Forced into a romantic relationship.

"As for leaving early, if you really don't want me to stay here, you can just tell your mother. Why make it a military order? So I really don't understand what you're thinking."

Mo Yixia was silent for a while, then changed the subject, saying, "I don't want to learn these anymore. You can continue teaching me ventriloquism."

Han Zhou was taken aback: "Didn't I just teach you this during dinner...?"

After Mo Yixia expressed her desire to learn ventriloquism that day, he actually spent time searching online and compiling relevant methods for practicing ventriloquism, and taught her during lunchtime every day.

However, he only has the theory at the moment; he's still a long way from being able to speak ventriloquism himself, so teaching him always feels awkward, and he's afraid that the two of them will fall into the same trap...

Mo Yixia glanced at him: "Once you leave, there will be no one to teach me. I need to learn quickly."

"They really wanted me to leave."

Han Zhou muttered something, then, avoiding the surveillance cameras, pulled a folded A4 sheet of paper from his pocket and placed it on the desk like a spy passing on intelligence. "I've printed out all the ventriloquism practice methods on this. It's a summary of several videos, but I haven't mastered it yet, so I don't know if it's feasible. Don't go overboard with it."

"Also, if you get caught, don't say I gave it to you. Just say it was from Lin Anyu, the guy from the birthday party last time..."

Mo Yixia stared at the note for a while, then a hint of disgust suddenly appeared in her eyes: "Take it away, it's all sweaty."

"What can we do?" Han Zhou sighed and lamented, "This may be the last thing I can do for you. If you don't want it, then forget it."

"Keep it for now, and teach me again when you've recovered from your qi deviation."

Although the two were chatting, it was actually Han Zhou earnestly explaining the problem to Mo Yixia on the monitor. Putting everything else aside, they were quite in sync when it came to putting on an act.

Mo Yixia lowered her head, pretending to be deep in thought, but said, "Alright, you don't need to play the victim and test me anymore. I do have a way to handle tomorrow's test."

How could she not see that this guy was deliberately playing the victim?

Han Zhou had been waiting for these words, and upon hearing them, he almost burst into tears: "I knew it, I knew you had a backup plan... After all, we are a community of shared interests, you would never abandon me like this."

He had indeed been tossing and turning these past few days. Although he couldn't figure out how to get Mo Yixia to pass the test, he also couldn't figure out her motive for making such a pledge. Why did she have to force him to leave?

If we change our perspective and assume that Mo Yixia has absolute confidence in passing the test and was certain of the outcome from the beginning, then wouldn't this promise seem less outrageous?

If that's the case, then the final solution must lie with Mo Yixia.

This is what Han Zhou suddenly realized last night when his eyes hurt so much that he couldn't sleep for most of the night. That's why he shamelessly played the victim all day. Now, his suffering has finally come to an end!

"That's disgusting."

Mo Yixia said calmly, "I told you to use any means necessary to help me pass the test, but you don't seem to have grasped the meaning of that sentence at all."

Han Zhou was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster, so he didn't argue. Instead, he took a sip of water and humbly asked, "So what do you think constitutes 'any means necessary'?"

"For example, I can tell my mom that we are in love and inseparable."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Han Zhou nearly spat out his water. "Are you crazy? Your mother would kill me if she heard that!"

Mo Yixia seems quite serious, and usually has a rather aloof personality, but when it comes to being unserious, she can be truly unserious.

"So this isn't what you wanted?"

Mo Yixia observed him for a moment, then quietly lowered the brim of her hat and said calmly, "The way to get you to stay is actually very simple. I'll just ask my mother. After all, I have really made progress during this time, and she will agree."

Han Zhou was taken aback. After thinking about it, he realized that it made sense and was simple and feasible, but upon closer inspection, he felt that something was not quite right.

After a moment, he suddenly thought of something and hesitated, "It sounds feasible, but if you suddenly go to your mother for help, won't she take the opportunity to make some demands?"

Mo Yixia's tone was calm, seemingly unconcerned: "Yes, I guess it'll be something like asking me to take off my hat after school starts."

Han Zhou frowned, his inner joy vanishing as if melting away: "You don't like this, do you?"

"Many things don't depend on whether you like them or not, but on whether the world expects them. Because you're so hesitant, that's why I said you don't understand what 'ruthless' means."

Mo Yixia glanced at him and said in a nonchalant tone, "If you and I could give my mother a grandson..."

Han Zhou ignored her nonsense and hesitated before saying, "If that's really the case, then you shouldn't beg your mother."

For some reason, he would rather find ways to help Mo Yixia cheat than let her compromise like this, even though he knew that Jiang Baiqian's conditions were actually for her daughter's sake.

As for points, although he was inexplicably punched yesterday, he also gained Zhong Ling's contact information by chance, which provided him with a new source of points. Mo Yixia's task can be completed after she graduates from high school.

Mo Yixia lifted the brim of her hat slightly and looked at him with her deep, still eyes: "Why?"

Han Zhou couldn't think of a reason either, and asked in return, "If you have to say why... maybe it's because you look cool wearing a hat and a mask?"

Mo Yixia remained noncommittal: "Then you'll be kicked out of my house."

"If you want to kick them out, then kick them out."

Han Zhou sighed, his face filled with sorrow, and said, "But before that, can you grant me one wish?"

"You said."

