The next day at school, the teacher suddenly announced a donation campaign this week.
Books or money could be donated, and everything would be sent to mountain area schools.
As class monitor, Bai Xia took on the task of bookkeeping.
Many people hadn’t brought cash and said they’d donate tomorrow, but they could register their names now.
Most people actively participated, donating many books and several thousand yuan in pocket money.
Then she saw Qi Mo had donated 5,000 yuan, while Lin Yan had donated a single children’s animation book.
“You have so many books in your desk, how come you only donated one?”
Qi Mo looked at Lin Yan incredulously.
He hadn’t realized before that the guy was so stingy, lacking any sense of social responsibility.
“Are you sure what you donate will reach the mountain primary schools?”
Lin Yan retorted.
Bai Xia, registering names, looked back at the two boys in the rear.
She knew Lin Yan’s mind was different from Qi Mo’s.
“The teacher said the donations go to mountain schools. Do you think the teacher would cheat us?”
Qi Mo lay on his desk playing with a machine model.
Lin Yan continued his homework.
“The teacher won’t cheat with a few books, but after all the donation, transportation, and distribution processes, there’s no guarantee the items actually get to the mountain schools.”
“If you want to sponsor poor areas one-on-one, you can start your own charity to ensure every step is completed properly. That’s the only way to truly help others.”
Qi Mo looked puzzled.
“Why would I need to start a charity just to donate money?”
“My dad’s company donates a lot. Are you saying his money doesn’t get there?”
Qi Mo asked.
Lin Yan: “That’s a question for your dad.”
Bai Xia lowered her head and kept organizing the roster.
Corporate donations could be used for tax avoidance.
As for where the money went—that was up to their conscience.
As for the school’s donation money reaching its destination, she had already figured it out: just tell Lu Lin, and the school would arrange for someone to ensure the items got there.
The male lead’s style was domineering and direct; he didn’t care about the frills—only results.
This kind of thing was best left to him.
But a school’s donation fund was limited.
When she became big and strong, she planned to open the world’s largest charity organization.
She wanted to see which unscrupulous person would try to siphon money from her.
At noon, she wanted to call Lu Shuo to order food.
When she arrived at the cafeteria, she saw him had already ordered three meals waiting there.
She didn’t know why he was so eager today.
“Why did you order all meat?”
She looked at the box filled with chicken legs and duck meat, speechless.
She expected praise, but he was unhappy instead, so Lu Shuo explained, “Kids need to eat more meat. These are all on my meal card. Consider it my treat.”
He wasn’t stingy.
“I don’t eat fatty meat; I want mushrooms,” He Yuehua looked at the boxed meal, unable to pick up a chopstick.
Lu Shuo was speechless.
This brat’s friends were all the same, hard to please.
“Annoying!”
He went back to queue and ordered three purely vegetarian meals, not caring if Bai Xia liked them or not, then took a call and went to play basketball with classmates.
“Is he really your family servant? So obedient?”
He Yuehua sat there picking at her vegetables.
The cafeteria was bustling.
Bai Xia took out her phone and transferred 1,000 yuan to Lu Shuo. Of course, servants had their wages.
“Why does he always get into fights? Don’t his parents care?”
Wang Yiyi asked, confused.
She thought Lu Shuo was nice, always ordering food for them.
But liking to fight wasn’t something a good student should do.
“His dad doesn’t care; his mom spoils him too much. Now he’s completely out of control,” Bai Xia shook her head.
His studying was half-hearted too, but at least he improved a little.
She couldn’t supervise all the time; it was up to him now.
“Ah, no wonder I often see his name on the bulletin board for criticism,” Wang Yiyi frowned slightly.
Never pity someone lightly.
Those who repeatedly don’t change usually just don’t want to.
They’ll learn the hard way someday, Bai Xia said seriously.
Hearing this, Wang Yiyi nodded vaguely.
Fighting was definitely wrong.
After school that afternoon, Bai Xia saw the butler talking with the homeroom teacher.
She didn’t know what was said.
When she got back in the car, she asked.
The butler mysteriously said she didn’t need to go to school tomorrow.
Could the Song family be moving so fast?
Wanting to add her to the genealogy, they were rushing her to the ancestral hall?
At dinner that night, Lu Jinnian said he would take her out to eat tomorrow but didn’t say where.
“Shuo’s been studying seriously recently, hasn’t he?”
Yao Yun suddenly glanced at her son.
He was picking at the vegetables, unable to eat.
“I’m studying seriously. This time I’m sure I’ll be in the top ten.”
“That’s thanks to Xia Xia. Whatever you want, grandpa will buy it for you,” Lu Qihui put a chicken leg in the girl’s bowl.
Lu Shuo eyed the drumstick, swallowing.
He hadn’t eaten meat for days.
With the butler watching at school, he never had a chance to sneak food.
“I don’t want anything. When is grandpa’s art exhibition? I want to see it,” Bai Xia ate with her spoon.
She mainly wanted to see what Lu Qihui had painted.
He was always immersed in his art world, neglecting his son.
Hearing his granddaughter wanted to see his paintings, Lu Qihui’s eyes lit up.
No one in this family appreciated his art.
His wife used to understand it, but now she knew nothing. Looks like the granddaughter inherited his genes.
“All right, all right. Grandpa will take you to the studio later,” he said lovingly.
Lu Jinnian glanced at him coldly, wanting to say something but gave up and put down his chopsticks, leaning on his cane to leave.
“Don’t say so much. You know the old man doesn’t like it when you bring this up,” Yao Yun said, putting vegetables in her husband’s bowl.
Lu Qihui didn’t care.
“You don’t understand these things. Should Xia Xia not learn? Children raised in the arts develop their talents.”
