Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 96 I Raise the Banner for the Guzheng!
Seeing the host on stage ask the same question as before, Lin Anyu immediately showed a look of anticipation, thinking that this bald guy wasn't so bad after all, at least he didn't show favoritism.

He was eagerly awaiting Han Zhou's reply.

However, when he heard that this guy had actually passed the second round of challenges, he was stunned and looked like he was questioning his life.

Turning my head again, I saw Xiao Yuyan and Zhang Chengfan chatting and laughing on the side, bursting into hearty laughter from time to time. In just a few minutes, the two of them seemed to have completed the transformation from strangers to close friends. Even the aunt-like smiles they showed when looking at the two on the stage were so tacit.

Lin Anyu looked around and saw that everyone around him was in pairs of couples, while he stood alone in the same spot. He was filled with grief and indignation.

He was wondering why he had come here.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared, so Han Zhou certainly didn't know Lin Anyu's feelings at this moment. Even if he did, he would probably just laugh at him. Right now, he was listening to the host introduce the rules of the third segment.

The host mysteriously said, "The last segment is both simple and difficult. The key point is still to test whether the challengers are in sync enough."

"I'm sure everyone has used the pattern unlock function on their phones. There are nine dots in total. By selecting the right number of dots and connecting them, you can form a pattern to use as your phone password. The third step is a similar game."

"As you may have guessed, the challengers need to connect the same pattern. But don't worry, the game isn't as difficult as you might think. The number of points is fixed at nine, meaning the pattern needs to connect all nine points. This will greatly increase the probability of the two challengers connecting the same pattern, but it's still challenging."

Han Zhou pondered to himself that there weren't many ways to connect all nine points, so this part didn't seem too difficult. However, it was still essentially a game of luck, and the probability didn't affect its nature.

"Did you two understand the rules of the game?"

The host smiled and looked at the two of them, seemingly asking a question, but actually also being wary of them taking the opportunity to discuss how to connect the patterns later.

"understood."

Han Zhou and Zhong Ling nodded at the same time.

"That's good. Now, please return to your previous positions. By the way, there's a trick to this game. If you both know each other's phone passwords, this part might be much easier to pass."

The host smiled and reminded him that what he said actually made sense, but it was just a pointless statement.

There is indeed a possibility of coincidence in this game, but the possibility of it not being coincidental is greater. Not everyone's phone password is a pattern unlock, and not everyone who uses a pattern unlock will connect all nine dots. His words are not very helpful and are more like misleading.

If we follow his approach and try to guess how to connect the patterns based on each other's phone passwords, the chances of failure are probably very high.

However, this is not a problem that Han Zhou needs to consider at the moment. He and Zhong Ling don't know each other's phone passwords at all, so there's no need to waste energy on such a thing.

But this also means that their choices will depend entirely on luck.

The host gave each of them a rectangular card and asked them to mark the direction of the connecting lines with arrows. This meant that the starting and ending points of the connecting lines had to be exactly the same, otherwise it would not count even if the lines looked the same.

"Are you two ready?"

"Ready."

"Okay, three minutes limit, let's begin!"

The host pressed the timer.

Unexpectedly, the last step took a full three minutes, but this was clearly not out of kindness from the shopping mall, but rather a ulterior motive.

Spending too much time thinking about this kind of game is not necessarily a good thing. As the saying goes, the more you think, the more likely you are to make mistakes, especially at this crucial juncture where you are about to win the prize. The feeling of being anxious about winning or losing will greatly affect your judgment.

Han Zhou knew this well, but even so, he hesitated at the moment he was about to connect the patterns. Sometimes, what you think in your heart is one thing, and what you actually do is another. When it comes to making a decision, you may not be able to keep your original intention.

However, he only hesitated for a few seconds before connecting the nine dots according to his original idea, using the simplest way of writing "2", and then took the card and walked towards the host.

There is no definite answer to this kind of question, so there is no need to think about it too much. Since it is a game of luck, he will leave the answer to luck and to the possible telepathic connection between him and Zhong Ling.

Perhaps with the same thought in mind, Zhong Ling walked towards the host at almost the same time as him, less than twenty seconds before the game started.

"Have you two already reached an answer so quickly?"

The Mediterranean host seemed somewhat surprised and joked, "Could it be that you've actually used similar passwords before?"

He put the card away without even looking at it, seemingly having no intention of revealing the answer for the time being.

Han Zhou really just wanted to see the result and leave as soon as possible, so he could only smile and say a few perfunctory words: "No, it's not. Anyway, it's not a brain teaser. Since it's just a matter of luck, there's no need to think too much about it."

Zhong Ling nodded in agreement.

The host didn't deny that it was a game of chance, and that the idea of ​​telepathy was just a gimmick. He laughed and said, "You two have thought it through very well, but to be able to make such a decisive choice, it seems that you are very confident in the fate between you."

Han Zhou smiled without saying a word, thinking to himself, "You're not doing an interview, can't you be a little more efficient? There are people waiting behind us."

The host, of course, couldn't hear his true thoughts and asked curiously, "May I ask what your relationship is now?"

