Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 385 "Asking Questions Will Inevitably Lead to Shame"

Han Zhou gathered his scattered thoughts.

Traveling back in time does sound like a very appealing idea.

However, his time travel is different from the conventional way of going back to the past. Only he can travel through time, and he cannot turn back time. Moreover, there is no one around him every time he travels through time, so he cannot change the past or even return to the original point in time with his memories. It can be said to be quite useless.

However, it's not to say that the past is completely unchangeable. At least sound can travel, which can have an impact on the past. It's just unknown whether there are any limitations. Otherwise, if we could know a precise time and place, it might be possible to communicate across time and space...

Of course, this is difficult to achieve. After all, even Han Zhou himself cannot control the exact time of returning to the past, not to mention that very few people can remember a key time point in the past. Unless both conditions can be met at the same time, the ability to communicate across time and space can only exist in imagination.

Moreover, he couldn't be completely sure that he had really gone back to the past.

However, if one has indeed traveled back in time, and traveling back in time can indeed have a certain impact on the surrounding environment, then the reason why the girls' dormitory has been haunted all along can be explained.

The reason why rumors of ghosts circulate in girls' dormitories is simply because some people frequently hear strange noises, such as footsteps and voices, but they can never see anyone.

If Xiao Xiaoxiao falls into a semi-conscious state and briefly returns to the past, she can unconsciously make these noises and forget the memory afterward. Even if she has an impression, she will only think that she was dreaming.

Han Zhou felt that this could be a direction for consideration.

Of course, there is still much to be clarified before this hypothesis can be fully confirmed.

For example, why has Xiao Xiaoxiao never disappeared when she was in the dormitory?

She can return to the past while half-awake, so how does she manage to return to the present?
If this is a capability that only the status bar possesses, then why does she have the same capability?
Could the reason why he and Xiao Xiaoxiao felt a sense of déjà vu be because they had met in the past, but lost that memory after returning to the present?
Han Zhou felt he had figured out many things, but this also brought more questions.

He was very fast, but it took him a while to pass through each wall, so it took him a full half minute to check all the rooms. Unfortunately, he still couldn't find Xiao Xiaoxiao.

That guy seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.

However, Han Zhou was certain that Xiao Xiaoxiao was hiding in these two villas.

He remembered looking out from the top of the unfinished building last time, and the surroundings were all gray and hazy, as if space did not exist. Therefore, he believed that this ability to travel through time might have a limitation, which is that he could only move within a limited space with a small radius centered on the position before he "fell asleep".

He doesn't plan to verify this for the time being, because assuming he's wrong, the world is so big that if Xiao Xiaoxiao is determined to hide, he won't be able to find her.

Han Zhou had a bit of a headache. It was a pity that Xiao Xiaoxiao wasn't an unlockable character, otherwise he could have used the 'Unlockable Character Detector' to find her.

It's strange, though. Even though characters like Gu Zheng Mo Yixia, who are unlockable characters, don't get such preferential treatment in the status bar, why does Xiao Xiaoxiao have such a deep connection with the status bar?
Could this guy actually be the previous owner of the status bar?

A bold idea suddenly popped into Han Zhou's mind.

However, he quickly dismissed this guess. After all, the status bar is only interested in pretty girls with high looks. If Xiao Xiaoxiao was really the previous owner of the status bar, wouldn't she have to date a bunch of girls?
Or perhaps the status bar is designed to cater to different people, with male hosts being required to woo beautiful women and female hosts being required to woo handsome men?
While lost in thought, Han Zhou turned around and re-examined all the rooms on the second floor. When he passed the room near the stairs, he suddenly had a thought that the bed in this room was relatively high. He even bent down to take a look under the bed, but unfortunately, he still found nothing.

When I find that girl, I'm going to give her a good beating. Anyway, she won't have any memory of it when we get back...

He sighed, pushed open the door and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He had no choice but to go downstairs to search.

……

The moment the director saw the hideous ghost face, he was already prepared to die.

He closed his eyes in despair, his mind uncontrollably filled with memories of the past, from his rebellious childhood to his current composed director. He only lamented that fate was jealous of his talent; if he had enough time, why would he not be able to leave his mark on film history?
It turns out that when a person's life comes to an end, they really do see a revolving lantern...

