Ye Sheng walked toward the memory of Director Mother’s office, pushed the door open, and found no one inside.
Director Mother must have gone to see the children.
She set down her things and looked around at the office furnishings.
“Sister, I’ll be gone for a bit.”
“Alright.”
Ye Xiaotian left with the small bag of things she had bought.
There was no danger in the orphanage, so Ye Sheng felt at ease letting her run around. Besides, it had been so long since she’d been back, and Ye Xiaotian surely had people she wanted to see, so Ye Sheng let her go.
Ye Sheng picked up a photo on the desk. The girl in it had a bright smile, and the middle-aged woman looked lovingly at her.
Ye Sheng stroked the photo album, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
This was taken with Director Mother when she left the orphanage. There were many group photos in the office, but only this one was placed in the most prominent spot.
Ye Sheng smiled, feeling warmth and emotion welling up inside her.
She hadn’t been in the office long when she heard hurried footsteps in the hallway. Turning, she saw Director Mother standing at the doorway, her eyes filled with surprise and tears.
Her chest rose and fell slightly—she must have rushed over as soon as she heard Ye Sheng was back.
Director Mother looked Ye Sheng up and down, tears welling in her eyes. “You’ve grown taller, and you’re even more beautiful.”
Director Mother wiped away her tears with her hand and pulled Ye Sheng to sit down.
Ye Sheng let herself be led, looking at Director Mother. The emotions she had just calmed began to stir again.
Her nose tingled uncontrollably, and her voice took on a sob as she looked at the white hair at Director Mother’s temples.
“You have more white hair, and your back is more bent.”
“Ah, it’s just old age. It happens to everyone. I still have a long, long time to live—I want to see you get married and have children. This is nothing.”
Ye Sheng didn’t want to dwell on this topic and quickly changed the subject. “Director Mother, is your knee still hurting?”
Ye Sheng looked at Director Mother’s knee, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
When she was little, she was too mischievous. She climbed a tree but couldn’t get down and started crying in fear. Not paying attention to her footing, she slipped and fell from the tree.
Director Mother had been terrified at the time, rushing to catch her as she fell. After catching her, Director Mother focused all her attention on Ye Sheng, not even noticing that her own leg had hit a rock.
Only after checking that Ye Sheng wasn’t hurt did she breathe a sigh of relief, about to scold her.
But then another child shouted that Director Mother was bleeding, and only then did they notice the injury on her knee.
Director Mother winced slightly in pain, but her expression showed no sign of distress. She looked at Ye Sheng kindly, smiling as she patted her head and said it didn’t hurt, that it was fine.
Because the orphanage had no money, Director Mother went to a small clinic. The clinic’s conditions were limited, and it left her with a chronic problem—a slight limp when walking and knee pain on rainy days.
At the time, Ye Sheng cried her heart out, thinking that if she hadn’t climbed the tree, Director Mother wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
After that, she never climbed a tree again.
“It’s an old problem, it’s fine. How are you doing now? Is your tuition enough? I still have a little money saved here.”
Director Mother smiled dismissively, worried that Ye Sheng’s tuition wasn’t enough, and reached into her pocket.
Ye Sheng was pulled out of her memories by Director Mother’s voice. She pressed Director Mother’s hand down, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
“It’s enough, it’s enough. The tuition has already been paid. I just came to see you today.”
Director Mother was still the same as always, always worried that she wasn’t doing well outside, that she wasn’t eating enough or staying warm.
She was fortunate to have the greatest maternal love in the world. Director Mother was her mother, and she was also the mother of all the children in the orphanage.
“That’s enough, that’s enough.”
Director Mother looked at her kindly, the two of them having endless topics to chat about, and soon it was afternoon.
“Take one of these every day, it’s good for your health.”
Ye Sheng stuffed two bottles of Body Strengthening Pills into Director Mother’s arms. She had bought another bottle from the Mall when she came, so two bottles would last twenty days. Even if it didn’t completely cure Director Mother’s leg pain, it would at least lessen it.
When Ye Sheng and Ye Xiaotian left, a group of five- or six-year-old children stood behind them, each holding a packet of snacks, their eyes filled with innocence and reluctance.
Director Mother looked at the ten thousand yuan in her phone, tears welling up even more. She quickly wiped them away with her hand and put on a smile.
“Alright, the sisters are leaving, let’s go back too.”
…
The hot summer wind blew against her, and Ye Sheng soon began to sweat.
She had originally wanted to give more, but Director Mother wouldn’t accept it. It was only after much persuasion that she finally took the ten thousand yuan.
Ye Sheng smiled.
Life will get better and better, keep going!
Suddenly, she felt it was very quiet. Why wasn’t the usually chatty person making any noise?
“Why aren’t you talking? You usually love to talk, don’t you?”
Ye Xiaotian seemed a bit down, looking at the passing scenery beside her, lost in thought.
Hearing Ye Sheng’s question, she shook off her mood and said, “Let’s hurry home, I’m starving.”
Ye Sheng pedaled faster, and they were soon home.
She took out the buns from the morning, and the two of them had another meal.
The next day, 9 a.m.
Ye Sheng stared at the countdown on the transparent screen, feeling excited.
She silently counted down in her heart.
3!
2!
1!
[Ding! System upgrade successful.]
[Random food livestreaming quest refreshing…]
[Refresh successful!]
[Quest: Livestream food—Mushroom Meat Basket Noodles. Sell 20 servings in the livestream, and reach 1,000 followers.]
[Reward: One lottery draw, five-star reviews 0/100.]
Maybe it was her imagination, but she felt the System had become a bit more human-like. Its voice was no longer an emotionless mechanical tone but carried a hint of emotion.
Ye Sheng tentatively spoke: “System?”
[I’m here.]
“Are five-star reviews the condition for your upgrade?”
No response.
She hadn’t expected much, so she wasn’t disappointed.
The five-star reviews had also reached 100, meaning 20 reviews per livestream. She would need to do five livestreams to reach 100 reviews and meet the conditions for the System’s next upgrade.
She was curious about what the System would ultimately upgrade into.
But now wasn’t the time to think about that.
Start the livestream!
…
When Xi Yang returned home in the afternoon, he saw a package on the coffee table.
A package from Nizi, and it arrived so quickly!
He strode over to the coffee table with his long legs and picked up the package.
The package was light, and when he shook it gently, he could hear something knocking against the box.
What could be inside?
He eagerly opened the box.
Xi Yang: ??
What is this?
Pills?
After reading the words clearly, Xi Yang: “…”
Why would she think I need this?
Do I look like someone who needs this stuff?
Even though I don’t have a girlfriend and have been single for twenty-five golden years, that aspect is absolutely top-notch! There’s absolutely no possibility of needing Health Maintenance Pills!
Absolutely! No! Way!
But these Body Strengthening Pills look pretty good. I usually work out, get regular check-ups, and have no health issues. They could be eaten like candy.
Still, for safety’s sake, it’s better to get them checked.
He called for the butler, took one pill from each bottle, and had them sent to his personal doctor, requesting results as soon as possible.
He placed the two bottles of pills on the bedside table.
After taking a shower, he picked up his phone.
Xi Yang wondered: It’s already this late, why hasn’t the livestream started yet?