Forced into a romantic relationship

Time passed silently until the early hours of the next day.

Han Zhou slept soundly for a while. When he woke up, it was still pitch black outside the tent. He struggled to unzip his sleeping bag, took out his phone, and saw that the cold light from the screen was a bit dazzling. The time was 5:13.

Seeing that the time was almost up, he changed his status back to "on the verge of death".

The feeling of weakness and powerlessness brought on by being "on the verge of death" was unbearable, and he would never want to experience it a second time unless absolutely necessary.

Although the night was eventful, it was ultimately a close call; at least the most fatal choice was avoided.

However, it was unexpected that the Guzheng Association would suddenly squeeze into the same tent. He had originally wanted to take this opportunity to probe the reason why Zhong Ling had lost her voice, but now he could only give up and find another opportunity.

I put down my phone and turned my gaze to see the guzheng sleeping beside me.

The girl was curled up in the sleeping bag, with only her furry head sticking out, like a hermit crab that had been stuffed into its shell.

Her eyes, which usually held a hint of sharpness, were now naturally closed, her long eyelashes drooping gently, casting soft shadows beneath her eyelids, and a few strands of hair fell across her forehead, rising and falling gently with her breath.

She was sleeping soundly, even the corners of her mouth, which were usually slightly upturned and carried a hint of defiance, were relaxed, as if she had let go of her usual stubbornness and refusal to show weakness. Her profile, outlined by the dim yellow light, appeared soft and serene.

The tent was quiet, with only the girl's soft breathing, long and steady, as if she were sleeping in her own bedroom, not in the middle of nowhere, without any sense of unease.

Looking at that face so close to his, Han Zhou couldn't help but be somewhat lost in thought.

He told Guzheng last night that he had a nightmare about the other person leaving him, and that was actually true.

Leaving aside the question of how long he could survive without the status bar, the first thing he would lose would definitely be the guzheng.

This was certainly a nightmare.

It is no exaggeration to say that during his darkest days when he was suffering from a terminal illness, he would not have survived to this day if he had lost his status bar or his guzheng.

This is not just about earning points.

Thinking of this, Han Zhou couldn't help but move his face closer, his gaze falling on the girl's cheek.

Since they met, Gu Zheng has always put on an unhappy expression, but in reality, he has never been truly treated coldly by this girl.

But that day is probably coming soon.

If he continues to hide it like this, the nightmare will come true sooner or later, and he will lose the guzheng in the future as well.

Even if we confess now, the outcome won't be any better.

This is actually an unsolvable problem.

Given Gu Zheng's personality, no matter how many legitimate reasons he had, Gu Zheng would never accept a "three-way split". She was a girl who always wanted to be number one in everything, so how could she be willing to endure such a humiliating draw?

All he could do was try to minimize the other party's resistance.

The more she tried to sort out her thoughts, the more tangled they became. Han Zhou moved closer and closer, almost able to smell the faint fragrance of the girl's hair.

"Then let's go slower," he thought.

Even if the truth will eventually tear everything apart, he wants to linger in this false peace for just one more second.

Even if this safety net is woven from lies, he wants to hold it up as long as possible.

Because the guzheng is his sun.

A person cannot live without the sun.

Whether it's selfishness or shamelessness, even if he has to beg, he will keep the sun within his reach.

With a long exhale, Han Zhou quietly got up, put on his coat, and slipped out of the tent, leaving behind the warmth and tranquility under the tent, along with the girl who was dreaming.

The moment the tent flap fell, Guzheng quietly opened her eyes inside the sleeping bag.

Honestly... is he just going to stare? I thought he'd sneak a kiss like in those TV dramas...

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she felt her ears burning. Luckily, the light was dim and no one could see it.

There were no footsteps fading behind her, so she buried her face deeper into the sleeping bag, leaving only the tip of her nose sticking out to breathe, pretending that she was still fast asleep.

But she couldn't sleep.

What a coward… she thought.

Only after hearing Han Zhou's footsteps fade into the distance did she turn over, staring blankly at the swaying, dim yellow light above the tent. It took her a while to snap out of her reverie, then she gently poked her burning earlobe with her finger and muttered softly:
"never mind……"

"I don't dare to kiss either..."

……

Stepping out of the tent, a biting chill hit me, but thankfully the wind that had been howling all night had finally stopped.

The campfire had long since died down, leaving only a ring of grayish-white embers that occasionally flashed a dark red light in the night wind. The air was crisp and cold, carrying the scent of grass, trees, and earth.

Han Zhou stood still for a few seconds, waiting for his body to adjust to the temperature difference between inside and outside, before raising his hand to turn on his phone's flashlight.

The cold white beam of light cut through the darkness. Using the light, he added a few more branches to the campfire, then squatted down and used a lighter to rekindle the smoldering ashes.

The orange flames slowly rose up, flickering and shining in the cold night, reflecting on his face.

He sat down by the fire, stretched lazily, and warmed his hands by the flames.

It's still early, so he plans to wake everyone up when it's almost dawn so they can watch the sunrise together.

A short while later, a very light footstep sound came from behind, as if afraid of disturbing the still lingering darkness of the night.

Han Zhou turned around and saw that Zhong Ling was already standing outside the tent.

She had clearly just woken up, wearing a thick coat, her eyes still sleepy, her long hair loosely hanging over her shoulders, making her profile appear even softer.

Seeing Han Zhou sitting alone by the fire, she was taken aback for a moment, then straightened her clothes and quickly walked over.

"Junior, what brings you out here?"

She spoke softly, a faint worry appearing between her brows. Her voice was hoarse from just waking up, yet as gentle as a spring stream, "Have you recovered?"

Upon seeing Zhong Ling, Han Zhou was also somewhat surprised, and replied with a smile, "She's almost fully recovered."

Hearing his strong voice, Zhong Ling finally felt relieved. She sat down on the rock next to him, rubbed her hands together, and said softly, "Even if you've recovered, you should rest more so you don't fall ill again."

"I'm not that frail."

Han Zhou chuckled, tossed a few pieces of firewood into the fire, and asked in confusion, "I got up because I've had enough sleep, but why are you up so early, senior?"

"...I have trouble sleeping."

"You didn't have nightmares too, did you?" Han Zhou joked.

Zhong Ling avoided his gaze and lowered her eyes.

Seeing the girl lower her eyes and remain silent, only gently biting her lip, he was taken aback: "Did you really have a nightmare?"

Zhong Ling didn't speak, but lowered her head slightly, her expression somewhat sad. Her gaze fell on the flickering flames, as if she were drawn to the orange-red light, and she was plunged into an indescribable depression.

Seeing this, Han Zhou immediately dropped his joking expression, his eyes becoming serious. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked, "Senior, do you remember the game I told you about yesterday?"

Zhong Ling seemed to have been pulled out of the water by those words. She was stunned for a moment, and her gaze slowly shifted from the flames to his face.

She opened her mouth, temporarily pulling herself out of her sorrow, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded gently. (End of Chapter)