Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 99 Can You Take Your Hand Away?
Han Zhou got home close to eight o'clock.

Lin Anyu ultimately did not hire a designated driver, but instead gave his cousin Xiao Yuyan a chance to prove herself again. He was quite carefree, thinking that it wouldn't affect his sleep whether the car drove fast or slow.

This guy fell asleep as soon as he hit the road in the car, but Han Zhou was having a hard time. Xiao Yuyan was a typical gossip girl, and she talked a lot. Driving didn't affect her gossip at all. She kept chatting with Han Zhou, talking about astrology and fortune telling, and occasionally bringing up one of her best friends. She was just like a matchmaker who hadn't gotten any work for a whole year.

However, the question she asked most often was about the relationship between Han Zhou and Zhong Ling. Now she was a staunch supporter of the "Han-Zhong pairing," even though she didn't know either of them well, she was already acting as if she wanted to bring them together.

Han Zhou was patient and at first he could answer properly, but later he could only give perfunctory answers.

He wished he could wake Lin Anyu, who was fast asleep beside him. How could this guy be so carefree as to let Xiao Yuyan drive? Wasn't he afraid that she might never wake up again?

I have no idea what this guy was dreaming about. He kept spouting nonsense like, "Han Zhou, why don't you let these kids recognize me as their godfather?" It's utterly absurd. He'd be more like the godfather to this guy...

Fortunately, Xiao Yuyan was well aware of her own limitations and knew that her driving skills were average. For safety reasons, she didn't continue chatting but focused on driving, slowly taking Han Zhou home first.

Lin Anyu woke up groggily. He had originally planned to invite Han Zhou to have a barbecue together, and Xiao Yuyan also extended a warm invitation, but Han Zhou politely declined and went inside with the things Zhong Yin had given him.

He has more important things to do.

Before even returning home, Han Zhou had used his points to redeem a temporary status solidifier in the shop, thus solidifying his soon-to-end "on the verge of death" status. This was something he had planned as early as yesterday.

However, one thing I have to complain about is that you really do get what you pay for. Items marked "low-end" are indeed prone to problems. The finalized state wasn't what I expected; a restricted message appeared.

【State Temporary Fixer (Low-Level): A one-time use item that locks any current state for 30 days. Note that the state cannot exceed the critical limit, and it cannot be modified during the locked period. Price: 20 points】

That's right, "On the verge of death" actually exceeded the solidification threshold of the temporary state solidifier. Fortunately, it was not directly judged as a failure, but retained 70% of the original state's effect. In other words, the solidified "On the verge of death" only increased physical attributes by 70% of the original value.

It seems the status bar doesn't want him to have such a strong status for thirty days with only twenty points. And with "On the verge of death" no longer complete, it will probably be difficult for him to throw powerful projectiles to save people like before.

However, even at 70% of the "on the verge of death" state, he was still stronger than most ordinary people and still considered to be in the category of being strong and healthy. Han Zhou couldn't specifically measure what level this was, but with a simple mathematical calculation, he was probably in the "on the verge of death" state.
He decided to challenge Guzheng to an arm wrestling match tomorrow. He knows Guzheng quite well, and using the other person's physical fitness as a benchmark might be a good choice.

Although it wasn't quite what he expected, Han Zhou was already quite content.

Because no matter what, he won't have to worry about his health for the next month, nor will he have to spend points on daily tasks to maintain his physical condition. He can even forget about points and tasks for a short time and relax properly.

Of course, you can't relax for too long.

The plan is now clear: starting today, the daily points will be used to redeem "power pills" instead of simply changing his status. These pills might be the key to overcoming his terminal illness.

【Power Pill: A single-use item. After consumption, it effectively promotes wound healing, quickly replenishes energy, improves the body's immunity to a certain extent, slightly enhances physical attributes, and greatly increases stamina! Duration is twelve hours. One pill at a time. Multiple doses during the duration of the effect do not stack. Long-term use can permanently improve health attributes. Price: 2 points】

The Power Pill is undoubtedly the most practical item refreshed in this store. It costs only two points, but it has many useful effects, especially the last one: "long-term use can permanently improve health attributes." This is exactly what Han Zhou values, and it may be the key to his recovery from his terminal illness.

Moreover, the other effects of the Power Pill are also very practical: replenishing energy, improving immunity, and accelerating healing. If this stuff could be sold as a product, not to mention anything else, the effect of "significantly increasing stamina" alone would be enough to capture a large market share, and there would definitely be no shortage of buyers.

However, Han Zhou certainly wouldn't sell the Power Pills. He might not even have enough for himself, and even if he wanted to sell them, he couldn't explain where they came from.

Moreover, there is one thing he is not yet certain about: whether the Power Pill can appear in front of anyone other than him. This thing is a product of the status bar, and its form of existence is not yet certain.

Thinking of this, Han Zhou immediately exchanged for a Power Pill.

