We Should Have Drawn the Line Long Ago

After a twist in the situation, Wang Ge turned around with a delighted look on his face:

"Really, Panyan? I knew you wouldn't be so heartless!"

"Heh."

Gu Panyan merely let out a cold laugh, approached him, and grabbed him by the collar.

She was clearly a little shorter than Wang Ge, yet she now carried herself as though she were looking down at him.

"Listen carefully, Wang Ge."

Under the moonlight, the aggressive girl stared into Wang Ge's eyes.

"No matter how promiscuous you are now—whether you're juggling two women or building yourself a harem—I can't be bothered to care, because the two of us haven't established a relationship yet."

"If you only want to fool around with me, then I don't mind playing along. I'll just consider myself blind and mistaken about you. After the college entrance examination, I'll sleep with you for one night and pay you a sum of money. After that, we'll sever ties completely."

"But if you really want to date me..."

After a pause, Gu Panyan's gaze turned dangerous. "Then hide those messy relationships with other women as soon as possible, or cut them off cleanly. If I find out about something like what happened today after we get together... heh."

She did not say what the consequences would be. She merely let out another cold laugh and released her grip on Wang Ge's collar.

"Think it over carefully, Wang Ge. I have a bad temper, no patience, and a serious tendency toward violence. There's no medicine for regret in this world. Since you chose to provoke me in the first place, you'd better be prepared to bear the consequences."

"Understood?"

After dropping that final sentence, the girl turned around decisively and walked into the apartment.

Wang Ge stood there in a daze for a while. It was only long after Gu Panyan had disappeared that he began to laugh softly.

"Ah, what a charming girl. She's so easy to get captivated by..."

Then he scratched his head and let out a rather troubled sigh.

Damn system. You sent two such wonderful girls to my side. I can't bear to let either of them go.

Isn't this forcing me to become a scumbag?

After quietly thinking for a while longer, Wang Ge mounted his bicycle again and set off for home.

On the second floor of the apartment, a slender woman with exquisite makeup and a glamorous outfit stood by the window, watching the boy ride away on his bicycle. She turned around and called, "Panyan, that little fellow's gone."

"Isn't it perfectly normal for him to leave?"

Gu Panyan took off her coat and casually tossed it onto the sofa. Looking at the woman by the window, she frowned slightly. "You, on the other hand, why do you come running over here every day? Does your husband not care?"

"I came to see my daughter. That's only natural. What right does he have to control me?" the woman—Gu Panyan's mother—said.

"Tch."

Gu Panyan let out a disdainful snort.

She knew this woman standing before her far too well.

She loved dressing up and was vain. Though she clearly held little status in her new family, she still insisted on putting on a show of strength.

Gu's Mother did not care about Gu Panyan's attitude and asked curiously, "Is that Wang Ge? The one tutoring you?"

Gu Panyan sat on the sofa and played with her phone, answering with a soft, "Mm."

"Your relationship seems unusual. Are you together already?"

"No."

"Then it probably won't be long before you are... Hmm, that boy seems pretty good to me. He's handsome and well-mannered."

"I think he's pretty good too, aside from being a little unfaithful."

Gu Panyan answered casually.

"Unfaithful? That's no small matter. What if he cheats in the future..."

"That's not something you need to worry about."

Gu's Mother was momentarily stumped, then asked with a smile:

"If you took a liking to that boy, he must be quite outstanding, right? This is the first time I've seen you act so intimately with another boy."

The corners of Gu Panyan's lips curled into a mocking arc. "How many times have you even seen me?"

When she was facing her mother, she was covered in thorns. And they were not the timid, defensive sort that belonged to a hedgehog, which would only curl into a ball.

If she had to be compared to an animal, she was more like a porcupine—a wild, aggressive beast.

—Though comparing a girl in the bloom of youth to a porcupine was somewhat jarring and impolite.

Gu's Mother was stumped again, but she was an extremely patient woman: she never abandoned a cause, never gave up despite setbacks, and fought to the bitter end.

Thus, she asked again, "What are the conditions of that Wang Ge's family? Do you know?"

"Why would I have nothing better to do than ask about his family's circumstances?" Gu Panyan was beginning to grow impatient.

Unlike her mother, she had never been a patient person.

Seeing that her daughter seemed to be getting agitated, Gu's Mother hurriedly said, "Don't worry, don't worry. I won't interfere in the two of you. I may be money-minded, but I won't demand that you be the same. It would be best if you could find a boyfriend you like."

When Gu Panyan said nothing, she added, "Even if Wang Ge's family isn't wealthy, it's fine. I have money now..."

Gu Panyan could not be bothered to entertain the woman and interrupted her directly:

"I'm tired. If you want to sleep here, find a room and sleep for a while. If you're leaving, then go quickly. I'm going to lock the door and sleep."

"I'll sleep here for one night. You go to bed; don't worry about me," Gu's Mother said.

"If you're not going to sleep, what are you going to do?" Gu Panyan frowned.

"I saw that there are still a few dirty clothes in your bathroom. I'll go wash them for you." Gu Panyan's mother gave her a fawning smile.

Gu Panyan gazed at the woman with a half-smile.

You didn't wash them earlier or later. You had to wait until I came back, and you even had to tell me before washing them.

Did you really have to make sure I saw you doing something for me?

Wouldn't you have had a better chance of winning my favor if you'd washed the clothes in advance and let me discover that you were silently doing things for me?

"Ahem, well, I'm going to wash your clothes."

Under Gu Panyan's gaze, Gu's Mother felt as though all her thoughts had been seen through. Somewhat flustered, she hurried into the bathroom.

Watching her mother's disheveled retreat, Gu Panyan was more or less speechless.

How did I never realize before that my mother was actually this stupid?

She doesn't even know how to raise her favorability.

If she were even half as smart as Wang Ge, our relationship wouldn't be this strained.

"Fine, don't wash them." Gu Panyan interrupted her. "It's getting late. Go to bed. Staying up late isn't good for an elderly person's health."

Gu's Mother wanted to argue that she was not elderly, but Gu Panyan gave her no chance to speak and continued, "You already have your own new family. Don't come over anymore. My life has also gotten back on track. The ideal state of affairs is for us not to interfere with each other."

Upon hearing this, Gu's Mother's face instantly went pale. "Y-you want to draw a line between us, Panyan?"

"We should have drawn the line long ago, ma'am."

Gu Panyan pulled a cigarette from the drawer and lit it.

She took a deep drag and slowly exhaled the smoke. "Your family has long been unhappy with me. If you keep coming here, they'll cause trouble for you sooner or later—and in that regard, my father is much smarter than you."

After a pause, she added expressionlessly, "If you get divorced one more time, you won't be able to get married again."

"Even if I can't get married, I still can't abandon my daughter!" The vain, image-conscious woman's face flushed red as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Heh."

Gu Panyan was silent for several seconds before letting out a mocking laugh. She stubbed out the cigarette after taking only a few drags and threw it into the trash can.

Then she stopped paying attention to the woman and turned to return to her bedroom.

P.S. It's Panyan's birthday today! Everyone, remember to go to her homepage and give her some likes.

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