This was also a question that the audience was concerned about; they were very curious whether the two were a couple.

"friend."

However, Han Zhou's next answer disappointed many people who were planning to ship the two characters, such as Zhang Chengfan and Xiao Yuyan.

However, the latter thought again, since they are just friends, doesn't that mean I have a chance?

But they really are a perfect match...

"Turns out you were good friends."

The host observed Han Zhou's expression, smiled, and said, "Actually, I've been wanting to ask this before. Your friend doesn't seem to like talking much. She hasn't uttered a sound from the beginning until now. If possible, I'd like to hear what she has to say..."

Before he could finish speaking, Han Zhou interrupted, "Sorry, my friend is a bit socially awkward and doesn't like to talk much, so just ask me directly if you have any questions."

Social anxiety?

Zhang Chengfan and Xiao Yuyan, sitting in the audience, exchanged a glance and both saw the excitement in each other's eyes.

A domineering and aloof junior and a cute, socially awkward senior...

This is absolutely amazing!
"Is that so? I'm so sorry."

The host scratched his balding head, his gossip-loving nature still burning. After a moment's thought, he asked, "You two are friends now, have you thought about the future...?"

"Hey, are you organizing an event or giving an interview? Hurry up and show us the results! There's a whole bunch of people waiting to go on stage!"

Just then, a dissatisfied shout suddenly rang out from below the stage. It turned out that Lin Anyu couldn't help but speak up. He could tell that Han Zhou didn't really want to talk to this bald guy, so he quickly jumped out to defuse the situation.

Not only that, he has already seen many people taking out their phones to record videos. With the internet so developed these days, if Gu Zheng sees Han Zhou participating in couple games with other girls, there will definitely be problems, so he needs to take action.

He continued shouting, "You're dawdling like this, are you trying to renege on your payment?"

Faced with Lin Anyu's clamor, the host was stunned for a moment and had to stop asking questions. He explained with a smile, "Don't worry, everyone. Our event is absolutely fair, just and open. There will be no cheating. Since everyone is so eager, I will reveal the results."

"I haven't seen the results for either of the challengers, so let's find out the answer together—"

The host drew out his words, seemingly learning this suspenseful technique from some TV program. Holding his breath, he slowly raised the two cards into the air as if he were constipated, a process that took about ten seconds. Then, he slowly flipped the cards over at a snail's pace...

"Can't you fucking hurry up?!"

Someone in the audience couldn't resist and threw an empty bottle up.

Not to mention the audience, even Han Zhou wanted to kick this guy.

The host then realized he had gone a bit too far; he had thought it was funny. He gave an awkward smile and immediately presented the card to everyone.

After observing for a moment and seeing that most of the people below the stage wore expressions of regret, he made up his mind and sighed, "Everyone's expressions tell me the answer. It seems that this challenge..."

As he spoke, he held the card up to his eyes to examine it, and the next second, his voice abruptly stopped.

The host wore an incredulous expression and exclaimed in surprise, "Excuse me, everyone, I held one of the cards upside down just now. The actual result should be like this—"

He flipped one of the cards over, presenting both cards back to the audience.

Holding the card upside down will certainly affect the final result, and when the real result was revealed to everyone, a gasp immediately rang out from the audience, as if they had seen something unbelievable.

The Mediterranean host and the audience were interacting non-stop, seemingly having completely forgotten about the actual parties involved. Han Zhou and Zhong Ling hadn't seen the result yet, so they exchanged a helpless glance and could only rely on the audience's reaction to make a judgment.

Seeing everyone's regretful expressions, Han Zhou assumed they had failed. Noticing Zhong Ling's bewildered look, he comforted her, "It's alright, senior, this..."

However, before he could finish speaking, all the audience members' expressions changed rapidly, one of excitement and the other of doubt. Han Zhou was still a little unsure, but when he saw Lin Anyu's ghost-like expression in the audience, he immediately made up his mind—he and Zhong Ling had successfully passed the last round!
But how could this be? To be honest, Han Zhou found this result hard to understand, and when he saw the notification that the temporary task was completed, a question popped into his mind: Did I just get 15 points for free?

To be honest, the completion of this temporary task had little to do with him; it was all down to luck...

"Congratulations to the two challengers for successfully passing our Telepathy Challenge and winning a prize of 10,400 yuan!"

The host's loud voice pulled Han Zhou back to reality. He came to his senses and saw Zhong Ling looking at him with great joy, patting her chest and saying, "Great! I thought we had failed."

She breathed a sigh of relief, then her eyes lit up, as if she was already looking forward to the prize money.

Seeing this, Han Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. If Zhong Ling had shown an expression of taking it for granted at this moment, he would have suspected that she was carrying some kind of extraordinary fortune.

and so……

Is this just good luck, or are we really telepathic?

Never mind, I'll definitely buy a lottery ticket and try my luck later.

……

"Cousin, are your friend and that girl really not a couple?"

Seeing Han Zhou and Zhong Ling follow the staff off the stage to receive their prize money, Xiao Yuyan sighed, "But they really are such a perfect match, even their heights are so compatible..."

She looked resentful, as if it were an injustice that the two of them weren't together.