The next second, his hand felt heavy, and a dark, round pill appeared in his palm, about the size of his little finger. It looked rather plain; if he tried to sell it, he would definitely be mistaken for a fraud.

Han Zhou held the pill in front of his eyes and examined it carefully for a while. He was a little curious as to why such a pill was so heavy. It seemed to be quite dense. He wondered what it was made of. He wondered if he would chip off a mouthful of teeth if he swallowed it.
However, he was clearly overthinking it. The pills melted in his mouth, with a very soft texture, but they didn't have much flavor.

There wasn't a noticeable effect immediately after eating it; it took about three minutes for it to take effect. Han Zhou felt his spirits instantly lifted, as if he had inexhaustible energy. This was much better than coffee. He also felt a cool and refreshing sensation on the bruises around his eyes. Other than that, there wasn't much else to notice.

Han Zhou found it quite novel, as this was the first item that could materialize from the status bar. He was considering whether he could obtain the formula for the Power Pill through testing, so that it could be artificially manufactured in the future.

However, these are obviously not things to consider now. It's still a question whether the Power Pill will be retained after the monthly store refresh.

After taking a powerful pill, Han Zhou's energy soared, and his mind became very sharp.

His future goals are very clear.

First, keep exchanging for "power pills" to nourish your body; second, continue accumulating points to upgrade your status bar. After all, no one knows how many "power pills" it will take to completely restore the health attributes lost due to the terminal illness. Compared to the long wait, hope lies more in the status bar itself.

According to Han Zhou's guess, the upgraded status bar will likely provide a more efficient way to restore the body, and he is also looking forward to other functions of the status bar, so the upgrade of the status bar cannot be stopped.

He will definitely need to focus on his studies after entering university, but with his photographic memory, Han Zhou will be able to study efficiently without having to spend too much time on his studies. This means he will have more time to do other things.

In high school, he had to study and stay alive, and he was exhausted every day. Of course, he should enjoy college life and make sure it's not too boring.

"Time really flies. It feels like the college entrance exam was just two days ago, and now it's almost time to start school..."

Han Zhou snapped out of his thoughts, unwrapped the several layers of oil paper, and found that there was a large piece of pastry inside. The appearance was only so-so, and it would definitely not sell in the store, so it must have been made by Zhong Yin himself.

He broke off a small piece and tasted it. His eyes lit up. It tasted a bit like mung bean cake, and the flavor was quite good, not too sweet or greasy. So he ate it in big bites.

One of the reasons he declined Lin Anyu's invitation to dinner was that Zhong Yin had given him such a large piece of pastry, which was a token of his appreciation, and it would be inappropriate not to finish it. He had already decided to eat it for dinner.

However, to be fair, this stuff is quite filling; if Zhong Yin always cooks this much, it wouldn't be surprising if Zhong Ling ends up eating leftovers until she's stuffed...

Han Zhou smiled and shook his head. After eating and drinking his fill, he went into the bathroom to take a shower, intending to go to bed early.

……

The sky has completely darkened.

Han Zhou went to bed at nine o'clock, but he couldn't fall asleep until ten o'clock. The temperature at night was lower than during the day, and the fan was blowing loudly, dispelling all the heat, but he just couldn't fall asleep no matter how much he tossed and turned, which made him a little frustrated.

However, he quickly realized the problem: he had clearly made a mistake by taking a power pill before bed—a substance that could quickly replenish energy and invigorate the mind, far more effective than coffee, and was obviously the culprit preventing him from falling asleep.

"Looks like I'll have to take the power pills during the day from now on..."

Since he couldn't sleep, lying in bed like this wasn't going to help. Seeing that there was a rare moon outside tonight and the temperature wasn't too hot, Han Zhou decided to get up and go for a walk to burn off some of his energy. He didn't plan to go too far, so he went out in his slippers.

Like Zhong Ling, Han Zhou lived in a rather remote place. However, it was precisely because it was far from the bustling areas that the housing prices in the vicinity were generally low. His parents bought the house in full at a very low price. Fortunately, otherwise, with Han Long fleeing his debts everywhere, he might not even have a place to live now.

Han Zhou didn't harbor any resentment towards Han Long. After all, the other party had raised him for sixteen years and had never mistreated him. In his memory, when he was a child, the other party had taken him out for walks at night more than once, and sometimes they would talk about his mother.

Han Zhou vaguely remembered Han Long saying that the other person had proposed to his mother during a nighttime walk, so he really liked the feeling of revealing their feelings to each other in the darkness of night.

The stars are like witnesses, watching two people confide their secrets to each other. People may eventually forget, but the stars will never forget.

Han Zhou looked up at the sky. He remembered that when he was a child, the sky was full of stars. Back then, most people who went out liked to look up at the starry sky. It seemed that this was one of the purposes of going out. But now, you can hardly see any stars. If there is no moon, the sky is completely black, as if a huge black curtain has been covered, completely hiding the stars.

Han Zhou breathed in the night air; it had been a long time since he had gone out for a walk at night.

