Forced into a romantic relationship.

"If we separate the names, the silver ornaments symbolize peace and safety, while the bells symbolize tranquility and peace. They also contain the meaning of longing. My parents have no other wish than that my sister and I will be free from illness and disaster and live a healthy and happy life."

Han Zhou listened silently.

This is a very simple wish. Most parents' desires are actually that simple. Perhaps happiness itself is a relatively vague concept, but the word is not that difficult to define. When it comes to the description of happiness, many parents have a relatively unified and simple standard, which is that they hope their children can live better than themselves.

This is also a very simple wish.

In Zhong Ling's description, Zhong's father and mother were undoubtedly an enviable pair of gentle parents. Han Zhou suddenly thought of Han Long, who had disappeared without a trace, and felt a toothache.

Speaking softly has its advantages; at least you don't have to worry about being overheard. This conversation seemed to be a secret between Han Zhou and Zhong Ling. Everyone else in the shop found it strange, and seeing that neither of them spoke after they sat down, they thought they were having a cold war.

It's clear that Zhong Ling's life used to be very happy.

She was gentle and cute, a well-behaved girl loved by everyone. She was not only pampered by her parents but also by her older sister, Zhong Yin. She had never done any heavy work since she was a child. Whenever she wanted to help, her parents had no objection, but Zhong Yin always refused, saying with a smile that Xiao Ling was just like me yesterday. What's wrong with me pampering myself? Then she would take over the work.

At this point, Zhong Ling said softly, "My sister's personality wasn't like this before. Back then, she was lively and enthusiastic, and she loved to laugh. She would take me out to play whenever she had free time. But I've never been very active since I was little, and I wasn't interested in going out to play. I also rarely went out to places too far from home."

"I prefer watching my dad play chess with the neighbors to going out. My dad noticed my interest in chess and would teach me whenever he had time. I practiced often, but my skill level has never been very high."

"I heard that when my sister found out about this, she went to learn how to play chess. She even joined a chess club in college so that she could play with me. But her skill level was just average."

A bitter smile appeared on Zhong Ling's face.

Han Zhou chuckled, casually shaking his Coke cup, and sincerely remarked, "Sister Yin really is a complete siscon."

"A sister complex?" Zhong Ling looked puzzled.

"You can interpret it as meaning that he dotes on his younger sister," Han Zhou explained.

Zhong Ling smiled and said, "My sister really dotes on me."

She recalled, "On my sixth birthday, my parents gave me a string of wind chimes. They would ring when the wind blew, and the sound was very nice. I liked them very much. I remember that my sister also had a similar string of wind chimes, which was hanging on the windowsill in her room."

"I heard this was a gift my sister received for her sixth birthday. Before that, my parents asked her if she wanted a younger brother or sister. She excitedly said yes, but compared to a brother, she hoped she could have a cute little sister whose laughter sounded like a wind chime. Then I was born. My sister always says that my name is partly thanks to her."

“When I was little, I would fall down almost every day. My parents were so worried. The three of them would take turns watching over me during the day, afraid that I would fall down again. Actually, I never fell seriously and it didn’t hurt at all, but they just wouldn’t believe it.”

"Dad is very good at repairing cars. He can get a car running again with just a few tinkering with his tools. It was his idea to connect the repair shop with the house so that he could take care of my sister and me at any time. Mom helps Dad when he is repairing cars, and she plants vegetables and trees in the yard when she has free time. She used to spend a lot of time in the countryside and is very good at growing crops."

“My older sister used to like racing, but my parents thought it was unsafe and would often scold her…”

Zhong Ling spoke slowly, and rather than recounting the past, she seemed to be reliving past happiness. She talked about whatever came to mind, from elementary school to junior high, from her father to her mother, only mentioning interesting things.

This was the first time she had talked about the past with someone other than her sister, and her feelings were quite complicated, especially when she saw Han Zhou listening attentively. She had an indescribable feeling in her heart.

For most people, sharing happiness is not a difficult thing, but Zhong Ling is clearly an exception. No one can hear her, and naturally no one can respond to her.

