Forced into a romantic relationship

When Han Zhou woke up, it was already completely dark.

The whole world seemed to be soaked in thick ink, without a trace of sunlight. Only the flickering candlelight danced in the darkness, illuminating a serene little face—

The soft glow outlined the girl's delicate features, and her eyelashes cast dappled shadows on her cheeks. If you ignored the fresh scratches at the corners of her eyes, her face could definitely be called a work of art.

"Senior Wang Lengqiu..."

Han Zhou's mind was a blur. He muttered something unconsciously, but the pain in his body quickly brought him back to his senses. He also remembered his current situation and hurriedly threw off the blanket and got up, his voice urgent.

"Where are we? Is there a flood? Are you hurt?"

Seeing that he had woken up, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu closed the book "Witnessing Aliens" in her hand, did not answer, but tilted her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"You just called me 'senior'?"

Does this guy have such good hearing?

Han Zhou's heart tightened, and he immediately realized that it wasn't that Xiao Wang Leng Qiu had good hearing, but rather that sounds in this place seemed to be amplified.

This is... a cave?
The air was filled with a damp, musty smell, mixed with some indescribable stench of decay; every breath felt like swallowing cold silk.

Water droplets slowly condensed on the rock face, making a crisp "drip-drop" sound as they fell, amplified infinitely in the absolute silence. Occasionally, the soft rustling of pebbles rolling down the rock could be heard, like the darkness itself whispering secrets.

It really is a cave...

But why are we here?
I said 'thank you,' not 'senior sister.'

Han Zhou had too many questions in his mind, so he casually brushed off the topic and then hurriedly asked, "It's your turn to answer my questions. Where are we now? What happened after I lost consciousness?"

He could roughly guess why he was with Xiao Wang Leng Qiu.

Perhaps the luck granted by his "I don't care about my life" finally came into play, or perhaps his desire to see Xiao Wang Lengqiu before his "death" reached its peak... In any case, whatever the reason, he must have triggered the "echo" teleportation effect, which allowed him to come to Xiao Wang Lengqiu's side and avoid the fate of crashing into the tree and dying.

In other words, the Xiao Wang Leng Qiu he saw before he lost consciousness was not a hallucination. The teleportation of "There Will Be an Echo" would have led him to a deserted place, and the reason the latter was able to find him in time was clearly because he heard his desperate shout—

"Don't underestimate our bond!"

Thinking of this, even with Han Zhou's strong mentality, he felt his face burning and suddenly thought it would be better to just crash into a tree and die.

Of course, this was just a random thought.

It's so good that I survived.

However, the current situation doesn't seem too good.

In the next few minutes, he learned from Xiao Wang Lengqiu what had happened after he fell into a coma.

It turned out that long before he arrived at Xiao Wangqiu's house, the other party had already spotted the arrival of the flood from afar. After rushing all the way and "recruiting" a lot of accumulated water as his underlings, the mountain torrent had accumulated enough momentum to be so powerful that it was hard not to be discovered.

Xiao Wang Lengqiu didn't think her home could withstand the impact of the flash flood, so she immediately decided to evacuate. However, just as she finished packing her things, she heard shouts outside the door and then saw Han Zhou unconscious. She couldn't wake him up no matter what she did, so she had to use a cart to take him away with her.

This place wasn't a cave, but an abandoned brick kiln. Xiao Wang Lengqiu originally planned to climb to the attic of the old granary opposite her house, but she knew she couldn't take the unconscious Han Zhou up the stairs with her, so she had no choice but to drag him into the brick kiln on the other side.

The brick kiln was located between the foot of the mountain and halfway up the mountain. The terrain was not high, but it was the highest and most sturdy building that Xiao Wang Lengqiu could find. In addition, there was a relatively flat road in the middle that could allow carts to pass through, which made it her second choice.

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's account was quite simple, and the whole process was basically glossed over. However, Han Zhou knew very well that things were not as easy as the girl said, otherwise she wouldn't have had wounds on her face.

