Forced into a romantic relationship

"Xiaoya, you're not eating enough. You need to eat properly to grow tall. Look at our Xiaoling, she's so cute with her chubby face."

"elder sister……"

"Haha, Xiaoling, don't be angry. Your sister didn't mean you were fat."

"If you hadn't told me, Xiaoling wouldn't have thought that way. Wukong, you should eat more too. You cook so many dishes every day, it must be hard for you."

"What hardship do I have? I can get free meals and hone my cooking skills at the same time. It's more like I'm enjoying myself."

"Pfft! You're quite the smooth talker, but you probably don't need to keep honing your cooking skills, do you?"

"Yes, your Aunt Ye even wants to ask you for advice. She said that after you leave, we won't be able to eat her cooking anymore."

"Hahaha."

"..."

At the dinner table, Zhong Ling's family ate their meal chatting and laughing. Han Zhou and Xiao Wang Leng Qiu seemed to have joined in as well. The former smiled broadly and chatted casually, while the latter kept saying "thank you" and transferring the food that Zhong Yin had put in his bowl to Han Zhou's bowl, which drew another round of laughter.

"It feels like Little Silver is trying every trick in the book to serve food to Wukong," Zhong Chengguang joked with a laugh.

He looked around and, taking advantage of his wife's inattention, secretly poured himself another half glass of wine.

Zhong Yin wasn't annoyed by what he heard, but she was a little discouraged. She first shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, then glared at Han Zhou sitting opposite her: "If you're going to give him food, then give him food. You're obligated to help me out. Since you ate my food, you should help me out."

"Xiao Yin, I've already told you not to force people." Ye Xiaorou smiled helplessly and gave Han Zhou an apologetic look.

Zhong Ling's personality is at least 80% inherited from her mother; she always has a gentle smile on her face, speaks softly, and is incredibly gentle.

As for the remaining two traits that weren't inherited, it's probably that graceful and poised demeanor, which was likely passed down to Zhong Yin, the older sister.

Zhong Yin said frankly, "I didn't force him. I was just planning to discuss it with him."

"Sister Yin, what do you want to discuss with me?" Han Zhou couldn't help but ask.

So the other person really did have something to ask him? He had thought that the question before dinner, "Do you want me to be happier?" was a joke.

"What Sister Yin..."

Zhong Yin blushed and glanced at her parents' expressions with a guilty look. She thought to herself, "This guy is really something. It's one thing to call me 'sister' behind my back, but he dares to call me that in front of my parents. Doesn't he feel ashamed?"

Fortunately, Mom and Dad didn't seem to mind, or perhaps this kid had always called them that even in front of them, and they were already used to it...

Thinking of this, she felt inexplicably ashamed and quickly raised her rice bowl to cover her face. After a few seconds, she said, "It's nothing. It doesn't matter whether you agree or not."

"Sister, drink water."

Perhaps worried that she would choke, Zhong Ling quickly handed her a glass of water. The childish voice melted her heart. She sneered inwardly, thinking, "We're both calling each other 'sister,' so why is there such a big difference between us?"
If Han Zhou heard her thoughts, he would probably dismiss it. What's wrong with calling someone "sister"? There are so many people who call someone "mother" without permission. Do they really consider her their own mother?

"Thank you, Xiaoling."

Zhong Yin put down his rice bowl, smiled broadly, and pinched his younger sister's little face. The more he pinched, the more he liked her, and he couldn't help but pinch her cheek.

Seeing this, Ye Xiaorou was both amused and helpless, so she could only help explain, "There's going to be a star concert in Lincheng soon, and Xiaoyin wants you to come with her to set up a stall, I think it's something..."

“Fluorescent hand-painted,” Zhong Yin added while pinching his cheek.

Han Zhou had heard of this thing before. It was a bit like a glowing tattoo. It was low-cost and profitable, and it was indeed a good idea to use it to make money at concerts. He didn't expect Sister Yin to have such a good business sense.

But the same question remains: why ask him specifically when you could just ask any of your classmates for help?
Hearing this, Zhong Yin rolled her eyes at him: "Nine out of ten people in our class who are interested in this concert are star chasers. They are only thinking about how to get into the venue and they don't even have time to haggle with scalpers. Who would have time to set up a stall outside with me?"

