Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 272 Fingers intertwined
"you caught a cold?"

"No."

"Something you can't show to others?"

"No."

"Then why are you dressed like this? Are you wearing matching outfits?"

Looking at Han Zhou, who was wearing a woolen hat and a mask on the bench, Mo Yixia quickly figured out his thoughts, but she was too lazy to expose him, after all, there were a group of people watching behind her.

"I heard this style of dressing is quite trendy lately..."

Han Zhou coughed lightly, glanced at Xiao Xiaoxiao and the others behind him who had strange expressions, and quickly changed the subject, saying, "You guys are here too."

“Yeah, I just came to join in the fun.” Xiao Xiaoxiao’s gaze shifted back and forth between Han Zhou and Mo Yixia as she yawned and said, “I ran into your friend on the way, so I brought her along.”

Seeing that she looked extremely sleepy, Han Zhou asked in confusion, "Didn't you catch up on sleep today?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao has a habit of taking a nap in the morning, so she is usually very energetic in the afternoon. It is rare for her to be yawning so much today.

"No, I'm not sleepy. I'll go back to sleep later." Xiao Xiaoxiao said nonchalantly. When her roommate whispered a reminder, she said, "Okay, we've already dropped off your friend. We won't bother you any longer. We're leaving."

"Okay, please."

Han Zhou smiled and watched the girls whisper as they left. He felt a little worried, not because he was afraid that the matter would reach Gu Zheng's ears, but because he was worried about Xiao Xiaoxiao.

It's the weekend, and this guy didn't have anything to do this morning. He should have been in his dorm catching up on sleep, so why is he still like this?
Could it be that your insomnia is getting worse and you didn't sleep at all last night?
Mo Yixia sat down next to him naturally and said calmly, "You guessed right, this girl really didn't sleep all night. The insomnia symptoms you mentioned earlier seem to have worsened."

Since Mo Yixia has said so, the accuracy of this matter is probably very high. Han Zhou's heart sank, and then he smiled bitterly and said, "I wanted to ask you before, why can you see through my thoughts so easily even when I only show my eyes?"

"Who knows?" Mo Yixia said unhurriedly. "Anyway, you didn't dress up like this to prevent me from seeing through your thoughts, did you?"

Han Zhou chuckled. He dressed like this to avoid being recognized by Gu Zheng's acquaintances. This idea was suggested by Zhong Ling. After learning that he was afraid of being recognized, she immediately asked in confusion why he didn't try to disguise himself. So he found a mask and a woolen hat.

After that, Zhong Ling left. She had come out with her roommate and couldn't just leave them alone. She said she would come back to see them again when she had time.

Han Zhou felt that she must have had another purpose for leaving, which was to go back and change her clothes, but he had no evidence. He just felt that it was tiring to keep clutching his chest.

"It's good that you're dressed like this; it saves you from being stared at everywhere." Mo Yixia gazed in a certain direction not far away and asked, "What's your relationship with that girl?"

"Which girl?" Han Zhou was taken aback.

"The one at twelve o'clock, who looks easy to bully."

Han Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and he looked in the direction Mo Yixia had indicated. Sure enough, he saw Wang Lengqiu staring at him expressionlessly, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked nervously, "Would you believe me if I said we have nothing going on?"

"I believe you." Mo Yixia nodded slightly. "You may not have a relationship with her, but she definitely has a relationship with you."

"I was thinking of asking you about this before..."

Han Zhou was just wondering what was going on with Wang Lengqiu's "nonsense" when Mo Yixia, who was well-versed in psychology, happened to be there. So she told him about Wang Lengqiu's insistence that he was a stick figure.

After listening, Mo Yixia didn't rush to think about Wang Lengqiu's matter, but instead looked at him with surprise: "I remember there are only three girls among the six famous people of Lin University, right? How come they are all related to you?"

"How would I know..."

Han Zhou gave a wry smile. Apart from Zhong Ling, he had never deliberately contacted anyone else. His current situation was entirely due to the guidance of fate.

Mo Yixia had only mentioned it casually, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "I can't figure anything out from what you've said. Should we go and ask?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao's problem was still unresolved, and now Wang Lengqiu had popped up, which made her realize that something was wrong.

