Forced into a romantic relationship

"Hey, don't you like Zhong Yin? Don't you feel uncomfortable sitting here watching her show affection with other people?"

Just as Zhong Yin was determined to "play the role to the end," Liu Shiyue, who had just finished eating, couldn't hold back any longer and came up to Zhang Yang to question him.

Sure enough, Zhong Yin couldn't hold back any longer; she was using Liu Shiyue to provoke me...

And it is precisely in times like these that I must act nonchalant and see who loses patience first…

Zhang Yang understood, smiled nonchalantly, and said calmly, "True love is letting go. I support Zhong Yin's decision, even if the person she likes isn't me."

Liu Shiyue didn't believe such nonsense. If this guy were really that open-minded, he wouldn't have asked Sun Chengshuang to go to such lengths to ask her to help him pursue Zhong Yin.

She said angrily, "Stop pretending, what are you really thinking?"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly: "Does it matter what I think?"

“Of course it’s important!”

Hearing this answer, he became even more certain that Zhong Yin could no longer contain herself, and sighed softly, saying, "Please tell Zhong Yin for me that I will wait for her."

Liu Shiyue was taken aback at first, then took a deep breath: "Why don't you understand? Zhong Yin doesn't like you at all! Your continued presence here will only make everyone uncomfortable. Leaving now is the best choice!"

Zhang Yang smiled without saying a word.

"...Did he really say that?"

A short while later, Zhong Yin looked at Zhang Yang, who was sitting in the distance, with a complicated expression. "He said he would wait for me forever?"

"Correct."

Liu Shiyue sighed, her expression somewhat apologetic, "Whether it's real or fake, his obsession with you might be deeper than you imagine."

Zhong Yin turned to look at Han Zhou: "Did you hear that?"

"I heard you." Han Zhou nodded.

"Then you know what to do, right?"

"know."

Han Zhou stood up and said, "I'll go teach him a lesson right now and make sure he never tries to take advantage of you again."

"Come back!"

Zhong Yin quickly grabbed his hand, looking speechless, and said, "Who told you to hit him!"

"Then you mean..."

Zhong Yin knew that this bastard was pretending to be stupid again, but seeing Liu Shiyue right next to her, she was too embarrassed to bring up the one-day couple thing in front of him. She first glared at Han Zhou, then looked at Liu Shiyue.

"Shiyue, it seems like there are fewer customers now. I'm thinking of hanging out here... going shopping with Sun Wukong for a while. Could you watch the stall for me?"

“Of course, you can go ahead.” Liu Shiyue readily agreed.

She said she came to help today, but she actually did almost nothing. Zhong Yin and Han Zhou did all the work. Now that she can contribute to such a pure love cause, she couldn't be happier.

"Then trouble you."

Zhong Yin smiled and thanked him, then pulled Han Zhou away. Xiao Yixia, who was sitting not far away reading a book, thought for a moment and then got up and followed.

Seeing this, Liu Shiyue quickly stood up and stopped her: "Little girl, you..."

"Let her follow us. We can look for the child's parents nearby." Han Zhou's voice came from not far away.

Liu Shiyue then let them pass.

Strange, I feel like I've seen this girl somewhere before...

……

On an autumn afternoon, even the bustling streets are immersed in an unusual languid tranquility.

The sunlight was rich and warm, like diluted honey, casting dappled silhouettes on the asphalt road through the sparse branches and leaves.

The various shapes of light spots swayed gently in the autumn wind, like scattered gold flowing silently, slowly seeping into three shadows of different lengths.

Zhong Yin raised her hand, sunlight filtering through her fingers and falling on her cheek. When Han Zhou looked over curiously, she immediately flung her hand out and forcefully grabbed his cheek.

Before Han Zhou could react, he heard the girl say angrily, "Why were you pretending to be stupid again?"

Han Zhou winced in pain and quickly protested, "I wasn't pretending to be stupid."

"Still saying you didn't pretend?" Zhong Yin tightened his grip.

"Hiss—I know you want to keep doing things that only couples do to make him give up, but I'm not sure what kind of things will achieve that effect."

Han Zhou gasped, "Think about it, he clearly saw me feeding you, but he still wouldn't give up and said he would wait for you forever. This kind of obsession is obviously not something we can easily get rid of by holding hands or hugging, right?"

