Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 53 Brother
When Han Zhou and his companion arrived at the small square, they saw Zhong Ling standing far away at the entrance of the alley across the street, waiting.

The girl had her hair tied in a ponytail and a small blue cloth bag slung around her waist. Even while waiting in the sweltering heat, she showed no signs of impatience and exuded a tranquil aura.

Although she was still far away and couldn't see the girl's face clearly yet, Mo Yixia was still able to tell that she was a very beautiful girl.

She glanced at Han Zhou thoughtfully and said, "The reason you asked me for my friend's contact information last time was because of this girl, right?"

"That day was clearly your first time here. You shouldn't have seen her before, and it just so happens to be this square, this location... In other words, you set your sights on her that day. Considering that you showed some interest in me when we first met, can I assume that she was also one of your targets?"

"If we use 'hunting' as a metaphor for your actions, then we, as the prey, must possess some quality that is enough to attract you. If we also include the guzheng, the most obvious commonality we have is that we are young and beautiful. Although I think this might be an important factor, the reason is definitely not that simple..."

Mo Yixia's eyes were full of contemplation.

Han Zhou felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself, "Maybe we should just stop pretending. You should just admit that you're a secret agent who's been infiltrating some country for seventeen years, and I promise I won't report you..."

It's one thing to guess that Zhong Ling has a problem, but to actually include Gu Zheng, whom you've only met once, in the equation, and to make it right, is just too outrageous.

Honestly, even if this guy immediately pulled out an ID and said he was from a special department, she probably wouldn't suspect a thing. With that level of awareness, anyone who dates her in the future will have absolutely no chance of cheating...

Fortunately, Han Zhou was prepared for this and calmly said, "You're overthinking it. I accompanied a friend to this area a couple of days ago. He wanted to be friends with this girl, but there was a misunderstanding. I got punched for no reason. You can ask the girl if you don't believe me."

Although it sounds a bit strange, that's the truth. It wouldn't be wrong to say that knowing Zhong Ling was a coincidence. As long as the connection of clues can be broken, Mo Yixia's guess will go astray.

Because she was wearing sunglasses, Mo Yixia couldn't see Han Zhou's eyes, but she didn't seem to care. Her gaze was indifferent, and it was unclear whether she believed what he said.

"correct."

Han Zhou suddenly remembered something and took the opportunity to change the subject, "For some reason, that girl was speaking so softly that it was inaudible. You've been fighting with your mother for so long, you should know a little bit of lip reading, right?"

"No, I won't learn things that aren't very useful to me."

Mo Yixia glanced at him strangely and asked suspiciously, "You promised to take me out to play, you don't mean you want me to do something for you, do you?"

"Of course not, how could I possibly have such utilitarian thoughts!"

Han Zhou spoke with righteous indignation, but quickly coughed twice and chuckled awkwardly, "However, as I just said, there was some misunderstanding between us last time. That girl's sister doesn't seem to have a good impression of me. I'm not asking you to do anything, just play it by ear. Of course, it would be best if you could help me salvage my image if you had the chance..."

Zhong Ling's personality is actually quite good, but her older sister has a terrible temper. Last time, she punched him without saying a word and her attitude afterwards was quite rude.

Although this punch gave him a chance to get close to Zhong Ling, if he doesn't find a way to deal with that woman, it will be difficult to have more interaction with Zhong Ling in the future.

So in a sense, Mo Yixia could indeed be considered an outside helper in this meeting, but Han Zhou didn't expect her to do anything.

Mo Yixia was about to speak when she suddenly shut her mouth. As the two approached the alley entrance, Zhong Ling, who was not far away, had already seen them and waved gently in their direction, looking somewhat reserved.

Han Zhou strode forward, about to strike up a conversation, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. He then noticed a figure standing in the alley, none other than Zhong Yin with an icy expression.

I never expected this woman to be here too...

Zhong Yin first stared at Mo Yixia for a while, finding it strange that this girl was wearing a mask and a baseball cap in the sweltering heat, before coldly looking at Han Zhou.

"This is between us. Why did you bring other people with you?"

Miss, I am the victim you assaulted. Your appalling attitude is very problematic...

Han Zhou was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that Zhong Yin was holding a wrench. Startled, he quickly pulled Mo Yixia back and asked warily, "Can you tell me why you carry this thing with you?" This woman had a history of using violence without explanation, so he had to be careful. He was afraid that she might pick up the wrench and commit violence at the slightest provocation.

Mo Yixia glanced at him.

Of course, Zhong Yin couldn't tell the other person that she had brought a wrench because she was worried about danger. To be honest, she didn't want to see this person at all. She always felt that this guy had bad intentions. If she wasn't afraid that her sister would be bullied if she came alone, she wouldn't have bothered to come along.

Neither side seemed inclined to respond; each lost in their own thoughts, neither spoke, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.

Zhong Ling wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she found that no one paid any attention to her. So she lowered her head in grievance and kept tugging at her somewhat worn-out little cloth bag.

Just as the atmosphere was about to freeze, an uneasy voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

"Brother, does this sister mean she doesn't want to see me?"

It was a voice I had never heard before.

Han Zhou chuckled, wondering which little girl had come here to look for her brother, but he suddenly froze, his gaze becoming blank, and goosebumps rose on his skin—because there was no one else present, and the one who had just spoken was actually Mo Yixia!

And the "brother" she was referring to was undoubtedly herself...

The reason Han Zhou didn't notice it immediately was because the guy's voice and tone had changed, sounding rather girlish and innocent.

If you can even do this kind of disguise, how can you say you're not a secret agent?

Han Zhou was astonished and wanted to tell the guy to stop causing trouble, when Zhong Yin's questioning voice rang out: "Is this your sister?"

Before Han Zhou could speak, Mo Yixia interjected, "Yes, I heard that my brother had a misunderstanding with you a few days ago. If he did anything wrong, I apologize on his behalf and ask that you forgive him."

"Although my brother is stupid, clumsy, lacks tact, and is shameless, he is definitely not a bad person. You shouldn't have hit him, and you must apologize to my brother for that!"

Her gaze was quite firm, conveying a tone that said, "You're not leaving until you apologize."

Zhong Yin was taken aback. She hadn't noticed the girl's height before, but now she realized that the girl was wearing a high school uniform, which meant that she was a few years younger than her sister and was indeed her little sister.

Her expression softened subconsciously as she explained, "The matter between us and your brother isn't that simple."

Mo Yixia seemed not to hear, and shook her head, saying, "Our family has been poor since I was little. My brother is about to go to university. To earn tuition, he's been tutoring a smart and beautiful girl for a while now. He works very hard every day, can't afford fish, and his brain has become dull. He even had to hide this injury from me..."

She recounted her family's hardships in this way, her terrible and exaggerated lines sounding just like a contestant on a talent show trying to gain sympathy on stage. Han Zhou was too embarrassed to listen, but Zhong Yin seemed to be quite taken with it, and soon her expression turned sorrowful.

Han Zhou was overjoyed, never expecting Mo Yixia to have such a skill.

Good, keep going. But it would be even better if this guy could hide those expensive shoes he's wearing a little when he's talking about how poor his family is...

Mo Yixia described her family's situation as extremely tragic, leaving Zhong Yin stunned. Her family's situation wasn't good either, so she could empathize more with someone in the same predicament.

Seeing that she still had some doubts, Zhong Ling whispered a reminder: "Sister, it's true, the screen of his phone is broken. I noticed it the other day."

Of course, she wasn't deliberately lowering her voice; it was just that her voice was only that loud...

Zhong Yin hesitated.

(End of this chapter)