Shi Li and Huang Jie returned home very late after playing at the birthday party. The nanny had already prepared dinner, and Shi's father had started eating without waiting for his wife and daughter-in-law.
Shi's father was almost finished with dinner when the mother and daughter pair finally returned.
"The food is almost cold, and you've only just come back. Auntie, please reheat the dishes," he said.
Shi Li stopped the nanny from reheating the food. "No need, we ate out today. We had several pieces of cake, so we've exceeded our calorie limit for the day and won't be eating dinner."
The nanny poured a bowl of sweet soup for Shi Li, who was seated at the dining table. "Drink some of this to cleanse your palate."
The nanny's soup-making skills were unparalleled. Shi Li finished a bowl of soup just as her father finished his dinner.
Huang Jie was the type to maintain strict self-discipline, so she rarely ate in the evenings.
While the father and daughter were at the dining table, Huang Jie lay on the sofa scrolling through videos.
After dinner, Shi's father shuffled over to his wife. Before he could get close, Huang Jie smelled the alcohol on him and frowned. "You've been drinking. Who were you with?"
Shi's father planted a kiss on his wife's face. It was only then that Shi Li realized from his actions that her father had indeed been drinking and wasn't quite himself.
Shi's father's eyes were bright as he said, "I only had a little bit, not too much. I drank at the company, there were no strangers around."
Huang Jie was somewhat disgusted by the smell. She waved her hand to fan away the odor. "Keep your distance, the smell is awful."
Completely oblivious to his wife's disgust, Shi's father moved even closer. "I was in a good mood today, so I had a drink."
"What happened that made you so happy?"
Shi's father chuckled mischievously, "I heard today that Liu Yanwen's wife is having an affair with a monk. Hahahahaha!"
The string of laughter erupting from Shi's father's throat clearly expressed his joy at this news.
Of course he was happy - he'd even drunk to celebrate, so his happiness was no act.
Shi Li could guess that the monk involved with Liu Yanwen's wife was Master Yuanjing, whom Little Fatty's Uncle had introduced to the couple.
She hadn't expected Master Yuanjing to move so quickly.
Thinking of Little Fatty's Uncle and Master Yuanjing reminded Shi Li of her past life. In her previous life, wasn't it Little Fatty's Aunt who ran off with Master Yuanjing? How did it become Liu Yanwen this time around?
Shi's father was still gesticulating wildly to express his joy. It seemed that when he was out, he must have struggled to maintain a mature and steady image.
Huang Jie glanced at her husband in exasperation. "Look at you, so petty. You're really like a dog holding onto a grudge for ten thousand years. You still remember something that happened over a decade ago."
Shi's father justified himself, "Of course I do. If he cheats me once, I'll remember it for a lifetime."
It was only then that Shi Li learned her father had also been cheated by Liu Yanwen in the past.
She had to admit, Liu Yanwen had offended quite a few people.
Come to think of it, Little Fatty's Uncle had also been cheated by Liu Yanwen before. By introducing Master Yuanjing to Liu Yanwen, wasn't he, in a way, giving Liu Yanwen a green hat (Chinese euphemism for cuckoldry) and getting revenge for being cheated years ago?
Hmm, and he inadvertently helped her father too.
Shi Li said seriously, "Well, you should thank someone for this."
Shi's father looked up in confusion. "Thank who?"
"Little Fatty's uncle from my class," Shi Li said, mentioning the man's name and explaining, "He's the one who introduced Master Yuanjing to Liu Yanwen."
Shi's father clapped his hands in delight. "What a great man!"
"The Cuckold Maker, I must go thank him."
Worried that her drunk husband might do something rash, Huang Jie quickly intervened, "Alright, alright, we know he's a great man. You should go upstairs and rest now. You can properly thank him tomorrow morning after you wake up." She wondered if he'd still have the nerve to express his thanks once he sobered up.
Shi's father thought his wife's suggestion made sense. Thanking the man in the morning would be more formal and appropriate.
So he obediently went upstairs.
Huang Jie glanced at her daughter sitting on the sofa. "Alright, you can stay here and watch TV. I'm going upstairs to check on the drunk, in case he throws up or hurts himself."
Shi Li: ...... She had turned on the TV hoping to spend more time with her mother, but now her mother was going upstairs to take care of her husband. This was truly her birth mother.
After the wonderful weekend ended, it was once again the dreaded Monday.
Due to several weeks of boring ethics classes, Shi Li had prepared a set of test papers in advance, planning to work on them while the Principal droned on with his PowerPoint presentation.
The Principal had grown quite fond of the ethics classes lately, as they provided an opportunity for gossip.
He no longer had any vulnerabilities. He had divorced his cheating wife, and Shuizhi, the man who had cuckolded him, had been recently fired from the school.
Shuizhi's graduate students had reported their advisor for academic fraud. As the saying goes, "when you pull up a radish, the dirt comes with it" - they also revealed that his master's and doctoral theses were ghostwritten.
The incident caused a huge uproar, and Shuizhi's alma mater immediately revoked his degrees.
So now, after five years of postgraduate studies, Shuizhi was back to being just an undergraduate.
Years ago, when information wasn't as readily available, there were instances of people using impostors to take the college entrance exam for them. When such cases were exposed, the beneficiaries might have their degree certificates revoked.
However, since these individuals had already established themselves in their workplaces, losing their academic credentials didn't significantly impact them. They would often continue working in their positions.
Similarly, when a job initially required a doctoral degree, but an employee later lost their degree due to unforeseen circumstances, how to handle such situations depended on the employer's attitude.
If the employer didn't care, it was a minor issue.
But if the employer did care, it became a major problem.
Shuizhi's case was different. The Principal's cuckolding was because of him.
So losing his degree was a big deal for Shuizhi.
Schools are places for education and nurturing talent. They absolutely cannot allow teachers who commit academic fraud to mislead students. The school administration would show no leniency for such malicious incidents!
And just like that, Shuizhi was fired from the school.
Shuizhi's wife, knowing what kind of person her husband was, was now at home demanding a divorce.
With both his career and family life in ruins, Shuizhi was now overwhelmed with problems.
As the mastermind behind it all, the Principal was now riding high.
People often say that when things reach their worst, they can only get better.
That's how it was for him now. With no more embarrassing matters in his personal life, all the gossip he heard had nothing to do with him. He could fully enjoy the drama without any personal stake.
As the ethics class ended, Shi Li tucked her test papers under her arm and followed at the back of the crowd.
As she was leaving the auditorium, Feng Yunhe, who had been waiting outside, called out to her: "Shi Li, could you come over for a moment? I need to talk to you about something."
The students from Class 1: Danger! Danger! Danger!
The cunning Class 3 had deployed their secret weapon - the handsome boy strategy!
