Chapter 587
Laughter
It was still drizzling outside the window, the raindrops weaving obliquely and leaving brief, blurry watermarks on the glass.
Han Zhou stood by the window for a long time before pulling the curtains closed. He then sat back down on the bed, took off his coat, and glanced at Zhong Ling, who was sitting beside him with her head slightly lowered and looking rather reserved.
Zhong Ling lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the small cloth bag at her waist. Her junior had clearly said he had something to discuss privately, but after entering the room, he not only remained silent, but also suddenly drew the curtains and took off his coat... This made her feel a little nervous.
"Senior."
"W-What's wrong?"
Feeling lost and confused, Han Zhou finally spoke. She gathered her scattered thoughts and hurriedly responded.
Han Zhou didn't notice her unusual behavior and said carefully, "First of all, I have to apologize to you. I didn't mean to hold your hand tonight. I thought it was... a guzheng. I'm sorry, I hope you're not angry."
He doesn't plan to make his relationship with Wang Lengqiu public for the time being, but he won't deliberately hide it either. If someone asks, he will openly admit it. If no one mentions it, there's no need to publicize it everywhere. Just like when he admitted that he wanted to have his cake and eat it too, he'll just let things take their course.
The reason why it wasn't mentioned that the person they wanted to hold hands with was Wang Lengqiu was simply because the relationship between the two was too complicated. Explaining the cause and effect would probably take a long time and would delay getting to the point.
Recalling the scene of being tightly held in the dark stairwell and having her fingers pinched a few times, Zhong Ling's face flushed slightly. She dared not look up at Han Zhou, and after a long while, she stammered, "N-it's okay...and it's not my fault, junior..."
She looked down at her right hand, which was still clutching the cloth bag, as if she could still feel a trace of warmth.
Hearing her say that, Han Zhou was actually a little confused. After all, it was Zhong Ling who had reached out her hand herself, otherwise he wouldn't have mistaken the owner of that hand for Wang Lengqiu.
"So... can you tell me, senior?"
He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Why did you suddenly reach out your hand back then?"
Zhong Ling's body trembled slightly, and she buried her head even deeper: "I...I just wanted to try it..."
"Try what?"
"I... I just wanted to try it out..."
Zhong Ling stammered for a long time but couldn't say what she wanted to try.
"It's okay, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too."
Although Han Zhou was puzzled, he didn't ask any more questions. He half-jokingly said, "I took advantage of you this time, senior. I'll treat you to a meal another day as an apology."
Zhong Ling was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook her head: "No need to apologize, I'm not angry with my junior..."
"I know, so the main reason for this meal is to ask my senior to keep it a secret."
Han Zhou looked embarrassed. "If Sister Yin finds out I held your hand, she definitely won't let me off the hook..."
Zhong Ling looked up and saw his guilty expression. Suddenly, she found it somewhat amusing and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. She wanted to say that her sister wasn't that scary, but the words that came out of her mouth inexplicably turned into something else:
"So... is this a secret between us?" she asked somewhat nervously.
Han Zhou paused for a moment, then nodded seriously: "Yes, it's a secret."
Feeling hot under his gaze, Zhong Ling quickly looked away and changed the subject, saying, "Are you that afraid of your sister...?"
Just then, her cell phone rang in her small bag. She took it out and saw that it was her sister, Zhong Yin, calling.
"It's not fear, it's respect."
Han Zhou gestured with his eyes that it was fine to answer the phone now, then cleared his throat and, at the same moment Zhong Ling answered the call, solemnly uttered the second half of his sentence—
"I regard Sister Yin as a goddess."
The next second, Zhong Yin's voice came from the phone.
"What kind of lame joke is this?"
It's worth mentioning that this was a video call. Since she was speaking to her sister, Zhong Yin's tone was naturally quite gentle. However, this sentence was meant to be a response to Han Zhou, so she had to suppress her gentleness, which made her voice sound strangely awkward, with an inexplicable hint of coquettishness.
Han Zhou was somewhat dazed, as if he could see the bright and lively Sister Yin from the past again.
However, he quickly came to his senses and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Sister Yin, why are you calling? I was just talking about you with my senior, and I couldn't help but blurt out what was on my mind... Ouch—you didn't hear everything, did you?"
