NOVEL NEXT Chapter 637: Goodbye
"Old Pan, go call our daughter, let's take a walk downstairs together," Zhang Qiu Fang said.
Pan Guoliang was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. Hearing this, he set the paper down, slowly took off his glasses, sighed, and said, "You should go, she listens to you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiu Fang, a bit angered, said, "What use are you?"
But even as she said this, she had already gotten up and walked toward the room.
Arriving at the door, she knocked lightly.
"Panpan, are you sleeping? I'm coming in."
Without waiting for a response, she pushed the door open and entered.
The lock on the door had long been broken, allowing free entry and exit.
It was already noon, but the curtains were drawn tightly. The sunlight barely seeped through the thick curtains, casting a dim light, making the room look somewhat hazy.
The room was a bit messy, with books, clothes, and shoes scattered everywhere. On the bed lay a person, wrapped entirely in a blanket, leaving only a mess of hair visible.
Zhang Qiu Fang did not immediately wake the person in bed. Instead, she bent over and began tidying up the room.
"You can't just lie there every day; life... sigh... come on, get up and take a walk with me..."
"Life is like this; there's no obstacle you can't overcome. You have to face life bravely. Do you know what Xiao Yan likes most about you..."
"He likes your cheerful personality, how you're not defeated by life. Look at what you've become now..."
Zhang Qiu Fang rambled on. The person in bed either was asleep or pretended not to hear, remaining completely still.
After tidying up a bit, Zhang Qiu Fang sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to pull away the blanket covering the other person's head, but it was held tightly. Zhang Qiu Fang sighed, not pulling any harder.
She continued to ramble on.
Perhaps because Zhang Qiu Fang talked too much, the person under the blanket finally got annoyed and pulled the blanket off. With an angry face, she stared directly at Zhang Qiu Fang sitting on the edge of the bed.
Zhang Qiu Fang wasn't angry, she chuckled and said, "You're awake."
She seemed a bit proud of herself for managing to make her daughter compromise in this way.
Seeing her daughter's messy hair, she reached out to comb it, revealing the cheek hidden behind it only to see a palm-sized burn scar, looking rather grim. A look of pity flashed in Zhang Qiu Fang's eyes.
If not for the burn, her daughter Panpan would undoubtedly be a great beauty. Her features were exquisite and her bone structure perfect, but the burn scar on her face ruined it all.
"Get up, have something to eat, and then come walk with me, alright?"
Zhang Qiu Fang leaned slightly forward, her voice soft.
But Panpan just stared at her without saying a word.
Zhang Qiu Fang wasn't upset, smiling as she said, "If you don't agree, I won't leave."
And so they remained at a standstill like this. After about ten minutes, just as Zhang Qiu Fang began to feel a backache from maintaining such a posture, Panpan finally turned over and sat up.
Zhang Qiu Fang, seeing this, both breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with delight.
Panpan got out of bed mechanically and walked straight out of the room. Zhang Qiu Fang, with a face of appeasement, quickly followed.
Seeing his daughter come out, Pan Guoliang, who had been sitting anxiously on the sofa, hurriedly got up and said with a face full of affection, "Panpan is up, are you hungry?"
But Panpan, with a cold expression, didn't even glance at him as she walked straight to the bathroom.
And then, with a bang, she shut the door.
Pan Guoliang looked helplessly at his wife. Zhang Qiu Fang exchanged a glance with him, sighed, and stood quietly outside the bathroom door.
Whenever her daughter stayed in the bathroom for a while, she would directly break in.
The reason for this wasn't because she was unreasonable but because her daughter had a history of self-harm; she had previously cut her wrist in the bathroom.
However, this time, nothing unusual happened. Accompanied by the sound of running water, Panpan soon came out of the bathroom.
And then, without combing her hair or changing her shoes, she walked straight toward the front door.
Zhang Qiu Fang hurried to follow her, signaling Pan Guoliang with her eyes as they left.
Pan Guoliang nodded silently, indicating he understood.
Going downstairs, the glaring sunlight made Zhang Qiu Fang uncomfortable for a moment. She reached up to shield her eyes and then slowly lowered her head.
She hid her cheeks behind her long hair, making her appear very gloomy.
"Panpan, let's go for a walk in Peace Park, shall we?" Zhang Qiu Fang walked briskly to catch up and said.
Panpan didn't say anything, continuing to walk straight out of the residential area.
Actually, besides the park, there's a riverside road nearby with beautiful scenery, but Zhang Qiu Fang dared not let her walk along the riverside road, afraid she might jump into the river impulsively.
She's getting older, and if Panpan really jumped in, she wouldn't be able to save her.
So she walked in front, directly on her daughter's right side, intentionally or unintentionally blocking her path, not allowing her toward the riverside road.
Perhaps sensing her mother's caution, Panpan directly turned, heading towards Peace Square. Zhang Qiu Fang breathed another sigh of relief.
She glanced back quietly and sure enough, she saw Pan Guoliang following behind with things in hand.
It was noon, and the weather was hot, with hardly anyone in the park.
But Panpan seemed oblivious to the heat, walking under the blazing sun, circling the rubber track lap after lap. Zhang Qiu Fang wanted to give her an umbrella, but couldn't keep up with her pace.
Whether due to sweat or tears, it wasn't long before her pajamas in front were soaked.
"Panpan, let's take a break; don't torture yourself like this," Zhang Qiu Fang said, eyes full of heartache.
"Yes, dear daughter, seeing you like this makes your father heartbroken as well," Pan Guoliang added.
"Don't bother me," Panpan said.
Her voice carried a touch of anger, but the couple didn't mind; it was the first time that day their daughter had spoken.
"Alright, alright, we won't, but have some water..."
Zhang Qiu Fang handed over a bottle of mineral water, which was brought by Pan Guoliang.
Panpan initially didn't want to take it, but Zhang Xiufang kept her arm extended, blocking her way, so she had to reach out and take it.
Then revealing the scars on her wrists.
Seeing her daughter take the water, Zhang Qiu Fang's face lit up with joy.
But at that moment, Panpan suddenly threw the water away, yelling loudly, "I told you, don't bother me."
Then she ran forward with staggering steps.
It's unknown whether it was due to irregular rest and eating habits making her extremely weak or due to excessive sadness, or perhaps both factors.
"Panpan... Panpan..." the old couple hurriedly chased after her.
But they were a step too slow and watched as their daughter disappeared from sight, leaving them bewildered.
Pan Guoliang decided to take a shortcut, finally spotting his daughter's silhouette.
He saw his daughter had stopped, staring directly to the side of the track.
"Panpan..."