"Go ask? Now?" Han Zhou was taken aback.

"Any questions?"

“No problem, but she and I just signed a ‘no interference’ agreement. If I break it on my own…”

"So just listen when the time comes, and don't worry about the rest," Mo Yixia interrupted him.

However, seemingly sensing the two's intentions, Wang Lengqiu, who had been keeping a close eye on them, suddenly disappeared into the crowd and never reappeared.

"Is she afraid of me?"

A rare look of confusion appeared in Mo Yixia's eyes.

"I didn't say anything bad about you to her," Han Zhou quickly explained.

"Of course I know that, but why do you sound so guilty?"

Of course, it's because I said a few things to myself...

Han Zhou muttered to himself, but without changing his expression, he skipped the topic and said thoughtfully, "Speaking of which, there's something I've been concerned about for a while now..."

Mo Yixia glanced at him and sighed, "Haven't I said this many times? Sometimes not answering is an answer in itself. So, what is it?"

Han Zhou asked doubtfully, "Was your famous quote, 'Not disliking someone means liking them,' your own original creation?"

"I can't be sure if it's original, but I've never heard this phrase before, and I haven't said it to anyone else since."

Mo Yixia easily knew what Han Zhou wanted to ask, "So what you're trying to say is... that this girl named Wang Lengqiu also said something similar to what I said?"

"Yes, do you think this is normal?"

For some reason, although it was a very small matter, Han Zhou felt that there was something wrong with it.

"Asking this question means you think it's abnormal. What's your reasoning?"

“I don’t think she’s the kind of person who would say something like that, or rather, most normal people… no, most ordinary people wouldn’t say something like that.”

“A person’s speaking style depends on their innate personality and acquired experiences. I know nothing about her and will reserve my opinion for now.”

“That makes sense…” Han Zhou had roughly guessed that Mo Yixia would answer like that, and asked, “Should we go after them and ask?”

"No need." Mo Yixia took out her phone and glanced at the time. "I have limited time today, and I don't want to waste it on meaningless things."

Didn't you just want to ask the other party for clarification? Now it's all pointless?

Han Zhou wondered to himself, "Then what truly constitutes a meaningful thing?"

Mo Yixia put away her phone and placed her hands beside her legs: "You've been staring at my hands since the beginning. What do you mean by 'meaningful'?"

Han Zhou was startled and said awkwardly, "Is it that obvious...?"

Mo Yixia didn't speak, but simply gazed into the distance, waiting quietly.

It was midday, and the lazy sunlight spilled onto the playground, outlining a faint golden edge. The autumn wind blew, and the sycamore leaves rustled. Sunlight filtered through the treetops and fell on the grass, creating varying shades of light and shadow.

Time seemed to slow down suddenly. Even though he had activated his enhanced hearing, Han Zhou felt the sounds around him gradually becoming blurry. Both human voices and other sounds were rapidly fading away, and all was silent except for the girl's breathing beside him, which gradually became clearer.

The girl's heartbeat was equally clear.

My heart rate isn't fast, it's about the same as my usual heart rate... So, does that mean I'm nervous?

Han Zhou unconsciously turned his head to look at Mo Yixia.

No matter the angle from which you look, there seems to be no flaw on this girl's face. Her eyes are like deep, calm water, so deep that even sunlight cannot penetrate them, only casting a faint halo at the corners of her eyes.

The moment the scent of sunshine and a faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, Han Zhou found his heart beating even faster.

He understood Mo Yixia's meaning perfectly—"I can tell you want to hold my hand. Whatever the reason, go for it." Perhaps not entirely accurate, but that's roughly the gist of it.

Subconsciously lowering his head, his gaze locked onto that soft, boneless hand, Han Zhou's heart pounded even faster.

He had held Mo Yixia's hand before, but this was the first time he had taken the initiative to do so. The feeling was completely different; he couldn't quite put his finger on the difference, but it was just different.

Very strange feeling.

After hesitating for a moment, Han Zhou tentatively reached out his hand.

Mo Yixia's eyes flickered, but her heartbeat remained unchanged.

Without further hesitation, Han Zhou carefully took the other person's hand.

It feels smooth and delicate, a completely different feeling from when we held hands while wearing gloves on the snowy mountain last time. Indeed...

