Chapter 26: Did You Forget Something?

【Poor Teacher Yuan. She’s so dedicated, kind, and talented. What did she ever do to deserve this kind of slander?】

【That Hao Xue is disgusting and vile. What a fake little white lotus. Why doesn’t she just drop dead? Ugh!】

【I’ve already reported her to the police. Hope she rots in jail!】

【Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage? Where is that place?】

【Isn’t that the same place that was exposed before for abusing children?】

【Child abuse? What’s going on? Is that true or not?】

【If you don’t have proof, stop spreading rumors.】

【Exactly. The people who smeared Teacher Yuan are probably wishing they could die from shame right now.】

【I don’t believe it. If someone as good as Teacher Yuan is willing to work there, it can’t be a bad place.】

【If it’s really that great, then why did a guy living nearby say he heard crying from there in the middle of the night?】

【Maybe he misheard?】

【Or maybe he’s just making it up for clout?】

【…】

As the online chatter grew louder, Lu Qingqiang used the orphanage’s official verified Weibo account to post a statement.

“Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage warmly welcomes kind-hearted members of the public to come visit and exchange ideas at any time.”

“To those with malicious intent who are deliberately smearing and slandering our orphanage’s reputation, we will pursue legal action without hesitation!”

The moment this statement was released, especially following the recent incident where Teacher Yuan had been falsely accused, the online discussions about Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage quickly cooled down.

Instead, the Yuan Yuan incident continued to gain traction.

More and more people were stepping up to speak out on Yuan Yuan’s behalf.

As for Hao Xue’s comment section, it was completely flooded with curses and insults.

Some came from netizens, others from the parents of the children at the kindergarten.

The parents were furious. Not only were they cursing Hao Xue, they were also holding the kindergarten accountable.

Once the kindergarten caught wind of the backlash, they immediately posted a statement to distance themselves from Hao Xue.

They claimed she was just a temporary worker, and that all her actions were her own and had nothing to do with the school.

The school would stand up for the children and sue her.

Going forward, the school would take this incident as a lesson, apologize to the parents, conduct regular self-checks and reviews, and continue to improve. They welcomed everyone’s supervision.

Seeing this, Hao Xue collapsed to the floor in the hospital.

It was over. Completely over.

Her job, her life, her future—gone!

Bang! The hospital door was pushed open.

Two police officers walked in.

“Hello, ma’am. Please come with us.”

*****

At that moment.

Now that everything had finally been cleared up, Yuan Yuan stepped out, ready to head to work.

But the impact of the incident had been so widespread that, halfway there, she was quickly recognized.

“Hi, are you Teacher Yuan?”

“Teacher Yuan, you’re so cute and gentle. You totally look like a caring and responsible teacher.”

“Thank you!” Yuan Yuan couldn’t help but smile and thank them for the compliment.

“Teacher Yuan, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you before because I didn’t know the full story. I’m really sorry.”

“Teacher Yuan, are you on your way to work at the orphanage?”

“Teacher Yuan, what’s the orphanage you work at really like?”

“The Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage I work at has a great environment. My coworkers are wonderful, and the kids are well-behaved and thoughtful.”

“I really enjoy working there.”

“Teacher Yuan, can you livestream your workday?”

“I’m not sure. I’d have to ask our director.”

“Then ask! We want to watch!”

“…”

Surrounded by the enthusiastic crowd, Yuan Yuan had no choice but to pull out her phone and ask about the livestream.

“Sure, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work, livestreaming is fine.” That was Lu Qingqiang’s response.

“Our director said it’s okay.”

“Alright then, I’ll start livestreaming my day from now on, including classes.”

“Everyone, time to go back to your own business. If you’ve got work, get to it. If you’re hungry, go eat!”

As soon as she said that, the crowd really did start to disperse in small groups.

Yuan Yuan took the chance to start walking quickly toward the orphanage, phone in hand and livestream already running.

“This is where I work—Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage.”

“Thanks to our director’s efforts, the orphanage is currently undergoing renovations and expansion.”

“Good morning, Teacher Yuan!” Zhang Qiang, the gatekeeper, greeted her warmly.

“Good morning, Master Zhang!”

【Whoa, the gatekeeper looks so handsome and cool!】

【You’re not the only one who thinks so.】

“It’s still early. Our orphanage provides three meals a day, so I’m heading to the canteen now to get breakfast.”

Since this was her first time livestreaming, Yuan Yuan didn’t have much experience.

She simply held up her phone, filming as she walked, speaking whatever came to mind.

She barely paid attention to the comments or questions in the chat.

What she didn’t realize was that over five thousand people were already watching her livestream.

“Alright, here we are at the canteen. I’m going in now.”

When Yuan Yuan entered the canteen, many children were already seated and eating.

As soon as they saw her, they all greeted her enthusiastically.

“Teacher Yuan, you’re here! Good morning!”

“Good morning, Teacher Yuan!”

“Good morning, everyone!”

“Teacher Yuan, you’re here!” Master Zhao called out to her with a cheerful grin.

“Good morning, Master Zhao.”

“Ooh, we’ve got soup dumplings today!”

“That’s right. Besides the soup dumplings, we’ve also got hot soy milk and spicy pepper soup. What would you like?”

“I’ll have the spicy pepper soup. I tried yours last time and couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

“Haha, if you like it, have as much as you want.” Master Zhao laughed heartily.

He loved hearing people praise his cooking.

“Sounds good.”

Yuan Yuan set her phone aside and went to grab a tray and bowl.

Five soup dumplings.

One bowl of spicy pepper soup.

A bit of each side dish.

One marinated egg.

“Teacher Yuan, sit here! There’s a spot!”

“Coming!”

Carrying her tray, Yuan Yuan quickly made her way to the dining area and began eating.

As for the phone she had set down, she completely forgot about it.

Its camera was still pointed directly at the breakfast spread, motionless.

The viewers in the livestream chat were baffled.

【Teacher Yuan, did you forget something?】

【Hahahahaha! Teacher Yuan got so focused on eating that she forgot about us!】

【Not gonna lie, the food at this orphanage looks amazing!】

【It’s just soup dumplings, spicy soup, and some side dishes. What’s the big deal?】

【You can buy this stuff anywhere.】

【Teacher Yuan, I want to see a mukbang! Come back and pick up your phone!】

【Wait, is this a food livestream now? That spicy soup looks so good. Where’s the vendor? I want to buy some!】

【I forgot to eat breakfast this morning and now I’m starving at my desk, gnawing on my fingers. I really want some soup dumplings.】

【Those dumplings look thin-skinned and packed with filling. The spicy soup is steaming hot. I want to eat it so bad!】

【…】

“Teacher Yuan, you forgot your phone.”

“Huh? Why is your screen still on?”

Master Zhao, while serving food, happened to glance over and spotted the phone sitting nearby.

He walked over, curious, and looked straight into the screen.

Instantly, a large face in a chef’s hat filled the viewers’ screens.

— Translator’s Notes —

– little white lotus: In Chinese internet slang, a ‘white lotus’ refers to someone who appears pure and innocent but is actually manipulative and deceitful.