I am the villain in the book

After the madam's slightly mocking voice faded, the guest room fell into a deathly silence.

Gu Pan'er stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief and panic.

She had clearly placed all the silver notes in this box, so how could they be gone now?

Five thousand taels of silver was all the money Gu Pan'er had saved over the years, and it was also all her hope.

If it was gone, she didn't know how long it would take her to save enough silver again to redeem herself.

Perhaps three years, perhaps five, perhaps ten.

Or perhaps it would be impossible in this lifetime.

"Mama, Mama, my silver has been stolen!"

"I'll report it to the authorities right away, and once the thief is caught, I'll have the silver sent to you."

Her face pale, Gu Pan'er turned back, forcing herself to calm down.

As she spoke, she pulled a silver hairpin from her hair and tremblingly placed it in the middle-aged woman's hand.

"Please, please plead with the master on my behalf, and give me a few more days."

"I will definitely get the silver back, I definitely will..."

"Definitely get it back?"

Scoffing, the madam flung away the silver hairpin before Gu Pan'er could finish speaking, interrupting her disdainfully:

"Even the government wouldn't dare to guarantee they could find that thief, so how can you say such a thing?"

"Besides, the city is already in chaos because of that Wei Yama, and the government may not have the time to deal with such a small matter of yours."

"Gu Pan'er, I have no grievances with you, so I'm not deliberately making things difficult for you now."

"It's just that if you want to redeem yourself, you have to come up with the silver."

"As for whether your silver was lost, stolen, or given to some lover, that's none of my business."

"In short, if you can't produce the silver, then tomorrow, no, I'm afraid you'll have to come with me to Yichun Courtyard tonight."

"..."

Not only did she show no sympathy, but she even wanted to send Gu Pan'er to Yichun Courtyard immediately.

The madam was clearly afraid that something would happen and Gu Pan'er would run away tonight, so she wanted to send her away as soon as possible to avoid any accidents.

From kind and benevolent to cold-blooded and ruthless, the madam's change of face was incredibly fast. It could be said that as soon as she saw that Gu Pan'er's silver had been stolen, her attitude immediately took a 180-degree turn.

But this can't be blamed on her heartlessness.

After all, who knew if Gu Pan'er had really been robbed? Or if she didn't have that much silver in the first place and was just putting on an act?

Even if she really had been robbed, could the silver definitely be recovered?

Not to mention that Linchuan City was in chaos now, and the government simply didn't have time to deal with ordinary cases.

Five thousand taels was not a small sum, and the madam naturally didn't want to take responsibility for Gu Pan'er, so when she saw the latter biting her lip and remaining silent, she winked at the two strong men who had come with her.

"..."

Slowly standing up, the two burly men walked behind the madam with expressionless faces, presumably waiting for Gu Pan'er to say half a "no" before forcibly taking her away.

Without a doubt, Gu Pan'er was powerless to resist against two professional thugs.

Or rather, she had no reason to resist.

She was not a free person, and her "master" could do anything as long as they didn't want to kill her, without violating the law.

Therefore, Gu Pan'er now seemed to have no choice but to accept her fate.

But deep down, she was really unwilling.

She had finally saved enough silver to redeem herself. It was still there before she had lunch with Wei Changtian, but now it was gone.

She was about to escape from the brothel and live the life of an ordinary person, but now she had to return to that place without dignity.

When all her fantasies were shattered just before they were about to come true, one can imagine how desperate Gu Pan'er was now.

If this were a web novel from her previous life, she would most likely beg bitterly, and then the madam would remain unmoved, perhaps even beating and scolding her.

Then, Wei Changtian would appear as a "savior", casually throwing out a five-thousand-tael silver note, or simply killing all three of the madam's party, and finally leaving gracefully amidst Gu Pan'er's grateful tears.

Unfortunately, things did not develop that way.

Even though Gu Pan'er's heart was indeed expecting all of this to happen, there was not the slightest movement in the room next door.

Therefore, in the end, she could only lower her head gently and whisper in a heartbroken voice:

"I understand, Mama. Please allow me to pack my things."

"... Okay."

Seeing that Gu Pan'er did not resist, the madam's tone softened slightly.

She waved her hand at the two men, and the three of them returned to the table and sat down, still watching Gu Pan'er warily as she slowly packed her luggage.

A few clothes, a box of ordinary jewelry, some rouge and powder... Gu Pan'er didn't have many belongings, which also made the madam's eyes show a hint of pity for the first time.

As the former "manager" of Manxiang Tower, she knew very well how much silver Gu Pan'er could earn.

What's more, there were also the gold and silver jewelry that guests usually rewarded her with.

Now that all this jewelry was gone, it was obvious that Gu Pan'er had sold them all to raise money for her redemption.

But now...

"Alas..."

Sighing softly, the madam couldn't bear to look at the distraught Gu Pan'er anymore.

She didn't speak, but bent down and picked up the silver hairpin she had just thrown on the ground, and then silently stuffed it into Gu Pan'er's small bundle.

The latter was stunned for a moment, and then lowered her head and said softly:

"Mama, I've packed up. Let's go."

"Okay."

"Creak~"

Blowing out the candle and pushing open the door, it was already night.

Standing outside the door, Gu Pan'er subconsciously looked at the room next door that was still lit, her eyes struggling for a moment.

Now she had one more choice, which was to knock on Wei Changtian's door and ask him to help her.

After all, Wei Changtian had said at lunch that if she didn't have enough silver, he could help her.

Gu Pan'er knew that for a big shot like Wei Changtian, five thousand taels was by no means a significant number, and if she asked, he should help.

But after hesitating for a moment, she still didn't do so.

It's not that Gu Pan'er was thin-skinned.

She was just afraid of causing trouble for Wei Changtian.

Although she didn't know why Wei Changtian was staying in this small inn, Gu Pan'er could guess that he was actually hiding here.

So if she asked Wei Changtian to "borrow money" now, regardless of whether Wei Changtian lent it or not, it would definitely arouse the suspicion of the madam and the others, and perhaps expose Wei Changtian's identity.

Therefore, Gu Pan'er did not knock on this door, which might be her last chance to change her fate.

"Pan'er, let's go."

Beside her, the madam saw that Gu Pan'er had suddenly stopped and assumed that she was still unwilling, so she whispered to persuade her:

"I'll ask the shop assistant in the store later, and then go to report to the authorities with you tomorrow."

"Don't be too sad, if you can really find the thief, maybe the silver can be recovered."

"... Thank you, Mama."

Slowly nodding her head, Gu Pan'er no longer looked at the door, but just whispered her thanks.

Not long after, a carriage drove away from the inn and soon disappeared into the night.

The moonlight was like water, and the stars filled the sky.