Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 331 The Reason for Tears

A gust of cold wind swept across the narrow balcony, and the wind chimes hanging by the window made a crisp sound.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a bright parallelogram on the pristine white wall.

The room still smelled of a pungent aroma. Han Zhou looked nervously at Zhong Yin, whose eyes were bloodshot.

Zhong Yin's expression remained relatively calm. He wasn't sure whether the other person's eyes were red from crying or from the smoke, but considering that the other person was deliberately trying not to let him see, it was more likely that they had been crying.

Thinking of this, his tone became cautious: "Sister Yin...you cried?"

Seeing that this guy had secretly run up to her side without saying a word, Zhong Yin felt a little annoyed, but she held back her anger and the urge to turn her face away again. She said impatiently, "You're being smoky. Be careful later. This range hood isn't very good."

If the last two sentences hadn't been added, Han Zhou might have genuinely thought the other person's eyes were red from smoke, but adding them made it seem like an attempt to cover up the truth.

She probably cried.

He understood, but didn't expose her. After all, Zhong Yin was a very strong-willed person, and their relationship wasn't close enough for them to freely pry into each other's thoughts. He decided to pretend he hadn't seen anything. The reason he had gotten closer to check was simply because he was worried about her condition.

However, he was still somewhat curious as to why Zhong Yin was crying. Could it be that she was reminded of her deceased mother while cooking?

Thinking back to what his senior had said not long ago, he felt that it wasn't impossible.

I never expected that Sister Yin, who seems so cold, is actually quite sentimental inside...

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but Han Zhou pretended not to notice anything and replied, "I understand, I'll be careful."

Zhong Yin suspected that he might have noticed that she had been crying, but she still pretended to be indifferent and said, "Okay, go ahead."

Seeing that the other person was standing still and showed no intention of leaving, Han Zhou tentatively asked, "Sister Yin, aren't you going out?"

"What, are you afraid I'll steal your cooking skills?" Zhong Yin glanced at him sideways.

"What I mean is, why don't you go out and rest for a while? I heard from my senior that you've been busy since early this morning."

After a moment of silence, Zhong Yin put the apron she had just taken off back on, seemingly lost in thought. "No need," she said, "I'll stay and help you."

This surprised Han Zhou, who had been about to ask if he could borrow an apron.

Zhong Yin was already heading towards the kitchen. Taking advantage of Han Zhou's inattention, she quickly rubbed her eyes and urged, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get started, or do you think I can't help?"

"No, no, I'll be right there."

Han Zhou first went out to borrow an apron from Zhong Ling before coming to the kitchen.

The kitchen was small, and it was a bit crowded for two people to stand inside, but fortunately it didn't affect their movement. Zhong Yin stood by the sink and took the initiative to wash and chop the vegetables, while Han Zhou was in charge of seasoning and cooking.

For a moment, the sounds of cleavers clattering against the cutting board and bowls and chopsticks colliding filled the air as the two methodically prepared for cooking.

Perhaps finding it a bit boring, Zhong Yin, who was chopping vegetables with her head down, took the initiative to start a conversation: "How was your trip to the zoo last week?"

Han Zhou was taken aback: "Didn't your senior tell you?"

A week has passed, and Zhong Yin, being a fiercely protective brother, couldn't possibly not have learned about what happened last Sunday from Zhong Ling.

“Xiaoling is Xiaoling, I’m asking you.” Zhong Yin glanced at him.

"I?"

Although somewhat taken aback, Han Zhou thought about it carefully and replied, "It's alright, I'm quite happy, if it hadn't rained heavily later."

"Yeah."

Zhong Yin put the chopped vegetables into a plate, washed the knife, and started chopping ginger and garlic. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Xiao Ling didn't cause you any trouble, did she?"

"Of course not." Han Zhou smiled.

"That's good."

Zhong Yin fell silent, and the kitchen fell quiet, save for the sound of chopping vegetables.

Han Zhou set the prepared sauce aside and was about to heat the oil in the wok when Zhong Yin suddenly asked, "Gu Zheng said you're a very good cook?"

"It's pretty good," Han Zhou laughed. "Didn't that girl say something like, 'She just didn't want to practice, otherwise her cooking would definitely be better than mine?'"

"You really know her well."

After a pause, Zhong Yin said in a flat tone, "But she doesn't seem to know you very well."

Han Zhou was stunned.

“Last week you went to the zoo with Xiaoling and Yixia, but you didn’t mention Yixia to Guzheng. Instead, you used Xiaoling as a cover, right?”

Zhong Yin looked over at some point, her reddened eyes filled with coldness and questioning, the kitchen knife in her hand gleaming with a chilling light, looking somewhat frightening.

