Chapter 3: My Mom Agreed to Our Thing
Being stubborn is the Class President's biggest characteristic, so why hasn't it materialized into a skill?
More than an hour later, Han Zhou looked at the two completed daily tasks with satisfaction, thinking that watching horror movies was indeed the fastest way to complete the Class President's daily tasks. It was just a pity he hadn't thought of it before.
He understood Gu Zheng. This girl had an extremely strong desire to win, wanting to be first in everything throughout her three years of high school—in all subjects, various competitions, and even in sports, which girls weren't typically good at.
And Gu Zheng was indeed outstanding. Aside from her somewhat unlikable temper, she excelled in both academics and sports, and she organized class activities meticulously.
However, this person had a weakness that wasn't really a weakness: as soon as you said she was afraid of something, she would reflexively deny it and stubbornly stick to her denial, refusing to change her mind.
Thinking of this, Han Zhou secretly shook his head. The heart-racing task was completed within the first few minutes of the horror movie, indicating that Gu Zheng was definitely scared to death inside.
But the impressive thing was that even though she was so scared, she managed to maintain a poker face and didn't make a sound. This should be considered a natural talent, right?
However, when Han Zhou noticed Gu Zheng's pale face, almost blank stare, and appearance of being completely terrified, he realized he had overthought things. He also silently abandoned the idea of dragging her to watch a horror movie every day in the future.
Earning points was one thing, but he didn't treat the Class President as an NPC. It seemed that for her mental and physical well-being, this method was best avoided.
"Class President, Class President?"
"Ah, ah?" Gu Zheng was a bit dazed.
"I said, you weren't scared silly, were you?"
This sentence was clearly more effective than any miracle cure. Gu Zheng instantly snapped back to reality and said loudly, "Wh-What are you talking about? I was just savoring the plot!"
"Oh?" Han Zhou feigned confusion and probed, "I didn't dare to watch much just now. Can you tell me what the plot was?"
Gu Zheng's expression froze, and she stammered, "It was, it was that part, in the hospital…"
"I know! You must be thinking about the identity of that fat doctor, right? I think he's strange."
"Exactly, that's it!" Gu Zheng nodded quickly, agreeing wholeheartedly, "He's too strange."
However, Han Zhou had just said that casually. In fact, there was no fat doctor in the movie at all.
But he didn't expose her. Instead, it solidified his resolve not to drag the Class President to watch horror movies anymore. This person was even more timid than he imagined. She kept her eyes open the whole time but didn't know the plot. What kind of special ability was that…
At the same time, Gu Zheng, like a dog catching a scent, suddenly turned her head sharply and stared at Han Zhou for a moment: "What are you smiling about?"
"Am I smiling?"
Han Zhou's expression was normal, but he was startled. He thought, 'She can even detect my internal smile? Can it get any more exaggerated?'
Gu Zheng frowned slightly, and for some reason, she was certain of what she was thinking. She said fiercely, "Are you mocking me?"
"No," Han Zhou feigned confusion, "Why would I mock you?"
"You…"
Gu Zheng was about to press further when a Feixin message suddenly popped up on the TV. It was from someone with a cute white cat avatar and an ID named 'Summer'. Below it was a sentence.
"My mom agreed to our thing. Come to my house tomorrow. I can't take it anymore…"
The subsequent messages were folded, but even such a short sentence made both people in the room hold their breath.
Oh no, I forgot to exit the screen mirroring…
Han Zhou's face was blank. Summer was that high school girl named Mo Yixia. Although the meaning of any words should be interpreted in context, he still suspected that she did it on purpose…
Suddenly, Han Zhou felt something and looked up. He saw Gu Zheng standing in front of him, looking down at him. With one hand on her hip, she leaned over and pressed down on his phone, stopping him from exiting the screen mirroring. A half-smile appeared on her face.
"Agreed? Can't take it anymore?"
Han Zhou's heart tightened. Usually, when Gu Zheng showed that smile, it meant she was about to hit someone.
