Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 83 You let Han Zhou answer the phone

"Go to your home?"

Han Zhou never expected that Gu Zheng would make such a suggestion, and not just talk about it, but she didn't give him any chance to hesitate at all. Without saying a word, she dragged him to the back seat of the car and slammed the door shut.

The driver, a middle-aged man, assumed they were a couple who had just had a fight and then made up. He had seen them arguing and pulling at each other. After confirming the passengers' information was correct, he turned the steering wheel and drove the car towards Huadu Residential Area.

Forced into the car, Han Zhou realized it was too late to leave. He said helplessly, "It's not like I can't go back. Why would I go to your house?"

Gu Zheng simply didn't want to separate from Han Zhou so soon, and she was also a little worried that he would get caught in the rain on his way back. In a moment of impulse, she suggested that he come to stay at her house. Now that she thinks about it, she realizes that she was a bit impulsive. After all, it's quite embarrassing for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together.

She was initially a little embarrassed, but upon hearing this, she immediately became displeased: "My parents aren't coming back tonight, and I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?"

Han Zhou chuckled dryly twice: "I'm only scared if your parents don't come back..."

"Coward, I'm not going to eat you."

Gu Zheng pouted and casually made up an excuse for herself, "I just suddenly got hungry and wanted you to make me a midnight snack later. You're a pretty good cook."

Now that things had come to this, Han Zhou knew he couldn't leave, and there was no need for him to go home anyway, so he said helplessly, "Fine."

The driver, who had been eavesdropping in the front, smiled and asked, "Young man, are you two a couple?"

"No," Han Zhou and Gu Zheng said in unison.

They're about to sleep in the same room, and you still say they're not a couple? Are you kidding me?

The driver didn't believe it at all. He was already bored driving on a rainy day, but seeing that there were two young passengers, he started to find topics to talk about.

"What's so hard to admit? My wife and I started dating when we were around your age, only eighteen or nineteen. You're still in school, right?"

"Yes, I'm in college," Han Zhou replied.

"very nice."

The driver chuckled and said, “Going to university is great. You should cherish your time at school. At your age, we’ve already stopped studying and started working to earn money. We said we were going to date, but we only saw each other a few times a year. Back then, cell phones were rare, so we could only make a call occasionally. When we finally did meet, we always ended up arguing. Now, I don’t have any fond memories of it.”

"I often hear college students and teachers say that it would be a pity not to have a relationship in college, otherwise it would be difficult to have a proper relationship after entering the workforce."

The driver was very talkative and couldn't stop talking once he started.

Gu Zheng asked curiously, "Uncle, may I ask how old you are now?"

"Young lady, you can't just ask a woman's age, and the same goes for men, but I can make an exception and tell you," the driver joked. "I'm in my fifties, and my two children are older than you; they're already working."

Gu Zheng did the math for a moment, then said with a look of longing, "Then you and Auntie have been together for over thirty years, haven't you? To be able to walk hand in hand with each other from your youth to your wedding day, and grow old together, that in itself is a beautiful thing. How can you say there aren't any beautiful memories?"

The driver smiled and shook his head: "Young lady, you don't understand. It's not as wonderful as you imagine. We argue every other day, and we've broken up and gotten back together countless times. We just make do."

Gu Zheng disagreed: "It's good enough that we can be together. My parents also argue, but they have always been very loving."

Han Zhou thought to himself, "Of course! Every time your parents argue, your dad gets beaten and apologizes. How can they not be loving?"
However, he also felt it was rare, saying, "It's really not easy to have come this far. This kind of relationship is enviable."

The driver smiled without saying a word.

Gu Zheng thought for a moment and then asked, "Uncle, if I may ask, was Auntie your first love?"

"Yes, we were each other's first love and got married a long time ago."

The driver smiled and answered readily.

"Wow, this is so wonderful."

Gu Zheng exclaimed in amazement. She felt envious that she could walk hand in hand with the person she fell in love with at first sight, a simple and pure love that seemed to only exist in books.

"Is it wonderful? I wouldn't say so."

Unexpectedly, the driver looked regretful and continued, "I actually dated a few other women in between, but it wasn't until recently that I finally got together with my current wife."

With other women?
Gu Zheng was startled and blurted out, "Isn't this a scumbag? And didn't you two get married a long time ago? Why did you only officially get together recently?"

"You can't just say things like that. I'm not some kind of scumbag."

The driver explained with a smile, "As I just said, my wife and I have broken up and gotten back together many times. We divorced not long after we got married, and then we both started new relationships and remarried and divorced several times. Who knew that we would get back together by chance not long ago? I can only say that we are quite destined to be together."

Gu Zheng was dumbfounded. This was not what she had expected. She asked blankly, "Is this what you mean by separation and reunion?"

Did I misunderstand? Does "separation and reunion" mean that the couple gets married and divorced several times?
"Otherwise what?" the driver asked, somewhat puzzled.

Gu Zheng suddenly stopped believing in love.

Even as she got off the bus, she still looked distraught, clearly deeply shocked by the story she had just heard. Han Zhou couldn't help but say helplessly, "Why do you look like you've lost your soul? The driver was just lying to you."

