Guan Xia and her two companions first went shopping, buying a large assortment of items—children's toys, clothes, shoes, backpacks, stationery, and more. The trunk of their car was so packed that some things wouldn’t fit, so they simply hailed another taxi to carry the overflow. Only then, with both vehicles fully loaded, did they drive to the orphanage gates.
Unlike the last visit, when several groups had returned to see the children and the orphanage had been bustling with activity, this time it was just Guan Xia and her two friends. As soon as they stepped out of the cars, the security guard at the gate emerged from his booth.
Guan Xia recognized him—Uncle Zhang, who had worked at the orphanage for decades. She greeted him warmly, "Uncle Zhang, you're on duty today? Have you had lunch yet?"
Uncle Zhang had watched Guan Xia grow up, and now that she had made something of herself, he remembered her fondly. He beamed and replied, "Guan Xia, you’re back! Yes, yes, I’ve eaten. What about you? If you haven’t, hurry inside and see Mother Chen. The little ones she’s looking after now probably haven’t finished eating yet—you might still catch a bite. Or you could order takeout. These days, with all the technology, you can get anything delivered right to your door."
As they chatted, Uncle Zhang noticed how much they had brought and stepped forward to help unload.
While moving the items, he couldn’t help but lecture her, "Guan Xia, don’t take this the wrong way—I’m glad you’ve done well for yourself. It means you’ve got money now. But you’re still young, and you need to think about your own future. I know housing prices are high, but you should still try to buy a place soon. Mother Chen told me you send money back every month. If you’re already doing that, why come back with all these gifts? Not that I’m saying you shouldn’t buy things—it’s just that there are other successful kids from this orphanage, some even big-shot bosses. Don’t compare yourself to them. If they earn more, let them contribute more. You earn less, so you should spend less. The most important thing is to take care of yourself. Just look at that newly renovated building over there—so impressive."
Once everything was unloaded, Uncle Zhang straightened up and pointed southeast. When Guan Xia and the others turned to look, he continued proudly, "See that? The training center was built with donations from one of those wealthy bosses. The paint’s barely dry! They can afford to spend like that, but you’re still young—focus on yourself first."
To Guan Xia, his rambling boiled down to one message: the orphanage wasn’t short on funds, especially with Wu Yang’s deep pockets. She shouldn’t feel pressured to match his contributions. Instead, she should buy a home and live her own life.
After a few younger staff members arrived to take charge of the donations, Guan Xia bid farewell to Uncle Zhang. Zhong Xiaoyu immediately asked nervously, "Well? Did any of them seem suspicious?"
Guan Xia thought back to the soul auras she had glimpsed through her shared system vision and shook her head silently but with relief.
All five people she had observed were clean—especially Uncle Zhang. Not only was he untainted, but his soul aura was bright and large, intertwined with faint golden threads. That meant he wasn’t just innocent of any connection to the criminal organization—he was a genuinely good person.
At Guan Xia’s response, Zhong Xiaoyu and Pang Le both exhaled in relief.
Pang Le said, "Good, that’s really good. I was so worried. If even Uncle Zhang had been involved, that criminal group would be terrifying—not just masters of disguise, but award-winning actors."
Zhong Xiaoyu nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. The way he fussed over Guan Xia like a real uncle—I wouldn’t have guessed orphanage staff could be like this. He practically begged her not to overspend. Are all the older staff like this?"
She turned to Guan Xia curiously.
It was lunchtime, and with school back in session, the orphanage grounds were nearly empty except for the occasional staff member hurrying along the tree-lined paths. There was no risk of being overheard, but out of habit, Guan Xia glanced around before answering quietly, "Mother Chen, Uncle Zhang, and the others who joined around the same time are all like that. As for the newer staff, I’m not sure. I was already boarding at high school and didn’t interact much with them."
"That’s still remarkable," Pang Le remarked. "They clearly treat this place like home and you kids like their own."
Then, hesitating slightly, she added, "But if the older staff are so kind and devoted, you all must have had a decent childhood. Why was Meng Lan so fixated on finding her birth parents? Was the woman who cared for her not as good?"
