Forced into a romantic relationship

Oh, I see. These two kids were pretending to be a couple. The reason they held hands the whole way was to fool the girl. As for the hickeys on their faces, they were actually pinched by each other...

After listening to Zhong Yin's explanation, Zhong Chengguang nodded as if he had suddenly realized something, as if he had completely accepted the explanation.

But as the two turned and walked into the crowd, watching them holding hands tightly, he finally couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his face hard, as if he was trying to rub back something that was about to burst.

—Only a fool would believe such a thing, right?
Han Zhou was certainly not that fool.

If the previous events could still be explained, then at this moment—this hand that wouldn't let go even in front of Uncle Zhong, but instead gripped him tighter and tighter—was something he could no longer avoid.

Sister Yin probably... has really fallen for me.

Even if it's not love, there must be something that's quietly crossing the boundaries of a "one-day couple" relationship, reaching a distance where true feelings can be touched.

The evening breeze carried a chill as it blew from the end of the long street.

Han Zhou turned his head slightly to the side.

Beside her, the girl's unbound long hair danced in the wind, its fragrance filling the air. The afterglow of the setting sun slanted across her profile, the shadows of her eyelashes trembling gently, her cheeks glowing with a warm, almost transparent blush.

It was an autumn sunset.

Or something else?
He suddenly dared not think any further and tentatively tried to let go, but was pulled back by an even stronger force.

"Sister Yin?" He was taken aback.

"Don't move."

Zhong Yin didn't turn to look at him, but lowered her voice and said, "My dad is watching from behind. If you let go now, what's the difference between you and a guilty thief?"

Perhaps it was because the twilight had deepened, but the blush on the girl's face had also intensified.

"But……"

"No buts."

"I……"

"You can't."

"That……"

"That's not OK."

Han Zhou gave a wry smile: "You're being too unreasonable."

Zhong Yin hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly turned to look at him, raising her voice slightly. Her bright eyes flashed with a mixture of arrogance and guilt: "We're a couple today, so isn't it normal for a girlfriend to be unreasonable?"

Han Zhou was stunned and speechless for a moment.

Zhong Yin is no fool either.

She knew very well that she was not good at hiding her emotions, and no matter how many excuses she made, her behavior would definitely be noticed.

The future in her dream, and the complex expression on Sun Wukong's face, told her that if she didn't stop him, he might say something she didn't want to hear.

After a brief silence, she added softly, "If you have anything to say, tell me tomorrow, okay?"

Han Zhou paused for a moment, then shook his head seriously: "I think it's better to say it now."

"But I don't want to hear it now."

Zhong Yin raised her head and met his gaze without fear.

Han Zhou's feelings were somewhat complicated, but he still had no intention of changing his mind. He took a deep breath and said with a firm look in his eyes, "Sister Yin, I..."

“Remember, you said you would make it up to me,” Zhong Yin immediately interrupted him.

Han Zhou was taken aback, and hesitated before saying, "Of course I remember, you mean..."

Zhong Yin nodded: "You have to listen to me until midnight tonight. This is the compensation I want."

"Before 12 o'clock..."

Han Zhou's expression was strange. "Doesn't that mean you can make countless demands of me today?"

Zhong Yin remained noncommittal, looking him into the eyes and asking, "Are you going to back out?"

Han Zhou remained silent for a long time before finally sighing helplessly: "Have you thought this through? This is the only chance to make amends."

Zhong Yin knew he had agreed, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. She said softly, "This once is enough."

Humans are indeed strange creatures. Before this, she was extremely nervous and tried to hide her feelings in various clumsy ways, but after being seen through, she had nothing to worry about anymore.

Since I can't keep up the act anymore, I might as well stop pretending.

If the future is destined to be a tragedy, then do your best to make yourself satisfied in the present.

So she continued, "Then it's settled, until midnight, we'll still be a couple, and after midnight..."

Her voice softened, revealing little emotion, but with a hint of a smile. "Tell me what you want to say after midnight."

As she said this, she increased the pressure on her hand.

Before this, Zhong Yin had always been hesitant to look at Han Zhou when she spoke, but the moment she said those words, Han Zhou found himself hesitant to look at Zhong Yin.

"Okay." He said.

Zhong Yin thought for a moment and continued, "Before that, you have to cooperate with me and treat me like a real girlfriend."

"it is good."

