Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 91 You are dead
The newly chosen milk tea shop is relatively quiet, with soothing music playing inside. The melodies are sometimes cheerful and sometimes sad, flowing along with the cool air from the air conditioner, just like the mood of the bell at this moment.

"Hello, these are two Cokes."

The shop assistant was a quiet young girl, probably a student working part-time during the summer. She handed two cups of cola to Han Zhou and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

"Thank you."

Han Zhou smiled and took the Coke, placing one of the cups in front of Zhong Ling.

"You're welcome."

The shop assistant blushed and quickly returned to the counter.

Zhong Ling glanced at the girl in surprise and said, "That shop assistant seems to be blushing."

"It's probably because it's too hot."

Han Zhou didn't take it seriously and didn't look back. He casually inserted the straw into the cup.

Zhong Ling was speechless. Blushing was a sign of shyness, and that girl was clearly shy. The book said that appropriate jokes could bring people closer together. She originally wanted to tease Han Zhou when he turned around, saying, "She must think the junior is very handsome," but she didn't know what to say when Han Zhou didn't turn around.

She's not good at joking, and she doesn't know how to make jokes in a spontaneous way.

After hesitating for a moment, she pushed the Coke in front of her towards Han Zhou, pointed to the Coke that was still more than half full, and said softly, "You drink this one, I can't drink anymore."

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Senior, you're making things too difficult for me. I can't drink three cups of Coke by myself."

Zhong Ling looked encouraging and said, "You can drink slowly; food shouldn't be wasted."

You can keep it and drink it slowly yourself...

Han Zhou didn't say anything. He thought that he just couldn't finish the three cups in one go. Drinking them slowly was not a bad thing. However, he didn't expect this senior to have such a small appetite. It seemed that he didn't see her eat much when he was at her house last time.

Seeing Han Zhou remain silent, Zhong Ling immediately misunderstood, thinking that he was in a dilemma. Feeling a little embarrassed, she cautiously suggested, "How about this, you drink two and a half cups, and I'll drink one and a half cups. We'll share this cup, okay?"

Han Zhou was taken aback and asked in surprise, "How do we divide it?"

"like this."

Zhong Ling placed her fair index finger in the middle of the cola cup and said earnestly, "I'll pour this much for you later, and I'll drink the rest."

As she spoke, perhaps unsure of her stomach, she slightly averted her gaze and discreetly moved her finger a little under the cup.

Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated. No wonder the other party didn't just say he would pour half for him; it turned out they were too embarrassed to lie. But this little action was so obvious; did they think he couldn't see it?

He chuckled and said, "It's alright, there's no need to finish it here. We can just drink it as we walk later, it won't be a waste."

He didn't know if other girls could finish two cups of cola in one go, but Guzheng definitely could. He didn't know if Guzheng had a big appetite or if this senior had a small appetite.

But speaking of which, what's wrong with Guzheng? She's not even replying to my messages. I didn't do anything today, so why is her whole family suddenly so upset with me?
Strange, so strange...

"Um... junior."

While she was pondering, Zhong Ling spoke again.

However, she clearly wasn't going to talk about the cola anymore. Her expression became somewhat flustered, and she said nervously, "Um... can we stop here for today? I don't want to talk about it anymore, I..."

She seemed unwilling to talk about the past anymore.

"Of course you can. It's your freedom to do so. Just tell me when you want to talk about it."

Han Zhou didn't take it to heart, his expression gentle, and he said half-jokingly, "Also, you can just call me Han Zhou. Otherwise, after the start of the semester, all the freshmen will be your juniors, and I won't be sure if you're even calling me that."

Zhong Ling was silent for a moment, then said softly, "But only you can hear my voice, so calling him 'junior' is actually calling you..."

Han Zhou's smile froze.

Fortunately, these words did not evoke any disappointment in the girl. Instead, she began to think about it seriously: "When I call someone 'junior,' I am definitely referring to you. On the contrary, when you call someone 'senior,' you are not necessarily referring to me. So, you should change how you address me, shouldn't you?"

"Makes sense."