A tear rolled down the director's cheek.

The fact that a director who makes horror films dies at the hands of a vengeful ghost can be considered a form of acceptance, right?
But... I'm still not satisfied.

Oh, heavens, how indifferent you are...

"Director, what are you doing lying here?"

As the director lamented the injustice of fate, he suddenly heard Xiaoliu's puzzled voice.

He froze, as if suddenly remembering something, and opened his eyes in disbelief.

Before me was still that terrifying, grotesque ghost face, but the more I looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

"Xiao Liu?"

"It was my director. I saw you come upstairs alone and I was a little worried about you, so I came upstairs to find you."

Xiaoliu was a little embarrassed. Seeing the director's complicated expression, she belatedly realized what had happened and quickly covered her face, apologizing repeatedly, "I'm sorry, director, I forgot to cover my face again..."

"No, it's okay!"

The director felt a sudden pang of sadness and quickly shook his head, saying, "No need to cover it up, I think you look beautiful right now!"

He never expected that, knowing there was something fishy going on, Xiaoliu would be the first to come upstairs looking for him. He had always been very strict with this girl, but he never expected her to care so much about his safety...

"Am I pretty?" Xiaoliu asked nervously. "But I wore such scary makeup, so I shouldn't be pretty... Are you trying to say my acting is terrible?"

"No, that's not what I meant. You're really something."

The director was both amused and exasperated. He had always thought this guy was stupid, but now he found him kind of cute.

Xiaoliu, puzzled, suddenly noticed that the director's eyes were a little wet and asked in surprise, "Director, are you crying?"

"Well, I'm a little touched that you came up to me," the director said somewhat shyly.

"Really? I thought you were scared and cried." Xiaoliu recalled for a moment, "I think I just heard you say something about the vast heavens, how..."

"Shut up!"

The director blushed and, to avoid continuing to dig his toes into the ground, quickly stopped the other person from speaking further.

"Oh..." Xiaoliu lowered her head weakly.

Seeing the girl's aggrieved expression, the director felt a pang of guilt. He thought to himself that this was a girl who wasn't afraid of ghosts when she was worried about his safety, and he shouldn't have scolded her so harshly. His expression softened. However, before he could speak, a dark shadow suddenly emerged from the wall on his right.

He was immediately terrified; it was that ghost!

The shadowy figure entered the room without hesitation and went straight to the bedside, clearly intending to capture both people in the room.

The director was terrified and hurriedly crawled under the bed. However, it was easy to crawl under the bed but difficult to crawl out. Even though he had used all his strength, he was still crawling very slowly and could not get out under the bed before the shadow arrived.

Seeing that there was no way to escape, his eyes suddenly turned red, and he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Xiao Liu, you go! Don't worry about me! I'll hold it off!"

Since Xiaoliu treated him with sincerity, he should reciprocate with sincerity to be a true man!
"Okay, director, then please be careful!"

Xiaoliu's voice came from outside the door.

The director was taken aback, only then noticing that Xiaoliu had already escaped the room the moment the shadow appeared.

"He's made movies before, after all. He doesn't do that coy, suicide-all kind of thing. This guy isn't stupid in this respect..."

The director smiled nonchalantly and turned to look at the dark figure that was right in front of him.

"Director, you must survive!"

Xiaoliu's almost pleading voice came from downstairs. Although it was somewhat muffled due to the distance, the director still heard it clearly.

Having someone who cares about him so much, he suddenly felt that it wouldn't matter if he died right now.

"Otherwise, no one will pay everyone's salaries..."

Xiaoliu's voice continued to drift from downstairs.

The director's smile froze.

As expected... it doesn't matter if I die now.

As the door slammed shut by an invisible force, his mind raced again.

……

Han Zhou quickly checked the area downstairs, but still couldn't find Xiao Xiaoxiao. He was now pretty sure that the girl was definitely hiding from him, otherwise she wouldn't have missed him again and again.

