"That should be enough. As long as it's sufficient." Ming Xiaowei nodded.
Thirty was actually more than enough—she had bought too many buns. But orphanages usually didn't have too many children anyway.
"Oh, by the way, young lady, could I save half a cake for a teacher?" The matron suddenly spoke cautiously.
"A teacher? Who?" Ming Xiaowei was taken aback.
"She teaches the children how to read. My education isn’t good enough, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to teach them properly. I’d thought about hiring a tutor, but you know how expensive they are these days. Then, during summer vacation, I met a young woman who was willing to come here for free. I was really happy about it."
"So, I wanted to let her try it. Her family isn’t well-off either—just her and her grandmother, who needs medicine."
"Then go ahead. If it’s not enough, I can go buy a bigger one." Ming Xiaowei glanced at Master Wang, who was about to leave when the matron stopped him.
"It’s fine. The children won’t mind. After all, studying is their only way to a better future." The matron sighed.
Just then, a group of children quietly filed in. Unlike rowdy kids, they made no noise. When they saw the buns and pastries on the table, they froze.
"Matron, are these… all for us?"
Their voices trembled.
The prettier, healthier children had all been adopted. These were the ones who were either too thin, too small, or had some physical condition. Their large eyes made them look pitiful.
Ming Xiaowei suddenly thought of herself many years ago.
"Yes, this big sister brought them for you. Hurry up and thank her."
"Thank you, sister! You’re so kind!"
Some of the children even broke off pieces of their food and offered them to Ming Xiaowei.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"No, I’ve already eaten. You go ahead."
Only then did the children withdraw their hands and sit properly at the long table, savoring the treats slowly.
There was no helping it. Even with donations and subsidies, most of the orphanage’s funds went toward the children’s medical expenses. As for meals, the matron could only ensure they were nutritious. Cakes were a rare luxury—only on birthdays, and even then, it was a collective celebration funded by the matron herself.
Master Wang wiped his tears in the back. Older folks couldn’t bear to see things like this.
"Matron, are the kids just eating now? The classroom was empty."
A familiar voice reached Ming Xiaowei’s ears.
Ming Xiaowei: ???
She turned instinctively and saw a woman in a white shirt and black trousers, carrying a beige shoulder bag.
She wasn’t wearing a sweater vest today—instead, she had on a jacket with half an orange printed on it.
Both of them froze.
Ming Xiaowei groaned inwardly. Great. How am I supposed to explain this?
She never expected to run into Ji Cheng here of all places.
"Teacher Ji! Teacher Ji!"
The children greeted Ji Cheng excitedly. She smiled warmly at them before turning to Ming Xiaowei, her eyes filled with obvious confusion.
"Master Wang, I might need your help."
A few minutes later, Ming Xiaowei practically had to shove Master Wang’s master’s degree certificate in Ji Cheng’s face before she agreed to let him substitute for an hour.
She took Ji Cheng to a restaurant near the orphanage.
It wasn’t high-end, but it was clean.
"Consider this my treat." Ming Xiaowei clasped her hands together and looked at Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng lowered her eyes. "Regardless, as the children’s teacher, I’m grateful for your help."
"It’s nothing." Ming Xiaowei touched her cheek, feeling slightly awkward.
"By the way, you might not know this yet…"
Ji Cheng pulled out her phone, opened a trending post, and spun it around to face Ming Xiaowei.
Ming Xiaowei glanced at Weibo. Holy— Her old account had been flooded with mentions. People were accusing her of turning on her idol, and the insults were downright vicious.
She was genuinely afraid her father would see this.
"Ha, I deleted that account ages ago. Haven’t even logged in." Ming Xiaowei looked away.
She wasn’t an idiot—why would she torture herself?
"Why did you suddenly stop liking her?" Ji Cheng asked abruptly.
She was genuinely curious. Ming Xiaowei seemed like a completely different person now, and her attitude toward her was downright bizarre.
"Who said I stopped? I’m her biggest fan. I adore her." Ming Xiaowei spouted nonsense.
Adore?
Ji Cheng: ( _ )
"Are you a troll or something? Whatever. She’s not a good person anyway, and I won’t bring up the past again." Ji Cheng shuddered at Ming Xiaowei’s tone.
Meanwhile, Ming Xiaowei had to force herself not to gag.
"Huh?" Ming Xiaowei blinked.
Ji Cheng’s expression remained indifferent.
"Just be careful. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back."
She slung her bag over her shoulder, but before she could reach the door, Ming Xiaowei called out, "Wait! If nothing else works, I could just sponsor you!"
Ji Cheng stumbled and nearly face-planted. She caught herself at the last second, but not before scraping her hand.
Ming Xiaowei rushed over and grabbed her hand as she stood up.
"You okay, Class President?"
"We’re in public. There’s no need to announce my title." Ji Cheng took a deep breath.
Stay calm. Don’t lose your temper.
"Then… Teacher Ji? But that sounds kinda creepy." Ming Xiaowei blew on the scraped skin.
It was already red.
Ouch.
"How could you be so careless?" Ming Xiaowei fretted.
Ji Cheng pulled her hand back, disinfected it with alcohol, and slapped on a bandage.
"If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have fallen." Her voice carried a hint of irritation.
She should’ve known better than to expect anything from a spoiled princess.
Plenty of her classmates were wealthy, but Ming Xiaowei’s personality was just…
Ji Cheng couldn’t quite put it into words, but her chest heaved with barely suppressed anger.
"Fine, my bad. But if you weren’t so easily flustered, you wouldn’t have fallen." Ming Xiaowei doubled down.
Seriously, why won’t Mo Qing let me sponsor her?
It even includes sleeping together—where else would you find a deal like that? I’ve always had a thing for the cold, aloof type.
"You—!" Ji Cheng shot her a glare and stormed off.
Maybe she walked too fast, because when she glanced back near the orphanage entrance, Ming Xiaowei was nowhere in sight.
Ji Cheng: …
Did she get lost?
No. At the start of the semester, they’d checked the students’ backgrounds. Ming Xiaowei was a provincial long-distance running champion. She wouldn’t get lost over a little walk.
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