Forced into a romantic relationship

Friday was a clear, sunny day.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, shortly after the school bell rang, the sunlight slanted across the asphalt road in front of the elementary school. The area outside the school gate was crowded with parents who had come to pick up their children, their shadows stretching long in the setting sun.

Han Zhou didn't squeeze in with the group of parents. Instead, he stood in front of the bookstore across the street, idly observing the names above the heads of passersby in the status bar to pass the time.

When he saw Xiao Yixia, she also saw him from afar, looked around at the oncoming vehicles, and then walked over slowly across the zebra crossing.

"Where's your car?"

The girl stopped beside Han Zhou, not looking at him, but looking down at the picture book. She didn't seem to realize she was being "kidnapped" at all, but rather like a young lady questioning her loyal servant.

Han Zhou, hands in his pockets, also kept his eyes straight ahead: "If you're talking about bicycles, I didn't ride one out."

"Don't you need to prepare a car before carrying out the kidnapping?"

"It's much more dangerous to drag you into the car than to take you around aimlessly."

“I can get on the bus myself, or I can choose not to wander around with you.”

"I think you just don't want to walk, right?"

"There is no conflict between the two."

"Indeed, there is no conflict."

Han Zhou was silent for a moment, then said, "But guess why I kidnapped you?"

"So he's a poor wretch."

Xiao Yixia hit the nail on the head, closed the picture book and put it in her schoolbag, "Then let's go."

"Where to go?"

"Of course we're going to eat, I'm hungry."

Xiao Yixia slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed straight for a restaurant not far from the bookstore.

"Eating here?" Han Zhou followed, his tone puzzled.

"Don't tell me you can't afford a restaurant where the average cost per person is less than fifty."

"That's not what I meant...no, you want me to pay?"

"of course."

Xiao Yixia stopped and turned to look at him, saying in a matter-of-fact tone, "I don't have any money on me."

Han Zhou's eyes widened: "You have no money? How could you possibly have no money?"

"I don't know what gave you the illusion that I should have money, but I really don't," Xiao Yixia said calmly.

"Then how dare you call me a poor wretch?"

"Can't a poor person call someone else a poor person?"

Han Zhou's lips twitched: "...You must not have any friends at school."

"So you really did investigate me secretly." Xiao Yixia said thoughtfully.

"There's absolutely no need for an investigation, is there?"

"..."

Despite their own ulterior motives, the two penniless individuals, one big and one small, eventually entered the restaurant, requested a small private room, and ordered two signature dishes.

Although the "kidnapping" was rather farcical, Han Zhou maintained a professional attitude and avoided showing his face during the kidnapping process whenever possible.

After the waiter closed the door and left, he lowered his voice and asked, "Is it your dad or your mom who's picking you up today?"

"I don't know," Xiao Yixia replied after a few seconds.

"do not know?"

"My dad thought my mom would come to pick me up, and my mom thought my dad would come to pick me up."

Xiao Yixia spoke calmly, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her: "They may all come, or they may not come."

Han Zhou was taken aback, vaguely guessing what was going on, and tentatively asked, "They wouldn't have separated, would they?"

"Temporary separation."

Xiao Yixia didn't try to hide anything, and said calmly, "So if we're lucky, they might not even realize I'm missing until before school starts, but if we're unlucky, someone might kidnap you in a little while."

Han Zhou never expected that in just one week, Xiao Yixia's parents would go from arguing to separating.

As a nine-year-old girl, Xiao Yixia was at an age where she couldn't hide her feelings. Even though she was much more mature than her peers, she couldn't help but tell a stranger she had only met twice about it.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that she deliberately said this to achieve some purpose.

Based on Han Zhou's understanding of Mo Yixia, the latter is even more likely.

But it is not important.

Let Xiao Yixia do whatever she wants.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Is your talk of 'luck' directed at me or at you?"

No one will discover today's "kidnapping" until he starts school, which is a good thing for him, but not necessarily for Xiao Yixia.

Xiao Yixia didn't answer, but instead asked, "Have you decided how much ransom you want?"

"of course."

Han Zhou silently thought to himself, "I've kidnapped you now, you're mine now, this is the ransom."

If it were the future Yixia, she would definitely click her tongue twice with an ambiguous meaning at this moment, but the current little Yixia obviously hasn't learned "mind reading" yet. She didn't say anything, took out her homework from her schoolbag, and just lay down on the table to write.

When did this guy become so studious?
Han Zhou was dumbfounded, thinking to himself, "Has the sun risen in the west?" Then he heard Xiao Yixia say without looking up, "If I can't hand in my homework on Monday, it might be more troublesome than if I don't go home for the weekend."

Not going home on weekends is fine.

Not handing in homework is unacceptable.

It was indeed a dysfunctional family.

Han Zhou sighed inwardly, then paused for a moment.

Huh?
Did I just have my mind read again?
Before long, the food was served by the waiter.

