Li Xi took it and placed it on the desk.
"I don't accept bribes," George pushed his glasses up.
"What fine details?" Isaac asked arrogantly.
"Say hello to the principal..." Alice whispered.
"Hello, Principal!" The three kids said in unison.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere." George propped his chin with his hand, a pen between his fingers, turning it methodically. "What's the parents' education level, occupation, and income?"
"I...I didn't graduate from college, and I work at Wan Mei Plastic Surgery, making less than 10,000 yuan a month..." Alice knew she fell short in many ways.
But this wasn't an interview for the child, it was an interview for the parents...
"What about the child's father?" George furrowed his brows slightly.
"The child's father...is no longer with us," Alice said.
"What university did you attend?""Cambridge."
George thought, such a good university and she didn't finish? Are you sure she's not just bragging?
"Your qualifications don't meet the requirements for your child to enter the nursery," George said. "Parents must have a certain social status or contribute to the school. At the very least, they should be high-income earners."
Alice's face turned red with embarrassment. She just wanted to do everything for her child, but she didn't expect the requirements to be so high...
"I'm sorry to have wasted your time."
The three little ones looked at the principal and then at their mother, seeming to not understand the depth of their conversation, but sensing the heavy atmosphere.
Alice took the triplets and left.
George's gaze fell on the gift on the table. He opened the lid and found the children's handmade gift inside. On the drawing page were four stick figures, one adult and three children, with a line of words underneath: "For our dear principal!"
Alice had just left the office building when she heard, "Miss Baker, please wait!"Alice turned around and saw it was Li Xi. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"The principal said to come early tomorrow morning to pay the fee and you can go directly to the nursery," Li Xi said.
Alice was surprised, then overjoyed. "Thank you! Thank you, principal! But why did he change his mind?" she asked.
"Ten thousand a month is not a small amount!" Li Xi said.
"Don't talk behind my back, or I'll beat you up!" George walked out and threw the car keys over to Li Xi.
Li Xi caught them quickly.
Alice bowed to the principal's departing figure and said, "Thank you, principal!"
On the way back, Lily asked, "Mom, where did Dad go?"
"I've never seen him go anywhere!" Isaac said.
"Is he not coming back?" Kevin asked.
Alice couldn't tell the truth, so she hesitated and said, "Uh, yeah..."
"Papa died young and it's so pitiful..." Lily lowered her head.
"..." Alice didn't dare to say anything.After taking the child home, Alice told Mia about the child's enrollment, and then Mia took out a card and gave it to her.
Alice was puzzled, "What's this for? I have money in my account."
"No matter how much money you have, raising a child is a bottomless pit. It's good to have it as a backup," Mia said.
"I won't use your money, Mom," Alice refused.
"If you treat me as your mom, then just accept it!" Mia was more persistent than Alice. "And it's not for you, it's for the child."
Alice couldn't refuse, so she had to accept it, but she knew she wouldn't use it.
After putting the child to sleep, Alice left.
Mia had promised to send the child, so Alice had more free time in the morning.
However, in the afternoon, she received a call from Mia.
"Alice, go pick up the child after work. I can't make it... and there's something I want to tell you. I'm leaving Star City."
"What?" Alice was surprised. "Mom, where are you going? It's so sudden..."
"I'm going out of town with a friend and I won't be coming back,"Mia said.
Alice couldn't believe her ears. Why did her mother want to leave all of a sudden?
"Mom, if you leave, who will help me take care of the kids?" Alice said.
"You said it yourself, the school will take care of them even if the parents don't pick them up," her mother replied.
Alice leaned against the wall, as if she needed something to support her. "Do you really not want me as your daughter?" she asked.
"Alice, I'm sorry..." her mother trailed off before hanging up the phone.
Alice couldn't accept it. Why did her mother want to leave? Why...
Suddenly, she remembered the card her mother had given her last night. Did she run out of money and have to go work somewhere?
No, that didn't make sense. Her mother loved the three little ones so much, why would she just leave like that?
Alice took a day off and rushed to Mia's house. But no one was there. The clothes were still in the closet, but no one answered the phone.What was going on? Did something happen?
As the sky darkened, Alice had to go pick up the kids. She couldn't leave them alone on their first day of school. They would be scared.
On the way back, the three little ones chattered away about all the fun things they did at school, but Alice was distracted and barely listened.
When they got home, Lily asked, "Mom, where's grandma?"
Alice also wanted to know why the person hadn't come back yet...
"Grandma had to go out, so Mom will cook for you first," Alice hurried to the kitchen to make food.
Once in the kitchen, she picked up her phone and called again, but no one answered.
She was really afraid that something had happened...
Just as she put oil in the pot, her phone rang again.
She quickly picked it up, but it wasn't Mia, it was Adam.
Alice looked outside and saw that the children were playing in the living room, so she answered, "I'm at my mom's place, she's not feeling well, so I'm cooking for her…"As she spoke, she deliberately made some noise with the spatula.
"Come out."
Alice was extremely anxious, "How can I go out now? What if her condition worsens?"
"Is it related to me?"
"At least be a little flexible? Please..."
"So, do you want me to come up and get you?"
Alice was scared to death. How could she let him come here?
If the children were found, they would be in big trouble!
"My patience is limited!" Adam finished speaking and hung up.
Alice turned off the stove and walked out of the kitchen.
She took out a few small breads from the drawer, "Mom has to go out for a bit, can you guys eat some bread first? Mom will cook for you when she comes back."
"Mom, can't we have something before dinner?" Isaac asked.
"Mom is going to visit Grandma, which is rare," Alice patted their little heads and instructed, "Just like before, when Mom is not at home, don't answer the door for anyone, understand?""Got it!"
Alice got up and left, closing the door behind her.
As she walked out of the neighborhood, she saw a Rolls-Royce parked on the side of the road from afar.
It looked like a black panther, making people breathless just by looking at it.
Alice stood by the car, and as she was about to ask something, a hand reached out from inside, like a claw from a black hole, and pulled her in directly–