Chapter 155: Qingqing, I Lost Dad

Opening the photo album, the first thing that caught the eye was a yellowed photograph.

Shen Xian must have been in his early teens back then, surrounded by a group of people, his little face plastered with sheer panic and terror.

His clothes were tattered, and his toes poked out from his worn-out shoes.

His hands were covered in wrinkles and chapped skin, yet they clutched tightly onto a yellowish steamed bun.

Zhou Wan couldn't help but recall what she was like at the age of ten.

Every day, she was dressed up like a princess, traveling exclusively in luxury Mercedes-Benz sedans, and dining on rare delicacies from land and sea.

By comparison, how truly miserable his childhood had been.

A sour ache gripped Zhou Wan’s nose.

"This photo was taken right when the village secretary and the head of security brought him here. Back then, he was utterly panicked, his eyes filled with nothing but bewilderment," the orphanage director leaned in and said with a smile.

With her life experience, she naturally recognized that the stunningly gorgeous woman standing before her had deep feelings for Shen Xian.

The ponytail-wearing teenage girl also stared intently at the photograph, a smile blooming on her face.

"Even as a child, he was extremely sensible. Whether he was speaking or doing chores, he always watched other people's expressions." The second photo showed him washing his own clothes and cooking his own meals.

"I had never seen such a sensible child. Coincidentally, I happened to have a camera at home back then, so whenever I saw him, I would snap a picture," the director recalled.

As the pages of the album turned, Shen Xian grew older step by step.

"This photo was taken on New Year's Eve. I brought him some dumplings and asked him to come home with me to celebrate the New Year, but he refused."

In the picture, outside the window glowed the myriad lights of the city alongside a sky full of fireworks.

Yet Shen Xian sat all alone inside a rented room, holding a bowl of dumplings, gazing up in utter solitude at the night sky outside.

That overwhelming sense of isolation made both Zhou Wan and Ning Cai feel breathless.

"This photo was taken five years ago, when he started making large donations to the orphanage."

The picture captured Shen Xian teaching the children how to do their homework, and among them was a teenage girl—none other than the very ponytail-wearing girl standing right here!

Many of the subsequent photos showed Shen Xian leading the kids in games or hosting a collective birthday party for them.

"The orphanage originally had a rule that children were not allowed to stay here after turning sixteen, but little Shen personally paid out of his own pocket to build this dormitory block," the director said, pointing into the distance.

Several single-story brick rooms stood there; although far from luxurious, they provided a place for the grown children to stay.

"Four years ago, he also took responsibility for the living expenses and miscellaneous school fees of every high school and college student who walked out of this orphanage."

"It is no exaggeration to say that without little Shen, the children would have had to drop out and go work as laborers the moment they finished compulsory education."

The director's tone was filled with profound emotion.

"Brother Shen Xian is the most wonderful person in the world," the ponytail girl declared.

Zhou Wan closed the photo album and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Ning Cai's eyes were also red-rimmed, a bitter ache lingering in her chest.

As for Xiao Yang, needless to say, he clenched his fists tightly.

Ye Qiu looked up at the sky, his gaze distant and profound.

How could pampered young masters and wealthy heiresses like them ever truly understand the hardships of ordinary mortals?

Even though Shen Xian had lived a life of bitter hardship himself, he could not bear to witness the suffering of the world, trying his utmost with his own meager strength to mend and patch up this broken reality.

He had walked through the days devoid of light himself; he knew all too well how agonizing those dark times were.

Therefore, he was desperately striving to become the light itself, illuminating those children.

"Those people on the internet actually curse him, calling him greedy and unscrupulous for the sake of money. But how could they possibly know how much Brother Shen Xian has sacrificed!" the ponytail girl protested indignantly.

The director patted the back of her hand gently. "Alright, alright, you should get off to school. You have your college entrance examinations next year; if you don't test well, Brother Shen Xian will be angry."

Hearing this, the ponytail girl instantly bounded to her feet. "I cannot let Brother Shen Xian look down on me! Director, I'll come back to visit you next week!"

