Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 388 Home Visit
"call--"

The noisy sound of a hairdryer filled the hospital ward early in the morning, while the withered yellow leaves outside the window swayed incessantly on the branches, as if being blown along with the hot wind inside the ward.

"I suggest you don't move around too much, otherwise there is a risk that your hair will be sucked into the hairdryer."

Han Zhou looked helplessly at the petite girl sitting in the wheelchair. In order to keep her in line, he didn't hesitate to fabricate a terrible lie, just like he was fooling a child.

The girl named Xiao Xiaoxiao has been in the hospital for a week. There are times when she needs to clean herself, but because she is unable to move around easily, she cannot wash herself. Therefore, he has no choice but to help her.

Of course, the help here is limited to washing hair; he naturally can't help with bathing, so he can only ask the guzheng for help.

Gu Zheng had visited the girl named Xiao Xiaoxiao at the hospital with him a few days ago. After learning about her ordeal, she was deeply moved and expressed her willingness to help take care of her.

However, compared to him, Gu Zheng, as the class monitor, is much busier on weekdays and can only come to the hospital a limited number of times, so he is basically the one who takes care of Xiao Xiaoxiao.

He has submitted an application to his homeroom teacher to change from a boarding student to a day student, and it should be approved soon if all goes well, at which point he will be able to spend more time at the hospital.

To be honest, he didn't know why he would have such a good deed one day. He was living a precarious life, yet he still spent his time on a girl he had just met.

Perhaps, as he said a week ago, he was just temporarily expressing goodwill to this girl on behalf of the world.

"Nonsense! A hairdryer blows air outwards, it doesn't suck air inwards, how could it possibly suck hair in!"

Xiao Xiao scoffed at Han Zhou's words and retorted loudly indignantly, but then worried that the hair dryer might actually suck her hair in, so she became much more docile.

Han Zhou chuckled, grabbed the girl's long hair and started blowing on it seriously, which occasionally drew loud protests from the girl, who wouldn't allow him to put his hands on her head.

The sky was a clear, bright blue, the clouds were like scattered cotton, and even the wind was gentler than the past few days, all indicating that today was a fine day.

He put down the hairdryer, took out a hot towel from the basin, carefully wiped the girl's face clean, then picked up a comb and patiently combed her hair, asking, "The weather is nice today, would you like to go for a walk?"

Over the past week, Han Zhou has gradually learned how to wash, comb, and blow-dry a girl's hair. He thinks that if he could have a daughter in the future, he would definitely be a good father.

Xiao Xiaoxiao was taken aback. She subconsciously wanted to nod, but she immediately held back and asked nonchalantly, "Didn't you say that the doctor didn't allow me to leave the ward at will?"

"The doctor said you're not allowed to leave the ward without permission," Han Zhou corrected.

"What's the difference?"

"Of course it's different. I'm with you today, so it doesn't count as leaving the ward without permission."

"You've already informed the doctor?" Xiao Xiaoxiao looked suspicious. "Speaking of which, it's not the weekend today, so why didn't you go to school and instead came here?"

"I took the day off because I have a cold."

Han Zhou coughed twice, pretending to be serious. "As for the doctor, you don't need to worry. No one will find out that we secretly left the ward."

"So you really didn't report it to the doctor," Xiao Xiaoxiao said disdainfully.

"That's not important," Han Zhou said without changing his expression. "Just tell me if you want to go out or not."

"You faked being sick just to avoid going to school, you're so pathetic."

"I heard there's a trade fair going on nearby, it's quite lively, and it's not far from the hospital, only about a ten-minute walk."

"When I was in school, I often attended classes while sick. You have the opportunity to study properly but you don't even know how to cherish it..."

"Okay, it seems you don't really want to go out." Han Zhou shrugged, put down the comb in his hand, and turned to leave the ward. "Then I'll go back to school and cherish my study time."

"and many more!"

Xiao Xiaoxiao grabbed Han Zhou's sleeve and held on tightly to prevent him from leaving, saying awkwardly, "Who...who said I didn't want to go out!"

Han Zhou turned around and looked at her with feigned confusion: "But didn't you just tell me to cherish my time studying?"

"Since you've already faked being sick, you'll just get scolded if you go back now, so you might as well relax..."

Xiao Xiao blushed slightly and urged urgently, "Stop talking nonsense and take me out of here!"