"So that's how it is, the flood has already come..."

Han Zhou sighed softly, and the image of Xiao Wang Leng Qiu dragging him little by little into the brick kiln with her thin body subconsciously appeared in his mind, and his feelings were complicated.

He originally planned to rescue Xiao Wang Lengqiu before the flood arrived, but unexpectedly, the flood came and he not only failed to save anyone, but was also saved by such a little girl. It was truly embarrassing.

If it were just about being embarrassed, that would be one thing. What made him feel most guilty was that he had caused the girl to miss the best opportunity to wait for rescue—waiting for rescue in the attic of the granary would not only have provided more space to move around and a wider view, but also allow her to deploy the next plan at any time based on the external situation.

Most importantly, a conspicuous building like an attic is easily noticed by the search and rescue team, thus increasing her chances of being rescued in time.

On the other hand, brick kilns are not only cramped and polluted, but they also pose a constant risk of flooding or even the collapse of the entire kiln. If rescuers fail to find the kiln in time, the people inside will almost certainly face certain death.

Unfortunately, this brick kiln was built against the mountain and had been in disrepair for many years. The area around the entrance was covered by a large amount of vegetation, making it almost impossible to see any trace of modern architecture. It was even more hidden than many caves, making it difficult for search and rescue personnel to find.

As the candlelight flickered, Han Zhou felt for the first time the capriciousness of fate. He had always thought that Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's life and death were closely related to his own, but he did not expect that while they were indeed related, what he brought to the other party was not a path to life, but a path to death.

According to Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu, the entrance to the brick kiln collapsed as soon as the flood arrived, and water had already begun to seep into the cracks between the stones not long ago. The two of them are currently in the inner kiln, so the ground is still relatively dry, but as time goes by, the inner kiln will eventually be submerged.

Despite his efforts, he not only failed to save the girl, but also became a hindrance.

The brick kiln was dark and stuffy, but fortunately the air was relatively dry. As a twelve-year-old child, Xiao Wang Lengqiu was even calmer than many adults. He had collected the straw and leftover coal in the kiln in advance, obviously intending to use them for heating if necessary.

Although burning charcoal in such a confined space is practically the same as courting death.

Han Zhou's left leg was injured. Although it hurt a bit, it didn't affect his slow movement. He got up and went to check the collapsed exit. He found that it was indeed completely blocked. Even with his strength, he couldn't create a way out.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that the floodwaters are seeping in very slowly, but the bad thing is that the two people will probably not be able to get out for a while and can only wait for rescue.

Fortunately, there are quite a few gaps above the opening, so the air inside the brick kiln should not be scarce for the time being. Although it is certainly impossible to light a fire for warmth, at least candles can still be used for lighting.

Here we must once again admire Xiao Wang Lengqiu's composure. In addition to the necessary food, drinking water and flashlight, she even brought candles. Besides that, she also brought a blanket, a small knife, the cold medicine she took yesterday, and the book "Witnessing Aliens" that she is holding in her hands right now.

These are essential supplies that can be used in a disaster. Not to mention a twelve-year-old child, even many adults might not think of bringing these things when they are rushing to take refuge.

The more this happened, the more ashamed Han Zhou felt.

At this moment, he was extremely anxious, constantly thinking of ways to save himself. This brick kiln was too well hidden, and he could not place all his hopes on outside rescue. If he wanted to get Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu out of danger, the only thing he could rely on now was probably the status bar.

So he began to seriously examine all his current circumstances, and then looked at the product descriptions in the monthly mall one by one, hoping to find a feasible self-rescue plan.

Unlike Han Zhou's tension and anxiety, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu appeared quite calm. She seemed unconcerned about the flood outside or when she would be rescued. She occasionally turned the pages of her book, but her gaze did not fall on the book. The shadow behind her swayed gently in the flickering candlelight.

She stared at Han Zhou's battered body for a while, then suddenly said, "You came here today specifically to save me, didn't you?"

Han Zhou absentmindedly hummed in response.

There's no point in denying it, and he can't deny it anyway.

