Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 89: So I'm a rich second-generation heir?
Zhong Ling seemed to have a lot to say, but seeing that it was still early and that Han Zhou and Zhong Ling were both a little thirsty, they didn't continue to the mobile phone store. Instead, they found a milk tea shop nearby.

There were quite a few people sitting in the shop, and as expected, most of them were couples. The two attracted a lot of attention when they entered. Han Zhou first asked Zhong Ling what she wanted to drink, and then asked her to find a seat.

From the waiter's perspective, the girl hadn't even answered what she wanted to drink when the boy walked right over, as if it was just a symbolic inquiry.

"Hello, I'd like two iced cola, medium size, please."

The clerk gave a polite smile and said, "Okay, two Cokes, is there anything else you need?"

"No thanks."

Han Zhou took out his phone to pay.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The shop assistant smiled and nodded, but in his heart he was thinking, "This guy is really handsome, but he's a bit stingy. I didn't hear the girl say she wanted a Coke. Coke is probably the cheapest drink in the store. Why not just order a milk tea?"

Hmm, it seems like this customer is facing some financial difficulties; their phone screen is completely cracked...

The customers in the store didn't pay much attention to this scene, and even if they did, they didn't care. However, some people made contemptuous laughs.

The sarcasm in the laughter was completely undisguised. Han Zhou's hearing was now excellent, and he could hear the conversation in the distance. He knew that the laughter was directed at him, but he didn't care.

Like Guzheng, he doesn't care much about other people's opinions, let alone such childish ridicule; otherwise, he would have changed his phone long ago.

Zhong Ling probably wanted to drink cola to save money, and he chose cola simply to quench his thirst. If he could have ordered plain water, he probably would have just asked for a glass of water.

He could roughly understand what the mockers were thinking. Perhaps they thought he was too poor and Coke was too cheap. However, he really didn't understand what was so interesting about comparing drinking milk tea. Was it about who had a higher incidence of diabetes?
With an air of composure, Han Zhou paid the bill using his cracked phone, returned to his seat, placed the phone on the table, and checked for any new messages.

Zhong Ling took out her shattered phone from her small cloth bag and placed it on the table without any hesitation. She then folded her hands on her lap and asked softly, "Junior, how much is the Coke? I'll transfer it to you."

Han Zhou laughed and said, "No need, it's just a few dollars, consider it my treat."

Zhong Ling shook her head and said seriously, "No, my sister said that one should not accept a reward without merit. I cannot let others treat me to a meal, not even if it's cheap."

Zhong Yin did say something similar, but the wording was much harsher. In short, it meant "those who offer unsolicited favors are either treacherous or thieves." Zhong Ling, of course, would not say that about Han Zhou, so she changed it to "one should not accept rewards without merit."

Han Zhou chuckled and said, "It's just a Coke, what's the big deal? Consider it a return gift for the dinner you treated me and Yi Xia to last time."

Zhong Ling shook her head again: "That meal was originally an apology from my sister, there's no need for a return gift."

"Then consider it a return gift for the plums you gave us."

"That's just a small token of my appreciation, a personal apology, and there's no need for a return gift."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "Isn't it unnecessary to calculate it so precisely..."

Zhong Ling explained, "My sister said that if you don't want to be harassed by strangers, you have to figure everything out as much as possible when you're with people."

That Zhong Yin guy, he treats interpersonal relationships like accounts, fine, but how did he end up teaching that same thing to his senior...?

Han Zhou thought to himself, but he couldn't completely understand it. Similar to using the word "get lost" to reject all advances, it was a clumsy way to avoid most of the trouble, but it was just too blunt.

It's not that this is necessarily bad, but it's mostly tiring and inevitably gives people a feeling of being unapproachable. I believe no one likes to be around someone who is "petty and calculating".

Han Zhou didn't hide his thoughts and said, "I don't think what Sister Yin said is necessarily right. Besides, we're not strangers anymore. It's not strange for friends to treat each other to something occasionally."

Zhong Ling blinked, seemingly hesitant, and asked in surprise, "Are we friends?"

Han Zhou's eyes widened: "Isn't that right?"

That question is truly hurtful.

"No, that's not what I meant."

Zhong Ling realized that Han Zhou had misunderstood, and quickly explained, "I only consider you a friend. I was just worried that you wouldn't feel the same way. I was just wondering if you would be angry if I suddenly told you about my situation, since we've only met three times and we're not even close friends..."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then found it both funny and exasperating. He hadn't expected the other person to have similar concerns to his own, to the point that he was being somewhat hesitant.

However, their relationship is indeed strange. They have only met three times, but they get along quite well. Perhaps this is what is called being compatible?
"Of course I'm not angry, but I'm actually a little curious why you're willing to tell me such an important story. You didn't plan to tell me before. As you said, we've only met three times, so we're not exactly acquaintances."

