Xu Xinchen opened her eyes, the excessively bright light making her squint uncomfortably. She got out of bed to make breakfast. She walked to the bedside and saw elderly people exercising downstairs. She smiled slightly.

She rented this apartment because it was cheap, and the apartment buildings were mostly occupied by elderly people, so it was relatively safer.

She found a job that was simple and easy, with a relatively low salary, but enough to live on. When she broke up with Chen Ningsheng, she deliberately bought a train ticket to H City to fool him. She knew that with his personality, he would find her even if he searched the entire H City. So she stayed in G City, the most dangerous yet safest place, which was only half an hour away from his company.

She packed her things and prepared to go to school. Finding this job hadn't been easy; it had taken a lot of effort. Perhaps the principal had finally relented and agreed to let her try being a teaching assistant for the time being.

She arrived at the office full of energy, only to find that Teacher Lin had not yet arrived. Teacher Lin was teaching first-year junior high school math and was her mentor.

Zhao Xuerong, who was getting ready in front of the mirror, spotted her standing at the door. Her gaze swept over her from head to toe, from her glossy lips to her knee-length dress, before she forced a smile and said, "Min Shi, you're here so early today?"

Sitting next to her, Sister Wang glanced casually at the door and remarked, "When has Min Shi ever not arrived early? You're the one who's early today."

Zhao Xuerong felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, and brushed it off with a few words.

Lu Minshi sat listlessly at her desk, waiting for Teacher Lin, having prepared his lecturing materials beforehand. Zhao Xuerong swiveled around in her chair, eagerly asking, "Minshi, what kind of powder are you wearing today? You look so fair!"

Lu Minshi put down her lesson plan, touched her face, and asked in surprise, "I didn't wear any foundation today."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuerong couldn't help but show her disdain. "Why do you keep such good things to yourself? Why don't you share them and let everyone see them?"

As she said this, Teacher Lin was walking into the office with her briefcase.

Zhao Xuerong withdrew her gaze from her side and raised her voice, "Min Shi, you didn't dress up so beautifully on purpose to impress Teacher Lin, did you?"

As soon as he said that, everyone in the office looked over.

Teacher Lin, who had just walked in, didn't react much. He went to the desk and saw that everything for class was already prepared on the desk, with a cup of hot water. He looked to the left and said thank you to the person next to him.

When the school initially wanted to assign him an extra assistant, he didn't object, but he didn't think he needed one either. However, in the past month or two, he has indeed felt the assistant's attentiveness.

Xu Xinchen politely returned a smile.

Seeing that the two of them were ignoring her as if she were invisible, Zhao Xuerong turned back awkwardly.

Xiao Li, who was sitting at the next table, leaned over and whispered, "Look how that vixen has bewitched Teacher Lin. Your Teacher Lin's soul is about to be stolen away."

Zhao Xuerong nudged her, "What do you mean by 'my Teacher Lin'?"

Xiao Li glanced at her and joked, "Whose teacher is Lin if not yours? Last Teacher's Day, Teacher Lin gave you..."

A person sent flowers.

Hearing this, Zhao Xuerong blushed. While preparing her lesson, she secretly peeked at the person opposite her. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and was refined and handsome, completely unaware that he was being observed.

She was getting on in years, and her family was pressuring her to go on blind dates and get married. In the office, the only person of similar age was Teacher Lin, and in terms of appearance, Teacher Lin was also the one she was most satisfied with. It was just that he was too cold-hearted. Nevertheless, Zhao Xuerong was still unconsciously attracted to him.

Moreover, on Teacher's Day last time, Teacher Lin actually gave her a rose in public. Since then, several female teachers in the office have tacitly agreed that they are a couple.

But then, out of nowhere, a teaching assistant named Lin appeared. She attended classes and prepared lessons with him every day, spending every day with him. And she was a woman who was prettier than her. How could Zhao Xuerong not harbor resentment?

However, Ms. Lin was different from other teachers; she didn't believe he would be attracted by such a superficial appearance.

Moreover, today is Teacher Lin's birthday, and she has prepared a surprise for Teacher Lin.

In the evening, several teachers stayed in the office and offered their blessings to Teacher Lin. Teacher Lin adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and thanked them one by one.

Xu Xinchen blinked in surprise; she had no idea it was his birthday.

Teacher Lin invited everyone to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and Xu Xinchen went along as well.

Inside the private room, several teachers from the office were jokingly teasing Teacher Lin and Zhao Xuerong. Xu Xinchen couldn't get a word in edgewise and sat quietly in the corner drinking tea.