"Director, thank you," Zhou Wan said, grasping the director's hand.

Knowing the situation clearly in her heart, the director spoke with great kindness, "Because little Shen's life experiences are different from others, please be patient with him and accommodate him more. He is truly a very good person."

Zhou Wan nodded. "Don't worry, Auntie. I will treat him well."

Once they got into the car, Ye Qiu asked, "Where are we going to find him now?"

"To the mountain village, the place where his nightmares began," Xiao Yang replied.

After driving for over two hours and then hiking another five or six kilometers on foot, their legs felt completely sore and exhausted, yet not a single person uttered a word of complaint. Finally, a small, impoverished mountain village came into view.

Many of the houses were dilapidated and ruined, and a good number of villagers had already moved away over the past two years.

Though this area technically still belonged to Wannan, none of them had expected to find a place so terribly backward here.

Noticing strangers entering the village, the villagers paused whatever work they were doing and cast wary, guarded glances at Zhou Wan and her companions.

Xiao Yang walked at the very front with an arrogant, unbothered swagger, keeping the villagers from daring to approach.

Soon, the group arrived in front of a crumbling mud-brick house.

Perhaps due to total neglect over the years, the roof had collapsed, and cracks crisscrossed the earthen walls everywhere.

"Are you folks here looking for little Shen?" a deep, resonant voice suddenly asked.

Following the voice, a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket stepped forward, greeting them quite politely.

"I am the village chief here. When little Shen was sent away all those years ago, I was working as the head of security in the village committee," the middle-aged man said with a smile. "Now, I am serving as the village secretary."

"Is this... where Shen Xian lived when he was a child?" Zhou Wan asked.

The village secretary nodded. "Yes. Before old man Zhang passed away, he lived right here with him."

"Old man Zhang died of a cerebral infarction that night. He spent the entire night trapped inside with old man Zhang's corpse, unable to open the door. I heard he cried for the entire night. When we finally forced the door open the next morning, he was completely terrified out of his wits—he was only about ten years old back then." A look of profound emotion crossed the village secretary's face.

Hearing this, Zhou Wan and the others felt a sharp, painful tightening in their chests.

"I heard the villagers didn't like him. What was that all about?" Xiao Yang asked, his eyes turning icy cold.

The village secretary let out a cold hoot. "Just a bunch of malicious bumpkins who couldn't stand seeing anyone else do well!"

"Because young Shen was exceptionally handsome, smart, and excelled in his studies, the villagers grew jealous seeing that he was brighter than their own children. And out of that jealousy, they bullied him!"

"What's worse, these malicious scoundrels even called him a little boy who sold his body, implying that old man Zhang took him in only to keep him as a boy toy."

"Because of this, I don't know how many times I had to reprimand those wretches."

At these words, a fresh wave of aching pangs struck the group's hearts.

Growing up in such a toxic and hostile environment, the fact that Shen Xian had still managed to retain his love for the world and treat everyone with such courtesy was truly nothing short of a miracle.

"Has little Shen been back here recently?" Xiao Yang asked.

The village secretary shook his head. "The only time he ever returns is during the Qingming Festival to pay his respects at old man Zhang's grave, and then he quietly leaves all by himself."

"Alright, thank you." Xiao Yang fell silent for a moment before leading Zhou Wan and the others away.

By the time they got back into the car, it was already noon. Xiao Yang sighed, "I have no idea where he might be right now. Let's just give him some time to find peace."

Inside the car, Zhou Wan held Qingqing tightly, burying her face into the back of the little girl's neck, her tears once again soaking through the collar of Qingqing's shirt.

Ning Cai's mood was equally wretched and heavy.

As for Ye Yuning, needless to say, she had completely lost her usual lively and cheerful demeanor, turning profoundly gloomy and silent.

*Qingqing, I've lost Daddy.*

Zhou Wan wept uncontrollably, a suffocating bitterness gripping her heart.

Yet moments later, her gaze slowly grew resolute and firm. "I will find him, no matter what. And I will certainly change my temper. Once I find him, I will spend the rest of my life making up for every bit of hurt and injustice I caused him!"