Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 369 Lying
Han Zhou did not get to see Mo Yixia's face, which was covered by her hand.

It wasn't that Mo Yixia refused to remove her hand, but before she could make a move, Gu Zheng and the others had just returned to the living room.

The lights in the villa had just flickered, but Han Zhou and Mo Yixia didn't seem to care much. However, the other girls weren't as calm as they were. They subconsciously thought of the "female ghost" that Ouyang Lianyu had seen not long ago, so they quickly returned to the living room.

The guzheng was moving incredibly fast, almost like someone rushing to "catch someone in the act." If Han Zhou hadn't been paying close attention to the sounds at the door, he probably wouldn't have been able to react in time even when the other person was right behind him.

Seeing the two of them, one with their chins propped up on their hands and the other with one hand on their head, silently staring at the heavy rain outside the window, Gu Zheng, who had been so fierce, couldn't help but feel puzzled. She followed their gaze to the window and asked in confusion, "What are you looking at?"

It was pitch black outside the window; if it weren't for the occasional flashes of lightning, you couldn't see anything at all.

The reason she rushed over so quickly was not only because she was worried that Han Zhou might be attacked by the female ghost, but also because she had some other thoughts, such as seeing what Han Zhou and Mo Yixia would do when they were alone together.

She had been keeping an eye on Mo Yixia's movements and had noticed that the Zhong sisters and Xiao Xiaoxiao had left the living room one after the other. She was naturally aware that only Han Zhou and Mo Yixia were in the living room just now, so it would be a lie to say that she wasn't worried.

She didn't doubt Han Zhou, but she had to be wary of Mo Yixia—this girl even dared to suggest sleeping with Han Zhou in public, who knew if she would dare to do something else?

If she hadn't been distracted by something more important, she would have rushed back to the living room to keep an eye on him.

However, it's not too late to get back now, and it seems nothing bad has happened.

"Guzheng, you've arrived."

Hearing the sound, Han Zhou seemed to have just come back to his senses. He turned around and looked at Gu Zheng with surprise, then smiled in a pretentious manner, "We're watching to see when the rain will stop."

How can you tell?

"Based on intuition," Han Zhou said enigmatically.

"What's the use of just feeling it?" Gu Zheng rolled her eyes, took out her phone and checked, "The weather forecast says the rain won't stop until at least noon tomorrow."

Han Zhou shook his head and sighed, "Compared to the weather forecast in Lincheng, I still think my gut feeling is more reliable."

“That makes sense…” Guzheng’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “So when do you think the rain will stop?”

"Before tomorrow morning."

"Then I guess tomorrow afternoon."

Gu Zheng glanced at the silent Mo Yixia, then sat down next to Han Zhou while speaking.

"What are you doing with that face all the time?"

Seeing that Han Zhou was still propping his head up with one hand and looking at her with a sideways glance, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed and said irritably, "Is your neck uncomfortable?"

"That's not it."

Han Zhou shook his head, rubbed his face vigorously, and stretched as he said, "I'm just a little sleepy."

He rubbed his face with great force, as if he wanted to rub off a layer of skin. During this time, he subtly turned his face to the left, as if trying to hide something. Fortunately, Gu Zheng did not notice this and just looked at Mo Yixia, who was resting her chin on her hands, with a wary expression.

"Is she sleepy too?"

Compared to Han Zhou, she is now more concerned about this rival who has blatantly appeared in front of her.

Before Han Zhou could speak, Mo Yixia glanced at him sideways and replied slowly, "No, I'm very energetic right now, you could even say I'm excited."

Han Zhou suddenly felt guilty, so he kept his eyes down and pretended not to hear.

Excited? Are you an owl...?

Gu Zheng wondered to herself, then couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"Because I was born in the Year of the Owl."

Mo Yixia's tone was perfunctory, clearly indicating that she did not intend to give a proper answer.

"cut."

