Forced into a romantic relationship

As soon as he finished speaking, only the rustling of the wind through the treetops remained in the courtyard.

As if it understood something, the big yellow dog got up from the ground, slowly moved to Han Zhou's feet, and placed its furry head on his shoe.

I used to think it was just lazy, but now that I look closely, I realize it's just too old.

Han Zhou looked down at the old dog, then turned to look at the gray-haired old man beside him, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Entrusted.

These two words are simply too heavy.

He didn't answer immediately, but reached out and touched the big yellow dog's ears. He carefully looked around the yard and, finding no sticks or anything like that nearby, said in a deep voice, "Grandpa Wang, there's something I must tell you."

"You mean the thing about you marrying Youyou after you graduate, right?"

Grandpa Wang took the pipe from his mouth and tapped the ash on the floor. "I've already heard from Youyou. Don't worry, as long as I'm still alive, those two bastards won't be able to cause you any trouble."

Han Zhou hesitated, fearing that if he spoke his next words, Grandpa Wang would die.

"Grandpa Wang, that's not what I wanted to talk about..."

"Ok?"

Grandpa Wang paused as he was putting the cigarette in his mouth. "You don't like Youyou?"

"like."

Han Zhou's expression gradually hardened, and he said frankly, "Although it's not just pure liking, I can guarantee that I genuinely like Senior Wang Lengqiu."

"So, Yoyo doesn't like you?"

Han Zhou was slightly taken aback, then gave a wry smile: "If my senior didn't like me, she wouldn't have waited for someone like me for so long."

"That's it."

Grandpa Wang seemed relieved. "You like Youyou, and Youyou likes you too. That's mutual affection. Since you're mutually in love, what problem in this world can't be solved?"

It's true that we're mutually in love, but the problem is that I'm in love with more than one person...

Han Zhou hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He had long been prepared to take responsibility for every relationship and planned to do everything he could to win the blessings and approval of his elders. However, looking at Grandpa Wang's aged appearance, he couldn't imagine whether he would faint on the spot if he knew the truth.

Seemingly noticing his hesitation, Grandpa Wang suddenly smiled, shook his head and said, "I told you, Youyou has always been single-minded. Even if you've killed people or set fires, once she's set her mind on you, she'll only ever have you in this life."

"I know this child's temperament too well. Otherwise, do you think I would entrust her to you so easily?"

He put the pipe back in his mouth, squinted at the sky, and watched the smoke slowly rise, a helpless yet indulgent smile appearing on his face.

"Because on this point, I can't control what the child thinks."

Han Zhou paused, and in a daze, he seemed to see twilight creeping into the courtyard inch by inch, and Wang Lengqiu standing in that dim light and shadow.

She stared down at the teacup in her hand, the tea had gone completely cold, yet she was still holding it in a daze, not even noticing when the steam had dissipated.

That face, expressionless, always makes you want to look at it a few more times, like a tabby cat squatting in a corner sunbathing, slow-witted and clueless, yet inexplicably making you feel soft-hearted.

Exactly the same as when I was a child.

Until she slowly raised her head, her figure seemed to shrink back to its former self in the twilight, the teacup in her hand transformed into milk tea, she tilted her head, looked at me with those clear but not bright eyes, and softly uttered those words—

“I want to be with you, and you like being with me, so we should stay together.”

Nine years.

Nine years in total.

She said it, and she did it.

Therefore, in this matter, no one can influence her thoughts.

Han Zhou snapped out of his daze and couldn't help but smile wryly: "I thought you at least had some approval of me..."

"It's not a matter of approval or disapproval."

Grandpa Wang smiled and said, "My understanding of you is limited; I don't even know what kind of person you are. If I were to approve of you like this, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

He paused, and the smile on his face became more complicated.

"But I'm not senile anymore. Could someone who made Youyou wait so long and then choose to come back to her after all that time be a bad person?"

Han Zhou was stunned, and after a long while he hesitated before saying, "I think... he's not exactly a bad person, but he's probably not a good person either..." "Stop, stop."

Grandpa Wang chuckled and cursed, "Although I can't quit smoking, I want to live a few more years and not listen to that awful stuff."

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaling. The smoke blurred his facial expression, but his voice came through clearly:
“I raised Youyou from a young age. I’ve seen her sad and happy, but I’ve rarely seen her laugh from the bottom of her heart.”

"If she smiles more when she's with you, then this old man will consider you his acknowledgment."

……

Sitting on the high-speed train on his return journey, Han Zhou's mind was still filled with Grandpa Wang's words.

The so-called genuine laughter is nothing more than the hope that the granddaughter will be happy in the future.

This is a very simple wish, and even without Grandpa Wang saying it, he would do his best to fulfill it.

But... does Grandpa Wang even know that he's a scumbag who's cheating on his wife with three women at once?
"Han Zhou? Han Zhou!"

Hearing the sound of the guzheng, Han Zhou quickly snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "What's wrong?"

Can't you just listen to me properly?

Gu Zheng glared at him, a little annoyed, and pouted, saying, "I said, my parents asked you to come to my house for dinner next weekend, and they also told me to invite my senior classmates along. Did you hear that?"

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, his mind not yet fully switching back to what Grandpa Wang had entrusted to him, and subconsciously asked, "Are we having some kind of happy occasion?"

"What good news is this?"

Gu Zheng blushed slightly. There were only three people in her family. If there was any happy event, it was her wedding. "We're going to have a happy event"... This guy just talks nonsense all day long.

“I usually spend New Year’s Day at my house, but this year there’s a New Year’s Eve party, and we can’t go back, so let’s just celebrate early. What, are you busy next weekend?”

"I do have free time... but why did you have to invite my seniors?"

For some reason, Han Zhou had a vague sense of unease.

At that moment, Wang Lengqiu and Zhong Ling were both asleep by the car window and therefore did not participate in the conversation.

Gu Zheng looked slightly embarrassed, stammered for a while, and finally admitted honestly, "I didn't have many friends before, but now I do, and my parents are very happy, so they told me to invite everyone over for a get-together..."

Uncle Gu and Sister Miao have always been concerned about Gu Zheng's interpersonal relationships, and this reason is reasonable. Han Zhou breathed a slight sigh of relief, but still dared not be careless: "Who exactly are they?"

“Senior Zhong Ling, Sister Zhong Yin, Xiao Xiao, Senior Wang Lengqiu, He Ling, um... Wang Runxue counts too, you can also call Lin Anyu and Ya Ya.”

Gu Zheng counted on her fingers, her tone light and cheerful, "In short, my parents' idea is that the more lively the better."

Hearing this string of familiar names, Han Zhou's tense nerves gradually relaxed.

Very good, all of this makes sense...

"Oh, right."

However, the next second, as if she suddenly remembered something, Guzheng added, "Remember to invite Teacher Ouyang as well."

"what?"

Han Zhou's eyelids twitched. "Is Teacher Ouyang considered your friend too?"

"Even if they're not friends, they're still elders with whom you have a good relationship. What's the big deal?" Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him.

"That's true, but have you ever seen anyone invite their counselor to a home-cooked meal?"

"What's more, he's my counselor..." Han Zhou silently added in his heart.

"I don't know about that..."

Gu Zheng seemed a little confused, but didn't care. "Anyway, that's what my parents said. You and Teacher Ouyang are close, so please tell her for me later."

wrong……

something wrong.

There's definitely something wrong.

Han Zhou felt something was off, something seemed off, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the problem.

It wasn't until his gaze swept over the two female senior students sleeping soundly by the car window that he suddenly realized—

Aside from a few individuals, weren't all of Gu Zheng's listed... his "good friends"? (End of Chapter)