River City
South River International Residence.
Pearl walked through the entrance with 911 dialed on her phone.
She did not realize that there was a taxi following close behind.
Excluding the driver, there was also a young man and woman in the taxi.
“Where is this place, Sir?” The young man asked.
“This is River City’s wealthy residential area, son.
This is as far as I can go.
That’ll be fifty bucks,” The driver said.
“So expensive?” The young man asked.
“Time is money!
I waited for a long time.”
“Alright, then!
Thank you, Sir.”
The two paid and got out of the car.
They made their way to the entrance of South River International Residence.
They were about to take a closer look when the security guard stopped them.
“Hey!
What are you two doing here?
Move along, this isn’t a place you people can enter.”
“Can I ask who that red Porsche that just drove in belongs to?” The young man asked.
“Who?
A tenant, of course!
Who else can it be?
Yours?
Go away!”
“It must be pretty expensive living here, right?”
“Are you from the rural villages, sonny?
Let me put it this way, the houses here cost at least two hundred thousand per square meter, and each house is at least fifty million each.
You tell me whether it’s expensive here or not!”
“What?
So expensive?
What if someone’s just renting a house here, then?”
“Is something wrong with you?
Why would anyone spend fifty million on a house and lease it to someone else?
And if someone has the money to live here, you think they’d need to lease a house out for rent?
Just get lost already!”
“Alright, alright!
I’ll get going now.
Thank you!”
The young man left with the young woman in tow.
The two found a cheap motel and decided to settle there for the moment.
Only after entering the room did the woman speak.
“Sam, can’t we just look for your sister directly?”
The young man was Sam Warner, Pearl’s younger brother, and the young woman was Minnie, his girlfriend.
However, Minnie’s family was against this relationship because Sam’s family were farmers while they lived in town.
Thus, Sam and Minnie decided to secretly come and seek Pearl’s help.
Only for Sam to realize that Pearl had lied to their parents.
Pearl said that it was difficult making money in the city and that she had to pay rent and afford her living expenses.
Yet, Sam saw Pearl drive a luxury car and live in an expensive house.
“No!
We’ll go look for her once Mom and Dad are here.
I’ve always been terrified of Pearl, and only Mom and Dad can keep her in line.
I’ll go call my mom first.” Sam pulled out his phone and made the call.
“Where did you go, brat?
Come back here right now!” A middle-aged woman’s voice rang out from the speakers.
“Mom, I’m already at River City now!
I’m not going back!” The young man said.
“You brat!
You ran off with someone’s daughter, now her family has come to ask us where she is!
Get back here right now!”
“Mom, listen to me!
I found Pearl, she’s rich now!
She’s driving a car worth millions of dollars and living in a house worth at least fifty million!
Come over and look for yourself!”
“You’ve gone mad!”
“It’s real, Mom!
I’m not lying!
I found where Pearl works yesterday, and I saw her drive a red sports car worth millions after she got off work.”
“And then?” Asked his mom over the phone.
“I didn’t follow her yesterday, but I called a taxi today to wait at the entrance.
I saw her enter a residential area and I asked the security guard about it.
He said that the housing there cost two hundred thousand per square meter, that’s enough to buy a whole house back home.
Every house in that area costs at least fifty million.”
“Are you sure?
“Why would I lie to you?
And that’s my sister, as if I wouldn’t recognize her.”
“Alright, I’ll come with your dad tomorrow morning.
This stupid girl, how dare she send us only twenty thousand each month when she’s driving a sports car and living in an expensive house in the city!”
“Minnie, you should call your parents to come here tomorrow too!” Sam told Minnie after ending the call with his mom.
“For what?
So they can drag me back?
They’ve never agreed to our relationship to begin with.”
“Are you silly?
Your parents don’t agree because you live in town while my family farms in the village; My family isn’t as wealthy as yours.
But now that my sister made a lot of money, I’m sure your parents will agree to us being together, and we won’t have to date in secret anymore!”
Minnie thought about it and agreed with Sam.
Thus, she called her parents.
Her mother immediately started scolding the two of them, but she did promise to come to River City the next day.
Sam laid in bed with Minnie in his arms as he said, “Minnie, let’s never go back.
We can stay here in River City, I’ll have my sister buy me a nice car and house, then we can drive it and enjoy the view every day!”
“But will your sister buy them for you?” Minnie did not believe him.
“Not if I ask, but she will if my parents ask her to.
That’s why I called them over!
Don’t worry, my parents have always been on my side, they leave the best things to me because I’m the only son.
As far as they’re concerned, my sister only exists to serve me.”
“Okay!
I want a car like your sister’s too!
It’s so pretty!
It’s a dream to have something like this!”
“Alright!
Then we’ll get you one too!
We can have one each!”
The two fell asleep as they fantasized about a great life together.
…..
Lake City Lake Heart Club.
Tonight’s charity auction was already in progress.
Everyone was seated in the hall on the first floor.
Hosting on stage was the main rising star of Lake West Province Broadcasting Station, Ida Rice.
