Headmaster Zhang gestured as he supported his belly with his left palm:
“On behalf of the school, I solemnly promise that all of these charitable funds will be exclusively dedicated to establishing the ‘Qieting Scholarship Foundation’, used to assist students with both moral integrity and academic excellence who come from difficult family backgrounds, while also rewarding students who demonstrate outstanding performance in literature, art, and independent thinking.”
As Headmaster Zhang spoke, he grew increasingly excited, extending his left arm toward the sky: “The children who walk out from ‘Qieting’ have never forgotten its founding aspiration. This spirit of passing the torch from generation to generation is precisely the power we most wish to convey through our assembly today!”
Headmaster Zhang placed his left palm back over his chest, paused for a moment to catch his breath, and took the lead in applauding: “Let us once again express our gratitude to Jiang Yunze with the warmest applause!”
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience once more.
Headmaster Zhang presented the donation commemorative plaque to Jiang Yunze, and the two of them smiled as they posed for a photo.
Finally, only Jiang Yunze remained on the podium. Jiang Yunze spoke again: “Thank you, Headmaster. Thank you, everyone.”
“Everything I just said is meant to remind everyone not to spend precious youth chasing fame and fortune. Yet, somewhat to my shame, what I am doing right now is precisely tied to ‘fame and fortune’.”
“I think money itself is not wrong; the crucial thing is where it is used. If we use it like a brick or a tile, paving a road where others can take a breather, then hasn’t it fulfilled another mission beyond just ‘fame and profit’?”
“This can also be considered my own small personal practice of the school’s ‘Qieting’ spirit. Thank you all.”
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience once more, accompanied by a scattering of whispers.
“Fifteen million?! Isn’t he just a junior in college? Where did he get this much money?” whispered a girl sitting to the front left of Qin Qianyi, looking astonished.
“His family must be loaded, that’s all,” remarked a girl sitting right in front of Qin Qianyi.
“Why does the name Jiang Yunze sound so familiar?” asked a girl sitting in front of He Xunyan.
“Oh, I remember now. I think I heard my older brother mention him. He was quite a prominent figure back in school.”
The girl sitting to the front right of He Xunyan spoke up, giving a gentle nudge with her elbow to the girl sitting directly in front of He Xunyan.
“Hehehe, by the way, guess what his relationship is with Jiang Yumo, who ranked first in our class this monthly exam?”
“Jiang Yunze, Jiang Yumo, oh my god!” exclaimed the girl sitting in front of He Xunyan after six seconds of reflection.
“That’s right, the two of them are biological siblings! They say dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, and their entire family has high intelligence and stunning looks,” the girl sitting to the front right of He Xunyan snapped her fingers in affirmation.
“When will I ever get to live a life like that? I’m so envious.” someone in the crowd sighed.
“I had no idea Jiang Yumo’s family was so wealthy. You really couldn’t tell at all!” the girl sitting to the front left of Qin Qianyi shifted the topic to something else.
“Rich people tend to keep a low profile,” the girl sitting in front of Qin Qianyi quickly brought that conversation to a close.
The “Role Model Guidance, Passing the Torch: Qieting Middle School Periodic Commendation and Outstanding Alumni Donation Appreciation Assembly” officially concluded.
Under the unified direction of the emcee on the podium, the students of each grade quickly dispersed from the playground and returned to their respective classrooms.
Once the crowd scattered, Jiang Yunze quickly spotted Jiang Yumo, who had stayed behind in place.
Wearing a smile from afar, Jiang Yunze walked briskly toward Jiang Yumo, speaking as he closed the distance from eight steps away:
“How is it? Are you settling into your new campus life all right?”
Seeing her older brother whom she hadn’t seen in a long time walking toward her, Jiang Yumo showed no enthusiasm whatsoever, replying flatly: “Is there something you need?”
Unfazed by Jiang Yumo’s tone, Jiang Yunze maintained his smile, his voice carrying a teasing lilt: “What kind of talk is that? Can’t your big brother come find you when there’s nothing wrong?”
Jiang Yumo slowly took two steps back, shedding her usual gentle demeanor to stare at Jiang Yunze as she asked coldly, “Was this money his arrangement?”
