Chapter 21: The Invitation from the Orphanage

Zhao Zejun received an invitation from an orphanage.

Back when he was involved in disaster relief in Gaogang Village, Junzi had discovered a human trafficker and left the credit to Zhao Zejun, who was then exposed to the media spotlight. The trafficker was eventually arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Three abducted children were recovered. The parents of the older girl were found immediately, while another boy and a female infant were temporarily placed in the custody of the local police station. After more than a month, the boy's parents were also located, leaving only the infant girl, whose family remained unfound.

It was not a sustainable solution to keep such a tiny baby at the police station. While continuing to search for her parents, the police transferred her to a social welfare institution—an orphanage.

Conditions in domestic orphanages were generally poor, primarily due to a lack of funds. The most important daily task for the orphanage director was to find ways to secure money. After the baby was sent there, the director learned of her background, traced the lead back to Zejian Company, and hoped for a donation.

Jiang Xuan found the situation quite frustrating. Zejian had not yet reached the point where it needed to buy its reputation; there were too many tragedies in the world, and Zejian could not simply pay out every time they encountered one.

Zhao Zejun was no longer the high school student he once was, and Jiang Xuan was no longer a reckless youth; they considered things on a deeper level. To put it bluntly, donating was like dealing with beggars. If they donated to one place today, several more would come knocking tomorrow—nursing homes, welfare centers, relief agencies, widows, orphans, impoverished children, fallen women...

Should they get involved or not? Once a precedent was set, it would be difficult to handle. These institutions, however poor, were high-profile in society. If handled poorly, Zejian would spend the money and not only fail to gain a good reputation but might even end up with a bad one.

However, this infant was, in the end, somewhat connected to Zhao Zejun; had it not been for him, she might not have ended up in this "troublesome" situation for the orphanage.

After some thought, Jiang Xuan didn't use the company's name. She took ten thousand yuan out of her own pocket and sent the director away.

This matter definitely needed to be reported to Zhao Zejun. Moreover, the director, having taken the money, used it as a pretext to invite Zhao Zejun to visit the orphanage and express his gratitude in person.

This orphanage was not in Yijiang City, but conveniently located in Jianwu City, the provincial capital.

Zhao Zejun held the invitation, shaking his head with a smile. It was clear they still wanted him to open his wallet. If he really went to the orphanage, could he possibly walk away empty-handed? If they brought in the media, he would be backed into a corner.

He decided to put it aside for now; the money he had on hand needed to be used where it mattered most. It would be better to wait until Zeyue could generate stable revenue.

After putting away the invitation, Zhao Zejun was about to leave for the dormitory when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find a man in his thirties or forties wearing glasses and high-end clothing.

"Who are you?" the man asked, peering into the room.

"Who are you looking for?" Zhao Zejun asked, puzzled.

"Is Su Yun here? I'm her ex-husband," the man said.

"Oh, hello. Teacher Su rented this place to me. Didn't she tell you?"

The man frowned and asked, "Could you give me her mobile number?"

Zhao Zejun found this strange. An ex-husband is still a husband; even if they were divorced, surely he wouldn't lack her phone number? He stared at the man for a moment. "Who exactly are you?"

"It’s like this." Seeing Zhao Zejun’s skepticism, the man offered a brief explanation.

The man, surnamed Wang, had lived apart from Su Yun for most of their marriage. Strangely enough, after the divorce, the court had granted custody of their child to the father. Su Yun couldn't bear to part with the child and had refused to hand her over, moving house and changing her number to stay hidden.

They had once been a married couple, and despite the divorce, they hadn't burned bridges. Furthermore, he had been busy working in the capital and hadn't come to make a scene specifically for this. However, he was now moving abroad and needed to take the child with him, so he had come to Jianwu City specifically to have a serious talk with Su Yun.

"Brother Wang, I'm afraid I can't help you with that," Zhao Zejun said, shaking his head. "I do have Teacher Su's number, but this is your family business. Without her consent, it wouldn't be right for me to give it to you."

"Then do you know where she's teaching these days?" Wang Zhiping said awkwardly. "We lived apart before, and I didn't care enough for her."

"I don't know," Zhao Zejun replied.

Wang Zhiping sighed and nodded. "Alright then, sorry to bother you. If you see her, please tell her I came by."

"That I can do."

Zhao Zejun actually knew Su Yun's class schedule—she taught his Advanced Mathematics course, and she had a class today. But it was better to stay out of other people's family affairs.

In the afternoon, he went to the large lecture hall. His roommates sat in a row, and Zhao Zejun took a seat next to Ou Chen. Ou Chen looked at him. "We were just betting on whether you'd show up for class today."

"Why bet on something like that?" Zhao Zejun laughed.

Guo Xiaochao smirked. "You're always coming and going like a ghost, but I told them you'd definitely show up for Advanced Math."

"That's a given! We get to look at a beauty!" Ou Chen said, gesturing toward the classroom door. Su Yun walked in wearing black-rimmed glasses and a professional suit. From this angle, the thirty-something teacher had a well-maintained figure with smooth, elegant curves—everything a woman should have.

"Are you guys serious? You have such heavy tastes?" Zhao Zejun chuckled. A young married woman should have been the type for someone his age; why were a bunch of twenty-year-old college students making such a fuss?

"It's not just us. Look, whenever Su Yun teaches, the room is packed," Guo Xiaochao said, pointing to the back of the room. "See those guys from the class next door? They'd rather stand through the lecture than miss it."

"Big brother, that's because Advanced Math is a core requirement! They have to be here!"

Still, the young woman did have a certain charm, especially when she turned to write on the blackboard; her fitted trousers accentuated a very pleasing shape, making the young men below watch with glowing eyes.

As soon as class ended, Zhao Zejun told his roommates he was leaving, grabbed his books, and strode after Su Yun, intercepting her at the classroom door.

"Holy shit! Old Zhao is going for it!" Guo Xiaochao exclaimed.

"Maybe he's just asking a question," Ou Chen said.

"Forget it, look at Su Yun's expression—she looks completely distraught!"

It was true. From a distance, the group saw Zhao Zejun say something to Su Yun, and her expression changed instantly; this was definitely not a standard academic inquiry.

"Do they actually have something going on?" Guo Xiaochao asked in surprise.

In the distance, after Zhao Zejun told Su Yun about her ex-husband's visit and saw her pale face, he coughed and asked, "Teacher Su, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Su Yun nodded, forcing a smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll be going now."

"Okay."

Zhao Zejun headed down the stairs. Su Yun, distracted, followed him down. She missed a step, and she and her books tumbled down the stairs.