Han Zhou was somewhat puzzled by this.

"Because I feel we are very destined for each other."

Zhong Ling smiled and said somewhat shyly, "I know my voice is so soft that it's inaudible, but you can hear me clearly. It's quite amazing. I think the reason is definitely not just because you have good hearing."

After Han Zhou left that day, she and Zhong Yin thought about it again and again, but they still couldn't believe that anyone's hearing could be that good. But the facts were right in front of them and they had to believe it. She didn't know what her sister was thinking, but she regarded it as a kind of fate.

"And you see."

The girl pushed her phone forward, placing it side by side with Han Zhou's phone, and smiled, "The cracks on our two phones are very similar. Although they're not exactly the same, don't they look like the palm lines of two hands?"

Han Zhou was stunned. He hadn't noticed before, but after Zhong Ling reminded him, he realized that not only were the broken areas on their phones the same, but even the crack patterns were almost identical. He was immediately taken aback.

They really do look alike...

It's important to know that this crack wasn't man-made; it was caused by an accident. Calling it a kind of fate wouldn't be an exaggeration.

He exclaimed in surprise, "You noticed this a long time ago, senior?"

"Yes, so I found it amazing when we first met."

"It's really amazing..."

Han Zhou nodded in agreement and asked curiously, "How did your senior's phone break?"

I tripped and fell on the subway.

"What a coincidence? My phone also fell on the subway."

Han Zhou looked at Zhong Ling in surprise, and seeing the gentle smile on her face, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior, do you really believe in fate and destiny?"

"I don't believe in fate; it's supposed to be unpredictable. But I think destiny might exist. What do you think, junior?"

"Me?" Han Zhou thought for a moment, "I don't really believe it."

But thinking about it carefully, there really is a bit of fate involved in his meeting with Zhong Ling.

If it weren't for taking Mo Yixia out, he probably would never have gone to that remote little square in his entire life, and naturally he wouldn't have discovered Zhong Ling that day.

Of course, they attend the same university, and there is always a possibility that they will meet again on campus in the future, but to meet in such a remote place before then, it seems like fate.

The second time we met, his random status was "Leave it to fate," a phrase that was quite interesting in itself. And the modified status happened to be able to hear the sound of bells, which could also be considered a kind of fate.

To be frank, fate is a very subjective thing. If you're willing, two people blinking at the same time can be forcibly called fate, while if you're not, spending a night together can be considered bad luck. For most people, the term "destined" may exist, but it usually only applies to outstanding individuals. The "love at first sight" scenes in TV dramas are always used to describe handsome men and beautiful women. If you happen to share the last bus with an unattractive man or woman at night, probably no one would consider it destiny.

Even something as elusive as fate ultimately depends on a person's self-awareness.

Although he didn't quite believe it, the fact that even bizarre things like time travel and status bars had appeared on him made Han Zhou more respectful of the unknown than before.

Han Zhou's thoughts wandered, and when he came back to his senses, he saw Zhong Ling laughing and saying, "Indeed, junior brother doesn't seem like the kind of person who believes in these things."

At the same time, the waiter brought over two cups of cola and placed them on Han Zhou's and Zhong Ling's tables respectively. Zhong Ling also had a cup of milk tea on her table.

“This is…” Zhong Ling asked, somewhat puzzled.

Han Zhou knew the shop assistant couldn't hear her, so she stopped him and asked, "What's the meaning of this milk tea?"

The waiter stopped and smiled, "This was ordered by a customer for this customer."

Zhong Ling paused slightly, pushed the milk tea away, and gently shook her head.

Han Zhou said, "Excuse me, my friend said he doesn't like this drink, could you please take it away?"

The shop assistant was taken aback and hesitated before saying, "That customer said he could choose another flavor if he didn't like it. He can drink whatever he wants, and he will pay for it."

Zhong Ling frowned slightly.

Han Zhou raised his voice and said, "I told you, my friend doesn't like milk tea, and she doesn't need strangers to order anything for her. Please take this away now."

"But now that everything's made, someone has to drink it, right? This is our shop's signature milk tea, you can try it..."

"This is not something we should be thinking about; you can drink it yourself."

The shop assistant hesitated for a moment, then Han Zhou continued, "Never mind, don't bother, let's go somewhere else."

After saying that, he and Zhong Ling got up with their Cokes and headed for the door.

Han Zhou's hearing is excellent now, so he knows that it was the boys sitting near the door who did it. Although he didn't listen carefully just now, he roughly knows what their purpose was. They just wanted to show off in front of the beautiful girls and also put him down.

However, what Zhong Ling disliked most was people who offered help for no reason. Moreover, she had heard those laughs before and could roughly guess what those people meant, which made her very angry.