It was impossible to continue wearing a mask while eating, so Han Zhou took it off and asked, "Where do you want to go after we finish eating?"

Xiao Yixia seemed to have been waiting for this moment, or perhaps this was the reason why she chose to come to eat first. She stared at that face for a long time, but the corresponding name still didn't appear in her mind, which made her feel a little strange.

It seems this is someone she doesn't know, but who knows her.

"Cinema."

She replied, "The school has an event today, and the participation prize is a movie ticket."

Participation prize...

Han Zhou strongly suspected that Xiao Yixia hadn't participated in today's activities properly at all, but had been slacking off all day, which was why she received the so-called participation award.

But then again, movie tickets aren't cheap, and they're being used as participation prizes—no wonder it's a school for the wealthy...

He took the movie ticket from the girl, glanced at the information on it, and asked, "What's 'Daydream' about?"

"do not know."

Xiao Yixia seemed unconcerned, "Anyway, I'm free tonight, I'll just go and see for myself."

Clearly, she chose to go to the movies not out of interest, but simply because it "happened" to be there.

“E13…”

Han Zhou wrote down his seat number. He needed to buy a movie ticket with a similar seat number, but without a mobile phone, he couldn't buy tickets online and would have to buy them at the movie theater entrance.

After finishing their meal, the two left the restaurant. Han Zhou glanced towards the school gate but didn't see any familiar people or cars. He then looked down at Xiao Yixia. The latter seemed unconcerned, her expression unchanged.

"The movie doesn't start until 6:50, should we go now?"

"Ah."

……

The two arrived at the mall where the cinema was located at 6:30 p.m. Along the way, they could hear many people discussing the concert that would be held on Sunday. Following the gaze of the crowd, they saw a huge venue with neon lights flashing inside and out, which was particularly dazzling in the twilight.

Clearly, Sunday's concert will be held here.

Due to the concert, the flow of people in the area has increased significantly compared to the past. Even those who did not manage to get concert tickets will still travel long distances to Lincheng just to catch a glimpse of their idols.

The bustling crowds transformed the once quiet commercial street into a city that never sleeps.

Under the neon lights, the shouts of vendors rose and fell, and the air was filled with the smell of sizzling barbecue skewers and the sweet aroma of cotton candy. Every corner was crowded with excited young people, making the whole street full of a festive atmosphere.

The mall was also packed with people, so the two arrived at the movie theater a few minutes later than expected. Xiao Yixia suddenly said she needed to use the restroom, and Han Zhou took the opportunity to quickly buy tickets.

However, whether it was a coincidence or not, he happened to see Zhong Yin and his group at the ticket gate.

Got it!

He froze, instinctively trying to dodge, but it was too late—Zhong Yin seemed to sense something and turned around, her gaze meeting his directly.

The moment she saw him, a mixture of surprise and confusion flashed in the girl's eyes, and she immediately led Xiao Wang Lengqiu and Xiao Zhongling over quickly.

it's over...

Knowing he couldn't escape, Han Zhou had no choice but to bite the bullet and join the others, pondering what excuse he should come up with.

Before he could speak, Zhong Yin asked first, "Didn't you say you had something very important to do today? Why are you here? Did you arrange to watch a movie with someone else?"

As she spoke, she looked around suspiciously, searching for any young girls nearby.

Han Zhou's heart sank.

This is exactly what he is most worried about.

In preparation for today's "kidnapping" operation, he repeatedly emphasized that he had important matters to attend to today and simply couldn't spare the time to watch a movie with everyone. His resolute attitude even made Zhong Yin suspect that he might have joined some secret organization and had to carry out a mission today, leaving everyone with a difficult reason for not being able to leave.

If Zhong Yin found out that the reason he repeatedly turned down her invitations was to accompany someone else to the movies, he would be too ashamed to face anyone, and Xiao Wang Leng Qiu and Xiao Zhong Ling would also be disappointed.

While it's not impossible to explain, he couldn't bring himself to say something as shameful as "kidnapping elementary school students," so for now, the only option was to lie.

So he forced a smile and said calmly, "I just happened to be passing by and remembered that you guys seemed to be watching a movie around here, so I came to see you all and pick up your tickets."

He remembered that Zhong Yin had bought a family package, which required the whole family to be present for ticket inspection. Because of his previous repeated refusals, Zhong Yin had already planned to buy tickets again. Now that he heard about this good thing, he figured he wouldn't be too concerned about why he was here.

Sure enough, Zhong Yin's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he immediately exclaimed with delight, "You've got a conscience, kid. Come with me quickly, the ticket check is about to end."

Time was of the essence, so she grabbed Han Zhou's hand and headed towards the ticket gate. Xiao Wang Leng Qiu and Xiao Zhong Ling followed silently behind them. The former looked up at Han Zhou, while the latter only had eyes for her sister.

As the ticket gate drew closer and the crowd around them grew, Zhong Yin suddenly remembered something, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly said, "Can I borrow your mask and hat for a moment?"

