Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 48 This is Favoritism

Shameful, so incredibly shameful...

Han Zhou stared at the ceiling with a look of frustration, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

What kind of mental state did I have to say those things?
As soon as the conversation ended, Miao Yan'er went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Usually, Gu Zheng was in charge of washing the dishes, but since Gu Zheng had cooked today, the task of washing the dishes naturally fell to her, the mother.

The mother and daughter had a very clear division of labor.

Han Zhou suspected that he was likely affected by the side effects of ending his elite sycophant state, which made his emotions more volatile than usual, which is why he blurted out so many things in a moment of impulse.

This is Guzheng's own mother! How dare I presumptuously lecture her? And what's with all this talk about the sun shining...

Han Zhou was extremely embarrassed, not knowing how Sister Miao would secretly laugh at him.

Just then, Guzheng walked out of the room with a displeased look on her face. Her huge rice bowl was already empty. Although she was protesting by going on a hunger strike, she hadn't neglected her stomach at all.

Han Zhou reminded her, "Your mom went to wash the dishes. She said there's rice left in the pot, and we can add more if it's not enough."

Do you think I'm a good-for-nothing?

Gu Zheng glared at him fiercely, silently walked to the rice cooker, lifted the lid to take a look, and said, "Come back and eat. Come with me for a walk."

"Now?"

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, looking at the glutton in front of him.

"What's wrong? Didn't you eat enough?"

"I'm full, but not really..."

Just thinking about Han Zhou makes me angry. He was mainly full from drinking soup and didn't eat a proper bite of rice. He'll probably be very hungry tonight.

Being a simp is harmful.

"Then let's go." Gu Zheng didn't wait for a reply, and started changing her shoes at the door while loudly announcing, "Mom, we're going out for a bit!"

"Be careful! Remember, you can't just hit people! I've taught you how to use self-defense legally!"

Miao Yan'er's voice came from the kitchen, and her reminder was quite hardcore.

Are you a member of the mafia...?

Han Zhou put on his sunglasses while complaining, and went out with Gu Zheng.

Although the sun was about to set, the air was still extremely hot and dry. The scorching heat was palpable as soon as they stepped outside. The two took the elevator and went downstairs in silence.

Han Zhou remained silent because he was embarrassed. After all, he had said those things to Gu Zheng not long ago, and given the guy's temper, it was already a big favor that he hadn't given him a few punches.

As for why Guzheng was also silent, that remains unknown. Logically, she should have pressed him for details about what he and Sister Miao had talked about as soon as they left, but she seemed completely unconcerned at the moment.

As an old residential area, Huadu Community is not large, even very small. Most of the residential buildings are close together, with green plants filling the remaining gaps. The roads are quite narrow, leaving little space for walking. So Guzheng took Han Zhou out of the community after getting off the elevator.

Han Zhou greeted the security guard and asked, "Where are we going?"

"There's a park on the left ahead, we've been there before."

Gu Zheng tucked her hair back and looked very quiet. Usually, she would speak with a smile, but her calm expression at this moment gave her a serene and youthful feel.

The western clouds were dyed into a magnificent fiery sunset, turning half the sky crimson, stretching all the way to the horizon, as if bidding farewell to the setting sun.

A gentle breeze, carrying the sweltering air, stirred the girl's hair. She suddenly stopped, looked up at the scene, her lips slightly parted, her expression showing some emotion.

"What a nice view."

Han Zhou, however, thought it was nothing special and sighed, "You probably rarely look up, so this kind of sight is quite common."

Gu Zheng withdrew her gaze and said irritably, "Do you think I'm as free as you? I'm usually at home when you're not coming to see me."

"doing what?"

"Studying, exercising, doing housework... there are many things to do, but this is a holiday. If it were school, I would spend most of my time studying."

"You're so cool."

"..."

The two arrived at a park in the old town. The park was not large, and there was hardly anyone around. There was practically no scenery worth seeing. However, after walking a little further in, they could see a swing, the kind that you step on, which looked quite old.

Guzheng loves the swings here because she can swing very, very high, and no one can do it as well as her.

Children will be amazed by this scene and jump around calling their friends to come and see, but the children's parents will usually hurriedly pull their children away because they feel that this behavior is too dangerous and may lead the children astray.

Not everyone can play the guzheng like that.

Han Zhou was a real weakling; he could only swing on the swing a couple of times, almost like an old man. In the past, at this time, Gu Zheng would run up behind him and push him hard. Once she saw his pathetic state, she would burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

Then, with a disdainful look, he dismissed the novice and personally demonstrated the true joy of swinging.

However, the guzheng did not do that today, nor did it swing the swing high as usual.

Looking at the girl standing on the swing gazing into the distance, Han Zhou suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Was Gu Zheng going for an artistic vibe? So he tiptoed behind her and gave the swing a hard push with all his might.

It has to be said that his face with sunglasses on, coupled with his furtive appearance, made him look exactly like a criminal who was scouting the area.