Guzheng was too lazy to talk to her.

Just then, Wang Lengqiu and Ouyang Lianyu ran into the living room. Seeing that the two were out of breath, Gu Zheng was immediately distracted and quickly went over to help them sit down. Han Zhou got up and got two cups of hot water.

"Thank you."

Seeing Han Zhou place a cup of hot water in front of her, Ouyang Lianyu smiled gently. Just as she was about to pick up the cup, she suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Han Zhou, come here. Your teacher has something to say to you."

What... can't be said in front of everyone?
Han Zhou was taken aback: "Now?"

“Yes, now.” Ouyang Lianyu got up and walked out of the living room. “Come with me.”

It's worth mentioning that neither Guzheng nor Mo Yixia seemed curious about what Ouyang Lianyu wanted to say, or perhaps they already knew what the other was going to say, and neither of them intended to interrupt.

Gu Zheng didn't even look up, but merely glanced at Mo Yixia with a hint of suspicion.

This guy has been resting his chin on his hands since the beginning, as if he's deliberately trying to cover his face...

Could it be that you're too ashamed to face anyone?
At the same time, Han Zhou followed Ouyang Lianyu to the corridor outside the living room. It was some distance from the living room, and unless someone was eavesdropping at the door, no one could hear what the two were saying.

The torrential rain continued, adding to the already chilly indoor temperature. Han Zhou tightened his coat, exhaled a breath of warm air, and rubbed his hands together while waiting for Ouyang Lianyu to speak.

Seeing that the other person remained silent for a long time, staring straight at him, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Teacher Ouyang?"

Ouyang Lianyu sighed: "I wanted to ask you this as soon as I walked in: what happened to your face?"

Han Zhou was startled. Could it be that the hickeys on his face hadn't been wiped off yet?

The reason he deliberately poked his face and rubbed it so hard was to cover up and erase the "criminal marks" on his face so that Guzheng wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Although that level of kissing shouldn't leave any marks, especially since Mo Yixia wasn't wearing lipstick, the ambiguous smile on that guy's face when Gu Zheng arrived still made him feel a little uneasy.

That was a "good luck to you" expression.

With the mindset that "it's better to be fooled than to be beaten," he proceeded with extreme caution, almost scrubbing his face raw. Could it be that he still failed?

"Wh...what happened?" Ouyang Lianyu asked with a strange expression, lowering her voice, "Your face is completely red, especially your left cheek, it's really red. Could it be that you got beaten up for flirting with Yixia while we weren't looking?"

She seemed genuinely suspicious that Han Zhou would do such a thing; her expression didn't seem like she was joking.

I rubbed it until it turned red myself...

Han Zhou's lips twitched, and he chuckled dryly twice, saying, "That guy is more likely to be flirting with me..."

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to leaving a hickey, being misunderstood was just a trivial matter. Moreover, Ouyang Lianyu's words reminded him that one day, he would definitely find an opportunity to flirt with Mo Yixia and see how that guy blushed.

To be honest, he was somewhat bothered that he hadn't been able to see whether Mo Yixia blushed or not.

Ouyang Lianyu was unaware that her words had led her student astray, so she didn't say much. Instead, she straightened her expression and got straight to the point: "I called you out to talk to you about Wang Lengqiu."

"What is it?" Han Zhou was taken aback.

“We just asked Wang Lengqiu about her childhood experiences and also asked her if she had known you for a long time.”

"What did she say?"

Ouyang Lianyu adjusted her glasses, shook her head with a complicated expression, and said, "She said she had never seen you when she was a child."

Han Zhou frowned slightly: "Never seen me before?"

“Yes, I’ve checked many times, and Wang Lengqiu insists he never saw you when you were little.” At this point, Ouyang Lianyu seemed somewhat disappointed. “So, what you said about childhood sweethearts was just a lie to the teacher, wasn’t it?”

