Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 407 She's always been like this
[Time is a bit tight, I'll make some revisions]

Xia Qing looked at the report in front of her with a puzzled expression.

The report was very simple, mainly reporting on the work done during the sports meet, mostly trivial matters. One of the requests was for a substitution, stating that due to an athlete's injury, they hoped to replace the athlete to complete the remaining competitions.

This is actually a very ordinary application. Although it is not common to change athletes at the sports meet, it is not forbidden. The problem is that the person who wants to be replaced in this report is Guzheng.

Xia Qing found it strange, and after checking carefully, she found that it was not a case of the same name. This was the guzheng player she knew, Han Zhou's friend.

Xia Qing knew, of course, that Gu Zheng had been injured during the last long-distance race. A child had run onto the track during the race and blocked Gu Zheng's path, causing her to fall and get injured. Xia Qing was the one who handled the incident herself, so she remembered it very well.

Gu Zheng's condition could indeed be changed, but what puzzled Xia Qing was that such matters were usually reported by the athletes themselves and then approved by the student union. Han Zhou had previously told her that Gu Zheng's physical condition was good and that he would continue to participate in the competition. Logically, it was impossible for him to go to the department's student union to apply for a change of person. So why did the department's student union submit this application today?

She had just met Han Zhou, who was preparing to watch the guzheng competition. This meant that Gu Zheng had no intention of giving up the competition; it was a unilateral decision by the department's student council.

However, even though the academy to which Guzheng belongs believes that Guzheng's condition is no longer suitable for continuing to compete and feels that a replacement is needed, according to normal procedures, such decisions need to be made after communicating with the athlete herself. Usually, the athlete's wishes are not disregarded. Moreover, Guzheng has already started participating in competitions normally today, and this application was only submitted afterward...

something wrong.

There must be something wrong.

Xia Qing seemed to be thinking about something, and without much hesitation, she directly rejected the replacement request online without giving any reason for the rejection.

She checked the time, waited silently for a while, and soon her phone on the table rang. It was the person in charge who had just submitted the application.

"President Tang is gone."

Xia Qing didn't answer the phone. Instead, she stretched and got up to tap Tang Hai, who was working intently across from her.

"Where to?" Tang Hai was taken aback. "I haven't finished my work yet."

"Come out with me for a bit, and I'll do the rest of the work for you when we get back. Oh, and remember to bring the camera."

"What are you planning to do now?" Tang Hai asked, puzzled.

"Of course, we're going to find big news."

Xia Qing answered in a matter-of-fact tone, and seeing Tang Hai looking at her helplessly, she quickly added, "It's also for work."

Tang Hai was skeptical, but he still sighed and got up, carefully carrying the expensive camera: "Are you sure it's for work?"

"determine."

Are you sure you'll help me finish the rest of the work when you get back?

Xia Qing considered for a moment and tentatively said, "If there's too much work, you'll have to help me share half of it."

"Deal, let's go." Without another word, Tang Hai picked up the camera and walked out of the office.

"Why are you being so agreeable today?" Xia Qing followed after him, somewhat puzzled.

Tang Hai smiled sheepishly.

"Because I still have a lot of work left..."

……

There were still many people on the playground today.

After two days of clear skies, the effects of the torrential rain that lasted all night have largely disappeared, but some traces have still been left. The track looks brand new after being repeatedly washed by the rain, and the grass is exceptionally green under the sunlight, just like—just like the hat on Lin Anyu's head.

Han Zhou looked at Lin Anyu with a strange expression and asked in bewilderment, "Why did you come here wearing a green hat?"

"What do you know? This is agate green. Not only does it exude wealth and elegance, but it also goes with any clothes. Moreover, it doesn't absorb heat and has excellent sun protection. Most importantly, it's a gift from Ya Ya," Lin Anyu said proudly.

To be fair, although it's a green hat, it's actually quite good-looking and doesn't look out of place on his head. It's very suitable for a tall guy like Lin Anyu.

Although Lin Anyu usually showed great disdain for Lin Youya and often called her "stupid little sister," he clearly liked the gift very much. He showed it off for a while before stopping and looking at Han Zhou suspiciously.

"But what about you? Why are you suddenly in a wheelchair?"

"It's a long story." Han Zhou shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"It's fine to be in a wheelchair." Lin Anyu said cheerfully after learning that his friend was alright. "At least you can sit anywhere anytime, and besides, you have a beautiful woman to take care of you. You should be happy about it."

