Chapter 201: Happiness?

I have to say, Chen Ting played her part very convincingly. She seemed genuinely kind to every child.

That day, a little boy named Chen Moran had an accident in his pants, and I was absolutely disgusted.

I made him stand in the corner of the classroom in his soiled pants and had all the other kids take turns mocking him. He dared to cross me—this was what he deserved.

But when Chen Ting arrived, without a word, she picked the child up and took him to the bathroom. Not only did she wash him with warm water, but she also cleaned the filthy pants.

I often wondered—was it really necessary for her to go that far?

What good would it do to win over these kids?

Would they give her money?

A few days later, I realized I was wrong.

Pleasing these kids actually worked.

One child’s father suddenly showed up at the kindergarten and gave both Chen Ting and me a beautiful gold necklace.

He said, “Teachers work hard. This is just a small token of appreciation.”

Before either of us could respond, he hurried away.

Could something this good really happen?

Without even having to sleep with anyone, I got a gold necklace?

No wonder my parents were willing to mortgage the house to make me a kindergarten teacher—had they already thought of this?

This was truly a foolproof, profitable business!

Chen Ting refused to accept it. She looked up the child’s registered address and mailed the necklace back.

How stupid. It was rightfully ours. I didn’t care what she did—I was satisfied.

After she returned the necklace, the father seemed to understand something. From then on, he only gave gifts to me, completely ignoring Chen Ting.

That was Chen Ting’s own fault.

After that, I got smarter. Every day, I escorted the kids to the kindergarten gate and memorized the cars their parents drove.

Kids who arrived in Mercedes or BMWs naturally deserved better treatment, while those brought in on bicycles shouldn’t even be in my sight.

If the parents treated me well, I’d treat their kids well. It was mutual, wasn’t it?

Otherwise, as a stranger, why should I care for their children wholeheartedly?

Soon, some parents caught on.

For an entire year, I felt like I was reliving the happiest time of my life.

I could get whatever I wanted. Anything I didn’t need, I sold online. Before long, I moved out and rented my own place.

It was exhilarating. I’d shaken off two deadweights and was living a refined life.

Then one day… the principal called me into her office.

The middle-aged woman looked stern, and just seeing her made me nauseous.

“Have you been accepting gifts from parents?” she asked.

“No…” I replied with a smile.

She sighed. “You should know it wasn’t easy for you to get this job. Your mother even knelt and begged me. I hope you can settle down and do your job properly. Since this is your first offense, I won’t press the matter—just return the gifts, and we’ll let it go.”

“Huh?” I pretended not to understand. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Principal. What do you want me to return?”

“Someone has already reported you. You’d better watch yourself,” she continued. “If I hear about this again, you’ll be going home.”

Though I was shaking with anger, I forced a smile. “Understood, Principal.”

Who else could’ve reported me besides her?

The parents?

Impossible. They knew the consequences of crossing me—I’d take it all out on their kids.

That left only one person: Chen Ting.

How dare she ruin this for me?

I truly didn’t understand—why was the universe so unfair to me?

Every time I found happiness, someone had to come along and wreck it.

Couldn’t they just let me be happy?

All the teachers in this kindergarten disgusted me. They pretended to care so much about the kids, making me the odd one out.

What were they even pretending for?

How could anyone possibly care for other people’s children wholeheartedly?

I decided to teach Chen Ting a lesson.

If she wouldn’t let me have peace, I wouldn’t let her have any either.

I took a utility knife and called Chen Ting into the bathroom.

I was ready to confront her. If she admitted to reporting me, I’d slash her face.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Ran?” Chen Ting looked exhausted—she’d just put a few kids to sleep.

“Why did you report me?” I demanded.

“Report you?” She seemed genuinely confused. “Report you for what?”

“Stop pretending!” I snapped. “The principal knows about the gifts I took. How?”

“Huh?” Chen Ting frowned slowly. “Xiao Ran, every parent in the class of thirty-something kids knows about your gift-taking. Any one of them could’ve reported you.”

“Impossible,” I said, shaking my head. “They wouldn’t dare. Otherwise, I’d make sure their kids suffered.”

Chen Ting grew angrier by the second. “Xiao Ran, I really want to ask you—what do you see these children as? Hostages?”

“Hostages?”

“You extort their parents by threatening their kids. Does that make you a teacher?” Her voice rose, grating on my nerves. “If you hate them so much, why choose this job? Those kids see you as someone they can rely on—what do you give them in return?”

“I—” I hadn’t expected her to lose her temper like this and was momentarily speechless. “What career I choose is none of your business!”

“You’re right. It’s none of my business what you do—but I won’t let you keep abusing those children.” She pulled out her phone and angrily showed me a photo of bruises on a child’s leg.

“Shan Shan’s leg is covered in pinch marks. Did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t.”

I turned away, amused. So what if I did it?

Was there any proof?

That little brat Shan Shan’s family was dirt poor—what could they possibly do to me?

“Listen, Xiao Ran—if I catch you in the act, I will call the police,” Chen Ting snapped. “If you hate this job, quit now. What you’re doing will ruin these children’s lives. We’re their first mentors—we should be giving them love and care, not abuse.”

“You—” I gritted my teeth, unable to retort.

“If you keep this up, more and more people will report you. You’ll be fired sooner or later.”

What the hell?

She was just an intern—how dare she talk to a full-time employee like this?

I hated this job, but why should I listen to her?

As she stormed off, I clenched the utility knife so hard I nearly crushed it.