Vol. 1 - Ch. 91 - Learn to be a bit more selfish

At noon, HuMing ordered pizza for the kids.When the children saw the assortment of pizzas and snacks on the table, they couldn't help but drool.

They had never tasted anything like this before. At most, they had only ever seen such food in passing.

Seeing the children, HuMing chuckled and said,

"Alright, stop staring. Go ahead and eat. It won't taste good when it gets cold!

The children rushed forward but maintained their order. The younger ones grabbed their slices first while the older kids patiently waited their turn.

They gathered in small groups, eating pizza and drinking cola, chatting enthusiastically about how delicious the food was.

"You bought pizza for the kids? I thought you were just getting fast food," Ye QiuXue said, sitting beside HuMing. She watched the kids with him, her face naturally breaking into a smile.

As for Han YunXi?

She was sitting among the children, laughing and playing with them. She occasionally used a napkin to wipe their mouths and shared her own favorite pizza flavors.

There wasn't a trace of  'rich girl' demeanor on Han YunXi.

"There's no difference between fast food and their regular lunches. These kids rarely get to eat stuff like this, so there's no harm in treating them once in a while."

"Where did you get the money for this? Did Mr. Han give it to you?"

"Nope, it was Young Master Han," HuMing grinned widely.

Ye QiuXue looked at him skeptically. She didn't feel that HuMing and Han ShuYi's relationship was good enough to give money to each other.

However, she was too lazy to dig deeper. As long as HuMing did what he could for the kids, that was enough for her.

"Han HuMing, midterms are coming up soon. You better do well, or I'll beat you up!" Ye QiuXue playfully shook her fist at him.

HuMing pressed his lips together, pretending to look troubled.

"President, when you say 'do well', what exactly do you mean? You can't be expecting me to take first place in the whole school, right? If I score higher than you, wouldn't you accuse me of 'betraying my mentor and ancestor'?"

"Huh? If you can surpass me, I'll do whatever you say!" Ye QiuXue scoffed; she felt that HuMing was only talking nonsense.

Her grade spoke for itself. She was confident that even within the city, few could outperform her. This confidence ran deep in her bones.

However, HuMing raised an eyebrow and extended his pinky finger toward her.

"You said it, no backing out."

"Tch!"

Ye QiuXue wasn't the least bit worried about HuMing's words. When it came to grades, she had absolute confidence!

"Brother, sister, you should eat too!" Seaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

YouCheng approached, holding two slices of pizza in his hands and offering them to the pair. Ye QiuXue took one while HuMing pulled YouCheng over to his side and asked,

"YouCheng, you're about the age to start middle school soon, right? Has Grandpa Director talked to you about it?"

"Uh... yeah, he has," YooCheng replied, looking slightly uneasy.

"What's that face for? Did Grandpa Director say something to you?"

"No, he said to let me go to school outside. He said that with my grades, I could attend a top middle school. But the tuition is expensive. Even if the school covers the tuition, all the other expenses still add up. The orphanage is already short on funds, and if I went, it'd probably wear Grandpa Director out. I don't want to go."

YouCheng's words made Ye QiuXue pause.

His reasoning echoed her own from years ago when she had once told her grandmother the same thing.

Back then, her grandmother was tirelessly supporting the family alone. Seeing how exhausted her grandmother was, Ye QiuXue said she didn't want to attend school anymore.

But that night, her grandmother had a long talk with her, and in the end, she was convinced to go to school.

It was only after continuing her education that Ye QiuXue realized how much it had opened up new paths for her. Had she chosen to give up, she would have been buried in the relentless grind of society by now.

Now YouCheng was facing a similar choice, and Ye QiuXue hoped he wouldn't give up on this opportunity so easily.

Ye QiuXue opened her mouth, about to offer some advice, but the boy beside her acted even faster.

HuMing's hand came down sharply on YouCheng's head. YouCheng winced and grimaced in pain, clutching his head.

"How can you change your life and help your younger siblings if you don't study?"

HuMing's words hit YouCheng right where it hurt. YouCheng did feel that at his age, he should be helping Grandpa Director with things, and he wanted to improve the environment of the orphanage. But reality was harsh; they were destined to climb up from the bottom.

They lacked the basic things others took for granted. Even something as simple as pizza required others' charity.

Let alone the cost of education.

"Brother Ming, that's a lot of money... I know the financial situation of the orphanage."

"Is that something you should be concerned about? What you should be focusing on is whether you have the determination to study well!"

HuMing's tone was stern, and even the children in the classroom could hear the commotion. They turned to look at HuMing, and upon seeing HuMing's serious expression, they couldn't help but be astonished.

It was the first time they'd seen HuMing so angry!

Han YunXi quietly swallowed the bite of pizza in her mouth and stood by the door, watching the scene unfold.

Ye QiuXue, sitting next to HuMing, could feel his anger more acutely. It seemed like HuMing was genuinely furious about YouCheng's choice.

"Brother Ming, the orphanage..."

"Just answer me, do you want to go?"

"I do."

YouCheng finally admitted his true feelings. He wanted to leave and see the world beyond.

"Just say so, then. Stop being so wishy-washy!"

HuMing shook his head, pinched YouCheng's cheek, and pushed him back.

"I'll handle this matter. Just don't let me down."

YouCheng walked back to the group, his head hanging low. His younger siblings quickly gathered around him, asking what had happened. But YouCheng wasn't keen on discussing it, so he kept his head down and ate his pizza.

Han YunXi came out, looking curiously at HuMing, and then said,

"Brother, why are you so fierce? Even if the kid made a mistake, you could have talked to him calmly. You scared him."

"I have to be fierce. YouCheng is the big brother here, and the younger ones look up to him!"

"Nevermind. I'll go comfort him."

With that, Han YunXi turned and walked back to console YouCheng.

Meanwhile, Ye QiuXue, sitting beside them, looked at HuMing helplessly.

"You know, YunXi has a point. You could have explained things to him patiently instead of getting so angry.

"YouCheng is very responsible, but that sense of responsibility will also burden him. He needs to learn to be a bit more selfish."

HuMing rubbed his temples and exhaled deeply.