This is the last chapter for today everyone. Enjoy!
Chapter 16 Don’t worry.
Leng Yunting was at least still a person—he might have denied him a business class ticket, but at least he didn’t make him stay in some shady, unregistered motel.
The hotel was a local three-star chain, located in the city center. Though old and worn down, it was at least safe and legitimate.
The next morning, Chi Ke got up early and chatted with the front desk to gather some local intel.
Yanping County wasn’t exactly in the deep Northwest, but it was still far from any developed cities. Tourism hadn’t taken off, and economic growth lagged behind. Before this century, it could be summed up in just two words:
Poverty.
There wasn’t a single proper shopping mall within a ten-mile radius—just scattered street vendors and wholesale farm markets. The streets were filled with beggars, and the tube-shaped apartment buildings housed mostly the elderly, the disabled, and the destitute.
But for all its poverty, it wasn’t entirely hopeless. At the very least, there were no famine disasters, and the town still had a full set of elementary, middle, and high schools.
Places like this, stuck in limbo between poverty and progress, were the worst off. Too developed to receive government poverty aid, yet too backward to integrate with flourishing cities.
Compared to neighboring towns, Yanping had been stuck in poverty the longest.
And this unchanging reality persisted until the early 2000s, when Old Master Leng happened to pass through on a road trip in the Northwest. That chance encounter brought a sliver of hope to a county nearly buried by time and sand.
You could say that Zhenting’s arrival breathed life into an entire town.
The people of Yanping might not recognize top celebrities or A-list movie stars, but they all knew the name of Zhenting Group and its founder, the formidable Old Master Leng Chengye.
Sure enough, Leng Yunting was an idiot, but his grandfather was undeniably a brilliant and strategic businessman.
Zhenting’s logo was everywhere in Yanping—the shopping mall belonged to Zhenting, the schools were built by Zhenting, the hospital was funded by Zhenting…
Yanping was practically a walking billboard for the corporation’s philanthropy.
Of course, everyone knew that Old Master Leng’s generosity was mostly a calculated move, a long-term investment for the company’s future decades down the line. There was definitely a fair share of PR involved.
“But so what?” A middle-aged man munching on a baked flatbread overheard their conversation and eagerly butted in. “The money was real, the projects were real, and the benefits for the people were real! Who cares if the intentions weren’t entirely pure?”
Chi Ke shut his mouth immediately.
Middle-aged men in their forties and fifties loved nothing more than discussing economic policies and current affairs. Give them an opening, and they’d talk your ear off all day.
Time was tight, and he couldn’t afford to linger. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he found an excuse to slip away.
The county didn’t have a subway system, and the bus routes were convoluted, so Chi Ke took a taxi to Hope Elementary School.
As expected, he got ripped off again.
Staring at the 50 yuan fare, he decided he’d rent a car after work.
The company would reimburse him, sure, but having to front the money himself felt like a waste. Two hundred yuan for a proper rental was fine, but two hundred yuan for overpriced taxi rides? Absolutely not.
…
Zhenting Hope [mfn]Hope Elementary Schools are a well-known charitable initiative in China that builds schools in underdeveloped rural areas to provide education for children in need. – Google[/mfn] Elementary looked just like any other hope school—modest and unpretentious. There were no flashy high-rises built for show, just a sturdy iron gate and concrete buildings that blended right into the town.
As soon as Chi Ke stepped through the gate, someone approached with arms crossed.
“Hello, hello!” The man’s skin was tanned, and his Mandarin was heavily accented. The word ‘you’ sounded particularly awkward, as if he wasn’t used to speaking so formally. “Are you the representative from Zhenting… uh…”
His superiors had only told him that a big shot from Zhenting was coming, but not what position they held.
He hesitated, stumbling over his words before finally settling on two words: “Director Chi?”
Leng Yunting really was unreliable—he didn’t even bother setting up a fake identity for him.
Chi Ke extended a hand and gave a perfunctory shake. “I’m the Operations Director for the Planning Department under the company managed by Second Young Master Leng.”
He couldn’t just tell people he was a personal assistant. Technically, he could be called ‘Director Chi’, but if he tacked on the word ‘Assistant’, outsiders might think he was low-ranking, making it seem like Zhenting didn’t value this collaboration.
“Director Chi, nice to meet you! I’m a teacher here—surname Cao, given name Kang.” The man visibly relaxed. “Principal Zheng was unexpectedly called away by city officials and won’t be back until noon. I’m really sorry about that. Would you like me to show you around the school in the meantime?”
“No problem, I arrived early anyway.” Chi Ke wasn’t the type to put on airs. “I’d appreciate the tour, Teacher Cao.”
