Forced into a romantic relationship

"Shall we go back now?"

Standing at the hospital entrance, seeing the rain still pouring down outside, Han Zhou asked aloud.

It's only a little past three o'clock now, it's too early to go back now, he doesn't want to watch those boring TV programs anymore.

"Don't you want to go back?" Xiao Wang asked Leng Qiu.

"It's not that I don't want to go back, it's just that it's too early now," Han Zhou explained.

"But you should stay home when it rains."

"You should stay home, but don't you think it would be too boring to just go back like this?"

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu thought for a moment and said, "You can continue telling me stories."

"Are you interested in my story?" Han Zhou's eyes lit up.

He knew that his story could win over Guzheng and Yixia, so how could it not win over a twelve-year-old child?
However, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's answer was quite hurtful.

"not interested."

The child's bland tone, as bland as cold boiled water, meant that he truly had no interest in the story of "Snow White vs. Little Red Riding Hood".

"Then you still want to hear it?" Han Zhou asked dejectedly.

"Because you seem very interested in telling me stories."

Xiao Wang gave him a strange look, not knowing whether she was surprised by his reaction or by his enthusiasm for telling her stories. She paused and continued, "That way you won't be bored."

Han Zhou sighed: "I already told you not to push yourself too hard."

Interpersonal relationships require mutual consent. Just like agreeing to play a game together, if one party is only reluctantly going through the motions, the game is destined to be boring.

The same applies to storytelling.

Storytellers don't have to force listeners who don't want to listen, and listeners don't have to force themselves to listen to stories they're not interested in.

Ultimately, there are too few compatible souls in this world. If two souls are destined to be together, then it doesn't matter whether they are forced or not. Even if they do the most boring and tedious things together, they won't find it boring.

In short, there's no need to force yourself, and I don't know when this child will understand this principle.

Han Zhou sighed inwardly, but he didn't intend to lecture him. Instead, he asked, "Speaking of which, tomorrow is the weekend. What do you usually do on your days off?"

Xiao Wang Lengqiu thought for a moment and said, "Do my homework, clean the house, do laundry, and watch TV with Grandpa."

"and then?"

"No, that's all." The girl shook her head.

Don't you ever go out and have fun during your holidays?

"Sometimes I go out to buy groceries."

Han Zhou sighed again: "Buying groceries is not the same as going out to play."

"Buying small cakes?"

"If it's for my own consumption... then I guess it'll count."

"reluctantly?"

"Yes, barely. So you bought it for yourself?"

"I will share some with Grandpa."

"You really are a filial child."

Han Zhou looked at the girl beside him and suddenly smiled helplessly, "But I have to say, your life is really quite boring."

"It's not boring."

The torrential rain seemed to completely divide the indoors and outdoors into two worlds, and the girl said this as she stood in front of the dividing line between the two worlds.

Han Zhou remained noncommittal, looking up quietly at the rain curtain falling in front of him. After a few seconds, he suddenly said, "If it doesn't rain tomorrow or the day after, shall I take you out to play?"

Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu paused for a moment, then looked at the rain outside the door and asked, "Will the rain stop?"

Han Zhou shrugged. Predicting the weather was the job of the weather station; he had no idea whether the rain would stop, but he still smiled and said, "Probably."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu was silent for a while, then gently shook her head: "The teacher said we can't go out to play with unfamiliar uncles."

Uncle... Uncle?!

Han Zhou was struck dumb, his eyes trembling: "It's one thing to be a stranger, we've only just met, but isn't calling me uncle a bit too much?"

"sorry."

"..."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's "I'm sorry" could have many meanings. Han Zhou had already suffered a series of setbacks today and really didn't want to dwell on what the other party meant. So he said, "Didn't you say you were going to buy rice? Let's go buy the rice first."

"it is good."

The two people, one big and one small, opened their umbrellas and walked into the rain.

There is only one large supermarket in the entire town. Although it is called large, it is actually not very big. However, it is enough for the residents of the town, who can basically buy any daily necessities they need.

Perhaps because of the torrential rain that lasted all day, few people were willing to go out today, so there were very few customers in the supermarket at this time, and two cashiers were idly playing with their phones on the checkout counter.

"Sister Weiwei, the weather forecast says it might rain heavily for the next week. This shift is getting worse and worse," the younger cashier complained in a low voice.

