I have to say, Chen Ting put on a very convincing act. She looked like she treated every child well.

That day, the little boy named Chen Moran defecated in his pants. I was disgusted to death.

I made him stand in the classroom as punishment wearing those filthy pants, and arranged for all the children to take turns coming to look at him and laugh at him. He dared to provoke me—this was what he deserved.

But when Chen Ting arrived, without a word she picked up the child and took him to the bathroom. Not only did she wash his body with warm water, she even cleaned those pants covered in filth.

I often wondered, was it necessary for her to go to such lengths?

What was the point of pleasing these children?

Would they give you money to spend?

A few days later, I discovered I was wrong.

Pleasing these children really was useful.

One child’s father suddenly came to the kindergarten and gave Chen Ting and me each a beautiful gold necklace.

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

Before we could say anything, the father left in a hurry.

Could there really be such good fortune?

Without even having to sleep with anyone, I could receive gold necklaces?

No wonder my parents mortgaged the house just to make me become a kindergarten teacher—had they thought of this all along?

This really was a sure-win business deal!

Chen Ting refused to accept it no matter what. She looked up the address registered when the child enrolled and mailed the necklace back.

How foolish. This was what we deserved. I didn’t care whether she accepted it or not—in any case, I was very satisfied.

After she sent the necklace back, that father seemed to understand what was going on. From then on, he only sent gifts to me alone, completely ignoring Chen Ting.

This was all Chen Ting’s own doing.

From that point on, I became even smarter. Every day I would see the children off at the kindergarten entrance, then take note of what car each child’s parents drove.

Those children who got out of Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs naturally deserved to be treated well, while those children delivered on bicycles shouldn’t even appear before my eyes.

Parents who treated me well, I treated their children well. It was all mutual, wasn’t it?

Otherwise, why would I, a complete stranger, wholeheartedly care for their children?

Very quickly, some of the parents understood my meaning.

For a full year, I felt like I had returned to the happiest time of my life.

Whatever I wanted, I could get. Those things I couldn’t use, I would put up for sale online. Soon I moved out of my family home and rented my own place.

This feeling was too wonderful. I had cast off those two burdens and worked hard to make myself live more exquisitely.

But one day… the principal summoned me to her office.

This middle-aged woman’s expression was extremely stern. Just looking at her made me want to vomit.

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

“No…” I smiled and said.

The middle-aged woman sighed. “You need to know that it wasn’t easy for you to come here. Your mother even knelt before me. I hope you can settle down and work properly. This is your first offense, so I won’t dig deeper. Return the things to people, and we’ll consider this matter settled.”

“Hm?” I pretended not to understand. “I really don’t know, Principal. What do you want me to return?”

“Someone has already reported you. You’d better watch yourself,” she continued. “If I hear about anything similar next time, you’d better prepare to go home.”

Although I was trembling with anger, I still squeezed out a smile and said, “Alright, Principal. I understand.”

Who could have reported me?

The children’s parents?

Impossible. They should know how serious the consequences would be if they provoked me—I would take all my anger out on their children.

Thinking it through, there was only one person: Chen Ting.

She actually dared to ruin my good thing?

I really didn’t understand why Heaven was so unfair to me.

Every time I felt happiness, someone would come out to disrupt my life.

Could none of you stand to see me happy?

All the teachers in this entire kindergarten disgusted me. They pretended to devote all their attention to the children, actually making me the odd one out.

What exactly were you all pretending at?

How could there possibly be people in this world who would wholeheartedly care for other people’s children?

I decided to teach Chen Ting a lesson.

She wouldn’t let me have a good time, so I couldn’t possibly let her have a good time either.

I took a box cutter and called Chen Ting to the bathroom.

I was ready to interrogate her properly. If she dared admit she had reported me, I would slash her face to ribbons.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Ran?” Chen Ting looked very tired. She had just finished coaxing several children to sleep.

“Why did you report me?” I asked.

“Report you?” Chen Ting was clearly confused for a moment. “Report you for what?”

“Stop pretending!” I said extremely angrily. “I accepted things from parents—how did the principal find out?”

“Hm?” Chen Ting slowly furrowed her brow. “Xiao Ran, the parents of all thirty-plus children in the class know about you accepting gifts. Anyone could be the person who reported you.”

“That’s not possible.” I shook my head. “They don’t dare provoke me. Otherwise I’ll make their children suffer the consequences.”

The more Chen Ting listened, the angrier she became. She couldn’t help but question me: “Xiao Ran, I really want to ask you—what exactly do you take these children for? ‘Hostages’?”

“Hostages?”

“You rely on threatening these children to collect compensation from their parents. Can you still be considered a teacher?” Chen Ting’s voice grew louder and louder, irritating me to distraction. “If you hate these children so much, why choose this profession? Those children treat you as someone they can depend on—what have you given them in return?”

“I…” I hadn’t expected Chen Ting to have such a big temper. For a moment I was at a loss for words. “What profession I choose—what does that have to do with you?”

“Yes, what profession you choose has nothing to do with me, but you’re not allowed to abuse those children anymore.” Chen Ting took out her phone from her pocket and furiously pulled up a photo—it was bruises on a child’s leg.

“There are bruises on Shanshan’s leg where someone pinched her. Did you know about this?”

“I don’t know.”

I turned my head away, feeling it was laughable. So what if I was the one who pinched her?

Was there any evidence?

That little bitch Shanshan’s family was poor as dirt—could they possibly do anything to me?

“I’m warning you, Xiao Ran. If I catch you in the act, I will definitely call the police.” Chen Ting said to me fiercely. “If you hate this profession, please resign immediately. What you’re doing now will ruin a child’s entire life. We are their first mentors in life. We should wholeheartedly provide them with love and care, not abuse.”

“You…” I gritted my teeth, actually unable for a moment to figure out how to refute her.

“If you continue like this, more and more people will report you. Just wait to be fired.”

What the hell?

She was just an intern—what gave her the right to speak like this to a formal employee?

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

Watching her leave in a fury, I nearly crushed the box cutter in my hand.