His acting was so exaggerated that on screen, Zhong Yin, who was leaning against the headboard in his pajamas, held his forehead. Even Zhong Ling couldn't stand it anymore and gently tugged at his sleeve.
"You still have the energy to spout such sweet talk? You seem to have quite a bit of energy."
Zhong Yin wanted to sneer, but since his sister was in the picture, he maintained that slightly awkward tone.
It was precisely because Zhong Ling was present that she couldn't say some things clearly, and it was difficult to confirm whether Han Zhou had actually had anything happen with that girl named Wang Lengqiu today.
However, since this guy is still alive and kicking, even if he survived because of my tip-off, it at least shows that even if something really happened between the two of them, it hasn't reached the point of no return.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, although she herself didn't understand why she felt relieved.
Han Zhou understood what Zhong Yin meant, but for now it was better to play dumb, so he simply smiled slightly.
"Thanks to Sister Yin."
Zhong Ling, standing to the side, was puzzled, wondering what her junior's energy had to do with her sister, but she didn't ask any questions. She simply gave her sister a faint smile on the screen.
Seeing that smile, Zhong Yin's faint irritation finally dissipated a little. She simply didn't bother to ask about Han Zhou's messy affairs and instead asked, "Are there only the two of you in the room? Where are Gu Zheng and the others?"
"The two of them are in the next room. My senior and I have some private matters to discuss," Han Zhou answered truthfully.
Zhong Ling was slightly taken aback. Although what her junior said was true, wasn't what they had just talked about a secret? Did he just tell his older sister like that?
Seeing Zhong Ling's flustered expression, as if she dared not look at him, Zhong Yin immediately had many bad guesses in his mind, and narrowed his eyes slightly: "It seems that my call came at the wrong time."
If this guy is really audacious enough to have three girlfriends at once, it's hard to say he won't continue to have designs on Xiaoling.
"Do not."
But Han Zhou shook his head quite seriously and said solemnly, "You've come at just the right time."
Zhong Yin was taken aback at first, then his expression darkened slightly, and an even more absurd guess suddenly came to mind—could it be that this bastard not only wanted to take advantage of Xiao Ling, but also wanted to take advantage of him?
Just as she was about to sneer, Han Zhou continued to speak.
"I'd like to ask you about the specific details of that accident four years ago."
The light rain outside the window hadn't stopped; the raindrops clung stickily to the glass, like streaks of undried tears, winding their way across the blurred vision. The curtains were drawn, obscuring the view outside, leaving only the monotonous, drawn-out sound of raindrops tapping on the windowsill, like damp, muffled thuds.
The previously relaxed atmosphere was abruptly shattered by Han Zhou's words.
"Four years ago..."
Zhong Ling's face suddenly turned pale, her fingers tightly gripping the strap of the small cloth bag at her waist, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Little Bell..."
Seeing her sister like this, Zhong Yin felt a pang of pain in her heart, but she did not stop Han Zhou from asking questions.
Han Zhou was not surprised by Zhong Ling's reaction.
After all, Sister Yin wears a hearing aid only for physiological reasons, while Senior Sister becomes a so-called "mute bride" because of a psychological trauma that is difficult to heal.
Since this scar stemmed from the accident four years ago, it was undoubtedly a memory she didn't want to revisit, a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
Seeing the two sisters looking rather gloomy, Han Zhou immediately switched to "Happiness First".
[Happiness First: Once this state is activated, you will be less likely to experience negative emotions, and you can infect those around you with your happiness.]
Although "Happiness First" has the ability to influence the emotions of those around him with his own happiness, he can't really be happy now that the accident that took away their parents has been mentioned, and he recalls the kind couple in his memory. So this state can only be considered better than nothing.
Fortunately, perhaps due to the influence of "happiness above all else," or perhaps because Zhong Ling had already prepared herself mentally, after a brief loss of composure, her breathing gradually calmed down. Although she was still tightly clutching the small cloth bag at her waist, her body was no longer trembling.
The room was so quiet that only the faint sound of rain and the gradually calming yet still suppressed breathing of the clock could be heard.
