Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 310 Rainy
Continuous rain is a rare sight in Lincheng.

At least in Han Zhou's memory, he had never seen two consecutive weeks of light rain in the weather forecast.

Of course, the weather forecast for Lincheng is not reliable, but even a week of continuous rain is quite rare in Lincheng.

It looks like there will be a big drop in temperature after the rain.

Thinking this, he tightened his coat.

Rain fell gently on the road, splashing and creating a thin mist over the streets. Puddles were everywhere, and car taillights were reflected in the shimmering water. Perhaps because the sky was too gloomy, many shops had turned on their lights, and colorful umbrellas formed a mottled torrent that flowed irregularly along the street.

Perhaps because of the rain, there weren't many visitors to the zoo today. A staff member came over to ask if Han Zhou needed to rent a sightseeing vehicle. After thinking for a moment, Han Zhou rented a four-seater vehicle.

He actually felt that visiting the zoo was more interesting if you could walk around and stop at different places, but considering that it was raining today and Zhong Ling had just recovered from a cold, it would be more convenient to take a car for the sake of the two girls' health.

However, I have to say that the sightseeing vehicles in the zoo are really expensive. Renting a four-seater costs 600 yuan, which is simply robbery.

After renting the sightseeing bus, Han Zhou naturally took the driver's seat and drove, while Mo Yixia sat next to him, and Zhong Ling sat in the back seat.

"It was so dark, and I was driving with sunglasses on. I started to worry about my safety and that of my senior."

Mo Yixia placed the mask and gloves she had taken off on her lap and breathed warm air into her palms. "I suggest you take off your sunglasses."

"No need, this kind of car won't have any accidents." Han Zhou knew exactly what this guy was thinking, and said irritably, "Also, I suggest that next time you make a suggestion, you shouldn't be so blatant as to shove your phone camera in my face."

"Wouldn't that be considered taking photos without consent?"

Han Zhou sighed: "In short, I will never take off my sunglasses. If you are really worried about an accident, I can give you the driver's seat."

"No, I haven't learned to drive yet."

"This car does not require a driver's license."

After a pause, Han Zhou added, "With your driving skills, you don't need to learn to drive."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhong Ling in the back seat timidly raised her hand and tentatively said, "Um... I have a driver's license, I can drive."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then said with a wry smile, "No need, senior, we were just joking. You can just enjoy the tour, I'll drive."

He started the tour vehicle and asked, "By the way, which animal would you like to see first?"

"I'm fine with anything," Zhong Ling said softly.

Mo Yixia took out a map of the park and suggested, "Why don't we go see your relatives first?"

"Whose relative, me?" Han Zhou was taken aback. "Do you want to see monkeys? Or gorillas?"

There's no need to belittle yourself like that.

Mo Yixia pursed her lips and turned to look at the drizzle outside the car. "I was talking about pandas."

Zhong Ling covered her mouth and chuckled.

As one of the most adorable creatures, it seems that no one in the world dislikes the endearing panda, and even Mo Yixia is no exception. She took a few photos of the pandas munching on bamboo in their enclosure, a rare occurrence for her.

"It's so rare."

Han Zhou, holding an umbrella, glanced at the girl next to him who was fiddling with her phone with surprise. "I thought you weren't interested in flowers, plants, or animals."

"Thanks to you."

Mo Yixia flipped through the photos she had just taken, unsure whether the sentence meant that she took the photo because the panda was Han Zhou's "relative," or because, under Han Zhou's influence, she was slowly trying to like the world and was beginning to develop an interest in plants and animals.

"Aren't you tired of holding that umbrella like that?" She put away her phone and gave the other person a half-smile.

"I'm not tired, just my head feels a little cold."

At this moment, Han Zhou held an umbrella in each hand, sheltering Mo Yixia and Zhong Ling under the umbrellas so that the two could take photos in peace.

Both girls, including Han Zhou himself, were slender, and the two umbrellas were more than enough to cover the three of them. However, rainwater would sometimes drip down the eaves of the umbrellas and land right on Han Zhou's head, who was in the middle.

Mo Yixia took out a tissue to wipe his hair, and suddenly seemed to think of something, and said thoughtfully, "If you hold two umbrellas over your head, your head will feel cold, so tell me, if you step on two boats, where will you feel cold?"

Han Zhou was startled and subtly moved the two umbrellas above his head closer together.

It was clear that Zhong Ling adored pandas; her eyes hadn't left them since she first saw them. She seemed to be sending photos she'd taken to Zhong Yin, her smile radiant, oblivious to Han Zhou and the other person's conversation.

