Chapter 17: Revisiting an Old Place

"Mom, that bad woman is going to hurt someone again."

Felix Ford said, glancing at her retreating figure.

"Mm-hm." Amanda Vance had noticed, too. In fact, even if the woman didn’t come looking for her, Amanda had no intention of letting her off easy.

But, scratching him under the chin, Amanda Vance raised an eyebrow. "When did you learn these kinds of tricks?"

It was like watching children play house. And while he was, in fact, a child, he’d always disdained playing with other kids.

Felix Ford blinked. "It’s more satisfying this way."

’True, it was pretty satisfying to watch them get frustrated just now.’

"Be more careful in the future. Don’t be so obvious." He was just a child, after all. If those people tried to get physical with him, he would be the one at a disadvantage.

"Okay." Felix Ford squeezed her hand and looked up at her, saying earnestly, "Mom’s here."

’Because she was here, he wasn’t afraid of anything. He knew she would protect him.’

Seeing the absolute trust in his eyes, Amanda Vance paused for a moment. A smile gradually spread across her face as she squeezed his little hand. "That’s right. Mom’s here."

’She wouldn’t let him get hurt, and she wouldn’t let anyone bully him.’

Felix Ford smiled at her. "Mom, where are we going to play today?"

’He loved being with his mom. She took him to all kinds of amusement parks, unlike his dad, who was so high-maintenance. When they went out to play, his dad would have the whole place cleared out, leaving just the two of them in the entire park. What was the point of that? It wasn’t fun at all.’

’Mom was the best.’

"Where do you want to go?"

"The amusement park from yesterday!"

"Okay." ’She didn’t have anything else to do, anyway. It would be good for him to have more fun.’

"Yay!" Felix Ford immediately jumped up in excitement and trotted into his room. "I’m going to wear my new clothes!"

The wardrobe was full of clothes Amanda Vance had bought for him; he loved them so much he wanted to sleep hugging them. After deliberating for a moment, his head suddenly poked out from the wardrobe. "Mom, what are you planning to wear today?"

Amanda Vance pulled a blue dress from her closet.

Felix Ford grinned and immediately found a pair of blue overalls in his own closet, even choosing a blue T-shirt to go with them. Amanda Vance finally understood why he had asked what she was wearing. With a soft laugh, she took her dress to the changing room to get ready.

Soon, the mother and son were dressed and left the Vance residence.

Although she was supposedly living off her family, Amanda Vance had never actually eaten a meal at the Vance house. The thought of sitting at the same table as Sylvia Sullivan and Holly Vance was enough to make her lose her appetite.

Holly Vance never said anything about it. After all, the mere sight of Amanda Vance infuriated him. He wished she would just stay away. If she didn’t want to eat? ’All the better if she starved to death.’

Amanda Vance took Felix Ford to a breakfast shop she used to love back in her school days. It was right by the school gates, and its business was still booming.

She liked dipping toast into a glass of milk. They became sweet and soft, and a single bite would release a burst of fragrant sweetness. It was absolutely divine.

At first, Felix Ford was curious about this way of eating. He had actually never had a fried dough stick before, as he usually just drank milk in the mornings. Copying her, he broke off a piece of his toast, soaked it in the milk, and took a tentative bite. His eyes immediately lit up. Delicious!

In that moment, mother and son moved in perfect sync, breaking off pieces of their dough sticks, taking a bite, and revealing identical smiles of satisfaction.

The owner still remembered her. She added a fresh-out-of-the-fryer dough stick to their plate and said with a beaming smile, "You two, brother and sister, really look alike."

Felix Ford immediately looked up and corrected her. "We’re mother and son. She’s my mom, and I’m her son."

’We’re not brother and sister.’

Amanda Vance nodded with a smile.

The owner was a little taken aback. ’This young lady is so young. She’s so pretty, I remember her quite well. She’s probably only twenty-five now, right? And her child is already this big? Did she have him right after she started college?’

