Forced into a romantic relationship

Han Zhou's method was simple yet brutal.

He decided to leave Xiao Wang Lengqiu in the inner kiln while he forcibly opened the sealed exit. After withstanding the first wave of the flood, he would then take Xiao Wang Lengqiu away from there.

This was a last resort, and it could even be described as extremely dangerous. Even if the immense force of the floodwaters didn't kill him after the outlet was opened, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to swim Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu to a safe place.

This was no ordinary torrent, but a terrifying flash flood. He struggled alone in the floodwaters and nearly lost his life, let alone with a little girl in tow.

But taking a risk is always better than waiting to die.

He saw no hope of surviving if he stayed here.

In order to survive the impact of the flood, he has prepared a new state—

【Photographic Memory (Modified) → Undying Through the Days: This life is like a star, difficult to perish even after a long time. For two hours after the state is activated, your vitality will be exceptionally strong. Cooldown time is three natural days. Each activation costs 20 points】

This is a state used to enhance vitality, making him less likely to die. Combined with the amplification effect of "I don't care about my life," he believed he should be able to withstand the first wave of the flood.

However, before taking action, he still consulted Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's opinion. After all, staying here would give him about three more hours to survive, while opening the exit might lead to an even faster death.

"I choose to stay here."

Xiao Wang Lengqiu's answer caught Han Zhou off guard.

Although he was asking for opinions, he actually preferred to take risks and find a way to survive. He thought that Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu would agree as usual, but he didn't expect to get the answer of sitting and waiting for death.

"Why?" he asked.

“If we stay here, we can all continue to wait for rescue,” Xiao Wang Leng Qiu replied.

"But we don't have much time left, and nobody knows when the rescue will arrive."

"I'm not going to use your method unless you make me dig a hole with you." Xiao Wang Leng Qiu rarely showed such a stubborn attitude.

Han Zhou was taken aback: "Didn't I tell you, the moment we dig out the exit is very dangerous? You have to stay here until I finish digging..."

"No," Xiao Wang Leng Qiu interrupted him.

As if she had thought of something, she cautiously reached out and gently grabbed Han Zhou's arm. After hesitating for a moment, as if she felt that this was not enough, she pulled the arm into her arms tightly and even pressed her head against it, not giving the other person a chance to leave her.

"Tick."

"Tick."

The sound of dripping water grew increasingly rapid in the darkness, mirroring the girl's own heartbeat, creating ripples on the water's surface.

Han Zhou opened his mouth. Of course, he could tell that the child suddenly hugged him not because he was afraid of being left alone, but because he was worried that the child would run to dig a hole and die by himself.

And this is indeed the case.

Xiao Wang Lengqiu wasn't aware of the risks involved in digging the hole, but she had already learned what kind of person this stick figure she had only recently met was—

She knew what was going on the moment the injured man appeared at her doorstep before the flood.

So she raised her head, met the eyes above her, and said earnestly, "I don't want you to die."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "What are you thinking? I won't die."

Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu seemed not to hear, continuing to stare into those eyes: "You said that stick figures consider suicide a shameful act, and you cannot be a shameful person."

"I never said I planned to end my own life."

Han Zhou gave a wry smile. "Besides, you clearly promised to cooperate with me. Even if something strange happens, you can't panic. You have to listen to me, remember?"

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu didn't speak, but simply hugged his arm tighter as a response.

Han Zhou wanted to push her away, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do it. He simply placed his palm gently on the girl's head and said, "Have you thought this through? If we don't open the exit, we'll just have to wait here to die together."

"Is there no other way?" Xiao Wang asked Leng Qiu.

"Perhaps there are, but I can't think of any right now, I'm sorry."

"What if there isn't..."

Before they could finish speaking, the flashlight that had been shining suddenly went out, and darkness engulfed the two of them like a tide, making it impossible for either of them to see each other's expressions.

Han Zhou tried to repair the flashlight again, but failed. The flashlight wasn't broken; it just had no power. No matter how skillful he was, he couldn't conjure a generator out of thin air.

Throughout the entire process, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu remained silent. If he hadn't been able to feel the other person's body temperature and the strength in his arm, he might have thought the other person was asleep.

In the darkness, after an unknown amount of time, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu finally spoke:

"You don't need to worry about me."

Han Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the other party meant they were compromising and were willing to accept his plan to forcefully open the exit.

However, the next second, the girl continued, "Actually, you can leave here, right? You can teleport, and as long as you don't take me with you, this place can't trap you."

Han Zhou was taken aback, and then he realized that the phrase "Don't worry about me" actually meant "Don't worry about me".

He suddenly became a little angry, but in the end he just sighed silently, his tone still gentle: "Little Leng Qiu, why do you think I came here?"

"because I."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu replied in a low voice, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

In the darkness, she seemed to have let down her guard a little, and her tone was different from usual, more candid, and more vulnerable.