Lu Shuo couldn’t eat the vegetables anymore.
He put down his chopsticks and left.
He found his father’s paintings strange and didn’t understand them.
But foreign paintings were like that, so maybe he lacked artistic talent.
Bai Xia discovered that Lu Qihui was actually the most abstract in the entire Lu family.
She seriously suspected Yao Yun had praised his paintings back then, so he thought he’d found a kindred spirit and insisted on marriage despite Lu Jinnian’s opposition.
“I’m full,” she put down her chopsticks and went upstairs, afraid she’d laugh if she listened further.
Only two people remained at the dining table.
Yao Yun looked around seriously and said, “Tomorrow is the company anniversary. The old man clearly intends to take Xia Xia. She’s so young. Why not bring Shuo too? Don’t you understand what that means?”
Lu Qihui ate calmly.
“Shuo’s not cut out for this. Besides, it’s just an anniversary. I’m not going, so it doesn’t mean anything.”
“You don’t care whether you enter the company or not. But Xia Xia is so young. The old man bringing her for a show is a clear sign. Shuo is young now; just because his grades are bad now doesn’t mean it’ll always be that way. That’s unfair to him.”
Yao Yun lost her appetite.
“We’ll see about the future. We’re family. My shares will go to Shuo. Don’t worry about what the old man is planning,” Lu Qihui patted his wife’s arm.
Hearing this, Yao Yun said nothing more.
She just hoped the old man lived longer to see Shuo change.
An eight-year-old still had time to grow. Who says he wasn’t cut out for academics?
Lu Lin’s case was hopeless.
If his son wanted to enter the company, he’d have to get the old man’s support.
After doing her homework upstairs, Bai Xia washed up and went to bed.
She didn’t know where Lu Jinnian was taking her tomorrow, so she set an alarm for eight o’clock.
***
At nine the next day, Lu Jinnian held her hand and got in the car.
It seemed important; otherwise, he wouldn’t dress so neatly and even had a new cane.
Living room. Early morning.
The car stopped outside a hotel with a steady stream of people.
It seemed to be a large event.
She followed him to the third floor.
The spacious, lively banquet hall was filled with people.
Upon seeing Lu Jinnian, everyone obediently greeted, “Chairman.”
Bai Xia realized this seemed to be Lu family company’s anniversary event.
But she was only four years old.
Bringing her to such a place seemed premature.
She was led to the main table.
People around all stood when they saw Lu Jinnian.
“Chairman.”
Then they looked at the girl beside Lu Jinnian.
Everyone knew there was a new child in the Lu family, but no one expected the chairman to bring her to the company anniversary.
The meaning was clear.
But Lu, the general manager, was still young.
Would he not marry or have children in the future?
“That must be Xia Xia. So cute, like a little princess in a castle,” a shareholder smiled at her.
Bai Xia smiled faintly.
“Thank you, uncle.”
“You play here. Great-Grandpa has some business over there. If you need anything, ask Uncle Butler,” Lu Jinnian whispered.
Bai Xia nodded, then saw Lu Jinnian go talk to several company people.
This anniversary was important; almost all company directors and shareholders were here, along with key employees.
She played with building blocks.
Suddenly, a shareholder in his fifties or sixties leaned over kindly.
“Xia Xia, are you four this year? I have a grandson your age. He can even solve a Rubik’s cube. Grandpa will bring him to play with you next time, okay?”
Bai Xia shook her head.
“No. Dad says I can’t play with boys.”
She was so little, yet someone was already thinking of other ideas.
Rich families were all about interests first.
“That’s okay. You’re all still kids. Playing together is fine,” the shareholder said kindly.
“Looks like Director Zhang really likes making friends.”
Suddenly a cold voice interrupted, and the shareholder turned to see Lu Lin standing behind with a scowl. He cleared his throat.
“I was just joking with the kids. Don’t misunderstand, General Manager Lu. Xia Xia is very cute. I just thought if I had such a well-behaved granddaughter…”
Lu Lin stared at him expressionless.
“I remember Director Zhang has quite a few granddaughters outside.”
The man smiled awkwardly.
“Two, but none as well-behaved as Xia Xia. You all chat; I have something to do.”
He quickly turned and left.
Lu Lin never gave anyone face.
What was wrong with a kid making friends?
Did he want her to hide forever?
Others at the table secretly looked at the main table.
They only saw the usually cold and authoritarian CEO crouching down, smiling gently as he talked with a little girl, who kept playing with blocks, her tiny face delicate and adorable.
So this was the CEO’s daughter.
Rumor had it she was the product of his first love.
Maybe having a daughter had made him more patient—he’d been scolding less lately.
“From now on, if anyone talks to you, don’t respond and don’t make friends easily,” Lu Lin warned.
Bai Xia kept stacking blocks, pouting.
“That’s so rude. Making more friends isn’t a bad thing. The teacher says more friends mean more opportunities. We live in a society; we can’t always be alone.”
“But you’re still young,” Lu Lin patiently explained.
“You won’t be able to tell who’s good or bad until you grow up and gain experience. Then you can choose friends carefully.”
Assistant Xu stood behind, helplessly looking at the chandelier.
Miss was so young.
Was the CEO’s advice too early?
“General Manager, the Chairman won’t go on stage. Please look at this…”
An employee hurried over holding the annual summary speech draft.
Lu Lin frowned, took the speech, glanced over it, and coldly said, “Make it shorter.”
“But the time is almost up; we might not finish,” Assistant Xu looked at the clock, hesitating.
Bai Xia tilted her head and stared at him.
“See? I give speeches in class without a script. You have one and you’re still not satisfied.”
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