Guan Xia thought back to their younger days and shook her head. "In my memory, each ‘mother’ had her own personality—some gentle, some more energetic—but they all loved the children the same. They’re only human, though, not saints. With so many kids to care for, they got tired and frustrated. And as children grew up, the mothers had to shift their attention to the younger ones."
Pang Le understood. "So when Meng Lan got older, her ‘mother’ focused more on the little ones, and she felt the love wasn’t as strong anymore. That’s why she longed for birth parents who’d love her unconditionally?"
Guan Xia nodded.
Truthfully, in the orphanage, Meng Lan’s experience was the norm, while Guan Xia’s was the exception. Yearning for family was natural for any child. Meng Lan was just a kid—too young to rationalize things. She clung to every scrap of kindness she received, and after losing some of that affection, she craved even more.
Putting themselves in her shoes, Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu sighed heavily. Without another word, they both patted Guan Xia’s shoulders in silent solidarity.
Since no one was nearby, Guan Xia felt safe enough to activate her system’s shared vision again, scanning every soul aura within sight more carefully.
To her surprise—yet also somewhat expected—she found no traces of the blood-tinged auras that marked members of the criminal organization anywhere within the orphanage’s grounds. At least here, there was no threat.
Relieved but puzzled, Guan Xia wondered: If the orphanage was clean, how had Meng Lan come to the criminals’ attention? Could it really have been just a coincidence?
Was Meng Lan merely targeted by that criminal organization's peripheral member because she happened to cross paths with them while contemplating suicide?
This thought had just surfaced in Guan Xia's mind when she immediately shook her head and dismissed it herself.
That didn’t quite add up. She knew Meng Lan well—though she was intelligent, persistent, and patient, like Guan Xia, she was just starting out in society, barely able to support herself. How could she possibly have the connections or capability to not only locate her own birth parents but also find Guan Xia’s? This went far beyond mere coincidence or luck.
Guan Xia was more inclined to believe that someone had been subtly guiding Meng Lan behind the scenes. Then there was Wu Yang—her apparent admiration for Meng Lan also seemed suspicious. Before, Guan Xia had only found it a little odd, but now, analyzing it from the beginning, she could only conclude one thing: ulterior motives.
Though she sensed something was amiss, the information at hand was too scarce. No matter how much she racked her brain, Guan Xia couldn’t piece together a plausible explanation. In the end, she had no choice but to shake her head helplessly and set aside her doubts for the time being, resolving to revisit them after returning from the orphanage.
After standing there for a while longer, taking in the slightly altered surroundings of the orphanage, Guan Xia, along with Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu, headed toward the newly renovated, pale-yellow multi-story dormitory building.
Guan Xia hadn’t given any advance notice of her visit this time. Though she had been raised by Mother Chen, she had since left the orphanage, and showing up unannounced felt inappropriate. So as they walked toward the dormitory, she dialed Mother Chen’s number.
Before the call could even connect, Guan Xia spotted Mother Chen walking toward her, holding the hand of a chubby little girl. From a distance, Mother Chen waved excitedly and called out, "Guan Xia!"
Grinning, Guan Xia waved back and quickened her pace to meet them.
When they finally came face to face, Guan Xia said cheerfully, "I was just coming to see you! How did you know to come down? Did Uncle Zhang tell you?"
Mother Chen’s wrinkles smoothed out with joy. After coaxing the little girl to sweetly greet Guan Xia as "big sister," she replied, "Yes, Uncle Zhang called me about twenty minutes ago, saying you’d returned with a whole bunch of things and seemed to be heading my way. But I waited and waited, and you never showed up, so I couldn’t help but come down to see what was keeping you. A ten-minute walk shouldn’t take twenty!"
Guan Xia chuckled. "It’s been months since I last visited, and the orphanage looks different again. Plus, this time I brought a friend who’s never been here before, so I was giving her a little tour as we walked. That’s why it took longer."
"Both of them are your friends?" Mother Chen beamed even brighter, turning her gaze to Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu. After giving them a polite once-over, she praised, "Such pretty and spirited young ladies! You look like you’re doing well for yourselves. You must be hungry and thirsty after the trip—come, come! Let’s go to my place. I’ll whip up something delicious for you."
Without a hint of formality, Mother Chen scooped the child into her arms and eagerly ushered the three of them into the dormitory building.