Zhong Yin thought it made sense, so she let go of his hand, turned her head to the side, and said with a cold snort, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Since holding hands and hugging are not allowed, does that mean kissing is the only option left?
Her face flushed slightly, and she thought to herself that she absolutely could not say these words herself. Even if this guy thought of them and said them, she would have to think about them carefully first.

Han Zhou sighed helplessly: "Didn't I already tell you the solution? I'll just beat him up as his official boyfriend."

"No, you can't fight!"

"Then instead of doing it myself, I'll hire a few thugs to beat him up?"

"No, you're not allowed to associate with those shady people!"

"So, instead of hiring thugs, you should hire someone else?"

Zhong Yin was furious: "Besides finding someone to beat him up, can't you think of any other way?"

"I really can't think of anything for the time being."

Han Zhou sighed, looking troubled. "I can't possibly kiss you in front of him, can I?"

How is it impossible? How is it impossible!
Go ahead and suggest it; I might not object if you do!
Didn't you dare to force a kiss on me in front of so many people that day?

Zhong Yin was extremely frustrated and seriously suspected that this bastard was still pretending to be stupid, but she couldn't say anything. She could only grit her teeth and sulk, her chest heaving violently.

Han Zhou wasn't pretending to be stupid; he genuinely felt that Zhong Yin would never agree to such a thing. He even thought that Zhong Yin was angry because she had heard this absurd suggestion. So, he helplessly spread his hands and said, "See? I told you it wouldn't work."

Zhong Yin took a deep breath: "Besides kissing, is there anything else that only couples can do?"

"Don't count on me, I don't have much experience with this kind of thing, okay?" Han Zhou said with a wry smile.

Although he was a scumbag, to be honest, he didn't do many things with Yixia and Guzheng that only couples do.

You think I have more experience than you, right?

Seeing Zhong Yin's unfriendly expression, which seemed to say "you're dead if you can't figure this out," he had no choice but to rack his brains and think again. Suddenly, his eyes lit up: "I've got it! I've thought of a great way to solve this once and for all!"

"any solution?"

Zhong Yin immediately tensed up, subconsciously raising her hands, thinking that if this bastard dared to ask her again whether her period had started, she would strangle him.

Han Zhou smiled mysteriously and gestured for her to come closer.

This jerk isn't planning to sneak a kiss on me, is he...?

Then...should I take off my mask?

Zhong Yin's heart raced, and hesitantly leaned forward to offer his face.

Han Zhou remained silent for a long time before lowering his voice and saying, "When Uncle Zhong comes this afternoon, have him casually mention in front of everyone that you and I are engaged." Zhong Yin was about to pull down his mask when he heard this and his eyes widened in shock. Was this even a human idea?
"You want my dad involved too?" she asked incredulously.

“That’s right, Uncle Zhong can solve this with just a word,” Han Zhou said confidently.

No, if my dad can solve this with just a word, then what am I supposed to do with you?
Zhong Yin was furious and was about to strangle the bastard when she heard him say to himself, "Let's go, let's go pick out an engagement gift now."

"An engagement... an engagement gift?"

"Yes, I heard that engagements involve exchanging rings, but I can't afford a ring right now, so I can only give you another gift."

Han Zhou smiled, then suddenly thought of something and continued, "Perfect timing, you should also pick out an engagement gift for me, and then put it in my time capsule."

"The time capsule is meant to contain something of sentimental value," Zhong Yin reminded him irritably.

"Isn't the engagement gift you gave me meaningful enough?"

Han Zhou looked over with a smile, his smiling face particularly bright in the sunlight.

Zhong Yin was stunned for a moment: "You...you're serious?"

She was referring to the engagement.

"Of course." Han Zhou nodded seriously.

He was referring to putting the "engagement gift" into a time capsule.

Zhong Yin's breath hitched for a moment, and he suddenly felt that this guy's suggestion wasn't entirely without merit.

"Then... let's go."

She decided to hold off on strangling the guy for now.

Xiao Yixia, who was following the two, was amazed.

Simple things are complicated, and complicated things are simplified. Love is really a troublesome thing.

The three arrived at a commercial street, and as expected, the street was exceptionally lively today due to the concert, packed with people, many of whom were students in school uniforms.

