Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 403 Strategy Mission
Although Zhong Yin and the other two seemed to be fine, Ouyang Lianyu still insisted that they go to the hospital for a check-up. She knew that drowning could lead to complications such as pulmonary edema and pneumonia, which could be life-threatening if not handled carefully.

Not only the three of them, but Han Zhou also had a deep wound on his abdomen from the fishing line. Although he received basic treatment, he still needed to go to the hospital for a professional bandage to prevent infection.

So the group went back to the villa to change their clothes and then took a car to the hospital.

There were eight of them in total, and one car was obviously not enough for them. They had to travel in two cars in groups of four. Han Zhou, Gu Zheng, Mo Yixia, and Zhong Yin naturally got into the same car, since only the four of them needed to be checked.

It was clear that the driver had a lot to say. He probably hadn't picked up a passenger near a villa before, and it was the first time he'd realized that people who could afford villas still needed to take taxis. If he didn't have to focus on driving, he might already be thinking about how to post it on social media.

Han Zhou sat in the passenger seat, while the other three sat in the back. Although Mo Yixia and Gu Zheng got into the same car, the atmosphere wasn't as tense as he had feared. He didn't know if it was because they were too tired or because they had already said what they wanted to say while lying together earlier. As soon as they got into the car, they closed their eyes to rest, crossed their arms, and leaned their heads against the car window, even their movements were the same.

Han Zhou observed the situation in the back seat through the rearview mirror, and couldn't help but chuckle. He had already learned from the crowd the specific circumstances of Mo Yixia and Gu Zheng falling into the water. He knew that they had drowned because they were trying to help each other. While still feeling lingering fear, he also felt that this was not necessarily a bad thing.

It has to be said that Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia were both quite unlucky today. One got a leg cramp immediately after diving, and the other got her foot tangled in the weeds after sinking to the bottom of the lake. If it weren't for the fact that these two unlikely events happened to both of them at the same time, Han Zhou wouldn't have had the chance to go into the water to save the beauties.

Today is clearly not a lucky day for Guzheng and Mo Yixia, but in a sense, it can be called Han Zhou's lucky day.

The "luck" here doesn't refer to his chance to be a hero and save the damsel in distress, but rather to the opportunity that could ease the tension between Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia.

Although it was subtle, the relationship between the two seemed to have improved—this was Xiao Xiaoxiao's judgment after observing.

This is undoubtedly a very rare thing.

Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia were well aware of each other's rivalry. While they weren't exactly irreconcilable enemies, they certainly didn't like each other. It would be difficult to ease their tensions. However, after this drowning incident, in which they almost lost their lives to save each other, such a debt of gratitude could not be easily forgiven. Their attitudes toward each other would definitely change from now on.

Calling each other sisters is probably impossible, but at least we'll find each other more agreeable.

In this way, Han Zhou will be able to create more opportunities for the two of them to meet in the future, without having to carefully create an alibi like he did this time.

Of course, the most important point is that the seed of opportunity has been sown, so even if the seed doesn't sprout, at least before a decision has to be made, Guzheng and Mo Yixia will not fight each other.

After all, in a sense, the two had a life-or-death bond.

Thinking about this, Han Zhou sighed inwardly, feeling that he had been quite lucky these past two days. He wanted Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia to meet, but a typhoon came; he wanted their relationship to ease, but they fell into the water. Although neither of these things were exactly good, they were indeed a kind of luck for him.

His good fortune didn't end there.

After this drowning incident, Ouyang Lianyu and Zhong Ling felt deeply guilty for not being able to help because they couldn't swim. Mo Yixia also planned to find time to learn to swim. In the end, the girls hit it off and agreed to go to the swimming pool together to practice swimming next summer. Naturally, "everyone" here also includes Han Zhou.

To be honest, Han Zhou wasn't particularly interested in girls' swimsuits, but if he had the chance to feast his eyes, he certainly wouldn't refuse, after all, young people should have an eye for beauty.

Han Zhou pondered for a while, then suddenly remembered that he only had zero points left in his status bar. He felt a pang of melancholy and began to think about how to quickly get his lost points back. After all, his body had not fully recovered, and without some points to rely on, he felt completely insecure.

