Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 271 I Will Never Hate You
"Xiaoxiao, are you feeling unwell?"

On the campus path strewn with fallen leaves, several girls walked side by side toward the playground. One of them, a petite girl, hung her head, her hands limply hanging at her sides, sighing from time to time, looking utterly hopeless.

"No……"

Hearing her roommate's question, Xiao Xiao shook her head listlessly. Although she denied it, her dejected appearance made her words sound completely unconvincing.

Zhou Ting asked worriedly, "You didn't sleep well last night, and you didn't get much sleep today. Are you too tired?"

She knew very well how serious Xiao Xiaoxiao's insomnia was. In the past, she would at least take some time to catch up on sleep the next day, but today she hadn't slept much at all, and she didn't know if her body could hold on.

"I'm not tired, just a bit of backache, like I got beaten up last night..." Xiao Xiao yawned, rubbing her shoulders and sighing, "It's mainly because there are too many people in the cafeteria today, I can hardly keep up. The cafeteria is never this crowded on weekends, I have to work overtime to take on this job, it's a huge loss."

"You forgot? It's because there's a social event today," a roommate said with a laugh. "I heard that not only students from all majors and years are participating, but people from outside the school are also welcome to join in the fun, so it's not surprising that there are a lot of people."

"That should be it. I went to the playground before, and the setup was almost like a large-scale gala. There were even food stalls on the track. Tang Wenshuang is really amazing. She can make such a big splash with just a casual social event."

"Haven't you heard? This isn't entirely Tang Wenshuang's achievement. How could she organize such a big event by herself? I heard she has an older brother who's a student council officer, and she's planning to take advantage of this opportunity..."

Xiao Xiaoxiao wasn't a gossip, so she quickly lost interest after hearing a bit of it. She lazily yawned, looked up at the azure sky, and thought that she should stay in her dorm and sleep in this kind of weather.

Seemingly sensing her thoughts, Zhou Ting whispered, "Xiaoxiao, if you're really sleepy, you should go back to sleep. There's no need for you to come to the playground with us."

Xiao Xiaoxiao shook her head nonchalantly: "I already promised to go with you, how can I go back on my word now? It's not too late to go back to sleep after spending some time on the playground."

Stretching, she continued, "And I heard there are some places on the playground where you can get free prizes. Why not take advantage of freebies? I don't want to miss out."

“You have to participate in the corresponding activities,” Zhou Ting said with a wry smile. “You have to find someone of the opposite sex to participate with you; many activities have this requirement.”

"Why does it have to be someone of the opposite sex? It's really just a blind date event..." Xiao Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows, clearly dissatisfied. Without this restriction, getting the free prize would be a piece of cake for her.

"That makes sense..." Zhou Ting hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond, before asking, "By the way, Xiaoxiao, have you been having something on your mind lately?"

"No, why do you ask that?" Xiao Xiaoxiao looked at her.

"It might not be something on your mind..." Zhou Ting asked cautiously, "I mean, is there something you've been particularly concerned about lately... or someone?"

"No, just say what you want to say. Why are you acting so strangely?" Xiao Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing, I just feel like you've been getting closer to Han Zhou lately, and you seem to be looking at him more often..." Zhou Ting cautiously probed.

She knew that Xiaoxiao and Han Zhou had a good relationship before, but it was just a good relationship. They would communicate occasionally, but not much. But recently, for some reason, their relationship seemed to have heated up rapidly. They would often get together to talk, and Xiaoxiao would peek at him in class more and more often. It seemed very strange.

She suspected that Xiaoxiao and Han Zhou were together.

She didn't object to it. Han Zhou was very handsome, had a good personality, and was full of a sense of justice. He injured his hands while saving someone on the first day of school. If Xiao Xiao could be with him, she would naturally support it wholeheartedly.

The problem is, isn't this development too fast? These two don't usually interact much, so how did their relationship suddenly become so close?
It took Xiao Xiao a couple of seconds to understand what her friend meant: "You think I've fallen for that guy?"