Han Zhou smiled and said, "I did come here because of you, but it wasn't you who caused me any trouble. On the contrary, without you, I wouldn't be able to teleport even if I wanted to."

"what?"

"My teleportation ability only works when I have someone I miss very, very much," Han Zhou said frankly.

I miss the person I miss so much...

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu paused for two seconds, suddenly wanting to figure this out and ask why this alien was being so kind to him. But in the end, he suppressed all his thoughts and asked, "Is this the talent of the stick figure?"

"That's it."

"If I were to become a stick figure, would I also gain such a talent?"

This kid's focus is always so strange... Han Zhou chuckled inwardly: "That's not necessarily true, and stick figures can't just be transformed at will."

Since there was still time, he wasn't in a hurry to dig out an exit. It was nice to just chat like this; who knows, these might be his last words.

Pshaw, what are you thinking?

After a moment of self-mockery, Han Zhou suddenly felt less anxious. He shifted to a more comfortable position against the wall and then lifted Xiao Wang Leng Qiu onto his lap to prevent her from getting wet from the accumulating water on the ground.

He wanted to stretch, but his arms were held tightly by the girl, so he couldn't stretch them out and had to give up. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Little Leng Qiu, suppose, I mean suppose... suppose these are the last three hours of your life, what would you want to do?"

"Finish reading the novel."

As her last wish before death, Xiao Wang Lengqiu's answer was shockingly simple.

Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated: "It's too easy. Just treat it as an essay question and answer it again."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu thought for a moment and said, "I want to see the ending in the book and find out what happened to James and Ross in the end."

"That's it?"

"Ah."

"If I were your teacher, your essay would definitely not get a high score."

"Would this kind of topic appear in an essay?" Xiao Wang asked Leng Qiu.

"Who knows."

Han Zhou smiled, then said in a slightly regretful tone, "...Unfortunately, there's no light at all now, so your wish probably can't be fulfilled for the time being."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu didn't respond. After a moment of silence, she mustered her courage and asked, "And you, what is your wish?"

“I have many wishes, after all, I am a greedy person. If I had to choose, I would definitely choose to have three more hours of my life... no, one hundred more years.”

After a pause, Han Zhou said half-jokingly, "You should be like me and try to be a little greedy, just wanting to see how the story ends... Who makes such a small wish?"

The air was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Xiao Wang said.

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m the one who should apologize.” Han Zhou quietly hugged her tighter, and after a moment of silence, he said, “…Xiao Lengqiu, I’m sorry.”

If they really can't get out, then this can be considered his advance apology.

No... whether it's early or late, who can say for sure?

"it does not matter."

The girl in his arms trembled, then slowly released his arm, seemingly wanting to leave his embrace, but the next second she was pulled into his arms even tighter.

"Saying sorry doesn't mean I'm abandoning you," Han Zhou said softly.

"what does that mean?"

Xiao Wang Lengqiu remained silent for a long time before speaking, her voice somewhat hoarse.

After all, he was just a twelve-year-old child. No matter how calm and restrained he was, he would inevitably show his vulnerable side when faced with the fate of waiting alone for death in a dark cave.

"It has many meanings."

Han Zhou pretended not to notice the dampness on his sleeve and said with a light smile, "Leaving it here means I couldn't fix the flashlight, so you couldn't see the ending of the story, which is why I apologized."

"This has nothing to do with you."

"Then why do you feel that other people's troubles are related to you?" Han Zhou asked with a smile.

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked up, and then heard the sound of the skull colliding with the bridge of the nose again.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"It's ok."

Han Zhou didn't take it seriously, but after thinking for a moment, he added seriously, "I really didn't have a nosebleed this time."

"puff."

After a brief silence, a very soft sound rang out in the darkness.

He stared blankly for a moment, then asked in an incredulous tone, "You... just laughed?"

He had always thought that not liking to smile was a characteristic of Wang Lengqiu as she grew up, but it wasn't until after he traveled through time that he discovered that this girl had never liked to smile since she was a child. He even suspected that the smile in the photo was photoshopped. But just now, he seemed to hear the girl's laughter.

...A hallucination?

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu didn't know why he had such an agitated reaction, so he shook his head and said, "I don't know."

A smile should be an expression of joy, but she was clearly not happy just now, and besides, she laughed after bumping into someone's nose, which was extremely impolite.

She dared not admit it, but was also too embarrassed to deny it.

Even she herself didn't realize that, faced with such a difficult question, she chose an answer other than "I'm sorry" for the first time.

"...I know what my wish is now."

The next second, Han Zhou suddenly let out a long sigh of relief, and then said in a spirited tone, "I must take you away from here, and then see how you laugh."

"This is about your wish, and it cannot be fulfilled without you, so please don't say things like 'Don't worry about me' anymore."

"About my wish..."