She hadn't been outside for a long time. Every time she heard the children's laughter outside the hospital, she could only get up and look out the window. But because she was too short, she could never see what the children were doing and could only imagine it in her mind.

"Okay, let's go then."

Han Zhou couldn't help but chuckle, and picked up a coat from the hospital bed. "Put this on, there's no air conditioning outside."

Seeing that Xiao Xiao had obediently put on her coat, he walked behind her and pushed her wheelchair out of the ward.

Xiao Xiaoxiao couldn't stand his smug expression and said irritably, "I thought you were a good student before, but I didn't expect you to skip class."

"You've really misunderstood me. Although my grades are good, I wouldn't call myself a good student," Han Zhou said with a smile.

"Are your grades very good?"

"It's alright, I'm only second in the grade."

"Tch, all he does is brag..."

……

There is no clear dividing line between autumn and winter in Lincheng, because it rarely snows here, and even at its coldest, there is no biting wind. Therefore, Han Zhou quite likes Lincheng's winter.

Of course, in contrast, summers in Lincheng are quite hot. As a poor man who can only rely on electric fans to ward off the sweltering heat, he dislikes Lincheng's summers the most.

I don't know why so many anime and novels like to set beautiful encounters in the summer. Aren't they afraid that both of them will have sweaty hands when they hold hands?
Unlike Han Zhou, who was already used to the four seasons in Lincheng, Xiao Xiaoxiao was very excited as she left the hospital for the first time. She looked left and right along the way. If she hadn't been limited by her wheelchair, she probably would have run to some shop long ago.

"Han Zhou, is this the trade fair you were talking about?" Xiao Xiaoxiao asked curiously. "It's quite lively indeed."

"The trade fair is a few minutes' walk away; this is just an ordinary street in Lincheng," Han Zhou explained.

Noticing the girl's excited tone, a smile appeared on his face.

"Just an ordinary street..."

Xiao Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then murmured softly, "I've only ever seen it on TV..."

Han Zhou didn't hear her voice. Instead, his expression suddenly tightened, and he covered his face with one hand and lowered his head.

Unfortunately, while his face could be covered, his Qinghai Middle School uniform couldn't be concealed. A somewhat balding man approached with a hint of suspicion and asked uncertainly, "Han Zhou, is that you?"

Han Zhou really wanted to answer "no," but since the other person had already walked up to him, he couldn't deceive himself. He could only look up and say, "Director Wang, hello."

That's right, this man is their school's head of grade, a character infamous in all school dramas. But to be fair, this head of grade isn't actually bad-tempered; he's just a bit rigid and very strict about school rules and regulations. Sometimes he'll even personally stand guard at the school gate to catch students who are late or leave early.

Han Zhou wasn't worried about being caught by the head of the grade for wandering around outside while running a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius; he was just a little worried that the news would reach Gu Zheng's ears.

As the class monitor, he treated everyone in the class equally, so he didn't tell the other person about faking his illness. I wonder what Guzheng would think if she found out she had been deceived.

"Han Zhou, what are you doing here?"

Director Wang was somewhat puzzled. As a student who consistently ranked second in the grade, he naturally knew Han Zhou and even seriously suspected that the other party was dating Gu Zheng, who was the top student in the grade. Today was not a holiday, so why was this child not studying at school and doing here?
Could it be that you're also planning to visit a trade fair?

Director Wang, with a serious expression, was about to take out his phone to ask Han Zhou's homeroom teacher when he heard Han Zhou ask with a smile, "Director Wang, I'm also curious about this. What are you doing here?"

Director Wang's hand paused, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his bald head.

That's right, there's no holiday today, so Han Zhou, as a student, shouldn't be here. But as the head of the grade, should he be here?
He was a little embarrassed and coughed lightly, saying, "I naturally have important matters to attend to here."

Han Zhou smiled and nodded: "What a coincidence, I also have important matters to attend to."

He looked directly at Director Wang, his eyes showing no fear of school leaders as a student, but rather a meaningful look.

If you dare to expose this, don't blame me for having a big mouth—

Director Wang is certain that Han Zhou meant exactly that.

This guy……

Director Wang was somewhat annoyed. He had only asked for sick leave to spend time with his wife and children. Although it would damage his prestige among the teachers in the grade if it were exposed, it was not a big deal. How could Han Zhou think that he cared about this?

