Chapter 598 Stuffing Food in Her Mouth

• After Michael Shephard and the others left, Lu Mao let out a long breath. His whole body felt drained, and he slumped into the chair like a rag doll. His mind was a mess. His dream of cozying up to the Wangs had crashed and burned. But what scared him more now was Michael Shephard coming back to get even. Luckily, when he brought Laura Lewis over, he’d planned to use the kid to pressure Sophia Lewis, make her toe the line. So he’d placed Laura in Rainbow Bridge Kindergarten, one of the top preschools in Zhonghai. Thinking back to Michael storming off, face dark as a thundercloud, Lu Mao couldn’t help but grin. “Such a fuss over nothing. In a kindergarten like this, how could anything happen to a little kid?”
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• Right then—Rainbow Bridge Kindergarten. In a small room, two long tables sat side by side, and five or six little kids were eating. At the far end of one table, a pudgy woman with a face full of acne was on her phone. She was the life teacher for these kids. She told them to call her Ms. Beautiful. From the sound of it, she was chatting with a bestie, going on about which new place had the best food. “Okay, it’s settled. Tomorrow we’re going there. We’re ordering the priciest stuff. It’s on me!” “Of course I’ve made it big!” “Don’t doubt it. Being a kindergarten teacher is a sweet gig—especially at this kindergarten. Think about it: anyone who can afford to send their kid here, their parents are big shots. Loaded.” “I’m telling you, aside from my base salary, my red envelopes pile up. My hands are sore from counting.” “Jealous yet?” “Fine, fine. If there’s an opening, I’ll put your name in… Okay, gotta run. I’m working…” With that, Ms. Beautiful—whose name didn’t match her looks—hung up. “Ha! Dream on. You want me to recommend you so you can rake it in too? What are you, my granddaughter?” But she didn’t get back to work. She dialed another number and started bragging all over again, same story, just a fresh audience. As for the kids she was supposed to watch, she didn’t even glance at them, let alone check if they’d finished eating. Among those five or six kids was a little girl. She was pretty and delicate, but right now she looked lost in her head. She held her spoon like a wind-up doll, putting rice into her mouth one slow scoop at a time. The girl seemed shut out by the other kids and sat at the far edge of the table. Suddenly, a boy who screamed trouble just by looking at him stood with his bowl and dumped his leftovers into the girl’s bowl. “Laura, you eat it all!” Laura didn’t say a word. She shook her head and put her spoon down. Head bowed, she stopped eating. Seeing that, the boy got even more excited and darted to her side. “Cry! Come on, cry!” But Laura seemed set on holding it in. Head down, she didn’t eat and she didn’t cry. “Hmph. Laura, if you won’t cry, I’ll tell the teacher you’re not eating.” The boy’s voice had a mean little kick to it. Hearing that, Laura’s small shoulders trembled, but she still didn’t move, still didn’t cry. “Teacher! Ms. Beautiful! Laura won’t eat again. She’s leaving food!” The boy sprinted over to Ms. Beautiful. The teacher, still chatting away, turned and glanced at Laura. Her face tightened with anger and she barked, “Laura Lewis, why aren’t you eating? Hurry up!” Every day, Laura was the last to finish, and it ate into the teacher’s free time. Seeing Laura keep still, the teacher marched over, grabbed the spoon, and shoved rice into Laura’s mouth.