"I..." Han Zhou hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"really."

Zhong Yin knew she had guessed right the moment she saw his expression, and said coldly, "You've been lying to Gu Zheng all along."

Facing the increasingly cold gaze of the other party, Han Zhou took a deep breath and said frankly, "I admit that I lied to Gu Zheng, but I did not mean to use my senior as a cover."

“I know, otherwise you wouldn’t be walking into the store today.”

Zhong Yin understood, of course, that Han Zhou had no intention of using Xiao Ling. It was she who begged him to take her sister to the zoo; otherwise, the two of them would never have gone out together.

Even so, the fact that the other party deceived Guzheng cannot be changed. And deliberately concealing a person of the opposite sex during an operation is enough to explain a lot.

She was right from the start; this guy was definitely not a good person.

Han Zhou, wary of the kitchen knife in Zhong Yin's hand, cautiously probed, "Since you allowed me into the shop, does that mean..."

“Today is Guzheng’s birthday. I just don’t want her to be unhappy, and I don’t want Xiaoling to be unhappy either,” Zhong Yin interrupted him.

"And what about me?" Han Zhou asked shamelessly.

I don't care if you're happy or not.

Zhong Yin sneered and slammed the cleaver heavily onto the cutting board, chopping off the chicken's head.

Although he said that, Han Zhou knew in his heart that the reason why Zhong Yin did not expose him to Gu Zheng or sever ties with him must have been because he was considering his life or death. Otherwise, whether for Gu Zheng or Zhong Ling, exposing him would have been the best choice.

After all, a swift and decisive approach is best.

Han Zhou glanced at the chicken head rolling on the cutting board, still feeling lingering fear.

He didn't bother with excuses and went straight to the point: "So what do you want?"

"What can I do?" Zhong Yin said coldly. "I told you, today is Guzheng's birthday, and I won't make her unhappy. Also, don't misunderstand, you should have asked Xiaoling to keep some things a secret for you, right? She didn't tell me anything. I guessed that you lied to Guzheng based on what happened last week."

Without even glancing at Han Zhou, she chopped the chicken into pieces with a series of "tap tap tap" sounds, seemingly trying to vent her anger.

This anger stemmed from a complex interplay of emotions, which she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"We'll talk about your matter after today." After a long silence, she seemed to have calmed down and said, "Let's cook first."

"it is good."

Han Zhou nodded and agreed to both requests.

"Maybe only Guzheng in the whole world doesn't know I'm a scumbag..." he thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, then calmed himself down and focused on cooking.

Each of them had their own thoughts, but they continued to do their jobs, and soon an enticing aroma filled the kitchen.

The freshly cooked chicken was still steaming, and its rich aroma kept wafting into people's noses. Zhong Yin picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. Although he didn't want to admit it, he still gave a cold compliment.

"My cooking skills are really good."

She carefully covered the dish, then handed the sliced ​​pork belly to Han Zhou, saying, "It's just a pity that he's not... too much of a womanizer."

She originally wanted to say that Han Zhouren was no good, but after thinking about it carefully, she couldn't find any other faults in his character besides being a womanizer, so she changed her mind.

Han Zhou lay flat and let the mockery go, pretending not to hear it, and took the pork belly and poured it into the freshly washed pot.

Zhong Yin kept staring at him, and his cold gaze made him feel a little uncomfortable. If he remembered correctly, Zhong Yin had been giving him the same look when he was cutting meat. So he had no choice but to change the subject: "I just heard from my senior that your mothers cook really well."

Zhong Yin paused, and although he knew very well that this guy was changing the subject, he couldn't help but ask, "What else did Xiao Ling say?"

"They also said that your mother has a signature dish that won your father's heart. You've been learning how to make it and want to cook it for everyone today."

Zhong Yin glanced at the kitchen trash can without making a sound, her expression darkening slightly: "Is there any more?"

"She also said she believed you would definitely..."

Han Zhou wanted to say something nice, but his eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhong Yin's nervous and uneasy face. He realized something and changed his words, "No, senior also said that this dish is a bit difficult. You've only learned a little bit. If you don't make it well, we shouldn't mind. But how could we possibly mind?"

Zhong Yin didn't say anything, and it was unclear whether he had listened or not.

Han Zhou actually saw the poorly presented dishes in the trash can as soon as he entered the kitchen. He initially thought they were leftovers, but judging from the current state of the other person, it must have been a failed dish.

He stirred the pork belly in the pan, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I said, Sister Yin..."

"Sister Yin?"

"Sister Yin!"

"What are you doing!"