“Good evening, esteemed guests!”
“Welcome to Lake City’s Third Charity Auction.”
“Today is a day of love, care, and harmony.”
“Today is also the day where we show the people worldwide our spirit of giving and universal love.”
The large display started playing the video once the host finished her opening speech.
The video showed some remote mountainous areas, where some students had a lot of trouble going to school.
Some even had to walk through two or three hours of mountain road to get to school.
As a result, children end up spending five to six hours a day walking to and from school.
The conditions in the schools there were pitiful as well.
The desks and benches at school were all donations from the students’ homes, and they looked old and worn down.
Many of the students’ parents had to leave the area and work far away to make a living, leaving the young students at home with their old grandparents.
These children have had to mature and become responsible at a very young age, some even exceptionally skilled at doing the laundry, cooking, and other household chores.
These children have a strong desire to learn as they wish to see the world beyond the mountains they live in.
The video ended here.
Ida continued her speech, “Everything auctioned off tonight will be donated to the children in the video.
The money will be used to fund a new school for them, with new desks, new chairs, new school bags, and new clothes.”
“Now, let us begin with our first item of love.”
“The first item is a new song from Empress Elsa.”
“The auction begins!
There’s no starting price, feel free to call any price.”
“One hundred thousand!”
“One hundred and fifty thousand!”
“Three hundred thousand!”
“Five hundred thousand!”
“Nice!
Guest Seventeen called five hundred thousand!
Is there anyone else?”
David took a look at the card in his hand, ‘Number seven’.
He raised it and said, “Five million!”
Many heads turned to look at David when they heard him call for five million.
They were curious which bigshot had called such a large value.
“Five million!
Guest Seven called five million!
Is there anyone else?”
“Calling once!
Calling twice!
Sold!”
Elsa got up on stage.
She did not expect her song to be auctioned for a price as high as five million.
Not that she could enjoy a cent of it anyway, since it was going to be donated fully, Still, she was very happy as more children from the video could be benefitted from a bigger donation sum.
Empress Elsa finished singing.
The second item was a piece of art from a great master.
In the end, the artwork was taken home at a final price of eight hundred thousand, even though it was only worth one-eight the price.
However, this was a charity auction, after all, so such greatly overstated value was understandable.
As items continued to be auctioned off, David did not raise his card again that night.
That was, until Marie, She was auctioning off a dance.
Like Elsa’s song, Marie’s dance was also sold to David for five million.
This was how David was, he was the kind of person that would repay kindness others had shown him tenfold.
Those two had helped his cousin Lily tonight, so it was only right that he offered a higher price to buy their performances.
Soon later.
The auction event was about to end.
After the last item of love had been auctioned off, the banquet was about to end as well.
Just then, David raised his card and spoke.
“Ms.
Rice, I’d like to donate a song!”
Ida was about to read the closing speech when she saw David offer to donate a song.
David had spent ten million at the auction today, so it would not be right to refuse him.
Ida allowed David to come up on stage.
“Mr.
Lidell wishes to donate a song, is anyone willing to buy it?” Ida asked.
“Uh… I’d like to buy it myself if that’s alright?” David asked.
“You want to buy your own song?”
“Yes!”
“Of course.
Since Mr.
Lidell wants to buy his song back, then let’s listen to Mr.
Lidell sing!
Mr.
Lidell, how much are you calling?”
“One hundred million!”
“H-How much?” Ida stuttered.
“I’m offering one hundred million to buy my song!”
Ida was stunned, and so were the hundreds of guests sitting below the stage.
Excluding Hugh and Andy, everyone was shocked by what they heard.
“Buying your own song for a hundred million?
‘Isn’t he essentially just donating another hundred million?
‘We’ve never heard anything about this David in Lake City before!
‘Not only is he close friends with Mr.
Lewis and Mr.
Greene, he also just donated a hundred million.
‘There are no bounds to how wealthy this man is.’
David walked over to the piano and sat down.
“The song I’m singing tonight is called Snail.
With it, I hope that the children in the video can only find their own place in the world.”
With that, David started to sing.
A slow melody drifted from the piano.
“Should I take off my heavy shell,
“And search for the blue sky.
“The gentle wind blows as I dance softly in the skies,
“The hurt I experienced before feels like nothing no more.
“Step by step, I make my way up,
“And wait quietly to watch the sun shine.
“A sky so small holds a dream so big.
“A slight desire hides in a heavy shell.
“Step by step, I make my way up,
“And on the highest point, I soar through the skies on a leaf.
“A sky so small holds past sweat and tears.
“There will be a place for me.”
The song was finished.
Thunderous applause erupted below the stage.
The children in the video were just like the snail in David’s song, how they wanted to experience the world outside and find a place for themselves in the world.
“Mr.
Lidell, did you produce this song?” Someone from the audience below asked.
“I did,” David replied.
“You’re so talented, Mr.
Lidell!
So handsome!”
Marie looked fondly at David, who was on the stage.
This was the man she admired.
Elsa looked at David with shock as well.
He was not like other men.