With his full effort, the swing swung much higher and faster. Gu Zheng's hair and clothes fluttered, and the dolphin pendant around her neck swayed. But she wasn't scared at all, and she didn't scream like a normal girl.

She gave Han Zhou a disdainful look, then smiled helplessly. "Han Zhou, you're so childish."

"Heh, that's not what someone said when they pushed me like this before. Instead, they said it was a kind of training."

Han Zhou gave the swing another hard push. Seeing that Gu Zheng's expression remained unchanged, he knew that revenge was hopeless. He could only sigh and accuse her, "Besides, you used much more force back then than I do now."

Guzheng felt the hot wind blowing against her ear and said slowly, "That's because I can catch you no matter what, and I won't let you get hurt. But can you catch me?"

She glanced sideways at Han Zhou.

The latter considered it carefully for a moment, then hesitated and said, "That probably can't be done, you're quite heavy..."

Gu Zheng didn't say anything, but while the swing was falling, she gave him a light punch, which shut the annoying guy up.

Having been caught off guard, Han Zhou quickly moved aside, rubbing his arm, and said, "I may not be able to catch you, but I'm sure you won't fall, so there's no need to worry about it at all."

Gu Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled smugly, her eyes curving into crescents: "That's true, unless there's a problem with the swing, I definitely won't fall off."

This sentence sounded like a flag, and Han Zhou's heart tightened. He immediately became alert and prepared to deal with any unexpected situations. Fortunately, the swing was of better quality than expected and there were no problems.

The guzheng fell silent, swaying gently on the swing, its swaying shadow stretching long in the setting sun.

Standing on the swing, she could see half of the setting sun sinking into the western mountains. She didn't look at it for long before she fell into thought, looking as if she was in a daze.

Her expression suddenly became somewhat strange, and she asked, "Han Zhou, what does 'chasing the sun through the hips' mean?"

Han Zhou was taken aback, then said irritably, "You were indeed eavesdropping."

Guzheng pouted, unconvinced: "It's because you were talking too loudly... So what does this word actually mean?"

She hadn't actually intended to eavesdrop; she had only gone out to get some food, but she suddenly overheard Han Zhou and her mother talking, so she hid behind the wall and listened for a while.

Well, this can only be considered listening in, not eavesdropping.

"Literally."

Han Zhou gave a vague answer, saying that the story of Kuafu chasing the sun was a myth from his previous life, and he didn't want to explain it further.

"The literal meaning..."

Gu Zheng's expression grew increasingly strange. She shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly mustered her courage to ask loudly, "Han Zhou, you said I am your sun, is...is that true?"

Her voice was strong and clear, but she turned her head away when she asked the question, clearly not wanting Han Zhou to see her expression.

I did say you were like the sun, that's true, but when did I ever say you were my sun?

Han Zhou smiled bitterly to himself, but did not deny it aloud: "Yes, it's true."

Gu Zheng's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly straightened her face and asked, "But I have a bad personality, will you hate me in the future?"

She didn't specify any particular aspect of her personality, and her voice sounded somewhat uneasy, as if she was worried about hearing a negative answer.

No one made a sound; even the wind had stopped at some point, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

After not hearing Han Zhou's reply for a long time, Gu Zheng felt a little scared for no reason. She quickly turned her head and saw that he had somehow come to her side and was standing by the swing, gazing into the distance. His sunglasses reflected the red glow of the setting sun, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. At first glance, he was quite handsome.

"Guzheng, have you forgotten something?" he said in a deep voice, as if he were talking about something very important.

"what?"

"I can't live without you."

He would be even more handsome if he didn't speak so rudely.

Despite saying the same nonsensical thing, a bright smile appeared on Guzheng's face. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart. She turned her head away and said mercifully, "Then I'll let you live a good life."

Although he didn't answer directly, Han Zhou's meaning was already quite clear.

She smiled broadly.

Han Zhou smiled too. He had been worried that Gu Zheng would continue to be downcast, but now it seemed that he had worried too much.

However, looking at the temporary task that was about to end in the status bar, even though he knew that one minute was not enough time to do anything, he still couldn't help but ask, "Guzheng, I have a question for you."

"what is the problem?"

The girl had regained her usual energy and looked very excited. She swung the swing higher and higher, as if she might be thrown off at any moment.

Han Zhou tentatively asked, "To you, what would constitute favoritism?"

"preference?"

Gu Zheng froze for a few seconds, then suddenly exerted force with her legs and waist, and the swing spun 360 degrees in an instant. Han Zhou was scared half to death and hurriedly tried to catch her.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. Guzheng came to a steady stop, and there was not a trace of panic on her face.

The swing gradually came to a stop. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, looked at Han Zhou's frightened expression, suddenly snatched his sunglasses, pointed at his panda eyes and burst into laughter, her eyes curving into beautiful crescent moons.

As she laughed, she pointed a finger to the distant sky, where the last rays of the setting sun lingered as darkness fell.

"To me... that's favoritism."

[Temporary task completed, 10 points earned]

(End of this chapter)