Outside, heavy snow fell thick and fast, while Ye Muqing’s heart felt as though it had plunged into an ice cellar.
Tao Qian took a breath and continued, “Half of it collapsed. Fortunately, no one was injured. Grandma Chen’s idea is to send the children to a hotel for now. They can’t stay here anymore.”
Ye Muqing instantly came to her senses and immediately said in a low voice, “Leave this to me.”
After hanging up, Ye Muqing closed her eyes for a moment to steady her emotions, then quickly found the telephone number of a hotel near the Orphanage and called.
She calmly discussed the matter with the hotel manager. After confirming that the remaining rooms could accommodate all the children, she placed the order without another word.
By the time she received the successful booking notification, Ye Muqing had already changed her clothes. She ran outside while calling Tao Qian.
The online ride-hailing platform remained stuck in a state where no driver had accepted her order. Ye Muqing had already prepared herself to brave the wind and snow and walk to the Orphanage.
“Beep-beep—”
Ye Muqing instinctively turned around. A black SUV had stopped beside her. The window on the driver’s side lowered, revealing Yu Songjin’s face.
“Where are you going?”
“The Orphanage.”
Yu Songjin tilted his head, gesturing for her to get in. “I’ll take you.”
Ye Muqing looked at him steadily for two seconds, then canceled the order and got into the car.
After learning that the Orphanage building had collapsed under the weight of the snow, Yu Songjin’s expression turned solemn.
The snow on the road was very deep, and even the SUV had difficulty moving forward.
When the car finally reached the vicinity of the Orphanage, Ye Muqing eagerly thanked Yu Songjin and got out.
What she had not expected was that Yu Songjin got out as well.
“I should be able to help with some things.”
The two of them walked into the alley, each step sinking deep into the snow. The Orphanage’s gate stood open, and all the staff were working hard to clear the snow.
The part crushed by the snow was where the children usually slept. Fortunately, it had happened during the day, when the children were all in the activity room on the first floor. No one had been injured.
On the way there, Ye Muqing had already told the Old Dean that she had arranged for them to stay at a hotel. Thus, as soon as she arrived, she took the children, who were all ready, out of the Orphanage.
“Please come with me. The children need you to look after them.”
Ye Muqing knew that the Old Dean would not agree easily, which was why she added the second sentence.
Sure enough, after hesitating briefly, the Old Dean agreed.
The hotel was less than three hundred meters from the Orphanage. Ye Muqing supported the Old Dean as they walked slowly, while Yu Songjin led the more than twenty children from the Orphanage ahead of them.
Because Ye Muqing had contacted the hotel in advance, they had already prepared hot water.
“Thank you.” Ye Muqing expressed her gratitude to the hotel manager.
The hotel manager was a middle-aged woman in her forties. Smiling, she took Ye Muqing’s hand. “It’s nothing. Just let me know if you need anything. The restaurant is almost ready as well. You can bring the children over to eat later.”
None of the children had ever stayed in a hotel before, so they were all extremely reserved.
They were especially hesitant after seeing the buffet offered in the hotel restaurant. Every one of them lingered nervously, afraid to take anything.
Ye Muqing walked over and gently clapped her hands. Once all the children were looking at her, she smiled and said, “Go get whatever you want to eat, but be sure not to waste anything, all right?”
The little girl closest to her had a slightly pale complexion and looked weak and sickly.
She gazed at Ye Muqing with longing and asked softly, “Sister Xiaoye, can we really eat this?”
Ye Muqing raised her hand and stroked the girl’s fine, soft hair. Smiling, she nodded. “You can. Go ahead.”
The children immediately erupted into cheers and surged forward to choose the food they wanted.
Ye Muqing stood to one side, watching the brightness in the children’s eyes, and felt her heart relax a little.
She looked at Yu Songjin and softly thanked him.
Yu Songjin smiled at her. “We should count as friends by now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then don’t thank me anymore. Otherwise, wouldn’t that make us seem too distant?”
Their eyes met again. This time, Ye Muqing did not look away. Instead, she nodded and answered, “All right.”
By evening, the heavy snow had just stopped.
Ye Muqing walked out of the hotel, and a gust of frigid wind blew straight into her face, making her shiver.
Yu Songjin came out with her. Turning slightly to the side, he asked in a low voice, “Are you going back?”
“I’m going to take a look at the Orphanage and see how things are going. We have to find a way to repair it somehow.”
“I happen to know some friends in this field. It shouldn’t be a problem to ask them to come and help.”
Ye Muqing looked at him with slight surprise. There was a faint smile at the corners of Yu Songjin’s lips, and he was looking at her as well.
Ye Muqing wanted to say that this would trouble him too much, but before she could speak, Yu Songjin had already anticipated her words.
The man immediately put on a wounded expression. “Didn’t we just say that we’re friends? Are you really going to refuse my help already?”
Ye Muqing was helpless. “I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Then that means you agree?”
“How did you arrive at that conclusion?” Ye Muqing asked, caught between laughter and exasperation.
A trace of amusement flashed through Yu Songjin’s eyes. “I guessed.”
Pulling half her face into the collar of her down jacket, Ye Muqing gave a small nod. Her voice sounded somewhat muffled.
“It’s fine, but I’ll be troubling you again.”
“It’s no trouble.”
By the time they finished speaking, they had already reached the Orphanage. Tao Qian and the others had finished clearing the remaining snow and had carried out quite a few things.
One of them happened to have studied architecture. After hearing Ye Muqing’s idea, she quickly expressed her agreement.
“It would be possible to renovate the entire place, but the construction period might be a little longer.”
What she meant was that the children would not be able to return for the New Year.
Ye Muqing nodded. “That’s fine. I asked the hotel this afternoon, and long-term rentals are possible.”
“Then there’s no problem.”
After they had reached an agreement, they also told the Old Dean and considered the matter of the money.
“You don’t need to worry about that. A kind-hearted person donated some money a few days ago. After setting aside the children’s medical expenses, there’s more than enough left.” The Old Dean spoke in a solemn voice.
Ye Muqing stood behind them in silence. When she had given the money to the Old Dean at the time, she had asked her to keep it confidential.
After all, although the source of her money could be verified and Yu Songjin was there to vouch for her, the origins of her antiques were not exactly legitimate.
She had yet to hand over the system and herself to the country. She did not want everything to fall apart halfway through before the matter was even settled.
Yu Songjin’s friends were highly efficient. The next day, they came to the Orphanage to inspect the site. After confirming the problems, they offered their own ideas and suggestions.
As for the price, they sincerely quoted a figure below the market rate.
He also explained frankly, “If we report this, the government will provide subsidies, so you don’t need to worry that we’ll suffer a loss. We simply won’t make any money from it, but we definitely won’t lose money either.”
Ye Muqing turned her head and glanced at Yu Songjin, who was also there today. The corners of his eyes curved slightly as he returned her a faint smile.