Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 418 At Least We Won't Lose

Unlike the dry cold of the north, winters in the south are always damp and cold. Even wearing thick clothes, it is still difficult to resist the invasion of low temperatures, and thick down jackets do not provide much warmth.

If it weren't for academic credits, probably not many people would be willing to go to the playground early in the morning to suffer.

The sun had been out for a while, but the lawn was still a little damp, with dewdrops glistening slightly in the sunlight, until they were trampled to pieces by pairs of shoes.

A girl wearing a baseball cap sat on a dried bench, quietly watching the students jogging on the track, her hands in her pockets, as if waiting for something.

"I thought you meant running with them."

A helpless laugh came from behind her. Mo Yixia didn't turn around, but said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Thinking is also a form of exercise."

"But it burns very few calories, doesn't it?"

Han Zhou pushed the wheelchair to the bench and handed over a cup of hot soy milk. "Besides, is it really necessary to go all the way to the playground to think about this?"

"Burning a lot of calories is something you need to do to lose weight. Do you think I need to lose weight?"

Mo Yixia took the soy milk, but instead of drinking it, she held it in her hand as a hand warmer.

"So what have you figured out?"

Before Han Zhou could answer, a dissatisfied voice rang out again behind Mo Yixia. It was Gu Zheng, who had come to the playground with Han Zhou. She was not comfortable letting this guy meet with Han Zhou alone. She had just secretly lurked behind the bench to see what tricks this guy would play.

Zhong Ling also arrived at the playground. She smiled and nodded at Mo Yixia as a greeting.

Mo Yixia seemed unsurprised by their arrival, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "I was wondering if you two would come to find me together."

Gu Zheng looked suspicious: "Why do I feel like you made that up on the spot?"

“Because I only started thinking about this issue after I saw Han Zhou.” Mo Yixia glanced at her, seemingly lost in thought. “To be honest, I was quite surprised that you followed me. Was it to keep an eye on me?”

"Who said I came here specifically to guard against you? Don't flatter yourself. I... I have a habit of going for a morning run!"

"Is it wishful thinking? Using that word in this context seems inappropriate."

"You have the nerve to correct other people's word choice..." Han Zhou thought to himself, then coughed and said, "I'm telling you, stop arguing so early in the morning..."

"Do you call this arguing?"

Gu Zheng and Mo Yixia spoke in unison, though their tones differed, their gazes both fell on him.

"Uh..." Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then looked at Zhong Ling beside him for help, "Aren't you going to call me?"

Zhong Ling seemed unsure as well. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head hesitantly.

"Okay...it doesn't seem like we were arguing..."

"If you expect too much peace, everything will appear as unpeaceful."

Mo Yixia looked at Han Zhou meaningfully until he felt a little guilty, then she looked away, slightly pulled down her mask, and began to drink the slightly cooled soy milk in her hand.

There's no particular reason I'm wearing a mask today; it's just to prevent spreading my cold to others.

The group chatted for a while on the playground. Seeing that Mo Yixia didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, Gu Zheng felt a little relieved. In front of Mo Yixia, she asked Zhong Ling to keep a close eye on her before running laps on the playground.

Gu Zheng has indeed always had the habit of jogging in the morning and at night. Her athletic ability is not just due to talent. Of course, this is also a way to warm up for the afternoon's competition. Even if she is confident of victory, she will not be careless during the competition.

However, even though she was jogging in the morning, her eyes were always on Han Zhou's location, and she would rush over immediately if anything seemed amiss.

"This guy is really energetic."

Mo Yixia commented as she watched the short-haired girl running on the playground from afar.

Han Zhou smiled and said, "She's always been like this; once she starts running, she can leave everyone behind."

"That's amazing." Zhong Ling clenched her fist and said with genuine envy, "I wish I could be as good as Guzheng."

If I were as skilled as the guzheng player, I might have been able to rescue my parents and prevent my sister from getting hurt.

Han Zhou didn't notice Zhong Ling's unusual expression and smiled, "Everyone has their own strengths. Senior, you don't need to envy the guzheng. She actually envies you a lot too."

"Envious of me?" Zhong Ling asked, somewhat puzzled.

