Chapter 580
Seemingly Possible but Unattainable
Han Zhou certainly didn't expect Gu Zheng to believe his nonsense.
In fact, if Mo Yixia hadn't mentioned on the phone that he had something very important to do tonight, he wouldn't have wanted to resort to such a desperate measure as pretending to be a ghost to get by.
After all, in such a rush, he really couldn't think of anything that Yixia could know but Guzheng couldn't.
For Guzheng, being kept in the dark could be a big deal or a small deal. She's not an unreasonable person, but if this matter is only told to others while being kept from her, then the nature of the matter is completely different.
In other words, even if he could come up with an impeccable and legitimate reason, he would still be unable to escape the merciless interrogation of "Then why did you only tell her and not me?" But if he resorted to charlatanry, although he would still be subject to interrogation, at least he would have room to maneuver.
Furthermore, no matter how absurd the reason was, as long as Guzheng could witness the so-called "curse" coming true with her own eyes later, she would have no choice but to believe it, no matter how much she doubted it.
"So... that girl said she could help you because she was also researching that sauce?"
In the hotel room, Gu Zheng asked with a strange expression.
I never expected that Mo Yixia, who seemed so cunning and full of bad intentions, would be so naive, believing such nonsense...
Isn't that incredibly stupid?
"Yes."
Han Zhou said in a serious tone, "As I just said, the so-called black magic is a means of influencing other people's mental state through special media. Although it is not as exaggerated as manipulating others, there are quite a few successful precedents of making people have nightmares or fall in love with themselves without realizing it."
To make his words sound less like fabrication and to avoid frightening Guzheng, who is afraid of ghosts, he tried to explain the "principles" of the curse using scientific terms and omitted the eerie and evil parts.
It makes people fall in love with themselves without even realizing it...
Gu Zheng didn't hear any of the explanations, but this one sentence clearly entered her ears, and her face immediately darkened as she had just been secretly mocking herself.
Sure enough, that guy wasn't really stupid; his research on this was clearly motivated by ulterior motives!
She scoffed inwardly, then suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked over, saying irritably, "That guy is stupid enough, but how can you believe in such things?"
In her view, it was clearly Mo Yixia who had bewitched Han Zhou, turning this so-called "sauce" into a topic of conversation unique to the two of them, truly going to any lengths.
Damn it, why didn't I think of such a good idea?
She was secretly annoyed, but her eyes were fixed on Han Zhou—that guy's seduction was certainly hateful, but if Han Zhou himself was firm enough, he wouldn't be so easily "tempted".
Faced with the girl's question, Han Zhou simply shook his head, a complex smile appearing on his face.
"In one's life, there are always things that are more or less desirable but unattainable, so we can only place our hopes on those more ethereal things, and I am no exception."
As he spoke, his eyes fell on Gu Zheng's face, but what he was thinking about was how to confess his relationship with Mo Yixia and Wang Lengqiu to her, and how to achieve that almost impossible goal of the four of them walking together towards a happy future.
For Han Zhou, this was indeed the most desirable but unattainable thing at this stage. The thought of having to face such a reality one day made his eyes involuntarily reveal a little hesitation, a little longing, and a little bit of pain.
And so, naturally, a perfectly fitting bitterness appeared on the corner of his mouth.
But these expressions, as seen by Guzheng, took on a completely different meaning.
Something that is desirable but unattainable...
Are you referring to me?
Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment. She knew Han Zhou. He was a person with little ambition, so he naturally wouldn't have many desires, much less place his hopes on those illusory things.
She didn't know how much of the "unattainable" lay in Han Zhou's heart, but meeting his gaze and seeing the glimmer of light within it, she felt an inexplicable certainty in her heart—
The one who makes the other person feel that they are unattainable is oneself.
Could it be because I haven't dared to confess my feelings yet that Han Zhou mistakenly thinks I don't like him? But everyone says I can't hide my feelings at all...
The thought of this possibility made Gu Zheng inexplicably flustered, and she thought again of what He Ling had once said to her—
"Love is not an exam. There's no such thing as being prepared before you take the stage. An exam will tell you the time and place, but the person you like won't stand still and wait for you forever."
"Guzheng, what's wrong?"