"Why?" Gu Zheng finally came to her senses.

"Didn't you notice?" Han Zhou smiled. "His tone was very gentle when he mentioned his wife."

Sure enough, the driver suddenly rolled down the window and said with a smile, "This young man is right, I was just joking. Sorry, young lady."

He handed you a folding umbrella through the car window, saying, "It's still quite a walk to get into the neighborhood, isn't it? How can you manage in this rain without an umbrella? Here, take this umbrella as an apology for the joke we just had." "No way..."

"It's okay, take it. I don't need an umbrella while driving. My wife insisted on putting this umbrella in the car when I left today."

Han Zhou was surprised that this uncle still remembered to show them some affection at this time. He smiled and took the umbrella, saying, "Thank you, uncle."

"This umbrella is a bit small, you'll have to squeeze in."

The driver smiled, waved, closed the window, and drove away.

Han Zhou watched the car drive away, then opened his umbrella and nudged Gu Zheng's arm: "What are you standing there for? Let's go."

"Oh." Guzheng walked under the umbrella, the two of them very close, and stepped into the rain.

"Have you eaten too much and gained weight? Don't squeeze me, my shoulder is all wet."

"You're the fat one! I didn't squeeze you at all, you're the one squeezing me!"

"This umbrella is only so big, why are you standing so far away? Come closer, even closer."

"Men and women are not allowed to kiss each other!"

"That's not what you said when you asked me to carry you away today... Wait, why did you hit me?"

"..."

The rain was so heavy today that the umbrella the driver gave them couldn't keep them dry at all. Han Zhou and Gu Zheng were practically glued together. By the time they got back to their room, they were still soaked, completely drenched, and even their shoes were wet.

Gu Zheng took a towel from the bathroom to dry her hair, then tossed one to Han Zhou. She then laughed at his appearance and teased him, "You look like a drowned rat."

Han Zhou said irritably, "Look in the mirror and see how much better you are?"

Gu Zheng pouted; she was indeed in a rather disheveled state.

She took off the dolphin pendant, dried it, and frowned, saying, "No, you'll catch a cold like this. You need to take a hot shower and change your clothes. You go ahead and shower, I'll go find my dad's clothes for you to change into, tidy up the guest room, and call my mom while I'm at it."

She could decide for herself to let Han Zhou stay overnight, but she still needed to inform her parents about such matters.

Han Zhou had no objection, but asked, "What, not going to have a late-night snack?"

"I'm not eating anymore, all you ever think about is eating!" Gu Zheng glared at him and added, "If you're going to eat, it's not now. Go take a shower right now, turn to the right for hot water, I'll find you some clothes."

She went to her parents' room and found her father's shirt in the closet, while simultaneously dialing Miao Yan'er's number.

Upon hearing that Han Zhou was going to stay at her house for the night, Miao Yan'er was initially surprised, but then smiled and said, "Great! It's really inconvenient to go back in such heavy rain. Why don't you prepare a guest room for him to stay in?"

She trusted Han Zhou and wasn't worried about anything happening. Even if the boy was really audacious, Gu Zheng's fists wouldn't let him succeed.

Miao Yan'er was on the phone getting updates on the day's events. Gu Zheng didn't hang up. While talking, she found a change of clothes, tossed them to Han Zhou who was waiting in the living room, and then ran off to tidy up the guest room.

Seeing her still busy despite being soaking wet, Han Zhou couldn't help but smile and suddenly said, "By the way, Guzheng, I actually have half a sentence left to say today."

"What?"

Gu Zheng was a little puzzled and stopped in front of the guest room door to look at him.

"Regarding the line 'I don't need your protection,' when I said that I've mastered my skills and no longer need your protection, there's actually half a sentence I didn't say: 'From now on, it's my turn to protect you.'"

Han Zhou felt a little ashamed of what he was saying, which was why he hadn't said it before. He shook his fist like he was playing the guzheng, "That's roughly the idea."

Gu Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled and said with her eyes crinkling, "With your sickly appearance, you can't even beat me, yet you want to protect me?"

"We should look at the things around us with a developmental perspective. I am not the same as I used to be."

"I don't believe it." Gu Zheng thought the guy was just bragging.

"Do not believe?"

Han Zhou picked up his change of clothes and headed to the bathroom, taunting, "Then after I shower, we'll have a three-hundred-round battle, and I'll show you what I'm capable of."

Gu Zheng naturally accepted the challenge, coldly snorting, "I won't hold back. This is a good opportunity to get revenge for the times you tricked me before."

They signed a "life-or-death agreement" here, but Miao Yan'er on the other end of the phone was not calm.

How about a three-hundred-round battle after a shower? Want to experience the thrill?

What does that mean? Is Han Zhou trying to get ahead of himself?

She suddenly began to doubt whether agreeing to let Han Zhou stay overnight was the right decision.

After a moment of silence, Miao Yan'er took a deep breath and spoke with a cold laugh into her phone.

"Xiao Zheng, let Han Zhou answer the phone."

(End of this chapter)