Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 359 Flower Language
The villa's bedrooms are mainly located on the second floor.

As you ascend the spiral staircase into the corridor, you'll see rows of rooms, each with a different floral pattern printed on its pure white door. At the end of the corridor is a huge square window, which, if it weren't for the overcast weather, would surely provide excellent natural light to the corridor.

As dusk fell, the sky outside the window became overcast, and soft lights illuminated the corridor.

Xiao Xiaoxiao lived in the room with a small blue flower pattern on the door—this was what Wang Lengqiu told Han Zhou, so he found Xiao Xiaoxiao's room as soon as he went upstairs.

Of all the rooms, only one had a blue flower printed on its door.

Arriving at the door, Han Zhou casually glanced at the flowers on the door. They had five pale blue petals and a yellow stamen in the center, and looked rather unremarkable.

The flower must have a name to be printed on the door, but unfortunately Han Zhou's knowledge in this area was quite limited. He couldn't recognize what kind of flower it was, so he just glanced at it and looked away before knocking on the door.

The reason he escaped upstairs while Mo Yixia and the others weren't paying attention was not only to temporarily escape the conflict and "ask for help" from Xiao Xiaoxiao, but also to check on Xiao Xiaoxiao's condition.

Xiao Xiaoxiao has always had sleep problems, and it's almost certain that they're related to the "haunted rumors" in the girls' dormitory. So when he heard the words "Xiao Xiaoxiao is sleepy," he immediately took it to heart.

After all, there are so many people in the villa right now, and it's windy outside. If they make up a news story like "Midnight villa haunted, the story of one man and seven women that they have to tell," that would be hilarious.

Even disregarding the possibility of ghosts, Xiao Xiaoxiao's afternoon drowsiness is still quite concerning. Since she started taking sleeping pills, her schedule has been very regular, and she doesn't recall ever feeling sleepy in the afternoon. I need to ask her what she did last night.

Of course, feeling sleepy could also be Xiao Xiaoxiao's excuse, her purpose being to allow him to escape in time during that critical moment.

Han Zhou had a similar thought to Mo Yixia, but he quickly realized it was unlikely. It was true that Xiao Xiaoxiao was willing to help him, but she probably wouldn't think that far ahead, and there was no need for her to go to such lengths for him.

You should know that this is helping a scumbag fulfill his wish.

Han Zhou's thoughts were racing, but Xiao Xiaoxiao didn't open the door for a long time. He had no choice but to knock on the door several more times with more force. Just when he was worried that something might have happened to Xiao Xiaoxiao, the door finally opened.

"Is dinner ready?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao stood at the door, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a little messy, and she was still wearing slippers. She looked sleepy and had obviously just woken up. She casually threw on her coat and came to open the door.

"So you really did fall asleep."

Han Zhou looked at her with a smile, and he wondered if it was just his imagination, but she seemed a little shorter than usual.

He glanced down at the cartoon slippers on the other person's feet, then at the white sneakers placed beside the bed, and suddenly realized something. He began to silently calculate how high the other person's height-increasing insoles were.

Seeing that it was Han Zhou, Xiao Xiaoxiao was not surprised. She acted as if she was used to it, and said irritably while yawning, "Can't I sleep if I'm sleepy?"

"Of course you can, but what did you do last night?" Han Zhou asked, puzzled.

"Sleep, what else can you do?"

"Didn't you do anything else?"

"No, I went to bed at ten o'clock, okay?"

"So you're going to sleep at this time?"

"Who says you can't sleep the afternoon after sleeping the night before?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, seemingly a little impatient, and pushed him towards the door like shooing away a fly, "Go out quickly and wait outside, I'm going to change my clothes."

After saying that, he closed the door.

"This guy has quite a temper when he wakes up..."

Han Zhou muttered to himself.

As the saying goes, never overestimate how fast a girl can change clothes. Xiao Xiaoxiao closed the door for ten minutes, and before she could come out, Mo Yixia and the others went upstairs together.

