Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 438 The True Wish

Han Zhou was unaware that someone was plotting against him, and even if he had, it would have been too late; the registration form had already been entered into the system and could no longer be changed.

Because Xia Qing mentioned in her message that what she wanted to talk about was related to tomorrow's fun activities, he thought that she wanted to persuade him to give up the competition and take care of his health. So he sent a message to Xia Qing, saying that he would definitely participate in tomorrow's fun activities and would leave everything else to her.

Xia Qing interpreted it as, "Don't meddle in other people's business. Since we've registered, we'll definitely participate in tomorrow's competition. Just do your own thing and don't ask around." So even when two more familiar names appeared on the registration form, she didn't ask any more questions and quickly entered the names into the system.

To be honest, Xia Qing was a little angry. She was clearly thinking of this junior, but not only did he not appreciate it, he even told her not to meddle in other people's business, which was really too much.

In fact, Han Zhou did not express any intention in the message to tell Xia Qing not to meddle. The latter deduced this from his behavior of hanging up the phone immediately and sending a message saying that if there was nothing important, there was no need to say more.

People are most afraid of overthinking. Considering Han Zhou's cold attitude, Xia Qing couldn't help but wonder if it was because she had already discovered that Chen Fei had a problem but hadn't warned him in advance that he had become resentful.

She admitted that she did have some ulterior motives, wanting to see what big news Chen Fei could create, but at the time she couldn't be sure if her guess was right or wrong. What if she guessed wrong?
Despite these thoughts, Xia Qing still felt somewhat guilty. When she saw Han Zhou angrily confronting Chen Fei, she realized that she had underestimated the importance of today's competition for the guzheng, as well as the guzheng's place in Han Zhou's heart.

Although they had only known each other for a short time, this was the first time she had ever seen such an expression on the face of that seemingly harmless junior.

You have to understand that this is Chen Fei, a well-known rich second-generation in the entire Lincheng. Even if he is not arrogant and domineering on a daily basis, no one dares to provoke him. Many people can only swallow their anger even if they are bullied. In the entire Linda University, probably only Han Zhou dared to force him to film that outrageous video.

Xia Qing was somewhat worried. She had to admit that she bore some responsibility for how things had turned out this way, and an apology was definitely necessary. Besides that, she needed to think of a way to make amends...

She pondered for a long time, then suddenly looked down at the registration form on the table and set her sights on the fun activities for tomorrow.

……

Han Zhou was completely unaware that another person had tried to harm him. At that moment, he was patiently listening to Gu Zheng reminisce about the past.

Almost all the leaves in the woods had fallen, and the withered yellow leaves were piled up on the ground, untouched by anyone.

Next year, they will become nourishment for their mother, giving birth to a new batch of green leaves that will stand tall and majestic, sweeping away the current desolation.

As the setting sun cast its last rays, the elongated shadows of the trees and the two shadows, one tall and one short, on the ground merged together.

Gu Zheng pushed the wheelchair, her tone unusually gentle compared to her usual youthful energy.

“I was very naughty back then. Even in winter, I would always run outside, but I never caught a cold. But my grandma was different. She wasn’t in good health. Sometimes she would go out to look for me and then come home coughing. She was afraid of infecting me, but I wasn’t. Every time I jumped into her arms, she would laugh and say that I was like a little furnace inside her.”

“My grandma often drank a very bitter medicine. At first, she would secretly drink it at night. Then one night I found out. She was afraid I would worry, so she lied and said it was a delicious sugar water. I tasted it once and never drank it again. I just think that adults’ taste buds are really strange. My dad always says that alcohol tastes good, but I can’t stand the taste.”

"I remember one winter, my grandma bought me a lot of fireworks and a small lantern..."

The guzheng slowly recounted the past, and the topic gradually shifted from childhood anecdotes to the late grandmother. However, she did not seem to realize this, and the corners of her mouth sometimes turned up and sometimes showed a hint of sadness.

Han Zhou listened silently, then suddenly smiled and said, "I always feel that Grandma's personality is completely different from yours and Sister Miao's."

“Yes.” Gu Zheng’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “She is a very gentle person, and speaks slowly, unlike my mother and me, who both have bad tempers.”

"You know you have a bad temper?" Han Zhou chuckled.

"Whether it's good or bad is relative."

Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him. "Compared to a well-behaved girl like my senior, my temper isn't that great, but it's still better than Sister Yin's, right?... You're not allowed to tell Sister Yin what I said last part!" "Don't worry." Han Zhou nodded in agreement. "We're on the same page on that point."

He glanced back at the girl and smiled, "But it's rare that you admit you're not as good as others."

"Personality is innate. I've figured it out. Some things are predetermined from birth, and there's no need to take things that can't be changed through hard work."

Gu Zheng lowered her head and glanced discreetly at her unremarkable chest.

Han Zhou pretended not to see her little gesture and smiled gently: "It's good that you can understand."

A gust of cold wind blew by, and the fallen leaves on the ground danced in the air, scattering the shadows of the trees in disarray before finally settling back onto the ground after a long while.

Gu Zheng pushed her wheelchair to a fairly sturdy tree, patted the fallen leaves off her body, and looked somewhat disappointed as the sunlight and shadows of the tree intertwined on her face.

"Actually, I only gradually understood many things later. When I was a child, I never felt that my grandmother was unwell. She could carry a very heavy basket of corn on her back and work from morning to night without feeling tired. Sometimes, even if I climbed to a very high hillside, she could always climb up to find me."

"...So I always thought she would be there for me as I grew up."

Han Zhou remained silent.

Don't wait until you lose something to appreciate it. This is a truth that almost everyone understands. However, this truth exists mostly in theory. Before losing something, few people can recall the meaning of this statement.

He suddenly realized something.

Gu Zheng seemed to have been trying to tell him from the beginning why he was so determined to be "number one". This girl was not as fragile as everyone thought. She didn't need anyone to comfort her. Today's defeat might have made her a little confused, but it was not enough to defeat her.

Therefore, what he really needed to do was not to comfort Guzheng, but to clear away the confusion in her heart.

After thinking for a moment, he said softly, "Just like these leaves on the ground, even if they wither, they will grow up with the surrounding trees in another way. I believe your grandmother is the same."

The air was silent for a moment, then the strange sound of the guzheng rang out from behind.

“My dad said something similar before, once when he was watching an old man fertilizing... Anyway, it was a very vulgar metaphor.”

Han Zhou was a little embarrassed: "I told you I don't know how to comfort people..."

"It may be corny, but it's very useful."

Guzheng interrupted him and laughed, "After that, I really felt that my grandmother was always watching me from heaven, wanting to see me become a unique person."

"A one-of-a-kind person?"

This wasn't the first time Han Zhou had heard this word from Gu Zheng.

But he had a feeling that this might be the first time he would listen to the other person's true wishes.

(End of this chapter)