I envy your open-mindedness... Han Zhou glanced at her without saying a word, but said, "Gu Zheng has always envied you for having such a good older sister."

This wasn't just idle talk. Gu Zheng had said more than once that she wished Sister Yin was her own sister, so that she could have delicious pastries to eat every day.

Mo Yixia clicked her tongue, seemingly mocking someone's insincerity, and said with her hand on her chin, "Everyone has their strengths, right? It's just a pity that after all this time, I've never seen yours." Are you really treating your senior like she doesn't exist...?

Noticing the other person's harassing gaze, Han Zhou's lips twitched, but he didn't reply.

Fortunately, Mo Yixia didn't continue to observe his strengths. She took a sip of soy milk, looked away, and said, "It's obvious that this guy is determined to win the match this afternoon. I'm curious, what will happen if she loses? Will she find a corner to cry in secret?"

Han Zhou said helplessly, "The guzheng will never lose in this kind of competition, just like you won't lose in a dirty joke contest."

Mo Yixia remained noncommittal: "Is achieving excellent results in the dirty joke contest really my strength in your eyes?"

A dirty joke contest? Does such a contest even exist?

Zhong Ling tilted her head. She couldn't understand other things, but she could understand this word. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that Yi Xia had a sense of pride in this.

"Of course, that's not all." Han Zhou sighed, but he didn't lie through his teeth. "You have too many strengths, too many for me to list at once."

Since he had just sincerely praised Guzheng, he should naturally also sincerely praise Mo Yixia, without showing favoritism, even if it was from a joking perspective.

Moreover, it must be admitted that for Mo Yixia, who possesses extremely high intelligence, she can have many "strengths" that ordinary people cannot reach, as long as she wants.

"What you said is not wrong."

Mo Yixia, who had never known the meaning of humility, nodded naturally and continued, "However, rather than discovering my strengths, I would prefer you to spend more time studying me..."

"do not talk!"

Han Zhou quickly interrupted her, looking exasperated, "I take back what I just said. In the dirty joke contest, you will always be a champion who crushes the competition, not just someone who 'never loses'."

Mo Yixia remained noncommittal.

Zhong Ling was confused. Could there really be such a thing as a dirty joke contest in the world? Why didn't her junior and Yi Xia seem to be talking nonsense?
She decided to ask her sister in the afternoon.

Mo Yixia sipped her soy milk at a leisurely pace. When Gu Zheng finished her last lap and walked towards her, she seemed to suddenly remember something and raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Han Zhou".

Han Zhou looked wary: "As long as it's not a question about strengths or weaknesses, I can try to answer you."

"is it?"

Mo Yixia glanced at him and said, "Then tell me, do you like me more or that guy more?"

Han Zhou's expression froze. He looked away, trying to confuse the issue with a joke: "Why not include the senior student too?"

“Huh?” Zhong Ling was stunned.

Mo Yixia remained unmoved and said calmly, "Then add Senior Sister in as well."

After a long silence, Han Zhou finally gave in: "...Why don't you ask a different question?"

Mo Yixia knew he would react this way. She clicked her tongue in disdain and looked up at the approaching guzheng. "You seem to have a lot of confidence in her competition this afternoon."

"of course."

Han Zhou was puzzled, wondering why Mo Yixia would suddenly ask this question. Could it be that she was planning to secretly hinder Gu Zheng's victory?
"If she wins the afternoon's match, will she continue to win?"

Han Zhou was stunned.

A sharp wind blew from afar, ruffling the girl's long hair and slapping it against his face.

His vision blurred, and he suddenly couldn't see the girls' expressions clearly, nor did he know what they were thinking. He only heard someone running and shouting, "You two are too close!" while another person said with a faint sneer, "It's because your hair is too short."

There was also a soft, silvery laugh.

The dappled sunlight filtered through my hair and into my eyes, and the clear blue sky and white clouds made me reluctant to close them.

Although he knew he was selfish and greedy, Han Zhou genuinely felt that this scene was beautiful.

After a long pause, he took a deep breath and spoke his answer.

"At least she won't lose."

"Neither can you."

(End of this chapter)