The next day, Su Ruanruan was woken up by a tightening sensation.
“Mmph…”
She struggled to open her eyes, feeling as if a giant boulder were pressing down on her chest.
Looking down, she saw Su Rou’s face pressed tightly against her chest. Her hands and feet were wrapped around her like a koala. A thin trail of crystalline saliva hung from the corner of her mouth, and she was sleeping soundly.
“Mom… let go… I’m going to… suffocate…”
Su Ruanruan rolled her eyes and tried to pry the “Legal Loli” off her body.
After finally breaking free from her mother’s “chokehold,” Su Ruanruan panted heavily and reached for the phone under her pillow.
Out of habit, she wanted to turn off the alarm, but she saw an unread text message glaring on the screen.
[Ye’s High-speed Loan] Final Warning: Su Ruanruan, the 200,000 Weilidai loan you applied for is severely overdue. If the full amount is not repaid before 12:00 PM today, we will contact your emergency contact (Mother: Su Rou) and visit your home to verify the situation. Don’t think changing your phone number will hide you. Face the consequences!
“!!!”
Su Ruanruan’s pupils dilated in shock, and her sleepiness vanished instantly.
‘Ye’s? Since when? Is it…’
Su Ruanruan remembered. This was the work of the Original Owner! It seemed she had seen an advertisement on a telephone pole and decided to fleece this “wild chicken” loan company for some quick cash.
‘Great, so all the retribution has fallen on my head now!’
Twelve noon.
She had less than six hours left.
She turned her head to look at Su Rou, who was still fast asleep and smacking her lips occasionally.
No! She absolutely could not let her mother find out! But what could she do? Should she borrow some money from Su Youyu to deal with the emergency first? But Su Youyu had just waived so many of her debts yesterday. If she borrowed more, she would really have to become Su Youyu’s wife—and the submissive one at that.
Su Ruanruan gripped the phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.
‘Original Owner, you piece of junk! Where am I supposed to get 200,000?’
Just as she was as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle, a sudden urge to use the bathroom hit her.
Whatever, she would go to the bathroom to calm down first.
***
Su Ruanruan climbed out of bed quietly, not wanting to wake her mother. Wearing her yellowed old slippers and sporting a head of adorable, messy hair, she pushed open the bedroom door with half-closed eyes and headed straight for the bathroom.
Click.
The door opened.
However, the sight inside made Su Ruanruan freeze instantly.
Someone was there?
In that cramped bathroom, which was less than three square meters with yellowing tiles, a woman was standing.
It was Gu Hanyan.
She looked completely different from the drunkard who couldn’t even walk straight the night before.
At this moment, Gu Hanyan’s eyes were terrifyingly clear.
Her long, straight black hair hung down to her waist like the finest silk. Her face was so pale it was almost translucent, and without any makeup, she possessed a breathtakingly cold, youthful aura. If it weren’t for those bottomless phoenix eyes that were far too calm and sharp, no one would doubt it if she said she was only twenty years old.
She was still wearing the tight black tank top that belonged to her younger sister, paired with loose athletic shorts. Because she had just washed her face, the tank top was damp and clung to her body, perfectly outlining her stunning curves.
Hearing the door open, Gu Hanyan slowly turned her head.
She still had a toothbrush in her mouth, her face covered in foam, while holding a tube of facial cleanser. She and Su Ruanruan stood there, staring at each other.
Su Ruanruan was stunned.
“Mmph… Morning.”
Gu Hanyan calmly removed the toothbrush, spat out a mouthful of foam, and looked over Su Ruanruan with a natural gaze. She looked as if she were the owner of the house and Su Ruanruan was the intruder.
“S-Sorry!”
Su Ruanruan’s face turned beet red, and she instinctively wanted to close the door and run away.
Buzz— Buzz—
Just then, the broken phone gripped tightly in her hand vibrated again.
Su Ruanruan’s heart skipped a beat.
She scrambled to hang up, but because she was too nervous, her finger slipped—
She answered it.
And even worse, because the earpiece on this piece of junk phone was broken, she usually kept it on speakerphone.
“Hey! Su Ruanruan, right!”
A coarse female voice suddenly exploded in the narrow bathroom, carrying the echoing effect of a low-quality speaker:
“When the hell are you going to stop hiding? You don’t just owe us; a bunch of my colleagues got fleeced by you too! It’s a total of 200,000! Don’t think we can’t do anything to you. If I don’t see the money before twelve today, I’ll plaster your photos all over your school…”
Beep.
