Chapter 231: Companionship

Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Companionship

"Uh..."

Jiang Fan was completely stumped. He wouldn’t back down from a shouting match or a fight, not one bit. But when the child’s mother suddenly started crying...

’What was he supposed to do? What *could* he do?’

Instinctively, Jiang Fan shot Jun Yue a look, pleading for help.

"Sigh. My condolences to you three."

Jun Yue stepped forward, handing tissues to the women. She then turned to the others. "Why don’t we all take a seat?"

"Alright, don’t cry. Let’s go sit down for a bit. If it comes to it... if it comes to it, we’ll just let them have the school."

"I’ve been thinking about it, too. It’s been such a long time."

"It wasn’t entirely their fault. We were at fault, too. If only we’d spent more time with them, paid more attention to how they were feeling."

"It might not have ended in such a tragedy."

The man in the middle helped his wife to the sofa, comforting her softly.

The other two men sighed. They had lost their only children. But it was true—what was done, was done.

Remaining trapped in the past was self-destructive, and it was a torment to their children’s memory.

"Tell me, why did you have to chase that career? What was the point of it all?"

"Can it bring our child back?!"

"Look how happy these kids are! Our baby used to smile just like that!"

"When our child said they were stressed, you told them they weren’t focused on their studies. When they said they were tired, you called them lazy. They just wanted you to care, to spend time with them, to attend even a single parent-teacher conference, but you were always too busy."

"Tell me, what’s the point of all this money? Huh? What’s the point?!"

At that moment, the three mothers completely broke down.

Jiang Fan scratched his head, a pang of guilt washing over him.

’He’d only meant to appeal to their emotions, not to drag their deepest sorrows back to the surface.’

He and Jun Yue exchanged a look, and both fell silent.

The three husbands stood with them, enduring the tirade without a word of defense.

They simply hung their heads. If anyone could have seen their faces, they would have seen expressions of extreme self-recrimination.

After a very long time, Jiang Fan was the first to pull open the door of the principal’s office and walk out.

Outside, the group of men in suits were still standing in formation, motionless under the sun.

He glanced up at them, then walked out, grabbed a few bottles of water from his car, and headed back inside.

By the time he returned, the three mothers had calmed down. He placed the bottles of water in front of them. "Here, have some water."

"Kid, if you want to open this school, I have no objections. I can agree to it."

"But can you guarantee that it will truly be a charitable endeavor and not for profit?"

the man in the middle asked slowly.

Jiang Fan met his gaze, his expression perfectly calm. "I can promise you. In fact, I guarantee it."

"I grew up in an orphanage. The director and his wife—we called them Grandpa and Grandma Director—I know better than anyone how hard they worked just so we could get an education."

"Back then, things were still okay for kids like us. The education system had its flaws, but just being able to go to school meant you had a future, a path forward."

"But not anymore. In today’s world, for kids—especially kids from our background—there’s no path forward without an education."

"Are we supposed to let them go work on assembly lines in the big cities when they’re fifteen or sixteen?"

"I can’t bear to see that happen, and neither can the ’Grandma Director’ who raised me."

"That’s why we’re here today. That’s why we’re meeting."

"I might not be very capable myself, but my sister here is. She’s also very successful. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to come up with the money to acquire this school."

Jiang Fan’s gaze shifted to Jun Yue.

"So, we can guarantee it. Not only will this school be non-profit, but any new children at the orphanage will study here. And we will keep our orphanage running, always."

When Jiang Fan finished, the office was plunged into silence.

"Young man, I have a favor to ask of you, if I may."

The wife of the man in the middle stood up and gave Jiang Fan and Jun Yue a deep bow.

The two of them instinctively stepped aside, not daring to receive it.

"Ma’am, please, just tell us what you need."

Jun Yue said quickly.

’To be honest, she deeply sympathized with the three mothers and completely understood how they felt.’

"Could I be a teacher at your orphanage... I mean, at this school?"

"If that’s not possible, could I apply to be a residential advisor? To take care of them?"

"I don’t need a salary. In fact, I’ll cover all the future renovations and other expenses for the school."

"That goes for the two of us as well."

The other two mothers stood up as well.

"Uh..."

Jiang Fan and Jun Yue looked at each other, troubled.

’They had expected a difficult demand, not a condition that seemed to be nothing but beneficial.’

"Ma’am, I’m sorry, I haven’t gotten your name?"

"We would certainly welcome you if you’re willing to come. But this is our first time running a school. It’s our first time trying to systematically build a future for the children of the orphanage."

"The whole process... it could be very tiring and difficult..."

Jun Yue chose her words carefully, trying to gently dissuade them.

’After all, considering the social standing of these three women, what would happen if they had a disagreement later on, or if other problems arose? It would become an extremely thorny issue for the two of them and the entire orphanage.’

"We genuinely have no ill intentions. I just want to be around these children... to see them fulfill the dreams my own child never could."

"And we can promise not to interfere with anything you do."

The mother sighed deeply, her eyes welling with tears once more.

"You can, but we need to lay down a few ground rules first."

After a long hesitation, Jiang Fan finally decided to agree.