Chapter 188 You're Different from Them
Katniss scrolled through the parents' group chat for the online courses from the educational institution. Everyone was already buzzing about it.
They all wanted answers and, according to the contract, were demanding compensation several times the cost of the courses.
A bunch of teachers had privately messaged her on Facebook, and their accounts were swamped with inquiries from parents.
[Hey everyone, we're on holiday right now. If you have any questions, please wait until after the New Year when classes resume. Our institution promises a reasonable explanation. If anyone's unhappy and wants a refund, we'll support it unconditionally. Feel free to screenshot this message as proof.] After posting this in the group, she forwarded it to each teacher, telling them to respond to parents the same way.
In the teachers' group chat, the discussion was just as heated.
Thanks to Delphine's instigation, some teachers were already looking to jump ship to other institutions.
Switching jobs before this mess got sorted out would have less impact on them.
Katniss didn't bother with it and just posted a message in the group. "I'll handle this properly and make sure no teacher's reputation gets hurt. Even if it goes south, I'll take full responsibility."
This hinted that she had a plan, but if they still wanted to leave, she wouldn't stop them.
After dealing with the crisis, she checked her phone and saw a message from Tristan asking if she had made it to Nightfall City. She shot back a quick reply.
From the airport to Whispering Pines Estate, she spent over half an hour on Facebook, constantly replying to messages.
It wasn't until the car stopped at the entrance of Whispering Pines Estate that she put her phone away and got out. "Mr. Gray, we need to go to the hospital tomorrow morning. Bring your luggage, and we'll spend New Year's here. There's plenty of room."
Ryan felt a warmth in his heart and quickly said, "Okay, but what about the educational institution's issue?"
He wanted to help but felt Katniss had it under control and didn't want to interfere.
"I'll handle it myself, don't worry. Just think of this as free advertising," she said.
Right now, her online course materials were only used in a few cities near Nightfall City and on a small scale.
There were only a few hundred families overall, but now that the issue had blown up, any family with students would notice their teaching materials.
Wasn't this free advertising?
Ryan paused, suddenly getting it. "Oh, I see now. Mr. Forbes always said you were smart, and today I finally get why!"
Katniss smiled at him, then turned to the back seat and said to Saskia, "Come over whenever you want; don't stay there alone."
"Got it." Saskia had slept for hours on the plane but still felt like she'd been hit by a truck.
She didn't have the energy to worry about the educational institution's issue, knowing Katniss would handle it.
She urged Ryan to leave, planning to go back and get a good night's sleep.
Katniss headed inside, and as soon as she walked in, she heard Aaron shouting. "It's just two days. Can't you hold on? You had to run to Velvet City to find Tristan. Men don't appreciate women who are too forward. Don't you get that?"
She changed her shoes and walked in, seeing Aaron playing video games on the couch, with several empty takeout containers on the table.
Those were the takeouts she had Ryan order for Aaron. "Did you finish eating and not clean up? Did you complete the test papers I gave you earlier?"
She went into the kitchen, took out the food Tristan had prepped in advance from the fridge, and heated it on the induction cooker.
Just a few words made Aaron shiver. He glanced at her busy back.
Grumbling, he put away his phone and cleaned up the table.
Katniss finished heating dinner for the two of them, and Aaron had already tidied up.
They sat down in the dining room and started eating.
"Did you see the news online?" Katniss asked Aaron.
Aaron nodded, "Yeah, I saw it. Someone's definitely targeting you."
Katniss was a bit surprised by how certain he was.
"Those people online don't know the truth and are just talking out of their asses, fooling the clueless," Aaron said confidently. "The course materials that the influencer teacher posted are very different from her previous ones. How could such a famous professor not see that?"
Even he could see the problem, but the well-known professor went online and hinted that Katniss plagiarized. Wasn't it obvious the professor was bought?
Katniss hesitated for a few seconds, then smiled, "You compared them? You care about me that much?"
"I..." Aaron looked up and blinked twice, "Who cares about you? I just thought if you really plagiarized, I'd switch from you!"
"So you take your studies seriously." Katniss laughed, "Then I should think about what to reward you with for the New Year."
'Reward?' Aaron couldn't remember the last time he got a New Year's gift.
He only remembered that the last New Year gift was a bead his grandmother had worn for many years, which Katniss had repaired for him.
"Hurry up and eat," Katniss urged, noticing Aaron lost in thought. "Think about what you want after you're full. Otherwise, the food will get cold."
Aaron buried his head and started eating, almost hiding his face in the plate to conceal his expression.