Han Zhou looked at her for a while, then said half-jokingly, "How about... you stop hating me?"

To this day, he still doesn't know what conditions need to be met to avoid being disliked by Mo Yixia, and he still can't figure out what she's thinking.

The two of them were clearly on better terms than when they first met, and they could even crack jokes occasionally, but neither their status bar nor their tasks showed any progress.

He was completely at a loss about this task, so he decided to take this opportunity to ask questions and see if he could find out anything.

I wonder how she'll answer...

"Okay."

To Han Zhou's astonishment, Mo Yixia agreed very easily.

She nodded very seriously and said calmly, "But you have to grant me one request."

Han Zhou's heart pounded. Although he didn't know if Mo Yixia was telling the truth or not, since dislike or dislike is not something a person can easily control, at least he could already see a glimmer of fifty points.

"any request?"

"Take off your sunglasses first."

Is Chapter 40's mission really complete just like that?

Perhaps the air conditioner was too loud, so much so that Han Zhou wondered if he had misheard.

"Take off your sunglasses?"

Han Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "It's that simple? There are no other conditions?"

“It’s that simple,” Mo Yixia replied affirmatively.

You just want to see me make a fool of myself, don't you...?

Han Zhou, filled with anticipation but somewhat uncertain, reminded him, "Did you hear my wish clearly? I want you not to hate me, and it can't be insincere. That's not something you can just do on a whim."

Mo Yixia didn't reply, but gave him a meaningful look: "Compared to that, I'm more curious about why you think I hate you."

She paused, then continued, "And if I remember correctly, you asked me about things I dislike before... Are you so concerned about my likes and dislikes because it's related to your purpose in getting close to me?"

His tone was firm; it was more of a statement than a question.

Han Zhou remained expressionless. He had long anticipated that Mo Yixia would have some suspicions, but unfortunately, no matter how perceptive she was, she would never connect it to something as surreal as the status bar.

Just like when you suddenly see someone looking up at the sky, you might guess that he is observing the night sky, or worry that he has twisted his neck, but you would never immediately suspect that this guy has left his body to kill aliens outside the Milky Way.

Isn't that just plain stupid?

Therefore, Han Zhou was not worried that Mo Yixia would see through anything. Even if she had some doubts, it didn't matter. This girl had been guessing his purpose all along, but the current clues were not sufficient.

He casually replied, "Didn't I say I've studied a bit of psychology? It's easy for me to tell you hate me. As for why I care about your likes and dislikes... I'm just trying to save the soul of an innocent high school girl."

This was clearly nonsense, so Mo Yixia automatically filtered it out. However, she didn't press the matter further; some answers were more interesting to uncover herself.

"If you're going to save me, then hurry up and take off your sunglasses. Maybe then I won't hate you anymore."

"Perhaps?" Han Zhou raised an eyebrow.

“Perhaps,” Mo Yixia repeated, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, “You just said it yourself, not wanting to dislike someone isn’t something you can just do, is it?”

"Then you shouldn't have agreed in the first place. And... what you're saying is tantamount to admitting that you hate me."

Han Zhou feigned a heartbroken expression, but it wasn't entirely an act; after all, hearing firsthand that someone disliked him was quite disheartening.

Mo Yixia remained silent, seemingly acquiescing.

Han Zhou was a little annoyed and started to bargain: "I'll take off my sunglasses if you don't hate me first."

Mo Yixia remained calm and composed: "If you take off your sunglasses first, I won't dislike you."

"You first."

"You first."

"You go first, ladies first."

"You go first, the weaker party please go first."

"..."

After a stalemate, Han Zhou finally gave in and secretly reflected that his biggest weakness was being too shy, and that he should learn more from Lin Anyu in the future.

He sighed, "It was clearly agreed that my wish would be fulfilled, but in the end it still turned into a conditional exchange."

Mo Yixia remained unmoved and calmly said, "These two conditions are not equal. In fact, you don't need to pay any price, while I have to go against my conscience. So you still come out on top."

Haha, that really puts you in a difficult position...

Han Zhou thought to himself, but then he realized that it made sense. If simply taking off his sunglasses could make Mo Yixia not dislike him, then it would definitely be a win-win situation.

"Speaking of which..."

He was about to take off his sunglasses when, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked up at the wall clock and hesitated, saying, "Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow. While I can still take the blame today, how about I take you out one more time?"

He had already refused to let Mo Yixia beg Jiang Baiqian, and this guy's level obviously couldn't pass the test, so his previous attempt to play the victim had come true, and he probably wouldn't be able to come after tomorrow.

Mo Yixia was silent for a moment: "Is this considered compensation?"

"Perhaps 'parting gift' would be a more appropriate description."

However, this farewell is only temporary, and I hope it won't affect my salary during this period...

Han Zhou silently added a sentence in his mind, then calmly took off his sunglasses.

At the same time, Mo Yixia didn't even care about the camera anymore. She turned her head and stared at his face for more than ten seconds before turning her head back with satisfaction.

Han Zhou remained silent for a moment before realizing that he wasn't as calm as he thought. He took a deep breath and said helplessly, "You're laughing, aren't you?"

Mo Yixia's shoulders shrugged slightly. She didn't deny it and said in as calm a tone as possible, "To be honest, I always thought panda eyes only existed on TV. Could this have been done by another woman?"