A Beautiful Life

Gu Panyan thought Wang Ge was too naive.

Although his Learning Skill was good and he was smart enough, he ultimately hadn't experienced the harshness of life. In some matters, he appeared arrogant yet simple.

Gu Panyan didn't believe she needed help. Whether she got into college or not was inconsequential to her.

So what if she got in? Would she just continue to coast through life in university?

She had no life goals, no plans for the future. What kind of life plan could a punk who smoked, drank, and fought every day have?

She had always lived with the mindset of "take it one day at a time." When some accident happened, like a car crash, or when she completely ran out of money and starved to death under a bridge, her life would be over.

She felt her future would likely be pretty much like that.

The years after her grandfather's death had left her physically and mentally exhausted. She numbly accepted this outcome and was unwilling to change.

The world was beautiful; she knew that, of course. Her parents still had expectations for her; she understood that too.

But she was mired in mud, lacking the will and the strength, utterly weary.

She had no will to witness that beauty, no strength to respond to those expectations.

She just wanted to find a place where no one could see her and lie down, enjoying the final peace of her life.

That beauty, that anticipation, she'd deal with it in the next life.

That's what Gu Panyan thought and how she acted. But today, this guy sitting next to her, whom she hadn't even known for twenty-four hours, had the audacity to say he wanted to change her, to help her get into college.

Who did he think he was? The great savior? Should she kneel and praise his mercy and kindness? Gu Panyan wanted to mock him like this, but the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them.

She turned her head to look out the window.

Darkness was slowly receding, the sun was rising, and the dawn light streamed into the classroom, dispelling the chill of the spring morning.

A long time ago, her grandfather used to ride his old bicycle to take her to school on mornings just like this.

Every time, her grandfather would tell her to study hard at school and not play too much. She, wearing a clean, pretty white dress, would smile and agree to her grandfather's instructions.

But then she'd inwardly complain, That old man really talks too much. He says the same thing every day, my ears are going to get calluses.

Back then, she was still a good child. Her grandfather treated her well, so she listened to him. Her grades were always among the top in her class.

Every time she showed her report card to her grandfather, he would happily pick her up. His wrinkled face would bloom like a chrysanthemum, and he'd say, "Our Yanyan is the best! You'll definitely get into a good university and have a bright future..."

Heh.

Past scenes surged in her mind. Gu Panyan's eyes deepened, and an inexplicable emotion welled up from a corner of her heart. It was a feeling she couldn't quite describe, like a chaotic stew of guilt, sadness, confusion, and other complex emotions.

This emotion had existed for a long time, but Gu Panyan had always suppressed it. Until today, Wang Ge's words had stirred it up, causing it to grow rapidly, spreading through her body like a virus, consuming her entire mind.

In a daze, she suddenly remembered another similar morning, a period after her grandfather's death. Her parents, who had been working out of town for years, finally returned.

They didn't bring back the fatherly and motherly love she had always lacked. They only brought back two red divorce certificates.

Her parents asked her who she wanted to live with. She looked blankly at these two faces, which she had eagerly awaited seeing every year, but now felt so unfamiliar. It was as if someone had hit her hard on the head.

It hurts so much...

She heard her parents' sincere words. Neither of them pushed her away; both were willing to share their new families and new lives with her.

But she accepted neither. Her heart was filled with pain and the anger of betrayal. She madly told them both to get out.

Get out of her grandfather's house, get out of her life.

Later, after several unsuccessful attempts, her father left a sum of money and departed in a hurry. Every year after that, he would transfer money into her bank account.

Her mother, however, came to her door repeatedly over the years, begging and pleading, but Gu Panyan always coldly turned her away.

Young as she was then, resentment still lingered in her heart.

Gu Panyan remembered the last time she saw her mother was a year ago. The woman was as vain as ever, always trying to cover the marks of time with heavy makeup.

During that meeting, her mother's eyes were teary, and her makeup was a mess.

Her mother pleaded, saying she didn't expect forgiveness, only that Gu Panyan would live well and not give up on herself.

But Gu Panyan just turned and walked away coldly, as if facing a stranger.

At that time, she had already understood that her parents hadn't done anything wrong. Everyone had the right to pursue a better life. Her unwillingness didn't mean others were unwilling.

The reason she still made that choice was to make her mother completely disappointed in her, to make her stop caring about her, so that her mother could peacefully manage her own new family.

Someone as rotten as her should perish with the past family, and not disturb her anymore.

At this very moment, recalling this incident again, her mother's tear-streaked, makeup-smeared face flashed in Gu Panyan's mind once more. Only then did she suddenly realize:

Only if she herself lived well could her mother truly put her mind at ease and stably pursue the new life she had so desperately sought.

Ah...

Gu Panyan's eyes became vacant. Her grandfather's and mother's faces flickered in her mind, their words echoed in her ears: good university, bright future... live well, don't give up on yourself...

She closed her eyes and suddenly said, "No need to try. I believe you."

"Huh?"

Gu Panyan turned her head, staring into Wang Ge's eyes, and said word by word, "I believe you. I believe you have the ability to help me. You can start teaching me now. I will cooperate with you."

After a pause, she whispered, "I hope you won't disappoint me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ge immediately patted his chest and promised, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips, "Leave it to me! You'll soon realize that my teaching ability is actually much better than my Learning Skill results."

At this moment, he seemed happier than he had imagined.

Wang Ge placed the English essay between them and patiently said, "Come, I'll go through it word by word, sentence by sentence. Remember to ask me if you don't know how to pronounce any word..."

With less than twenty minutes left in the morning reading session, Wang Ge broke down the difficult words, phrases, and long sentences in the English essay, explaining them to Gu Panyan in a vivid and memorable way.

With Wang Ge giving her a boost, Gu Panyan absorbed and processed the knowledge like a sponge, so quickly that even she was surprised.

When did my memory get so good? The thought flashed through her mind, but she didn't have time to ponder it as she was already submerged in a sea of knowledge.

[Special Ability: Teach Without Discrimination]
[Description: Everyone, regardless of status or whether they are a good or bad student, can receive equal education.]
[Effect: Your Teaching Skill Level +3; when being taught by you, your students will have highly focused attention, Memory +200%, Comprehension +200%, Learning Efficiency +200%]

Wang Ge often taught others how to solve problems before. His [Teaching] skill was already at level two, and with the boost from the [Teach Without Discrimination] ability, his [Teaching] skill directly jumped to level five. This was already at the peak of mastery. If he were to become a teacher, even if it wasn't his main profession, he would at least be a renowned master teacher.

Unfortunately, the [Teach Without Discrimination] ability was a bonus from a quest and currently only effective for Gu Panyan.

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