She could certainly reminisce about the past with Zhongyin, but for the two of them, whose parents had passed away, it was undoubtedly a very heavy topic, and they rarely talked about the past.

Moreover, Zhong Ling was well aware that she owed her sister something. Although her sister seemed indifferent, both she and her sister had been avoiding talking about what happened that day.

If it weren't for me, my sister wouldn't have needed to wear a hearing aid due to hearing loss.

Chapter 91 You're Dead

The newly chosen milk tea shop is relatively quiet, with soothing music playing inside. The melodies are sometimes cheerful and sometimes sad, flowing along with the cool air from the air conditioner, just like the mood of the bell at this moment.

"Hello, these are two Cokes."

The shop assistant was a quiet young girl, probably a student working part-time during the summer. She handed two cups of cola to Han Zhou and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

"Thank you."

Han Zhou smiled and took the Coke, placing one of the cups in front of Zhong Ling.

"You're welcome."

The shop assistant blushed and quickly returned to the counter.

Zhong Ling glanced at the girl in surprise and said, "That shop assistant seems to be blushing."

"It's probably because it's too hot."

Han Zhou didn't take it seriously and didn't look back. He casually inserted the straw into the cup.

Zhong Ling was speechless. Blushing was a sign of shyness, and that girl was clearly shy. The book said that appropriate jokes could bring people closer together. She originally wanted to tease Han Zhou when he turned around, saying, "She must think the junior is very handsome," but she didn't know what to say when Han Zhou didn't turn around.

She's not good at joking, and she doesn't know how to make jokes in a spontaneous way.

After hesitating for a moment, she pushed the Coke in front of her towards Han Zhou, pointed to the Coke that was still more than half full, and said softly, "You drink this one, I can't drink anymore."

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Senior, you're making things too difficult for me. I can't drink three cups of Coke by myself."

Zhong Ling looked encouraging and said, "You can drink slowly; food shouldn't be wasted."

You can keep it and drink it slowly yourself...

Han Zhou didn't say anything. He thought that he just couldn't finish the three cups in one go. Drinking them slowly was not a bad thing. However, he didn't expect this senior to have such a small appetite. It seemed that he didn't see her eat much when he was at her house last time.

Seeing Han Zhou remain silent, Zhong Ling immediately misunderstood, thinking that he was in a dilemma. Feeling a little embarrassed, she cautiously suggested, "How about this, you drink two and a half cups, and I'll drink one and a half cups. We'll share this cup, okay?"

Han Zhou was taken aback and asked in surprise, "How do we divide it?"

"Like this."

Zhong Ling placed her fair index finger in the middle of the cola cup and said earnestly, "I'll pour this much for you later, and I'll drink the rest."

As she spoke, perhaps unsure of her stomach, she slightly averted her gaze and discreetly moved her finger a little under the cup.

Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated. No wonder the other party didn't just say he would pour half for him; it turned out they were too embarrassed to lie. But this little action was so obvious; did they think he couldn't see it?

He chuckled and said, "It's alright, there's no need to finish it here. We can just drink it as we walk later, it won't be a waste."

He didn't know if other girls could finish two cups of cola in one go, but Guzheng definitely could. He didn't know if Guzheng had a big appetite or if this senior had a small appetite.

But speaking of which, what's wrong with Guzheng? She's not even replying to my messages. I didn't do anything today, so why is her whole family suddenly so upset with me?

Strange, so strange...

"Um... junior."

While she was pondering, Zhong Ling spoke again.

However, she clearly wasn't going to talk about the cola anymore. Her expression became somewhat flustered, and she said nervously, "Um... can we stop here for today? I don't want to talk about it anymore, I..."

She seemed unwilling to talk about the past anymore.

"Of course you can. It's your freedom to do so. Just tell me when you want to talk about it."

Han Zhou didn't take it to heart, his expression gentle, and he said half-jokingly, "Also, you can just call me Han Zhou. Otherwise, after the start of the semester, all the freshmen will be your juniors, and I won't be sure if you're even calling me that."

