Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 461 Fate
Gu Zheng searched for a long time, from Angel Lake all the way to the library, and then searched the playground again, and finally saw Ouyang Lianyu's parents in the cafeteria.

She was still thinking about how to approach the two when she saw Zhong Ling sitting next to them from afar. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over, smiling and greeting them.

Good morning, senior.

Zhong Ling smiled and nodded, patted the seat next to her, indicating that she should sit down next to her. At the same time, as if she had thought of something, she typed a line on her phone and held it up to the other person.

"These two are my junior's elders."

Han Zhou's elders?
Gu Zheng sneered inwardly. The main reason she rushed over was not only to help Teacher Ouyang, but also because she didn't want Teacher Ouyang's parents to spread the word at school that Teacher Ouyang had a boyfriend.

Lately, she's been hearing rumors that Han Zhou is Wang Lengqiu's boyfriend, which is already enough to upset her. She doesn't want to hear any more gossip, especially since it could damage Professor Ouyang's reputation.

She had already heard from Han Zhou that Teacher Ouyang's parents were old-fashioned and rigid, believing that girls should get married early and stay at home to be good wives and mothers. They insisted on forcing Teacher Ouyang to go back to find a husband and get married, which is why Teacher Ouyang had no choice but to ask Han Zhou to pretend to be her boyfriend.

Gu Zheng is strong-willed and competitive by nature, and she despises such outdated ideas. Therefore, she didn't have a good impression of Ouyang Lianyu's parents from the beginning.

Hearing the two men claim to be Han Zhou's elders, she became even angrier, suspecting that they had been spreading rumors throughout the school that Teacher Ouyang was getting married, even mentioning Han Zhou's name directly, without considering the consequences of their actions.

Despite her dissatisfaction, she still had to show respect to Ouyang's parents, so she pretended not to know anything and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, uncles and aunts, my name is Guzheng, and I am a friend of yours."

Liang Hongfei was taken aback. She thought that a girl as beautiful as Zhong Ling would be rare, but she didn't expect to meet a second one so soon.

She had certainly noticed Zhong Ling's actions. The fact that the other party had specifically emphasized to the girl named Guzheng that they were Xiao Han's elders meant that the girl also knew Xiao Han.
It seems that Xiao Han is really popular with girls... She thought of the thin girl in the video again, and her heart, which had just been at ease, immediately jumped again.

Gathering her thoughts, Liang Hongfei smiled and said, "Hello, young lady, are you here for breakfast in the cafeteria?"

Compared to her enthusiasm, Ouyang Wenhao appeared quite serious, merely nodding slightly without uttering a word.

Gu Zheng had already eaten breakfast, but if she answered that, it would seem suspicious that she had suddenly run to the cafeteria. So she smiled and said, "Yes, wait for me."

After saying that, he randomly found a window with fewer people to queue up, intending to buy a few steamed buns, since he could eat them all.

While she was away, Liang Hongfei tentatively asked, "Young lady, what is the relationship between this girl and Xiao Han?"

Zhong Ling hesitated for a moment before typing a reply: "They are also close friends."

"Oh, I didn't know that Xiao Han knew so many pretty girls," Liang Hongfei said with a hint of relief.

Gu Zheng quickly returned to her seat with Baozi, and without any intention of beating around the bush, she went straight to the point: "Uncle and Aunt, are you here to visit Han Zhou at school?"

"Yes, and we also want to see our daughter."

Zhong Ling was stunned. Her junior's elder's daughter? Wasn't that her junior's relative? Her junior had relatives at school, how come she had never mentioned it before?

Then Liang Hongfei continued, "These two children are getting on in years, and it's time for them to find suitable partners to settle down with. I'm considering whether to set a date and start preparing for their wedding as soon as possible."

Planning...planning a wedding?!

Zhong Ling's eyes widened, and she felt as if her heart had been inexplicably clenched. She quickly shook her head and typed, "The junior has only just started college. He's not old."

