Chapter 121: A Collapse of Morality

"That is because you aren't wearing any perfume. Little children don't like strong scents; it makes her sneeze. Isn't that right, Nuonuo?" Dong Yanyan quickly took over the conversation, taking the opportunity to give him a subtle kick. Looking at his sweat-drenched hair, she knew he had just been doing heavy labor. In this freezing weather, the soil was frozen solid; it was truly impressive that he had managed to dig up this tree—it still had dirt and frost clinging to its roots.

"Beautiful" Yang’s expression, however, became a bit strained. She gently pulled Nuonuo over and asked in a soft voice, "Nuonuo, where did this tree come from?"

"Big Brother dug it for me just now. Big Brother is so amazing," Nuonuo chirped in her sweet, childish voice. "Mommy, this tree is my Christmas present for you. Do you like it?"

"Nuonuo, a little tree needs to grow in the soil to stay alive. How about we go plant it back, shall we?" the woman smiled.

"No! Mommy is lying! There are so many Christmas trees in the mall, and none of them are growing in the soil." Nuonuo hugged the little tree, her eyes turning red with grievance.

Seeing the child on the verge of tears, Director Tang quickly chimed in with a pleasant smile, "Ms. Yang, just accept the child's sweet gesture. I think this tree is quite lovely."

"That’s right, Nuonuo’s tree is truly beautiful," the teacher next to them, Mr. Ma, added hurriedly.

The clouds over the woman's face cleared. She picked up Nuonuo, kissed her cheek, and laughed, "Nuonuo is such a good girl, knowing how to give Mommy a present."

Nuonuo finally broke into a smile through her tears.

The Christmas tree incident ended just like that. As for who had dug up the other one, it was already an open secret.

Dong Yanyan went downstairs and dragged Xiaohan with her, intentionally passing by the front of the teaching building. They paced back and forth several times, adjusting their angles to try and peek through the window, but unfortunately, the weather was too cold. A layer of frost had formed on the outside of the glass, making it impossible to see into his dormitory. Persistent, they snuck into the building and huddled by the door crack to peer inside.

Teacher Liu Qing heard the footsteps outside, grabbed a pair of scissors, and flung the door open. Both girls were startled, letting out a simultaneous shriek.

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. They looked on in horror as Teacher Liu Qing stood there holding a pair of sharp shears, tilting his head and looking at them with a roguish air.

"Come in and see my newly bought Christmas tree. Isn't it pretty?" Teacher Liu Qing invited them inside, shamelessly.

Dong Yanyan looked at the pathetic little tree in the room, speechless. Its roots had been cleaned off, it was propped up on a foam base, and its branches had been trimmed into a pagoda shape. The floor was strewn with messy soil and pine needles—what a tragedy. It was unlikely it would survive even if they replanted it.

Xiaohan was already squealing with excitement, "It’s so pretty! It’s much nicer than the Christmas tree in our classroom! I have some bells and ornaments on my bed; I’ll go get them in a moment and hang them on the tree!"

"I have some too, I’ll go back with you to get them!" Dong Yanyan quickly offered.

"No need, just let Xiaohan bring them over. Dong Yanyan, help me sweep the floor," Teacher Liu Qing said with a grin.

Watching Xiaohan dash out happily, Dong Yanyan had no choice but to resign herself to picking up the broom and dustpan to clean up the battlefield.

Teacher Liu Qing held the shears, studying the little tree and trimming it every so often.

"Teacher, you are truly a qualified gardener," Dong Yanyan teased, watching his enthusiastic demeanor.

"Thank you. I like students with curiosity. You bunch of green saplings are in need of some pruning." Teacher Liu Qing waved the large shears, turned his head, and smiled triumphantly at her. "Look at this tree, isn't it much prettier than when it was alive?"

A chill ran down Dong Yanyan’s spine.

"I’m not going anywhere; aren't I here doing my best to help you destroy the evidence?" she complained, pouting. "Please stop cutting; look at the floor I just swept, you've made a mess of it again."

Just as she was speaking, Gu Xiaohan came running back, bursting with excitement, holding a pile of shiny, colorful tinsel and bell ornaments.

"Xiaohan, where did you get all this tinsel?" Dong Yanyan asked.

Xiaohan made a shushing gesture and smiled slyly, "I snuck it out of Yang Lili’s desk. There’s so much of it, it doesn't matter if a strand or two goes missing. Even 'Beautiful' Yang’s daughter is playing with a piece."

Dong Yanyan nearly stumbled: Girl, that was all bought with class funds! Did you think it was free? It’s one thing to take two pieces to coax a child, but do you have to indulge yourselves too?

"Look, look, now that’s a good student! Knowing how to honor their teacher," Teacher Liu Qing said with gratification. "Come on, let’s hang them all up. It’s going to look amazing!"

Dong Yanyan sat on the small sofa, looking on with disdain as these two thieves happily decorated their Christmas tree.

*

After leaving Teacher Liu Qing’s, Dong Yanyan and Xiaohan went straight to the second-floor classroom, where their classmates were busy moving tables and chairs to prepare for the six o’clock Christmas party.