It wasn't until she noticed a wet patch on Han Zhou's head that she realized what had happened. She thanked him and apologized profusely, promising not to linger for so long again.

"It's okay, I like pandas too, and I was planning to stay here a little longer anyway."

Han Zhou smiled nonchalantly and said as he got into the car, "If you really think I'm working too hard, just remember to send me all the photos later."

"I see."

Zhong Ling nodded quickly and solemnly wrote this down.

Compared to other zoos, the most distinctive feature of Lincheng Zoo is that it never puts animals in cages. Instead, it simulates a suitable wild environment for them, complete with forests, rocks, and lakes. The entire zoo is like a small mountain, with most of the paths leading uphill. It takes a lot of physical strength to walk through the whole zoo.

If Han Zhou and Gu Zheng came together, it wouldn't matter, as the two of them would have plenty of energy to complete the entire journey. However, given the current situation, renting a sightseeing vehicle would be quite necessary.

Because of the abundance of trees and rocks in the zoo, it is not easy for visitors to see the animals they want to see on weekdays. Moreover, it was raining today. The three of them rode in a sightseeing bus along the road and saw very few animals along the way. The few they did see were just fleeting glimpses before disappearing into the jungle, without even a chance to take a picture.

"No wonder there are so few visitors to the zoo today," Han Zhou remarked, looking at the falling rain. "We should have come on a sunny day."

"If it were that kind of weather, we might not be able to sit in such a sightseeing vehicle and travel so leisurely."

Mo Yixia surveyed the surrounding jungle. If you ignored the signs and fences, you might not think you were in a zoo. Every plant and tree in this zoo was carefully planted, no wonder it was so famous.

"makes sense."

Han Zhou nodded, observing Zhong Ling's expression through the rearview mirror.

Neither he nor Mo Yixia were particularly interested in the zoo, but Zhong Ling was different. Several years ago, this zoo had become an irreparable regret for her and her family. If she still had that regret today, she would probably feel very disappointed.

Just like last time, it's raining again today.

In the rearview mirror, Zhong Ling's expression seemed not much different from usual, except that the gentle smile was gone, and she looked much more serious. At this moment, she was staring intently at the forest on her left, perhaps hoping for the appearance of animals.

Han Zhou couldn't read minds, so he couldn't be sure if Zhong Ling felt lost at this moment, or if she was thinking about her parents who couldn't come to the zoo with her.

He had wanted Mo Yixia to help analyze Zhong Ling's current mood, but he quickly realized that it was unnecessary.

Whether you feel disappointed or not.

The answer isn't actually important.

They came to the zoo today to have fun, so as long as they have fun, that's enough.

Even if Zhong Ling is indeed feeling lost or saddened by the passing of his parents, he would find it difficult to find the right words to comfort them. Sharing in the joy of others and the sorrow of others is a talent, and he does not possess such a strong capacity for empathy.

There's no need to constantly guess what the other person is feeling, nor is it necessary to overthink things. Whether they're sad or happy, just try to bring them a better mood.

Han Zhou believed he possessed this ability.

At least that's the case in zoos. "It's a simple truth, but few people can put it into practice."

Mo Yixia rested her chin on her hand and said in a languid tone, "However, there is one thing I need to clarify: it is my instinct to try to figure out what other people are thinking, not something I do intentionally."

Han Zhou stared blankly for two seconds, then asked with a bewildered expression, "Did I just say what was on my mind?"

"What do you think?" Mo Yixia asked lazily.

"No."

"Ah."

After a brief silence, Han Zhou hesitated and said, "I'm curious, in your eyes, is there a book on everyone's face that records their thoughts?"

"It's not that exaggerated. I can only tell that you seem to have suddenly figured something out, but I'm not sure what you're thinking. However, by making some inferences, we can get close to the answer..."

Mo Yixia withdrew her gaze from the rearview mirror, put her mask back on, and asked in a low voice, "So what do you want to do to my senior?"

Rather than asking a question, she seemed certain that Han Zhou would do something.

"Isn't that an exaggeration?"

Han Zhou gasped. Although he had seen it many times before, Mo Yixia's mind-reading ability still surprised him.

The two spoke in hushed tones, and seeing that Zhong Ling hadn't noticed them, he whispered his thoughts.

"See the animals your senior wants to see, take the photos your senior wants to take, and finally take a group photo together..."

Mo Yixia nodded thoughtfully, "I see. So you're treating us like your senior's parents?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Han Zhou glared at her irritably.

"Xiaoling likes kangaroos, and she kept asking to see them when she was in junior high school."

"She also likes ostriches, saying it's funny to see them bury their heads in the sand."

