The next day, Tang Xiaonan absolutely refused to go to school.

"I’m not going! Teacher Golding will definitely hit me... I’ll learn from Grandpa Tate. Grandpa Tate doesn’t hit me..."

Tang Xiaonan hugged Phoebe Huxley’s arm and wailed. The bruise on her wrist had gotten darker overnight. It wasn’t actually serious, but she hadn’t wanted to waste time at school anyway, so this incident with Phoenix Golding served as an excellent excuse.

"How can you not go to school? Be a good girl, Xiaonan. Teacher Golding won’t hit you anymore," Felix Thorne coaxed gently.

"Teacher Golding is a wicked witch! She’ll hit me! If she beats me to death, you won’t see Xiaonan anymore... Mommy... I’m not going to school..."

Tang Xiaonan gave up on Felix Thorne. ’Her old man definitely still has a soft spot for Phoenix Golding. After all, she’s been the cinnabar mole on his heart for nearly twenty years, the object of his undying affection!’

’Hmph, my mother is more reliable. No wonder the old saying goes, "Better to follow a begging mother than an official for a father." Once there’s a stepmother, you get a stepfather.’

"Fine, fine, fine! We won’t go to school! There’s nothing worth listening to in that slutty bitch’s class anyway. I could teach better than her!"

Phoebe Huxley had been against it from the start. That vixen Phoenix Golding had a vicious heart. Her daughter would be small and helpless on that bitch’s turf, and with her not there to protect her, who knew how Phoenix Golding would abuse the girl!

It was better for her to stay at home. With her keeping an eye out, she’d like to see anyone dare bully her daughter.

"Watch your mouth in front of the child! All this talk about ’slutty’ this and that, don’t you think it sounds awful?" Felix Thorne glared at her, disgruntled. He had a feeling Phoebe Huxley was saying it all deliberately for his benefit.

"She’s not ashamed to be fooling around with a man in broad daylight, so what’s wrong with me saying a few words? Am I wrong? Isn’t Phoenix Golding a stinking, slutty bitch? Hmph, you can smell her stench all the way from town! Felix Thorne, are you having an affair with her? You’re always taking that slutty fox’s side!"

Phoebe Huxley wasn’t scared in the least. She stared back with furious eyes, the anger she’d been suppressing since yesterday suddenly erupting. It looked like another huge fight was about to break out.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I have jack shit to do with her! Can’t you tell when I’m trying to help? Is Xiaonan never going to school for the rest of her life? Is she going to end up illiterate, just like you?"

Felix Thorne was both angry and exasperated. ’Heaven knows,’ he thought, ’while I might still think about Phoenix Golding, there’s really nothing between us. We barely even talk.’ For Phoebe Huxley to slander him like this in front of their child—where was his dignity as a father?

Phoebe Huxley’s expression softened slightly. Though she had an explosive temper, she wasn’t an unreasonable person. She muttered, "Who said she’s not going to school? We’re just not sending her to Phoenix Golding’s class. Can you really bear to let Xiaonan be abused by that woman? Look at Xiaonan’s hand! Doesn’t your heart ache for her?"

"No school... Daddy... Teacher Golding glared at me, and she hit me... I don’t want to go to school..."

Tang Xiaonan threw herself onto Felix Thorne’s leg and hugged it, looking up at him pitifully with big, misty eyes. Felix Thorne’s heart melted. How could he possibly remain firm? And when he saw the dark purple ring around Tang Xiaonan’s wrist, his resentment toward Phoenix Golding grew.

’No matter what, the fact is that Xiaonan got hurt. Even if she’s a teacher, there’s no reason to lay a hand on a child. Especially Phoenix Golding. She didn’t give me any face at all. And after I gave her all that meat for nothing.’

"Just rest at home for now. You can go back in a few days."

Felix Thorne was employing a delaying tactic. Not going to school was out of the question. He hoped all four of his children would make something of themselves through their studies, especially his youngest daughter. He wasn’t aiming for a university, but even getting into a technical secondary school would be a success. She would become a city person, secure an iron rice bowl, and live a comfortable and pleasant life.