Forced into a romantic relationship.

He wanted to press for details, but Miao Yan'er didn't seem to intend to continue the topic. Instead, she asked, "I remember you should be starting school soon, right?"

"Yes, there are still more than ten days left, it's coming soon indeed."

Miao Yan'er said with a smile, "You and Xiao Zheng can go to school to register together. Her dad and I won't go."

"no problem."

Han Zhou nodded. He and Gu Zheng had discussed it before, and this was their original plan.

Miao Yan'er looked at him for a while, then suddenly sighed, "Time flies so fast. Xiao Zheng has grown up so much in the blink of an eye, and now she's going on a long trip. I'm really worried that she'll be bullied out there..."

Han Zhou laughed heartily: "Sister Miao, you're so funny. Gu Zheng could easily beat ten of me and Uncle Gu by herself. You should be worried about whether she'll bully others..."

Seeing Miao Yan'er's smile turn cold, he wisely stopped laughing, coughed twice, and comforted her, "Lincheng University isn't far away, you can see her anytime you want."

It's perfectly normal for parents to worry about their children who are traveling far away.

"Always interrupting."

Miao Yan'er gave him a disapproving look and said, "What I mean by bullying is not worrying about Xiao Zheng being beaten by someone, but worrying about her being isolated."

"You should know this girl's personality very well. She's too competitive, so competitive that she doesn't care about the people around her at all. She only cares about being number one. She's like a sword with a barb on the hilt, and no one dares to touch it."

Han Zhou certainly understands this deeply. The guzheng is not currently in a competitive state, otherwise it might not be as easy to get along with as it is now.

Seeing Han Zhou remain silent, Miao Yan'er continued, "High school is actually not too bad, after all, studying is the most important thing at this stage. But it's different in college. If Xiao Zheng is still so eager to be number one... then I'm worried that she will end up all alone."

Han Zhou had some guesses in his mind, and tentatively asked, "Was Gu Zheng's experience in junior high school also related to her competitive spirit?"

"Yes." Miao Yan'er did not deny it, but said with great concern, "And it has a very big impact."

"So your purpose in suddenly saying all this is to get me to persuade Guzheng to make a change?"

"Correct."

Miao Yan'er looked at her with a smile and said meaningfully, "You are quite clever in this kind of thing."

"But Sister Miao, why do you think I can persuade Guzheng?"

Han Zhou's expression turned serious as he said earnestly, "If even you, as her parents, can't make her change, then I don't think I could."

Moreover, deep down, he didn't actually want to force Guzheng to do anything.

Miao Yan'er's smile faded, her gaze dimmed, and she said with some self-reproach, "We bear some responsibility for Xiao Zheng's personality development, so she won't listen to us about this. But you're different; you might be able to persuade her. She cares about you a lot."

"But what if the guzheng doesn't want to change it this way?"

Han Zhou took a deep breath. "Sister Miao, you should know your daughter very well. Gu Zheng is a smart girl with determination and perseverance. If she really wanted to change, she should have done so long ago, shouldn't she?"

Miao Yan'er remained silent for a while, without answering, but said, "Xiao Zheng is pretty, has a good temper, good grades, and is also very athletic. If she could just change her competitive nature, that kind of thing wouldn't have happened in junior high."

Recalling the image of Guzheng standing alone outside the crowd in the graduation photo, Han Zhou felt very uncomfortable and said, "I don't know what happened to Guzheng in junior high school, so I can't judge. Now I just hope that you can tell me one thing, Sister Miao—do you think Guzheng did something wrong back then?"

Miao Yan'er shook her head firmly: "Xiao Zheng is not wrong, but it may not be the case for others. If we can change it a little bit, even just a little bit, it might be better for Xiao Zheng and for others as well."

Han Zhou was silent for a moment: "Since you think Gu Zheng is right, then you shouldn't use other people's opinions to criticize her."

