"That settles it. I’m going to catch that stinking bitch in the act," Jim Thorne said, grinding his teeth. She had bullied his sister time and time again. If he didn’t get that damn bitch driven out of town, his name wasn’t Thorne.

"Easy does it. You can’t rush this," Armstrong Huxley said unhurriedly. "Phoenix Golding is very careful. Teacher Sutton has been trying to catch her for ages and hasn’t had any luck!"

The Teacher Sutton he was referring to was actually Melanie, the person at school who most wanted to see Phoenix Golding meet with misfortune.

"We’ll definitely catch her. I’ll get my buddies to help keep an eye out," Jim Thorne said, full of confidence.

Tang Xiaonan also figured it wouldn’t be a huge problem. Not unless Phoenix Golding and Storm Xavier stopped their affair. ’But could those two really control themselves?’

A cat that’s tasted cream won’t go back to milk. By the same token, when it comes to affairs, there’s no such thing as cheating just once—it’s either never or countless times.

Phoenix Golding was much better behaved during the afternoon classes. She wouldn’t even look Tang Xiaonan or Amanda Chapman in the eye, nor did she call on them. The woman had switched tactics, resorting to giving them the silent treatment and pointedly ignoring them.

Other children might have been hurt by this kind of silent treatment, but Tang Xiaonan had the soul of an adult and naturally paid no mind to such petty tricks. With Tang Xiaonan by her side, Amanda Chapman wasn’t bothered either. She continued to take diligent notes in every class, her homework remained neat and tidy, and she was completely unaffected.

The first and second graders had one less class in the afternoon than the upper grades, so they were let out an hour early. Phoenix Golding ordered Tang Xiaonan and Amanda Chapman to clean the toilets. Tang Xiaonan ignored her completely, slung on her schoolbag, and walked out. ’Clean it my ass!’

Of course, Tang Xiaonan dragged Amanda away with her. Someone else could do the cleaning; she and her cousin certainly weren’t going to.

Besides, the toilets weren’t even the first graders’ assigned cleaning area; that was for the upperclassmen. Kids in first grade were barely taller than the brooms—how the hell were they supposed to clean a toilet? That bitch Phoenix Golding was clearly abusing her authority to settle a personal score. The more attention you gave her, the more she’d push it. The best thing to do was to just ignore her.

Tang Xiaonan went to the fourth-grade classroom to find Jim Thorne and let him know she wouldn’t be waiting to walk home with him. She and her cousin were leaving first. It was only about four miles; she could walk that with her eyes closed.

As soon as she reached the school gate, Tang Xiaonan saw Ulysses Spann walking home by himself. She found it strange. ’Phoenix Golding treasures that son of hers like the apple of her eye, never letting him lift a finger. She always gives him a ride to and from school on her bicycle. Why on earth would she let her precious boy walk home alone today?’

’Where did Phoenix Golding go?’

An idea struck Tang Xiaonan, and she ran over to the bicycle shed. Phoenix Golding’s bicycle was gone. The school only had three or four bikes in total, and Phoenix Golding’s was the only lady’s model, so it was easy to spot. Now, only three men’s bikes were left in the shed. Phoenix Golding had ridden off, and not in the direction of her home.

’So where did she go?’

Tang Xiaonan’s heart pounded in her chest. ’She didn’t go home at this hour, so she must have gone to meet her lover. But Xavier Village is so big. Where would Phoenix Golding and Storm Xavier go for their tryst?’

"It has to be somewhere deserted," Amanda Chapman said with certainty. "My dad always looks for secluded places to be with Widow Wang."

Tang Xiaonan’s eyes widened. ’Holy shit! Brian Chapman is already hooking up with a widow!’

"Does Auntie know?" Tang Xiaonan asked, grinding her teeth.

"I think so," Amanda Chapman said, sounding uncertain.

"What did you see Uncle and Widow Wang doing together?" Tang Xiaonan asked, needing to be sure she wasn’t mistaken.

Amanda Chapman’s face flushed red, and she stammered, "They were... kissing... My dad was kissing Widow Wang, and they were hugging... Anyway, they were up to no good. Xiaonan, you shouldn’t hear this."