Han Zhou thought about it and realized that it made sense, so he smiled and asked, "Then what do you think should be changed, senior?"

Zhong Ling was somewhat surprised and tentatively asked, "Can I make the decision?"

"of course can."

"That, that..."

Zhong Ling hesitated for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence. She looked very conflicted. This was not just a lack of opinion, but also a lack of confidence.

Seeing this, Han Zhou smiled and said, "Then there's no need to rush. We can restart this topic when you can't tell whether I'm calling you or the other seniors. You can ask me to change how I address you at any time."

He could certainly offer his own opinion, such as calling her "Sister Ling" or "Senior Sister Zhong Ling," but he still felt it would be better to let her take the initiative to offer a name.

Hearing this, Zhong Ling breathed a sigh of relief, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, then you're the same. If you can't tell whether I'm calling you or not, you can ask me to change how I address you, but I don't think that day will come."

Her last words were probably meant as a joke, but Han Zhou found them quite heavy. If possible, probably no one would want to be a "mute".

However, it's clear that Zhong Ling isn't overly concerned about losing her voice; she doesn't shy away from it and perhaps has already gotten used to it.

This means that her real unresolved issue is the death of her parents, and the reason she suddenly doesn't want to continue talking about it is probably out of fear.

Han Zhou could understand Zhong Ling's anxious and uncertain feelings to some extent. This matter was obviously the biggest cause of Zhong Ling's change. It concerned the death of her parents, which was undoubtedly a painful family upheaval. Sometimes, just recalling such an experience is painful enough, let alone speaking about it.

The reason for her sudden change of mind is probably because that experience made Zhong Ling feel very uneasy, or she felt guilty about it and believed that such a tragedy was related to her.

Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to confide in someone, and Han Zhou wouldn't force others to do that.

However, he found it strange that Zhong Ling didn't cry at that time, since the death of her parents was so painful for her.

Is she too strong? Or is there another reason?

If such an experience isn't enough to make the other person shed tears, then what method should I use to make them cry their hearts out?

Han Zhou couldn't draw any conclusions yet, because he still knew too little about this senior student.

Curiosity aside, he certainly couldn't ask her a brainless question like, "Senior, didn't you want to cry when your parents died?" He didn't know if Zhong Ling would be unhappy, but Zhong Yin would definitely be unhappy.

Seeing Zhong Ling with her head down, holding a Coke cup and looking preoccupied, Han Zhou suddenly said, "Senior, how about I tell you about my past?"

Zhong Ling hesitated for a moment: "Is that okay?"

"Of course." Han Zhou thought for a moment and smiled. "Actually, you don't need to keep asking if it's okay. Just answer with your thoughts. After all, you've told me about your past, so as a return gift, I should tell you about my past, shouldn't I?"

He made a joke.

Zhong Ling was taken aback, then quickly shook her head and said, "No need, no need. That was what I wanted to say myself, there's no need to return the favor."

Han Zhou chuckled. This senior was taking it a little too seriously. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is what I wanted to say myself. Don't you want to hear it, senior?"

"I want to hear it..."

Zhong Ling was quite honest and lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

As two people destined to be together, she naturally wanted to know about Han Zhou's past, but she was too embarrassed to ask.

Han Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll start from when I was a child."

"Uh-huh."

Zhong Ling sat upright, a look of curiosity on her face, listening attentively.

After a brief silence, Han Zhou spoke.

"My mother passed away not long after I was born."

His first words left Zhong Ling frozen in place, and she quickly apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."

Han Zhou's carefully prepared emotions were interrupted, and he asked in bewilderment, "Why do I need to say sorry?"

"me……"

Zhong Ling was speechless for a moment. She felt very guilty. Her junior had never met his mother since birth, and she had just been talking about how good her mother was and how happy her family was, without considering his feelings at all. It was really wrong of her.

Han Zhou was unsure of her thoughts, and simply said helplessly, "There's no need to apologize. What you need to do right now is listen attentively and not interrupt me."

"sorry!"