"You can't say that. The heavy rain is actually a good thing for us. Look, there aren't many customers today, so it's much easier than usual. It's just that the commute is a bit more tiring," the cashier, known as "Sister Weiwei," comforted her.

"But what if the rain continues for a long time and the water level rises? This morning when I was on my way to work, the water was almost above my ankles in some places. What if there is a flood?"

"All you do is overthink things. When has Xinghua Town ever been flooded? And there wasn't even a warning in the weather forecast. What are you worrying about?" Sister Weiwei said with a laugh.

"But……"

"Alright, a customer has paid the bill. Get back to work... Xiaomei, what are you daydreaming about?"

"Sister Weiwei, look! Look! That boy is so handsome!"

"..."

Following the gaze of the cashier known as "Xiao Mei," Han Zhou and Xiao Wang Leng Qiu arrived at the rice sales area.

According to Xiao Wang Lengqiu, she often comes here with her grandfather to buy bulk rice because it is cheap and they don't have to buy dozens of kilograms at once, making it convenient to take it home.

The girl picked up two plastic bags from the side, stacked them together, and then skillfully used a shovel to fill them with rice. Knowing her own strength, she didn't fill them with too much, only about five kilograms.

"Let's buy more this time."

Han Zhou, who was standing nearby, suddenly said, "Didn't you hear? There might be continuous heavy rain in the near future. If we get trapped in the floodwaters without food, that would be a real problem."

He wasn't particularly worried, but after hearing the conversation between the two cashiers, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious and thought it was necessary to prepare more food, just in case.

"It's okay, buy as much as you can, and I'll help you carry it home later."

"it is good."

Xiao Wang Lengqiu nodded and filled the bag with more rice. After buying the rice, the two went to the fruit and vegetable section and bought some vegetables. Han Zhou decided to show off his cooking skills to Xiao Wang Lengqiu in the afternoon, so he specially picked out a piece of relatively fresh pork belly. After that, since they couldn't find any other fresh ingredients, they had to buy a frozen chicken and a frozen fish.

Xiao Wang Lengqiu didn't say anything, but just clenched the money he had just taken out of his schoolbag.

When she arrived at the checkout counter, she kept her eyes glued to the bill on the screen, silently calculating the amount each time the cashier scanned an item.

Before she could finish calculating, Han Zhou had already taken out two hundred yuan and placed it on the cashier's counter. He pointed to the lollipops behind the cashier and said, "Could you please give me one... no, two more of those lollipops? Thank you."

The cashier, called "Xiaomei," picked up the lollipop, but instead of scanning the code, her eyes lit up and she asked with a sweet smile, "Are these lollipops specially bought for your little sister?"

Seeing Weiwei's infatuated expression made her feel awkward; she wanted to speak but didn't know what to say.

“Half of them are,” Han Zhou replied.

Xiao Wang Lengqiu looked up at him.

Wow, he looks even more handsome when he smiles… Xiaomei was thrilled. She slowly scanned the QR code on the lollipop and continued chatting, “And what about the other half?”

"They're for the children," Han Zhou said with a smile.

He hadn't forgotten his plan to buy candy for Xiao Wang Lengqiu's classmates—the girl's elementary school life was coming to an end, and he couldn't accompany her to the more distant future. He only hoped that she could have a happier time during the rest of her elementary school years.

"You are so kind-hearted."

Xiaomei immediately praised him, and then couldn't help but ask, "Do you think a kid like me can get a lollipop?"

Xiao Wang Lengqiu: "?"

Sister Weiwei: "..."

Han Zhou: "..."

After a brief silence, Sister Weiwei quickly packed everything up and stuffed it, along with the change, into Han Zhou's hand, saying awkwardly, "I'm sorry, sir, the total is one hundred and fifty-eight yuan and sixty cents. I've taken up your time."

Han Zhou smiled politely, picked up the plastic bag, and left the supermarket with Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu.

As Han Zhou stepped back into the rain, pondering where to buy a couple of outfits, he overheard Xiao Wang Leng Qiu asking curiously, "Does that older sister like you?"

Han Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Of course not. Liking someone isn't that simple. If I had to put it that way, it would be lust at first sight, coveting my good looks."

