Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 298 A Heavy Snowfall

For Lincheng, located in the south, the arrival of the Beginning of Winter does not have any particularly noticeable characteristics.

Although the temperature has dropped again, it is far from being freezing cold. If you don't pay much attention to the solar terms, you may hardly realize that winter has quietly arrived.

Especially given that this year is not as cold as last year.

Two steaming cups of milk tea sat on the table, the rising steam drifting around and casting a thin mist over the glass door beside the table. Outside the milk tea shop, the street was still brightly lit under the night sky, with pedestrians chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.

Of course, compared to the deserted road outside the repair shop, where you can only hear the sound of cars, most places can actually be considered lively.

"I wonder if it will snow this year..."

Zhong Yin murmured as she looked away, breathed warm air on her slightly cold hands, and was about to pick up the phone with its screen lit up on the table when her hands were grasped by a pair of fair and delicate hands that gently rubbed them.

Turning her head, she saw her younger sister, Zhong Ling, blinking at her with concern in her clear eyes.

"It's okay, I'm not cold."

All her thoughts melted into doting affection in an instant. Zhong Yin revealed a gentle smile. Seeing that her younger sister only smiled faintly and held her hand without moving, she said helplessly, "If you want to warm your older sister's hands, your hands should be warmer than your older sister's. Really, you don't even know to wear more clothes."

As he spoke, he pulled his hand out and took the other hand, which was about the same size as his own, into his palm.

She paused for a moment, then realized that her younger sister had grown so much without her noticing; her once chubby little hands were now too big to hold.

Not only that, when they were shopping together just now, the other person seemed to be a little taller than her.

She was naturally delighted by this, but in addition to feeling gratified, she also felt a strange sense of loss.

The older sister is already shorter than the younger sister...

With her hands firmly held in her sister's palms, Zhong Ling made no attempt to resist, simply enjoying the warmth of her sister's hands and occasionally breathing on them gently, like a docile kitten.

Only after her sister let go did she take out her phone and send a message to the other person.

"Sister's hands are so cold, she should wear more clothes."

Zhong Yin glanced at the message and smiled, "I know, but my hands are naturally cold, so it's not like I haven't been careful to keep them warm."

She pointed to the light red scarf around her neck, which she had bought while shopping earlier.

"I also made sure to keep warm."

Zhong Ling quickly sent a message, pointing to the white scarf around her neck, the tag still attached.

The two sisters looked at each other and then laughed at the same time.

"Just remember to keep warm. It's normal for girls to have lower body temperatures in cold weather."

A moment later, Zhong Yin brought the milk tea on the table to his sister and said with a smile, "Drink it while it's hot, a few more sips will warm you up."

Zhong Ling smiled and nodded, picked up her milk tea and took a sip. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she picked up her phone and sent a message.

"I remember my junior's hands were very warm. Are all boys' hands like that?"

Zhong Yin was taken aback, but quickly remembered that Xiao Ling's school had held a social event a while ago. At the event, she and Han Zhou not only held hands, but even hugged each other. It wasn't surprising that she knew that the guy's hands were warm.

However, even though she knew what was going on, she still felt somewhat annoyed.

"elder sister?"

Seeing her younger sister wave her hand in front of her eyes, she shook her head and laughed, "Of course not."

In fact, Zhong Yin's understanding of this kind of thing is even less than Zhong Ling's, because she has never actually held a man's hand before, and her experience in this area is quite lacking.

To avoid her sister pressing her for answers, she changed the subject, saying, "By the way, that kid just told me that using 'Silver Bell' as a pastry name has a bad meaning, because it means we'll keep getting eaten."

Zhong Ling knew, of course, who her sister was referring to as "that kid." She had been by her side the whole time the other person had just been messaging Han Zhou. Hearing this, she smiled slightly and said, "Junior brother must be joking."

"I know."

Zhong Yin picked up her milk tea and took a sip, her brows furrowing slightly. She wasn't one to joke around, and usually responded coldly to messages like this. But now she was trying to change her attitude towards Han Zhou, so she was a little conflicted about how to reply to this message.

How about I try making a joke too? That way it shouldn't feel too awkward...

But what kind of joke should I make?

After much deliberation, repeatedly deleting and rewriting the message in the chat box, Zhong Yin carefully replied, "According to you, using 'Silver Bell' as a signboard means that Xiao Ling and I will be displayed on the wall forever?"

She regretted sending the message as soon as she did, because it seemed to carry a accusatory tone. Fortunately, Han Zhou didn't mind and hurriedly explained that being eaten was actually a good omen.

This guy is really good at talking nonsense...

Zhong Yin was amused and showed the message to Zhong Ling beside him. Unexpectedly, the latter seemed to take it seriously and nodded and smiled: "Junior brother is right. It is indeed a good meaning."

Zhong Yin paused for two seconds, then asked, "You really think that?"

“People will only be willing to eat if they like it, is there a problem?” Zhong Ling looked at her sister with a puzzled expression.

"No, it's fine..."

Zhong Yin hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, "But don't you think he was joking when he said that?"

"Really?" Zhong Ling tilted her head.

Zhong Yin remained silent for a while, a vague premonition forming in her heart. She opened her mouth, but ultimately did not ask the question. Instead, she gently patted the other person's head and chuckled, "You're right, it is indeed a good meaning."

After a pause, she picked up her phone with mixed feelings and said gently, "So, do you want that kid to also experience the wonderful meaning of 'being eaten'?"

Zhong Ling didn't quite understand her sister's meaning and asked in confusion, "The auspicious meaning... is it a blessing for the Beginning of Winter?"