Han Zhou's expression was strange, and he couldn't help but feel as if he had been hit by a boomerang. If he remembered correctly, he had teased Ouyang Lianyu, who was in a wheelchair, in the same way a long time ago.

As the two were talking, Xiao Xiaoxiao, who had gone to buy water, returned and handed a bottle of water to Han Zhou and Wang Lengqiu respectively. Then she glanced at Lin Anyu next to Han Zhou and asked in surprise, "Why did your friend come here wearing a green hat?"

"What do you know! This is agate green, not only does it exude wealth, but also..." Lin Anyu quickly repeated what he had just said.

"Oh, so it was a gift from my sister." Xiao Xiaoxiao nodded perfunctorily. "It is indeed quite beautiful."

I have a feeling that if it weren't for the fact that it was a gift from my younger sister, she definitely wouldn't have said "it looks pretty".

Lin Anyu lowered his voice and asked, "Han Zhou, what does she mean by that? Does she think my hat is ugly?"

"Xiaoxiao is like that with everyone, don't take it to heart," Han Zhou said, trying to comfort her.

Lin Anyu was finally satisfied.

Before long, Mo Yixia and Zhong Ling arrived at the playground. Today, Mo Yixia was wearing a mask and baseball cap again, only revealing her beautiful eyes and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye. However, she was not wearing a school uniform, and her long hair, which reached her hips, was casually draped behind her. Although it was a very simple outfit, it gave people a youthful and beautiful feeling that belonged only to high school girls.

Zhong Ling was also dressed relatively simply. She was quite sensitive to the cold, so she was bundled up with a scarf and gloves to keep warm. She also wore a cute fluffy earmuff, a small blue cloth bag slung around her waist, her hands folded in front of her, and a gentle smile on her slightly flushed face. Not to mention the boys, many girls on the playground felt their hearts melt.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Han Zhou, you're too lucky. How come you're surrounded by beautiful girls?" Lin Anyu said with envy.

Han Zhou said in a serious tone, "You're my good brother. I'm surrounded by beautiful girls, which means you're surrounded by beautiful girls too, right?"

"That makes sense!" Lin Anyu's eyes lit up, and he straightened his back a bit.

"Shameless..." Xiao Xiao muttered softly, her eyes almost overflowing with contempt.

Lin Anyu chuckled: "Han Zhou is quite shameless, but you're a pretty girl too."

"Do you even need to tell me that!" Xiao Xiaoxiao first raised her head, then realized what she meant and said with a straight face, "I'm saying that you two are shameless!"

Han Zhou and Lin Anyu pretended not to hear.

At the same time, Mo Yixia and Zhong Ling approached. Mo Yixia glanced at the wheelchair under Han Zhou, seemingly wanting to laugh, then looked at the green hat on Lin Anyu's head and said, "Han Zhou, your friend's hat is quite interesting." Lin Anyu, as if on cue, quickly said, "You don't understand, this is agate green, not only exuding wealth, but also..."

He repeated that same line of reasoning.

"So it was Ya Ya who gave it to me."

Mo Yixia nodded slightly and said to Zhong Ling beside her, "It's obvious that he's trying very hard to accept this gift, just like someone is trying very hard to accept a certain reality."

Zhong Ling smiled gently, offering no comment, but looked at Han Zhou's abdomen with concern, as if asking if his injury was getting better.

Lin Anyu lowered his voice and asked, "Han Zhou, is she insulting Ya Ya's aesthetic sense?"

No, she might be insulting you, or she might be insulting me...

Han Zhou thought to himself, but his face remained calm: "Yi Xia has always been like this, don't mind her, she didn't mean to insult Ya Ya."

"What have I always been like?"

Mo Yixia feigned confusion and leaned closer to ask, the fragrance of her hair wafting into Han Zhou's nose. But he had no time to ponder what the smell was; instead, he tensed up instantly because Gu Zheng, who was doing warm-up exercises on the track, had already sped over.

"You've always been straightforward, which is admirable," he quickly said, trying to flatter you.

"But why does your expression tell me that you clearly mean I've always been a master of dirty jokes?"

Han Zhou's eyelids twitched. Mo Yixia's mind-reading ability was becoming increasingly outrageous, almost completely repeating what he was thinking.

“This…this is actually a compliment,” he said, taking a deep breath.