Xiao Wang Lengqiu murmured and repeated the sentence.

"That's right, about your wish."

Amidst the increasingly rapid sound of dripping water, an unequivocal reply rang in my ears.

Xiao Wang Lengqiu was somewhat lost in thought when Han Zhou suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, Xiao Lengqiu, do you remember what you were thinking before the flood came, that is, before I appeared in front of you?"

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu snapped out of her thoughts and answered truthfully, "I was wondering if you would come to see me today."

"anything else?"

"Nothing."

"When we first met, were you also wondering when you would be able to see me?"

"No, we had never met before that."

"Yeah, what nonsense am I talking about..."

Han Zhou let out a breath. He had initially wondered if the trigger condition for "there will definitely be a response" would be a "two-way journey," requiring both parties to be thinking of each other in order to trigger the teleportation, but this was obviously impossible.

So think about it carefully... what was he feeling when he triggered "there will definitely be a response" today, and how was it different from his previous futile attempts?
It seems there's no difference.

The only difference is that he saw the carousel before triggering "there will be an echo".

But the revolving lantern is clearly not the main point, otherwise there wouldn't have been the first time travel.

So the real focus... isn't it on the future?
Han Zhou had a sudden inspiration.

Both the last and this time, the reason why the "there will definitely be a response" was successfully triggered was not only because he had enough "longing" for Wang Lengqiu, but also because he couldn't help but imagine the future of the two of them.

Last time, he felt regret and remorse. He thought that if everything had been just right, he and Wang Lengqiu might have had a good ending. Especially when he saw the photo, he even imagined what it would be like for the two of them to be together in the future.
This time, however, it was resentment and anger. He thought that if he died, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu might completely lose her future, the two would never meet again, never reunite, and he would never have the chance to say sorry to her again.

In that instant, the possibility of the two of them being together also flashed through his mind.

So... does triggering "There Will Be an Echo" really require enough foresight about the future? Only by considering the future of the two of them can the interpretation of "There Will Be an Echo" in the status bar be satisfied, thus triggering the teleportation effect?

Han Zhou couldn't be sure, but it was worth a try.

Since "There Will Be an Echo" allows teleportation with items like umbrellas, it's not impossible to teleport with a living person as well.

However, just to be on the safe side, he still made some preparations in advance—

[University Student (modified) → Celestial Student: By the grace of Heaven, you will receive a slight boost in luck and can break through physical limitations to choose any non-fixed state for enhancement (Note that this enhancement will slightly exceed the status bar level limit, the points consumed depend on the state being enhanced, and the cooldown time is ten natural days)]

For the past two days, the two have been eating oranges and haven't had a chance to eat meat yet, so they haven't used "Heavenly Student" to enhance "Culinary Mastery". Now they can use it to enhance a different status.

After a moment's thought, Han Zhou decided to use "Tianxuesheng" (天学生) to reinforce the meaning of "Tianxuesheng".

Being a "heavenly student" can increase one's luck, and that's exactly what he needs right now.

[Celestial Student (Enhanced): By the grace of Heaven, you are blessed with good fortune. In this state, your luck will be slightly increased, and one nearby companion will also receive the same luck boost.]

After seeing the enhancement effect, a smile appeared on Han Zhou's face.

The status bar may not always be useful in critical moments, but it has never disappointed him in the most crucial times, which is exactly the effect he wants.

Although it cost a full fifty points, it was worth it as long as I could teleport with Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu.

After a brief moment of thought, Han Zhou had determined the "coordinates" for the teleportation, but he was still worried that "there will be a response" and he might not be able to teleport with Xiao Wang Leng Qiu. Therefore, he had to ensure one thing: if he could not teleport with Xiao Wang Leng Qiu, he had to return to her side immediately.

Therefore, he needs to make as many impressions of this girl as possible, at least in the short term, so that he can have enough "longing" for her.

Otherwise, if he were to teleport away alone and then be unable to return to Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's side for various reasons, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life.

This situation must not be allowed to occur.

So he said, "I've thought of another way that might allow me to teleport you away from here, but before that, do you have any way to make me think about you for a short period of time?"

He spoke quickly, but Xiao Wang Lengqiu still understood what he meant: "Are you worried that your longing for me isn't deep enough?"
She remembered the alien saying that he needed enough longing to activate his teleportation ability.

"Correct."

Han Zhou nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you say something? Sing a song or tell a joke or something. It would be even better if you could make me laugh again. I will never forget it."

It's a pity I can't see it now... he thought to himself.

The two had a misunderstanding, but neither of them realized it.

In the darkness, Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's voice rang out after a few seconds: "I've read a similar plot in a book. Ross said he would never forget James and gave him the courtesy that the Ley tribe would give to important people."

"What kind of etiquette?" Han Zhou asked curiously.

"...Could you lower your head?"

(End of this chapter)