Forced into a romantic relationship

The drifting clouds were torn into fluffy pieces by the evening breeze and bathed in the molten gold of the sunset.

On the way back, Han Zhou learned from Zhong Yin why the other party didn't ride a bicycle.

It turned out that she wasn't drawn to the streets of Lincheng, but rather that someone had deflated her bicycle tires, forcing her to push it.

He held Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's hand, looking shocked, and asked, "Is the security at your school that bad?"

From having your tires secretly deflated to being attacked by a pervert, the security at this high school is just too outrageous.

"It wasn't that bad, I guess I was just having a bad day."

Upon hearing his alma mater being slandered, Zhong Yin instinctively defended it, then kicked away a pebble in front of him and said dejectedly, "If I find out which bastard let the air out of my tires, I'll never forgive him!"

She was really unlucky today. She got so excited when she saw Xiao Wang Leng Qiu that she carelessly left her bike on the side of the road. She didn't expect to break the pedals. In other words, even if she went back and inflated the tires, she wouldn't be able to ride her bike to evening self-study tonight.

"If you call someone a bastard, then call them a bastard. Why are you looking at me like that?" Han Zhou asked, puzzled.

"Who told you to dress like a criminal?" Zhong Yin rolled her eyes at him.

"Just remember to park your car in a place with surveillance cameras next time."

"I see."

As if he had just thought of something, Han Zhou suddenly asked, "You're not worried about missing evening self-study if your bicycle breaks down, so why don't you just stay at the school cafeteria for dinner?"

"No way! Your cooking is way better than the cafeteria food, and you'll have to eat it someday. I don't want to miss out."

Why are you making it sound like I'm about to die...?

Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated, thinking to himself that he would still be able to eat it in the future. While showing off the shopping bag in his hand, he said, "As you can see, I definitely won't have time to make you dinner today."

By the time he got back and cooked dinner, Zhong Yin should already be in the classroom for evening self-study.

"Then I don't want to eat the cafeteria food either. My mom's cooking is just as delicious."

Zhong Yin tossed her bangs aside, her ponytail tracing a clean arc in the air. "I can take a taxi to school after I finish eating, I won't be late."

"You really are a homebody," Han Zhou said with a smile.

"of course."

Zhong Yin gently brushed aside the last strand of hair obscuring her eyes with her fingertips and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Home-cooked meals always taste the best."

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered that Han Zhou and his sister's family seemed to be not very harmonious, so she added, "But it depends on the situation. Anyway, I will definitely go home for dinner whenever I have time."

Hearing this, Han Zhou suddenly seemed to understand why Sister Yin would invite everyone to her house for dinner every weekend.

He thought for a moment and asked, "So, will you take a taxi back tonight too?"

"How could that be? That would be such a waste of money."

Zhong Yin shook her head. She was a very frugal person and would try not to spend money if she could avoid it. But even so, she was always worried that she didn't have enough money. Otherwise, she wouldn't have thought of setting up a stall to earn pocket money.

"Isn't it too dangerous to walk alone at night?" Han Zhou asked worriedly. "Your home is so far from school, and you even encountered that pervert today. What if he comes looking for you again tonight..."

I didn't expect this guy to care about me so much... Zhong Yin felt a warmth in her heart and said with a bright smile, "I already said that he's not a pervert, and he hit his head, so he probably won't come to school tonight."

Han Zhou was still a little worried, so after thinking for a moment, he said, "How about I come pick you up tonight?"

"what?"

Zhong Yin was clearly taken aback. "Pick me up? Why?"

She never expected this guy to care about her so much.

“You said it yourself, you had a really bad day. I’m not comfortable letting you walk home alone at night,” Han Zhou replied.

He did have these concerns, and he also wanted to find an excuse to go out at night to check on the empty house, since he still needed to consider how to settle Xiao Yixia after kidnapping her.

"What's there to worry about..."

Zhong Yin muttered something under her breath, intending to refuse decisively, after all, she wasn't the delicate type of girl, but the words that came out were something else entirely, "You seem to care quite a lot, don't tell me you really think of me as your older sister?"

"You could say that," Han Zhou said with a smile.

But when he thought about how he had almost kissed this "older sister" not long ago, he couldn't laugh anymore.

Perhaps influenced by that dream, Zhong Yin became furious upon hearing that Han Zhou truly regarded her as his older sister. She snorted coldly and said, "Since you regard me as your older sister, shouldn't you listen to me and do whatever I tell you to do?"

"You have a nice idea."

Han Zhou gave her a strange look, wondering why she had suddenly become sullen.

