Forced into a romantic relationship.

"That's right, a homebody."

Zhong Ling's eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying, "That's what my sister told me, to go out and about when I have time, but I still prefer to stay at home."

Han Zhou asked curiously, "What about when you were at school?"

"Then stay in the dorm."

"She rarely goes out; that definitely qualifies her as a homebody..."

Zhong Ling turned to look at him, puzzled, and asked, "Don't you think being a homebody is bad?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"What does that mean?"

"..."

The two chatted a lot along the way. Perhaps because it was rare to meet someone with whom she could have a normal conversation, Zhong Ling had a strong urge to confide in Han Zhou. She told him about her experiences at university over and over again, with a faint smile on her face the whole time.

Han Zhou listened attentively; being a good listener was one of his good habits. He also took this opportunity to learn more about the school. With the start of the new semester approaching, it was about time he prepared himself.

However, it must be said that this senior's college life was quite uneventful, even somewhat boring. She basically lived a life between her dormitory, the teaching building, and the library. She didn't go out much during her free time. In her entire freshman year, she only managed to get to know the school, and she rarely even left the campus.

His usual hobby is reading in his dormitory. He has excellent grades in school, but his sports performance is mediocre. He sounds like a typical well-behaved student.

If it weren't for her soft voice, which led many to mistakenly believe she was mute, Zhong Ling would probably have become a goddess in many people's hearts long ago.

The reason why Zhong Ling became a homebody is not hard to understand. Her personality is probably only part of the reason, but more of the problem lies in her own issues.

Although she can speak, her language skills are essentially the same as being mute, making it very difficult for her to communicate normally with others. It would be quite troublesome for her to even get along with the people around her, let alone go out and about.

Moreover, she has an adorable girl-next-door face that easily evokes a protective instinct in others, so she must have no shortage of people trying to chat her up at school. However, she seems to lack assertiveness and the ability to directly refuse others, so she inevitably encounters some persistent guys that she can't handle, which makes her even less inclined to go out.

These were Han Zhou's speculations, and Zhong Ling was also very frank, saying that this was indeed the case. She didn't like people who would casually approach her, and her sister especially hated such guys. She even taught her a way to deal with all kinds of advances—that is, to tell everyone to get lost.

When Zhong Ling first met Lin Anyu, the reason she told him to get lost was because she used the method Zhong Yin had taught her. Although it was impolite and might cause unnecessary misunderstandings, the method was simple and effective, and it also made her try to speak louder.

At this point, Zhong Ling tugged at her small cloth bag and whispered, "I rely on my sister too much and don't know how to be flexible when things happen. But my sister can't always be by my side, so she can only teach me this simplest and clumsy method. Many times, I have to arrange what I need to do in advance."

This was clearly nothing to be proud of; to put it bluntly, it was like being a spoiled brat. As a result, she was a little nervous and kept an eye on Han Zhou's expression as she spoke, worried that he might develop a dislike for her because of it.

Han Zhou did not comment, but just smiled and said, "But once you have a set goal, you are very efficient."

He still remembered the time when Zhong Ling was shopping at the supermarket during their first meeting. She was quite efficient and quickly found and bought all the items on her shopping list. If she hadn't hesitated because the shampoo she wanted to buy was sold out, he might not have had the chance to continue talking to her.

Being overly dependent is indeed a problem, but Han Zhou thinks this senior is probably the kind of person with strong execution skills.

Zhong Ling paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, I'm always clumsy, and my sister doesn't want me to help her."

She's just being overprotective of you... Han Zhou sighed inwardly and said with a wry smile, "I don't know if you're clumsy with your hands, but you're definitely not clumsy with your feet. You walk so fast, I can hardly keep up."

This was obviously a joke, but Zhong Ling does walk very fast, as if she's being chased; it seems to be her walking habit.

Zhong Ling was bewildered for two seconds before realizing that she had indeed walked too fast. Han Zhou should have been leading the way for her, but she had unknowingly become the one leading the way for Han Zhou.

So she quickly took small steps to walk behind Han Zhou, then slowed down and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'll walk slower to keep up with you. My sister has mentioned this before, but I usually walk alone, so I don't notice."

She seemed a little embarrassed.

"No, no, no, don't apologize, I was just joking."