"As for the others, they are either not interested in my proposal or they are not familiar with me. I don't want to tell them about my business opportunities, so I can only come to you, since you are more free."

There was something else Zhong Yin didn't say: she felt quite insecure setting up a stall alone in such a crowded place, which is why she wanted to find a guy to accompany her.

Seeing that Han Zhou did not refuse directly, but instead looked hesitant, she pressed her advantage and said, "I have already bought everything online. You don't need to prepare anything. Just come with me to set up the stall on Sunday. After it's done, I'll give you 70% and you 30%. Isn't that fair?"

Sunday? I don't know if I'll be able to find the time then...

Han Zhou considered for a moment and said, "I'll go with you whenever I have time."

"What's the difference between this and not answering at all?" Zhong Yin muttered.

"Alright, Xiao Yin, Wukong has his own things to do too. If it's really not possible, Mom will go with you, okay?" Ye Xiaorou said with a smile.

"That won't do. It's too dangerous for two weak women like us to be in such a crowded place like a concert," Zhong Yin said half-jokingly.

“Then let Dad go with you!” Zhong Chengguang raised his thick arm, trying to show off his muscles.

Han Zhou was stunned. Yin Jie still considered herself a weak woman. She probably never imagined that nine years later she would become a "strong woman" who would keep a wrench by her bedside every night.

"I'll go with Sister Yin," he suddenly said.

"Huh? Didn't you just say you didn't have time?"

Zhong Yin looked surprised, then suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but laugh. "I was just joking. You don't really think I can't live without you, do you? If you have something important to do, go ahead and do it. I won't force you."

She suddenly realized that this thick-skinned guy was actually quite soft-hearted.

Han Zhou smiled, his tone becoming more serious: "I've thought about it carefully, and this matter is quite important."

If nothing unexpected happens, he will be taking Xiao Wang Leng Qiu back to Xinghua Town next week.

This might be the only time he sees Silver before she dons her hardened shell. Before the young princess builds her armor, even if he doesn't become a knight, he wants to be a small guard and briefly protect the "weak" girl from nine years ago.

If we miss this opportunity, we won't see each other again for nine years.

Zhong Yin was taken aback, feeling that the other person's gaze was a bit strange. She couldn't understand the emotions in their eyes, but seeing someone say such things to her with such "deep affection" made her blush. After a long while, she awkwardly said "Oh".

Even though the other person was saying that this matter was important, their tone inexplicably gave her the feeling that "she is very important"...

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu paused for a moment, first looking up at Zhong Yin, then turning to look at Han Zhou, before continuing to eat.

At the same time, Zhong Chengguang and Ye Xiaorou exchanged a thoughtful glance, while Xiao Zhongling was still immersed in the joy of having her cheeks pinched by her sister.

In short, the matter is settled—this Sunday, Han Zhou will accompany Zhong Yin to set up a stall outside the concert venue.

"I've thought about it carefully, and this matter is quite important." After lunch, Zhong Yin tossed and turned in her room for a nap, still unable to forget the look in Han Zhou's eyes when he said those words. Thinking back to that vague dream, she felt that his appearance outside her door that night might not have been a coincidence, but rather something predestined.

"Xiaoling, are you asleep?" she called softly.

"No, what's wrong, sister?"

Do you believe in destiny, or fate, in this world?

Little Bell thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "It exists."

"why?"

"Because that's what my parents always say. If we weren't destined to be together, we wouldn't be able to become a family."

Zhong Yin paused for a moment, then her expression softened, and she smiled, "Yes, only those with enough fate can become a family."

"Does Sister want to become family with Brother Wukong?" Little Bell suddenly asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Zhong Yin was taken aback.

"Because you've been spending a lot of time with Brother Wukong lately."

She was both amused and exasperated: "Isn't it normal for us to be under the same roof and spend a lot of time together?"

She paused, then suddenly sighed, sprawled out on the bed, stared at the ceiling with a complicated expression, and said, "Xiaoling, I keep having dreams about that guy lately. In my dreams, I'm all old, but he's still the same as he is now. Do you think that guy might be a monster?"

"The teacher said that what you think about during the day, you dream about at night," Little Bell reminded her.

"But I see him every morning when I wake up. What's there to think about all day? At most, it's just that I see him more often."