He was walking in the opposite direction from where he usually went to catch the subway. Because he hadn't walked this road in a long time, he wasn't sure if everything ahead was still the same as he remembered.

The streetlights along the road cast a warm glow, elongating the shadows of several low trees. Unidentified mosquitoes swarmed tirelessly around the lights, and the shadows on the ground shrank and disappeared into the tree shadows from time to time.

There were few pedestrians on the road, but occasionally you could see one or two stray cats curled up in a corner taking a nap.

"It's really quite deserted."

Han Zhou thought to himself that in a bustling area, the nightlife might just be starting at this hour, but in this remote place, people like him who go out for a stroll in the middle of the night are actually a minority.

"I remember there was a very long slope ahead..."

Han Zhou turned the corner and the next second he saw a very long, upward-sloping road. He used to like playing around here when he was a child. He was checking whether the scenery around him had changed from what he remembered when he suddenly noticed a fast-moving object on the slope in the distance.

Along with the object came a terrified scream.

"what!"

Hearing the sound, Han Zhou looked up in confusion, stared intently, and his expression suddenly changed as he realized what the fast-moving object was.

It was a woman in a wheelchair!
The wheelchair hurtled straight down the slope, clearly out of control. The woman in the wheelchair tried her best to control it, but to no avail. The wheelchair was going faster and faster, and the woman's expression became more and more terrified.

"Is this some kind of new challenge project...?"

Han Zhou was stunned, but judging from the woman's terrified voice, it seemed more like an accident. Her leg appeared to be in a cast; if she was allowed to slip and fall like that, she would definitely suffer a severe fall, and a wheelchair wouldn't be enough—a stretcher would be necessary.

It seems necessary to help this guy...

Han Zhou's thoughts raced. The wheelchair had gained enough momentum during its rapid descent, and he obviously couldn't be a fool and stand directly in front of it; doing so might cause him to fall in as well.

It's unrealistic to expect the woman to jump off the wheelchair, otherwise she probably would have already done so. So, the only thing he can do right now is to grab the wheelchair handles from behind and force it to slow down.

He didn't know if this was the best approach, but it was the only one he could think of at the moment.

"Help!"

The woman in the wheelchair had obviously seen Han Zhou below the slope and immediately cried for help. She had tried many methods, but she couldn't stop the wheelchair at all and could only watch helplessly as it went faster and faster.

"I'll help you! Hold on tight to me later!"

Han Zhou shouted loudly and ran towards the woman. He was completely focused throughout the process. He needed to grab the handle behind the wheelchair in time so that he could exert force backward immediately. If he missed, he would have to chase after the wheelchair downward. If he lost his footing, he might be dragged down the slope by the wheelchair.

This matter involves certain risks.

Fortunately, his condition of being "on the verge of death" at 70% gave him the confidence to try.

The woman had a good mental fortitude. Upon learning that Han Zhou was willing to help her, she immediately stopped shouting, took several deep breaths, gritted her teeth, and firmly gripped the armrests of the wheelchair, watching Han Zhou getting closer and closer below.

"Hold on to me!"

Just as he was about to pass the wheelchair, Han Zhou suddenly turned around, grabbed the armrest, tensed his muscles, and pushed back forcefully to slow the wheelchair's descent.

Due to the immense inertia, the woman's body suddenly lurched forward, almost falling off the wheelchair, and her expression changed drastically.

Just then, a large hand suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed the woman's upper body tightly. Her face stiffened, but she still instinctively grabbed the strong arm and used her other hand to firmly grip the wheelchair armrest to stabilize her body, thus avoiding being thrown off the wheelchair.

Han Zhou gripped the wheelchair tightly, sliding down a distance with it. Fortunately, he was incredibly strong and managed to force the wheelchair to stop. Seeing that everything was going as he expected, he collapsed onto the wheelchair, panting heavily. The woman's hair scent was clearly audible.

He was completely exhausted; he had run so fast that he had lost one of his slippers.

"Thank you."

The woman, who had survived the ordeal, quickly expressed her gratitude. She was too embarrassed to turn around because the other person's face was too close to hers. She then asked, "Are you alright?"

She knew very well that the other person was also taking a risk to save her.

"I'm fine, just a little exhausted, phew—" Han Zhou shook his head, panting, "I used every ounce of strength I had, how are you?"

With all your might?

The woman's face was flushed, perhaps from the fear of surviving the ordeal, or perhaps from the embarrassment of having her sensitive areas touched. Her thoughts were in utter chaos, and her body was unusually stiff. For a moment, she blurted out something that left Han Zhou almost speechless—

"Um... so could you please move your hand away..."

My thesis defense is coming up soon, and it's been a bit of a struggle to keep up with updates lately. Please forgive me if my writing isn't great. I know many people want to see more of Mo Yixia's storyline, and this is her last storyline before the start of the semester. I wanted to prepare better before writing it, so I've been a little late.



(End of this chapter)