Forced into a romantic relationship.

"Let's talk about it when I get back, so you don't suddenly set some kind of flag for me."

That's why I didn't say anything.

"..."

The two chatted for a while longer until Lin Anyu was almost full. He then burped and said, "Alright, alright, I'm full. I'll head back now. Take care of yourself."

He didn't say much else, got up and walked out of the store.

There were many empty beer bottles on the table. Looking at his back, Han Zhou finally understood why the other party hadn't driven over.

He watched Lin Anyu get into a taxi before getting up to pay the fare and taking a taxi home.

Arriving at his doorstep, Han Zhou took out his key and opened the door, only to see an unexpected figure on the sofa.

"Teacher Ouyang, what brings you here?"

Ouyang Lianyu seemed to have been waiting for him. She didn't panic when she heard the door open. Instead, she stood up and walked towards him step by step, her gold-rimmed glasses gleaming with a strange light.

"What did you mean when you said you wanted me to go home with you for the Chinese New Year because it would help you?"

Han Zhou was taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief. So that's why...

He smiled and said, "It doesn't mean anything. I just wanted to trick you into coming to Lincheng for the New Year."

“But you already said you wouldn’t lie anymore,” Ouyang Lianyu said earnestly.

"I……"

"And first, answer me, why did you lie to me and ask me to come to Lincheng for the New Year?"

"This one……"

"Han Zhou, I like you."

She suddenly said.

This was the last day of the Spring Festival holiday, but it wasn't the last day of a university counselor's holiday. Yet, at this moment, she felt as if it were her last day, and in the no longer bustling night, she completed the first and probably last confession of her life.

Finally, he said it...

Looking at Han Zhou's face, which showed a hint of surprise but not astonishment, Ouyang Lianyu's previously uneasy mood suddenly calmed down.

It's like suddenly returning to your student days, where you'd be incredibly nervous before every important exam, but once you stopped writing and handed in your paper, you'd naturally relax.

Are you confident enough in your grades to think you can get a high score?

of course not.

It's just that subconsciously I feel that every step I've taken has been worthwhile for my usual efforts.

that's enough.

After a long silence, Han Zhou finally spoke:

"Um, Teacher Ouyang..."

Sure enough, this was different from an exam, and her anxiety started to rise again. Ouyang Lianyu adjusted her glasses and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "You don't need to worry about my feelings. Just say what you want to say. Even if it's a rejection, or even if you scold the teacher, it's okay..."

"I'm sorry, Professor Ouyang," Han Zhou said softly.

This was the answer she expected. Ouyang Lianyu took a deep breath and forced a smile. "No..."

"I cannot respond to you right now."

Her voice was interrupted once again.

Ouyang Lianyu was stunned.

"But...can't I respond?" she asked uncertainly.

"Correct."

Han Zhou nodded and said seriously, "You seem to have made the same mistake as me, feeling that everything is too late, so you try desperately to hold on to something... But in fact, we still have a lot of time, don't we?"

"I……"

Ouyang Lianyu hesitated for a moment before finally murmuring, "I didn't expect to hear such a reply."

"I never expected you to confess at a time like this." Han Zhou smiled helplessly.

Ouyang Lianyu blushed slightly, only realizing what she had done at this moment. She had prepared herself for rejection, but she was surprised to receive such an ambiguous answer, leaving her at a loss for words.

Just as she was struggling with what to do, Han Zhou spoke up again:

"Teacher Ouyang, could you repeat what you just said?"

"What are you saying..."

"It was the fourth thing you said after you came in."

The fourth sentence... Ouyang Lianyu thought about it carefully, and her face turned even redder. Wasn't that a confession?

Han Zhou seemed a little embarrassed: "Actually, this is where I need your help."

He wasn't doing this out of a bad sense of humor; he genuinely needed to make that declaration, because just now, he had used his one-time authority to issue a strategy guide on Ouyang Lianyu.

Chapter 718 Response

rain.

Torrential rain.

Even wearing a raincoat, Han Zhou could still feel the chill of the rain hitting his body.

He took a deep breath of the cold air, and his consciousness quickly returned to normal under the stimulation. Ignoring the puddles on the ground, he immediately ran into the gas station on the side of the road, which looked like an isolated island, splashing water everywhere.

"Hi! Can I borrow your phone for a moment?"

A man in a raincoat suddenly rushed in from the dim rain, startling the gas station attendant. But looking at the young, handsome face, he gradually relaxed, unlocking his phone and handing it to the man while tentatively asking:

"Hello, did something happen on the way...?"

This is a highway, and apart from the speeding vehicles, there are almost no pedestrians. He subconsciously assumed that the other person was a driver or passenger who had an accident on the road. Just by putting himself in that shoes, he could understand that anxiety.

Han Zhou nodded with a nod, but his gaze immediately fell on the time on the screen. Seeing that it was indeed May 3rd four years ago, and the exact time was the same as Gu Zheng had said, he breathed a sigh of relief and then immediately dialed Zhong Yin's number.

The phone rang for a long time, but unsurprisingly, no one answered.

He hung up the phone and then called Zhong Yin's parents, but no one answered.

Sure enough, it was impossible to avoid danger by calling them to tell them to stop in advance. The past may be changed, but it is by no means so easy to do.

Han Zhou hung up the phone and dialed another number, which was Wang Lengqiu's number "now".

