Chapter 144: Su Ziyu

"You what?" Xia Yu looked at her, confused.
"N... nothing at all." Facing his gaze, Lin Yuqing hurriedly averted her eyes, lacking the courage to face him.
"Then shall we go for a walk?"
"Alright..."
The two of them strolled side by side through the park, admiring the night view and the festive lanterns, until past ten o'clock when they finally parted ways and returned home.
However, Lin Yuqing suffered from insomnia that night. Tossing and turning in bed, her mind was filled entirely with Xia Yu.
Could there truly be a future between the two of them?
The next day.
Xia Yu bought a large quantity of snacks and children's clothing, then drove to Zhongshan Road.
He finally parked in front of an orphanage, stepped out of the vehicle, and gazed up at the somewhat aged building.
"I've been so busy lately; it's been a long time since I last came."
Xia Yu let out a breath, picked up the bags, and walked inside.
This orphanage had stood for several decades. Moss grew across its courtyard walls, yet it inexplicably exuded a warm and comforting atmosphere.
"Strange, why is there no one around?"
Xia Yu felt a trace of doubt. Whenever he visited in the past, children could always be seen playing in the courtyard.
"Xia Yu, you're here! Long time no see."
At that moment, a woman in her sixties wearing glasses walked out of the building. One could tell at a glance that she was an intellectual.
"Director Huang, long time no see," Xia Yu said with a smile. "I've been busy lately. Why is it so quiet today? Where did all the children go?"
Director Huang replied, "Ms. Su is tutoring the children with their studies. A few of them have exams coming up soon, and the rest of the children are studying along with them."
"Is that so? Then I must go and take a peek."
Xia Yu followed Director Huang inside, set down the items, and walked quietly toward the classroom.
Afraid of disturbing their lesson, Xia Yu did not enter. Instead, he stood outside the window, watching stealthily.
There were over a dozen children in the room, listening attentively.
At the front stood a young woman wearing a denim shirt, focusing intently as she taught them on a small blackboard.
The woman had a tall, slender figure of one meter sixty-eight and a charming, lovely face—a rare and striking beauty. Her demeanor, in particular, gave one a deeply comforting impression.
After watching for a couple of minutes, Xia Yu couldn't help asking, "Director, who is she?"
"Her name is Su Ziyu. Like you, she's a kind-hearted person. However, she only started coming to the orphanage to do good deeds within the past year. Whenever she has free time, she comes to teach the children."
"She has also bought them plenty of study materials, mobile phones, computers, and so on. She's a wonderful girl."
"Really?" Xia Yu's eyes lit up. "Then how is it that I've never seen her before?"
"The days you both visit happen to coincide with different schedules, so naturally you haven't crossed paths," Director Huang laughed. "Since you happened to run into each other today, I'll call her out so you two can get acquainted."
"Oh no, no, no." Xia Yu hurriedly stopped her, giving a wry smile. "Forget it, Director. Let's not disturb their class."
"You go ahead with what you need to do, I'll just spend some time by myself."
"Very well then, I suppose I won't entertain you properly." Director Huang nodded.
"Director, there's no need to be so polite with me. Go ahead."
Xia Yu smiled and then walked back out into the courtyard.
He sat down on a bench beneath a large tree and lit a cigarette.
This bench had weathered decades right along with the orphanage. It was dilapidated and worn. Every time it broke, Xia Yu would have someone come to repair it, unable to bear the thought of discarding it.
Because this was the chair his mother used to sit on.
Xia Yu pulled a photograph from his pocket. It had been taken when he was two years old, with his mother, right on this very bench, with this exact same large tree in the background.
His mother was young and beautiful, holding him in front of her with a radiant, flower-like smile.
"Mom, are you doing well on that side?"
Unawares, tears welled up in his eyes. This was the deepest, most tender scale hidden within his heart.
His mother had been an orphan since childhood, growing up right here in this very orphanage. She had met his father and married him, only to pass away from a severe illness when he was three years old.
He did not have many memories of his mother, but every single thing he did remember was profoundly etched into his soul.
Therefore, whenever he was in Shenzhen City and had free time, he would come to sit at the orphanage because this was the place where his mother had grown up; here lay her traces.
"Director, who is he?"
At that moment, having finished her class, Su Ziyu stood at the entrance of the building and spotted Xia Yu sitting in the distance.
Though they were far apart, she could sense the sorrow emanating from him and couldn't help asking out of curiosity.
"His name is Xia Yu. He's a good kid, but also a pitiful one," Director Huang sighed softly.
"Oh? How so?" Su Ziyu asked, puzzled. "Is he an orphan who grew up here too?"
"No, it's his mother," Director Huang replied. "His mother was once an orphan here and later married into a good family. What a pity that child's life was cut short."
"She passed away at a very young age, which is why Xia Yu frequently comes here to cherish the memory of his mother."
"Every time he comes, he sits on that bench for half a day before he's willing to leave."
"Really? What a tragedy," Su Ziyu said with a touch of sympathy.
Just then, the children rushed out of the building, ran over to Xia Yu, and called out happily:
"Brother Xia Yu, you're here!"
"We haven't seen you in so long."
Xia Yu snapped back to reality, wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, and smiled. "Is that so? Did you miss your big brother?"
"Of course we did! Why did you take so long to come and see us?"
The children ranged in age from several years old to over ten, and all of them adored listening to Xia Yu tell stories.
As Xia Yu was playing and joking around with them, Su Ziyu and Director Huang walked over.
"Hello."
Su Ziyu generously extended her hand toward him with a gentle smile. "My name is Su Ziyu."
"Xia Yu."
Xia Yu politely shook her hand.
"Haha, just a moment ago Xia Yu was asking me to introduce you two," Director Huang chimed in with a laugh.
"Is that so?" Su Ziyu withdrew her hand.
"Yes. I happened to overhear you teaching just now. You explain things very well," Xia Yu said with a mild smile.
"Not at all. I've never been a teacher, and I didn't teach very well." Su Ziyu felt a bit shy from the praise.
As they were talking, a group of men dressed in tailored suits suddenly walked in from outside.
"The director is here."
"What are you people here for again?"
Seeing them, Director Huang's expression shifted slightly as she asked with a stern face.
"I'm here to inform you that nearly all the surrounding properties have been cleared out. Give you another half month—pack up and leave immediately."
Director Huang's expression turned even darker. She instructed the children to go back inside first.
Then she stepped forward and said, "This orphanage has been running for decades, and there are still over a dozen children here. Furthermore, no new orphanage has been provided for us yet."
"If we are forced to move now, these dozen children will be left homeless."
"This plot of land was specially approved by the authorities back then. I have already submitted an application to exempt this land from commercial development and am currently awaiting approval. Why are you trying to force us to leave?"
The leader, a heavy-set man wearing a thick gold chain, sneered. "What you're saying has nothing to do with us."
"Whether they have a home or not is none of my concern. In short, this area has already been acquired by our company."
"I'm not here to negotiate with you; I'm here to inform you that you must evacuate within half a month, or else we will forcibly demolish this place!!"
"You..."
Director Huang turned dizzy with rage and nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Su Ziyu dashed forward just in time to support her.
A cold glint flashed in the depths of Xia Yu's eyes as he walked over as well.