"Yes." Zhou Ting did not deny it and nodded seriously.

"Do you think that's possible?" Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps...maybe."

Unlike Xiao Xiaoxiao, who didn't care about gossip, Zhou Ting knew clearly that many girls in the class had feelings for Han Zhou, and most of them would probably be willing to give it a try if given the chance to have a relationship.

"That's impossible!" Xiao Xiaoxiao said irritably. "Han Zhou and I just have something to talk about. Don't talk nonsense. Besides, that guy already has a girlfriend..."

Upon hearing this, she noticed her roommates freeze for a few seconds before exclaiming in unison, "What? Han Zhou has a girlfriend?!"

Big news!
Like sharks that have smelled blood, Zhou Ting and the others, clearly sensing that there was gossip to dig up, quickly moved their faces closer, their eyes shining like searchlights used to interrogate criminals, staring straight at Xiao Xiaoxiao's face.

What's wrong? Isn't Guzheng Han Zhou's girlfriend? None of you knew?

Oh, it seems like most people in the class haven't seen a guzheng before...

Realizing she might have said something wrong, Xiao Xiaoxiao felt a pang of anxiety and casually replied, "Why are you so excited? I was just saying. That guy looks like a scumbag. Isn't it normal for him to have three or five girlfriends?"

The three roommates were taken aback, exchanged glances, and smiled helplessly, "Xiaoxiao, it's not very nice of you to talk badly about other people like that."

Just as Xiao Xiaoxiao was about to speak, she heard a cold voice suddenly sound behind her.

"I think this is a reasonable speculation."

Everyone was taken aback and turned around to look. They saw a girl wearing a mask and a baseball cap who had appeared behind them at some point. She was wearing a long dress and had an exceptionally good figure. Although only her eyes were visible, it was easy to tell that she was a beauty. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye was perfectly placed, and even her voice was very pleasant.

Everyone secretly speculated about the girl's identity, but Xiao Xiaoxiao felt that the girl looked familiar and asked suspiciously, "Who are you? Have we met before?"

Mo Yixia looked at her with interest for a moment, then said succinctly, "At the school gate."

Xiao Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and then remembered seeing a girl wearing a mask and a baseball cap when she left the school this morning. She suddenly realized, "So it was you."

Mo Yixia seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that the girl's familiarity with her only stemmed from their encounter this morning, rather than the sense of déjà vu she felt when facing Han Zhou. However, she became increasingly certain that she had seen this girl before, but her memory was unable to provide any relevant clues.

This is a very strange thing.

While she was pondering, Xiao Xiaoxiao interrupted her thoughts: "Why were you eavesdropping on our conversation just now?"

"You weren't deliberately controlling the volume; I just happened to hear it from behind," Mo Yixia said calmly.

Zhou Ting looked at her suspiciously for a moment: "From what you just said, do you know Han Zhou?"

The others also looked at the girl whose face was covered with suspicion. "I know her," Mo Yixia said, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear and nodding frankly.

"friend?"

"Closer than friends."

Better than friends... Could it be...? The group exchanged glances and exclaimed, "Lovers?"

Not yet.

"So that's... 'more than friends, less than lovers'?" a girl tentatively concluded.

Mo Yixia thought for a moment: "If he doesn't take the initiative, it really won't be satisfactory."

For some reason, everyone felt that this sentence sounded strange.

Zhou Ting gently patted Xiao Xiaoxiao's shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Xiaoxiao, you just said Han Zhou has a girlfriend, does that mean...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Xiaoxiao looked dazed, her face seemingly filled with confusion, as if saying, "No, this isn't it."

Han Zhou and Gu Zheng are clearly in an ambiguous relationship, so where did this guy who's "more than friends but less than lovers" come from?

Mo Yixia naturally noticed this expression, but she didn't mind and calmly said, "I'm going to the playground to find him, but I don't know the way. Can you take me there?"