"besides……"

His tone suddenly turned serious, and his expression was filled with grief and indignation. "That woman looks at least five years older than me, so why is she the older sister and I'm the uncle?"

"I'm sorry," Xiao Wang said.

"never mind."

Han Zhou didn't bother to argue about it, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he asked, "By the way, do you have a DVD player at home?"

"Have."

Do you like watching movies?

"I watch it sometimes."

"What do you mean by 'sometimes I'll look'?"

"I don't watch it often, I only look at it occasionally."

“I didn’t ask you to explain that… Never mind, come with me, let’s go buy some DVDs, so that even if we’re stuck at home due to a flood, we won’t be bored.”

Han Zhou waved his hand and led Xiao Wang Leng Qiu into a video store in front of him.

……

Shopping took much longer than expected, and by the time Han Zhou came out of school, it was already 4:30.

He didn't bring Xiao Wang Lengqiu to school with him, lest the child impulsively go to class and do chores again. Asking for leave should be done properly. As for other matters, we'll talk about them next week.

When they found Xiao Wang Leng Qiu, he was standing under the eaves of the bookstore entrance reading a book—a suspense novel called "Witnessing Aliens" that Han Zhou had bought not long ago. It was a thick book, perfect for passing the time when bored.

When he bought it, he joked that Xiao Wang Lengqiu could write a similar autobiographical novel in the future.

Seeing Han Zhou approach, the girl put her books into her bag and asked, "Going home?"

"Yes, it's about time to go back." Han Zhou nodded.

"Are you really good at picking locks?"

"Yes, I'll teach you on the way."

Han Zhou's lock-picking skills come from his "handcraft proficiency". When he was preparing a gift for Guzheng, he had considered making a special lock to lock the gift box to amuse Guzheng. Therefore, he had studied the simple structure of locks, but later gave up the idea.

His "handicraft skills" endowed him with dexterous craftsmanship; if he could make locks, he could naturally also pick them using his own methods.

Twenty minutes later, the two arrived at the locked door. With Han Zhou's help, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu easily unlocked his own door. He glanced at Han Zhou with a strange look before entering the room.

"Don't look at me like that. I'll just cook you a meal and then leave. I won't come and break into your house in the middle of the night."

Han Zhou assumed she was just surprised by his lock-picking skills and didn't care. Instead, he carefully examined the old house and found that the foundation was quite high, so even if there was a flood, it shouldn't be submerged in a short time. He felt relieved and even made a casual joke.

Xiao Wang Lengqiu, who was taking things out of her bag, paused for a moment upon hearing this, and looked at the DVD in her hand, asking, "Aren't you going to watch the movie with me?"

"Of course I'll watch it, but not today, it's too late today."

Han Zhou had no intention of staying overnight. He wasn't that shameless, and besides, neither the bench nor sleeping on the floor in Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's room was a good option. It would be more comfortable to sleep in Uncle Xia's bed.

Of course, the main purpose is to maintain distance.

He can't get too close to this girl.

Xiao Wang Lengqiu remained silent for a long time, simply taking out the remaining items from his schoolbag.

A novel titled "Witnessing Aliens," a bucket of lollipops, a palm-sized teddy bear, and a bag of oranges.

These were all bought by Han Zhou.

After a while, she squeezed the teddy bear and said softly, "Then cook less food, I can't finish it all by myself."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "I still want to eat before I leave."

"It's quite late after dinner," Xiao Wang Leng Qiu said without turning his head.

Han Zhou couldn't be sure if these words were meant to shoo him away or subtly try to keep him. He smiled and remained silent. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly took out a black paper cup from behind his back—or rather, an object resembling a paper cup—and placed it in the girl's hand.

"What is this?" Xiao Wang asked Leng Qiu.

Han Zhou smiled mysteriously: "It's a special communicator for stick figures. You can contact me anytime with it, but it can only be used twice."

What he pulled out wasn't some stick figure communicator, nor was he teasing Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu; it was actually a prop from the monthly shop—

【Connecting Lines: A disposable item, usable twice. After pressing the dial button, individuals at both ends of the line can communicate briefly for one minute via the microphone. Please refer to the detailed instructions after purchase for specific effects.】

He and Xiao Wang Leng Qiu are currently without cell phones, but Yixianqian can temporarily solve this problem, and instant communication can handle many emergencies.

(End of this chapter)