Zhong Ling quickly covered her mouth, looking at the other person cautiously. She suddenly felt a sense of defeat, and her back was not so straight anymore. She had actually been lectured by her junior... Han Zhou recalled: "I have never seen my mother since I was a child. I have only seen photos. I have always been Han... My father has taken care of me. He can't be said to be bad to me. He will give me whatever I want, but that's all."

"Although he didn't say it explicitly, my dad has hinted more than once that my birth killed my mother. Perhaps because of this, there is almost no father-son affection between us. Our daily interactions are similar to clocking in and out at work. He often drinks and has developed a gambling addiction. At first, it was okay, but later it got out of control, and he lost more and more. I couldn't persuade him to stop. From then on, debt collectors came to our door every day, which forced us to keep moving."

“My childhood was basically spent moving around constantly. I changed schools several times, so I hardly had any close friends. My dad never went to parent-teacher conferences, and I had to sign my own papers for exams. Fortunately, I was quite mature from a young age and understood the importance of studying, so I didn’t care much about these things and just kept working hard to study.”

Han Zhou's voice wasn't loud, just loud enough for Zhong Ling to hear clearly. He didn't want unrelated people to hear his past.

He rarely talks about his past with others, and few people ask him about it. Even if someone does, they might ask what his parents do. No one digs into each other's past, so so far, only Gu Zheng and Lin Anyu know the specifics of his family situation.

These two guys kept pestering him to ask, otherwise Han Zhou wouldn't have brought it up. He didn't like this feeling of "playing the victim." As for why he took the initiative to tell Zhong Ling, the reason might be as she said: they were destined to be together. Since everyone was in a bad situation, saying some things wouldn't be considered playing the victim.

Han Zhou chuckled inwardly and continued, "Although my dad is a gambler, he's not completely hopeless. He always manages to afford my schooling and tries his best to meet my needs. I'm actually very grateful to him for raising me. I can't let go of this kindness, and I plan to repay it properly when I grow up."

"But one day in my second year of high school, he abandoned me and ran away."

Seeing the other person's calm and carefree expression, Zhong Ling felt a pang of sadness and said in a heavy voice, "He's even abandoning his child, he's so irresponsible..."

Han Zhou smiled indifferently: "He wasn't that irresponsible. He left me some money before he left. It wasn't much, but at least it shows that he didn't 'run away in defeat.' Besides, there's nothing wrong with living alone. At least it's much more comfortable."

Living alone?

Zhong Ling was a little confused, assuming Han Zhou had misspoke, and cautiously asked, "Did he come back after that?"

"No, debt collectors have come a few times, though."

Han Zhou spoke with a smile, as if he were talking about someone else's experience.

Zhong Ling looked sad: "Then you and Yi Xia are so pitiful. You must have a hard time taking care of Yi Xia in the future, going to school while supporting this family, just like your older sister."

Yixia?

Han Zhou was stunned. Oh no, he seemed to have forgotten to add Mo Yixia to the story...

Seeing that Zhong Ling was also imagining some kind of scene and looked extremely sad, he felt a little embarrassed and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Um... senior, there's something I want to tell you..."

"what's up?"

Zhong Ling was immersed in a sad atmosphere at the moment. Hearing this, she looked at him curiously, her clear eyes filled with sadness and sympathy.

Han Zhou hesitated and said, "This matter is somewhat sudden. I hope you won't be angry after I tell you."

Seeing his hesitation, Zhong Ling seemed to understand something: "Let's make this clear first, if it's a confession, then I won't agree..."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhou almost spat out his cola. What kind of thought process was this? How could it possibly be a confession!
"Senior, are you serious?"

He stared wide-eyed, surprised that Zhong Ling was quite the joker.

"Isn't this a confession?"

Zhong Ling realized what was happening and quickly said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, but I really can't think of anything else besides confessing my feelings that could make you angry..."

She tilted her head, puzzled, and asked, "Did you lie to me before?"

Han Zhou was startled. Are women's intuitions really that accurate?

And the fact that she would ask such a question shows that being deceived really makes her angry...

He forced himself to say, "I'm sorry, senior, there's something I did lie to you about."

"what's up?"

"Yixia and I are not actually siblings..."

Are they sworn siblings?

