# Chapter 201: Happiness?
I have to admit, Chen Ting pretended very convincingly. She seemed to treat every child well.
That day, a little boy named Chen Moran had soiled his pants. I was disgusted.
I made him stand in the classroom wearing his dirty pants and arranged for all the other children to take turns visiting him and laughing at him. He dared to provoke me; he deserved it.
But when Chen Ting arrived, she picked up the child without a word, carried him to the bathroom, not only washed his body with warm water but also cleaned his soiled pants.
I often wondered, did she really need to go that far?
Even if she won over these children, what good would it do?
Would they give her money to spend?
A few days later, I realized I was wrong.
Winning over these children really did work.
A child's father suddenly came to the kindergarten and gave both me and Chen Ting a beautiful gold necklace each.
He said, "Teachers work so hard; this is just a small token of appreciation."
Before we could say anything, the father hurried away.
Could there really be such good things in this world?
Without even having to sleep, I could receive a gold necklace?
No wonder my parents mortgaged their house just to let me become a kindergarten teacher—had they already thought of this?
This really was a surefire, no-loss deal!
Chen Ting refused to accept it no matter what. She dug out the address the child had registered when enrolling and mailed the necklace back.
What a fool. This was something we deserved. I didn't care if she accepted it or not; I was satisfied either way.
After she returned the necklace, the father seemed to understand something. From then on, he only gave gifts to me, completely ignoring Chen Ting.
It was Chen Ting's own fault.
After that, I became smarter. Every day I sent the children to the kindergarten gate and memorized what kind of car each child's parents drove.
The children who got out of Mercedes and BMWs were naturally meant to be treated well, while those dropped off on bicycles shouldn't even appear before my eyes.
If parents treated me well, I treated their children well. It was mutual, wasn't it?
Otherwise, why would I, a stranger, take care of their children wholeheartedly?
Soon, some of the parents understood what I meant.
For an entire year, I felt like I had returned to the happiest time of my life.
I could get whatever I wanted. I sold things I didn't use online, and soon moved out of my parents' house to rent my own place.
This feeling was so wonderful. I abandoned those two burdens and strived to live a more refined life.
But one day... the principal called me into her office.
This middle-aged woman's expression was very serious. Looking at her made me want to vomit.
"Did you accept gifts from parents?" she asked.
"No, I didn't..." I smiled and said.
The middle-aged woman sighed. "You need to understand that it wasn't easy for you to come here. Your mother even knelt down for me. I hope you can calm your mind and work hard. This is your first offense, so I won't pursue it deeply. Return the things to them, and we'll let it go."
"Huh?" I pretended not to understand. "I really don't know, Principal. What do you want me to return?"
"Someone has already reported you to me. You'd better behave yourself," she continued. "If I hear of anything like this again, you can prepare to go home."
Even though I was trembling with anger, I still forced a smile and said, "Okay, Principal. I understand."
Who else could have reported me?
A child's parent?
Impossible. They should know how serious the consequences would be if they angered me. I'd take all my anger out on their children.
Thinking about it, there was only one person: Chen Ting.
She dared to ruin things for me?
I really didn't understand. Why was God so unfair to me?
Every time I felt happiness, someone always came along to disrupt my life.
Couldn't you stand to see me happy?
All the teachers in this kindergarten disgusted me. They pretended to pour all their hearts into the children, making me the odd one out.
What were you all pretending for?
How could there possibly be someone in this world who takes care of someone else'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 peace either.
I took a utility knife and called Chen Ting into the bathroom.
I was ready to interrogate her. If she dared to admit she reported me, I would scar her face.
"What's wrong, Xiao Ran?" Chen Ting looked tired. She had just put several children to sleep.
"Why did you report me?" I asked.
"Report you?" Chen Ting was clearly confused. "What did I report you for?"
"Stop pretending!" I said angrily. "I accepted gifts from parents. How did the principal find out?"
"Huh?" Chen Ting slowly furrowed her brows. "Xiao Ran, the fact that you accepted gifts is known to the parents of more than thirty children in the class. Anyone could be the one who reported you."
"That's impossible." I shook my head. "They wouldn't dare provoke me, or else I'd make sure their children suffer for it."
The angrier Chen Ting got, the more she couldn't hold back. She asked, "Xiao Ran, I really want to ask you, what do you treat these children as? 'Hostages'?"
"Hostages?"
"You threaten these children to get payments from their parents. Does that still make you a teacher?" Chen Ting's voice grew louder and louder, irritating me. "If you hate these children so much, why did you choose this profession? These children see you as someone they can rely on. What do you give back to them?"
"I..." I didn't expect Chen Ting to have such a temper, and I was momentarily speechless. "What profession I choose has nothing to do with you!"
"Yes, what profession you choose has nothing to do with me. But you are not allowed to abuse those children anymore." Chen Ting took out her phone from her pocket, angrily pulled up a photo showing a bruise on a child's leg.
"Shanshan's leg was pinched black and blue. Did you know about this?"
"I don't know."
I turned my head away, finding it ridiculous. So what if I pinched her?
Was there any evidence?
That little brat Shanshan's family was dirt poor. Could they do anything to me?
"I'm warning you, Xiao Ran. If I catch you red-handed, I will definitely call the police," Chen Ting said sternly. "If you hate this profession, please resign immediately. What you're doing now will ruin these children's lives. We are their first guides in life. We should wholeheartedly give them love and care, not abuse."
"You..." I gritted my teeth, momentarily at a loss for words to refute her.
"If you keep this up, more and more people will report you. You can wait to be fired."
What the hell?
She was just an intern. How dare she talk to a regular employee like that?
I hated this profession, but why should I listen to her?
Watching her storm off angrily, the utility knife in my hand nearly crumbled under my grip.