No, it's not that he's sulking, it's more like... he's throwing a tantrum?
"Hmph, you have no sincerity at all. You both call me 'sister,' but Xiaoling listens to everything I say," Zhong Yin said irritably.

"Don't you listen to everything she says?"

Han Zhou chuckled, pretended to consider it for a moment, and said, "How about this, if you're willing to listen to everything I say, I might consider listening to you too."

"Can you be compared to Xiaoling?"

Zhong Yin was unhappy and turned to glare at him, but for some reason, she felt inexplicably relieved.

“Yes, it’s different, so I don’t need to listen to you,” Han Zhou said with a smile.

Just then, Xiao Wang Lengqiu, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "If I listen to everything you say, can you listen to me too?"

Han Zhou was taken aback, while Zhong Yin burst out laughing, her profile shining brightly in the setting sun.

This guy's reckless talk backfired, didn't he?
“Sister Zhongyin, I’m asking you a question,” Xiao Wang Lengqiu continued.

This time, Zhong Yin was stunned, while Han Zhou burst into laughter.

Wait... what's so funny about that?

He coughed lightly, subtly suppressing his smile.

Zhong Yin first rolled her eyes at him, then looked at Xiao Wang Leng Qiu with a beaming smile and said eagerly, "Sure, what do you want your sister to do?"

"What do you want me to do?" Xiao Wang Leng Qiu thought for a moment and then asked.

"Of course, I'll give you a big kiss."

Zhong Yin's smile widened; she had been coveting that pitiful and adorable little face for a long time.

“Then let Brother Wukong kiss you too,” said Xiao Wang Leng Qiu.

The slanting rays of the setting sun pierced through the city, coating the skyscrapers with a flowing amber hue, making the glass curtain walls seem like furnaces, with every window ablaze.

The girl's cheeks also flushed instantly.

Han Zhou and Zhong Yin could no longer laugh.

Han Zhou lowered his head and looked at Xiao Wang Lengqiu, whom he was holding in his hand, with surprise.

As the autumn wind suddenly rose, the girl's clothes billowed, her slender body resembling a kite, as if once let go, it would never be found again.

Zhong Yin dismissed it as childish rambling and gave Han Zhou a threatening look: "He'd have to dare to kiss you first."

"I can not."

Han Zhou snapped out of his thoughts and quickly raised his hands in surrender, looking as if he wanted to avoid it at all costs.

Logically, Zhong Yin should be satisfied with his sensible manner, but she suddenly remembered the scene in her dream and the resentment of being called "Sister Yin". She blurted out, "Do you despise me that much?" She didn't know why she said such a thing, as if a similar situation had happened in her dream.

The air suddenly became quiet.

By the time she realized something was wrong, it was too late. So she quickly feigned anger, as if it were just a joke, saying, "Kissing me isn't like being bitten by a dog, why are you so scared?"

Han Zhou took it as a joke and tentatively asked, "Then... then would I dare?"

"Go to hell!"

"..."

This topic has been diverted for now.

Although Zhong Yin didn't quite understand why she cared so much about that dream, and why she was in such a hurry to change the subject.

Han Zhou was equally puzzled as to why Xiao Wang Leng Qiu had suddenly said those words.

He knew very well that the girl was not without naivety and romance, but what she had just said could not have been out of naivety, but rather for another reason.

You know, Wang Lengqiu doesn't joke, so... does the other party really want him to kiss Zhong Yin?

But why?
Did she think that if I kissed Zhong Yin, the ostrich would lay an ostrich egg?

How can it be……

Just then, Zhong Yin, who had already recovered, suddenly said, "By the way, there's something I need to tell you."

"what's up?"

Han Zhou came to his senses and decided to find an opportunity to ask Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu about this issue.

“I have a friend who wants to set up a stall with us this Sunday. She’s a girl, and she kept begging me. I couldn’t refuse, so I had to agree.”

"If you agreed, then you agreed. Is there a problem?" Han Zhou asked, puzzled.

Zhong Yin sighed: "The problem is that she wanted to bring another person along, saying that the two of them were just coming to help out and wouldn't ask for money. She's put it that way, so I really couldn't refuse, so..."

"So you don't need me to accompany you?" Han Zhou suddenly realized.

He had only been worried that it might be a bit troublesome for Zhong Yin to set up a stall alone, but if she had two friends with her, then he wouldn't necessarily have to go, and he could take care of other things at the same time.

Zhong Yin's expression darkened: "Why do I get the feeling that you seem quite happy?"

She looked at him with a terrifying gaze that sent chills down Han Zhou's spine.

That bastard! He said such nice things at noon, and now he wants to go back on his word?
Men are indeed big pig hooves!