What the hell is this sibling thing...?

"No, I'm an only child. I've been living alone since my dad passed away. Yixia is my friend..."

In the next minute, Han Zhou honestly explained his relationship with Mo Yixia and the reason why Mo Yixia impersonated his sister.

Zhong Ling suddenly realized and said seriously, "You guessed right, my sister really likes the younger sister role. After you left, she kept saying that Yi Xia is very cute, and I think so too."

Once you know her true nature, you won't find her cute anymore...

Han Zhou smiled wryly to himself. Seeing the faint smile on her face, he asked in surprise, "Aren't you angry, senior? After all, I lied to you..."

"I'm not angry. I always felt that the relationship between you two was a bit strange, not quite like that of siblings, so I was just a little surprised." Zhong Ling smiled. "Actually, I'm quite happy."

"Happy? Why?"

"Because if you really had a younger sister, then you would be more similar to your older sister. You would both be the eldest son and eldest daughter who lost their parents and supported the family. That would make you two seem more connected. But it's different now."

Zhong Ling blinked.

Han Zhou was dumbfounded: "You can interpret it like that?"

"Can't……"

Zhong Ling initially wanted to ask, "Is it not allowed?", but after thinking about it, she changed her mind and said somewhat hesitantly, "Of course it is..."

Han Zhou chuckled, but then suddenly remembered a troublesome matter and said with a troubled expression, "Senior, you have a good temper and can forgive me, but Sister Yin will definitely be very angry. I want to confess to her. Could you put in a good word for me then?"

“Sure, but I’m not that scary. Your expression right now is very impolite.” Zhong Ling raised her eyebrows and said seriously, “As long as you apologize sincerely, she will definitely forgive you, but you can’t lie to us again in the future.”

"Impolite? What kind of expression am I making right now?"

"Um……"

Zhong Ling hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly, "It's like the look on your face when your sister finds out about this and you're doomed..."

Han Zhou was taken aback. He had indeed been thinking that just now, but of course he couldn't admit it. He said sincerely, "No, that's not true. I'll call and tell you right now. If there are any problems, you must help me, senior."

"Okay, keep it up!" Zhong Ling said encouragingly.

Han Zhou made a phone call to Zhong Yin.

At that moment, Zhong Yin was repairing a car, sweating profusely. She knew that her younger sister was with Han Zhou and that something might go wrong, so she kept her phone by her side and immediately took off her gloves to answer it as soon as she heard it ring.

"Hey?"

Han Zhou took a deep breath: "Sister Yin, it's me. I want to confess something to you, and I hope you won't be angry."

Zhong Yin frowned, thinking something had happened to his sister, and said coldly, "What do you mean? What did you do to my sister?"

No, what do you mean I did something to your sister...?

Han Zhou mentally complained, then quickly reassured her, "It has nothing to do with my senior. We're at the bubble tea shop right now. I didn't do anything, and nothing happened to her either."

Zhong Yin glanced at Feixin and saw that her sister had just sent a coded message indicating that she was safe. She was slightly relieved and her tone returned to calm: "It's good that you're alright. Then tell me the truth."

"Oh, right." She suddenly lowered her voice, "Xiaoling likes sweets, but she definitely won't buy them for herself. Find an opportunity to buy her some, like milk tea or cake. Don't tell anyone I asked. I'll transfer the money to you later."

"it is good."

Han Zhou felt a soft spot in his heart being touched, and tentatively asked, "After I confess, can you promise you won't be angry?"

"No." Zhong Yin didn't even bother to give him a perfunctory answer.

"Being angry is bad for your health."

"Then I'll try not to get angry, go ahead and say it."

"The thing is like this..."

Han Zhou was in the wrong first, so he was naturally quite guilty. He first honestly confessed to deceiving the other party, then sincerely apologized and promised never to do it again, only asking the other party to forgive him.

During this time, Zhong Ling kept holding her Coke cup and giving him encouraging looks, thinking that her older sister would definitely forgive her junior.

It's a pity that things backfired.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Zhong Yin's cold laugh, seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, could be heard.

"Heh, you're dead."

(End of this chapter)