Zhong Ling was silent for a moment, then said softly, "But only you can hear my voice, so calling him 'junior' is actually calling you..."

Han Zhou's smile froze.

Fortunately, these words did not evoke any disappointment in the girl. Instead, she began to think about it seriously: "When I call someone 'junior,' I am definitely referring to you. On the contrary, when you call someone 'senior,' you are not necessarily referring to me. So, you should change how you address me, shouldn't you?"

"Makes sense."

Han Zhou thought about it and realized that it made sense, so he smiled and asked, "Then what do you think should be changed, senior?"

Zhong Ling was somewhat surprised and tentatively asked, "Can I make the decision?"

"of course can."

"That, that..."

Zhong Ling hesitated for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence. She looked very conflicted. This was not just a lack of opinion, but also a lack of confidence.

Seeing this, Han Zhou smiled and said, "Then there's no need to rush. We can restart this topic when you can't tell whether I'm calling you or the other seniors. You can ask me to change how I address you at any time."

He could certainly offer his own opinion, such as calling her "Sister Ling" or "Senior Sister Zhong Ling," but he still felt it would be better to let her take the initiative to offer a name.

Hearing this, Zhong Ling breathed a sigh of relief, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, then you're the same. If you can't tell whether I'm calling you or not, you can ask me to change how I address you, but I don't think that day will come."

Her last words were probably meant as a joke, but Han Zhou found them quite heavy. If possible, probably no one would want to be a "mute".

However, it's clear that Zhong Ling isn't overly concerned about losing her voice; she doesn't shy away from it and perhaps has already gotten used to it.

This means that her real unresolved issue is the death of her parents, and the reason she suddenly doesn't want to continue talking about it is probably out of fear.

Han Zhou could understand Zhong Ling's anxious and uncertain feelings to some extent. This matter was obviously the biggest cause of Zhong Ling's change. It concerned the death of her parents, which was undoubtedly a painful family upheaval. Sometimes, just recalling such an experience is painful enough, let alone speaking about it.

The reason for her sudden change of mind is probably because that experience made Zhong Ling feel very uneasy, or she felt guilty about it and believed that such a tragedy was related to her.

Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to confide in someone, and Han Zhou wouldn't force others to do that.

However, he found it strange that Zhong Ling didn't cry at that time, since the death of her parents was so painful for her.

Is she too strong? Or is there another reason?

If such an experience isn't enough to make the other person shed tears, then what method should I use to make them cry their hearts out?

Han Zhou couldn't draw any conclusions yet, because he still knew too little about this senior student.

Curiosity aside, he certainly couldn't ask her a brainless question like, "Senior, didn't you want to cry when your parents died?" He didn't know if Zhong Ling would be unhappy, but Zhong Yin would definitely be unhappy.

Seeing Zhong Ling with her head down, holding a Coke cup and looking preoccupied, Han Zhou suddenly said, "Senior, how about I tell you about my past?"

Zhong Ling hesitated for a moment: "Is that okay?"

"Of course." Han Zhou thought for a moment and smiled. "Actually, you don't need to keep asking if it's okay. Just answer with your thoughts. After all, you've told me about your past, so as a return gift, I should tell you about my past, shouldn't I?"

He was joking.

Zhong Ling was taken aback, then quickly shook her head and said, "No need, no need. That was what I wanted to say myself, there's no need to return the favor."

Han Zhou chuckled. This senior was taking it a little too seriously. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is what I wanted to say myself. Don't you want to hear it, senior?"

"I want to hear it..."

Zhong Ling was quite honest and lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

As two people destined to be together, she naturally wanted to know about Han Zhou's past, but she was too embarrassed to ask.

Han Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll start from when I was a child."

"Uh-huh."

Zhong Ling sat upright, a look of curiosity on her face, listening attentively.

After a brief silence, Han Zhou spoke.

"My mother passed away not long after I was born."

His first words left Zhong Ling frozen in place, and she quickly apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."