Chapter 69: The Small Note
Zhu Wenhu’s expression changed. "Shen Youchu, have you no manners?" he snapped. "Let go of Mr. Cheng this instant!"
As he spoke, Zhu Wenhu rushed forward, yanked Shen Youchu away, and began apologizing profusely to Cheng Yuan.
"Mr. Cheng, it’s all my fault. I failed to teach the children properly. I’m so sorry she troubled you."
Cheng Yuan waved his hand gently. "Don’t blame the child."
After he finished, Cheng Yuan looked at the little girl with an apologetic expression. "Child, I understand how you feel. However, I just got married and don’t have any children of my own yet, so I’m not planning to adopt at the moment. But I can ask my friends and family. If any of them are looking to adopt, I’ll be sure to bring them here."
The little girl’s head drooped, her hair hiding her face, the very picture of disappointment.
But no one noticed that beneath the curtain of her hair, the little girl’s eyes were shining with excitement!
She had succeeded!!
After the donation was finalized, Zhu Wenhu personally escorted Cheng Yuan to the main gate of the welfare institute.
The moment the gate closed, the smile on Zhu Wenhu’s face vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous expression.
The security guard beside him also dropped his pretense.
"Brother Hu, that was a close call!"
Zhu Wenhu snorted. "Shen Youchu is usually so timid and submissive, always walking with her head down like an ostrich. I never thought she’d be bolder than the troublemakers we’ve got locked up! If that Cheng fellow had actually wanted to adopt her, things would have gotten complicated."
A vicious glint flashed in the security guard Xiaozhou’s eyes. "If Cheng had really insisted on adopting her, we would’ve had to kill him."
Zhu Wenhu cracked a sinister smile. "Let’s go! I want to see just where Shen Youchu found the nerve!"
The two men stormed toward the cafeteria.
「The Cafeteria.」
Without an order from Zhu Wenhu, the children sat obediently in their chairs. Not a single one dared to move.
Shen Youchu was always helpful and well-liked by the other children; they usually flocked to her side.
But now, they kept their distance, terrified of being caught in the fallout.
Only Wang Xiaoyu, Shen Youchu’s best friend, remained by her side, her face etched with worry.
"Youchu, that was too reckless! If you really wanted to be adopted, you should have at least washed your face so that uncle could see you properly before you asked!"
Shen Youchu looked up, revealing a face smeared with soot.
Even with her face deliberately smeared with soot from a pot, she couldn’t completely hide her delicate, ethereal features.
That was why Shen Youchu spent most of her time with her head bowed, hiding her face with her hair, terrified of suffering the same fate as some of the other girls.
"Xiaoyu, if someone wanted to adopt me just for my looks, how would that be any different from ending up in Zhu Wenhu’s hands? Besides, Zhu Wenhu would never let anyone adopt us."
"Then why did you..."
"I just slipped a small note into that uncle’s pocket."
Wang Xiaoyu’s face paled. "But you..."
"If it means all of you can be saved, what does my death matter? I don’t want to end up like the girls in the confinement room, living a life worse than death."
"Youchu..."
As they spoke, footsteps drew nearer.
Wang Xiaoyu was on the verge of tears from anxiety, but there was nothing she could do.
Shen Youchu pushed Wang Xiaoyu aside and calmly awaited her fate.
BANG!
Zhu Wenhu kicked the cafeteria door open and glared icily at Shen Youchu.
SWISH!
Instantly, every child’s head dropped. They didn’t dare to look up, terrified of being caught in the crossfire of Zhu Wenhu’s rage.
Zhu Wenhu strode up to Shen Youchu and stared down at her. "Shen Youchu, so you’ve stopped listening to me, have you? Daring to try and get someone to adopt you? Planning to expose me once you’re out? I think you have a death wish!!"
Shen Youchu was already prepared. Without raising her head, she said calmly, "Then kill me."
"You think I won’t?"
Enraged, Zhu Wenhu kicked out, holding nothing back. He even used about twenty percent of his True Qi!
THUD!
Shen Youchu was sent flying. She slammed into a dining chair, knocking it over and sliding several meters across the floor.
All the children were terrified, their heads bowed low, not daring to look up.
A few of the children closest to Shen Youchu were already in tears, but they fought to suppress their emotions, not daring to make a sound as silent tears streamed down their faces.
Zhu Wenhu didn’t even bother to glance at Shen Youchu again. He knew the power behind that kick; a healthy adult couldn’t have withstood it, let alone a scrawny child.
’Shen Youchu is dead for sure!’
Zhu Wenhu looked coldly at the children, his voice menacing. "Shen Youchu is a perfect example. This is what happens when you disobey! If you don’t want to die, you’d all better behave!"
The children lowered their heads even further.
SCRAPE, SCRAPE.
A sudden noise came from nearby. Clutching her chest, Shen Youchu struggled to her feet and cried out, "Brothers and sisters, don’t be afraid! We have to find a way to escape this hellhole! If we don’t, we’ll all die sooner or later! Or we’ll become Zhu Wenhu’s tools for making money! The girls locked in the confinement room are a warning for us all!"
Zhu Wenhu was stunned. ’But I used True Essence,’ he thought. ’How is she still standing? Is she some kind of unkillable cockroach?’
The children raised their heads one by one to look at Shen Youchu, standing strong.
Their eyes were no longer numb, but filled with hope and courage!
They wanted freedom!
They wanted respect!
They didn’t want to live like slaves!
Seeing the situation spiraling out of his control, Zhu Wenhu’s face turned livid. "So you all want to rebel, is that it? Huh?" he roared. "Fine! I love it! Anyone who wants to die, go stand with Shen Youchu!"
Zhu Wenhu’s expression was terrifying. The children remembered what had happened before, and the courage and confidence they had just mustered vanished in an instant. They all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
Seeing that no one moved, Zhu Wenhu snorted and walked toward Shen Youchu, his face an emotionless mask. "Shen Youchu, I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d be so hard to kill. But you must be disappointed, right? Not one of them is standing with you!"
But Shen Youchu wasn’t disappointed. She knew she had planted the seeds of rebellion and freedom in the children’s hearts. One day, those seeds would blossom and bear fruit.
That was enough.
"Even if you kill me, thousands more like me will stand up! We will never submit!"
"You’ve got a tough mouth. Let’s see what’s tougher today—your mouth or my knife!"
Zhu Wenhu’s face darkened. He pulled a dagger from his coat and lunged, stabbing viciously at Shen Youchu’s heart.
=========
「Outside.」
Cheng Yuan was already in a taxi, sitting quietly in the passenger seat with his eyes closed. He replayed the events of the past few days in his mind, trying to figure out how to talk to Wu Fei about those powerful figures.
’I wonder what Shen Jiangnan’s relationship with those dignitaries is,’ he mused.
Cheng Yuan habitually slipped a hand into his pocket to get his phone, but he paused. ’Why is there a piece of paper in my pocket?’
He pulled out the note and read it. His face instantly turned as black as ink.
"Uncle Cheng, many of the children here aren’t orphans—they were abducted! We don’t get enough to eat or warm clothes, and sometimes they draw our blood. Some of the older girls..."
’Damn it!’
’That bastard Zhu Wenhu!’
’How could he be so utterly monstrous!!’
"Turn around! Driver! Turn around right now! Back to the Hope Welfare Institute!!"