He needed to write a detailed report for this trip. The Old Master was planning to fund the renovation of Yanping’s high school, and the more precise the report, the better Zhenting could budget and coordinate with the local government.
“Our school isn’t very big—it’s the only one in the county, covering elementary, middle, and high school. The buildings are divided by grade level. There’s another high school about twenty miles away, but the students there drink, smoke, and get tattoos. It’s a complete mess.”
All age groups from 6 to 18 in one school?
Chi Ke thoughtfully adjusted his glasses.
The crisp sound of students reading aloud filled the air. Teacher Cao lowered his voice. “This is the top elementary class. The kids here are well-behaved—I teach them math.”
Chi Ke casually glanced through the classroom window, careful not to disturb the students.
The teacher on the podium was smiling warmly, the front-row students were enthusiastically reading, a few in the middle rows were nodding off, and in the back…
Hmm?
His gaze landed on a boy in the corner. The child was peeking at him from behind a book, cheeks flushed, wearing only a thin sweater. As soon as their eyes met, the boy panicked, hurriedly ducking his head and flipping pages with exaggerated nervousness.
Wearing so little, yet blushing so hard—the classroom heater must have been high.
Chi Ke paid it no mind and was about to leave quietly when he suddenly felt a gaze on him.
He whipped his head back.
The boy hastily buried his face in his book again.
This time, Chi Ke lingered for a few extra seconds.
Teacher Cao noticed and stopped walking, “Something wrong?”
“Nothing.” Chi Ke shook his head, stepping away while casually pointing out the teacher’s buzzing phone.
“Oh! Sorry, let me take this.” Teacher Cao awkwardly excused himself, but the call ended in just a few words.
Chi Ke guessed there was something going on, but the teacher wasn’t comfortable discussing it in front of him. Not wanting to interfere, he requested to rest in the office, then sneaked back out to explore the campus alone while classes were in session.
It was cold and windy today. And he wasn’t dressed too formally—just a simple down jacket and casual suit pants.
It wouldn’t be long before Teacher Cao spread the news to the principal and other officials. Once they heard about his outfit, they’d all breathe a sigh of relief and shed their stiff, formal attire.
He sat on the stone steps by the sports field, organizing the photos and notes he had just taken.
[K: Mr. Leng, I need manpower.]
A while later, Secretary Sun replied.
[Secretary Sun: The boss hasn’t checked his phone, but he guessed it was you. Here’s his exact message— ‘What urgent matter has to be discussed right now? Not interested.’]
Chi Ke: “…”
[K: What’s the boss doing?]
[Secretary Sun: /Crying x99]
[Secretary Sun: Confessing…]
[Secretary Sun: A parade of rose-covered cars is already touring the city.]
[K: Never mind.]
[K: Please relay to Mr. Leng that I need an assistant and support from the headquarters’ planning department.]
[K: I have things to do. Not chatting anymore. Wishing him success with his confession. /Rose/]
After sending the message, he worried that Leng Yunting’s love-struck aura might infect him. So he immediately put his phone on silent mode and, without looking up, reached out to catch a basketball flying his way.
It wasn’t uncommon for balls to be flying around a school campus.
Chi Ke was used to bad luck and had encountered such situations countless times. He had honed his reflexes in middle school, effortlessly catching every stray ball thrown his way.
As he prepared to toss the ball back, he noticed a group of teenage boys standing around, smirking. None of them apologized. In fact, they didn’t even bother reclaiming their ball. Instead, they jumped into the long jump sandpit and poured their drinks and water into the sand, shaping it into a sculpture.
Yeah, that ball definitely wasn’t an accident.
Chi Ke leaned against a tree, cradling the ball in one hand while the other rested in his pocket. He watched them patiently, like a doting parent admiring their children’s playtime.
For half an hour, he waited as they meticulously sculpted their masterpiece, then eagerly planned to borrow a teacher’s phone to take pictures and show off to their friends.
Kids were so easily excited.
Chi Ke casually spun the basketball on his fingertips. Just as one of the boys reached out to add the finishing touch to the sculpture, he flicked his wrist.
The basketball shot forward, grazing two boys’ faces before slamming into their sand sculpture—and their hands.
Three loud, wailing cries instantly filled the air.
Crying, crying—always crying.
Their faces weren’t even scratched, and their hands weren’t broken.
Chi Ke smirked, dusting off his hands. Job done.
Education was the job of teachers, parents, and police officers. He had neither the patience nor the time for lectures. If someone messed with him, he’d return the favor. Simple as that.
The first lesson his parents taught him as an adult: mind your own business.
Judging by the time, the principal should be arriving soon.
Chi Ke made his way back, passing by the elementary school building. He discreetly glanced toward the corner.
When he threw that ball earlier, he had felt a gaze on his back.
