Chapter 627
is finished.
The next morning.
The sound of running water filled the bathroom. Han Zhou, toothbrush in his mouth, subtly observed Mo Yixia beside him through the mirror.
From last night until now, Mo Yixia had inquired about Zhong Yin, Zhong Ling, and even her younger self, but she hadn't asked about Wang Lengqiu at all, which puzzled him greatly.
Was it because his attitude of admitting his mistake last night was too proactive that even Yixia couldn't find fault with it?
As I pondered, Mo Yixia's voice suddenly rang in my ears, cool yet languid, with a faint scent of toothpaste and mint: "Would you give up on her if I mentioned her?"
"will not."
"Then why should I mention her?"
Han Zhou was speechless for a moment: "That's true... wait, did you read my mind again?"
"..."
After washing up, the two returned to their room. Mo Yixia took out her phone and checked the time: "I have to go back now."
"So urgent?" Han Zhou was taken aback.
"Isn't this a good thing for you? After all, you have your own things to do."
Mo Yixia glanced up at him. She had seen the group chat history yesterday and knew that he was going to Xiaopingxiong's house for dinner today.
With her keen senses, she could certainly tell that there was something wrong with today's dinner party. If she hadn't been so busy, she would have liked to join in the fun.
She put on her coat, mask, and baseball cap, gave Han Zhou a "good luck" look, then quickly put on her shoes and socks, casually tossed her pajamas into Han Zhou's arms, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Take it back and wash it."
Han Zhou didn't refuse. He hugged the pajamas, still warm from the girl's body, and asked, "When can I return them to you?"
"Why are you giving it back to me?"
Mo Yixia gave him a strange look. "I'll leave it with you. I can wear it next time I visit your house."
She got up and walked towards the door, then thought for a moment and added slowly, "Of course, if you really miss me, you can use it to do some strange things."
Han Zhou chuckled twice but didn't reply.
"I will send you back."
He removed the room key, closed the door, and followed the girl into the empty corridor.
"No need, my mom will be waiting for me at the entrance of the community. It would be troublesome if she saw you."
"Yixia..."
"Don't worry about me."
Mo Yixia interrupted him and said calmly, "I taught you how to play volleyball yesterday not only to help you change your mood, but also to tell you that I can live a good life even without you by my side."
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, then chuckled: "Are you sure it was you who 'taught' me to play volleyball?"
Mo Yixia ignored him, walked straight to the elevator, and pressed the elevator button.
Stepping out of the hotel, a biting cold wind hit me.
The snow that fell last night didn't last long, and most of it has already melted. Dark water stains seep from the cracks in the bluestone slabs, with only a patch of white remaining in the shady corners of the walls. Water drips from the eaves, making a crisp sound on the streets in the early morning.
Watching the girl's figure gradually disappear into the distance as she stepped onto the wet ground, Han Zhou took a deep breath and called out to her again.
"Yisha!"
The girl paused, lowered her hat brim, and looked back through the morning mist with her cool eyes.
"What, you're reluctant to part with me?"
"A little."
Han Zhou frankly admitted, quickly stepped forward, stood beside the other person, and said seriously, "But I want to talk about something else."
Mo Yixia didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.
As the sun slowly rose, casting its thin but bright light upon her, Han Zhou looked at this girl who had grown accustomed to living with a mask and a baseball cap, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
“I’ll handle your mother myself, in my own way.”
"It sounds like something a hooligan would say."
A gust of wind swept by, ruffling the girl's hair. She raised her hand to tuck the strands behind her ear, offering a lukewarm comment. She intended to turn and leave, but she couldn't bring herself to move.
"Really..."
She sighed softly, then suddenly stepped forward and pulled him into her arms. "Saying such silly things so suddenly makes me reluctant to leave."
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, and the next second, he raised his arm and pulled the girl into his arms.
Mo Yixia pressed her face against his chest and whispered, "Since you reacted fairly quickly this time, let me remind you of something."
"what's up?"
"I can't bear to hit you or scold you, but there's always someone else who can."
"What do you mean?"
Mo Yixia did not explain.
Reluctant as she was, she eventually let go in the face of reality, pulled down her mask, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed Han Zhou on the cheek.
She left behind only the words "May you have good fortune" before turning and merging into the bustling crowd, her slender figure quickly disappearing around the street corner.
Han Zhou covered his cheek and stood there pondering for a long time. He took the phrase "good luck" as a reminder to be careful at Gu Zheng's house today and didn't pay much attention to it. After watching the other person leave, he also turned and left.
He first went home, took another shower, changed his clothes, and washed and hung up his pajamas. Only when the sunlight shone through the balcony onto the wet clothes did he set off for Guzheng's house.
