Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 457 Meaning
It was freezing cold, and with it being a weekend morning, Lincheng University was rather deserted today, with not many students coming and going.

Zhong Ling walked into the cafeteria alone, bought breakfast at her usual window, said "thank you" in a voice only she could hear, then found an empty seat, took off her gloves, pulled the scarf that covered half of her face down to her neck, revealing her small, round chin, and gently blew on the steaming hot porridge in her bowl.

Even such a simple action looked exceptionally cute on this girl, instantly attracting a lot of attention in the cafeteria.

Zhong Ling has a very regular schedule. She is usually the first one to wake up in the dormitory and does not have the habit of staying in bed. Even in the cold winter, she does this. Therefore, she usually eats alone in the cafeteria.

Since enrolling more than a year ago, she has become accustomed to living alone, rarely encountering strange people, and avoiding causing trouble for others.

However, in recent days, she has found that her habits seem to have been disrupted.

During the period before and after the sports meet, everyone would have dinner together almost every day, talking about the interesting things that happened that day, discussing who would take care of the juniors the next day, chatting, laughing, and playing around, getting along just like a family.

The room was small, but no one complained about being crowded. They would go out together to help their sister make pastries. After they finished, even just sitting together in silence was much happier than standing alone on the street watching a performance.

A crowded cramped space is far better than an empty, boundless expanse, and the tranquility of companionship is far better than the clamor of an empty place.

She hadn't experienced such liveliness in a long time since her parents passed away.

Although her older sister had always been there for her, due to her own issues, the two of them rarely spoke during meals. While she wasn't lonely, it was somewhat desolate.

But it's different now.

The quiet days are over, and life is getting better and better.

They no longer lived at the repair station far from the city center, but moved to a bustling commercial district. Every day, they were no longer faced with dust and grease that shouldn't belong to their sister, but with pastries that their sister genuinely loved.

The customers who used to come to her shop every day were no longer the occasional rude car drivers, but enthusiastic young students. They would not bully her just because she was alone, but would praise her pastries with great care.

The shop is doing very well, and at the latest, we will be able to save enough money in two years to allow my sister to have surgery to restore her hearing.

Zhong Ling has no regrets about supporting her sister's decision to sell the repair station. Although it does hold many precious memories that make her reluctant to part with it, her sister's happiness is more important, and there is no need for her to bear more burdens for her.

She could tell that her sister had been very happy lately.

As long as her sister is happy, she is happy.

However, her happiness wasn't entirely due to her sister.

Although she felt embarrassed to say it, she felt like she was gradually becoming braver and no longer as indecisive as she used to be.

Besides her sister's constant encouragement, the main reason was that whenever she asked her junior what he wanted to eat or drink, he would always smile and say "anything is fine," which forced her to learn to choose for herself.

She knew, of course, that her junior wasn't trying to tease her, so she kept up with the "training." Today, she can go to the supermarket to buy groceries by herself and has secretly decided to pick out a Christmas gift for everyone.

This is actually a very insignificant change, so insignificant that most people wouldn't need to train for it, but she still feels very happy because she is gradually becoming more mature, and maturity is growing up.

She enjoys spending time with her junior, not only because he helps her grow up, but also because he's a very interesting person who always says interesting things, and she never feels bored around him.

Most importantly... only her junior could hear every word she said clearly.

Even though she still couldn't make a sound that everyone could hear, with the help of her junior, she was able to communicate normally with everyone.

The junior would respond to every word she said with care and would always patiently relay her messages.

This has been the case ever since we first met.

The junior is a thoughtful and gentle person. He never says things she doesn't want to say, but if there are things she keeps in her heart and doesn't dare to say, he will always help her express them when he notices them.

For example, this sentence—

"How about we all get together for a meal on weekends from now on?"

The younger student noticed what she was worried about.

With the end of the sports meet and Yixia's departure, everyone's lives should have gradually returned to normal, and they should all be busy with their own things. They will no longer go to their sister's house for meals every day. Apart from occasionally taking care of their juniors, they will basically not meet each other.