Seeing that Gu Zheng suddenly froze, Han Zhou thought that he had gone a bit too far in pretending to be a charlatan, causing the other person's worldview to collapse to some extent, making it difficult for her to accept.
"Han Zhou, were you just talking about... me?"
The moment Gu Zheng came to her senses, those words had already slipped out of her mouth, and it was too late for her to take them back.
Fortunately, she never thought of taking it back. She just tried to calm her racing heart and looked at Han Zhou very seriously.
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, and his heart also began to beat faster for no reason. However, it was not simply because of sweetness or joy, but more so because of unease.
Gu Zheng is a girl with a strong competitive spirit, so he has seen her get serious many times over the years they have known each other, but this is the first time he has seen her like this.
And this is precisely the source of his unease.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded: "It is indeed related to you."
He paused, then added jokingly, "Isn't the sun something that can only be looked at but never reached?"
Normally, Guzheng would either blush and turn her head away, or proudly raise her chin.
But today, she did nothing.
She just stared blankly at Han Zhou, feeling her heart pounding faster and faster in her chest, until the sound of her heartbeat grew louder and louder until it completely drowned out all the other sounds around her.
"That……"
At this moment, the girl who should have been fearless in the face of any challenge and dared to compete for first place even in areas she was not good at, but who had hesitated to "submit her paper" due to various concerns, suddenly felt an urge to "submit her paper early".
She didn't want to wait until Christmas.
So she bit her lip and took a deep breath to make sure that what she was about to say was firm and clear enough that she wouldn't have to repeat herself.
"Han Zhou, actually I—"
"We should get going."
At this crucial moment, a cold voice rang out untimely, interrupting what she was about to say.
Wang Lengqiu walked over at some point, ignoring Gu Zheng's suddenly frozen expression, and said to himself, "We're about to reach that special time point. If we don't leave now, it will be too late."
"It's almost done."
Han Zhou took out his phone, glanced at it, and then looked at Gu Zheng curiously, "What were you about to say?"
Momentum is like an ever-expanding balloon; if it can't be released at a certain critical point, it will explode instantly and then completely deflate.
The guzheng now felt like a deflated balloon; no matter how hard it tried to muster the courage it had just displayed, it could no longer muster the same unwavering spirit. In the end, it could only feign composure and shake its head nonchalantly.
"N-nothing... I did have something to tell you, but Wang Lengqiu's matter is more important right now, so I'll tell you later."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lengqiu turned around and was greeted by Gu Zheng's radiant smile.
"Let's go, Senior Wang Lengqiu, we'll help you get revenge. If Han Zhou's sauce doesn't work, I'll help you smash that family's windows."
She clenched her fist, seemingly not seeing anything wrong with retaliating against the other party's family; on the contrary, she seemed conflicted, wondering if it was too easy on them. She might not be able to clearly distinguish between love and hate.
Han Zhou paused for a few seconds, then gave a wry smile: "Wouldn't this be a bit inappropriate..."
"Is it that bad? I've stood up for you like this before."
Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him, then smiled again, turned to leave, but found everyone standing still, which puzzled her.
"Didn't you say it would be too late if we didn't leave now? What are you all standing here for?"
Han Zhou finally came to his senses and forced a smile, saying, "I still need to prepare."
"What's there to prepare?" Gu Zheng looked doubtful, as if to say, "Are you even capable?"
"Of course I have to prepare properly. Otherwise, why do you think I would burn incense and take a bath today? It's to increase the success rate of my black magic."
Is it really that mysterious?
"Of course."
Han Zhou said in a serious tone, "Until today, I had never actually cast a spell on anyone; I had only tried it a few times occasionally."
"Have you tried it?"
Gu Zheng asked curiously, "Did you make the person you hate have nightmares?"
Han Zhou was about to nod, but he changed his mind and said casually, "Can't it be that the person I like likes me back?"
Seeing that the three girls' eyes were all fixed on his face, and even Zhong Ling's expression turned a little strange, he suddenly realized that this might not be a funny joke, so he sighed.
"Actually, I've tried 'love spells' many times, but they all seem to have failed."
"Tch, that's so childish."
Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him, giving him a disdainful look, but secretly muttered something to herself.
