Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dinner started at five in the afternoon.

Teacher and students sat together in harmony, chatting enthusiastically about the college entrance exams and dreaming of a bright future.

I couldn’t get a word in, nor did I care to try.

Bai Hezhi sat directly across from me.

She was three years younger than me, with a pure and delicate face. She wore an oversized, old school uniform that hid her figure, and her complexion looked poor. She kept her head down, eating silently, occasionally stealing glances at the infant.

In my previous life, Shen Jincheng had mentioned in passing that his student, Bai Hezhi, had contracted a contagious disease.

To ensure the health of the other students, Bai Hezhi had spent the final two months of the exam sprint studying at home.

He would visit her occasionally to give her private tutoring.

At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it, as it seemed perfectly normal.

Thinking back now, he was likely afraid that others would notice her protruding belly.

“Come, let’s celebrate.”

Shen Jincheng poured wine for the two male students and thoughtfully poured a cup of hot sugar water for Bai Hezhi.

“First, I want to congratulate you all on getting into top-tier universities. You will always be my pride! Second, I wish you all a brilliant future and smooth sailing from here on out.”

With that, Shen Jincheng pulled out three envelopes and handed them to his students. “Beijing is expensive, and while it isn’t much, consider this a small token from me and your teacher’s wife,” he said softly.

The three students were moved to tears. They repeatedly declined, saying they couldn’t possibly accept it.

Only after Shen Jincheng insisted several times did they finally take the envelopes.

Each envelope contained a hundred yuan-he was perfectly impartial to everyone.

But earlier, while I was cooking, I had seen Shen Jincheng wait until no one was looking to secretly stuff a thick stack of cash into Bai Hezhi’s shoulder bag.

It was fair to say that Shen Jincheng had taken every penny of the savings he had worked so hard for and given it all away.

All of it was used to fund Bai Hezhi’s university education.

In my previous life, after Bai Hezhi graduated, she successfully landed a job at an excellent firm and married a wealthy man from a prestigious family.

Her marriage was happy, and her life was luxurious.

Later, her husband lost everything gambling on stocks and football, eventually jumping off a building to his death. Her son killed someone in a drunk driving accident.

She fell deep into debt and was forced to return to her hometown to hide from creditors, which was when she reconnected with Shen Jincheng.

Like parched earth meeting a spring rain, the two of them fell back into their romance in middle age.

By then, Shen Jincheng was a principal. He had money, and he generously paid off all his mistress’s debts.

I was consumed by hatred and resentment. I raged, I argued, and I fought.

I cursed Bai Hezhi for being shameless.

She had sneered back at me, “Big sister, you should find some time to get plastic surgery. Stop coming out and scaring people.”

I have a hideous scar on my face. It happened when Shen Yuqing was four years old and being naughty, jumping around on the bed. She was about to fall onto a glowing red electric heater.

I lunged forward and pushed the child out of the way.

But I lost my footing and fell, my face slamming hard against the red-hot heating coils.

To this day, I can’t forget the sizzling sound of burning flesh or the soul-piercing pain.

I was disfigured.

After that, Shen Jincheng hardly ever touched me. Once, when he was drunk, we shared a bed.

The moment he saw my face, he vomited.

I pretended not to understand, lying to myself that it was just because he was drunk.

But he said it out loud: “I didn’t throw up because of your face, so don’t go overthinking things.”