Chapter 3

My eyelid twitched. Damn it, he’d set a trap for me on purpose.

When the others picked it up and looked, sure enough, they were all new bills in sequential order.

One of his friends pulled out a video. In it, I was sneaking the cash out of Jason’s backpack.

Everyone crowded around me, accusing and insulting me.

Looking at Jason’s smug, villainous face, I was so angry I felt like my lungs were about to explode. I rushed over and punched him hard.

Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Just as he clenched his fist and was about to hit back, he caught sight of our homeroom teacher walking over in the corner of his eye.

He immediately turned into a drama queen, rolling on the ground in pain. “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me. Even if you stole my money, I won’t blame you. I’ll give you everything. Just please don’t let you and your mom come back to steal my dad.”

The moment our homeroom teacher came in, he saw me pinning Jason to the floor and beating him until he was black and blue.

He asked what happened with a dark face, and the classmates all rushed to tattle on me. “Not only did Emma steal Jason’s money, she also hit him.”

“Emma, come with me to the office.”

I followed behind the homeroom teacher in silence.

He was so angry his eyebrows shot up. “Stealing money, hitting people, and you’re this arrogant even at school. If you were outside school, wouldn’t you be flying to the heavens?”

I kept my head down and didn’t say anything.

The teacher’s punch landed on cotton. Furious, his face went red. “Fine. I can’t handle you, but someone else can.”

As soon as he finished speaking, my mom’s furious voice rang out.

“Emma, have I ever let you go hungry or go naked? You ran off to steal money and made me look like a joke.”

My mom stormed in and kicked me hard.

The pain made me hunch over. My eyes filled with hurt. “Mom, I was framed.”

But my mom wouldn’t listen to a word of my explanation. She grabbed my ear and dragged me outside. “Don’t embarrass me out here. If your dad finds out you’ve fallen this low after leaving him, why would he ever come back? Drop out and go work.”

Even after the homeroom teacher tried to stop her, my mom still refused to change her mind, and she forced me to withdraw from school.

I looked for days and still couldn’t find a decent job. I was exhausted and starving.

In the end, I gritted my teeth and found a dishwashing job in a restaurant kitchen.

After washing dishes all day, I was so tired I could barely stand up straight, and my hands were so soaked they looked like proofing dough buns.

That night, when I got back to the drafty old building, I had just sat down on a pile of cardboard I’d picked up.

My mom excitedly held out her hand to me. “Where’s today’s paycheck? I need to get a new manicure so your dad can see how well we’re doing without him.”

I closed my eyes, mentally exhausted. “Mom, we’re barely even eating. Stop living in a fantasy. Dad is doing great without you. With a woman in his arms, why would he still be thinking about you? For me, can you please stop making trouble?”

My mom was shaking with anger. She slapped me hard. “What does a kid like you know? This is just how men are. When he finally comes to his senses and begs me, I’ll make him kneel down and wash my feet.”

In the end, even that tiny paycheck of mine was taken by my mom.

I lay on the hard concrete floor, cold and hungry, so I went out to wander around and hoped I could find another job to survive.

I never expected to run into Bai Lin driving her car onto the sidewalk and knocking my mom down.

I hurried over to help my mom up and check her injuries.

Bai Lin stepped out of the car carrying the latest designer bag, wearing couture, with exquisite makeup and an elegant figure.

She waved a hand and threw a hundred dollars at us. “Wow, so you can’t afford anything and you’ve learned how to stage a scam? How about this—take off one piece of clothing and I’ll pay you ten thousand. How does that sound?”