You can't argue with anything I say.

"it is good."

"If I tell you to go east, you can't go west."

"This is related to slaves..."

"Ok?"

"……it is good."

Zhong Yin nodded in satisfaction, her steps suddenly becoming lighter. Completely ignoring her elderly father walking behind her, she immediately exercised her rights as a girlfriend, pointing to the food stall in front of her and saying, "I want to eat that."

"Dinner will be served soon."

Despite saying that, Han Zhou still walked up to the food stall and ordered a few skewers of grilled meat.

He had originally wanted to ask Uncle Zhong if he wanted some, but when he looked back, the man was standing under a tree smoking, gazing into the distance, seemingly oblivious to what was happening here.

Once the skewers were cooked, Zhong Yin insisted on sharing them, and soon her mouth was covered in oil. Han Zhou subconsciously wanted to take out a tissue to wipe her mouth, but he realized halfway through the action that it was too intimate. However, the girl had already raised her face generously.

Her eyes sparkled in the sunset.

"Sun Wukong."

"Ok?"

She watched quietly as the boy gently wiped her lips, then suddenly asked, "Do you think the future can be changed?"

Han Zhou paused in his work, but did not answer, because he did not know how to answer.

Zhong Yin didn't wait for his answer. She bit off the last dumpling and said indistinctly, "Actually, whether the future can be changed or not is not important at all."

What matters is now.

If every second is filled with happiness, then a tragic future is impossible.

She worried that Sun Wukong would forget her in the future, and she was also worried that she would forget him in the future.

So she also had to try to remember something.

For example, she would remember the warmth of his hands, the feeling of their arms occasionally brushing against each other as they walked side by side, his helpless yet indulgent smile, and this autumn, this twilight, this night with him by her side. Even if it was an inexplicable liking, even if it was a cheap emotion, even if it was just a dream of youth, she would try her best to preserve these memories.

This is how the present self responds to the future self, and how the future self responds to the present self.

Most importantly, both versions of themselves are responding to the same name at different times.

"Actually, your name isn't Sun Wukong, is it?" she asked.

"How did you know?" Han Zhou was taken aback.

“Because no one would be so shameless as to use their own name as the protagonist’s name in a story,” Zhong Yin said irritably.

Han Zhou was silent for a moment: "To be honest, I am a little touched."

"why?"

"You're the first person who thinks I'm not that shameless."

"Pfft."

Zhong Yin couldn't help but laugh. "So what's your name?"

Now that things had come to this, there was no point in hiding his name anymore, so Han Zhou answered truthfully, "Han Zhou, my name is Han Zhou."

Anyway, this past will be corrected by the status bar, and Sister Yin will eventually forget about herself.

"and then?"

"What then?"

"Besides this, is there anything else you're hiding from me?"

"..."

On the way to the venue, Han Zhou truthfully confessed two things: first, he and Xiao Lengqiu were not siblings; second, he and Xiao Yixia had known each other for a long time and were just pretending to bump into each other today.

In fact, Zhong Yin had already noticed the second thing, but she was too lazy to ask. When she heard Han Zhou admit that he liked Xiao Yixia, she didn't think much of it and just assumed that it was an adult's affection for a child.

Upon learning that Han Zhou wanted to take Xiao Yixia to the concert, Zhong Yin was slightly taken aback, but then said without hesitation, "Then you take the three children to the concert. I'll wait for you outside."

There were only four tickets available, which meant that one person was destined not to enter, and she chose to give up her spot.

Han Zhou shook his head: "No, you should take them in."

"Didn't we agree to listen to me?" Zhong Yin glared at him.

"Believe me."

Han Zhou smiled mysteriously, "I have a way to get all five of us in."

……

Ten minutes later, the two returned to the outside of the venue.

The crowd waiting at the stall had various expressions as they watched the two holding hands.

Liu Shiyue's eyes lit up, feeling even more that today's trip was worthwhile, as she had witnessed a touching story of pure love.

Little Zhongling stared wide-eyed, looking bewildered and stunned. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly ran over and grabbed her sister's free hand, as if afraid that this hand would also be taken away.

Xiao Lengqiu didn't react in any particular way. She was observing Xiao Yixia, but seeing this, she followed suit and went over to grab Han Zhou's other hand.

The one with the calmest reaction was Xiao Yixia, who only slightly raised her eyelids before continuing to look down at her comic book.