She frowned and snorted coldly, "No way! Not only do you have to stay with me, you have to stay with me properly. If you dare to run away, I won't let you off the hook!"

"I didn't say I was going to run away," Han Zhou said with a wry smile.

"That's pretty much it."

Zhong Yin's expression softened slightly, then she suddenly remembered something and said, "Can you take off your mask? Why are you hiding your face again after just one trip out?"

Perhaps influenced by what Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu had just said, she couldn't help but think back to the scene where the two of them had almost kissed not long ago. The thought that there might still be her kiss marks left on her mask made her feel strange.

This guy is wearing a mask the whole time, so isn't that the same as him indirectly kissing her?

But then I thought, if this guy hadn't been wearing a mask, wouldn't they have actually kissed?

Zhong Yin's face flushed red again.

"it is good."

Han Zhou thought to himself that it was true. Wearing a mask all the time was quite stuffy. He had only worn the mask and baseball cap before to test the effect of covering his face in preparation for tomorrow's kidnapping plan.

However, he had only taken off half of his mask when he suddenly pressed it back down, saying excitedly, "No, you can't take it off yet."

Zhong Yin stared in disbelief, suddenly having the illusion that the other person was forcefully pressing her down to kiss her. Feeling somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, she asked, "Why?"

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu followed Han Zhou's gaze to the distant crossroads, lost in thought.

Han Zhou did not answer Zhong Yin's question, but said urgently, "Sister Yin, can you take Xiaoya back first? I have something to take care of, I'll be back in a little while."

As he spoke, he pulled his mask up a little and said in an urging tone, "Don't worry, I'll pick you up tonight. I still need to use this mask for a bit, so you won't see it tonight."

He was only eager to get rid of Zhong Yin as soon as possible, but Zhong Yin interpreted his words completely differently, leaving her mind blank.

This... this guy isn't planning to do something naughty behind my back using this mask, is he?

Zhong Yin didn't want to think that way, but Han Zhou's excited and restless manner while pulling down his mask was too easy to make people think about. Moreover, he clearly had something he didn't want the two of them to find out, which was why he was in a hurry to send them away.

Most importantly... no matter how she looked at it, she felt that Han Zhou's gaze was fixed on the public toilet across the street.

It's just going to the toilet, is it really worth getting so worked up about?

So... he really is going to...

Zhong Yin blushed, feeling both ashamed and annoyed, but too embarrassed to voice her guess.

"By the way, Sister Yin."

Just then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Han Zhou said, "Leave your bicycle with me, I'll push it back later, that way it will be easier for you to get back."

"What do you need a bicycle for?" Zhong Yin's voice trembled slightly.

Surely this guy wouldn't want to push his bicycle into the toilet, would he?
She dared not think any further, quickly hummed in agreement, took the plastic bag from Han Zhou, left the bicycle behind, and fled with Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu as if escaping.

What's wrong with Sister Yin?
Han Zhou stared blankly at the two figures as they walked away, wondering if Sister Yin had really caught a fever. But he didn't have time to dwell on it. He pulled his hat down and immediately pushed his bicycle across the street.

He saw Xiao Yixia with her little schoolbag on a bench next to the public toilet not far away.

Even though her head was bowed and her face was obscured, even though she was only nine years old, and no matter how much she might change in the future, Han Zhou could tell at first glance that she was Yi Xia from when she was a child—

After all, the words "Mo Yixia (Unlockable)" are prominently displayed above her head.

Han Zhou never expected that he would meet Xiao Yixia, whom he had never seen at the school gate, in such a place.

Xiao Yixia had said that her mother would pick her up from school every day, so the latter should be in the bathroom right now. He knew very well that his time to "meet" with Xiao Yixia was limited, which was why he was in such a hurry just now.

As for why he wanted to ask Zhong Yin for the damaged bicycle, it was so that he could use the excuse of repairing the bicycle to chat with Xiao Yixia a bit more later, so as not to be caught off guard by Jiang Baiqian who suddenly came out of the toilet.

Excellent, a perfect plan that allows for both advancement and retreat.

While sorting out his thoughts, Han Zhou pushed the stroller to the little girl sitting on the bench, but she didn't even look up or glance at him.

Han Zhou thought for a moment, then took out a bottle of unused mineral water from his pocket and handed it over.

"drink water?"

On an autumn evening, the twilight descends as thick as honey.

On the bench, a nine-year-old girl was shrouded in a golden veil, her hair dyed a translucent honey color by the setting sun, rising and falling gently in the cool evening breeze.

She still didn't look up, but after a brief silence, she responded in a childish yet indifferent voice.

"You shouldn't drink water given by strangers; even a child knows that." (End of Chapter)