Zhong Yin was startled by the sudden increase in volume, and only then did she come to her senses, looking at Han Zhou with an annoyed expression.

Han Zhou moved a little further into the kitchen, creating some distance between them, before cautiously asking, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask... you weren't crying because you failed at cooking, were you?"

Zhong Yin's expression froze, and the hand gripping the kitchen knife suddenly tightened.

However, to Han Zhou's surprise, the other party did not fly into a rage because he was exposed, nor did he try his best to explain that he did not cry. He just glanced at him without any expression, and his tone was inscrutable.

"You can see it."

"I just noticed it." Han Zhou nodded.

Zhong Yin didn't reply, but looked at the pork belly in the pot and asked, "Isn't it ready yet?"

"No rush, we'll have to wait about half a minute more."

Half a minute later, Han Zhou put the food on a plate and gestured for Zhong Yin to try it, reminding her, "Be careful, it's hot."

Zhong Yin picked up a slice of pork belly and put it in her mouth. After a moment of distraction, she put down her chopsticks and said after a long while, "You really are just like my mother."

"What?" Han Zhou was confused.

Zhong Yin seemed a little dejected: "Are all good cooks like this? They can easily distinguish the heat, flavor, and timing of cooking, and make every dish taste delicious."

Han Zhou understood; Zhong Yin meant that he and the other person's mother had the same culinary skills.

He explained with a wry smile, "What you're saying is the key to making delicious food. Just like making pastries, cooking also requires practice to improve."

Zhong Yin stared at him for a while, seemingly pondering the difference in their cooking skills: "I've practiced so many times, but I just can't make it taste like Mom's."

It can't taste like mom's cooking... So that's why you cried?
Han Zhou felt puzzled, but after a moment's thought, he smiled and comforted her, "Sister Yin, you should know that many beautiful things become more beautiful the longer they remain in your memory, including taste."

Memory is a magical thing; it can make good things even better and bad things even worse.

Especially after growing up, sometimes when I think back to a bag of spicy strips from my childhood, I think they taste incredibly delicious. However, when I buy the same bag of spicy strips, I find that the taste is quite mediocre and not at all like the taste in my memory.

Is it because the spicy snack has become less tasty over the years?
No, it's just that the taste in my memory has become even more wonderful with the passage of time.

Han Zhou had eaten the food cooked by Zhong Yin, and the other party was not a bad cook. He meant that there was no need to doubt his cooking skills.

Zhong Yin was silent for a moment: "I understand what you mean, but it has nothing to do with sentimentality. I just can't make it taste like my mother's."

Han Zhou hesitated for a moment: "Even if you can't replicate your mother's cooking skills, there's no need for you to cry, is there?"

"It's not just because of that."

Zhong Yin shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Did Xiaoling ever tell you that I used to like racing?"

"Said."

"She really tells you everything."

Zhong Yin looked helpless and said, "Actually, my mother wanted to teach me how to make this dish back then, but I had to work during the week and was obsessed with racing in my spare time, so I never had a chance to learn properly. Later, when I wanted to learn, I didn't have the opportunity."

As she finished speaking, a hint of regret flashed in her eyes.

The death of her parents was also a heavy blow to her. She gave up her former hobbies and often thought about the dish she had never learned to make. She tried to piece it together from her memories, but she could never recreate the taste she remembered.

Not only her, but Xiaoling also often mentions this dish and has said more than once that she wants to taste her mother's cooking again. As the older sister, she promised to recreate the dish, but she has not succeeded to this day.

Not only did she fail, but due to her nervousness, she had just made a completely unsuccessful dish. She was about to go out and apologize to Xiaoling when she heard Han Zhou confidently say, "Sister Yin will definitely make it delicious." She immediately realized that Xiaoling outside the door must be full of expectations for her and was probably already praising her to others.

At that moment, she, who had already grabbed the doorknob, instantly lost the courage to open the door.

Thinking of the vegetables that had already been thrown into the trash, her deceased parents, the fact that her parents would no longer be there for her on her birthday, and her disappointed sister, all the emotions she had accumulated over the years collapsed instantly. She covered her mouth and let herself cry.

However, after crying, she found it ridiculous that her tears were so cheap, that she was so sentimental that she could cry while cooking, and yet she still had to let Han Zhou in.

So embarrassing.

What's even more embarrassing is that this guy noticed that I was crying.

But it's alright. As the older sister and Xiaoling's pillar of support, she can't let Xiaoling know many of her secrets. Occasionally confiding in someone doesn't seem as unacceptable as she thought before.

I doubt this guy would dare to go out and talk nonsense.

(End of this chapter)