Han Zhou did not answer, but asked again, "Senior Wang Lengqiu really said she had never seen me before?"

Ouyang Lianyu looked helpless: "Do you think a teacher would need to lie to you?"

"That was not what I meant."

"Do you think Wang Lengqiu would need to lie on purpose?"

"It seems there's really no need for that..." Han Zhou hesitated.

"So what are you struggling with?"

Ouyang Lianyu looked at him quietly for a while, her expression gradually softening. After a while, she spoke, "It seems you yourself are not sure if you have met Wang Lengqiu before, so the fact that you two have known each other since you were very young must have come from someone else, right? But since you believe this, there must be another reason, right?"

Han Zhou nodded and said with a wry smile, "Teacher, you are really smart."

Ou Ganglian smiled gently: "Can you tell the teacher what the reason is?"

Han Zhou didn't hide anything: "I vaguely remember some things from my childhood. Although there are only some scattered fragments, the girl in my memory should be Senior Wang Lengqiu."

"That's it."

Ouyang Lianyu was not surprised, but gave him a reproachful look, "It seems that Yixia was right, you really have been a playboy since you were a child."

"Yixia?" Han Zhou asked curiously, "Was Yixia there when you asked about this?"

"Yes, but she left quickly and didn't listen any further."

It's impossible for Yixia to be uninterested in this matter. The reason she left so quickly must mean that she believes Wang Lengqiu is lying and there's no need to listen any further. But it's no wonder that guy said those things just now...

Han Zhou seemed lost in thought, muttering to himself, "But why would she lie?"

"Do you think Wang Lengqiu is lying?" Ouyang Lianyu asked.

"Hmm." Han Zhou nodded seriously. "I just don't know why she lied."

He felt a little complicated.

To be honest, it's actually a good thing that Wang Lengqiu pretends not to know him. It's much more acceptable to everyone than if the other person is his childhood sweetheart. He can easily admit it, which would make things much easier, both in terms of their relationship and in dealing with the aftermath.

But for some reason, he didn't want things to continue this way.

He suddenly remembered a certain afternoon not long ago when this quiet senior student didn't dare to approach him, but just stared at him from afar for a long time, not even noticing that her head was covered with leaves.

What exactly supports her?

If this girl has truly waited a very long time, then her response should by no means be a denial of the past.

While she was thinking, Ouyang Lianyu suddenly said, "When I went to the bathroom with Wang Lengqiu before, I asked her the same question, but she didn't answer me then. However, her answer in the kitchen just now was very firm."

Han Zhou paused, then suddenly realized something: "Teacher Ouyang, you mean..."

Ouyang Lianyu nodded uncertainly, her expression complicated, and said, "I think she was probably worried about putting you in a difficult position."

She wasn't the only one in the kitchen at the time; Guzheng and Mo Yixia were also there.

If the latter's behavior was somewhat subtle, then Gu Zheng's feelings for Han Zhou were completely undisguised, or perhaps she simply didn't know how to hide them, as she would prick up her ears to eavesdrop even upon hearing those two words.

Wang Lengqiu is not stupid, as can be seen from the fact that she has helped Han Zhou escape the vortex of the war between Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia more than once, which also shows that she does not want to see Han Zhou in a difficult position.

Therefore, it is entirely possible that she would conceal the fact that she once knew Han Zhou in order to avoid him getting caught up in another vortex.

To be honest, it's childish, but it's something Wang Lengqiu would do.

Both Ouyang Lianyu and Han Zhou realized this, and for a moment they were speechless.

Of course, this is just their guess. In a sense, Wang Lengqiu's thoughts are even harder to guess than Mo Yixia's. No one knows what she is thinking.

However, one thing is certain—

Han Zhou looked toward the living room, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the walls, and saw in the distance the thin girl sitting quietly on the sofa watching Mo Yixia and Guzheng talk.

In any case, this senior student Wang Lengqiu must be lying.

(End of this chapter)