"Quick! Quick! Quick! Hide our class’s Christmas tree, Zhang Dawei is carrying little Nuonuo and searching every classroom!" Leng Haoyang ran in, panicked, and grabbed the class tree to run. Xu Cheng stopped him with a smile, "She’s just a child; if she likes it, let her have it. If she can't find it, she’ll just cry!" He snatched the tree back and put it in its original place. Before Leng Haoyang could protest, Zhang Dawei had already walked in with Nuonuo. Xu Cheng reached out to take her, happily spinning her around twice, making Nuonuo giggle with delight.

Xu Cheng was the type of person who attracted two kinds of people: the elderly and children.

Dong Yanyan watched with a pang of envy and stepped forward to try and hold Nuonuo, but Nuonuo immediately turned away, hugging Xu Cheng’s neck and burying her head against his shoulder, looking very affectionate.

She suddenly thought of Lulu. She was always like this, intentionally acting close to her father just to spite her mother.

"Nuonuo, give your big sister a hug, she looks upset," Xu Cheng said, turning his head to smile at Nuonuo. He then caught sight of Dong Yanyan, who was standing there like a stone statue, staring at them fixedly with tears streaming down her face.

"Dong Yanyan, what’s wrong with you? You aren't actually crying, are you?" Xu Cheng asked, looking at her with confusion.

"Lulu..." Dong Yanyan seemed not to hear him. She murmured to herself, reaching out to touch Nuonuo’s face, just as she used to touch Lulu’s face.

"That’s enough, don't scare the child," Song Mingcheng said, unable to watch any longer. He grabbed her arm, dragged her out of the classroom, pushed her toward the stairwell, and walked away.

It was Christmas Day, and there were many students coming and going in the stairwell. Many people looked at her with curious eyes, and Dong Yanyan finally felt uncomfortable. She sat down in the corner of the stairs, lowering her head to compose herself.

Ren Jiaxuan ran out of the classroom in a hurry and immediately saw Dong Yanyan sitting on the steps like a dejected soul.

"Yanyan, what’s wrong with you again? I heard people saying you were crying here! Get up quickly, you’re getting your clothes dirty." He quickly pulled her up and asked with concern, "Who bullied you?"

"Nobody bullied me, can't I cry if I want to?" Dong Yanyan wiped her eyes haphazardly and said guiltily, "Why aren't you in the classroom practicing your script? What are you doing here?"

"Yanyan, I’m concerned about you," Ren Jiaxuan said, placing his hand gently on her shoulder, his tone very sincere.

In public, no less. Dong Yanyan smiled awkwardly and made up a lie on the spot, "I was teasing Nuonuo just now and accidentally grazed my eye on her finger. The tears just started flowing and I couldn't stop them, but I’m much better now. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Ren Jiaxuan stared at her for a long time, half-amused and half-bewildered, then burst into laughter, "How can you be so clumsy?! Let me take you downstairs to wash your face first; look at the mess you’ve made of it!"

"I can go down myself. Aren't you supposed to be hosting your class’s Christmas party? Hurry back, it won't look good if people see you here," Dong Yanyan said with a smile.

"Alright! Then I’ll come find you tonight!" Ren Jiaxuan laughed helplessly.

*

Dong Yanyan went downstairs, washed her face, changed her clothes, and returned to the empty dormitory to zone out. Her roommates had all gone upstairs early to prepare for the party, which gave her the chance to think in solitude.

Only today did she realize that she was still a person whose emotions overrode her reason, and she was easily influenced by her moods. This was completely contrary to the composed and sophisticated persona she had set for herself. If this continued, she wouldn't achieve anything great even if she were reborn a hundred times. People say that to gain, one must give; but while she had completely given up on Xu Cheng, she found no way to let go of her child. The mere thought of Lulu pierced her heart like a thousand arrows.

With a chaotic mind, she dialed the number for Dorm 503. To her surprise, it was actually Song Mingcheng who answered.

"Is there anyone else in your room? I want to talk to you, I’m in a lot of pain right now," she sighed, whispering.

"At this hour, who would be in the dorm besides you and me? Is it because you miss the child?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have any way to see her right now?" Song Mingcheng asked directly.

"No."

"Can you give birth to her right now?"

"No."

"Then what is the point of being in pain?"

Dong Yanyan fell silent for a long time before whispering, "I can let go of Xu Cheng, but I can't let go of Lulu. Don't you think that’s contradictory? Without Xu Cheng, where would Lulu come from? But I don't want Lulu to have those grandparents, and I don't want to live that life again. It was too hard, too bitter, and too soul-crushing. I shudder just thinking about it."

"Then what do you want to do?" Song Mingcheng chuckled lightly. "Actually, it’s simple! It’ll be ten years before Lulu is born, right? In ten years, find an opportunity to 'take care of' Xu Cheng! Do your best and leave the rest to fate! It would be best if you have a daughter, but if you happen to have a son, just consider yourself unlucky! Seeing how hard you’re working to make money now, I’m sure you’ll have enough to support an illegitimate child by then!"

"This... this doesn't seem right, what if—" Dong Yanyan said weakly.

"It’s fine. I don't think Xu Cheng is the type who can't handle a setback. He should be able to withstand an accident like this. And if he really can't get over it, I’ll talk him through it," Song Mingcheng laughed.

Dong Yanyan couldn't help but laugh, "And what about integrity?"