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Chapter 251: Chapter 0251: The Mysterious Taoist
Mother’s love is like water, gentle to the utmost, father’s love is like Mount Tai, majestic and towering!
A father can lower his own dignity and bow his head for the sake of his children!
Seeing the dean’s action, Qiu Ruoxi’s complexion changed drastically, and she hurriedly stood up, quickly stopping the dean from kneeling to her: "Dean, please don’t do this to me!"
"I absolutely cannot accept such a gesture from you!"
The words from Qiu Ruoxi came straight from the heart.
The dean had devoted all his life’s blood to this welfare home, dedicating his entire youth to these lovely children, without regrets!
His entire life had been about giving, never expecting anything in return!
How could she, Qiu Ruoxi, endure such a gesture from him?
Not just Qiu Ruoxi, but indeed, anyone would be overwhelmed by the dean’s kneeling!
"Yes, Dean, please never do such a thing!" Ye Xunhuan also spoke at this time: "If you kneel before her, that would be shortening her life. How could she possibly bear it!"
"And if she dares to accept, I’ll be furious with her!" Ye Xunhuan laughed merrily.
Out of the corner of her eye, Qiu Ruoxi gave Ye Xunhuan a sharp glare to express her dissatisfaction with his words, yet she refrained from arguing with him.
"But..."
"Dean, if that’s the case, then I will have to kneel on behalf of these children myself!"
As she spoke, Qiu Ruoxi made as if to kneel, but fortunately, the dean quickly extended his hand to stop her, otherwise she would have undoubtedly knelt on the ground.
"Miss Qiu, this should absolutely not be done, it absolutely should not, as you are our great benefactor. How could we let a benefactor kneel!"
"If I don’t kneel, you shouldn’t either!" Qiu Ruoxi said earnestly.
Hearing Qiu Ruoxi’s words, the dean sighed softly, his eyes also slightly reddening, "I’m old now, quite aged, and there’s much I’m unable to do. Nowadays, rich people grow cleverer by the day. Putting on a brave face to beg from them, not only are their expressions unpleasant to see, but also those truly willing to give money are few. Sometimes, after waiting for days for them to have a spare moment from work or social obligations, they would eventually meet me and nonchalantly hand over some bills as if I were begging, and I don’t say much, just pick up the money and respectfully bow and thank them... over the years, my back has bent from all the bowing..."
"Over time, I’ve slowly become accustomed to it, so upon hearing Miss Qiu’s intention to support the welfare home, I instinctively wanted to bow and lower my head in gratitude..."
Upon hearing the dean’s words, both Qiu Ruoxi and Ye Xunhuan felt a complex mix of emotions.
Bowing and lowering one’s head had become a habitual action, a reflex. How many times must one bow and bend to reach such a point?
Everyone has their dignity, but on the dean, dignity had become a tremendously extravagant thing.
Did he have no dignity at all?
He did, but for the sake of the children, he had to forsake his own dignity!
Did he not yearn to stand tall and proud as a man for once?
He did, but he knew well that if he stood tall and proud, the children would go hungry, without food or clothing.
He must forsake his own dignity, play the fool!
In that moment, a profound sense of heartache surged within both Qiu Ruoxi and Ye Xunhuan.
He had suffered, how had he endured all these years?
Facing the world’s disdain and mockery, how had he persevered?
Qiu Ruoxi did not know, nor did Ye Xunhuan, and they also dared not think about it, for they knew it was undoubtedly a tragic history drenched in sorrowful tears!
It was also a history of hardship incomprehensible to ordinary people!
"Dean, from now on, you will no longer need to bow to anyone!" Qiu Ruoxi declared emphatically.
This was a promise!
A promise from Qiu Ruoxi.
The old orphanage director chuckled heartily, his laughter tinged with a sadness that tugged at the heartstrings.
"Miss Qiu, your great kindness is etched in our hearts and the hearts of the children. Should you ever need us, just say the word. We would climb mountains and dive into vats of oil for you without hesitation!"
If such words had come from anyone else, they might have seemed contrived and insincere!
But when spoken by the old director, they carried a sense of grandeur and a feeling of genuine emotion.
An elderly man, he had devoted his life to this place without regret, his promises weightier than Mount Tai!
At that moment, Qiu Ruoxi did not yet know how much fortune her aid to the orphanage would eventually bring her.
That fortune would enable Huangtu Corporation to gradually ascend to the pinnacle of the business world.
Moreover, not a single executive or elite was ever poached from within.
Because all those people were children who had come from the orphanage, they deeply remembered Qiu Ruoxi’s kindness and the old director’s teachings!
This instilled a profound sense of gratitude in them.
Decades later, when a reporter asked Qiu Ruoxi why her company was as secure as a fortress, the figure of the old director would flash through her mind!
"Old director, you flatter me too much!" Qiu Ruoxi hurriedly interjected, "It has been so tough for you over the years, bowing down for the sake of the children, even kneeling..."
"You..."
The old director chuckled lightly, "It’s all in the past now, let’s not bring it up again!"
The old director was reluctant to discuss further, and neither Ye Xunhuan nor Qiu Ruoxi pressed for more.
Afterward, Qiu Ruoxi chatted with the old director for a while and told him about her plan to donate thirty million to help the children.
This brought the old director to tears of joy, and he was extremely grateful to Qiu Ruoxi.
This time, Qiu Ruoxi and Ye Xunhuan stayed at the orphanage to share a meal with the children, while Qiu Ruoxi sent Ye Xunhuan to hire a few chefs and buy some chicken, duck, fish, and meat for the children.
Just like the last time, the children were thrilled.
Although Qiu Ruoxi had helped them, she never had the same rapport with the children as Ye Xunhuan did; many of the children clustered around Ye Xunhuan, with only a few willing to follow her!
This deeply affected Qiu Ruoxi.
Yet, Ye Xunhuan told her, "This is a matter of affinity with the children; you can’t force it!"
Not long after the meal, Ye Xunhuan and Qiu Ruoxi left the orphanage. Soon after their departure, they came across a fortune teller!
This fortune teller was different from the usual ones. He was dressed like a Taoist, with a bun of hair and appearing to be in his forties or fifties, but he exuded an aura of a transcendent being.
Upon seeing Qiu Ruoxi and Ye Xunhuan, the Taoist immediately blocked their path!
"The two of you, I wonder if you have the time to let this humble Taoist cast a fortune for you?" the Taoist asked softly, looking at Ye Xunhuan and Qiu Ruoxi.
Qiu Ruoxi glanced at the Taoist, then finally let her eyes rest on his sign: "Accurate predictions, a fortune for a fortune, only for the fated ones!"
"You..."
"Wife, why talk so much with him? He’s clearly just a street charlatan!" Ye Xunhuan, seeing that Qiu Ruoxi seemed tempted to have her fortune told, spoke out, "Let’s go!"
As they were about to leave, Ye Xunhuan, who knew the cunning of these tricksters, could tell from a person’s attire and demeanor their financial standing.
"You are bereaved of your mother, bearing a great vengeance, yet unavenged..."
