Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 347 Don't Be Afraid

It's clear that Xia Qing is indeed a very capable person. She managed to get rid of those stubborn parents without much effort, and even managed to get them to pay 500 yuan in medical expenses as compensation for Guzheng's injury.

Lin Anyu was shocked to learn of the result. He had experienced firsthand how shameless those parents were. It was already a favor if they didn't pester Guzheng for medical expenses. How could they possibly compensate Guzheng instead?

He humbly sought advice, trying to learn the true meaning of persuading people with reason from Xia Qing, but Xia Qing simply smiled and answered all his questions with just nine words.

"My dad is the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau."

Lin Anyu was deeply moved and immediately showed great respect, saying admiringly, "No wonder she was able to become the student council president of Lin University. Senior Xia Qing is indeed outstanding, and she truly deserves the title of student council president."

Xia Qing smiled reservedly: "Are you saying that I became the student council president entirely because of my dad?"

"Of course not. Han Zhou always mentioned you to me, saying you are a responsible and capable president. But being born into the right family is also a kind of ability, right?" Lin Anyu said with a smile.

Mo Yixia glanced at him.

Xia Qing smiled without saying a word, but she was secretly annoyed. If it weren't for this guy causing trouble, her parents would have left long ago, and she wouldn't have needed to bring her family out.

As for what the other party said, she didn't believe a single punctuation mark. Before today, that classmate named Han Zhou didn't even know her, so how could he keep mentioning her to others?

However, out of politeness, she did not expose the other party's lie.

Han Zhou thought he wouldn't be able to eat until very late, but he didn't expect it to go so smoothly. The matter was resolved in less than three minutes. He smiled and said, "Thank you so much this time, Senior Xia Qing."

"You're welcome. The student council has a responsibility to handle this matter, and it's my duty to deal with it properly. I'm just glad you're satisfied," Xia Qing replied with a smile.

"Thank you, we are very satisfied. We'll be going now."

Now that the matter was resolved, Han Zhou was planning to find a place to eat as soon as possible, but Lin Anyu's eyes lit up and he took the initiative to invite, "Senior Xia Qing, you probably haven't had dinner yet, right? Why don't you come eat with us? Order whatever you want, it's on me!"

Just kidding, she's the daughter of the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau. If we can have a meal together and build a good relationship, even if it's just adding each other on Fetion, that would be a valuable connection.

"Thank you, I won't..."

Xia Qing was about to politely decline when she suddenly noticed Han Zhou, who was texting with his head down next to Lin Anyu. Her mind stirred, and she immediately changed her mind, smiling and saying, "Then I won't be polite. I've almost used up my living expenses for this month, and I've been eating instant noodles these past few days."

She was very good at communicating with people, using trivial things like eating instant noodles to downplay her status as the daughter of a high-ranking official, and speaking in a playful tone, trying to shorten the distance between herself and the three people in front of her with just a few words.

Little did they know that apart from Han Zhou, Mo Yixia and Lin Anyu had hardly ever tasted instant noodles; their worst meals consisted of three dishes and a soup.

At that moment, Han Zhou, who could empathize the most, was looking down at his phone and texting, unable to respond to her.

Fortunately, Lin Anyu was very accommodating, beaming with joy as he said, "Eating too much instant noodles won't do. Let's go have a big meal. I drove here."

The group walked towards the school gate.

Mo Yixia walked unhurriedly beside Han Zhou and said indifferently, "This student council president seems to be very interested in you."

"She's not interested in me, but in what I know."

Han Zhou casually explained, "I just asked Teacher Ouyang, and she said you can stay at her house for the next few days."

He was worried about leaving Mo Yixia alone in a hotel. Among the people he knew, only Ouyang Lianyu and Zhong Yin had places to stay for Mo Yixia. He chose the former because Zhong Yin's thoughts were more complicated. Knowing that he was trying to have his cake and eat it too, it was hard to say what might happen if he stayed with Mo Yixia for too long.

However, asking Ouyang Lianyu would not have such concerns.

"You really don't want me to stay in a hotel?" Mo Yixia asked.

"I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable having you stay alone in a hotel."

"Then why don't you live with me?"

The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said it in a matter-of-fact tone.

Han Zhou said helplessly, "You know I have to stay at school these few days."

"To take care of that girl named Guzheng?"

