Forced into a romantic relationship

Indeed, this was our first encounter...

Hearing this familiar conversation, Han Zhou couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of fate. But when he thought of the passing of Zhong Ling's parents, he simply couldn't accept the fact that fate was unchangeable.

Gathering his thoughts, he parked his bicycle next to the bench, squatted down, and while pretending to repair the bicycle, said in a low voice, "I am 'Xi Niu'."

When he called her before, he told Xiao Yixia how to address him, and he believed that she would not forget it with her good memory.

rhino?
Upon hearing those two words, Xiao Yixia finally raised her head and looked over with a slightly scrutinizing gaze.

It was at this moment that Han Zhou saw her face clearly.

Unlike Xiao Wang Lengqiu, who is almost a scaled-down version, nine-year-old Xiao Yixia is still quite different from her future self.

At this time, she still had a touch of naivety and immaturity. Although the beginnings of her beauty were already showing in her eyes and brows, she had not yet matured into the aloof and ethereal woman she would become later.

Only the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, like an ink mark carelessly left by a painter, adds an unforgettable charm and a faint sense of aloofness to her youthful face.

If Xiao Wang Lengqiu's precociousness was more evident in her behavior, then Xiao Yixia's composure was written all over her face; her eyes were light-colored, showing no trace of a child's innocence.

The moment his eyes met those eyes, Han Zhou almost instinctively wanted to look away, but when he thought that Xiao Yixia probably didn't have the ability to "read minds" yet, he forced his gaze back.

Hmph, I'm no match for seventeen-year-old Yixia, so what's there to be afraid of nine-year-old Yixia?

Come on, Yixia, it's my turn to read your mind this time!
He gave himself three chances each time, and if he could guess Xiao Yixia's thoughts even once, he would have redeemed himself... Han Zhou thought shamelessly.

That's an idiot.

Xiao Yixia came to a conclusion, pondered for a moment, and said while fiddling with the sketchbook in her hand, "Your voice sounds a little different from when you're on the phone."

Previously, Han Zhou had intentionally changed his voice when making phone calls to avoid revealing his identity, but since the future was already predetermined, these worries were naturally unnecessary, so he switched back to his normal voice.

But that answer seemed very unprofessional, so he deliberately showed off by saying, "I used a voice changer."

"Before or now?" Xiao Yixia asked after a moment of silence.

His tone was indifferent, as if he wasn't curious, but simply passing the time.

"That's not something you should know," Han Zhou said mysteriously.

One of them was looking down at a picture book, while the other pretended to repair a bicycle. They didn't look at each other, and at first glance, they really looked like they were having an underground rendezvous.

However, their conversation was clearly not sophisticated; in fact, it was rather childish.

"Tomorrow is Friday, what are you doing here now?"

"I came here in advance to check the situation."

Xiao Yixia turned to a page in the picture book: "You don't know where I go to school?"

The tone was more certain than questioning.

"..."

For a moment, Han Zhou began to doubt whether Yi Xia had lied to him, and whether her "mind-reading ability" was not something she had acquired through self-study of psychology, but rather something she was born with.

But then he thought about it again and realized that this was impossible. Besides, Yixia had no reason to lie to him, so he quickly calmed down and wanted to ask Yixia how she knew about this.

Before he could ask a question, Xiao Yixia continued, "Besides appearance, this is the only thing you need to confirm before Friday."

Okay, this guy's mind-reading ability is definitely innate.

Just as Han Zhou was about to sigh, his eyes suddenly lit up as he noticed a certain "flaw." He calmly asked, "Is it possible that I came here today specifically to confirm your appearance?"

"Since you didn't know what I looked like in the first place, how did you determine my appearance?" Xiao Yixia said unhurriedly.

"Ah."

Han Zhou smiled calmly, "I don't know what you look like, but I know what your mother looks like."

"so what?"

"So as long as I follow your mother after school, I can easily find you and confirm what you look like."

In an attempt to turn the tide, Han Zhou shamelessly fabricated the identity of a stalker for himself.

"A genius plan."