Su Ruanruan hurriedly pressed the hang-up button with the fastest hand speed of her life.
A deathly silence followed.
The only sound was the faucet leaking, going *drip, drip, drip*.
Su Ruanruan lowered her head and stared fixedly at her toes, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
“Heh.”
Above her, a soft laugh rang out.
“Buying a bag?”
Gu Hanyan’s voice was cold and clear, like jade striking stone. She casually placed the expensive facial cleanser on the old shelf and flicked the water droplets from her hands, showing none of the drunken, lecherous behavior from the previous night.
“Two hundred thousand in high-interest loans? Does your mother know about this?”
She took a step toward her.
Su Ruanruan was forced to retreat until her back hit the cold tiled wall.
Gu Hanyan propped one hand against the wall. Her long, straight black hair fell forward, brushing against Su Ruanruan’s cheek. It felt itchy and carried a cold scent of mint.
“Please… don’t tell my mom.”
Su Ruanruan bit her lip, her eyes turning red. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz:
“She’ll be terrified… It’s my fault…”
“You know she would be terrified?”
Gu Hanyan interrupted her, her dark, clear eyes filled with an indisputable calmness.
“I’m an outsider, but some things need to be said. You should know that you can’t fill this hole on your own. Once those people come knocking on your door, given your mother’s timid nature, how scared do you think she’ll be? Have you even considered her?”
Su Ruanruan trembled, her nails digging deep into her palms, yet she had no way to refute the claim.
‘Do I really have to borrow money from Youyu? Original Owner, you’ve really screwed me over.’
Gu Hanyan looked at the girl’s pale face, and her eyes flickered slightly.
“I can handle the money for you,” Gu Hanyan said indifferently.
Su Ruanruan snapped her head up, her eyes filled with disbelief and wariness.
“Why…?”
She wasn’t stupid. 200,000 was not a small sum. No matter how rich Gu Hanyan was, she wasn’t a philanthropist. Furthermore, this was a mess created by the Original Owner’s “misdeeds.” Even Gu Qingleng had only waived her interest.
“You have to agree to one small condition.”
Gu Hanyan put away her phone and looked directly into her eyes, with a frankness that was almost frightening.
“To tell you the truth, I like your mom. The kind of like where I want to marry her.”
“But…” Su Ruanruan instinctively countered, “My mom thinks she isn’t good enough for you, and you two…”
“That is why I need you.”
Gu Hanyan reached out a slender finger and gently tilted Su Ruanruan’s chin up.
“Ruanruan, this money will count as my ‘investment’ in you. I only have one condition—”
“In this house, I want you to stand on my side.”
“Help me create opportunities. Help me resolve her inner conflicts. Can you do that?”
Su Ruanruan looked at the woman before her.
Maybe the “drunk” Gu Hanyan from last night was a fake, but the Gu Hanyan who was willing to spend a fortune for Su Rou and even stoop down to make a deal with a child was real.
She remembered the sparkling look in her mother’s eyes when she mentioned Gu Hanyan last night. Her mother definitely had feelings for her too.
If Gu Hanyan was sincere, then letting them be together would lead to her mother’s happiness.
Su Ruanruan took a deep breath, her eyes gradually becoming firm.
“I can help you.”
She looked at Gu Hanyan and said seriously:
“I can help you create opportunities, I can help explain those misunderstandings, and I can even tell you what she likes.”
Gu Hanyan’s lips curled up. “Excellent.”
“But—” Su Ruanruan shifted her tone and tried to straighten her back. Although her height was suppressed, she didn’t lose in terms of momentum:
“The final decision must be in Mom’s hands!”
“If she really doesn’t like you, or if you make her sad, I will find a way to work and pay this money back to you. But I will absolutely not help you force her into anything.”
The bathroom was quiet for several seconds.
Gu Hanyan looked at the girl in front of her, who was bristling like a kitten protecting its food, and suddenly laughed.
That smile caused the coldness to dissipate like melting snow, carrying a hint of genuine admiration.
“That’s enough.”
She let go and straightened Su Ruanruan’s messy collar, her tone softening a bit.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. If even you didn’t protect her, I would be worried that asking for your help was a mistake.”
“The deal is made.”
Gu Hanyan stood up straight and returned to her lazy demeanor, patting Su Ruanruan on the head.
“Hurry up and wash your face. I can smell something good. Your mom, that little dummy… she’s probably already up and making breakfast for us.”