Zhong Yin knew in her heart that it was best for Xiao Ling to talk about this herself. This was a knot in her heart, and if she could take the initiative to speak out, it might mean that the ice in her heart could melt.
But seeing her younger sister's fragile state, she couldn't bear it and said softly, "Let me tell you, that day..."
"Sister Yin".
Han Zhou interrupted her gently, "Senior said she wants to say it herself."
Zhong Yin paused, looking at her younger sister on the screen who had raised her head at some point. The younger sister had a forced smile on her face and nodded slightly at her.
She couldn't hear what the other person was saying, but she could read their lip movements—this was the sentence her sister had said to her most often since the accident:
"I'm fine, sister."
Zhong Yin felt a pang in her heart, but she didn't say anything. She just forced a smile and nodded to her sister.
Han Zhou had naturally heard what Zhong Ling had just said. If it were before, he might have continued to play the gentle role and said softly, "If you don't want to say it, you don't have to." But after experiencing the helplessness of going back to the past and not being able to change the future, he finally realized that some things cannot be avoided.
To this day, he still doesn't understand why the status bar appeared on his body, nor does he understand why the perfectly good system had to be linked to the fate of several girls. But without the points he gained from those girls, he would probably have been taken away by illness long ago. In a sense, they saved him first.
So, looking at it from another angle, perhaps he should also take on the responsibility of saving them.
Han Zhou never considered himself a savior, nor did he believe that the girls' fates were so tragic that they needed to be saved by anyone. On the contrary, they were all very strong girls at heart, and they could live their own lives even without him.
Although such a life may not be happy or fulfilling enough.
So, perhaps his appearance was meant to make them happier and more fulfilled.
He wanted them to be happier.
This was not due to pressure from the status bar, but rather Han Zhou's own choice.
So he remained silent, waiting for Zhong Ling to speak.
After a long while, Zhong Ling finally turned her head to look at her. Although her face was pale, a signature faint smile appeared on her face as she spoke softly.
“…Junior, I’ve actually wanted to tell you this for a long time.”
Her voice was soft, yet it pierced clearly through the rain and into the quiet room.
Han Zhou remembered that not long after they met, Zhong Ling had thought about telling him about the accident, but then suddenly gave up.
Although he told the other person that they could speak whenever they wanted, the other person remained silent for a long time, and he did not ask them any further questions. Gradually, the matter was left unresolved.
He could see that Zhong Ling was just putting on a brave face, but he didn't comfort her immediately. His gaze fell on the girl's forced smile, and he said calmly, "It's not too late to say it now."
Zhong Ling clutched the small cloth bag at her waist tightly: "I didn't tell you at first because I was very scared, afraid of reopening the wounds in my heart, so I ran away and didn't dare to tell you."
Unlike usual, although she was still very nervous and uneasy, her tone of voice was quite calm.
"But later on, I was even more afraid to tell you... because I was afraid you would hate me."
"I hate you? Why?" Han Zhou was stunned.
Although Zhong Yin couldn't hear what his sister was saying, upon hearing Han Zhou's words, he realized that his worst fears had come true. Xiao Ling was indeed still stuck in that dead end, unable to extricate herself.
She opened her mouth, but refrained from speaking.
Zhong Ling didn't notice her sister's expression, nor did she immediately answer Han Zhou's question. She just smiled faintly, bit her lip hard until it started to bleed, before continuing to speak.
"That day was the May Day holiday, the weather was great, and my parents rented a car and took my sister and me on a road trip."
As she spoke, she described the weather forecast for that day, the conversations her family had before their trip, what they bought, and their destination. It seemed that the scene of that day was truly imprinted deep in her memory, and she could not forget it even four years later.
Even though this content wasn't the main point, Han Zhou didn't interrupt. He just listened quietly, silently observing Zhong Ling's expression throughout. He noticed that she had a faint smile on her face the whole time.
He couldn't help but think of the side quest that he had abandoned long ago, the one posted in the status bar—
[Side Quest: The target character, Zhong Ling, has never shed a tear. Make her cry from the bottom of her heart. Completing the quest will earn you 40 points and allow you to extract one enhanced skill from the target.]
After hesitating for a long time, he finally said those words:
"Senior...you don't have to smile when you're sad." (End of Chapter)