Han Zhou was taken aback when Zhong Ling took his words seriously and even apologized to him. He said, "Besides, walking fast isn't a bad thing, there's no need to apologize."

He remarked, "But Senior Sister really can't stop talking about Sister Yin. You two sisters have such a good relationship."

Zhong Ling followed a step behind him, a smile appearing on her face: "Yes, my sister has been taking care of me ever since my parents passed away. I like her very much and I am very grateful to her."

She paused, her expression becoming more serious, and continued, "My sister wasn't very nice to you before, but she didn't mean to target you. I apologize on her behalf, and I hope you don't mind."

Han Zhou said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, I understand. By the way, is the repair shop behind your house owned by Sister Yin?"

He was curious whether the blond guy had gone looking for trouble again.

"No, the repair shop was originally opened by my father. My sister took over the business after he passed away. We had already discussed selling the repair shop, but one day my sister suddenly changed her mind, quit her original job, learned repair skills, and kept the repair shop running."

Han Zhou remained silent for a moment. To be able to run such a large repair shop, Zhong Ling's family must have been quite wealthy before. It was just that some accident happened that led to the death of her parents, which caused their family to fall into decline.

This is actually somewhat similar to his family's situation. If Han Long hadn't been addicted to gambling, his family would actually be quite wealthy.

However, the two are of course incomparable. These sisters lost their parents, which is a very heavy experience for any family.

After hesitating for a moment, Han Zhou asked, "Senior, may I ask you a question?"

"What's the problem?"

Zhong Ling looked at him, seemingly realizing something, and asked in confusion, "Are you asking why my voice is so soft?"

Han Zhou was taken aback. He had originally intended to ask how Zhong Ling's parents had died, and to ask about Zhong Ling herself later. However, he did not expect that she would bring up this question directly, so he nodded hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm just a little curious, it's okay if you don't tell me..."

Han Zhou was a little nervous. Although the two had just been chatting and laughing, it was only their third meeting. Asking this question suddenly was really presumptuous. The reason behind it was probably not a pleasant memory, and it might even involve the other person's privacy.

However, the two had just had a very pleasant conversation, and Zhong Ling's attitude had been very good, with a smile on her face, which inevitably gave him the idea that "this senior seems to have a good impression of me." Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have thought of asking about the reason for her parents' death so soon.

However, this question will have to be asked sooner or later. The side quest is to make this girl cry from the bottom of her heart, which is undoubtedly a "technical task". Understanding the other party's past is naturally a very important part.

Zhong Ling was silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

Fortunately, although it was presumptuous, she did not show any resistance. She simply nodded and said, "You could say that my sister asked me before if I was willing to tell you. I had been wanting to tell you this."

She gazed into the distance, then quietly clutched the small blue cloth bag at her waist.

"This is actually related to the reason why my parents passed away."

Chapter 89: So I'm a rich second-generation heir?

Zhong Ling seemed to have a lot to say, but seeing that it was still early and that Han Zhou and Zhong Ling were both a little thirsty, they didn't continue to the mobile phone store. Instead, they found a milk tea shop nearby.

There were quite a few people sitting in the shop, and as expected, most of them were couples. The two attracted a lot of attention when they entered. Han Zhou first asked Zhong Ling what she wanted to drink, and then asked her to find a seat.

From the waiter's perspective, the girl hadn't even answered what she wanted to drink when the boy walked right over, as if it was just a symbolic inquiry.

"Hello, I'd like two iced cola, medium size, please."

The clerk gave a polite smile and said, "Okay, two Cokes, is there anything else you need?"

"No need, thank you."

Han Zhou took out his phone to pay.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The shop assistant smiled and nodded, but in his heart he was thinking, "This guy is really handsome, but he's a bit stingy. I didn't hear the girl say she wanted a Coke. Coke is probably the cheapest drink in the store. Why not just order a milk tea?"

Hmm, it seems like this customer is facing some financial difficulties; their phone screen is completely cracked...

The customers in the store didn't pay much attention to this scene, and even if they did, they didn't care. However, some people made contemptuous laughs.

The sarcasm in the laughter was completely undisguised. Han Zhou's hearing was now excellent, and he could hear the conversation in the distance. He knew that the laughter was directed at him, but he didn't care.

Like Guzheng, he doesn't care much about other people's opinions, let alone such childish ridicule; otherwise, he would have changed his phone long ago.