Seeing Han Zhou standing alone outside the door, Ouyang Lianyu asked, "Is Xiaoxiao still not awake?"

"She's awake. She's changing her clothes in her room."

Han Zhou smiled, but in his heart he was praying that no one would mention which room he should stay in.

However, what you fear most is what happened. Mo Yixia said unhurriedly, "Since we're already upstairs, let's choose a room now to avoid being flustered later."

"I agree!"

The guzheng player joined in loudly, seemingly afraid of diminishing the momentum.

Coincidentally, the rooms they chose were located at the top of the stairs and deep in the corridor, respectively. Han Zhou was currently standing in the middle of the corridor, meaning he only needed to take one step to the left or right to make his stance clear.

Realizing this, Han Zhou broke out in a cold sweat, his feet firmly planted on the spot, not daring to move an inch.

"Well, actually..." He looked hesitant.

Noticing the hesitation on his face, Guzheng secretly pursed her lips, seemingly unhappy.

Mo Yixia, on the other hand, had a calm expression, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

The air became quiet.

Everyone looked at Han Zhou with different expressions. Even if they wanted to help, they didn't know what to say. They couldn't very well ask Han Zhou to live next door to them, could they?

Wait, perhaps someone will step forward...

Ouyang Lianyu and Zhong Yin exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked at Wang Lengqiu, who stood beside them with a blank expression.

Zhong Ling looked at Han Zhou with some concern.

Just then, the door with the small blue flowers was suddenly opened, and Xiao Xiaoxiao, who had changed her clothes, came out of the room, yawning and saying, "Let's go eat, I'm starving... Hey, why are you all up here?"

She looked at the group of people standing on her left with a puzzled expression. Perhaps sensing that something was off, she cast a questioning glance at Han Zhou.

"To choose a room for Han Zhou."

Mo Yixia glanced at her casually, then looked away and continued to look at Han Zhou.

Since this guy wanted to change the subject for Han Zhou, she would bring the topic back.

"Choosing a room?" Xiao Xiaoxiao looked surprised and asked curiously, "Isn't Han Zhou staying in the room next to mine?"

Upon hearing this, not only were others stunned, but even Han Zhou was taken aback for two seconds.

Seriously? Do I have that many rooms?

He had intended to subtly remind Xiao Xiaoxiao that she didn't need to go to so much trouble to help him, so as not to make things more complicated or even backfire. However, Xiao Xiaoxiao seemed to have come prepared. Facing everyone's gaze, she not only did not panic, but instead showed a depressed expression on her face.

"I chose the rooms for everyone according to the meaning of flowers, didn't you all notice?"

Everyone was stunned.

Mo Yixia observed Xiao Xiaoxiao's expression and was somewhat surprised—this girl wasn't lying; it wasn't a lie she made up on the spot, but something she had genuinely intended from the beginning.

"Xiaoxiao, what do you mean by the meaning of the flowers?" Ouyang Lianyu asked softly.

"These rooms have different flowers on the doors, each with its own meaning. I arranged the rooms according to the meaning of the flowers."

Xiao Xiaoxiao pointed to the door of the room next to hers and said seriously, "The flowers on this are Gesang flowers, which symbolize cherishing the person in front of you. I think they are very suitable for Han Zhou."

Gu Zheng immediately became interested: "Do you mean Han Zhou is a person who knows how to cherish things?"

“I didn’t know that.” Xiao Xiaoxiao shook her head, glancing sleepily at Han Zhou. “I was just reminding him to cherish the people around him.”

Even though she had already taken a nap, she still didn't seem to have had enough sleep.

He already cherished it very much...

Apart from Wang Lengqiu, Zhong Ling, and the completely unaware Gu Zheng, the other girls all had the same thought in their minds.

Determined to have two relationships and be with all the girls he likes, what else is that if not cherishing?
Gu Zheng, oblivious to the expressions of the others, asked curiously, "Xiao Xiao, what is the meaning of the flowers on my door?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao helped her choose her room.