As the snow melted, the temperature seemed to drop even lower than yesterday. Even with Han Zhou's constitution, he couldn't help but shiver as he walked down the street. He took out his phone and sent a message in the group chat, reminding everyone to wear more clothes today.
Still no response.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. At this time, Teacher Ouyang should be driving, and the others probably don't have time to check their phones. As for Mo Yixia, the two of them had only just parted ways, so naturally she wouldn't reply to messages.
Standing outside Gu Zheng's house, Han Zhou felt a bit conflicted. He hadn't visited her since starting university, and he didn't know if it was just his imagination, but now that he was visiting again, he had a strange feeling that he was about to enter a den of wolves.
I hope I'm just overthinking it...
Composing himself, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.
But after waiting for a long time, no one opened the door, and the house remained silent. After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to take out a bunch of keys from his pocket—
Gu Zheng trusted him almost unconditionally, having given him the house key long ago, including the key to her bedroom.
Thinking of Gu Zheng's trust in him, and then of how he had repeatedly let her down, Han Zhou felt increasingly guilty. Just as he was about to insert the key into the lock, he heard an annoyed voice behind him.
"Hey kid, who gave you permission to open my door?"
Looking back, Gu Lang was carrying large and small bags, his eyes practically rolling to the sky, while Miao Yan'er stood beside him with a beaming smile.
"Uncle Gu, Sister Miao."
Han Zhou wasn't embarrassed. While greeting them, he casually inserted the key into the lock and turned the doorknob with a click. "I've been standing outside for a while. I heard no sound from inside, and I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I wanted to go in and check."
As he spoke, he smiled and took the things from Gu Lang's hands.
"You're such a jinx." Gu Lang glared at him, his gaze falling on the keys in his hand, and said sourly, "Why did Gu Zheng give you all the keys? Don't you have a home of your own?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Miao Yan'er gave him an elbow strike without any mercy, her smile warm, "Isn't our family the same as Han Zhou's family?"
"Hmph, you actually believe him?"
Gu Lang grimaced in pain, but his eyes couldn't help glancing at Han Zhou's buttocks. "Didn't Gu Zheng say that this kid just had hemorrhoid surgery yesterday? Look at him, he doesn't look like he's had any surgery at all."
Miao Yan'er didn't say anything, but slowly walked into the entrance hall and locked the door behind her.
At this moment, Han Zhou had already entered the living room carrying his things. Hearing this, he looked helpless and said, "Uncle Gu, Gu Zheng and the others have misunderstood. The one who had the hemorrhoid surgery was my friend Lin Anyu, but no matter how I explain, they just won't believe me. There's nothing I can do."
Gu Lang looked at him with suspicion: "What evidence do you have?"
Han Zhou hadn't expected that Uncle Gu's prejudice against him was so deep. Fortunately, he hadn't lied about this, which was rare for him. He had a clear conscience and wasn't afraid of being investigated.
He said without changing his expression, "I can make a video call to Lin Anyu, and you'll see for yourselves."
"No need for that. Just tell me the hospital address and ward number, and I'll go check it out myself."
Han Zhou was taken aback: "Isn't that necessary..."
"Why wouldn't it be necessary?"
Gu Lang narrowed his eyes. "Didn't your sister Miao just say that our home is your home? In that case, your friends are Gu Zheng's friends. As an elder, it's only reasonable for me to go and offer my condolences, isn't it?"
“That’s true…” Han Zhou looked troubled.
"Stop talking nonsense. Here's the hospital address and ward number. My old kidney deficiency problem has flared up again, so I need to go to the hospital to get some traditional Chinese medicine."
Han Zhou's heart pounded. Uncle Gu was willing to make up such an embarrassing excuse as kidney deficiency to go to the hospital for a checkup, which showed how suspicious he was. This deepened Han Zhou's sense of crisis, but he remained calm on the surface. He sighed helplessly and gave the address.
As a former scumbag, Gu Lang knew all too well how easy it was to lie, so he didn't give Han Zhou any time to find someone to stage the scene and immediately opened the door to leave.
However, before leaving, he still honestly asked Miao Yan'er for instructions.
"Wife..."
"Get out of here now."
Miao Yan'er closed the door in annoyance and took the opportunity to lock it again from the inside.
Han Zhou naturally noticed this scene and understood: if Uncle Gu couldn't find Lin Anyu at the hospital, he would probably be met with a beating from Sister Miao. But he didn't say anything.
After much thought, he realized that the only thing that could make the two of them suspect him was probably the recent sports meet.