Once the junior no longer needs anyone to take care of him, it means that the bond connecting everyone will be completely broken. Apart from holidays, it may be difficult for everyone to have a meal together again.

The once lively room will become deserted again.

She had been wanting to say something to persuade everyone to stay, but she couldn't muster the courage. Her junior classmate clearly noticed this, which is why he spoke up for her.

The junior's words were very effective, and everyone agreed almost without hesitation. Even the senior Wang Lengqiu, who seemed difficult to communicate with, listened to him.

She sometimes wonders if her life would be the way it is today if she hadn't met that junior.
No.

This question is meaningless.

It should be said that it was because of her encounter with her junior that day that her life became what it is today—

She and her junior were indeed destined to be together.

Thinking of this, a charming smile appeared on Zhong Ling's face. Her cute appearance immediately captivated the boys sitting not far away, who quickly raised their voices, trying to attract Zhong Ling's attention with humorous words.

Do you think it will snow this year?

"Probably. In my opinion, it should snow in winter, otherwise, wouldn't all this cold weather be a waste?"

"That makes sense. So what's the point of getting through the summer?"

"Nonsense, of course it's about the miniskirts and long legs."

"Hahaha……"

Unfortunately, the humorous remarks the group made went unheard by Zhong Ling. If Zhong Yin hadn't been there, he would have definitely frowned and pulled his sister away from those guys.

"That's really frivolous."

At the same time, a middle-aged couple, each carrying a bowl of porridge, passed by the group of boys. Upon hearing their conversation, the man frowned slightly and said, "Let's change seats."

The woman beside him suppressed a laugh and gave him a teasing look: "Didn't you just say that these kids are full of energy and that you wanted to ask them about Yu'er?"

"Hmph, having too much energy isn't a good thing. What's with all this talk about miniskirts and long legs? Who would discuss such things in public? Don't they know shame?"

"You're too stubborn. Young people these days just like to talk about handsome men and beautiful women. Anyway, it's not illegal, so what's wrong with chatting about them?"

"Hmph, I don't care about others, but if Yu'er's so-called boyfriend dares to be so frivolous, I won't allow them to be together!" "Don't play dumb, didn't you also have a crush on those female celebrities back then?"

The woman, who had been smiling, immediately became displeased. "I'm warning you, Yu'er has finally found someone she likes. Whether they're a real couple or not, we have to treat them as real. If you dare to ruin our daughter's marriage, I'll come back to settle the score with you in my next life!"

Upon hearing his wife's last words, a hint of sadness appeared on the man's stern face, and his tone softened: "Let's find a place to eat first."

The two looked around and saw a sweet-looking girl sitting alone in a corner, drinking porridge. The woman's eyes lit up, and she immediately walked over and said gently, "Little girl, is the seat next to you taken?"

Zhong Ling turned around and felt that the two people looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen them before. She thought they were teachers from school, so she gently shook her head to indicate that there was no one there.

"Can we sit down?"

She nodded.

"Thank you."

The two men sat down beside her.

Zhong Ling wanted to say "You're welcome," but unfortunately, the two of them couldn't hear her, so she just smiled and nodded, continuing to drink her porridge.

Strange... Why would a teacher come here instead of going to the teachers' cafeteria? She was puzzled.

Just then, the woman sitting next to her spoke again.

"Little girl, I know you. Your name is Zhong Ling, right?"

Zhong Ling wasn't surprised. She knew that many people at school recognized her, so she smiled and nodded politely again.

"You are so beautiful, so quiet and gentle, and you always smile. You look just like my daughter when she was young. You might even know her."

Liang Hongfei smiled gently. The reason she knew Zhong Ling was because she had heard of her name when she first entered the school. It was said that she was one of the six famous people of Lincheng University, just like Yu'er. The boys had also mentioned her name earlier.

She was certain that her old-fashioned husband was unaware of this, after all, he had already turned pale and walked away when he heard that his daughter's nickname was "covered in wounds".