"That's part of the reason," Han Zhou said frankly. "Besides, Gu Zheng is injured now, and their department may not retain her qualification to continue participating. They might replace her. I have to check. If that girl finds out she's no longer a participant when she gets back to school, she'll be so depressed."

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "You really care about her a lot."

Han Zhou smiled awkwardly: "You would have done the same."

"is it?"

"of course."

Mo Yixia remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I will watch this sports meet carefully until I leave. If I can see potential in her, then perhaps we will have a chance to become friends."

Han Zhou was taken aback: "What is possibility?"

"This is a question you need to consider."

Mo Yixia stretched and looked up at the completely dark sky, seemingly lost in thought. She said lazily, "I'm hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Everything is fine."

"Besides fish?"

"Except for fish."

……

"This is our restaurant's signature dish, Jade Dragon Palace. Please enjoy it."

Looking at the glistening slices of meat on the table, Lin Anyu paused slightly. He picked up a slice and examined it under the light for two seconds. Then, he looked at the smiling waiter with a strange expression and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be sashimi, right?"

"The guest has a good eye; this is indeed sashimi, but unlike ordinary sashimi, this dish is different in both ingredient selection and preparation..."

"Why is a sashimi dish called Emerald Dragon Palace?" Lin Anyu interrupted him.

"It's probably because of the saying 'fish leaping over the dragon gate,' didn't you say that dish names should sound good?"

Han Zhou smiled and nodded to the waiter, indicating that he could leave. Only after the waiter closed the door with a smile did he turn to look at Lin Anyu, who looked depressed, and asked in bewilderment, "What's with that expression? Yi Xia doesn't like to eat fish, but it's not like she forbids us from eating it. Why are you sighing like that?"

Mo Yixia doesn't like to eat fish, and he had naturally reminded Lin Anyu of this before ordering. The latter understood and had been intentionally avoiding dishes with fish, but in the end, he was still tricked by the Jade Dragon Palace and ordered a plate of sashimi.

Lin Anyu shook his head solemnly, as if this was not a trivial matter, but a very important one.

"Han Zhou".

He stared into Han Zhou's eyes and said earnestly, "Tell me honestly, am I your best brother?"

"Of course, why?" Han Zhou asked, puzzled.

Lin Anyu didn't answer. He took a deep breath and continued, "Then tell me, can my attitude represent your attitude to some extent?"

"of course can."

"Okay, answer me honestly now, is your relationship with this Mo Yixia unusual?" The air was silent for a moment.

Han Zhou gave a wry smile, but did not deny it: "You really did see through it."

"Nonsense, I'm your best brother, how could I not see through your little schemes?"

Lin Anyu gave him an annoyed look, glanced around, and seeing that the door to the private room was closed, he lowered his voice and asked, "While they've all gone to the restroom, answer me quietly, besides Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia, do you also have a special relationship with Senior Zhong Ling?"

"How could that be?" Han Zhou said helplessly. "My senior and I are just ordinary friends."

He didn't know if it was because he had said similar things too many times, but when he said those words, he felt inexplicably guilty.

"You and Senior Zhong Ling are just ordinary friends..." Lin Anyu clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes filled with complex emotions, "So you really have become a scumbag."

"I do not deny."

Han Zhou never intended to deliberately hide the fact that he wasn't faithful from those around him. After all, what he wanted was to receive everyone's blessings in the future, rather than having his relationship with Gu Zheng Mo Yixia hidden in the shadows.

Although it wasn't an easy task, it was much easier than getting Guzheng and Mo Yixia to accept each other. That's why he rarely pretended to be a non-scumbag in front of those around him, so that even if people blamed him, they would only blame him, instead of placing the blame on either Guzheng or Mo Yixia.

Now that he has decided to embark on a future where the three of them are together, he must find ways to make that future even more perfect.

"I used to say that you'd be better off being a scumbag than a simp, and I never thought it would come true."

Lin Anyu shook his head and sighed, "But I'm not trying to scare you. I don't know Mo Yixia well, but you should know Gu Zheng's temper better than I do. If she knew what kind of person you are, she might kill you, and she would definitely be very upset... Have you thought about the consequences?"

He stared into Han Zhou's eyes.

"I thought about it."

Han Zhou nodded heavily; he had, of course, considered the consequences.