Gu Zheng was also stunned, holding the half-eaten bun and standing there frozen. She had only heard that Han Zhou would pretend to be Teacher Ouyang's boyfriend, but she had never heard that they would prepare for a wedding. A wedding is not a joke. What if they actually started acting?
"Haha, you guys are overreacting. I was just joking. Xiao Han is too young; marriage is indeed too early for him," Liang Hongfei said with a laugh.

Ouyang Wenhao, standing beside him, frowned slightly and said sternly, "Don't joke about this kind of thing."

Zhong Ling and Gu Zheng both breathed a sigh of relief. Zhong Ling lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly. She didn't know why she reacted so strongly. Perhaps it was because if her junior really got married, she wouldn't be able to get along with him like before.

She had never thought about this before, but now that someone had brought it up, she finally realized that her junior would eventually get married and have children. This was something that should be celebrated and made her happy, but for some reason, a faint sadness welled up in her heart.

Looking at the hand warmer on her lap, Zhong Ling realized that she was still not very comfortable with typing and communicating with people.

She had grown accustomed to her junior patiently relaying her messages, and she loved how he would smile and wave whenever she rang the bell in her hand. If her junior got married, she probably would never find someone who could patiently respond to her every word again.

Correct.

This must be why she feels sad right now. Zhong Ling tugged at the small cloth bag at her waist and stared blankly at her phone screen, which was currently showing her chat with her junior.

Looking at the latest message, she suddenly froze. Because she had been typing in the input box, she had forgotten to delete a line and had unintentionally sent it, only realizing it now—

"I don't like junior students."

Looking at those six cold words on the screen, Zhong Ling felt her breath catch in her throat. She quickly pressed and held down the message to try and recall it, but too much time had passed and she couldn't find the recall option.

not like this……

She was at a loss, raising her fingers to type an explanation, but then she remembered that the guzheng was right beside her, and the marriage her junior's elders had just mentioned. She hesitated for a long time, almost tearing the small cloth bag at her waist, before finally giving up the idea of ​​explaining.

How to explain it?
If it's not that you don't like it, then doesn't that mean you like it?
No...you absolutely cannot say that.

I can't cause trouble for my juniors.

Like a river suddenly flowing backward, she quickly suppressed all her emotions, including the sudden surge of intense sadness, and buried them deep in her heart.

At the same time, Guzheng, who had noticed something was wrong, looked down and asked with concern, "Senior, are you alright?"

"I am fine."

She smiled faintly and gently shook her head.

"Are you really alright?" Gu Zheng looked suspicious. "I felt like you were acting strange just now..."

Zhong Ling still had a smile on her face. She opened her phone's notes app and typed, "I was just thinking, when you and your junior get married in the future, can I be your bridesmaid?"

She intentionally adjusted the angle of her phone, so Liang Hongfei didn't see those words.

Gu Zheng was taken aback, and a blush instantly spread across her cheeks. However, she quickly overcame her shyness, nodded vigorously, and her eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons.

"of course!"

"Can I stand next to you?"

"Of course you can, but isn't it a bit too early to talk about that now..."

Gu Zheng was a little embarrassed, since there were still people around, so she spoke close to Zhong Ling's ear.

"It's getting late."

Zhong Ling smiled faintly and shook her head.

She didn't type this time, so Guzheng wasn't quite sure what she meant by shaking her head. She smiled and said, "When you become a bride in the future, I will definitely be your bridesmaid."

Zhong Ling paused, then smiled and nodded, but said something else entirely—

"No need, being the bridesmaid closest to the bride once is enough for me."

December 2nd, the second day of the eleventh lunar month.

Suitable for weddings, travel, burials, medical treatment, consecration, and praying for children.

Almost everything is suitable.

However, there are still a few taboos.

Zhong Ling is not a very lucky person, so she checks the almanac every day before going out, but she still often has bad luck. That's why she believes that she and Han Zhou are destined to be together - because since they met, all her bad luck seems to have disappeared.

She and her junior really have a special connection.

But it seems like we're missing a bit of fate.

(End of this chapter)