Han Zhou clicked his tongue in amazement, once again feeling the terrifying influence of celebrities, and exclaimed, "Do you think it's too late for me to participate in Idol Producer now?"

"You don't know anything, so what makes you a trainee?" Zhong Yin asked.

"It's not just because I don't want to learn. If I want to enter the entertainment industry, I can give you a custom-made original song right here and now," Han Zhou said seriously.

"Pfft!"

Zhong Yin was amused, clearly thinking he was talking nonsense.

Little Yixia became interested and timidly asked, "Big brother, can you sing me a custom-made original song?"

She had heard him humming in the shower before. To say he was tone-deaf might be an exaggeration, but he certainly didn't seem to have any musical talent.

Han Zhou could tell she was mocking him, but he didn't care. Instead, he looked up at the sky and sighed, feigning melancholy, "If I really started creating music, I should be the one to host this concert today."

"Pfft!"

Zhong Yin laughed even harder, "Stop talking nonsense, there's a cultural and creative store over there, let's go take a look."

The three of them entered the cultural and creative products store.

However, as everyone knows, the items in cultural and creative stores are generally not particularly outstanding except for their high prices. After browsing around, the three of them ended up not buying anything.

When I stepped out of the store, there were even more people on the street than before. I heard someone shouting at the top of their lungs and realized that the celebrity named Xu Xiangyang had arrived outside the venue.

Almost instantly, the crowd surged towards the venue like a flood. The three of them were going against the flow of people. Apart from Han Zhou, Zhong Yin and Xiao Yixia were knocked off their feet. If Han Zhou hadn't pulled them back into the cultural and creative store in time, the two of them would probably have been pushed to who knows where.

"This is just too crazy..."

Han Zhou sighed inwardly, then turned to look at Zhong Yin, who was rubbing her shoulder, and asked with concern, "Sister Yin, did you hurt your shoulder?"

Zhong Yin gave a vague "hmm," but that wasn't actually the case; her shoulders were prone to soreness, a chronic problem.

"It's okay, I'll be fine after a rest," she said.

Seeing that Zhong Yin seemed to be alright, Han Zhou looked down at Xiao Yixia and asked, "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing," Xiao Yixia shook her head.

Han Zhou stared at her, looking her up and down, before feeling relieved. He turned back to the still crowded throng and frowned, saying, "I'll lead you around later, so you don't get separated."

Want to hold hands...?

Zhong Yin's face flushed slightly, and her breathing quickened a bit, but she still nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yixia didn't object; she even offered her hand.

Zhong Yin was taken aback, thinking to himself that there must be something to learn from every three people walking together. He immediately followed suit and hesitantly extended his hand as well.

Han Zhou looked surprised.

However, what surprised him was not Zhong Yin's reaction, but Xiao Yixia's cooperation. He had thought that this guy might not agree to his suggestion.

Zhong Yin happened to catch this expression and thought that Han Zhou was surprised by her initiative to reach out. She was both embarrassed and annoyed, so she simply forced her hand into the other's hand.

Han Zhou instinctively gripped the handle in return.

The moment his hand was tightly grasped, Zhong Yin's heart pounded at an unbelievable rate—

For the first time, she realized that a boy's palm was so big, so hot, even a little scalding. The burning heat seemed to climb up her palm and onto her cheek.

She was incredibly grateful that she was wearing a mask.

She was also somewhat relieved that she had encountered such a massive crowd today.

If it weren't for the crowds, that bastard probably would never have taken my hand, even if he died.

Zhong Yin no longer cares about what she is thinking.

She only knew one thing—

If I don't hold on tight to that hand now, I'll definitely regret it in the future.

So she used all her strength, almost as if in revenge, to grab the large hand that covered her palm tightly.

Han Zhou felt the force from his hand and chuckled, "Sister Yin, you can't hurt me like this."

Zhong Yin ignored him, simply tossing her head and slapping the other man's face with her ponytail.

Seeing Han Zhou's bewildered expression, she chuckled, "Now you know what pain is, right?"

The golden sunlight shone down, gilding the girl's slightly flushed face with a golden edge, so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Han Zhou stood there stunned for a moment, then led the two girls into the crowd, one on each side, before finally speaking.

"Sister Yin".

"Ok?"

"You really look best when you smile."

Suddenly, a continuous crimson hue rose on the horizon, like fiery red sunset clouds. (End of Chapter)