Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I don’t know how Li Yuwei talked to her mom, but after the second period in the afternoon, her mom showed up.
I jogged all the way to the school gate to greet her.
I didn’t recognize the car her mom drove, but a single glance told me it was expensive.
Its doors opened upward at an angle, just like wings!
A young woman in a light yellow casual dress suit, carrying a Hermès bag, stepped out. She practically blinded me with her radiance.
Li Yuwei hopped up and down, shouting, “Mommy! Mommy!”
Without a word, the young woman pulled her into a hug and planted a loud kiss on her cheek, then opened her mouth with an old-money accent.
“Honey, Mommy has been incredibly busy these days. I originally planned to squeeze in some time to go home and cook dinner for you today. I didn’t expect you to call me so urgently. You didn’t make it clear on the phone-what exactly did you need Mommy for?”
Li Yuwei didn’t hold back at all and spilled our entire plan from start to finish. I thought her mom would scold us for messing around, but instead she just covered her mouth with her hand and laughed for a moment, saying, “So cute. Oh my god, you little girls are just too interesting.”
Then she smiled at me, hooked her arm through mine, and said, “So you’re my goddaughter? Let’s go.”
Me: “…”
Now I finally understood why Li Yuwei always smiled so innocently.
With a mom like that, who wouldn’t be a little princess?

We walked into the homeroom teacher’s office,
where Teacher Chen was chatting with a colleague.
When he saw me, he froze, then looked at Aunt Li, who had her arm linked with mine.
Aunt Li said, “Hello, Teacher Chen. Xu Jiajia’s parents weren’t able to come, so I’m her godmother. You can discuss anything with me.”
Teacher Chen had met Aunt Li before. It took him a few seconds to recover before he said, “…Godmother? Ms. Li, you’re Xu Jiajia’s godmother?”
Aunt Li set down her bag, her smile unchanged. “Teacher Chen, if it’s not too much trouble, could you address me as Director Li? After all, I am a member of the school board. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten.”
Teacher Chen hurriedly nodded, “Of course, of course, Director Li. Well, it’s nothing major, really. It’s mainly about Xu Jiajia’s early romance issue.”
Teacher Chen exaggerated the story, afraid that Aunt Li would think he was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Aunt Li nodded thoughtfully. “Although I think it’s normal for adolescents to develop feelings for each other, in order to uphold school rules, Teacher Chen’s decision to call in the parents is understandable. So, where is the boy’s parent?”
Teacher Chen: “…” He froze awkwardly, because he hadn’t called Lin Xiyan’s parents at all.
“The boy’s parents, uh, aren’t available today.”
“Is that so?” Aunt Li put her arm around my shoulders and smiled. “Or did you only call Xu Jiajia’s parent?”
Teacher Chen broke out in a cold sweat and said awkwardly, “Of course not.”
I seized the chance to badmouth Teacher Chen, putting on a distressed and aggrieved look.
“Godmother, Teacher Chen only called my parents. Maybe he thinks I’m beyond hope. Even though I placed tenth in the grade on the last monthly exam, and Lin Xiyan scored three hundred points less than me, but you know, my family is poor, so it’s only natural to be looked down on.”
“Boo hoo.”
Aunt Li frowned and said, “How could such a thing happen? Is this true?”
Teacher Chen frantically wiped sweat from his forehead with a tissue. “That’s absolutely not true. I treat all students equally. Xu Jiajia, you can’t just say things and falsely accuse a teacher.”
He looked at me, half-jokingly but also seriously, the threat in his eyes unmistakable.
Li Yuwei, being quite loyal, stepped forward indignantly to speak up for me: “Xu Jiajia is an honest kid. How could she have the nerve to falsely accuse a teacher? Here, I’ll go fetch Lin Xiyan and we can just ask him!”
She ran off to call Lin Xiyan. Lin Xiyan walked in, completely baffled, and after comparing stories with Aunt Li, it became clear his parents had never been called.
Teacher Chen: “…”

Aunt Li said sternly, “Teacher Chen, Xu Jiajia is my goddaughter. I am very fond of her and value her greatly. I do not want her to be treated differently at school.”