But he couldn't understand why Xiao Xiaoxiao was avoiding him.
Of course, besides intentionally avoiding him, there is another possibility: Xiao Xiaoxiao has already gone back.

Unlike him, Xiao Xiaoxiao does seem to travel to the past and future without the aid of sleeping pills or points. However, she probably cannot actively control this ability, so it is possible that she could accidentally travel to the past and then accidentally travel back to the present.

Perhaps Xiao Xiaoxiao has already returned to her room without her noticing, which is why she has been unable to be found for so long.

However, Han Zhou dared not gamble, as traveling back and forth would consume his points. If he returned and found that Xiao Xiaoxiao had not returned, he would have to use up half of his points to travel back.

It has to be said that, given that they both possess the ability to pass through walls, if Xiao Xiaoxiao really wanted to keep hiding from him, it would be very difficult for him to find her.

...unless some other means are used.

Han Zhou sighed. It was time to make use of the status bar's capabilities.

He looked up at the status panel to check all the skills and classes he currently possessed.

[Skills: Efficient learning, Culinary proficiency, Speed ​​reading, Knowledge gained through experience (enhanced), Powerful throwing, Photographic memory, Adrenaline, Inference, Animal affinity, Guilt-free, Craftsmanship skills]

[Occupations: College Student, Master Chef, Skilled but Incompetent Doctor, Passionate Youth, Mission Master, Fearless Warrior]

After looking around carefully, there wasn't anything suitable to modify into an entry with tracking capabilities.

However, sometimes finding someone doesn't necessarily require actively seeking them out; you can simply get them to show up on their own.

After thinking for a moment, Han Zhou turned his attention to "Feeling Guilty," thinking that he might be able to find Xiao Xiaoxiao through this skill.

He spent two points to add a feature to the skill, making it "Ask and You'll Be Ashamed" and adding a description.

[A Question That Will Always Bring Remorse: For ten points, when you shout the heartbreaking question, "Don't you feel terrible for me?", within a 50-meter radius, any human who clearly hears your question and is capable of responding will immediately and uncontrollably reply with a loud "yes" or "no." This reply will be exceptionally loud to your ears, allowing you to confirm the responder's identity. Additional points will be added, allowing you to continue asking follow-up questions. The responder will be forced to provide a brief answer. Each additional question will increase the point cost tenfold. (Note: All answers from the questioner are based on their true feelings and are generally guaranteed to be truthful and valid.)]

Han Zhou originally wanted a skill similar to "If I call your name, will you dare to answer?", where as long as he shouted someone's name, the other person would respond uncontrollably, so that Xiao Xiaoxiao would have nowhere to hide even if she hid.

With the status bar adjusted, this skill can still achieve the desired effect, but it feels somewhat different.

Putting everything else aside, just shouting "Don't you feel bad for me?" in public is already a pretty embarrassing experience. And if all the onlookers around are forced to answer, then it's not just one person who's embarrassed.

However, it must be said that this skill is quite powerful. It can be described as a large-scale truth-or-dare game, and the key is that no one can lie. It can be used in many situations, making it both practical and powerful.

Unfortunately, while this skill is powerful, it cannot be used lightly, especially by those around you. After all, those affected can clearly feel that they are out of control when giving their answers. If you forcefully ask others questions in this way, it is easy to cause resentment, and you might even be reported and dissected.

This is the power to control the mind.

Under normal circumstances, Han Zhou would not use this skill to search for Xiao Xiaoxiao, but this is not a normal situation. Most importantly, after returning to the present time, both he and Xiao Xiaoxiao will lose their memories, so this matter will be as if it never happened.

Therefore, now is the perfect time to use the phrase "I will feel ashamed if I ask a question".

Han Zhou made up his mind.

However, ten points are still points, so it's best not to waste them. After thinking for a moment, he felt that Xiao Xiaoxiao was more likely hiding in the villa where everyone was staying tonight, so he walked through the wall and left the villa, braving the heavy rain to return to the original villa.

Having found a location that could cover as much of the villa as possible, he took a deep breath and shouted out that sentence—

"Don't you feel you've wronged me?!"

He completely forgot that his voice at that moment would be heard by the "future".

(End of this chapter)