Xiao Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "That's a hyacinth. Its flower language is attention and victory."

There's another meaning she didn't mention, which is "love reborn"—meaning forgetting past sorrows and starting a new love.

Gu Zheng smiled, clearly pleased with the meaning of hyacinths. "What about me and Xiao Ling?" Zhong Yin suddenly asked, seemingly also interested in the meaning of flowers.

Xiao Xiaoxiao replied with a smile, "Sister Yin, your door has baby's breath on it, which symbolizes silent companionship. Senior Zhong Ling's door has sunflowers on it, which symbolize beautiful hope."

Zhong Yin was slightly taken aback, then revealed a satisfied smile. The meaning of baby's breath was very suitable for her. She was willing to stay by Xiao Ling's side for the rest of her life, and beautiful hope was exactly what Xiao Ling needed.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"I seem to remember that the sunflower symbolizes silent love..."

Han Zhou muttered to himself that the sunflower's meaning was one of the few flower meanings he knew. Although Xiao Xiao's meaning was not wrong, it shouldn't be considered a flower meaning, right?
However, it's definitely better to say something nice at times like these...

Speaking of the meaning of baby's breath, I seem to have some recollection of it... Han Zhou took out his phone and curiously searched for it, only to find that he was not mistaken. The most common meaning of baby's breath is actually "love that is willing to play a supporting role".

Such a flower's meaning... it wouldn't be wrong to say it's about silently accompanying someone.

"What is the meaning of the flowers in Teacher Ouyang's room?"

Han Zhou could tell that Ouyang Lianyu was also very interested in the meaning of the flowers in her room, but out of teacher's modesty, she hadn't dared to ask. So he spoke up to ask for her.

Ouyang Lianyu glanced at him helplessly, a hint of gentleness flashing in her eyes.

“Oh, that’s a camellia. Its flower language is humility and ideal love,” Xiao Xiaoxiao said with a smile. “Teacher Ouyang is the most ideal teacher in everyone’s hearts, which perfectly matches the flower language of the camellia.”

"I agree!" Han Zhou sincerely echoed.

Ouyang Lianyu seemed a little embarrassed, but seeing the sincerity on their faces, she nodded gently and smiled warmly, "Thank you."

Xiao Xiaoxiao then looked at Mo Yixia, who seemed uninterested: "The room I chose for you has bellflowers on the door, and the flower's meaning is..."

"Hopeless love."

Mo Yixia interrupted her, saying calmly, "I've seen this flower meaning in a book."

Her tone was very calm, as if she didn't care about the meaning of the flowers, but the corridor fell silent instantly.

Hopeless love...

This is clearly not a beautiful flower symbolism.

Everyone looked at Mo Yixia nervously.

"Then you must not have read that book properly."

Xiao Xiaoxiao gently shook her head and smiled, "It also has another flower meaning, which is eternal love. These two flower meanings are relatively extreme, and everything depends on the choice. Of course, I chose the latter for you. Moreover, the bellflower is elegant and refined, and you seem to be just that kind of person."

She met Mo Yixia's gaze without fear.

"Yeah."

After a brief silence, Mo Yixia sighed softly and said with a hint of regret, "I would have preferred to hear the meaning of flowers that symbolize my pure and beautiful love... Thank you."

She nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

Everyone also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xiaoxiao, what is the meaning of the flowers in Wang Lengqiu's room?"

Seeing that everyone had finished explaining the meanings of the flowers in their rooms, Ouyang Lianyu was afraid that Wang Lengqiu would feel neglected, so she quickly asked.

She knew very well that Wang Lengqiu herself would never ask about such a thing. This girl was mostly indifferent to everything around her, which was why she was quite shocked when she saw her speak up for Han Zhou not long ago.

Xiao Xiaoxiao looked at Wang Lengqiu, seemingly apologetic, and said shyly, "There are only so many rooms on the second floor, and only so many flowers to choose from. Most of the usable ones are already used up, and the meanings of the other flowers aren't very good, so I picked out a flower with a decent meaning for you from the remaining rooms—"

"Wisteria flowers symbolize persistent waiting; it's a very romantic flower."