"There was a flood, how did you get here?" Xiao Wang Leng Qiu asked again.

She had a guess about one possibility, but felt it was unlikely.

Han Zhou forced a smile and said in a relaxed tone, "Of course I have my own way."

"What method? Swim over?"

"How is that possible? I teleported here instantly."

"Teleport?"

"That's right, I said I'm omnipotent."

"If you were truly omnipotent, you wouldn't have fainted outside my door."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu looked serious, paused, and continued, "And you have many injuries."

Han Zhou remained silent for a moment, unwilling to admit that he had made such a mess of himself and still failed to save anyone, so he gave a wry smile and said, "I sometimes make mistakes too."

"Ah."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu nodded and lowered his head to continue reading the novel.

After about half a minute, she suddenly said without looking up, "When the flood came, I saw the granary and the attic being washed away together."

Han Zhou was stunned, not understanding why the other person would suddenly say this. After a couple of seconds, he reacted and said in an uncertain tone, "Are you trying to comfort me?"

Xiao Wang Lengqiu didn't answer. He closed the novel and put it on the ground. He took out a bag of oranges from his wet schoolbag, picked up an orange, peeled it, carefully removed the white pith, ate a segment himself, and then handed over the rest of the orange.

"Eat?"

Han Zhou was somewhat lost in thought, the scene of the girl handing him the cold steamed bun reappearing in his mind. Her reaction then was exactly the same as now, both with an expressionless face and a hint of expectation.

The two figures overlapped and separated in his eyes, like the same hand on the same clock at different points in time, ticking away in his ear.

After a brief moment of distraction, Han Zhou realized that the girl was indeed trying to comfort him. Although she wasn't very good at expressing herself, she was very perceptive and seemed to have sensed his self-blame from the beginning, which was why she had said those words earlier.

"Thank you."

He took the peeled orange. After struggling in the flood for so long, coupled with the mental strain of triggering "There Will Always Be an Echo," he was indeed quite hungry. "It's a wonder you even brought oranges," he said.

The orange was very sweet, and the juice quickly spread across his tongue, replenishing the sugar he was missing.

"I brought everything I could eat."

Xiao Wang Lengqiu picked up his schoolbag and showed the remaining food inside—a frozen fish and a frozen chicken.

Han Zhou paused for two seconds, then asked, "...How do you eat this?"

Xiao Wang Lengqiu pointed to the coal and straw on the ground.

She was still a child after all. Even though she was calm enough, she inevitably lacked experience and common sense. She seemed unaware of the dangers of burning charcoal in an enclosed space.

Han Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling that his arrival had finally come in handy. He immediately shook his head and said with a serious expression, "No, you can't light a fire in a place like this."

"Oh."

Although she didn't quite understand, Xiao Wang Lengqiu obediently blew out the two candles on the ground.

The surroundings were suddenly plunged into complete darkness.

Han Zhou: "..."

This kid's execution ability is truly amazing.

"What I mean by not being able to light fires is not being able to burn charcoal in enclosed spaces, otherwise it may cause carbon monoxide poisoning. It's also best not to burn straw, as the smoke is difficult to dissipate. As for candles, they can be burned," he added.

Three seconds after she finished speaking, a glimmer of light appeared in the darkness. Xiao Wang Lengqiu used a lighter to relight the candle, and her pitiful face was instantly bathed in the warm glow of the candlelight.

"Are you cold?" Han Zhou asked.

The two of them were already soaked through, and if they couldn't make a fire to keep warm, the night would be hard to endure. It wasn't night as Han Zhou had initially thought, but rather noon. He only made that judgment because it was too dark all around.

“A little,” Xiao Wang Lengqiu said.

"Bear with it for now, I'll figure something out."

"Ah."

Even though she already knew they couldn't cook or keep warm by making a fire, the girl showed no disappointment. She wiped her hands, then peeled an orange and handed it to him: "Want some more?"