After speaking, without waiting for Han Zhou's reply, she immediately snatched the baseball cap and put it on her head, pressing the brim down so that it almost covered half of her face. She then pulled on a mask haphazardly, not caring whether Han Zhou's scent still lingered on it.

Anyway, it's not the first time I've indirectly kissed someone, so it's no big deal... she thought to herself.

Han Zhou stared in disbelief: "Sister Yin, what are you doing...?"

"Stop dawdling and come over here to get your tickets checked!"

Zhong Yin didn't give him a chance to speak. She immediately lowered her head and pulled him to the ticket gate, saying in a low voice, "Hello, we are a family of four. We bought the family package, which is four tickets in total."

She snatched the mask and baseball cap from Han Zhou for no other reason than that she felt it was too shameful to pretend to be a family of four checking tickets; she hadn't expected there to be so many people at the movie theater today.

Let that guy be the only one to suffer this embarrassment. He's shameless anyway, we can always make it up to him later.

The ticket inspector could tell from their ages that they couldn't possibly be a family of four. However, he was used to this, as there were quite a few young men and women pretending to be lovers these days, and while it was rare for them to pretend to be a family, it wasn't unheard of.

Of course, this was the first time she had ever seen a high school boy and girl with two elementary school girls coming to check tickets.

She smiled and asked, "Are you all really a family?"

Zhong Yin was too embarrassed to answer, so she nudged Han Zhou with her elbow.

Han Zhou understood. The thought that Xiao Yixia might come out of the toilet at any moment made him feel extremely uneasy, so he quickly replied, "Yes."

"But don't the two parents look far too young?"

Han Zhou remained expressionless: "We had a child out of wedlock; we've been together since junior high."

"puff!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a girl in the back of the line immediately spat out her milk tea and coughed incessantly.

...What is this bastard saying?
Unmarried pregnancy?!
Zhong Yin stared blankly, her mind a complete blank. She knew Han Zhou was shameless, but she never expected him to be this shameless, even saying something as ridiculous as "we've been together since junior high."

She was both ashamed and angry. She wanted to give the guy a good elbow strike, but when she saw his determined eyes and thought about the courage it took for him to say those words in public, she immediately softened.

Ultimately, this guy is doing this for them. Right now, he's willing to set aside his dignity for movie tickets, looking every bit the devoted husband protecting his family, while she, as his wife… ugh! As the beneficiary, what right does she have to criticize him?

Not only Zhong Yin and the others, but even the experienced ticket inspector was dumbfounded: "Pregnant before marriage?"

The young man in front of her had such a strong sense of conviction that she couldn't even tell if he was serious or joking.

Seeing the ticket inspector dawdling, Han Zhou, though anxious, dared not show it and could only urge her gently, "Excuse me, the people behind us are waiting, and my family is in a hurry too. Could you please let us in?"

"of course."

The ticket inspector's smile quickly returned, a very subtle smile, so subtle that Han Zhou felt a strange sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, she continued, "...But before that, please verify your identities as husband and wife."

"What proof do you need?" Han Zhou asked nervously.

Are you kidding me? Do you think I need to bring my marriage certificate and household registration book to go see a movie these days?
No! Xiao Yixia is almost here! We absolutely cannot let them meet at the ticket gate!

"Of course, it's kissing. It's the most direct and simplest way."

The ticket seller wore a doting smile. Whether they were a married couple or lovers, it didn't matter if it was real or fake, as long as they could kiss in public, it would prove their identities.

"what?"

Zhong Yin, who had been burying his head in the sand like an ostrich, suddenly looked up, his expression panicked, and said, "How come I didn't know about this? It didn't mention anything like that on the ticket!"

The ticket seller smiled helplessly and was about to explain when the boy in front of her suddenly grabbed the girl's head with a look of impatience and kissed her hard without saying a word.

"Well……"

Zhong Yin's eyes widened suddenly.

A gasp of surprise rang out from the surrounding crowd.

Little Bell covered her mouth in disbelief. Her first thought was that her sister had been eaten by Brother Wukong. Then she realized that this looked like a kiss.

Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu didn't react much, but suddenly turned around and looked around, as if searching for something.

Anyway, it's not the first time we've indirectly kissed, so I hope Eun-nee won't be mad at me...

It wasn't until his rapid, hot breaths hit his face through the mask that Han Zhou realized what he had done in his haste. He quickly and somewhat insecurely tried to calm himself down, taking several deep breaths before finally regaining his composure.

In Zhong Yin's view, it was as if Han Zhou was indulging in the taste of her lips, passing them through his lungs again and again through his mask.

Where did this guy get such a strange quirk?

"Feel sorry."

A few seconds later, Han Zhou finally let go, pretended to wipe his lips, and said expressionlessly, "I was in such a hurry to kiss my wife that I forgot to take off my mask, but I guess we don't need to do it again, right?"

"Can we go in now?" (End of Chapter)