"That's enough. Whether we're a good match or not isn't up to you to decide."

Lin Anyu waved his hand, looking somewhat annoyed. "But this is really unbelievable. Could this kid have come up with some way to cheat?"

He simply doesn't believe in telepathy.

Zhang Chengfan shook his head and sighed, "To be honest, I never thought anyone could actually pass this challenge, so don't worry, these two get along so well, they'll definitely be together in the future."

Xiao Yuyan's eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded in agreement. The two exchanged a glance, and at the same time, a chilling aunt-like smile appeared on their faces.

Lin Anyu couldn't stand the disgusting smiles of these two guys, so he decided to give them a good blow to their morale. He said with a forced smile, "Stop talking nonsense. Han Zhou has a girl he likes, and he likes her to death."

"how is this possible?"

Xiao Yuyan was shocked and instinctively retorted, "Why would someone who likes another girl participate in a couples game?"

Lin Anyu chuckled and said, "What are you talking about? Didn't you participate with me too?"

"so what?"

"Do you have anyone you like?"

"No."

"Oh, that's okay."

"..."

Lin Anyu was silent for a moment, then said helplessly, "In short, you two shouldn't try to matchmake. Han Zhou is clearly a better match for another girl."

In order to combat the unhealthy trend of shipping the two as a couple, he decided to temporarily transform into a "Zhengzheng person" and wholeheartedly advocate for the guzheng.

Xiao Yuyan retorted, unconvinced, "How well-matched can they be? Can they possibly have that kind of understanding?"

"How not?"

Lin Anyu sneered, "Chengfan, could you get that piece of cardstock that Han Zhou just used? Preferably a new one, and then take a picture of it for me?"

"What do you want to do?" Zhang Chengfan looked at him, puzzled.

"Of course it's useful. Can we get our hands on it?"

"wait for me a while."

Zhang Chengfan left for a while, then returned shortly after, saying, "I've sent you the photos. What exactly do you want?"

Lin Anyu didn't say anything, but immediately took out his phone and sent the photo to Gu Zheng, saying, "Gu Zheng, quickly circle three words from here and tell me your answer."

Guzheng responded after about two minutes.

Perhaps because she found typing troublesome, she only replied with a question mark.

"?"

"This is a psychological test," Lin Anyu explained.

Guzheng replied, "I'm not interested in this. You should find someone else."

Seeing that the other party was so disrespectful, Lin Anyu's eyes lit up and he immediately came up with a plan: "This is Han Zhou's idea. It is said that this test can tell whether two people are in sync."

Guzheng wasn't fooled: "Why didn't he send it to me himself?"

"Because he felt embarrassed. I got that guy drunk before he agreed to take this test, and he even insisted on having you join in. He'll probably forget about it when he sobers up tomorrow."

Why do you insist on having me take a telepathy test with you?
Gu Zheng's heart raced, but she remained vigilant: "Are you sure you're not lying to me?"

“It’s absolutely true. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Han Zhou. Ask him if we’re together now.”

Gu Zheng suddenly felt a little worried. Han Zhou never drank, so how could he suddenly be drunk? Could it be because he was too heartbroken that I hadn't replied to his messages all afternoon? So he went to Lin Anyu to drown his sorrows in alcohol?

She instantly conjured up a series of images in her mind, shook her head, and quickly sent Han Zhou a message: "Are you with Lin Anyu right now?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

Han Zhou replied quickly. He was currently collecting his bonus and would go find Lin Anyu after that. It wouldn't be wrong to say they would be together.

"It's nothing, just drink less."

Drink less?
Han Zhou was taken aback. "What should I drink? Coke?"
"I see."

He knew he shouldn't drink too much cola, so he planned to give the cup he hadn't drunk yet to Lin Anyu as a reward for his help earlier.

"Will you be able to go home by yourself in a little while?"

"Sure, but based on past experience, I guess Lin Anyu will take me back."

"Then be careful. You can come see me tomorrow afternoon. My parents aren't home."

"it is good."

Han Zhou said he knew, but he was a little confused as to why Gu Zheng emphasized that her parents were not at home.

"..."

After confirming with Han Zhou, Gu Zheng finally believed Lin Anyu's words. She was also very curious about whether she and Han Zhou were telepathically connected. Although she knew very well that the so-called tests were basically fake, she still circled three words on the picture sent by Lin Anyu and sent it to him.

The chat interface fell silent, and no messages popped up for a long time.

Seeing that Lin Anyu hadn't replied for a while, Gu Zheng was a little puzzled and sent a message asking, "How did it go? What were the test results?"

In fact, the reason Lin Anyu hadn't replied was because he was looking at the pictures on his phone and questioning his existence.

He had only intended to dampen the morale of Xiao Yuyan and the other girl, and didn't really think the guzheng could select the word Han Zhou had chosen. However, he received a result that left him completely dumbfounded—

The choice of guzheng was exactly the same as Han Zhou's!
No, is this reasonable?
Lin Anyu remained stunned for a long time before finally replying with only two words.

"A perfect match."

Damn it, I'm raising the banner for the guzheng!

(End of this chapter)