Zhong Ling didn't know how to respond to that, and even if she knew, she couldn't say anything, so she just smiled and nodded.

"If only my junior were here..." she thought.

Liang Hongfei knew about Zhong Ling's situation, but Ouyang Wenhao did not. Seeing that the girl kept nodding and shaking her head without saying a word, he frowned inwardly, thinking that she did not know how to respect her elders. So he secretly nudged his wife, signaling her not to try to win him over.

She is indeed beautiful, but unfortunately she has no manners... he thought to himself.

Unexpectedly, his wife seemed oblivious to his hint and continued with a smile, "By the way, young lady, you're so pretty, do you have a boyfriend?"

Zhong Ling shook her head.

"You'd better find one as soon as possible. I've heard that if you don't have a proper relationship in college, you'll regret it later."

At this point, Liang Hongfei couldn't help but sigh, "My daughter is like that. Because of her strict upbringing, she didn't have many male acquaintances when she was in college, let alone dating. Now, despite having such good qualities, she can't even find a marriage partner."

She gave her husband a reproachful look.

Ouyang Wenhao was a little embarrassed, but quickly resumed his stern demeanor and slowly began to drink the porridge in his bowl.

It was indeed his requirement that his daughter not be allowed to date during college, but Yu'er hadn't thought about dating at that time. What did it have to do with him if she couldn't find a marriage partner?
Zhong Ling was surprised that the female teacher had so much to say. She subconsciously tugged at her small bag, unsure whether to nod or shake her head.

Seeing her hesitation, Liang Hongfei couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Do you have someone you like? If so, don't hesitate! Be brave, no one will refuse you with your qualifications."

Perhaps because she has a daughter who doesn't want to get married, this mother wishes she could become the matchmaker and bring a wonderful romance to every girl in the world.

The person I like...

For some reason, the moment Zhong Ling heard those words, the image of her junior's smiling face involuntarily appeared in her mind.

She subtly increased the grip on the small cloth bag in her hand, immediately forcing herself to forget the thought, and then nodded with a smile.

However, such an obvious change in emotion did not escape Liang Hongfei's notice. Her smile became even gentler, and she said softly, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

Zhong Ling shook her head.

"Don't always try to suppress your emotions, otherwise it might backfire," Liang Hongfei said earnestly.

She always suspected that the reason her daughter was unwilling to have a relationship was because she had been restricted too much at home. She was not allowed to date before graduation, and after graduation, she was constantly urged to go on blind dates. This eventually led to a strong rebellious mentality, and she would rather stay single for the rest of her life than get married.

It was precisely because she was so worried about this happening that, after noticing the close relationship between her daughter and her student named Han Zhou, Liang Hongfei had the idea of ​​trying to bring the two together, regardless of whether it was true or not.

Her old-fashioned husband only knew rules, saying that teachers and students absolutely could not be together, and this was obviously just an excuse Yu'er was using to stall for time. She might as well just call him out on it; there was no need to waste time with her.

This is complete nonsense.

She knew Yu'er too well.

If she hadn't truly fallen for him, Yu'er would never have casually chosen a man to pretend to be her boyfriend, let alone one of her students.

Moreover, she clearly remembered that during the last video call, Yu'er simply let the boy named Han Zhou stay at home, then went to the bathroom to take a shower, and even asked him to help her get her pajamas. This was enough to show that the two were definitely not just ordinary teacher and student.

Liang Hongfei didn't know what that boy named Han Zhou was thinking, but Yu'er was definitely moved, even if only a little bit.

Given that girl's slowness, she probably just hasn't realized it yet.

She had inquired when she first entered the school and learned that Yu'er hadn't been injured for a long time. She heard that the students at the school were planning to give her a nicer nickname.

Perhaps even Yu'er herself didn't know what this meant, but she knew—

Yu'er finally stopped focusing solely on her research projects.

A part of her heart had been separated at some point and used to think about other things.

And that's what it is...

This helped her refocus her attention on reality.

(End of this chapter)