The food took a long time to arrive, so someone asked a passing waiter. They learned that the restaurant next door was entertaining a distinguished guest and they couldn't afford to be negligent. The restaurant was short-staffed, so the service was slow. The waiter apologized profusely after explaining.

Xu Xinchen leaned against the wall and could clearly hear the conversation next door.

"Ah Sheng, Xinke is planning something big lately, so don't underestimate this company."

"It's just a useless thing, not even worth my time."

The familiar, nonchalant humming, tinged with disdain.

Xu Xinchen froze, absentmindedly picking at her food. Teacher Lin, who was sitting next to her, was the first to notice something was wrong. Seeing that she was a young girl and was quiet, he thought she was unhappy because she was being neglected, so he put a chicken gizzard in her bowl.

"Take good care of yourself," he said to her, looking down at her.

When Xu Xinchen realized what was happening, she saw everyone at the table looking at them. She was flattered and thanked them.

Zhao Xuerong's hands under the table were clenched so tightly they turned white, but she still had a faint smile on her face. The female teachers who had just teased them didn't dare to say anything when they saw this.

Halfway through the meal, everyone presented gifts, but Xu Xinchen hadn't prepared any and arrived empty-handed, which made her a little embarrassed.

Zhao Xuerong watched with a smile as Teacher Lin accepted the gift, her heart leaping with joy. The gift was a foreign watch, which she had acquired at a great expense. But that wasn't the point; the point was the handwritten letter she had given him.

The letter was full of her heartfelt sentiments.

The thought of Teacher Lin opening the letter and reading it aloud made her blush unconsciously.

Seeing that Teacher Lin had left, Xu Xinchen followed her out of the corridor. After using the restroom, Teacher Lin still hadn't come out.

However, faint voices could be heard coming from the end of the corridor.

"Ah Sheng, are you still looking for her?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Xu Xinchen nimbly hid in the corner.

"Who is she? Why would I look for her when I'm doing just fine?"

His voice was cold and hard, like a sharp sword piercing her heart.

"Min Shi".

She turned around and saw Teacher Lin looking at her with concern, "Are you alright?"

She composed herself and explained to him why she hadn't prepared a gift.

Teacher Lin patted her shoulder casually, "I know, you don't need to explain, your blessings are enough."

When they returned to the private room, Zhao Xuerong almost couldn't hold back her smile when she saw the two of them come in together.

Because Xu Xinchen didn't give him a gift, in order to make up for his guilt, he kept insisting on helping Teacher Lin carry things. There were too many gifts from his colleagues, and he couldn't carry them all with one hand, so Xu Xinchen helped carry the rest.

Zhao Xuerong hesitated, looking at Xu Xinchen carrying the gift she had given her, feeling a little uneasy, but ultimately said nothing.

After seeing off several colleagues, Teacher Lin and Xu Xinchen took a taxi. Teacher Lin first sent Xu Xinchen home before going home herself.

Zhao Xuerong waited for two days. Ever since that day, she had been feeling uneasy, her eyes would unconsciously dart towards Teacher Lin, and sometimes she would stare at him absentmindedly.

But three days passed, and the letter seemed to have sunk into the sea without a trace.

She considered all the possibilities and finally narrowed it down to Xu Xinchen. It must have been Xu Xinchen who took her letter, and Teacher Lin hadn't seen it at all.

She had long been dissatisfied with her, and dressed provocatively every day, flaunting herself in front of Teacher Lin. Did she think that she could seduce the innocent Teacher Lin?

She called her out of the office, and the two went to a secluded, shady spot.

Zhao Xuerong spoke arrogantly, "Did you steal my letter?"

Xu Xinchen was stunned by her question and had no idea what was going on.

"What letter?"

"Still pretending?" Zhao Xuerong sneered, stepping closer to her and looking into her eyes. "You've liked Teacher Lin for a long time, haven't you? What? Are you jealous because you know Teacher Lin likes me?"

"That's true, who wouldn't like a man like Teacher Lin?" She scoffed. "Lu Minshi, you need to know yourself. You're just a lowly teaching assistant, not even a full-time employee. Are you trying to use such despicable means to try and eat swan meat like a toad?"

Xu Xinchen was caught off guard by her barrage of insults and didn't have time to react. When she came to her senses, she finally realized what she was talking about and found it somewhat amusing. "I don't like Teacher Lin, and I didn't take your letter."