"That's it."

Looking into those clear eyes, Zhong Yin smiled slightly, "Besides offering my blessings, you can also make your first wish for this winter."

"A wish? Is that possible?" "Of course."

Zhong Ling held the milk tea and thought seriously for a moment, a faint smile appearing in her eyes: "Then I hope that my sister will be healthy, that the new store will have a great opening, and that she will open many chain stores in the future."

"That's two wishes."

Zhong Yin glanced at the message and said helplessly, "And I hope you won't always focus on your sister. You're all grown up now, and you need to learn to think about your own future, understand?"

Her tone became more serious.

Zhong Ling was stunned for a moment, and the smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by unease: "Does my sister want to break up with me?"

"Of course not, I can't bear to be separated from Xiaoling, but you can't stay with me forever, it's time to change your habit of being too dependent on me."

Zhong Yin gently stroked her sister's head, her smile growing even more tender, as if she would immediately take back what she had just said if her sister said she didn't want to.

But these words must be said.

Since her parents passed away, Xiaoling has suffered severe psychological trauma. What torments her is not only the pain of losing her loved ones, but also the deep-seated self-blame. Over the years, she has been trying to soothe their pain, and although she has made some progress, she has never been able to truly eliminate the emotional burden.

Otherwise, Xiaoling wouldn't still be unable to speak normally to this day.

The doctor said that her parents were Xiaoling's emotional support, and their death was like the collapse of her world for her. Therefore, Zhongyin has been trying to become her new support, which has indeed been effective, but it has also made Xiaoling too dependent on her. She wants to ask her opinion on everything and has almost no opinions of her own. Of course, she doesn't mind this, but in the long run, it is obviously not a good thing for Xiaoling.

Zhong Yin's decision wasn't impulsive; she had been wanting to bring it up at the right time. The reason she chose now was because she had just seen a possibility in Xiao Ling—

A possibility to reduce the other party's over-reliance on oneself.

She deserves to have her own life.

"But I want to stay with my sister forever, and I don't want to be separated from her."

A soft, slightly aggrieved voice reached Zhong Yin's ears, and he felt a pang of tenderness. However, he quickly hardened his heart and was about to speak when he froze.

I... heard that?

I can actually hear Xiaoling's voice!
Although she could occasionally hear her sister's voice before, that was only when the two of them were alone. But now there were more than just the two of them in the milk tea shop, so why could she suddenly hear Xiaoling's voice?
The foreign body sensation from the hearing aid in his ear never disappeared. Zhong Yin quickly ruled out the possibility that his hearing had become stronger, so... could it be because Xiao Ling's voice had become louder?

A look of anticipation flashed in her eyes, but what she had just witnessed seemed to be an illusion. Although she saw Xiaoling's lips moving, she could no longer hear her voice.

Zhong Yin wasn't disappointed; she simply made a mental note of it and smiled, "I don't want to be separated from Xiao Ling either, but you'll eventually get married. You'll meet someone you like and have your own family..."

Zhong Ling shook her head and quickly sent a message saying, "I'm not getting married!"

Zhong Yin knew she would say that, and said helplessly, "What about my sister? My sister doesn't want to stay single forever. Can you marry the same person as me?"

Zhong Ling hesitated for a few seconds, secretly observed her sister's expression for a while, and then tentatively nodded.

"If...if my sister doesn't mind..."

She would rather marry the same person as her sister than be separated from her.

However, she did not realize that the moment her sister mentioned getting married, a familiar figure flashed through her mind.

Seeing that the silly girl actually nodded cautiously, Zhong Yin was amused and realized how deeply her sister depended on her. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Even though her younger sister had such an absurd idea, she still couldn't say anything harsh. She said helplessly, "Let's not talk about marriage for now, but didn't you say you wanted to help me with the shop's affairs in the future? You need to be able to make that decision on your own."

Zhong Ling hesitated for a moment, then said tentatively, "Isn't my sister here...?"

Zhong Yin smiled and said, "Didn't you want me to open a branch?"

Zhong Ling was speechless and lowered her head to tug at the small cloth bag at her waist.

She actually understood her sister's thoughts, but the thought of separating from her sister... she simply couldn't bear to think about it.

Zhong Yin looked at her for a while, then suddenly took her hand and said softly with a smile, "Don't worry, take your time. I'll always be here. Now make a wish, your first wish for winter."

Zhong Ling gripped the other person's hand tightly, and after a few seconds, she looked up and hesitated, "Will making a wish help my sister?"

“It’s not about helping me,” Zhong Yin corrected. “I told you, you need to learn to make wishes for yourself.”

"But my only wish is for my sister to be happy..."

"Your happiness is my happiness."

"My sister's happiness is my happiness."

"You...forget it."

Zhong Yin had a bit of a headache. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Your sister is already very happy. Think about it carefully. Besides this matter, is there anything else you're looking forward to?"

"well."

Zhong Ling originally wanted to answer "no," but she knew in her heart that if she did, her sister might be very disappointed.

She didn't quite understand why her sister insisted she make a wish, but if it would make her sister happy...

Zhong Ling turned to look out the window. The night was dark, with no moonlight or starlight in sight. If she looked further away, the world beyond the lights would be pitch black.

Thinking of this, a sense of anticipation suddenly arose in her heart.

"It hasn't snowed in Lincheng for a long time."

She raised her hand and gently pressed the scarf around her neck, while typing intently with her other hand.

"If possible, I hope it snows heavily this year."

We will make some adjustments.

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(End of this chapter)