It was intense, but not hostile.
…
“We’re truly grateful for the company’s support of our school. We’ll do our best to ensure every resource is put to good use, so the children receive the best education possible.”
Principal Zheng wore a warm smile. He genuinely liked this corporate representative—who wouldn’t appreciate a down-to-earth, easygoing, and highly competent investor?
“It’s our duty. Supporting youth education has always been ZhenTing’s mission and goal. We appreciate your cooperation as well.” Chi Ke spoke smoothly, though his mind wasn’t on the conversation.
As he was leaving, he happened to see the elementary students being dismissed and took the initiative to speak with Teacher Cao.
“Teacher Cao, is the seating arrangement in your honors class based on height?”
Teacher Cao nodded firmly. “That’s right. Our school treats all students equally. No matter their academic performance, everyone is seated by height to ensure that they can see the blackboard!”
Chi Ke offered some praise before asking, “But this morning, I noticed a student sitting in the corner…”
“Oh, he has his reasons. He has some personality issues and specifically requested to sit in the back.” Teacher Cao sighed. “His family situation is complicated, and he won’t talk to us about it. We don’t know much, just that his home conditions are poor. He lives far away with no one to pick him up, so he runs to and from school alone every day. Lately, with the county’s power shortages, the classrooms have been freezing, and he doesn’t even wear a coat.”
Hearing that, Chi Ke frowned. “Can I ask for his name?”
“Well… uh…” Teacher Cao awkwardly scratched his head.
He had originally wanted to say, “It must be fate,” but considering the child’s difficult circumstances, he worried that someone from high society might find that phrase ominous. So, he swallowed his words.
Noting the hesitation in his expression, Chi Ke had a bad feeling.
His voice deepened, “What’s his name?”
…
“Chi Yuanfan.”
Ji Qian gently sighed as he picked up the child from the ground, “That’s his name, right?”
At that moment, he was incredibly grateful for being naturally gifted at studying.
He had a near-photographic memory when it came to books.
Ever since meeting Chi Ke, he had been meticulously recalling every detail in the original novel related to this character, down to the punctuation marks.
One time, while napping, he suddenly remembered a phone call from the novel’s early chapters. In that call, the name ‘Chi Yuanfan’ had been mentioned.
On the very day Leng Yunting successfully confessed, Secretary Sun had received a call mentioning ‘Chi Yuanfan’. But since it was just a subplot, the novel hadn’t provided any details.
Ji Qian had previously looked into Chi Ke’s background. Though he hadn’t seen the full records, he had a rough idea of his family connections. Even if he didn’t know the exact names of his relatives, he knew how many family members he had and whether his parents were still alive.
By piecing together everything he had learned—from the novel and the Leng family—he had finally filled in the missing gaps yesterday morning. That was when he decided to come in person.
Holding the little boy tightly wrapped in his jacket, Ji Qian frowned. “His body temperature isn’t warming up… Damn, did that guy ditch me? He promised to go get a car, so why isn’t he back yet?”
Just as he finished grumbling, hurried footsteps echoed from the alley entrance.
Ji Qian raised his voice impatiently, “Hurry up! It’s been ages! A tiger could’ve been domesticated, and a rooster could’ve laid an egg in the time you took—why are you only—ah! Damn! You scared me! Why are you here?!”
He stared in shock at the panting man who had nearly run into him.
But the man was even more stunned.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” After running around in the freezing cold for over an hour, Chi Ke bent over, placing his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “ZhenTing has business here. My presence makes sense. But Ji Qian, what are you doing here?”
Ji Qian stammered, “I-I-I…”
“Explain later. No time right now.” Chi Ke interrupted anxiously. “Have you seen a little boy? Pretty short, skinny, with a really red face, barely dressed, probably running a fever—”
He had assumed that the kid was just a bit warm this morning. It wasn’t until Teacher Cao mentioned the cold classrooms that he realized the boy was likely sick.
Chi Ke was so focused on his words that he hadn’t even noticed the child bundled up in Ji Qian’s arms.
“Calm down, breathe slower, cover your mouth, don’t inhale cold air.” Ji Qian, unable to comfort him with his hands, softened his voice instead. “I found him. I’m holding him right now.”
Hearing those words, Chi Ke nearly bit his tongue. He stared in disbelief at the bundle of jacket and the half-hidden face under the hat.
“This is…”
“Did you run yourself stupid? You don’t even recognize your own little brother?” Ji Qian teased, bumping shoulders with him. “Let’s go, big brother. Don’t worry—the car’s here. We’re heading to the hospital.”
T/N:- We are done for today.
Hope you enjoyed reading! Chapter 17 will be posted tomorrow, as per our schedule.
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Thanks for the update ~ <3
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