Miao Yan'er gave him a deep look, but instead of being angry, she patiently explained, "This is not an accusation. I just want Xiao Zheng to have a better life in the future. As long as she is willing to make changes, she will definitely live a better life than she does now."

"But Sister Miao, have you ever thought that competitiveness is part of Guzheng's personality? If she didn't have that, she wouldn't have such good academic results today."

Miao Yan'er was about to speak when her ears twitched as she heard a soft footstep. She immediately put on a worried expression and sighed, "You don't understand. Xiao Zheng lost an important friend in junior high school because she was too competitive. That kind of personality is terrible; no one will like her."

"It's not that nobody likes it."

Han Zhou knew she was seeking reassurance, because he was now an important friend of the guzheng, but he still answered seriously, "At least I like this kind of guzheng, so we are good friends."

"A close friend..."

Miao Yan'er looked at him for a while and slowly said, "Xiao Zheng had friends in junior high school, but she lost them later. Her personality easily hurts the people around her. You should know this very well and know what is good for her."

Han Zhou remained calm: "I still have the same question. Did Gu Zheng lose her friend because she did something wrong?"

Miao Yan'er paused for a moment: "No, but..."

Han Zhou interrupted, "Since Gu Zheng hasn't done anything wrong, why must we force her to change? Have you asked Gu Zheng what she thinks? Whether changing herself is good or bad for her shouldn't be decided by us, but by her own choice."

"I like the guzheng as it is now, even if it has always been like this."

As an unlockable character, Guzheng naturally has corresponding side quests. Han Zhou completed that quest a long time ago, so he understands Guzheng's thoughts better than most people.

Miao Yan'er smiled and said in a low voice, "What if I tell you Xiao Zheng's story from junior high school? You might be very disappointed."

“Telling me is the same. Since there’s nothing wrong with it, as long as Guzheng herself doesn’t feel that it’s bad for her, I won’t force her to make any choices. She doesn’t have to change to please anyone. Although she may not be very happy, she will never feel lonely in college because I’m here.”

After a pause, Han Zhou continued, "And Sister Miao, I think your analogy just now was wrong. The guzheng shouldn't be a sword with barbs even on the hilt, but rather the sun."

He looked out onto the balcony. It was summer, and although it was almost 8 p.m., the sun had not yet set. Instead, it had painted half of the clouds red and hung in the sky.

"sun?"

"Yes, if I had to say, the sun is always lonely, but not because it is not beautiful enough, but because it is too dazzling. I think the guzheng is like the sun."

Miao Yan'er was stunned for a long time, her ears twitching as if she heard something hit a wall. She laughed and said, "I like this metaphor, but even if Xiao Zheng really is the sun, it would be hard to find someone who can tolerate the sun forever..."

"Of course you can find it. You should have heard the story of Kuafu chasing the sun..."

Han Zhou stopped halfway through his sentence, saying that the story of Kuafu chasing the sun was from his previous life, and didn't exist in this one.

Miao Yan'er's expression turned somewhat strange as she repeated, "Chasing the sun in the hips?"

Han Zhou shook his head and said, "In short, I don't think there's anything wrong with Gu Zheng as she is now. Unless she wants to change it herself one day, I won't offer any opinions."

Miao Yan'er smiled mischievously: "Are you planning to support Xiao Zheng without any reason now? I have a deep impression of that sentence, 'As long as it's you, I'll do it willingly.'"

"No, I have my reasons, but it would be the same even if I didn't."

Gu Zheng is not someone who cares about other people's opinions. If she doesn't want to compromise, then there's no need to compromise.

Han Zhou looked at the sun outside the balcony.

"The sun should shine brightly; it is born to be dazzling, which is why it sits high in the sky. If it were to lower its temperature of 5,500 degrees Celsius to please someone..."

"Then it wouldn't be the sun."

Chapter 48 This is Favoritism

Shameful, so incredibly shameful...