Jiang Yumo knew her brother was genuinely capable, but even so, given his current financial situation, fifteen million was not an amount he could casually pull together.
Moreover, choosing this specific timing meant that any attentive classmate could easily discover the connection between her and Jiang Yunze. This sum of fifteen million felt far too carefully chosen to be a coincidence.
After so many years of absolute silence, he suddenly decided to manifest a sudden surge of paternal love?
Jiang Yunze observed Jiang Yumo’s speechless expression, realizing he couldn’t possibly hide it. He shrugged and answered honestly:
“Well, he wanted to give you money directly, but you wouldn’t take it. Donating it to the school counts as contributing to the cause of education anyway, and he has more than enough cash.”
Hearing Jiang Yumo let out a soft huff, Jiang Yunze frowned slightly.
“I know you don’t want to be associated with Dad at school, but you have to understand that Dad meant well.” Jiang Yunze stepped forward two paces and patted Jiang Yumo on the shoulder.
Jiang Yumo quickly sidestepped, her voice carrying a rare trace of anger: “What does his good intentions have to do with me? When has he ever shown me good intentions?”
At those words, Jiang Yunze’s smile vanished, and his tone turned instantly serious: “Jiang Yumo, I know you hold resentment toward Dad, but he was never targeting you. He has his own difficulties to bear.”
Mentioning this topic brought a touch of sorrow to Jiang Yunze’s voice. He sighed, shook his head, and said:
“Mom and Dad had a tough journey getting here. No one could ever handle a tragedy like that when it strikes, and Dad is a victim too.”
Unlike Jiang Yumo, Jiang Yunze had grown up listening to the love story of their parents.
Their families had been close family friends for generations, and the two of them were childhood sweethearts who had pledged their lives to one another at a very young age.
As soon as they reached the legal marriage age, they wed immediately. After marriage, they mutually agreed to resolutely turn down the conveniences offered by their respective families, joining hands to build an entirely new business empire from scratch.
With a successful career, a blissful marriage, and a precious son born to them, who wouldn’t envy such a life?
At the peak of his career, their father had naively believed that having wealth, a loving spouse, children, status, and longevity all at once was simply a matter of course.
Perhaps it was truly the adage that heaven resents perfection, and fate abhors completeness, for their mother passed away from a massive hemorrhage right when Jiang Yumo was born.
With the departure of their mother, this once-envied family completely collapsed from within.
Consequently, their father rarely returned home, numbing himself by burying himself entirely in his work.
Throughout Jiang Yumo’s upbringing, he remained permanently absent.
Hearing this, Jiang Yumo took another two steps back and let out a bitter laugh: “Right, Mom died because of me. You are all victims, and I am the only perpetrator, is that it?”
Realizing his tone had been wrong, Jiang Yunze hurried to say: “Jiang Yumo, don’t think like that. No one can be blamed for this; it’s simply the cruel trick of fate.”
Jiang Yunze stepped forward two more steps, attempting to grab Jiang Yumo’s arm as anxiety crept into his voice:
“I’m just trying to say that you two don’t need to keep fighting like this. The way things are between you now is definitely not what Mom would want to see.”
Jiang Yunze had lost count of how many times he had engaged in this exact conversation with Jiang Yumo.
The year their mother passed away, he was five years old, a five-year-old child who could never comprehend why such a thing had to happen, watching everything beautiful vanish overnight.
Their father grew increasingly aloof, and his visits home became ever more sparse.
Two new women joined the household: a professional infant care specialist tasked with looking after the newborn Jiang Yumo in her swaddling clothes, and a professional housekeeper to tend to his own daily needs.
Jiang Yunze’s childhood was likewise spent in panic. He never dared to mention his fears in front of his younger sister, forcing himself at all times to act like an utterly cheerful older brother.
As the two of them gradually grew up, Jiang Yunze slowly adapted to this lifestyle.
Although their father still rarely came home, during those rare moments of interaction, he would inquire about Jiang Yunze’s life and share his career progress.
Yet he consistently avoided mentioning Jiang Yumo altogether.
Jiang Yunze understood his father’s reluctance to face Jiang Yumo, while also aching for Jiang Yumo as she endured an emotional indifference unbefitting her age.
