plan. Gu Zheng quickly carried Ouyang Lianyu away. Han Zhou took out his phone to check the time and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the plan was simple, it had a significant challenge: how to prevent Guzheng from seeing Mo Yixia who was beside him.

Han Zhou could not possibly do such a thing, so he could only try to find a way to keep Mo Yixia from coming over for the time being.

However, getting Mo Yixia away for a short time was much more difficult than getting Gu Zheng away. In addition, he had just confirmed a "never lie" relationship with her, so he didn't hide it from her. After pleading for a long time, Mo Yixia finally said that she could give him half an hour.

Half an hour later, no matter what the situation, Mo Yixia would come to the playground to find him. Fortunately, she didn't exceed the time limit, and the crisis of Mo Yixia and Guzheng meeting was temporarily resolved.

"Where are you now?" Han Zhou sent a message to Mo Yixia after letting out a long sigh.

"library."

"You're so eager to learn?"

"I took a nap."

"Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"I have a habit of taking a nap in the afternoon."

After a two-second pause, Mo Yixia replied, "Looks like your scheme succeeded?"

She made no attempt to hide the contempt in her words.

"I guess so," Han Zhou said with a wry smile. "I'm coming to pick you up now."

"No need, I can come by myself."

It seems Yixia isn't very happy...

Yeah, it would be strange if they were happy, right?

Han Zhou sighed inwardly. Just as he put his phone away, Zhong Ling asked from beside him, "Junior, were you texting Gu Zheng?"

Han Zhou thought for a moment and hesitated before saying, "No, it's Yi Xia who's coming."

"Yi Xia?" Zhong Ling was slightly taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in her clear eyes. "Isn't she still in school?"

"Today is Sunday, and Yixia's school has organized a field trip..."

Han Zhou briefly explained the situation, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "Senior, I hope you can keep this a secret for me."

"Keep it secret?"

Zhong Ling tilted her head, seemingly not quite understanding his meaning, and said softly, "Don't you want to tell anyone that Yi Xia came to school?"

"Ah."

"Can't we even talk about the guzheng?"

To be precise, it means keeping it a secret from her...

Han Zhou wondered to himself, then asked nervously, "Is it okay?"

"OK."

Zhong Ling nodded gently and smiled faintly, "I promise I won't tell anyone."

She didn't seem to think much of it, and even joked a little embarrassedly, "Besides, even if I wanted to leak it, no one could hear me."

The autumn sunlight was exceptionally gentle, carrying a slight coolness, and fell on the girl's delicate and lovely face. She pressed her chest, and a trace of distress seemed to flash in her clear eyes.

Han Zhou was taken aback, unable to read her feelings from her expression, so he smiled and said, "I'm here, aren't I? I quite enjoy listening to other people's secrets."

"I don't know other people's secrets, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you. It has to be kept secret," Zhong Ling said weakly.

"So you've learned a secret today."

"Yes, I'll keep it a secret." After a pause, she cautiously asked, "Um... can I tell my sister?"

"Of course not." Han Zhou shook his head solemnly. "Only you know about this. If Sister Yin finds out, it won't be a secret anymore."

"Okay... then I won't tell her."

Zhong Ling gave a faint smile and nodded as if to encourage herself, "Only I know about this."

For some reason, Han Zhou was inexplicably lost in thought, subconsciously recalling the side quest that had made Zhong Ling cry. A girl who had never shed a tear in her life...

Looking at the girl with a gentle smile in front of him, his thoughts suddenly became complicated—was this senior's heart really as bright as the smile on her face?

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Zhong Ling asked cautiously, seemingly noticing his unusual behavior.

"No, I'm just a little curious." Han Zhou snapped out of his thoughts, smiled, and shook his head.

"curious?"

"I've been wanting to ask you this for a while now, senior, why are you clutching your chest? Are you feeling unwell?"

Zhong Ling was stunned for a moment, her face instantly turning blush. After stammering for a while, she finally answered cautiously.

"This dress is a bit too tight..."

Han Zhou was taken aback and subconsciously glanced at the other person's chest. The latter blushed even more and quickly covered his chest with both hands, looking as if he wanted him not to look but was too embarrassed to speak up.

Han Zhou's expression was strange, but he didn't really think much of it. As Zhong Yin's sister, who was known for her magnanimity, Zhong Ling was also a broad-minded girl. He had noticed this long ago, so he wasn't surprised at all.

He was just relieved about one thing.

Fortunately, Guzheng wasn't present when Zhong Ling said those words...

……

"Ah!"

"What's wrong, Guzheng? Have you caught a cold?"

"No, it feels like someone's talking about me behind my back." Gu Zheng rubbed her small nose, looking displeased. "It must be that guy Han Zhou!"

Ouyang Lianyu, who was on her back, chuckled and said, "You really are thinking about him all the time."

"No way!" Guzheng instinctively retorted, but after hesitating for a moment, she changed her mind and muttered softly, "At least when I'm studying, I don't really think about it..."

She had long ago made up her mind that she could no longer hide her feelings for Han Zhou. She needed to show her confidence so that others wouldn't dare to compete with her, and she would have more confidence when she confessed her feelings in the future.

However, if possible, she still hoped that Han Zhou would take the initiative to confess to her. It wasn't that she was particularly expecting it... it's just that although she was capable, she was still a girl after all, and she had heard that it was usually the boy who made the first move in confessing, and that girls should maintain their composure...