He sneered inwardly, about to adopt the demeanor of a grade head and give this impolite student a good talking-to, when he suddenly noticed Xiao Xiaoxiao sitting in a wheelchair, and his expression changed slightly.

Although she was wearing a coat, the hospital gown underneath was still clearly visible, revealing her identity as a patient.

The girl is cute and petite, looking like she's only in junior high school. The fact that she's here in a wheelchair and wearing a hospital gown makes one wonder about the reasons behind it.

Thinking of his daughter, who was about the same age, Director Wang felt a pang of heartache and tentatively asked, "Han Zhou, who is this...?"

Han Zhou's smile faded slightly, and his eyes dimmed as he said, "This is my sister."

Xiao Xiao cursed the guy inwardly for being shameless, and kept her head down without saying a word.

"Your sister?"

Seeing Han Zhou's bitter expression, Director Wang felt even more heartbroken. Just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and said, "I remember you seem to be an only child, right?"

He suspected that when Han Zhou and Gu Zheng were dating, Han Zhou had specifically asked their homeroom teacher about their situation, and thus learned about their family backgrounds.

Han Zhou was silent for a moment, then patted Xiao Xiaoxiao's head and said with a wry smile, "We have been relying on each other for a long time. We are not siblings, but we are closer than siblings."

Shameless! Who cares about you anymore?!
Don't touch my head!
Xiao Xiaoxiao's teeth were practically grinding to powder, but she kept her head down and didn't say a word.

Director Wang initially didn't believe Han Zhou's words, but seeing the girl in the wheelchair suddenly trembling, as if she had been touched by sadness, he was moved and couldn't bear to ask any more questions.

Regardless of their relationship, it doesn't change the fact that the girl is a patient. It seems that Han Zhou skipped class to take care of her, which is understandable.

However, he was still a little uneasy. He was fine with other relationships, but he couldn't accept early romance—even though the girl was still young and Han Zhou didn't seem like the kind of beast who would corrupt a middle school student, he still needed to find out the truth.

So he tentatively asked, "Since you are siblings who depend on each other for survival, you must live together, right?"

Han Zhou was still immersed in the sadness of his sister's serious illness, and nodded wistfully: "Of course we should live together."

"where do you live?"

“My home,” Han Zhou explained.

Director Wang looked wary: "You're not biological siblings?"

"No."

“Since they’re not biological siblings, don’t the girl’s parents mind letting her live in your house?” He stared into Han Zhou’s eyes.

Han Zhou hesitated, unsure how to answer, but before he could speak, Xiao Xiaoxiao in the wheelchair said in a low voice, "I have no parents."

As this sentence appeared, the wind in early winter seemed to grow a little colder.

Director Wang was stunned and looked at Han Zhou in disbelief, as if asking if it was true.

Han Zhou nodded silently.

This time, he wasn't feigning sadness; he genuinely felt sorry for Xiao Xiaoxiao's ordeal.

"I...I understand."

Director Wang felt heavy-hearted. As a father, he couldn't imagine what it meant for a girl about the same age as his daughter to lose her parents at such a young age, especially since she was now wearing a hospital gown and sitting in a wheelchair.

He patted Han Zhou on the shoulder, a smile appearing on his round face. "Remember to let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

He meant that he understood Han Zhou's situation and that he would try his best to favor him in the future, whether it was scholarships or grants—even though Han Zhou was capable of getting these things anyway.

However, Han Zhou clearly misunderstood and nodded, saying, "Actually, I had a high fever of 39 degrees today and should have been sleeping at home."

Director Wang was stunned for a moment, and it took him two seconds to understand what he meant. He pressed his temples helplessly and said, "What a coincidence, me too."

The two exchanged a glance, their faces revealing knowing smiles.

"By the way, Han Zhou."

As if remembering something, Director Wang suddenly asked before leaving, "May I make a request?"

"Director Wang, please go ahead," Han Zhou said with a smile.

Director Wang hesitated for a moment: "If you have time, may I visit your home?"

Perhaps fearing that Han Zhou might misunderstand, he explained, "I'm not doubting your relationship, it's just that your situation with this child is indeed very special. I won't interfere, I just want to know more about it."

Han Zhou nodded.

"of course can."

(End of this chapter)