Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 90 "Silver Bell"

Han Zhou was completely unaware that he had unknowingly become a rich second-generation. At this moment, he and Zhong Ling had arrived at another milk tea shop and found a seat near the door.

Of course, it wouldn't be very good to just sit in a bubble tea shop with a drink in hand, so he ordered two more Cokes.

This time, however, Zhong Ling didn't listen to him and find a seat first. Instead, she held her phone to her chest as soon as she entered, followed him, and paid the bill first, looking like she didn't want him to take it from her.

Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated, finding Zhong Ling's behavior quite amusing. After they sat down, recalling what had just happened, he sighed, "This is the first time I've ever encountered such a strange person."

Zhong Ling knew he was referring to the guy with the buzz cut from before. She put the small cloth bag aside and said in a low voice, "Maybe it's because of me, I've always had bad luck and often run into people like that."

Han Zhou shook his head: "It has nothing to do with my senior. That guy was just targeting me and looking for trouble. Besides, don't you not believe in luck?"

"I don't believe it, but I really haven't had much luck," Zhong Ling said somewhat embarrassedly.

Han Zhou asked, puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

"Because I often slip and fall when I go out."

Isn't it because you walked too fast...?

Han Zhou muttered to himself, then chuckled, "This shouldn't have anything to do with luck, right? The two times I traveled with you, there were no problems, weren't there?"

“Yes,” Zhong Ling said with a gentle smile, “That’s why I feel we are really destined to be together.”

Han Zhou was taken aback: "You call this fate?"

"Is not it?"

Zhong Ling looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Ah, well, you can't say it isn't..."

Han Zhou chuckled dryly, inwardly thinking, "What does not falling have to do with me? I'm not a crutch..."

Sure enough, if you're willing, you can connect everything to fate.

After a moment of silence, Zhong Ling said softly, "I'm really not a very lucky person. I often trip and fall while walking, and the taxis I take are always late. But I never thought I was unlucky before. On the contrary, I thought I was very lucky back then."

Han Zhou remained silent. If he was not mistaken, the "back then" that Zhong Ling mentioned should refer to the time when her parents were still alive.

Judging from this opening, the other person is probably preparing to recount their past.

Although he was curious about the reason why Zhong Ling had lost her voice, he had not urged her to ask before, but waited for her to tell him on her own initiative.

Sure enough, Zhong Ling put down the cola, placed her hands on her lap, sat very upright, and a look of reminiscence appeared in her clear eyes.

"My sister and I are six years apart. Although we weren't born in the same year, we share the same birthday, and we were both born at night. Isn't that a coincidence?"

"My parents are not highly educated. They didn't think too much when they named my sister and me. However, like most parents, they also put beautiful meanings into their names, which are full of their expectations for my sister and me in the future."

"The two names together are 'Silver Bell,' which comes from 'a silver bell-like laugh.' My parents think this word is beautiful. Being able to laugh so beautifully means being happy. They hope that my sister and I can be happy every day and have smiles on our faces every day."

"If we separate the names, the silver ornaments symbolize peace and safety, while the bells symbolize tranquility and peace. They also contain the meaning of longing. My parents have no other wish than that my sister and I will be free from illness and disaster and live a healthy and happy life."

Han Zhou listened silently. This was a very simple wish. Most parents' requests were actually that simple. Perhaps happiness itself is a relatively vague concept, but the word is not that difficult to define. In terms of the description of happiness, many parents have a relatively unified and simple standard, which is that they hope their children can live better than themselves.

This is also a very simple wish.

In Zhong Ling's description, Zhong's father and mother were undoubtedly an enviable pair of gentle parents. Han Zhou suddenly thought of Han Long, who had disappeared without a trace, and felt a toothache.

Speaking softly has its advantages; at least you don't have to worry about being overheard. This conversation seemed to be a secret between Han Zhou and Zhong Ling. Everyone else in the shop found it strange, and seeing that neither of them spoke after they sat down, they thought they were having a cold war.

It's clear that Zhong Ling's life used to be very happy.

She was gentle and cute, a well-behaved girl loved by everyone. She was not only pampered by her parents but also by her older sister, Zhong Yin. She had never done any heavy work since she was a child. Whenever she wanted to help, her parents had no objection, but Zhong Yin always refused, saying with a smile that Xiao Ling was just like me yesterday. What's wrong with me pampering myself? Then she would take over the work.

At this point, Zhong Ling said softly, "My sister's personality wasn't like this before. Back then, she was lively and enthusiastic, and she loved to laugh. She would take me out to play whenever she had free time. But I've never been very active since I was little, and I wasn't interested in going out to play. I also rarely went out to places too far from home."

"I prefer watching my dad play chess with the neighbors to going out. My dad noticed my interest in chess and would teach me whenever he had time. I practiced often, but my skill level has never been very high."

"I heard that when my sister found out about this, she went to learn how to play chess. She even joined a chess club in college so that she could play with me. But her skill level was just average."

A bitter smile appeared on Zhong Ling's face.

Han Zhou chuckled, casually shaking his Coke cup, and sincerely remarked, "Sister Yin really is a complete siscon."

"A sister complex?" Zhong Ling looked puzzled.

"You can understand it as meaning you dote on your younger sister," Han Zhou explained.

Zhong Ling smiled and said, "My sister really dotes on me."

She recalled, "On my sixth birthday, my parents gave me a string of wind chimes. They would ring when the wind blew, and the sound was very nice. I liked them very much. I remember that my sister also had a similar string of wind chimes, which was hanging on the windowsill in her room."

"I heard this was a gift my sister received for her sixth birthday. Before that, my parents asked her if she wanted a younger brother or sister. She excitedly said yes, but compared to a brother, she hoped she could have a cute little sister whose laughter sounded like a wind chime. Then I was born. My sister always says that my name is partly thanks to her."

“When I was little, I would fall down almost every day. My parents were so worried. The three of them would take turns watching over me during the day, afraid that I would fall down again. Actually, I never fell seriously and it didn’t hurt at all, but they just wouldn’t believe it.”

"Dad is very good at repairing cars. He can get a car running again with just a few tinkering with his tools. It was his idea to connect the repair shop with the house so that he could take care of my sister and me at any time. Mom helps Dad when he is repairing cars, and she plants vegetables and trees in the yard when she has free time. She used to spend a lot of time in the countryside and is very good at growing crops."

“My older sister used to work for a big company. She likes racing, but my parents think it's unsafe and often nag her about it…”

Zhong Ling spoke slowly, and rather than recounting the past, she seemed to be reliving past happiness. She talked about whatever came to mind, from elementary school to junior high, from her father to her mother, only mentioning interesting things.

This was the first time she had talked about the past with someone other than her sister, and her feelings were quite complicated, especially when she saw Han Zhou listening attentively. She had an indescribable feeling in her heart.

For most people, sharing happiness is not a difficult thing, but Zhong Ling is clearly an exception. No one can hear her, and naturally no one can respond to her.

She could certainly reminisce about the past with Zhongyin, but for the two of them, whose parents had passed away, it was undoubtedly a very heavy topic, and they rarely talked about the past.

Moreover, Zhong Ling was well aware that she owed her sister something. Although her sister seemed indifferent, both she and her sister had been avoiding talking about what happened that day.

If it weren't for me, my sister wouldn't have needed to wear a hearing aid due to hearing loss.

(End of this chapter)