The homeroom teacher bowed and scraped to her.

“Of course. Xu Jiajia, my student, I may have spoken a bit harshly this morning, but it was for your own good. After all, your grades are so excellent, I don’t want to see you go astray.”

I sniffled again, looking up at the teacher.

“Then before, when others bullied me, you scolded me for not getting along with classmates, said I was a bookworm with a wooden head-was that also for my own good?”

The homeroom teacher was left speechless, his face stiffening.

Li Yuwei slapped her thigh. “What! Omo mo mo mo! That’s so mean!”

Aunt Li patted her shoulder, signaling her to stop with the “omo.”

“I will verify this matter and report it to the board of directors. Teacher Chen, do you have anything else?”

The homeroom teacher’s face looked awful. He held it in for a while before saying, “No, no, Director Li, please go ahead with your work.”

Aunt Li put a hand on my shoulder and walked me out of the office, with Li Yuwei and Lin Xiyan following behind.

A few students who had been eavesdropping and watching the excitement pretended to be just passing by, but actually ran back to the classroom to spread gossip.

Gossip spreads fastest in school. Probably by the time we just stepped out of the teaching building, they all knew Aunt Li was my godmother.

Just became a sister-in-law and now I’ve latched onto a rich woman. Who has it better than me?

We reached the school gate. I was just about to thank Aunt Li and say goodbye when Li Yuwei suddenly burst into tears and collapsed to the ground.

The three of us turned back to look at her.

Li Yuwei had one hand on the gate and the other covering her face, looking like she was about to shatter.

“Mommy, I can’t hold it in anymore. Why did you take Xu Jiajia as your goddaughter? Is it just because her grades are better than mine?”

“I’m your biological daughter! How can you ignore my feelings for an outsider? You even let her move into our house and take my room. I won’t allow it!”

Aunt Li hadn’t expected her acting to come on so suddenly. Her eyes darted around, and she said, “Uh-huh.”

Lin Xiyan came over and whispered to me, “Dang, how did you manage that? Li Yuwei’s mom spoils her kids the most.”

I feigned calm. “The waters run deep here. It’s hard to explain in just a sentence or two.”

Lin Xiyan looked serious and nodded heavily.

Li Yuwei continued, “Mommy, you also promised to let her take over the company after graduation. Why, why! Everything in our family should be inherited by me!”

Li Yuwei stood up, grabbing Aunt Li’s arm and sobbing, “Mommy, you also want me to donate a heart to her, a kidney, donate-”

I cut Li Yuwei off, “I don’t have that many parts to replace. That’s enough.”

Li Yuwei pouted, tears streaming down her face.

“Mommy, look at the attitude she’s speaking to me. Aren’t you going to do anything? Am I no longer your most precious baby?”

Aunt Li looked at me.

After a long contemplation, she dropped the harsh words: “You’re not being good, so Mommy doesn’t like you anymore. All right, go reflect on your own. Mommy has to go back to work.”

Saying this, she walked away in her soft-bottomed white leather shoes, gracefully escaping this den of drama.

Li Yuwei wore an expression of heartbreak, really getting into her act, clutching my arm and begging frantically.

“Xu Jiajia, please, just have a little pity on me, give me back my mommy and Brother Xiyan, okay? What did I ever do wrong for you to treat me like this?”

She looked at me expectantly.

I did not disappoint her, letting out a cold laugh.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s because I’m a bad woman. I have ambitions, I want to be above everyone else, and I am going to take everything you have! If you have to blame anyone, blame your own bad luck for crossing my path.”

After saying this, I reached out and lightly patted her cheek.

Li Yuwei crumbled to the ground, broken. She glanced up sneakily at Lin Xiyan, hoping he would fly into a rage for the sake of the beauty.

Little did she expect that Lin Xiyan looked at me, dumbstruck, and said, “Damn, master.”

Li Yuwei: “…?”

Li Yuwei was so angry she rolled her eyes and fainted on the spot.