Forced into a romantic relationship

Weather after Chapter 338

Wang Runxue wasn't lying; this tree-lined path was indeed a shortcut to the hospital. Turning right after exiting the intersection, it would only take three minutes to reach the hospital.

"That guy can come in handy sometimes, you know..."

Han Zhou stepped into the hospital with a sigh, then turned to look at Gu Zheng, who was standing beside him looking sullen, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Gu Zheng? You haven't said a word since the photos were taken. Did you not take good photos?"

"No, it's good, but I'm not entirely satisfied."

Gu Zheng was a little disappointed. It wasn't that she was dissatisfied with the quality of the photos, but rather that there were too many people around, and she was too embarrassed to get too close to Han Zhou. The final photos didn't quite meet her expectations.

"If you're not satisfied, you can just take another picture next time, right?" Han Zhou looked at her strangely.

Gu Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then nodded vigorously, and immediately her face lit up with a smile again.

"Yes, let's film it again next time!"

"..."

Xiao Xiaoxiao's ward was on the third floor. The two took the elevator to the third floor, found the ward according to the room number given by Ouyang Lianyu, and gently knocked on the door.

"Please come in!"

Ouyang Lianyu's voice rang out in the ward. Han Zhou was a little surprised. He didn't expect that she hadn't left yet, but had continued to stay in the ward to take care of Xiao Xiaoxiao.

He was truly a role model among teachers... he thought to himself.

Pushing open the door, only Ouyang Lianyu and Xiao Xiaoxiao were in the ward; Zhou Ting, whom Ouyang Lianyu had mentioned in her Feixin message, was not there.

"Xiaoxiao, we've come to see you."

Gu Zheng walked quickly to the bedside, placed the lunchbox on the bedside table, and said while taking out a spoon, "This is pork rib soup that Han Zhou made for you. Get up and try it. I'll feed you."

As the box was opened, a fragrance wafted into the ward.

Xiao Xiao stared at Gu Zheng's smiling profile for a while, then smiled and said softly, "Thank you, Gu Zheng."

With Gu Zheng's help, she got up, leaning half her body against the headboard. She looked at Han Zhou, who was looking her over, and smiled, "Thank you too, Han Zhou."

"You're welcome."

Han Zhou looked around. Apart from the chair Ouyang Lianyu was sitting in, there was only one empty chair in the ward. He moved it over for Gu Zheng to sit down and asked, "May I sit on the edge of the bed?"

"Sure, please have a seat."

Xiao Xiaoxiao nodded. Perhaps because she was still sick, her tone was quite gentle, a stark contrast to the boisterous girl she usually was.

Just as Han Zhou was about to sit down on the edge of the bed, Ouyang Lianyu said, "Zhou Ting went to eat and won't be back for a while. I have some things to take care of this afternoon. Could you help take care of Xiao Xiao?"

“No problem, we actually have some things we want to talk about with Xiaoxiao, so you can go ahead, teacher,” Han Zhou said with a smile.

Xiao Xiaoxiao's eyes flickered, but she didn't say anything.

"Then I'll trouble you."

Ouyang Lianyu gave the two of them a gentle smile, picked up her bag and stood up. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped and whispered to Han Zhou, "I've already given the things you gave me to Xiaoxiao, and I've also said 'I'm sorry' on your behalf. You'll have to handle the rest yourself."

After saying that, he quickly left the ward.

She was still worried that there might be some unspeakable secret between Han Zhou and Xiao Xiaoxiao, so she gave him a heads-up in advance to prevent Han Zhou from making a mistake.

Han Zhou watched her leave with a puzzled look on his face. Why didn't she just say these things openly and honestly? Was it necessary to whisper them?
Seeing the suspicious looks from Guzheng and Xiao Xiaoxiao, he explained, "Teacher Ouyang said that she has already helped pass on the things I gave to Xiaoxiao, and she also helped me convey my 'sorry'."

As he spoke, he got up from the hospital bed and sat in the chair that Ouyang Lianyu had just been sitting in.

Gu Zheng looked puzzled: "What apology?"

Han Zhou had not told her the content of his conversation with Ouyang Lianyu when he saw her off.

"That's exactly what I want to tell you next."

Han Zhou's expression turned serious. Seeing Xiao Xiaoxiao's pale face, he didn't immediately start the conversation. Instead, he said, "Let's talk after Xiaoxiao finishes her soup. Soup tastes best when it's hot. By the way, Xiaoxiao, why did you ask me to add sausage to the ribs? Is this a specialty of your hometown?"

"I like eating it this way, is that not allowed?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao gave him a disgruntled look, then, with Gu Zheng feeding her, she took a sip of the soup, savored it for a moment, and said, "It's delicious, thank you."