Is this child planning to comfort me by feeding me...? Han Zhou chuckled inwardly, but pretended to be serious and said, "Have you thought this through? We only have these oranges left to eat. Aren't you afraid I'll eat them all in one go?"

"It's okay, I can eat less."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu gently shook her head, seemingly indicating that he didn't need to worry, and then pointed to the frozen chicken and frozen fish in her schoolbag, "And these are edible too."

"How can I eat this?" Han Zhou asked, his mouth agape.

“Eat it raw,” Xiao Wang Leng Qiu replied.

"Raw?"

"Ah."

Seeing the girl's serious expression, Han Zhou paused for two seconds: "You didn't actually plan to eat raw meat all along, did you?"

"If there's really nothing else to eat."

From today onwards, I declare you the true top agent. At least in terms of survival awareness, Yi Xia is inferior to you... Han Zhou sighed: "Then why didn't you just bring a bag of raw rice with you?"

Eating raw meat is eating, and eating raw rice is eating. Although both are quite harmful, the latter is at least more acceptable to people.

The reason given by Xiao Wang Lengqiu for this was quite simple:
"Rice doesn't taste as good as meat."

It seems that in her view, since she has no choice but to eat raw food anyway, she might as well choose something tastier.

Don't tell me, it makes sense.

Wait a minute... So this child really did consider the possibility of eating raw food from the beginning, and even actually chose between eating raw rice and frozen meat?!

Please, you're just a twelve-year-old kid, do you have to be so calculating?
A sense of frustration suddenly arose in Han Zhou's heart, as if he had come here only to increase the consumption of oranges.

However, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu is much stronger than he imagined. He even has the awareness to eat raw meat. Would such a person really choose to take his own life someday in the future?

Thinking of this, he felt both excited and melancholy, and a sense of uncertainty arose in his heart.

Seeing that he was lost in thought again, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu ate a segment of orange herself first, and then handed him the rest: "Want some?"

"No, thank you." Han Zhou smiled. "You eat, I'm full."

"I can't finish it all by myself."

"We can save it for later."

"Oh."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu didn't say much and collected all the remaining oranges. Han Zhou was stunned when he saw this. Just as he was about to speak, the girl said first, "You don't seem very happy."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then rubbed his temples with a wry smile: "Is it that obvious?"

Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu shook their heads, then nodded: "It's obvious now."

"...A little, but not unhappy."

"what is that?"

"trouble."

"Isn't being troubled just being unhappy?" Xiao Wang Leng Qiu tilted his head.

Han Zhou shook his head and sighed softly, saying, "You're still young and don't understand the troubles of adults. This is different from being unhappy, and they shouldn't be confused."

What he said was, of course, pure nonsense; it was just profound and unfathomable drivel he deliberately spouted to salvage his dignity as an adult.

"Do adults have a lot of worries?" Xiao Wang asked Leng Qiu.

"Of course, and there are quite a few troubles too."

Are stick figures like that too?

"Yes, that's true."

Han Zhou chuckled and continued to spout nonsense with a straight face, "So I need to get caught in the rain occasionally, but not completely soaked, so that my passion can always be burning."

"No wonder you always look at me strangely."

Xiao Wang asked Leng Qiu curiously, "It's been raining these past few days, and you're always getting soaked. Your enthusiasm has been dampened, so is that why you're having trouble?"

"Will you stop being unhappy if I leave?"

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said with a smile, "No, Xiao Lengqiu, you must remember, even if I get soaked to the bone, even if all my passion is extinguished, I will never be bothered by you."

Xiao Wang Lengqiu tilted his head, seemingly not quite understanding the meaning of the sentence.

Han Zhou didn't say anything more, but made a promise in a firm yet gentle tone:

"...Believe me, even if I'm not omnipotent, I will definitely get you out of here safely."

"Tick."

"Tick."

"..."

Water droplets seeping from the wall fell one after another, creating tiny ripples in a nearby puddle.

Looking at the profile illuminated by the candlelight, Xiao Wang Lengqiu nodded gently.

"Thank you."

(End of this chapter)