Of course she knew where the playground was, but she wanted to take this opportunity to find out about Han Zhou's activities at school and, incidentally, observe the girl named Xiao Xiaoxiao more closely.

"Of course, we can go to the playground."

The girls agreed without hesitation. Regardless of the relationship between the other party and Han Zhou, taking her to the playground was not a troublesome matter.

The group walked along the campus path covered with fallen leaves, the leaves rustling under their feet, and soon arrived at the bustling playground.

"It's so lively."

Xiao Xiaoxiao looked surprised. She had always lived in a small town. The school had organized some activities, but even the most grand New Year's Eve party organized by the school was not as impressive as the social event held by the students on the playground today.

The sunlight slanted down from the east side of the playground, soft and warm, like a casual poet gently caressing every youthful face on the green grass with unintentional strokes.

The sky was clear, displaying a rare azure blue, as if the most beautiful color had been specially preserved to match today's social event. The various sounds mixed together did not sound noisy, but rather were full of youthful energy.

The playground was surrounded by various platforms, each occupied by excited university students, both male and female, many holding small slips of paper, seemingly filled with anticipation. Red, blue, and green spheres swayed gracefully in the sunlight, adding a touch of romance to the grand event.

A simple platform was set up in the center of the playground, where a group of students were setting up the sound equipment. There were also some simple game facilities in many places. Although the prizes did not seem very valuable, they still attracted many people to take on the challenge, making this the most lively place.

"Has Yixia not arrived yet?"

On a bench near the track, Zhong Ling pressed one hand to her knee and the other to her chest, quietly watching the crowd in the distance, and softly asked a question.

She doesn't like being in crowded places; she always feels uneasy in such places. This feeling only eases when she's with her older sister. But for some reason, she doesn't seem to feel uneasy when she's with her younger schoolmate.

Han Zhou was unaware of Zhong Ling's current mood and casually replied, "They said they'd be here soon."

He was somewhat worried. Although he had managed to get Guzheng away, it didn't mean he was absolutely safe. This was a school, and even if Guzheng wasn't there, her classmates and friends would be. If they saw him with Mo Yixia, the news might reach Guzheng's ears quickly, and then the matter would be impossible to keep secret.

Of course, Gu Zheng is not a petty or suspicious person. If she only heard that he was with a girl, she might not think much of it. But as soon as she heard the keywords "mask" and "baseball cap", she would most likely think of Mo Yixia immediately and drop everything to come over.

But if she were to forgo the mask and baseball cap, Mo Yixia's appearance would still be enough to attract attention, and the chances of her being exposed would be even higher...

As Han Zhou pondered, he heard a soft, gentle voice beside him: "Are you unhappy?"

Turning his head, he saw Zhong Ling looking at him with some concern.

Han Zhou's complicated feelings inexplicably eased a little. She really was a very simple girl. She seemed to judge a person's mood only as "happy" or "unhappy," without considering any complicated situations.

"It's not that I'm unhappy, it's that I'm a little worried," he said.

Zhong Ling thought for a moment: "Is it because of Yi Xia?"

Han Zhou shook his head: "Because of myself."

Zhong Ling clearly didn't understand what he meant, and after hesitating for a moment, she said, "Can I help you?"

She paused, then carefully added, "I'll keep it a secret, and my sister won't tell either."

Han Zhou gave a wry smile: "Senior, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but I'm afraid that if I do, you'll start to hate me."

A gust of autumn wind blew by, ruffling the hair on the forehead of the girl beside her. Perhaps too busy to fix her hair, Zhong Ling suddenly lowered her head and, after a long pause, asked in a voice even weaker than usual:

"Just like me?"

Han Zhou was taken aback and turned to look at her. Although she was looking down, he could still see the dejected expression on her face.

"What does this mean?"

"nothing."

After a moment of silence, Zhong Ling gently shook her head, and a gentle smile returned to her face.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. Just don't worry, I won't hate you."

(End of this chapter)