"If you like it, drink more." Han Zhou smiled.

"Ah."

Xiao Xiaoxiao looked out the window. The sun was still shining brightly, and the sky was a clear blue without a single cloud in sight.

Noticing her gaze, Guzheng, who was gently blowing on the soup, smiled and said, "The weather is really nice today, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's a good time to go for a walk."

“I think so too. Didn’t the doctor say you’ll be discharged soon? We can go together then. There’s a small path to the left after you leave the hospital. The scenery there is quite nice, and there’s a place where flowers are still blooming.”

"is it?"

"Yes, it's a purple flower, very pretty, but I don't know its name... I even took a picture, do you want to see it?"

"May I?"

"You wait."

Gu Zheng put down her lunchbox and spoon, took out her phone from her pocket, opened the photo album, and quickly flipped to a photo of a purple flower. Although she flipped through the photos quickly, Xiao Xiaoxiao still noticed a group photo that flashed by in the album.

The two people in the photo are smiling, with a bright and clear sky behind them.

After a brief moment of distraction, a relieved smile appeared on her face. She subconsciously reached out to touch her earlobe, but quickly stopped and instead tidied her slightly messy hair.

"very nice."

"I told you it was beautiful, didn't I?" Guzheng's eyes crinkled into a smile. "I'll take you to see it after you're discharged from the hospital."

Guzheng, oh Guzheng, do you know that what you're saying sounds like you're planting a flag for Comrade Xiao Xiaoxiao... Han Zhou thought to himself, and couldn't help but take another look at Xiao Xiaoxiao. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the other party was a little different today.

How should I put it...? It seems like she's become more obedient?

This description might not be the most accurate, but it's roughly similar to this feeling.

Han Zhou noticed Xiao Xiaoxiao's gesture of touching her earlobe, and after thinking for a moment, asked, "Xiaoxiao, did you see what Teacher Ouyang gave you?"

"Not yet." Xiao Xiaoxiao was drinking her soup. "What is it?"

"Yes……"

"It's an earring."

Gu Zheng helped answer, "Didn't Han Zhou accidentally lose your earrings last week? Although you didn't blame him, he felt very guilty, so he made you a new pair of earrings by hand." Xiao Xiaoxiao was stunned and glanced at Han Zhou in surprise, only to see the latter nod awkwardly.

Han Zhou did indeed lose Xiao Xiaoxiao's earring.

He had forgotten when it happened. If he remembered correctly, the earring was still on him when he woke up last week, but it disappeared not long after. He had no recollection of when the earring disappeared until he saw Xiao Xiaoxiao.

“I know that thing is important to you. Although I can’t make a pair of earrings that are exactly the same, I made a new pair. I will also find your previous earrings as soon as possible.”

Han Zhou felt a little embarrassed, not only because he had lost something important to Xiao Xiaoxiao, but also because he had completely forgotten about it for the past few days. As a result, he hadn't given her the earrings he had made until Ouyang Lianyu brought them up today, which reminded him of the matter.

Although the disappearance of the rose earrings was most likely related to a problem with the earrings themselves, he obviously couldn't just brush it off like that; he still needed to offer an apology and make amends.

Xiao Xiaoxiao picked up the box from beside the pillow, but instead of opening it immediately, she asked, "What kind of earrings are they?"

“Your previous earrings had a rose pattern. I originally wanted to make a pair of the same, but considering that they have a different meaning for you, I made a pair with a peach blossom pattern instead, which has a better meaning,” Han Zhou replied.

"Yes, yes, spring is here and flowers are blooming! This has a wonderful meaning!"

Gu Zheng nodded repeatedly, trying her best to speak well of Han Zhou.

Xiao Xiaoxiao opened the box and stared at the small, exquisite silver peach blossom earrings inside for a while, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Guzheng quickly said, "How about I help you try it on?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao didn't speak, but looked up at Han Zhou.

Han Zhou was taken aback, thinking she was not satisfied with the earrings, and promised again, "I promise I will find your earrings and return them to you as soon as possible. Please make do with them until then."

Xiao Xiaoxiao nodded.

Guzheng understood, and immediately picked up the earrings to help her put them on, and then picked up the mirror on the bedside table to show her.

"its not bad, right?"

"It's not bad."

Looking at her pale face in the mirror, Xiao Xiaoxiao suddenly looked worried and said jokingly, "I wonder if wearing these earrings will give me a chance to see the peach blossoms next spring."

"What do you think? Of course you can."

Gu Zheng laughed, "The peach blossoms in Lincheng bloom very early. The earliest ones seem to be visible as early as January—if it doesn't snow."

"What about when it snows?"