The next second, seemingly sensing his predicament, a series of tasks suddenly popped up in the status bar—

[Event Mission Now Open: Within three months, follow the target character, Wang Lengqiu, to her hometown to examine the important photos she keeps and confirm relevant information. Upon completion, you will receive 300 points and can choose one of three randomly selected items.]

[Event Quest Now Open: Ouyang Lianyu may need your help soon. You can proactively ask to accept the quest, or pretend you don't know and refuse. Quest details and related rewards will be displayed after you accept the quest. Note that completing this quest may unlock a series of related quests. Completing all quests will grant you massive rewards.]

[Event Task Now Open: Target characters Guzheng and Mo Yixia have had two disputes, one loss and one draw. Please ensure that the two engage in at least three disputes within three months, and that the total number of wins and losses in all disputes is equal. Upon completion of the task, one enhancement skill will be drawn from each of the two target characters.]

[Event Quest Now Open: You now know the correct way to use the Mysterious Pouch. Please use the Mysterious Pouch again at the correct time next month to obtain important information. Completing the quest will grant you an important opportunity.]

[Event Quest Now Open: Learn about Zhong Ling's inner struggles from her as quickly as possible, and complete the related side quests as soon as possible. The rewards will depend on how quickly you complete the quest.]

[The mission has been unlocked: Zhong Yin is now available for romance. Please confess your feelings to her without using any abnormal means. If she accepts your confession while in a state of attraction, the mission will be considered complete. You will receive 1,000 points, a mysterious item, and one randomly selected skill enhancement from her.]

Seeing the six tasks pop up in a row, Han Zhou was stunned for two seconds, especially the last one, a strategy task he was seeing for the first time, which made his eyelids twitch.

A strategy mission? Or a strategy mission involving Zhong Yin? Are you kidding me!
He turned around and looked at Zhong Yin, who was looking down at his phone in the back seat. He was startled to see the words "Zhong Yin (Romantic)" appear above her head.

The thought of confessing to this guy and then him sneering as he pulls a wrench out of his pocket sent a chill down my spine. I felt like my status bar was trying to send me to my doom.

Zhong Yin already deeply abhorred his scumbag behavior. It was already more than enough that she refrained from telling Gu Zheng. If it wasn't enough that he was two-timing her, he even dared to go and confess his feelings to her. Wasn't that just courting death?

"what happened?"

As if sensing Han Zhou's gaze, Zhong Yin asked without looking up, "Is there something on my face?"

Her tone wasn't as cold as usual; instead, it was unusually gentle. "Are you still feeling unwell?"

"neither."

Han Zhou felt inexplicably guilty and wanted to say that there was nothing on your face, but there was something on your head. He shook his head and explained, "I just saw you looking at your phone as soon as you got in the car, and I was a little curious about what you were looking at."

I thought Zhong Yin wouldn't answer, or that she would coldly reply with "You care about so many things," but to my surprise, she calmly said, "Photos, I'm looking at photos of myself and my family when I was a child."

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, unsure of what to say. He knew that Zhong Yin and Zhong Ling's parents had passed away a few years ago, leaving the two sisters to depend on each other. Could it be that they were recalling something sad when they suddenly looked at the old photos?
Considering that Zhong Yin's life was hanging by a thread today, and that he might have already witnessed countless deaths, he felt that this possibility was very high. "I'm sorry."

He sighed inwardly, thinking that he shouldn't have asked so many questions, and he didn't know what else to say besides apologizing.

Zhong Yin frowned slightly, looked up at him, and said, "You seem to really enjoy apologizing to people."

"Um...is there?"

Han Zhou gave an awkward smile, not quite understanding what the other person meant.

Just then, his phone rang, and Zhong Yin's voice came through: "I sent it to you."

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then took out his phone and saw that Zhong Yin had just sent him a photo.

It was a family photo with an artificial hill in the background. A young couple stood smiling in front of the hill, each holding a string of candied hawthorns.