"is it?"

Mo Yixia remained noncommittal but didn't make things too difficult for him, and moved away from the wheelchair before Gu Zheng arrived.

Gu Zheng was not about to give up. She was doing warm-up exercises on the playground, thinking about confessing her feelings after winning, when she turned her head and saw Han Zhou and Mo Yixia being affectionate. She was furious and rushed to Mo Yixia demanding an explanation.

At the crucial moment, Lin Anyu stepped forward and shouted, "Guzheng, do you see anything different about me today!"

Gu Zheng didn't want to pay attention to him, but he kept blocking her way, so she had no choice but to ask impatiently, "What's the difference?"

Lin Anyu coughed lightly: "Take a closer look..."

"I can't tell the difference?"

Lin Anyu was going all out, giving Han Zhou a look that said, "Brother, I've treated you well, haven't I?" and forced a smile, saying, "Haven't you noticed I'm being cuckolded?"

Gu Zheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "And then? So what if you're wearing a green hat?"

How could she not see that this guy was deliberately obstructing her? She didn't want to pay him any more attention at first, but then something occurred to her. She raised an eyebrow and said with a hostile look, "Are you implying something to me?"

"Of course not," Lin Anyu quickly shook his head and said subconsciously, "I mean, this hat of mine looks incredibly luxurious, and it doesn't absorb heat..."

Gu Zheng listened expressionlessly until she heard that the hat was a gift from Lin Youya, at which point her expression softened a bit. She then inquired carefully about the other person's recent situation, as if she had forgotten what had just happened.

Lin Anyu finally understood that his face was no match for Ya Ya's, and he couldn't help but feel depressed.

Seeing that Guzheng's attention had been diverted, Xiao Xiaoxiao continued to change the subject, saying, "Guzheng, you should be able to win the competition easily today, right?"

Victory is a very important topic for the guzheng, attracting its attention more than other topics.

"Of course." Gu Zheng smiled confidently, her eyes crinkling. "I will definitely take first place."

These words were not only spoken to himself, but also to Mo Yixia.

"Are you alright with your injury?" Zhong Ling asked worriedly.

Han Zhou relayed her words.

"It's fine now." Gu Zheng shook her head and said somewhat strangely, "I feel like my recovery ability is stronger than before. I can't feel any pain in the wound at all now."

Mo Yixia glanced at Han Zhou.

Han Zhou didn't notice her gaze and smiled, "It's good that there's no problem. Be careful this time and don't get hurt again."

"I understand. Okay, the competition is about to start, I need to go back and prepare."

Gu Zheng was about to leave when she suddenly remembered her business. She turned back and gave Mo Yixia a warning look, saying with displeasure, "Han Zhou is still recovering from his injury, and you have a cold. You shouldn't get too close to him, or you might infect him with your cold."

After saying that, he jogged away.

Han Zhou was taken aback and looked at Mo Yixia in surprise: "You have a cold?"

"Otherwise, why do you think I'm wearing a mask?"

Mo Yixia sighed, "It would be strange if you didn't catch a cold after spending so much time in the water during winter."

Zhong Ling, who was standing nearby, said softly, "My sister also caught a cold and had a high fever the night before last."

"Sister Yin caught a cold too?" Han Zhou asked with concern. "How is she now?"

Zhong Ling smiled gently: "I'm almost fully recovered. I'm busy with the shop's business now, otherwise I would have come with us to cheer on Guzheng."

Why didn't you tell me these things sooner?

"What's the point of telling you?" Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him. "You're a patient yourself right now. The most important thing is to recover from your injury as soon as possible. Why worry about so much?"

"Xiao Xiao is right. Junior, you need to focus on recovering from your injury. Don't worry about anything else. We'll take good care of you," Zhong Ling softly echoed, agreeing with Xiao Xiao's words.

As she spoke, she took out a box of pastries from her small cloth bag and distributed them to everyone present, deliberately leaving the largest piece for Guzheng.

Perhaps learning from the previous experience, the student council was particularly strict in maintaining the competition environment today. Once the competition started, no one unrelated to the competition was allowed to approach. As a result, there were no accidents in today's competition, and the guzheng easily won first place.

Even Mo Yixia had to admit the guzheng's strength in sports, commenting, "People with simple minds are indeed more physically developed."

At the same time, Xia Qing brought Tang Hai to the playground.

(End of this chapter)