"I was originally going to criticize you, but now isn't the time. Let's talk more another time... Okay, let's get back to the point—"

Lin Anyu took a deep breath and said seriously, "Han Zhou, you should know that I have always been a staunch supporter of the guzheng, right?"

"Uh, I guess I know..."

Han Zhou hesitated for a moment, thinking to himself, "Didn't you used to secretly criticize the guzheng? When did you become a staunch guzheng supporter?"

"Do you think this girl named Mo Yixia might think the same way? Does she think I would be more supportive of Guzheng, who is an old classmate?"

"She can tell just by looking at your expression..."

"Yes, that's it."

Lin Anyu interrupted him, his expression serious, and said, "Since she knows I'm a staunch supporter of the guzheng, and knows that my attitude can represent your attitude to some extent, and you told me beforehand that she doesn't like fish, what do you think she'll think when she comes back and sees this plate of sashimi?"

Han Zhou paused, then hesitated, "I think you're overthinking it..."

"you're right!"

Lin Anyu looked annoyed. "She'll definitely think this is my way of intimidating her as a guzheng enthusiast, and the fact that you didn't stop me at all means that you tolerated my provocation, which shows that you don't value her! She'll think that your love for the guzheng is above your love for her!"

“Yixia isn’t like that…”

"Hehe, you don't understand girls at all—all girls in this world value attitude quite a bit. No matter what, you can have a lot of attitude, but you can't be absent. And your attitude towards this plate of sashimi means your attitude towards her!"

Han Zhou was silent for a moment: "I think you really want to..."

"do not talk."

Lin Anyu raised his hand again to interrupt him, looking confident and righteous, and said, "No need to say more. Since this matter started because of me, it should also end because of me. Just watch me do my job later."

Han Zhou opened his mouth, but seeing that this guy was completely immersed in his own world, he was too lazy to persuade him any further. After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone and sent a message to Mo Yixia.

"If you see my friend do anything strange later, don't be afraid."

……

"Hello, your name is Yixia, right?"

At the bathroom sink, Xia Qing greeted Mo Yixia, who had just come out of the bathroom.

From the first moment she saw this girl, she felt that she must be a very special girl, especially her eyes, which seemed to have the ability to see into people's hearts.

"Ah."

Compared to Xia Qing's enthusiasm, Mo Yixia seemed much colder. It wasn't that she was pretending to be aloof, but rather that this was simply her personality.

Xia Qing didn't mind, turned on the tap to wash her hands, and laughed, "You and Han Zhou are a couple, right? You look so well-matched."

She seemed to be praising them, but she was actually testing the relationship between them. Even if she guessed wrong, it wouldn't matter, because such words usually wouldn't cause offense.

Unless the two are siblings.

"We are siblings."

Mo Yixia turned off the tap, gently shook the water droplets off her hands, and answered slowly.

Xia Qing's smile froze.

“Sometimes I feel that we are a good match, but unfortunately, the shackles of worldly conventions always bind us tightly, preventing me from expressing my love to my brother.”

Mo Yixia said in a serious tone, "I once tried to sneak up on him while he was asleep, but unfortunately his belt was too tight. You know what happened..."

Xia Qing became increasingly alarmed as she listened. Although she wanted to continue listening, reason told her that it would be impolite to listen any longer, so she quickly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was too talkative and misunderstood the relationship between you."

Her smile was awkward. Although she didn't really believe that the two were siblings, she couldn't ask any more questions since the other party had already revealed such a bombshell.

"It's okay, you didn't misunderstand. Although it's complicated and hard to face the world's judgment, we are indeed more than a couple."

"Yes, yes..."

Mo Yixia was a very skilled liar; even things that sounded absurd could be presented as fact. Moreover, she wasn't completely lying, which made Xia Qing increasingly embarrassed, and she began to regret testing the relationship between Mo Yixia and Han Zhou.

Fortunately, at that moment, Mo Yixia's phone rang.

At this moment, there was only one person who would message her. Mo Yixia picked up her phone and looked at it, just in time to see the message from Han Zhou.

"If you see my friend do anything strange later, don't be afraid."

"understood."

After thinking for a moment, she also sent a message to Han Zhou.

"If you see your president doing anything strange later, don't be afraid."

(End of this chapter)