The next morning, Katniss went to the hospital to pick up Matilda and Sophia.
Matilda had already packed for Sophia in advance, and she arrived just as Terry was walking by.
"Dr. Perez, Happy New Year in advance," Katniss greeted with a smile, opening the door to the hospital room and inviting Terry in first.
Terry walked in with a smile, "Wishing you all a great New Year! This year is just the beginning, but things will only get better from here."
After a few pleasantries, Terry gave some instructions.
The most important thing was to prevent Sophia from falling and to temporarily feed her liquid food through a gastric tube every day to ensure nutrition.
"This is the last course of the targeted medication, and the treatment will be over in three days. Just remember to give her the medication, and after the New Year, bring her to the rehabilitation department. Visiting twice a week should show significant improvement," Terry said.
Rehabilitation at home wasn't impossible, but professional help would certainly speed up the process.
Katniss thanked Terry profusely and then took Matilda and Sophia home.
Although Katniss had told Matilda in advance, Matilda was still surprised when she saw Whispering Pines Estate.
She hadn't expected the place to be so luxurious and felt a bit uneasy.
After getting out of the car, she whispered to Katniss, "Katniss, is it really okay for us to stay here?"
"We're just spending the New Year here. I've already rented a villa nearby, but the landlord has some matters to attend to and can only sign the contract after the New Year. Then you can move there, and it'll be convenient for me to visit."
Katniss had made arrangements in advance; staying here with the whole family was indeed inconvenient.
Buying was out of the question, so renting was the only option.
"That's good," Matilda smiled, then turned to open the car door, first taking out the wheelchair, and they helped Sophia into it.
Sophia's limb joints could already move, and her fingers were somewhat flexible. Matilda placed paper and a pen on her lap so she could write down anything she wanted to say.
After entering the villa, Katniss and Matilda busied themselves setting up Sophia's room.
"I bought two sets of clothes for Mom; she can wear them for the New Year," Katniss said, handing a card to Matilda. "I'll take care of Mom this afternoon; you go shopping and buy whatever you need. After all, it's the New Year, and you won't have to stay in the hospital long-term anymore. You should get yourself some new clothes."
Matilda hesitated for a moment, and as she took the card, her eyes suddenly reddened. "Katniss, have we finally made it through?"
"We've made it through. It's been tough on you, being in the hospital every day," Katniss smiled at her, feeling a myriad of emotions.
Looking at Sophia basking in the sun in the living room, Katniss felt like it was all a dream.
"Katniss, without you, Mom and I wouldn't have this life. I wouldn't have been able to go to college, and Mom wouldn't have recovered." Matilda sat on the bed, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to be sentimental, but at that moment, she couldn't control her emotions.
Katniss handed her a tissue, "Without Mom's kindness to me back then, I wouldn't have this life either. Nor would I have the ability to save Mom or support you through college. Good things happen to those who do good things. We are getting better and better, so let's not bring this up anymore, okay?"
"Okay!" Matilda wiped her tears and smiled through them.
After tidying up, they went out to chat with Sophia.
Sophia wrote slowly, but they patiently waited for her responses.
Katniss didn't expect the first question Sophia wrote: [Katniss, where is Samuel?]
Katniss was stunned and exchanged a surprised look with Matilda.
"Mom, why are you asking about Samuel?" Matilda was also very curious.
Sophia's brow furrowed slightly, and she wrote: [Isn't he spending New Year with us?]
Why would Samuel spend New Year with them? Katniss was puzzled.
But she still shook her head and said, "He's in Velvet City. He's not spending New Year with us; he has his own family."
Upon hearing this, Sophia's eyes flickered as if she had thought of something, and she nodded lightly.
Last New Year, Sophia was in a coma in the hospital, and Katniss and Matilda spent it with her there.
In the previous two years, Sophia was seriously ill, but she insisted on being discharged for two days to spend New Year at home.
Sophia would handle everything, preparing special dishes and cooking them herself.
This year was different. She couldn't do it herself, so Katniss was in charge of shopping, Matilda cooked, and Sophia supervised.
Saskia and Ryan also came on New Year's Day.
The large villa became lively, and Katniss was busy non-stop.
Until Ryan reminded her, "Ms. Grey, you're different from them."
"How?" Katniss looked at Ryan, puzzled.
"Don't forget, you still have Mr. Forbes," Ryan said, showing her his phone, which displayed his chat history with Tristan.
Most of the messages were Tristan asking Ryan to take photos or short videos of Katniss.
He had to take one every half hour.
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