"If Brother Wukong leaves one day and we can never see him again, will you stop dreaming, sister?"

Zhong Yin was taken aback, then turned over and hugged Xiao Zhongling tightly. After several seconds, she chuckled and spoke.

"We'll have to wait and see."

That noon, she had another dream about that guy.

In her dream, that guy still called her Sister Yin with a smile, just like he does now, but she was inexplicably angry. She didn't know why she was angry; she just felt that his face was unpleasant to look at, and his words were unpleasant to hear.

She thought about it for a long time in her dream, until she saw that guy so anxious that he hugged her and apologized desperately, before she finally understood why she was angry.

Perhaps because...

She's clearly the younger one, so why does this guy have to treat her so carefully like an elder?

……

This is the first time Han Zhou has taken a nap since returning to the past. After all, he's taking Xiao Wang Leng Qiu out to play this afternoon, and he needs to be in high spirits to ignite her enthusiasm.

To put it bluntly, he found that Xiao Wang Leng Qiu didn't seem very interested in going out to play, so he could only stay in his room thinking about what fun places there were in Lincheng, and eventually fell asleep while thinking about it.

Fortunately, he actually figured it out—

amusement park.

No child can resist amusement parks.

Well, actually Han Zhou wasn't sure if Xiao Wang Leng Qiu would be interested in amusement parks, but he couldn't think of anything new for the time being. Asking Zhong Yin was pointless—in her words, wherever Xiao Ling was, that place was fun, so her answer was meaningless.

Have you ever been to an amusement park before?

Walking into the familiar yet unfamiliar alley after a long absence, Han Zhou greedily breathed in the fresh air, comparing the surroundings with his memories while asking Xiao Wang Leng Qiu, who was holding his hand.

Holding hands is a must when going out – this is Zhong Yin’s suggestion. She argues that what kind of siblings are they if they don’t hold hands when they go out? Anyone who can’t take good care of their sister should be arrested and shot. There are countless similar proposals, and Han Zhou is probably the first person who needs to follow these regulations.

When the two left, the young "senator" even rode his bicycle alongside them for a while as a supervisor, almost whipping the air with a whip. Han Zhou had no choice but to comply.

"If you lose such a cute little sister, then don't come back"—these were the guy's exact words before he rode away on his bicycle.

"No."

As expected, Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu gave a negative answer.

"You must have seen those on TV, right? Roller coasters, pendulum rides, carousels... Is there anything you'd like to try?" Han Zhou continued to ask.

I thought Xiao Wang Leng Qiu might answer with "I don't know" or "thank you," but to my surprise, the girl thought about it very seriously and actually gave an answer.

"I want to ride the Ferris wheel."

"Okay, let's ride the Ferris wheel."

Han Zhou was overjoyed, then couldn't help but ask with some curiosity, "But why a Ferris wheel?"

He thought the girl wouldn't know how to choose anything.

“The Ferris wheel is very high; you might be able to see your hometown from there,” Xiao Wang Lengqiu replied.

The autumn wind lifted the girl's bangs, and her pitiful face was expressionless, yet seemed to hold something else.

That was something Han Zhou wouldn't notice.

Han Zhou couldn't help but chuckle: "Then it needs to be even higher."

Because of the gust of wind, a leaf landed on Xiao Wang Lengqiu's head. He was about to reach out and brush it away when he suddenly remembered something. He picked up the leaf and asked, "Xiao Lengqiu, what season is this leaf from?"

Nine years later, Wang Lengqiu said many things that he found hard to understand, but now he understands that most of those words actually came from his current self.

So he couldn't help but wonder if Xiao Wang Lengqiu would still say those strange things in the future if he didn't say anything.

He remembered that once, outside the school gate, facing two leaves falling from the sky, Wang Lengqiu said one was an autumn leaf and the other was a spring leaf. At that time, he did not understand the meaning of the words at all, and he still could not understand them now. He wondered if Wang Lengqiu could explain it to him.

It's autumn, so how can there be spring leaves?
Looking at the withered yellow leaves displayed before her, Xiao Wang Lengqiu examined them carefully for a long time before looking up at Han Zhou, a hint of confusion and worry flashing in her eyes.

"...Is this a riddle?" (End of Chapter)