Chapter 109: Shouldn’t Disturb Them

The online posts had been thoroughly scrubbed, so Amanda Vance saw none of them, and her mood remained unaffected.

The next day, she followed her usual routine, heading to the hospital after dropping off her child. The old headmaster, however, shot her a few worried glances. When he saw that her expression was normal, even cheerful, he was momentarily baffled. ’Has the shock been too much for her?’

He hesitated, unsure of how to bring it up.

Before he could say anything, Amanda Vance approached him. "Teacher, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

The old headmaster studied her expression, then thought better of it and decided not to ask. ’Even if I did, she’d just say everything is fine,’ he thought. ’She’s been like that since she was a little girl, only ever sharing the good news and never the bad.’

He sighed to himself. In that case, there was nothing more to say. It would only bring up those distressing matters again.

"It’s nothing. I just feel like my appetite hasn’t been great the past couple of days. I wanted you to take a look and see what’s going on."

"A poor appetite?" Amanda Vance’s expression grew serious.

The old headmaster felt a pang of guilt. "Ah, yes. I just can’t seem to eat anything."

Amanda Vance took his pulse, then gave him a puzzled look. ’His pulse is fine.’

Seeing her gaze on him, the old headmaster, who had already steeled himself, kept a straight face. He even asked, as if it were a serious matter, "What is it? Has my condition taken a turn for the worse?"

Just as the headmaster’s wife walked in, she heard his question. She rushed over anxiously, setting a lunchbox down on the bedside table. "What is it? What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"Er..." The old headmaster hadn’t expected her to walk in right then, and his heart began to race with nervousness.

"Teacher said he’s having trouble eating, but his pulse seems perfectly fine."

Her brow furrowed as she pondered the cause. ’Could there be something I missed?’

’Can’t eat?’

The headmaster’s wife glanced at her husband and saw him secretly shoot her a meaningful look. She instantly understood. After rolling her eyes at him in exasperation, she took Amanda Vance’s arm and led her aside. "Don’t mind him. It’s not that he can’t eat; he’s just craving something good and is putting on a pathetic act."

’So that’s what this is about.’

Amanda Vance breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, as long as it’s nothing serious."

"Don’t you worry."

Seeing an out and not wanting to frighten her, the old headmaster played along, making himself sound bad. "I can’t help it. Every day, it’s nothing but bland broths and water. My mouth is so dull I can’t taste a thing. I just want something with a bit of flavor."

At his words, Amanda Vance smiled. "Just hang in there a little longer, Teacher. One more acupuncture session should clear out the lesion completely. After that, you’ll be able to have a little treat now and then."

He was getting on in years and had numerous health issues, so he really should maintain a light diet. However, indulging a craving every once in a while wouldn’t be a problem.

This was a pleasant surprise. The old headmaster asked in astonishment, "You mean I’m almost better?"

He rubbed his stomach. "No wonder I’ve been feeling so much better lately."

"Well, not quite that fast. The cancer cells are almost gone, but your body still needs to recuperate properly, Teacher. That will take some more time."

"That’s fine," the headmaster’s wife said with a smile. "You mentioned that before, Megan. It’s a good chance to properly condition his body and get him back to health."

"Yes." ’That’s what I was thinking, too.’

After listing a few more things to keep in mind, Amanda Vance finally left.

After walking her to the door, the headmaster’s wife waited until she disappeared around the corner. Then her expression instantly soured. She spun around and glared at her husband. "What kind of person jinxes themself like that? Is your life too comfortable for your own good?"

Seeing how furious she was, the old headmaster quickly pleaded, "I just blurted it out, I didn’t mean anything by it."

"Blurted it out? Hmph. You could have said anything. Did you have to say you were sick?"

’But I *am* sick,’ he grumbled inwardly.

He didn’t dare say it aloud and sighed. "I was just flustered. I was afraid Megan would notice something was wrong, so that’s what came out."

"You don’t jinx yourself, even if you’re flustered. You really don’t have a filter." She gave him a helpless look. At the thought of what happened yesterday, her expression soured as well.

The old headmaster had been the principal of No. 1 High School, and his wife had been a teacher there as well. With former students all over the world, it wasn’t difficult for them to keep up with school-related news. Yesterday, they had seen posts from a few former students on their Moments. That led them to look into the matter, and when they learned the truth, the two of them, normally so mild-mannered, couldn’t help but curse them out.

The two had been good-natured their entire lives and had never so much as raised their voices at anyone. Even in the past, when they had to be strict to manage students, they only put on a fierce expression; they had never truly been angry with anyone.

But they couldn’t stand to see Amanda Vance get bullied like that.

Recalling the incident, the headmaster’s wife’s eyes reddened. She gritted her teeth and seethed, "It’s been ten years. Why can’t they just leave Megan alone! What on earth did Megan ever do to them that they have to attack her like this?"

At the mention of it, the old headmaster was also fuming. "Tell me about it. I really don’t know what’s wrong with those people. And they’re supposed to be elites of society. They can’t even tell truth from lies. It’s just outrageous."

The more they spoke, the angrier they became, and they started ranting again. They were so consumed by the incident that they completely failed to notice a figure standing just outside the door.

Leaning against the wall, Amanda Vance listened for a moment. She pressed her lips together, and only when the voices inside subsided did she turn to leave.

His expression had seemed off earlier, and he had even lied to her, so she knew something was wrong. She had only pretended to leave before doubling back, never expecting to overhear such a conversation.

’Someone must have been bad-mouthing me, and they saw it. That’s why they’re so upset. No wonder Teacher was looking at me with such concern earlier.’

As for what was said, she didn’t need to see it to know. She could guess just by thinking about it.

’Ten years, and they still haven’t come up with anything new.’

A cold smirk touched her lips as she continued walking forward without pause. Just as she rounded the corner, she saw someone.

He was standing there quietly, one hand in his pocket, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings with indifference. Only when he saw her did his expression flicker with a hint of something more.

It looked like he had been standing there for a while.

Amanda Vance glanced at his position, mulled it over for a moment, then took the initiative to walk up to him. "President Ford," she said with a smile, "what a coincidence."

Samuel Ford watched her. Seeing her polite yet distant expression, he knew she was upset that he had witnessed the scene. He pursed his lips and explained, "It didn’t seem right to interrupt, so I stayed back."

It was truly unintentional; he hadn’t meant to eavesdrop.

Besides, he had been too far away to hear anything. He had only seen her standing outside the old headmaster’s room.

Amanda Vance smiled. "Thank you for your consideration, President Ford. And there’s one more thing I’ll have to trouble you with."

Samuel Ford nodded. "I won’t tell your teacher."

At that, Amanda Vance’s expression finally softened, and her smile gained a hint of genuine warmth. "Thank you, President Ford."

Samuel Ford held her gaze for a moment. "You’re welcome."

They locked eyes for a long moment. When it became clear he had no intention of leaving, Amanda Vance raised an eyebrow. "Was there something you wanted to say, President Ford?"

"Yes." After a brief hesitation, Samuel Ford nodded. When she prompted him with a questioning gaze, he said, "About that matter... you know, don’t you, Dr. Vance?"

"More or less. Even though my teacher and his wife didn’t want to tell me, it wasn’t hard to figure out."

"Then what are your thoughts on it, Dr. Vance?"

"I don’t have any thoughts on it," Amanda Vance said, looking at him calmly, a chill in her gaze. "I don’t care what they say about me. But they never should have brought this to my teacher and his wife."