"Honestly, she has absolutely no self-confidence..."
"Maybe it would have succeeded already..."
At the same time, Zhong Ling also felt a bit confused.
"Lately, I keep thinking about my junior classmate. I even had a dream about him today. Sometimes I also worry about how I address him. I feel like I still care about him a bit..."
"Could it be... that my junior is also targeting me when he's practicing his 'love spell'?"
Thinking of this, her face flushed slightly, and she quickly shook her head, dismissing this unrealistic idea.
My junior said he wanted the person he liked to like him back, but since he doesn't like me, why would he use "love spells" on me?
"Senior, my methods might be a bit 'cruel' later. If you can't handle it, just stay at the hotel and wait for us."
Just then, Han Zhou's voice suddenly rang in her ears. Zhong Ling came back to her senses and saw his smiling face. Her already burning cheeks became even hotter, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
Han Zhou was dumbfounded.
What kind of reaction is this? Does the senior really think he is a ruthless person?
"Senior... what's wrong with you?"
Zhong Ling then realized that her reaction was too strange, and immediately became flustered, stammering and hurriedly explaining, "I... my shoelaces seem to be loose..."
As she spoke, she quickly bent down, pretending to tie her shoelaces, but then suddenly remembered that her shoes didn't have any shoelaces at all. She became even more embarrassed, and her cheeks seemed to turn red like a sunset.
Are you kidding me? Can you even see your toes when you look down?
Han Zhou's expression was strange, but he didn't expose him. He simply repeated what he had just said.
Didn't you hear my answer, junior...?
Seeing that Han Zhou's expression remained normal, Zhong Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then said weakly, "I can accept it... If I had the strength of a guzheng, I would smash their windows too."
She seemed a little embarrassed as she said this, and her voice grew softer and softer, as if she was worried that Han Zhou might think she was being too "cruel".
Han Zhou almost laughed, thinking that no matter what, his senior was always innocently adorable.
He handed over the umbrella, smiling as he said, "Let me and Guzheng handle the breaking of the glass."
Zhong Ling blushed and nodded gently.
Han Zhou took out his phone, glanced at the time again, and thought that this time it was really about time. He then turned to look at the two girls sitting on the bed.
"Guzheng, Senior Sister Leng Qiu, it's really time for you to leave this time."
"immediately!"
Gu Zheng was drying Wang Lengqiu's hair, reminding her as she did so, "Senior, the weather is so cold now. Even though there's air conditioning in the room, you might catch a cold if you don't dry your hair in time."
In her opinion, Wang Lengqiu lacked parental love since childhood. Perhaps no one taught her how to take good care of herself. Even though there was a hairdryer in the room, she insisted on using a towel to dry her hair.
Little did she know that if she hadn't come tonight to break Wang Lengqiu's "monopoly," the task of blow-drying her hair would have been done by Han Zhou.
"Thank you."
Looking at the two people in the mirror, Wang Lengqiu simply gave the same response as always.
At the same time, Zhong Ling's gaze also fell on the two of them, and she suddenly asked softly, "Junior, you just called her 'Senior Sister Leng Qiu,' right?"
Han Zhou was taken aback, not expecting her to be so observant. He smiled and explained, "After all, we already have you as a senior, so we have to distinguish you from Senior Leng Qiu. That's why we added a prefix to her name."
The issue of how to address someone was actually brought up by Wang Lengqiu. He simply assumed it was because girls are sensitive, and since Wang Lengqiu had a good relationship with Zhong Ling when they were young, she was concerned about such details.
"Then why don't you add a prefix to my name?" Zhong Ling asked curiously.
"If you need..."
"No, no! I don't need it!"
Zhong Ling quickly shook her head, raising her voice slightly, then slowly exhaled, a faint smile spreading across her face.
"My senior is very good."
Han Zhou laughed along and couldn't help but tease, "Senior is really nice."
Seeing the blush that instantly spread across the girl's face, he felt his previously heavy mood lighten considerably, but the thought of her deceased parents made him feel depressed again.
Suddenly, he thought of that simulation about the future again.
Although this simulation gave him a bit of a headache, it ultimately stemmed from the power of the status bar.
So, could we use this simulation to try and resolve the senior's inner conflict? (End of Chapter)