Chapter 203: Evil Deeds

It's really hard to make some money. With my kindergarten salary of just over two thousand yuan a month, when will I ever afford a decent bag?

After being silent for almost a year, Qu Ge got out. As soon as he was released, he tracked me down and demanded that I treat him to a meal. I didn't really want to spend the money, but I was afraid he'd hit me, so after thinking it over, I agreed to go.

We went to a street-side restaurant and ordered a few small dishes and a few bottles of beer.

"Why didn't you come visit me?" he asked without even looking up.

"Ah... Qu Ge, it's not that I didn't want to go, it's just that the prison is so far away, and I don't have a car or the money..."

"Enough." He took a big gulp of beer and looked up at me. "Xiao Ran, do you want to make some money?"

I noticed his eyes were even more terrifying than they were six years ago.

"Make money...?"

"I have a way for you to earn a lot of it—it's all about whether you're willing to do it." Qu Ge said in a low voice. "Inside, I made friends with a lot of people and learned about all sorts of ways to get cash..."

I stared at Qu Ge carefully for a while before asking cautiously, "What do I need to do?"

"I heard you're in charge of a group of kids now, right?" Qu Ge asked.

"Yeah..."

"Pick a suitable kid and bring them out to me in a couple of days." He said. "Once you hand them over, you're done. I'll give you thirty thousand yuan."

"Just like that?" It felt too easy—simply bringing out one kid for that much money?

"That's right, just like that. Let me know when you have something lined up." He finished his meal, picked his teeth clean, and under my skeptical gaze, added, "Oh, and I don't have a place to stay tonight. Take me to your place."

"Ah... my place? That might not be a good idea..."

He glared at me with wide eyes and suddenly grabbed my wrist.

"Xiao Ran, you're not trying to ditch me, are you? Do you know how long it's been since I've been with a woman?"

"Of course not!" I laughed nervously. "My place is all cleaned up, just waiting for you to come back..."

That night, Qu Ge was very rough, and I didn't dare resist at all. His eyes were full of menace, and I was terrified. I can yell at the police all I want, but I wouldn't dare provoke someone with that kind of look. It felt like he could actually kill me.

The next day, Qu Ge left, and I had no idea where he went. When I got back to the kindergarten, I felt stuck. I deal with kids all day, but how was I supposed to take one out legitimately?

"Teacher Xiao..." A child's voice rang out beside me, making me even more agitated than I already was.

"What?"

I turned and saw the little girl named Shan Shan holding out a very cheap hard candy, offering it to me with trembling hands.

"Teacher Xiao... can I... give this candy to you, so you won't hit me anymore...?"

Hearing that made me furious. I shoved her to the ground—I thought she was just being insolent. If she hadn't come bothering me, why would I hit her? Here I was, minding my own business, and she had to come over with this cheap candy. Wasn't that asking for it? If there weren't so many other kids watching, I might have beaten her senseless!

Shan Shan looked scared, but she didn't cry—she just sat on the ground, shaking. Then another teacher walked in—I couldn't even remember her name.

"Huh?" She spotted Shan Shan on the floor right away and hurried over to help her up. "Little one, how did you fall?"

"Teacher Song... I'm scared..." Shan Shan burrowed into the woman's arms.

"Don't be afraid, tell the teacher what happened." She picked up the hard candy from the ground and asked, "Why aren't you eating the candy the teacher gave you?"

"I don't want it... I don't want to eat it..." Shan Shan clung tightly to Teacher Song.

It was disgusting. This Teacher Song woman wasn't even from our class, but she was coming in and giving kids candy. Was she trying to take my place?

Then Chen Ting came in, and when she saw what was happening, she quickly knelt down to check on Shan Shan.

"Shan Shan, what happened?"

Shan Shan didn't say anything.

"Teacher Chen..." Teacher Song looked worried when she saw Chen Ting. "Shan Shan seems really frightened..."

Before she could finish, Chen Ting's face darkened, and she stood up, confronting me aggressively. "Xiao Ran, what did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything." I snapped back irritably. "Are you blind? I'm just sitting here."

Chen Ting looked furious. She ignored me and turned to the other kids. "Did anyone see what Teacher Xiao Ran just did?"

The kids stared with wide eyes, and no one dared speak. After a long pause, a little boy named Chen Muran raised his hand. "I saw Teacher Xiao push Shan Shan down..."

"Yeah, yeah..." A bunch of the kids chimed in.

When Chen Ting heard that, she whipped around and shoved me off my chair.

"Ah!" I was startled. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Xiao Ran, listen up—I don't care what your relationship is with the principal, but from now on, if any kid cries around you, it's your fault." Chen Ting said harshly. "I don't mind if you don't want to take care of them, but I want you to stay away from them."

Teacher Song was holding Shan Shan and sighing beside us. She didn't bother with me at all; instead, she comforted Chen Ting. "It's okay, Teacher Chen... don't let someone like that get to you." She patted Chen Ting on the back. "We don't want to scare the kids."

It was ridiculous. Shan Shan was the one who came at me, and now they want me to stay away from her? That's just too much to ask.

But because of this whole mess, I came up with a plan. Shan Shan only has an elderly grandmother at home—her parents are both working out of town. She's the perfect target. If I hand her over to Qu Ge, I'll get thirty thousand yuan. That's a full thirty thousand! I only make that in a whole year of work!

Shan Shan should feel proud, because with her family background, she'll never be worth that much otherwise.

I sent a message to Qu Ge, telling him I had a target. Now it was time for my plan.

First, I found Chen Ting and apologized. I said I was just in a rush and pushing Shan Shan was an accident, and I hoped she'd forgive me.

Naive fools are so easy to trick. She actually believed me.

"Xiao Ran, I'm not trying to pick on you—I just want you to be nicer to the kids." Chen Ting frowned and said, "Even though we deal with a lot of children, for each one of them, we're their whole world. You know that, right?"

"Yes, yes." I nodded regretfully. "I won't treat them badly again."

Teacher Song was in the office too, watching me with a meaningful look. She didn't seem as easy to fool.

"Teacher Xiao, did you really push Shan Shan by accident?" Teacher Song asked. "If you saw her fall, why didn't you help her up?"

"I was too flustered and didn't think of it." I sighed. "You might not believe me, but I'll make it up with my actions. Let me personally take Shan Shan home tonight."