Behind the two were two little girls sitting on the artificial hill. The taller girl had a bright smile and raised her hands to make two "V" signs, looking sunny and lively. The shorter girl also had a smile on her face, but it seemed a little forced, as if she was worried about falling off the artificial hill. One arm was tightly pressed on the man's shoulder below, and the other arm was carefully supporting the waist of the girl next to her. She seemed to be saying something.

Han Zhou recognized the two girls in the photo at a glance. The one with her hands raised was obviously Zhong Yin, and the other was naturally Zhong Ling. Looking at the slightly troubled expression on the girl's face in the photo, he could almost imagine his senior anxiously saying, "Sister, be careful, this is too dangerous."

He couldn't help but chuckle, quickly drawn to the heartwarming scene. Behind him, Zhong Yin's eyes softened: "Wasn't Xiao Ling adorable when she was little?"

"Ah."

He nodded sincerely, without thinking much, and commented while looking at the photo, "Sister Yin was also very cute when she was a child."

He regretted it as soon as he said it. Although his comment was objective, it might have been somewhat inappropriate. So he quickly changed the subject and asked, "Are these two your parents?"

"Correct."

Zhong Yin seemed lost in her memories and didn't pay attention to what he had just said. "This is a photo of Xiaoling when she was six years old. It was her first day of school. She came back crying and said she never wanted to go to school again. Her parents bought her candied hawthorns to coax her and took us to the park. They took this photo while they were there."

Han Zhou chuckled, never expecting that his usually quiet and well-behaved senior sister had such a side when she was little.

“Xiaoling has always been very attached to her parents. Even though she had to walk a long way every day in high school, she didn’t want to live at school, just so she could go home for dinner every day. You’ve spent so much time with Xiaoling, you must have noticed that she walks very fast, right? That’s a habit she developed after starting high school.”

Han Zhou nodded. His senior sister did walk very fast. Ever since he mentioned it once, she had always been a half-beat slower than him when they walked together, so he gradually stopped noticing how fast she walked.

Perhaps because of her near-death experience, Zhong Yin was very eager to talk today, recounting many past events. However, the conversation mainly focused on Zhong Ling, with little mention of her own life. Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia seemed to be asleep, remaining silent throughout. Only Han Zhou listened patiently.

Just when everyone thought Zhong Yin would keep talking, the other person suddenly said, "Han Zhou, thank you."

"What?" Han Zhou was taken aback.

"Thank you for saving me," Zhong Yin said earnestly.

"Why are we bringing this up again?" Han Zhou gave a wry smile. "Didn't you already thank me several times before?"

Zhong Yin didn't speak, turning her head to stare blankly out the car window.

"When Han Zhou came ashore, the fishing lines on your bodies were tied in a knot."

Even though some time has passed, those words still keep echoing in my ears.

She understood what those words meant—the moment Han Zhou tied the fishing line to his body, he was prepared to die, either bringing everyone ashore or dying at the bottom of the lake with everyone.

The fishing line was tied in a knot, which meant that he had no chance to regret abandoning the others and go ashore alone.

Given the circumstances at the time, it was clearly unrealistic to bring three people ashore with him. The probability of dying at the bottom of the lake with everyone else was much higher, but he still did it anyway, and afterwards he didn't even care about it, as if it was something he was supposed to do.

Zhong Yin had always wanted to ask Han Zhou if he regretted tying the fishing line into a knot, but she just couldn't bring herself to ask the question.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of the day her parents died unexpectedly, and how she comforted herself by saying, "I can't save everyone."

She can't remember if there was a rescue worker who followed her into the ambulance that day, saying "I can't save everyone" and apologizing repeatedly. But she still clearly remembers that she had the chance to save her parents, but she missed it because of her cowardice.

In a sense, she killed her own parents.

Especially after learning that Han Zhou had risked his life to save everyone, this thought lingered even more in her mind.

Han Zhou had no idea what Zhong Yin was thinking. He was just curious as to why a strategy mission related to Zhong Yin would suddenly appear.

He felt there must be an important reason for this, otherwise, why did the romance quests for Ouyang Lianyu and Xiao Xiaoxiao not appear, while only the romance quest for Zhong Yin appeared, since they are both non-unlockable characters?

(End of this chapter)