"There's definitely a difference between wearing it and not wearing it, right?"

Mo Yixia always seemed to be able to read his mind at crucial moments and say the most unbearable things in the most indifferent tone.

Han Zhou's lips twitched, and his tense and complicated emotions vanished instantly: "Can you please pay attention to the time and place before you speak?"

He looked around, thankfully no one had heard his outrageous words.

“Only actions require consideration of the occasion,” Mo Yixia said unmoved. “Besides, we’re both wearing masks now, what are you afraid of?”

"I'm afraid even with my face covered, I wouldn't have as thick a skin as you..."

Han Zhou calmed his racing heartbeat, then his ears twitched as he realized that Mo Yixia's heartbeat seemed to be about the same as his own.

He was certain that he was still a little nervous. Mo Yixia's heartbeat was the same as his, which meant that she was not as calm as she appeared on the surface.
He glanced at the shameless girl.

"what happened?"

Seemingly noticing his gaze, Mo Yixia turned her head to meet his eyes.

"Are you... nervous right now?" Han Zhou looked at the other person with a half-smile, feeling a strange sense of triumph.

"A little."

Unexpectedly, Mo Yixia readily admitted it, saying thoughtfully, "This time holding hands is different from any of the previous times."

Han Zhou asked in surprise, "You're admitting it just like that?"

He thought the other person would casually make a dirty joke and say that holding hands was nothing more than having hands.

Mo Yixia said calmly, "I've said it before, we are in a relationship where we will never deceive each other."

Han Zhou was taken aback.

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "So can you tell me... why did you suddenly want to hold my hand?"

Although she had been looking forward to this moment, hoping that he would take the initiative to hug and kiss her, and never leave her again, doing everything that couples should do, she knew very well that what he had just done was not in line with Han Zhou's personality.

Han Zhou hesitated for a moment. Although he had promised not to deceive Mo Yixia, the matter in the status bar could not be easily revealed. Left with no other choice, he could only give a vague and ambiguous answer.

"Because I want more."

This is the completely true answer.

"is it?"

Mo Yixia looked at him for a while, then suddenly squeezed her five slender fingers between his fingers and held them tightly.

Noticing that the other person had also subconsciously gripped her fingers, she used her other hand to brush away the stray strands of hair that had fallen behind her ear.

"Me too."

"Let's go." She straightened her skirt, stood up, and said with satisfaction, "Let's wander around."

Han Zhou was pulled to his feet. He looked around and hesitated, saying, "Of course we can stroll around, but how long are we going to hold hands?"

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "It depends on my mood. Giving a flattering answer will result in punishment."

Clearly, she realized that Han Zhou's answer wasn't entirely true.

Han Zhou's heart tightened: "The punishment means..."

"I'll hold your hand until I don't want to anymore," Mo Yixia interrupted him.

"All right……"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Han Zhou silently pulled his woolen hat down, leaving only a slit to reveal his eyes, making him look like a robber about to enter a bank.

Mo Yixia pursed her lips, perhaps because she was in a good mood, and kindly reminded her, "You look much more eye-catching now than before."

Han Zhou paused, then silently pulled his beanie up, tentatively asking, "Can I wear sunglasses?"

"No."

"That……"

"No."

"I haven't said anything yet."

"I won't listen, I just can't."

Mo Yixia curled the corners of her lips and acted like a little girl.

"All right……"

The two held hands and walked together toward the playground.

After a while, as if he had thought of something, Han Zhou suddenly spoke: "Yi Xia..."

"Ok?"

"You said before that we'd hold hands again next time we went to your school, but we already did this time, so do you think we don't need to do it again next time..."

"No."

"why?"

"This time you took my hand first; it was your own choice, and it has nothing to do with my request," Mo Yixia said matter-of-factly. "Besides, is holding my hand such a difficult thing?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just that, as you know, I've always been a shy person..." Han Zhou said shamelessly.

"It's okay, haven't you always said I'm thick-skinned?"

Mo Yixia didn't take it seriously and quietly did something she hadn't done in a long time—pushing the brim of her baseball cap down a little.

"Next time, it's my turn to take your hand."

……

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

You have completed one fancy hand-holding session (interlocking fingers), earning one task point.

(End of this chapter)