The Versatile Master Artist

”This isn’t about religious beliefs; it’s just the life experience of someone who’s been there.”

Mrs. Sakai smiled.

”Boys in love, even if they put on a facade and say they’re after a Platonic spiritual romance, are still thinking about those things in their minds. Once they’ve slept together, the hormones find an outlet and are satisfied, the passion will slowly begin to wane.”

”You’re very beautiful. But even Hollywood actresses’ husbands often cheat. Being too willing to give can make you seem cheap.”

Mrs. Sakai poked her daughter’s cheek: ”It’s better to wait a little longer. What they yearn for day and night but can’t have, that’s the best goddess that keeps him itching in his heart.”

”I’m not that kind of... loose girl...” Koizumi Katsuko’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

”Of course, my daughter is not a loose woman.”

Mrs. Sakai shook her head and picked up a small black box beside her.

”I’m giving this to you precisely because I trust you. I believe you, Shengzi, have the ability to handle the progress of your relationship. I just want to say that girls are naturally at a disadvantage in relationships. It might not sound nice, and it’s politically incorrect, but the reality is, whether or not you have your virginity affects how men view you.”

”You know, according to tradition, Princess Diana was checked for her virginity before she was allowed to marry into the British Royal Family, right?”

”I remember Mom always disliked that news, thinking it was an exploitation of women’s sexual rights,” Koizumi Katsuko nodded gently, saying with some confusion.

”From a woman’s perspective, of course, I detest such traditions,”

Mrs. Sakai shook her head with disdain.

”If it were in public, if a journalist were interviewing me today, I would definitely speak from a feminist perspective and regard it as an insult to women. And while I’m at it, I’d tear into the British Royal Family, since I’m not involved in the Commonwealth. What era is it now, still having such medieval ghostly regulations?”

”But right now, this is not a TV interview, I’m speaking from a mother’s perspective, sharing life experiences with my daughter. At this very moment in this room, I’m not concerned with the right or wrong of values, I just hope she can take fewer detours.”

Mrs. Sakai hugged the girl.

”So, I can’t sit here and tell you, girl, just love boldly. Why should men be allowed to be playboy Casanovas, and girls not have the right to sleep with whomever they want? Even if you have love affairs everywhere, slept with a whole company of boyfriends, had five abortions, you’re still your most beautiful self, kind of talk.”

Mrs. Sakai said softly, ”That’s the kind of thing that should be said in the emotional columns of women’s magazines, not from a mother. I’d rather tell you another truth.”

”Once you’ve slept together, you’ve depreciated. When you date other boys in the future, whether or not you’ve slept with someone else, your weight in his mind is completely different. Even in the most open Latin America, initially, boys would treat you as a rare treasure, but if you’ve had an abortion, you might become just an ordinary pretty face.”

”You can only have one first night, you’d want to save it for your Mr. Right,” Mrs. Sakai said.

”So you need to learn to say no, even if Gu Weijing asks, you must hold yourself back. If he truly loves you, you should ask him to consider and respect you.”

Koizumi Katsuko listened quietly.

”It’s not that I doubt your future or think it will turn out some way or another. It’s just that life needs not only love but also reason, preserving your value provides more choices for your future,” Mrs. Sakai said softly, ”Do you understand?”

”Mm.”

Koizumi Katsuko responded softly.

”Alright, that’s as much as I need to say. You don’t necessarily have to wait until after marriage—”

Mrs. Sakai released her arms from around her daughter and stretched lazily.

”When, at some moment, Shengzi truly believes from the bottom of her heart that the boy beside her is the one destined for her life. You believe you and he will spend a lifetime together, feel that even if he abandons you in the next second, you wouldn’t regret loving him at this moment. You have enough courage to take on everything he brings to you, whether happiness or sadness.”

”Then, whether it’s kissing or making love, it will be a beautiful thing that makes you smile from the heart when you recall it ten, twenty, or fifty years later when you’re old.”

Mrs. Sakai patted her daughter’s head one last time,

and stood up to leave.

”Go take a bath, remove your makeup before you sleep, otherwise it won’t be good for your skin,” Mrs. Sakai instructed.

”Mom?”

When Mrs. Sakai reached the door, she was called by her daughter again.

The blonde woman turned around: ”What’s up?”

”Uh, well, Mom, was my makeup really not done well today?”

Koizumi Katsuko tilted her head slightly, a blush still tinging her face, uncertainly asking, ”Was it really ugly?”

”Well, as far as makeup skills go, it’s a bit clumsy, still needs more practice... but it’s more than enough to captivate boys.”

Looking at her daughter’s adorable little face, as cute as a red apple, Mrs. Sakai chuckled, ”Who wouldn’t appreciate my daughter’s natural beauty?”

...

The rain had stopped,

The water on the roof still dripped down slowly along the eaves.

Gu Weijing pushed open the bedroom door, sat down at the desk, and the warm light from the desk lamp bathed him.

After a busy day,

Gu Weijing was still not sleepy, looking somewhat dazed.