Okay, she really hoped that Han Zhou would take the initiative to confess his feelings to her.

I've dreamt about that scene several times.

She had secretly practiced how to calmly accept a confession many times, but each time she dreamed of it, she would burst into tears. It seemed that this practice was useless, or rather, it was pointless to practice it. So she could only practice how to calmly confess to Han Zhou again.

Unfortunately, it didn't have much effect either.

Noticing that Guzheng seemed a little distracted, Ouyang Lianyu couldn't help but ask, "Guzheng, you like Han Zhou, don't you?"

"Ah."

Gu Zheng casually replied, but after a few seconds she realized what the other person had just asked. Her expression instantly became blank, and her little face turned red, like a steaming bun.

She bit her lip, resisting the urge to take back her answer, and quickly changed the subject, pretending to be nonchalant: "Teacher Ouyang, what's your house number?"

"8011...wait, the apartment building has an elevator, you don't need to go up the stairs!"

Ouyang Lianyu spoke up to remind her, but Guzheng seemed not to hear her and carried her to the stairs, as if trying to ease her embarrassment.

When she arrived at her front door, she took out her key from her bag and opened the door.

Gu Zheng carried her to the sofa, where she looked around curiously. The latter smiled gently and said, "Please sit wherever you like. There are food and drinks in the refrigerator. I have difficulty moving around, so please help yourself if you need anything."

"I know, I won't stand on ceremony with you, teacher." Gu Zheng smiled, her eyes crinkling, and looked around, asking with a puzzled look, "But Teacher Ouyang, has your house been uncleaned in a long time? It looks a bit messy."

"It's been a long time since I cleaned," Ouyang Lianyu said with an awkward smile. "I was planning to do a thorough cleaning while I'm still able to walk. I'm sorry you had to see this."

Gu Zheng shook her head and said, "You're not able to move around easily right now, so you can't clean the room anyway. But it'll probably be several more days before you can get out of bed and walk around, so why don't I clean it for you?"

Ouyang Lianyu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hand to dissuade her, "No need, no need, I can't trouble you any further. I'll do it myself when the time comes."

Gu Zheng rolled up her sleeves, rubbing her hands together, and said, "It's okay, no trouble at all. I can finish this chores quickly. Besides, I don't feel at ease going back like this. Where are the broom and mop? I'll clean up right now."

"But you're still wearing a skirt..."

"It's okay, it won't get dirty."

Gu Zheng didn't take it seriously. After thinking for a couple of seconds, she hesitated and asked, "Teacher, do you have any arm sleeves at home?"

She bought this dress specifically for tonight's ball, so she wanted to avoid getting it dirty as much as possible.

"Yes...some..."

Han Zhou guessed right again; Gu Zheng really couldn't bear to see me living in an unclean room...

Ouyang Lianyu sighed inwardly. Actually, her room wasn't messy to begin with. It was all Han Zhou's idea that it had become like this. Not only was the room clean, but Han Zhou had also tampered with the wheelchair. He knew that Gu Zheng would never let things go unchecked, and that resolving these issues would take a lot of time, enough to keep her here.

It was a despicable act, which completely took advantage of Guzheng's kindness. Ouyang Lianyu felt guilty, and Han Zhou also felt deeply remorseful. They repeatedly promised that it would not happen again and assured Guzheng that they would make it up to her tonight. Only then did she agree to their plan.

Although the details of the compensation were not specified, Ouyang Lianyu felt that Han Zhou would not lie to her, or that he would not have the heart to treat such a good girl as a fool.

With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, Ouyang Lianyu became increasingly curious about how the two of them had come to this point. Looking at the short-haired girl who was getting busy, she couldn't help but ask, "Guzheng, can I ask you something?"

"what's up?"

Why do you like Han Zhou so much?

Gu Zheng was taken aback, as if she hadn't expected the other person to ask such a question. Her hands immediately stopped moving, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted around as she said, "Well, not really... Do I look like I like him a lot?"

“Yes.” Ouyang Lianyu smiled gently and looked at her with pity. “I believe that not only me, but most people can see your feelings for him.”

How could that be? I clearly hid it very well...

Gu Zheng instinctively tried to justify herself, then, completely flustered, asked, "Then... could he tell too?"

She looked somewhat nervous.

"Of course, he just told me he has a surprise for you tonight."

Ouyang Lianyu noticed that the moment she uttered those words, a bright, sun-like smile suddenly bloomed on the girl's face, her eyes curving like crescent moons, making her incredibly adorable.

"Really?" the girl asked casually, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Really, but don't tell me I told you beforehand."

"Will not."

Gu Zheng's tone became noticeably lighter, but she herself didn't seem to notice at all. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Actually, I don't know why I like Han Zhou. It's like I just inexplicably fell in love with him..."

Ouyang Lianyu looked thoughtful. The reason she asked this question was not only because she cared about the relationship between Han Zhou and Gu Zheng, but also because she wanted to explore love, which she had never experienced before. So she changed the question.

Do you remember the first time you met?

She had heard that many love stories begin with the first meeting, and if you make a deep impression on someone that day, you are likely to develop feelings for each other later.

"I don't remember." To everyone's surprise, Guzheng shook her head. "We only started interacting in our second year of high school."

She paused, then suddenly smiled, her bright face showing a hint of reminiscence.

"Although I can't remember the scene of our first meeting, I do remember the day we first met."

(End of this chapter)