Even though he did slip up a bit at that sports meet, it only aroused suspicion. Uncle Gu and Sister Miao could not possibly have any evidence. Otherwise, they would have beaten him up when they first closed the door.
Thinking of this, Han Zhou went to the water dispenser and filled two cups with hot water. He placed one cup in front of Miao Yan'er and held the other cup in his hand, gently blowing on it.
As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Uncle Gu's surprise visit to the hospital may not be a bad thing. If he finds nothing there, it's hard to say whether his suspicions will be dispelled, but he will at least be more restrained.
As I was pondering, Miao Yan'er's smiling voice rang in my ears: "Han Zhou, I heard you went to a senior's house with Xiao Zheng last week. How was it? Did you have fun?"
"I'm quite happy."
Han Zhou put down his water glass and said with a smile, "We climbed a mountain and went boating together. If it weren't for the cold weather and the classes we have this week, we would have liked to stay a few more days."
"Xiao Zheng said that the senior's name is Wang Lengqiu?"
"Yes, she's a senior in her third year. You met her at the sports meet; she was cheering for the guzheng back then."
Han Zhou pretended to think for a moment, "If I remember correctly, she will be here today too."
He was certain that Guzheng had only told her parents about their visit to Wang Lengqiu's house, without mentioning the photos or other random things—calling the parents when she couldn't win a fight wasn't Guzheng's style.
"is it?"
Miao Yan'er's smile deepened. "But I heard that the girl wasn't there to cheer for Guzheng, but specifically to take care of you?"
Han Zhou gave a wry smile, seemingly a little embarrassed: "After all, I was injured when I fell into the water, and I even had to sit in a wheelchair. Everyone insisted on taking turns taking care of me, and I don't know how Senior Wang Lengqiu joined in."
"So, you're not actually that familiar with her?"
We weren't familiar with each other at first, but we got to know each other better later.
"I see."
Miao Yan'er picked up her water glass and gently blew away the steam from the rim. "Let's talk about those two big-breasted sisters. What's your relationship with them like?"
Faced with Sister Miao's sharp gaze, Han Zhou dared not use the words "ordinary friends" to gloss over the matter any longer. After thinking about it seriously, he replied, "I think we should be considered close friends."
How close are they?
"This is something that can't be explained in just a few words."
"Compared to you and Xiaozheng?"
"Of course there's no comparison."
"Let me think, during the sports meet, there was a very short girl next to you. What was your relationship like with her?"
"..."
In the time that followed, Han Zhou faced an interrogation that he didn't even bother to act out.
Fortunately, just as he had guessed, Sister Miao and the other woman only had some suspicions about him and did not have any substantial evidence. Therefore, the question and answer just now only touched on the surface.
At the same time, even better news came: Uncle Gu, who had arrived at the hospital, called to tell Sister Miao that he had indeed found Lin Anyu in the ward.
Gu Lang knew that this guy and Han Zhou were in cahoots. To prevent the other guy from lying in the hospital bed pretending to be a patient, he stood by and observed for a long time. He even suggested watching the other guy go to the toilet, which scared Lin Anyu so much that tears streamed down his face. He lay on the bed, covered his buttocks tightly, and didn't dare to move at all.
Even so, he still gritted his teeth and insisted that Han Zhou had been with him until this morning, which moved Han Zhou deeply.
With Gu Lang's investigation concluded, this stage was passed without incident. Han Zhou then went to the kitchen to help Miao Yan'er prepare lunch.
It was noon when there was a knock on the door. He wiped his hands, went out of the kitchen, and opened the door to find Ouyang Lianyu and the others standing there, each carrying a gift.
"Uncle Gu and Sister Miao are both busy, please come in and have a seat."
Han Zhou walked into the living room with a smile, but when he turned around, he found that everyone's eyes were on his butt. He was unsure whether he should cover it with his hand, and his expression changed slightly as he said, "Why are you all looking at me like that? Didn't I say that Lin Anyu was the one who had the hemorrhoid surgery?"
"Who knows if you're faking it?"
Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and walked into the room with a nonchalant air.
"Sorry to bother you."
Ouyang Lianyu followed closely behind, a polite smile on her face. She placed the gift in the living room and went straight into the kitchen to help.
It wasn't until everyone had gone inside that Han Zhou realized Gu Zheng was nowhere to be seen, and he couldn't help but wonder, "Where's Gu Zheng?"
"Guzheng?"
Wang Runxue, who had just put down the gift, gave him a strange look. "Didn't you send her the key so she could come to your house and get your clothes?"
Han Zhou's hand trembled slightly as he was filling the container with hot water. (End of Chapter)