He stood at the bathroom door and turned to look at her. “Are you planning to join me here?”
Penelope scratched her head, coughed twice, and said, “Uh… I need to check if dinner is ready downstairs.” Then, she quickly turned and made her way out.
Warren walked forward and slammed the bathroom door shut.
Penelope froze a few steps away from the bedroom, her body trembling when she heard the loud door slam.
At dinner, she tried to ask questions several times but was met with his cold demeanor.
After dinner, Warren went to the study room.
Penelope knew it wasn’t the right time to talk, so she followed Mrs. Brown into the kitchen.
“Why are you here with me?” Mr. Brown asked, looking at her with a pleasant smile.
Penelope grabbed a stool and sat in a corner, looking pitiful. “He’s ignoring me.”
“Really? Mr. Duncan has never acted this way with others,” Mrs. Brown replied.
Penelope pouted, “So, that means I’m special to him?”
“That’s right,” Mrs. Brown said as she washed the dishes.
Penelope rested her chin on her knees. “But it doesn’t feel like a good thing.”
“Try flattering him and honestly sharing your thoughts,” Mrs. Brown advised.
“It won’t work,” Penelope sighed.
Then Penelope stood up and said, “I won’t bother you anymore. I’m going to see Ross. Where’s my dog?”
“He’s in the garden,” Mrs. Brown replied.
When Penelope found Ross, he had rolled in the mud among the flower buds, turning his white fur a muddy brown.
“OMG! You’re so dirty…” Penelope didn’t want to hold Ross.
“Woof, woof!” The dog didn’t understand her and happily wagged its tail.
“Go, go, take a shower,” Penelope clapped her hands. Suddenly, the dog rushed towards her, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Clumsy dog!” Penelope landed on the grass and felt like her back was about to break.
The dog stuck out its tongue, seemingly happy. Penelope’s clothes were also stained with dirt, but she could wash them later.
“Your IQ seems to match mine,” Penelope frowned and glared at the dog.
Warren stood by the second-floor window, watching Penelope play with Ross from his perspective.
One person, one dog, and both seemed a bit foolish.
After cleaning up the dog, Penelope lay in bed with her phone and stumbled upon an emotional forum. The people there were good at giving advice, helping wives deal with third parties, and assisting girls in pursuing boys.
They were very active, and there were always thousands of comments on each post. Penelope decided to post something, too. The title was, “I made a mistake and made my boyfriend angry. How can I win him back?”
After a few minutes, people began to reply.
The first comment: Hey, you should tell us what the mistake is.
The second comment: Why do you want to get him back? There are plenty of men out there. Just find someone else!
The third comment: I agree with the second comment.
The fourth comment: I also agree with the second comment.
The fifth comment: The second commenter is clueless. Love should be taken seriously.
Penelope replied to the second comment: Come on! It’s not just any man!
I’m the fifth commenter. You don’t even know what happened! Don’t be so quick to judge!
Penelope was confused by the comments and typed slowly: I’m about to marry my boyfriend. Recently, I discovered that I’m still legally married to my ex-boyfriend. I need to get a divorce before I can marry my current boyfriend. But my boyfriend found out about it before the divorce was finalized, and he’s really angry.
You’re brainless!
You’re brainless!
You’re brainless!
Penelope couldn’t take it anymore: I was seeking your advice, not criticism!
Second commenter: Typically, different mistakes call for different ways to make amends. Depending on the severity of your mistake, you can commit suicide to apologize to him!
Fifth commenter: The second commenter is ridiculous! Encouraging someone to end their life?!
And with that, the heated argument continues once more.
Penelope glanced at her phone screen in silence. She wondered about the people on this forum. Why did she trust it for answers?
As she scrolled through a few pages, her attention landed on one particular comment.
Someone claimed, “My boyfriend is like Asher Hiddleston – anything can be solved with great sex!”
Penelope sighed and thought it might actually work.
She closed the forum and turned to Google.
She searched, “How to please my boyfriend in bed?” and was overwhelmed by thousands of results.
The demand seemed intense.
After a quick look, she had a rough plan in mind.
Then, she visited Amazon. com. There, she found a variety of sexy underwear on sale. After hesitating for a moment, she happily ordered a set of candy underwear that was said to be effective.
In the comments section, the most astonishing story was about a girl who rekindled her relationship with her ex-boyfriend after a year-long breakup, all thanks to this set of underwear.
****
On Friday, as Penelope left the teaching building, a boy and a girl approached her.
“Who are you?” Penelope felt a bit puzzled.
The ones who seemed even more confused were the Student Union President and the External Relations Department Minister. They said, “We met two days ago. Don’t you remember us?”
“Oh, my apologies.” Penelope smiled awkwardly. “What’s going on?”
“We talked a few times, and we’ve decided to invite you to sing,” the boy said with determination.
He worried Penelope might decline, so he added, “The welcome party is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and get to know teachers and students quickly. I heard you grew up abroad, and the quickest way to bridge that cultural gap is by being part of our group. It’s faster than reading books.”
Impressed, Penelope said, “You’re quite persuasive, Mr. President.”
The boy blushed and confessed, “We had a debate during our election campaign.”
The girl beside him said, “Don’t worry; we won’t take up too much of your time. If you pick a song you’re good at, I think you can nail it after just three or four practice sessions.”
“Three or four times?”
“Two or three times?” The girl scratched her head.