Chapter 3: Do You Know Oedipus?

"Aunt Gu, I'm not joking."

"I've liked you since the day you came to the parent-teacher meeting."

"That's why I pretended to pursue Yu Sisi, just to get close to you."

"Please, give me a chance."

Li Zhiyan's voice was filled with sincerity. Having lived two lives, he no longer feared awkward situations.

If he didn't feel awkward, the people around him would end up feeling awkward instead!

Compared to fifty thousand yuan, what was a little embarrassment? He'd even get on his knees for free money like that.

His best friend, Li Shiyu, had the sudden urge to kneel down in awe.

Li Zhiyan must have lost his mind!

Confessing to the campus belle's mother at a class reunion, and still pushing forward even after Aunt Gu tried to give him a graceful exit. True idol behavior!

Li Zhiyan's words made Yu Sisi feel increasingly embarrassed. Everything she had said earlier felt like a boomerang that came right back and hit her squarely.

Seeing Li Zhiyan confess again, Gu Wanzhou realized this wouldn't be easy to brush off.

"Zhiyan, come with Auntie. Let's have a talk."

With that, she took Li Zhiyan by the hand and led him toward her Mercedes.

This was exactly what Li Zhiyan had expected. At 41, Gu Wanzhou was hardly the type to reject him publicly like Yu Sisi might have, leaving him as a laughingstock for years to come.

A mature woman's charm was different—she was experienced, considerate of others, and more empathetic. Unlike younger girls, she wouldn't make a scene.

Ever since his rebirth, Li Zhiyan found himself more drawn to the elegance of older women.

"Zhiyan, get in the car."

"Auntie will take you out for tea."

He looked at her newly purchased Mercedes E-Class, remembering how wealthy Aunt Gu was. She owned a company in Wan City and was used to a high position, carrying herself with a strong aura that inexplicably gave him a sense of security.

Why hadn't he pursued Gu Wanzhou in his previous life?

Maybe he hadn't noticed the charm of mature women back then, or perhaps he lacked the courage.

If he hadn't been reborn and learned that money trumps face, he'd never have dared to confess his feelings to Gu Wanzhou like this.

After the car drove off, the classmates were all abuzz, discussing Li Zhiyan's actions.

Yu Sisi's face was grim. Remembering the words she hadn't managed to say earlier, she felt even worse. She stomped her foot and ran off, unable to stay at the reunion any longer.

Liu Yaolong, who'd hoped to see this annoying guy humiliated, also wore a sour expression.

And Liu Zifeng looked like he'd swallowed a fly, unable to utter any of the mocking words he'd prepared.

The teacher's wife was astonished too. This kid, confessing to a woman more than twenty years older than him?

...

On the way, Li Zhiyan mentally tried to open his system.

Sure enough, a system panel appeared in his mind, showing that the task was complete.

"Task completed."

"Funding source being arranged…"

"Due to your habit of studying programming in your spare time,"

"You've achieved moderate skill in computer programming."

"You helped Mr. Liu of Liuyun Corp. resolve an internal system crash issue and were awarded a bonus of fifty thousand yuan."

"Please collect your payment of fifty thousand yuan tomorrow evening at Room 999, Xinyuan Grand Hotel."

"Private room setting, for 12 people."

"Gu Wanzhou, Liu Zifeng, Yu Lili, Rao Shiyun, Liu Yan…"

"As business partners, the 12 will gather for a dinner meeting."

"Note: Computer programming skills are currently in progress."

Li Zhiyan cursed inwardly. Trash system! Shouldn't it have just wired the money directly into his bank account, under the radar so no one could trace it?

The system panel was also incredibly basic, with no follow-up missions displayed.

But having a system at all was already a blessing in his eyes.

By the time the car arrived at the Chrysanthemum Teahouse, Li Zhiyan's thoughts were pulled back to the present.

"Zhiyan, let's go upstairs and have a chat."

Looking at the troubled young man beside her, Gu Wanzhou decided it was time to help him work through his issues!

Liking a woman 23 years his senior? That wasn't normal.

Maybe it was a psychological complex. From a psychologist's perspective, this wasn't exactly healthy.

"One private room, one pot of green tea, please."

As they entered the private room, Li Zhiyan remembered how popular teahouses were in these days.

No surprise there—teahouses were perfect for… clandestine meetings.

Selling tea barely made any profit, but with room rates only about twenty yuan and no ID required, it was convenient for those looking to avoid hotels.

Only three or four years later would teahouses start to decline in Wan City, as people moved to short-stay hotel rooms.

The two of them sat in silence for a while.

Not a word was spoken until the green tea was served, and the waiter quietly exited the room. Only then did Gu Wanzhou speak.

"Zhiyan, when did you start liking Auntie?"

Looking at the plain young man before her, Gu Wanzhou thought about how, in her younger years, she wouldn't have looked twice at someone like him. But now, at over 40, she looked at him almost like he was a younger family member and wanted to help him get his thinking straight.

"From the first time I saw you."

Li Zhiyan picked up his cup of green tea and spoke with utmost seriousness. Gazing at her shapely legs wrapped in flesh-colored stockings, he felt more strongly that Aunt Gu's charm far surpassed that of any younger woman.

"Xiaoyan, this isn't right. Auntie is already 41."

"And you're only 18. There's a whole 23-year gap between us. You really shouldn't have such thoughts."

Li Zhiyan responded without the slightest hesitation, "But Aunt Gu."

"In society, many wealthy men date 18-year-old girls. Isn't there also a huge age gap there? So why can they do it, but I can't like you?"

His words left Gu Wanzhou at a loss for words. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Seeing him calmly discuss his feelings with sound reasoning, she found herself somewhat impressed.

An 18-year-old who could publicly confess to her, and then stand firm even in the face of her lecture.

His mindset was truly different from the average person.

For a moment, she was at a loss on how to advise him. Was it really wrong for him to like her?

It didn't seem so.

She was a divorced woman, free by both legal and moral standards. And though Li Zhiyan was only 18, he was still an adult.

There wasn't really any aspect by which his feelings could be called wrong.

"Li Zhiyan, have you heard of the Oedipus complex?"

At this moment, Gu Wanzhou decided she'd try to correct his thinking. She felt he should be drawn to girls his own age.

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