’This...’ The owner found it hard to believe and glanced at Amanda Vance curiously a few more times.

Amanda Vance’s expression remained unchanged, letting the woman stare.

This time, it was the owner who felt embarrassed. ’This girl always used to come by herself. She seemed quiet, a little cold and aloof. But I once saw her help an old lady who had fallen on the street and even call an ambulance for her. Who dares to help like that these days? It’s not that people have grown heartless, but there have been too many stories of scams, and everyone is afraid of being framed. Of course, not everyone who falls is trying to pull a scam. That old lady couldn’t get up on her own, and the bystanders were too afraid of getting into trouble to lend a hand. Only this girl helped.’

’From that moment on, I knew that even though this girl looked cold on the outside, she was warm-hearted on the inside.’

She didn’t ask any more questions. Just then, another customer came in, so she gave them a nod and went to attend to the new arrival.

"Mom, did you used to come here all the time?" Felix Ford asked curiously after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Mhm, I went to high school right here, so I came to eat here often. Don’t underestimate this little alley; it’s full of delicious food. I’ll bring you back to try every single spot."

"Okay!" Felix Ford smiled at her, then looked toward the school she mentioned. ’Huh, I remember Dad went to this school too. Does that mean Mom and Dad met here?’

After they finished eating, Felix Ford suddenly said, "Mom, can we go walk around inside the school?"

’He wanted to see more of the places where his mom had lived.’

Amanda Vance was about to say there wasn’t much to see, but when she met his expectant gaze, she swallowed her words and nodded instead. "Okay."

"Then let’s hurry." Felix Ford stood up from his small stool. The tables and chairs were all child-sized; it was a perfect fit for him, but Amanda had been feeling a little cramped.

Seeing him so full of enthusiasm, Amanda Vance smiled, paid the bill, and said goodbye to the owner as they left.

It was currently summer vacation, so the school was mostly empty. The gates were open, however. The campus was beautiful, and plenty of people came to enjoy the scenery. Of course, that was secondary. The main reason was to scout the place out in advance, hoping to motivate their children to study hard and earn their own spot here.

There was a saying that getting into No. 1 High was as good as receiving a provisional acceptance letter to a university.

The school’s acceptance rate into top-tier universities was nearly one hundred percent.

A testament to its caliber.

The college entrance exams had just ended, and an honor roll was posted by the school gate. The list of students accepted into prestigious universities alone filled three entire columns.

Felix Ford couldn’t read the words on it, but seeing all the red paper and the flowers posted at the top, he guessed it had to be something good. He turned to Amanda Vance and asked, "Mom, are you on here?"

Amanda Vance shook her head and explained to him, "This is for the most recent graduates. I’m not on it."

’Oh, that explains it.’

Seeing his disappointment, Amanda Vance recalled something. "But," she added, "the top three from every year are kept on a permanent honor roll inside the school. I should be on that one."

’The top three!’

Felix Ford looked at her with adoration. "Mom, you’re so amazing!"

Amanda Vance smiled, and her original aversion to this place lessened slightly.

’In high school, Shirley Vance had often led others to ostracize and isolate her, so her impression of the place wasn’t exactly positive. But now, seeing the way he looked at her, she suddenly felt a wave of relief. Thankfully, she had never given up on herself. What did it matter how they treated her? She had relied on herself, and she was still able to live a good life.’

Soon, they reached the honor roll she had mentioned. It was organized by year, with three names in each row representing that year’s top three students.

The most recent row featured the same top three names from the honor roll outside.

Felix Ford searched for a long time before letting out a confused "Huh?" "Mom, why can’t I see you? Can you pick me up so I can get a better look? I can’t see clearly."

Amanda Vance didn’t move. Her eyes were fixed on one spot, her expression dark and unreadable.

"Mom?" Felix Ford shook her hand.

Just as she was about to speak, a sharp voice suddenly cut in from the side. "Someone with such a depraved lifestyle and corrupt character who brought shame upon the school—what right do they have to be on the honor roll?"