Unwilling to see such a deep rift remain between a father and daughter bound by blood, he had spent years acting as a go-between, attempting to mend their relationship.
Jiang Yumo clearly had no desire to keep listening to the same words she had heard countless times before. She turned directly on her heel: “Whatever. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”
When Jiang Yumo returned to the classroom, she happened to see Qin Qianyi tugging gently at the hem of He Xunyan’s shirt, her voice filled with reluctance:
“Little Yan-yan, we’re changing seats right away, and since we can’t pick our own spots, we probably won’t be desk partners anymore.”
With that, Qin Qianyi leaned forward, pretending to wipe a nonexistent snot on He Xunyan’s clothes: “I’m going to miss you, Little Yan-yan, I’m going to miss you.”
He Xunyan happened to catch Jiang Yumo’s inquiring gaze. Turning back with a scrunched-up face, she gently pushed Qin Qianyi’s head away with her hand and said with helpless amusement:
“It’s not a big deal if we aren’t desk partners. We’re still in the same class, so we can talk during breaks. Plus, we’re roommates, we can still chat at night! Don’t you talk enough at night already? Hehehe, you are really noisy at night!”
“What do you mean by that? What is that supposed to mean? Are you disgusted that I talk too much? Hm. You’re breaking my heart, Little Yan-yan. What am I going to do without you, Little Yan-yan?” Qin Qianyi pretended to wipe another tear that wasn’t there.
Before long, the head teacher arrived in the classroom and began arranging the new seating chart.
During the break after the seat change:
“Hahahaha, He Xunyan, I’m your back-row neighbor now! Hahahaha, we are truly destined to be together.” Qin Qianyi grabbed He Xunyan’s clothes and shook her vigorously.
“First your desk partner, then your back-row neighbor, next time your desk partner again, followed by your front-row neighbor, then your front-left neighbor, then your front-right neighbor, then your back-left neighbor, and finally your back-right neighbor! Hahaha, I’m just going to orbit around you forever, hehehehehe.” As she spoke, Qin Qianyi wiped away a nonexistent trail of drool.
He Xunyan scrunched up her face once more, exerting all her might to shove away Qin Qianyi’s hands from her clothes, and turned around to offer an awkward smile to Jiang Yumo.
“Haha, well, please don’t mind her. Her personality is just a bit rowdy, haha. I’m much more well-behaved myself, yup.” He Xunyan gave Jiang Yumo a small, polite nod as she spoke.
Jiang Yumo responded with an “mm” and went right back to reading her book.
Suddenly at a loss for what else to say, He Xunyan pulled a book out from her desk pouch and started reading as well.
From behind, Qin Qianyi stared in wide-eyed disbelief. What on earth is this girl blabbering about?
Sigh, girls really are all about romance once they grow up!
And here I was thinking I wasted all those tears on you!
Time slipped quietly away amid sighs and reflections, punctuated by the steady division of time through frequent quizzes.
Following a chemistry quiz, He Xunyan used her left index finger to tap frantically at a tiny red checkmark on Jiang Yumo’s chemistry test paper:
“You’re so amazing! The teacher said most people couldn’t figure this one out.”
After a long pause for thought, Jiang Yumo replied with a straight face: “Mm, probably because we’re in Class Two.”
Hearing this, He Xunyan couldn’t help bursting into laughter. Realizing that laughing out loud might seem impolite, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand: “Gosh, what an ancient joke.”
Looking slightly puzzled, Jiang Yumo tilted her head just a fraction, gazing at her with a gentle expression: “But you’re laughing very happily.”
“I am laughing at you.” He Xunyan gave a light cough, leaned in a little closer, raised an eyebrow, and whispered right into Jiang Yumo’s ear with a slightly teasing tone:
“Don’t you think delivering an ancient joke with such a completely straight face is hilarious?”
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Yumo nodded: “I suppose so.”
Seeing her answer with such earnestness, He Xunyan suddenly didn’t know what else to say. Pulling back her upper body, she muttered a simple “Alright” and slumped face-down onto her desk.
The class bell rang, signaling the start of a self-study period. He Xunyan had originally planned to carefully review a physics problem she had gotten wrong last time, but for reasons unknown, her thoughts suddenly drifted to something else entirely.