Mrs. Penny truly didn’t know how to broach the subject at this moment. She and Lola had grown distant, and that childhood trauma—being violated—was always something too painful to ask about directly.
Mrs. Penny’s mind was in turmoil, so she started with some ordinary questions, like what kind of person Neil Zhao was and how he treated Lola.
Lola answered each question, and Mrs. Penny noticed that whenever Neil Zhao was mentioned, Lola’s expression visibly softened. The usual coolness faded, replaced by a shy, girlish glow.
Mrs. Penny was no stranger to such things—one look and she knew Lola had already fallen for Neil Zhao.
Neil Zhao and Lola got to know each other while working on the academy project. Gradually, they became familiar, with Neil Zhao helping out with many of Lola’s responsibilities.
From Lola’s answers, Mrs. Penny gathered that although Neil Zhao had endured tremendous setbacks and grew up surrounded by hatred, at least his resentment was directed solely at the Zhao family. He hadn’t become twisted or vengeful toward the world.
And from the way Neil Zhao treated Lola, it sounded pretty good too.
Even after all her questions, Mrs. Penny’s worries hadn’t lessened. Sure, Neil Zhao was good to Lola now, but what if, on their wedding night, he discovered Lola wasn’t a virgin? Would he feel deceived, wonder why misfortune always found him—even in marriage—and end up resenting Lola just as he hated the Zhao family?
Mrs. Penny honestly couldn’t say. After all, men in this era cared deeply about whether their wives were virgins.
If he’d married a widow or someone with a previous marriage, that would be known beforehand—so it wouldn’t be such a big deal.
But for a young girl like Lola, who’s never been married, yet isn’t a virgin, who knows what people would assume about her!
Take Belle and Eugene Jr., for example—their love story is one of a kind.
They knew each other inside out. Eugene Jr. had admired Belle long before her misfortune, and when it happened, he was aware of everything. He never minded—actually, he blamed himself for not protecting her, and kept pursuing Belle with even more devotion.
But Neil Zhao and Lola only met recently—they barely knew each other before. Mrs. Penny couldn’t guess what Neil Zhao might think, or if he could accept it.
The more Mrs. Penny thought about it, the more her head hurt. But looking at Lola, she just couldn’t find the words.
How could she bring this up with Lola? Should she ask if Lola even remembers what happened when she was a child? Should she tell her she’s not a virgin anymore, and worry that Neil Zhao might reject her?
It’s just too cruel—she really couldn’t say it out loud!
At that moment, Lola glanced up at the sky and said, “Master Penny, Chancellor Evans should be up by now. Let’s hurry and go report.”
With that, Lola strode off ahead. Mrs. Penny called after her twice and quickly chased after, thinking to herself that since Lola wouldn’t be getting married anytime soon, she’d wait until they returned to figure out how to talk to Lola about it—and bring it up then.
Mrs. Penny took a deep breath, straightened her robes, and nodded. "Let’s focus on the mission first."
The two headed to Chancellor Evans’s study. Chancellor Evans looked up from her desk and asked, "Mission accomplished?"
Mrs. Penny replied, "We followed your orders and caught sixteen spies. General Sean Hayes is interrogating them now."