"And the hippopotamus, she said there were no reference points on TV, so she couldn't determine exactly how wide the hippopotamus's mouth could open."

"..."

As he was recalling what Sister Yin had said about Zhong Ling's preferences, he heard Mo Yixia continue, "Since you don't consider yourself as your senior's parents, then don't treat her like a child."

"What's the meaning……"

Han Zhou was taken aback, but Mo Yixia clearly had no intention of explaining. She said, "I'm tired and want to rest in the car for a while. Why don't you go with your senior to see the animals she likes? Call me when you're taking pictures."

He didn't lower his voice intentionally, so Zhong Ling in the back seat heard him. Upon hearing this, he immediately gathered his scattered thoughts and let out a blank "Ah."

She didn't understand what was happening.

"Aren't you going?" Han Zhou asked, puzzled.

"No, but I'm leaving the car here. You'll have to walk to find the corresponding park area. Get off the bus."

Han Zhou was practically kicked out of the car by Mo Yixia. She didn't give him a chance to ask any questions and just shoved him off with her umbrella.

Zhong Ling followed closely behind, weakly getting off the bus while holding up her mushroom-shaped umbrella, her slightly childlike face filled with confusion.

The sightseeing bus quickly sped away, leaving a trail in the rain, leaving only the two people staring at each other in disbelief.

"Junior, did you...did you and Yixia have a fight?" Zhong Ling asked cautiously.

She vaguely guessed that, according to the original plan, today should have been a time for her junior and Yixia to be alone together. It was because she realized this that she hesitated to reply when she received Yixia's invitation, until her sister coaxed and tricked her into coming over.

In fact, the person the junior originally wanted to invite was Yixia, not her. If she hadn't sent the wrong message, she shouldn't have shown up here today and disturbed the time the junior and Yixia had alone together.

Zhong Ling already felt guilty about her presumptuous appearance today and tried her best to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, but even so, she could not get rid of the guilt in her heart.

Actually, if she had been firm enough to refuse Yixia's invitation this morning, her sister would never have forced her to come. She knew it wasn't right, but she still shamelessly showed up here.

She is a bad woman.

Perhaps it was because she realized this that Yixia suddenly changed her attitude and took her anger out on her junior.

This is the truth in Zhong Ling's mind.

I wouldn't dare argue with that guy; I couldn't win an argument anyway...

Han Zhou thought to himself, then shook his head and said, "No, who knows what that guy is thinking."

Although he was not yet clear about Mo Yixia's intentions, he was quite certain that the guy was not angry at all; in fact, his last sentence seemed to be reminding him of something.

"Since you don't consider yourself her parents, then don't treat her like a child."

When did I ever treat my senior like a child?

He was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly noticed that Zhong Ling was in low spirits, nervously clutching the small cloth bag at her waist. He quickly asked with concern, "What's wrong, senior?"

Zhong Ling bit her lip, hesitating before asking, "Is...is it because of me that Yi Xia is angry?"

Han Zhou was taken aback: "Senior, what are you talking about..."

He actually understood what Zhong Ling meant; she seemed to be worried that Yi Xia would be jealous and angry because of her presence.

To be honest, it's not surprising that such a thought would arise, but for some reason, when Han Zhou heard Zhong Ling say those words, he felt a little unreal.

In his memory, this senior had always been a very simple girl, always showing a gentle smile. She would smile when she saw him, when she saw Guzheng, when she saw Yixia, and when she saw them together. She never inquired about the more specific relationship between them.

Her sister was her everything; she had almost no other pursuits and rarely even left her room.

A simple life, simple wishes, simple thoughts—Zhong Ling is a simple and adorable girl, and that's how Han Zhou sees her.

He originally thought Zhong Ling wouldn't think that much about it.

No, such thoughts cannot even be called "overthinking." As an adult, it is perfectly normal for Zhong Ling to have such concerns, but for a moment Han Zhou felt that this was not normal.

It's worth noting that even at Ya Ya's age, she can already talk fluently about the intricate emotional entanglements in a palace drama.

The abnormal one is him.

No wonder Yixia said those things; it turns out he really treated his senior like a child.

They're not innocent little children, how could they not have a few worries on their minds?

Han Zhou knew about Zhong Ling's past and knew that she had a heavy heart, but he often subconsciously ignored it.

At this moment, he remembered the side quest that had been shelved for so long.

The mission description states that Zhong Ling never shed a tear in her entire life.

So... was it that she was unable to shed tears, or that she was forcing herself to hold back her tears all along?
I have too much to do today, so I really don't have time. This is the only chapter I'll write.

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(End of this chapter)