However, he quickly realized, 'Wait a minute, why am I feeling guilty? Gu Zheng isn't my girlfriend, and even if she were, I'm innocent!'
And Gu Zheng also seemed to realize this quickly. She returned to the sofa without a word, staring intently at the TV, punching the sofa cushion repeatedly, making "thump, thump" sounds.
Her posture suggested that even if a ghost jumped out of the TV immediately, she would still want to see what other messages that 'Summer' person would send.
Han Zhou knew at a glance that she was unhappy, so he quickly explained about the tutoring and even showed her the chat history.
The previous message had been folded; in fact, there were a few more sentences after it.
"My mom agreed to our thing. Come to my house tomorrow. I can't take it anymore. Remember, if you want to earn more money, listen to me. My mom is so annoying. As long as you give me a little free time every day, I'll let you stay."
Gu Zheng stared at the phone for a full ten seconds, pondering every word of the entire message. Then she turned her head and sneered, "Who cares about your chat history!"
Han Zhou couldn't be bothered with her. He thought for a moment and replied with a single word: "Okay."
Gu Zheng was clearly in a much better mood. She glanced over casually and said, "What did you reply?"
"I agreed."
Han Zhou's main task was to make Mo Yixia not dislike him. Giving her a little free time was all it took; that way, she would be happy, and he could also gain some favor. As long as it didn't affect his studies, why not?
Moreover, he really needed money.
Han Zhou had grown up in a single-parent family and had never seen his mother. His father, who raised him, was a gambler and disappeared in his second year of high school after learning he had a terminal illness, leaving behind only an old house and some money.
Han Zhou never blamed his father. After all, he had raised him to that age, and he never intended to burden anyone because of his terminal illness. Therefore, he never deliberately publicized the matter, nor did he try to find his father in any way.
Of course, understanding was one thing, but not blaming didn't mean forgiving. For Han Zhou, living alone was not a difficult task.
Besides, he wasn't without people who cared about him.
For example, Lin An Yu. His family was in the catering business. The restaurant didn't actually lack staff, but he still forced Han Zhou to "work part-time" every winter and summer vacation, doing easy work but getting paid a lot.
His teachers and classmates also took good care of him. Of course, it would be even better if they didn't call him a sycophant.
Han Zhou kept all these good intentions in his heart, and it was precisely because of them that he wanted to live more diligently.
Gu Zheng, of course, knew Han Zhou's family situation. She thought for a moment and muttered, "Then don't lead her astray."
She turned to look out the window. The dazzling sunlight made it hard to open her eyes. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "I remember you also applied to Lincheng University, right?"
"Mm." Han Zhou put his phone in his pocket. "You seem to have asked that question no less than five times."
"Then have I ever asked why?"
"What?"
Gu Zheng took a deep breath: "With your grades, you could clearly choose a better school."
"Is it really okay for you, the first-place student, to say something like that?" Han Zhou, the perennial second-place student, sighed. He still couldn't beat Gu Zheng in the college entrance exam.
"I just want to be closer to home, and Lincheng University is also very good."
Han Zhou smiled: "I think so too."
Gu Zheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned her head and scrutinized him for a long time, her tone unusually hesitant: "Is… Is there no other reason?"
"There is."
Han Zhou stretched lazily and said nonchalantly, "Haven't I always said it? I can't live without you, so I have to choose the same school as you."
This was true. Not to mention that when he applied, Gu Zheng was still the only unlockable character, and he couldn't survive without her. Being assigned to different universities would be too troublesome.
Even if he met new unlockable characters in the future, whether he could even establish a connection with them was unknown. They might not even bother with him, let alone provide points.
In contrast, the Class President was quite reliable. Getting points from her was the easiest and simplest method, and she was also very cooperative.
Of course, their relationship was already good, and attending the same university meant they would have each other's company.
Gu Zheng took a deep breath.
Although it wasn't the first time she had heard such nonsense, seeing Han Zhou's serious expression, her heart still skipped a beat. For some reason, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She grabbed the cushion from the sofa and threw it at his face.
"I told you to stop talking nonsense!"