Volume One: Transformation

Chapter 1: The Relationship Has Ended

Edward Brooks received his assignment order to Shumuling Middle School half a month ago, but during these two weeks he had been living in a daze, like a walking corpse, because he had just gone through a breakup!

These past few days, he still occasionally felt a dull pain at the back of his head, but Edward Brooks didn’t care at all. Nothing is more sorrowful than a dead heart. He hadn’t even bothered to go to the hospital for a checkup, just letting himself be. Sometimes, when the pain became unbearable, he would buy a bottle of liquor and drink alone. Alcohol could numb not only his mind but also the physical pain...

Edward Brooks was a member of the 1986 graduating class of Gunan Province Normal University. If he had followed the standard assignment, he would have been sent back to his hometown, Furong County. But because of his girlfriend Lily Carter, Edward Brooks had proactively requested to be assigned to Yuhua County, which neighbored Furong County. Lily Carter’s father was the deputy director of the Yuhua County Education Bureau. When they graduated, Lily Carter asked Edward Brooks to be assigned with her to Yuhua County, saying that with her father’s connections, both of them could stay in the county seat to teach.

To be able to work with his beloved, not to mention the county seat—even the most remote mountain village, Edward Brooks would have accepted gladly without complaint. But in August, when he received a call from the county education bureau’s personnel office, he learned that only he had been assigned to the most remote Shumuling Middle School in Shumuling Township, Yuhua County.

As for Lily Carter, she hadn’t been assigned anywhere. Later, after asking around, Edward Brooks found out that she had been sent to the city for further studies. After starting work, being selected for further study meant a chance for advancement. Now, Lily Carter hadn’t even started working and was already sent for training—would she ever work with him in the future? Even if Edward Brooks was slow to catch on, he could see through this situation.

Edward Brooks went to see Lily Carter’s father, James Carter. Deputy Director Carter was no longer as enthusiastic as he had been in June when Lily Carter brought him home. He put on an official air, saying that Principal David Clark of Shumuling Middle School valued talent highly, and that the school had developed well in recent years. Principal Clark had specifically requested him. After saying this, he looked apologetic, explaining that he was only a deputy, his words carried little weight, and since the new county magistrate had personally overseen the graduate assignments this year, there was nothing he could do. He advised Edward Brooks to work hard and achieve good results, and that there might be a chance to transfer back to the county seat in the future.

These words left Edward Brooks speechless at the time. The dignified deputy director had lowered himself to explain things to him. As a farm boy with no relatives or connections in Yuhua County, now that everything was settled, what else could he do?

Edward Brooks didn’t really care where he worked; he just wanted to be with Lily Carter. Whether it was Shumuling Middle School or some remote mountain school, he would have been happy. Director Carter seemed to see through Edward Brooks’s thoughts and took a letter from his drawer, saying it was from Xiaoli for him.

As soon as Edward Brooks got the letter, he couldn’t be bothered to keep up appearances with James Carter—the hypocrisy on Deputy Director Carter’s face made him uncomfortable. He quickly left the office and opened the letter. The handwriting was very familiar, but there were only a few short lines: “Daidong, I’m sorry, let’s break up! Xiaoli.”

These few lines hit Edward Brooks’s heart like a thousand pounds, his face suddenly turning deathly pale. He felt dizzy, his mind went blank, and he fell straight backward. Behind him were the concrete steps of the county education bureau office building, and the back of Edward Brooks’s head hit the steps hard, knocking him out instantly.

When he woke up, he found himself back in James Carter’s office. When he fainted, James Carter heard the commotion outside. He hadn’t wanted to get involved, but Edward Brooks was a stranger in Yuhua County, with no family or friends, and now even his only girlfriend had broken up with him. Plus, Edward Brooks had just left his office—if anything happened, as the deputy director of the education bureau, he would be in trouble. So he had someone carry Edward Brooks to the long sofa in his office.

“Are you feeling better? Do you need to go to the hospital?” James Carter put on a look of “concern.”

Rather than saying James Carter was concerned about Edward Brooks, it would be more accurate to say he was concerned about himself. As long as Edward Brooks was fine, the matter would end here and have nothing more to do with him. As for going to the hospital, unless Edward Brooks was still unconscious by the time he got off work, it wouldn’t happen. Now that Edward Brooks was awake, James Carter was relieved. His question was clear: if you want to go to the hospital, go by yourself. And there was a hint of seeing him out—if there’s nothing wrong, please leave. This is an office, not a hospital; you can’t just lie here.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Edward Brooks didn’t fully understand James Carter’s meaning, but instinctively felt that staying here any longer would be awkward. The man’s daughter had already broken up with him—why keep pestering?