Zhong Ling probably wanted to drink cola to save money, and he chose cola simply to quench his thirst. If he could have ordered plain water, he probably would have just asked for a glass of water.

He could roughly understand what the mockers were thinking. Perhaps they thought he was too poor and Coke was too cheap. However, he really didn't understand what was so interesting about comparing drinking milk tea. Was it about who had a higher incidence of diabetes?

With an air of composure, Han Zhou paid the bill using his cracked phone, returned to his seat, placed the phone on the table, and checked for any new messages.

Zhong Ling took out her shattered phone from her small cloth bag and placed it on the table without any hesitation. She then folded her hands on her lap and asked softly, "Junior, how much is the Coke? I'll transfer it to you."

Han Zhou laughed and said, "No need, it's just a few dollars, consider it my treat."

Zhong Ling shook her head and said seriously, "No, my sister said that one should not accept a reward without merit. I cannot let others treat me to a meal, not even if it's cheap."

Zhong Yin did say something similar, but the wording was much harsher. In short, it meant "those who offer unsolicited favors are either treacherous or thieves." Zhong Ling, of course, would not say that about Han Zhou, so she changed it to "one should not accept rewards without merit."

Han Zhou chuckled and said, "It's just a Coke, what's the big deal? Consider it a return gift for the dinner you treated me and Yi Xia to last time."

Zhong Ling shook her head again: "That meal was originally an apology from my sister, there's no need for a return gift."

"Then consider it a return gift for the plums you gave us."

"That's just a small token of my appreciation, a personal apology, and there's no need for a return gift."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "Isn't it unnecessary to calculate it so precisely..."

Zhong Ling explained, "My sister said that if you don't want to be harassed by strangers, you have to figure everything out as much as possible when you're with people."

That Zhong Yin guy, he treats interpersonal relationships like accounts, fine, but how did he end up teaching that same thing to his senior...?

Han Zhou thought to himself, but he couldn't completely understand it. Similar to using the word "get lost" to reject all advances, it was a clumsy way to avoid most of the trouble, but it was just too blunt.

It's not that this is necessarily bad, but it's mostly tiring and inevitably gives people a feeling of being unapproachable. I believe no one likes to be around someone who is "petty and calculating".

Han Zhou didn't hide his thoughts and said, "I don't think what Sister Yin said is necessarily right. Besides, we're not strangers anymore. It's not strange for friends to treat each other to something occasionally."

Zhong Ling blinked, seemingly hesitant, and asked in surprise, "Are we friends?"

Han Zhou's eyes widened: "Isn't that right?"

That question is truly hurtful.

"No, that's not what I meant."

Zhong Ling realized that Han Zhou had misunderstood, and quickly explained, "I only consider you a friend. I was just worried that you wouldn't feel the same way. I was just wondering if you would be angry if I suddenly told you about my situation, since we've only met three times and we're not even close friends..."

Han Zhou was taken aback, then found it both funny and exasperating. He hadn't expected the other person to have similar concerns to his own, to the point that he was being somewhat hesitant.

However, their relationship is indeed strange. They have only met three times, but they get along quite well. Perhaps this is what is called being compatible?

"Of course I'm not angry, but I'm actually a little curious why you're willing to tell me such an important story. You didn't plan to tell me before. As you said, we've only met three times, so we're not exactly acquaintances."

Han Zhou was somewhat puzzled by this.

"Because I feel we are very destined for each other."

Zhong Ling smiled and said somewhat shyly, "I know my voice is so soft that it's inaudible, but you can hear me clearly. It's quite amazing. I think the reason is definitely not just because you have good hearing."

After Han Zhou left that day, she and Zhong Yin thought about it again and again, but they still couldn't believe that anyone's hearing could be that good. But the facts were right in front of them and they had to believe it. She didn't know what her sister was thinking, but she regarded it as a kind of fate.

"And look."

The girl pushed her phone forward, placing it side by side with Han Zhou's phone, and smiled, "The cracks on our two phones are very similar. Although they're not exactly the same, don't they look like the palm lines of two hands?"

Han Zhou was taken aback. He hadn't noticed before, but after Zhong Ling reminded him, he realized that not only were the broken areas on their phones the same, but even the crack patterns were almost identical. He was immediately stunned.