Nothing Special

Seeing that the situation was completely beyond saving, Flora Huang immediately put on a smiling face and walked over to Joy Zheng, grabbing her hand.

"And I promise you, everything will go according to your wishes. As for the other details, we can discuss them later—anything is negotiable."

Flora simply couldn’t let it go—this was forty thousand yuan a month!

Even a fifty-fifty split would mean twenty thousand a month.

Salaries in Whitewood County are only around two to three thousand; just one month of tutoring would be worth half a year’s pay for Flora. No wonder she was so envious.

"Sorry, Ms. Huang, but I really don’t think I’m suited to working with you," Joy Zheng shook her head as she looked at Flora.

In fact, Joy had considered leaving the tutoring class before, but she couldn’t bear to part with the students and didn’t know how to bring it up with Flora.

Joy Zheng had always been kindhearted. The tutoring class only worked because she taught math—if it were just Chinese, no one would want to come.

If Joy left, she worried Flora’s tutoring class wouldn’t survive.

If all the students left, Flora would be humiliated, so Joy had always felt a little sorry for her.

But Flora’s words just now had completely broken Joy’s trust in her. Especially when she remembered all the things Flora had done before—it was exhausting.

Seeing Joy shake her head, Flora turned to the parent representatives, about to say something, but one of the mothers immediately smiled and said, "Ms. Huang, my child doesn’t need Chinese tutoring for now. She’ll go to math class on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and have fun on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Kids need their childhood, after all."

"Yes, Ms. Huang, my kid’s Chinese is fine too. No need for extra lessons. If we ever need it in the future, I’ll contact you."

"Same here. I’ll just have my kid recite poems and texts at home—no need for extra pressure."

After the parent reps finished, the woman led the way, taking Joy Zheng by the arm and heading outside, beaming. "Come on, Ms. Zheng, let’s talk outside. As long as you’re willing to keep tutoring, everything else can be worked out."

"Yes, let’s go! We’ll find a place to talk properly," nodded the man beside her.

When they heard Yolanda Fang say Flora only gave Joy Zheng six hundred yuan a month for tutoring, their impression of Flora plummeted.

That was just way too greedy.

Flora watched as Joy Zheng was surrounded by the parent representatives, ready to leave.

She was about to say something when a student stood up at the back of the room.

Mr. Zhang turned to look at the thirty students left in the classroom—compared to eighty, thirty was way too few.

"No! I’m not coming tomorrow! I’m going to find Ms. Zheng!"

"Me too!"

The elementary students all raised their hands in united protest.

"Well, now there’s no one left. Ms. Huang, what do we do? Can we even keep running the tutoring class? You said you were in charge of recruiting and the venue, but now we have no students." Mr. Zhang chattered at Flora.

Flora felt like she was surrounded by buzzing flies.

"Ms. Huang? Say something. You said even with a seventy-thirty split I’d get over ten thousand a month."

Seeing Flora still silent, Mr. Zhang hurried to keep talking.

"Enough!" Flora couldn’t help but yell, startling Mr. Zhang.

When Flora recruited parents, she told them the math teacher was Joy Zheng. She’d considered that if she suddenly swapped in a new math teacher, parents might object or refuse, but she never imagined Joy had so much influence!

When the parents heard Joy Zheng wasn’t teaching here, they all ran after her?

So what does that make Flora Huang?

Flora trembled with rage.

"Fine, Ms. Huang, I’ll head out. Let me know if there’s news." Mr. Zhang was startled by Flora’s reaction and started to leave, then turned back, "Ms. Huang... uh..."

"What is it?" Flora snapped.

"That guy who kicked me—my medical fee is still with you." Mr. Zhang pointed at Flora’s pocket. Even though Evan Lin had kicked him, he saw the scattered bills.

That’s all money!

"Money, money, money! All you think about is money!" Flora scowled and slapped 500 yuan into his hand. "Take it and go. My husband will be back soon."

Seeing it was only 500, Mr. Zhang looked unhappy, but when Flora mentioned her husband Victor Deng, he didn’t dare stay. He took the money and left.

One kick for five hundred.

Mr. Zhang thought the deal wasn’t bad. If that guy was willing, he could keep kicking for cash until Zhang went broke.

"Joy Zheng!" Flora clenched her fists—forty thousand yuan a month, gone!

Just thinking about it made Flora miserable.