"We brought food for everyone."

In the past, Zhong Yin might have felt embarrassed, but now she seemed quite composed, smiling as she shared the skewers she had just bought with everyone.

Zhong Chengguang went to the car to get the insulated lunchbox. This was everyone's dinner tonight, and it was quite sumptuous, clearly showing that a lot of effort had been put into it.

After dinner, it was getting dark. The venue was lit up with lights, and a group of excited young people were queuing to have their tickets checked. There was still almost half an hour before the concert started.

Zhong Chengguang stood up, packed all the packed lunch boxes into a large plastic bag, and then lifted the cart he used for setting up his stall onto the vehicle. He said with a smile, "I won't get involved in the young people's affairs. Remember to go home early and don't stay out overnight. I'll head back now."

He knew his two daughters were going to the concert that night, and since he didn't know much about these things, there was no need for him to stay and spoil the mood. He figured he might as well go back and be with his wife.

Han Zhou wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but when Uncle Zhong said "don't stay out overnight," he felt like he was being stared at.

Han Zhou's heart stirred slightly, feeling as if that glance held something hidden within it. But before he could ponder it further, Zhong Chengguang gently patted his shoulder, his tone as gentle as ever: "I'm entrusting Xiao Yin and Xiao Ling to you. Make sure you get them home safely."

“I will,” he said with a smile.

Zhong Chengguang turned and left, waving to everyone as he got into his car before driving away.

Although she wanted to stay a little longer, Liu Shiyue realized it was time for her to leave. After all, she didn't get a ticket, and staying here would only make her a miserable third wheel. So, she soon got up and said, "I have some things to do at home, so I'll head back now."

As she spoke, she winked at Zhong Yin, whispered, "Don't forget to take lots of fun photos and send them to me," and then left with a grin.

Zhong Yin's cheeks flushed slightly, but she pretended to be calm and said, "Let's go, we should go get our tickets checked."

Xiao Yixia packed the comic book into her schoolbag and was about to leave when Han Zhou came up to her triumphantly and said, as if to take credit, "I told you I could get the tickets, right?"

"But you only have four tickets."

Xiao Yixia's gaze swept over the group of girls chatting and laughing not far behind him, and she said calmly, "But there are five of us, and they all seem to be closer to you."

Is this considered jealousy?
Han Zhou chuckled, leaning slightly forward to align his gaze with the girl wearing a mask and baseball cap: "What do you think our relationship is?"

"Master and servant."

"..."

Han Zhou's lips twitched, and he said helplessly but seriously, "I'm just friends with them, but you're different."

"Friends and masters are inherently different."

"No, what exactly did you learn from that comic book..."

Han Zhou took a deep breath and suddenly wanted to pinch the guy's cheek, but he held back. The light from the streetlamp fell into his eyes, warm and comforting. "What I mean is, in my heart, you will always be the most important one."

The air was still for two seconds.

The faint sounds of girls laughing and talking drifted from afar, making the silence seem even more suffocating.

"I never imagined that you were not only a pedophile, but also a complete liar."

Xiao Yixia was clearly unmoved by this. She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, the screen lit up, then went dark again. She put the phone away and looked up again, her eyes under the brim of her hat staring straight at her.

After a brief silence, she asked, "So, who are you planning to leave behind?"

If this guy is going to abandon anyone, then she won't go.

"We won't leave anyone behind. We'll go together, and no one will be left out."

When Han Zhou said this, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. It wasn't smugness, but something softer and more resolute.

The lights outside the venue changed colors, flowing over his smiling eyes and eyebrows, and also over Xiao Yixia's profile, which was covered by a mask and baseball cap, making it impossible to discern her emotions.

"Even if there are only four tickets?" she asked.

Han Zhou smiled and said, "Even if there are only four tickets."

Xiao Yixia stared at him for a while, then suddenly raised her hand, pressed down the brim of her hat, turned around, took off her backpack, and stuffed it into Han Zhou's arms.

"Not a single one will be missing... You're really greedy."

The schoolbag was heavy, still warm from the girl's body. Han Zhou casually slung it over his shoulder and asked with a smile, "At least in this kind of situation, this shouldn't be considered annoying, right?"

The girl remained noncommittal and walked straight toward the line not far away.

"Let's go, the concert is about to start." (End of Chapter)