Chapter 4

The next day at work, Sarah looked upset. When I asked her with concern, she just shook her head.

I kindly said, "If you're not feeling well, go rest in the office first. I can handle things here."

Sarah thought for a moment and finally nodded.

She said to me, "Thank you, I appreciate it."

I smiled lightly and told her not to mention it.

By lunchtime, Sarah still hadn't come to the cafeteria.

I brought some lunch back to the office and found Sarah with very swollen eyes.

"Did you... cry?" I asked nervously.

She hesitated for a long time, perhaps unable to bear it any longer, and finally sobbed as she confided in me.

"My husband didn't come home until midnight yesterday, even though he wasn't on duty. He came back very late, reeking of alcohol, and started hitting and yelling at me as soon as he got home."

I quickly handed her some tissues. She took them and cried for a while longer before finally stopping.

Sarah said, "Cindy, thank you for being my confidant."

I waved my hand, "Don't mention it. Who doesn't have some troubles they need to talk about?"

She looked at me gratefully and accepted the lunch I had brought for her.

In the blink of an eye, I had been working there for three months. During this time, I finally got to know all my colleagues at the preschool clearly, and I even got along well with the security guards and cleaners.

Everyone praised me, saying Miss Cindy is beautiful, has high emotional intelligence, and will surely make a name for herself in the future.

Some people even praised me to my face like this, but I just shook my head and said, "I have no ambition. I'd be content if I could just be a good preschool teacher for the rest of my life."

So those who praised me would say that Miss Cindy is a breath of fresh air among women, as pure as an orchid, truly a good woman.

I smiled and didn't refute them anymore.

When people want to praise you, no matter what you say, they'll think you're right.

Of course, if people want to belittle you, no matter what you do, you'll be criticized and have your spine painfully jabbed.

I think Sarah must have deeply felt this.

She was naturally someone who wore her emotions on her face, direct and self-centered. And at just 27 years old, she had become one of the top senior preschool teachers in the city, naturally receiving a lot of attention at the school.

So she became particularly arrogant, looking down on others.

Especially next to my humble self, she appeared even more proud.

During these three months since I started working, whenever she angered other teachers, I would apologize on her behalf; when she complained about the cafeteria food, I would praise the cooks' skills after meals when I had nothing else to do.

I thought that at first, people around must have thought I was her sycophant. But as time passed, they finally understood that I was everyone's little ray of sunshine.

Sarah's reputation got worse and worse. In the anonymous evaluation that took place every six months, she received over forty negative votes.

She was called in for a talk with the principal.

Sarah, being too proud to accept such humiliation, got into an argument with the principal.

The conflict wasn't actually that serious, but as words escalated, the principal became angry and said she would fire Sarah.

Sarah laughed coldly, slammed the table, and shouted loudly for us onlookers to hear.

"No need to fire me, I'll leave on my own!"