"I don't know. It hasn't snowed in Lincheng for many years. If it snows, we probably won't see peach blossoms until at least February," Gu Zheng said uncertainly.

Han Zhou said helplessly, "Alright, Guzheng, hurry up and make Xiaoxiao drink the soup, it'll get cold soon."

"Oh okay, I know."

Gu Zheng then remembered the important matter and quickly picked up a spoon to feed Xiao Xiaoxiao soup.

Xiao Xiaoxiao was petite, but she had a big appetite. She finished the soup in no time, but apart from eating a few slices of sausage, she didn't eat any meat.

Gu Zheng felt it was a pity and planned to take it home, heat it up, and eat it that evening.

Seeing that Xiao Xiaoxiao had eaten and drunk her fill, Han Zhou stopped keeping them in suspense and told them that he and Gu Zheng might have temporarily forgotten about Xiao Xiaoxiao. He also told them what Bai Tongtong had said that day, hoping to find some answers from Xiao Xiaoxiao.

However, when faced with all his questions, Xiao Xiaoxiao said she didn't know anything, and she couldn't remember anything about the past.

As for her recent illness and hospitalization, she believes it was simply a cold and had nothing to do with any so-called abnormality.

In short, Han Zhou did not get any useful clues from Xiao Xiaoxiao.

This was actually within his expectations. After all, as another protagonist who, like Xiao Xiaoxiao, had forgotten the past, he himself was also unable to recall any clues from this incident, so it was understandable that Xiao Xiaoxiao would act as if she knew nothing.

But then again, what exactly does the clue in the mysterious pouch mean? Is it really just a useless piece of information?
Furthermore, the interesting fortune reading indicates that his luck today is "unpredictable." Why hasn't anything happened yet? Could it be like Wang Runxue's previous prediction that it would only come true at night?

Han Zhou walked heavily on his way to the Silver Bell Pastry Shop, looking up at the clear sky, unable to imagine what else might happen today.

"Looks like I'll have to find some time to ask Yixia for her opinion, and also see if she's forgotten about Xiaoxiao..."

Zhou Ting had finished her meal and returned to the ward, patting her chest to indicate that she would take good care of Xiao Xiaoxiao. Han Zhou and Gu Zheng saw no need to stay in the ward any longer, so they simply left the hospital.

It's worth mentioning that Gu Zheng had just found a wallet and waited for the owner to return. The owner was overjoyed to have it back and gave her two tickets to an art exhibition.

Although Gu Zheng has no interest in art, her good fortune still proved correct today, and Han Zhou found it hard to doubt that the "interesting upper, middle, and lower fortune" divination result was wrong.

However, he wasn't too worried. "Unpredictable fortune" doesn't necessarily mean he'll have bad luck today; he could also have good luck. The probability of either is probably about 50/50. So, as long as he stays with the guzheng, which is currently experiencing good luck, wouldn't the probability of good luck outweigh the probability of bad luck?

Han Zhou was not a believer in fate, so he was in a very good mood. His only worry was whether forgetting Xiao Xiaoxiao would happen again. After thinking for a moment, he sent a message to Ouyang Lianyu, asking her to send him a message every day from now on: "Do you still remember Xiaoxiao?"

As expected, Ouyang Lianyu replied with a question mark.

……

Meanwhile, the hospital.

In winter, darkness falls quickly. Before five o'clock, the sun begins to set in the west, turning the originally golden sun into a crimson hue, and the sunlight paints the sky a deep red.

Zhou Ting walked into the ward, looked at the girl standing by the bed gazing into the distance, and said, "Xiaoxiao, the doctor said you can go for a check-up now. If there are no problems, you can be discharged."

"I see."

Xiao Xiaoxiao responded, but continued to look out the window, seemingly having no intention of leaving.

"Little?"

"coming."

At Zhou Ting's second call, Xiao Xiaoxiao finally left the window, picked up all her belongings from the bed, and after thinking for a moment, took the empty box that was next to her pillow with her as well.

Zhou Ting came over to help and asked curiously, "You seem to have been looking out the window the whole day. Is there something outside that you care about?"

"No, I just think the weather is really nice today," Xiao Xiaoxiao replied.

Is the weather nice today?

Zhou Ting was a little puzzled. She felt that the weather was indeed not bad today, but it wasn't great, and it wasn't worth making Xiao Xiao linger for so long.

She quickly realized what she meant and laughed, "You probably mean compared to last weekend, right? The weather last week was really bad, the rain was ridiculously heavy, so today's weather is definitely much better in comparison."

Xiao Xiaoxiao looked up at the sky outside the window again and nodded gently.

"Ah."

"The weather will be great from now on."

(End of this chapter)