The call connected, and in order to preserve history, he quickly repeated what Wang Lengqiu from the future had instructed him to say, and then hung up the phone.

He then took a cage out of his raincoat and handed a note to the staff: "Please take this puppy to this address for me. This is the payment. Thank you."

The staff were dumbfounded, still wondering where the young man had gotten the cage from, when they saw him put a gold coin the size of a coin into his hand.

"Is this...is it pure gold...?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, please make sure you deliver it."

After saying that, Han Zhou returned the phone, turned around and plunged into the torrential rain, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.

Time was of the essence, and he had to make the most of every minute and second.

The journey went quite smoothly, with no major deviations in time or location. The only problem was that the status bar was unusable.

To go back in time and change the established history, it's not enough to just gamble everything Han Zhou has; he has to gamble his status bar as well to meet the conditions for this time travel.

He was very glad that Ouyang Lianyu had visited his home before he transmigrated, and he was also glad that he hadn't wasted the opportunity to gain a thousand points by posting the strategy guide. Points could be used as leverage to some extent, so even though his status bar had completely turned gray, the items in his inventory were still usable.

However, this gamble is not without its risks. As long as he can return to the "present" in time after rescuing the Zhong sisters, he can recover completely as long as he has a breath left. This means he will have more opportunities to try and fail.

To conserve his energy, Han Zhou first popped a powerful pill into his mouth. Looking at the heavy rain and the endless highway, he finally understood why he had failed in another future.

After taking the powerful pills for a long time, his body finally got rid of the entanglement of the terminal illness, but that was all. Now that he has lost the boost from the status bar, his physical condition is no different from that of an ordinary person, or even slightly worse. In such a dangerous rescue, this is undoubtedly a fatal blow.

If, in another future, one did not discuss the matter with Guzheng and the others beforehand, but acted alone without preparing any props, then the moment one travels through time, the attempt would have essentially failed.

As for whether everything that is happening now is what he will experience in another future, Han Zhou thinks it is unlikely.

The reason is simple: he did not receive the call that Wang Lengqiu had made using the "One Line Connection" method.

In fact, the connection had already failed after he used phone B. Logically, Wang Lengqiu should not have been able to contact him. However, according to Wang Lengqiu's account, four years ago, which is now, the connection was established for a brief moment.

Whether it's the time paradox or other random theories, in Han Zhou's view, this is the most powerful proof that the past has already begun to change.

In addition, even though his physical fitness has deteriorated significantly, it does not prevent him from rushing to the accident scene in time. He has prepared two props for this purpose: one is a "magical telescope" to locate Zhong Yin's family, and the other is a "crossing mountains and valleys to see you" prop to get there quickly.

Speaking of which, I have to complain a bit. Ever since he decided to change the past, the item shop has been filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful items, and the names are just indescribable. Sometimes Han Zhou even wonders if he should become Doraemon, otherwise where would he get so many strange and wonderful items?

However, it wasn't without its advantages. These physical items were no longer restricted by points and the status bar; otherwise, they probably wouldn't be usable now. Han Zhou couldn't help but suspect that the status bar had once again followed his will and provided the current optimal solution.

【Traveling Through Mountains and Rivers to See You: A one-time use item that takes effect only after being manually equipped. Designate a target, and you will reach the target via the optimal route. The time required depends on the distance. Once activated, it cannot be canceled.】

"Crossing mountains and ridges to see you" refers to a pair of sneakers with small white wings on the heels. Han Zhou had already put them on before he transmigrated, and they felt no different from ordinary sneakers.

He took out the "magic telescope" from his inventory and silently recalled what Jong-eun looked like when she was a high school student. The view in the lens quickly became clear, and he saw Jong-eun and her sister sitting in the back seat of the car, as well as their parents in front of them.

His emotions fluctuated, and he targeted Zhong Yin, launching the "Crossing Mountains and Rivers to See You" campaign.

The next second, the two pairs of small wings on the shoes flapped gently, carrying Han Zhou's legs and making him run fast. Han Zhou was instantly startled and broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, the shoes did not go crazy and did not carry him all the way on the highway. Instead, they quickly crossed the fence and entered the rugged mountain road.

[Estimated time remaining: 31 minutes]

The heavy rain pelted his face, making Han Zhou feel as if his raincoat was useless. He struggled to open his eyes and could barely make out the text prompt in front of him.

Thirty-one minutes...

The accident is expected to occur in about forty minutes, and he has already been delayed, which means that by the time he arrives at the scene, he will have very little time left.

If only "There Will Be a Response" could still be used... Han Zhou felt regretful, popped another strength pill into his mouth, and mentally sorted out the next rescue plan.

Ideally, he would arrive at the scene before the accident occurs, thus preventing the explosion. This would save not only Zhong Yin's family, but also more than a dozen other lives.

But things are unlikely to go so smoothly, so he had to prepare for the worst: that when he arrived at the scene, the explosion would have already occurred and the Zhong family's car would have been affected by the blast. In that case, he would have to race against time to get the family out of the blast zone.

This was originally a very simple matter, but now that Han Zhou no longer possesses physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people, it will probably be very troublesome.

In addition to this, he also had to consider the safety of the guzheng. In fact, when he borrowed the gas station worker's phone earlier, he had called the guzheng, but no one answered.

Perhaps at the moment he decided to change the past at all costs, the only phone he could get through to was Wang Lengqiu's, because it was something that had happened in the past, a fixed part of history.