Seeing the two preparing to leave, the boy at the door couldn't sit still any longer. One of them, with a buzz cut, said sarcastically, "Your phone is so broken and you're still using it. You're really frugal. But it's one thing to suffer yourself, but you can't even let your girlfriend drink a slightly more expensive milk tea?"

This guy with the buzz cut is in a bad mood.

He had just been cheated on, and his mood was terrible. With Qixi Festival approaching, sitting in a bubble tea shop full of couples was already unpleasant, but recalling the scene of being cheated on made it even more painful. He was confiding in his best friends when he suddenly saw Han Zhou and Zhong Ling.

He spent a fortune treating his ex-girlfriend like a princess, but she still ran away. Now he sees such an innocent and beautiful girl willing to drink the cheapest Coke with a poor guy. Thinking back to how his ex-girlfriend always drank the most expensive milk tea, the man with the buzz cut gritted his teeth, feeling extremely unbalanced.

He certainly didn't think that his feelings were out of envy, jealousy, or hatred, or even harboring any thoughts of poaching her. Instead, he felt that he simply wanted to help the girl escape her misery and recognize the differences between people.

Of course, he had no idea that the guy who cheated on him had the same idea.

Han Zhou knew that the guy's head was covered in grazing grass, and he couldn't help but look at the top of his head with pity. However, he was too lazy to talk to such a person and walked towards the door with Zhong Ling.

Feeling ignored and embarrassed, the man with the buzz cut became even more irritated. He even tried to grab Zhong Ling's hand and said, "I don't mean anything by it, I just want to invite you to have some milk tea."

Han Zhou reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist with surprising force, and said with a smile, "If you're so generous, you can treat everyone here to a drink."

The man with the buzz cut was in so much pain that he was sweating profusely, but he couldn't yell in front of so many people, so he forced a smile and said, "Why should I listen to you?"

He thought the guy would confront him, but to his surprise, the other person let go of his hand the next second and left the milk tea shop with the girl, who didn't even glance at him once from beginning to end.

Just then, a tall boy walked into the milk tea shop, glancing back at something every now and then. He plopped down in the spot where the crew-cut guy and the others were, clicking his tongue in amazement.

The milk tea shop was quiet for a while, then a murmur broke out.

The tall boy had a loud voice and quickly noticed that something was off. Seeing many people glancing in his direction, he asked curiously, "What's going on?"

One of them felt a little embarrassed, glanced at the man with the buzz cut, and quickly recounted what had just happened.

The tall guy was stunned, his expression growing increasingly strange, then he looked at the crew-cut man with an idiot's gaze: "You don't really think he's broke, do you?"

What do you mean?
He spoke loudly, and everyone in the milk tea shop looked at him and immediately pricked up their ears.

The man with the buzz cut frowned, annoyed, and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

The tall guy sighed, "I bet that guy's clothes cost at least three thousand yuan, and his sunglasses looked like a designer brand. He's probably a rich kid. He's wearing cheap pants and shoes just to pretend he's poor. Why are you trying to show off in front of others?"

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. The man with the buzz cut was stunned for a moment, then said unwillingly, "Then he had that broken phone..."

"What do you know? That girl also has a crappy phone. Most of the time, he just doesn't want to use his rich kid status to pursue girls. Besides, even if he's not rich, he's handsome enough."

After a pause, the tall man said with exasperation, "I've wanted to tell you this before. Your ex-girlfriend just treats you like an ATM. Every time I warned you, you got angry with me. And look what happened?"

"What did you say!"

The crew-cut man was furious, his face turning pale and then red, mainly because his voice was so loud that everyone present probably heard what he had just said.

The tall guy was a straightforward fellow and didn't realize how loud he was. He said earnestly, "Why are you getting so worked up? I want you to learn from this experience. Don't act like a simp in the future, and don't be so childish. What you did just now was very impolite. That girl wasn't alone. What you did was like trying to steal her away."

He glanced at the others and said with dissatisfaction, "Why didn't you stop him?"

As the scars were gradually revealed, the man with the buzz cut felt as if everyone's eyes were on him. Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, he grabbed the tall man's collar and roared angrily.

"Fuck your mother, you want to fight?! Who the hell is a simp?!"

The tall guy was stunned for a moment, then got angry. Damn it, this guy never listens to reason and never reflects on himself. Since he thinks honest advice is hard to swallow, he's too lazy to say anything more.

He took a deep breath: "Let go of my hand."

"Apologize."

“I’m telling the truth, why should I apologize? I told you to let go of my hand.”

The man with the buzz cut was incredibly proud; with so many people watching, how could he possibly let go obediently? He yelled, "I'll fucking make you apologize!"

The tall guy, unable to bear it any longer, shoved the guy down onto his seat, straightened his collar, and left cursing.

His voice remained undisguised, so much so that everyone present could hear his last words clearly.

"What an idiot, no wonder you got cheated on."

(End of this chapter)