Xiao Yixia turned another page. "But unfortunately, it's my dad who's picking me up today." Han Zhou was struck dumb, his smile freezing on his face.

Xiao Yixia couldn't see his expression, but that didn't stop her from continuing to deliver the blow: "If you were following my mother, you should be on the plane to Nianqi City right now."

She glanced at the bicycle with its two flat wheels and broken pedals, and said in a nonchalant tone, "I wonder if you can even afford a plane ticket."

"impossible."

After a brief moment of awkwardness, Han Zhou quickly calmed down. "As far as I know, your family owns an entire residential complex. It's impossible for a family like that not to own a car."

He knew that Jiang Baiqian didn't have a driver's license, which was why she didn't usually drive, but as a man, and a wealthy one at that, Mo Yixia's father couldn't possibly not drive.

So...it can't be her dad who came to pick up Xiaoyixia today!

"You mean the car? The one parked behind me is it."

Xiao Yixia said unhurriedly, "I felt it was too stuffy in the car, so I came out to get some fresh air."

This person was indeed strange, seemingly knowing both about her situation and not knowing much about it. He covered his face so thoroughly, as if afraid of being recognized, yet his familiar tone of voice made no attempt to conceal it. It was hard to tell if he was just stupid, indifferent, or both.

At that moment, Han Zhou felt as if he had been struck a violent blow, and it took him a long time to recover. He asked suspiciously, "Is that really your dad in the toilet?"

Yes, it's been nine years since then. Yixia's bastard father hadn't died yet... no, he hadn't gone to Qishi. He could have easily picked up little Yixia from school. It was his preconceived notions that led to the misjudgment.

These words were enough to expose his lie that he had been following them all along, but Xiao Yixia was too lazy to argue and said indifferently, "Don't tell me you only know my mother and not my father."

"I really don't know him..." Han Zhou muttered to himself, but didn't continue to argue. He changed the subject and said, "Tell me which school you attend first, otherwise your dad will come out later."

He did want to curse Mo Yixia's bastard father in his heart for being constipated, hoping he could spend the whole night in a public toilet, but he figured that was unlikely.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yixia suddenly closed the picture book, put it into her small schoolbag, and said, "Before I tell you, you have to answer one question for me first."

"what is the problem?"

Han Zhou looked serious, thinking that something had been discovered.

However, Xiao Yixia didn't seem to care about his secrets. She zipped up her backpack and finally asked a question that was appropriate for her age: "After you 'kidnap' me tomorrow, where are you planning to take me?"

That's right, where to take her to play seems to be the question she cares about.

"Well, this guy is still a playful kid after all..." Han Zhou chuckled inwardly and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

"Now it's my turn to ask you."

Xiao Yixia looked over a second time, her eyes showing no expectation, nor much other emotion.

It seemed that unless Han Zhou's answer satisfied her, she wouldn't reveal which school she attended, nor would she cooperate with tomorrow's "kidnapping" operation to attend school.

Han Zhou knew that the time to test himself had come.

But as a time traveler from the future, he knew exactly how to answer that question.

So he smiled and said, "How about I take you to a concert?"

Mo Yixia isn't interested in celebrities, but she loves to sing.

Rather than expecting her to sing loudly in front of a stranger at a karaoke bar, it's better to take her to experience the atmosphere of a concert.

As far as he knew, there would be two concerts this Sunday, one during the day and one at night, and he could take Xiao Yixia to see the night concert.

As for tickets and such, he would definitely find a way to solve it if Xiao Yixia wanted to.

As expected, Xiao Yixia gave a satisfactory answer.

"make a deal."

Having passed the "test," Han Zhou first breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly realized what was happening and asked blankly, "Wait... what does 'deal' mean?"

Didn't you ask me to kidnap you? Why does it feel like we just made this arrangement?
...Could what this guy said on the phone that day have been made up on the spot?

She never hired anyone to kidnap her; she was just bored and teasing me, but I never expected that she would actually trick me into coming here.

No way... I actually got fooled by a little kid? (End of Chapter)