Han Zhou was stunned.

Wang Lengqiu seemed to be momentarily lost in thought, her gaze quickly sweeping over Han Zhou before she softly said, "Thank you."

A persistent wait, a deep longing—she had heard of the meaning of wisteria flowers and liked that meaning.

Seeing that Xiao Xiaoxiao knew the meanings of the flowers on everyone's room doors like the back of her hand, everyone believed her. She really had already assigned rooms according to the flower meanings, instead of suddenly interfering and covering up the room assignment for Han Zhou.

In a sense, the temporary right to reside in this villa was brought to everyone by Xiao Xiaoxiao, so everyone was willing to respect her decision and move into the rooms she had arranged in advance. Naturally, Han Zhou should also move into the room with the Gesang flower printed on the door.

Han Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. Whether intentional or unintentional, Xiao Xiaoxiao had once again done him a great favor.

Looking at the small blue flower on the door behind Xiao Xiaoxiao, he suddenly realized and said, "By the way, Xiaoxiao, you haven't told us what kind of flower is on your room door yet."

"Yes, that's what I wanted to ask from the beginning. What is the meaning of that blue flower?" Guzheng asked curiously.

Suddenly, the window at the end of the corridor rattled loudly, and the wind lashed against the glass as if trying to rush into the room.

"I thought you all knew each other."

Xiao Xiaoxiao glanced out the window, stretched, and seemed to have fully perked up. She winked at everyone, her smile playful and cute.

"Its name is Forget-Me-Not."

"The meaning of its flowers is the same as its name."

A flash of white light appeared outside the window.

Immediately following was a deafening clap of thunder.

The ground outside the villa gradually turned dark, and the smell of earth spread in all directions.

It's raining.

……

With the room assignments settled, everyone went downstairs, pushed the barbecue grill under the exhaust fan, lit the charcoal, and began grilling.

"Hurry up, I'm starving!" Xiao Xiaoxiao urged.

As the only male in the room, Han Zhou naturally took on the responsibility of barbecuing—let him bear the pain of the fumes alone, which would also keep him away from the troubles.

Now that he's not in the living room, with Teacher Ouyang and Sister Yin looking after them, Mo Yixia and Guzheng shouldn't have any more disputes.

The rain outside the window was heavy, and the sound of the continuous rain was incessant.

It's strange, but even though the sound of rain on a rainy day is always so noisy, it always brings a sense of tranquility.

Seeing Xiao Xiaoxiao peeking out repeatedly, he said helplessly, "Don't rush, just wait two more minutes."

"Two minutes again! You said the same thing two minutes ago!" Xiao Xiaoxiao muttered with dissatisfaction. "I went to so much trouble to help you through this difficult time, and you have the nerve to let me go hungry."

"I've been working really hard to grill it, I can't let you eat it raw, can I? Trust me, these are the last two minutes, there definitely won't be another two minutes."

Han Zhou made a solemn promise, then asked in surprise, "By the way, where did you learn so many flower meanings? I must say, that Gesang flower is quite in line with my experience."

The Gesang flower blooms in the harsh high-altitude environment. Although the plant is weak and small, it can endure extreme weather and fight its best to survive, which can be described as indomitable.

Although his upbringing wasn't as harsh, the idea of ​​struggling to survive was quite similar.

"You don't need to learn these things specifically; you can know them with a little common sense."

Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, seemingly too lazy to answer the question. She stared intently at her phone for a while, then suddenly her expression turned serious—

"Two minutes have passed! Can we eat now?"

"Ahem... Thirty seconds, the last thirty seconds!"

"You bastard... I don't care, I'll eat it even if it's raw!"

"Ouch—you bit my hand!"

I'm not entirely satisfied with some of these flower meanings. I'll try to find more suitable ones later, and I'll let you know if I need to make any changes. The main meaning will remain the same.

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(End of this chapter)