Han Zhou stared at the ceiling with a look of frustration, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

What kind of mental state did I have to say those things?

As soon as the conversation ended, Miao Yan'er went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Usually, Gu Zheng was in charge of washing the dishes, but since Gu Zheng had cooked today, the task of washing the dishes naturally fell to her, the mother.

The mother and daughter had a very clear division of labor.

Han Zhou suspected that he was likely affected by the side effects of ending his elite sycophant state, which made his emotions more volatile than usual, which is why he blurted out so many things in a moment of impulse.

This is Guzheng's own mother! How dare I presumptuously lecture her? And what's with all this talk about the sun shining...

Han Zhou was extremely embarrassed, not knowing how Sister Miao would secretly laugh at him.

Just then, Guzheng walked out of the room with a displeased look on her face. Her huge rice bowl was already empty. Although she was protesting by going on a hunger strike, she hadn't neglected her stomach at all.

Han Zhou reminded her, "Your mom went to wash the dishes. She said there's rice left in the pot, and we can add more if it's not enough."

Do you think I'm a good-for-nothing?

Gu Zheng glared at him fiercely, silently walked to the rice cooker, lifted the lid to take a look, and said, "Come back and eat. Come with me for a walk."

"Now?"

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, looking at the glutton in front of him.

"What's wrong? Aren't you full?"

"I'm full, but not really..."

Just thinking about Han Zhou makes me angry. He was mainly full from drinking soup and didn't eat a proper bite of rice. He'll probably be very hungry tonight.

Being a simp is harmful.

"Then let's go." Gu Zheng didn't wait for a reply, and started changing her shoes at the door while loudly announcing, "Mom, we're going out for a bit!"

"Be careful! Remember, you can't just hit people! I've taught you how to use self-defense legally!"

Miao Yan'er's voice came from the kitchen, and her reminder was quite hardcore.

Are you a member of the mafia...?

Han Zhou put on his sunglasses while complaining, and went out with Gu Zheng.

Although the sun was about to set, the air was still extremely hot and dry. The scorching heat was palpable as soon as they stepped outside. The two took the elevator and went downstairs in silence.

Han Zhou remained silent because he was embarrassed. After all, he had said those things to Gu Zheng not long ago, and given the guy's temper, it was already a big favor that he hadn't given him a few punches.

As for why Guzheng was also silent, that remains unknown. Logically, she should have pressed him for details about what he and Sister Miao had talked about as soon as they left, but she seemed completely unconcerned at the moment.

As an old residential area, Huadu Community is not large, even very small. Most of the residential buildings are close together, with green plants filling the remaining gaps. The roads are quite narrow, leaving little space for walking. So Guzheng took Han Zhou out of the community after getting off the elevator.

Han Zhou greeted the security guard and asked, "Where are we going?"

"There's a park on the left ahead, we've been there before."

Gu Zheng tucked her hair back and looked very quiet. Usually, she would speak with a smile, but now her expression was so calm that she had a rather serene and girlish feel to her.

The western clouds were dyed into a magnificent fiery sunset, turning half the sky crimson, stretching all the way to the horizon, as if bidding farewell to the setting sun.

A gentle breeze, carrying the sweltering air, stirred the girl's hair. She suddenly stopped, looked up at the scene, her lips slightly parted, her expression showing some emotion.

"What a nice view."

Han Zhou, however, thought it was nothing special and sighed, "You probably rarely look up, so this kind of sight is quite common."

Gu Zheng withdrew her gaze and said irritably, "Do you think I'm as free as you? I'm usually at home when you're not coming to see me."

"doing what?"

"Studying, exercising, doing housework... there are many things to do, but this is a holiday. If it were school, I would spend most of my time studying."

"You're so cool."

"..."

The two arrived at a park in the old town. The park was not large, and there was hardly anyone around. There was practically no scenery worth seeing. However, after walking a little further in, they could see a swing, the kind that you step on, which looked quite old.