Despite Guan Xia, Pang Le, and Zhong Xiaoyu’s repeated protests, Mother Chen wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted on cooking a few dishes using whatever was in the fridge and even unearthed a brand-new bottle of soda from somewhere. As she poured drinks for everyone, she said, "I’m so happy today—let’s toast with soda instead of wine! Go on, try the food. See if my cooking’s improved since you left the orphanage. I remember this sweet and sour pork was your favorite growing up. Well? Does it taste like you remember?"
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Guan Xia finally picked up a piece of meat glazed in sauce under Mother Chen’s expectant gaze and popped it into her mouth. She nodded with a smile. "It’s delicious—just like I remember, but even better now."
Only then did Mother Chen relax back into her seat, laughing heartily. "If it’s good, eat up! Don’t hold back—treat this like your own home."
Neither Pang Le nor Zhong Xiaoyu were the shy type. Encouraged by Mother Chen’s warmth, they soon opened up, chatting away animatedly.
But Guan Xia, weighed down by too many unanswered questions, had little appetite. After eating just enough to fill her stomach, she took advantage of the lively conversation and let her eyes wander around the room—familiar, yet not entirely so.
She hadn’t expected to notice anything in particular, but as she scanned the space, her gaze landed on something inconspicuous yet impossible to ignore: a surveillance camera mounted high in one corner of the ceiling, angled to capture most of the living room. Guan Xia had no memory of ever seeing it before and couldn’t hide her surprise. "Mother Chen, when did cameras get installed inside the house? Was this part of the dormitory’s renovation?"
Mother Chen followed her gaze upward and answered casually, "Oh, that’s been there for ages! Since your high school days, I think. Wait—you were boarding at school by then, only coming back during holidays and weekends, and you were always busy with your art. No wonder you never noticed. Actually, it’s not just inside—there are even more outside. They were here before you even arrived at the orphanage. Don’t misunderstand—it’s all for the children’s safety. Our grounds are so big, and some of the mischievous ones love hiding from Uncle Zhang and the others when they’re supposed to be sleeping. With the cameras, the monitoring room can just call and have them rounded up in no time."
Worried Guan Xia might take it the wrong way, Mother Chen set down her chopsticks and explained in detail.
But Guan Xia wasn’t listening. Her mind had already plunged into memories, because she was certain she’d never known about the cameras.
What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was the sudden activation of her system interface—not with text, but with what could loosely be called a video. It was more like a slideshow, rapidly flashing one image after another.
In these images, Guan Xia’s peripheral vision caught glimpses of one discreetly marked red-frame camera after another—hidden in trees, atop pavilions, even on towering streetlights. Unless someone was deliberately searching for them, they’d go completely unnoticed.
In an instant, countless realizations crashed over her. It took every ounce of her self-control to keep her expression and voice steady as she asked, "Mother Chen, are the orphanage staff the only ones who monitor these cameras?"
Mother Chen answered reflexively, "Yes," but then, as if remembering something, added, "Well, not entirely. You know how our orphanage has that sponsorship fund? Though the recipients are chosen by the director, the money comes from donors. Sometimes, when those donors visit, they’ll review the footage—just to see how talented and hardworking you all are. It reassures them that their money’s being put to good use, doesn’t it?"
Guan Xia felt her mind go blank for a moment. Instinctively, she pressed further, "Who provided all those funds for the sponsorship?"
As if Guan Xia had asked a foolish question, Mother Chen gave her a strange look before replying, "Who else but President Wu Yang? Didn’t I mention him to you last time you visited the orphanage? Wu Yang is the most successful among all the children who grew up here. He’s such a good man—exceptionally generous to our orphanage. The training center a few years back, the earlier multi-purpose building with the library and computer rooms, all of it was funded by him. Oh, and this dormitory building was also renovated with his money. I’ve even heard he plans to build a sports field and basketball court for the kids. He says some children who struggle academically could consider specializing in sports, giving them another path in life."
It was clear Mother Chen held Wu Yang in high regard. Previously, she hadn’t had the chance, but now she took the opportunity to detail his contributions to the orphanage.
Yet, Guan Xia felt a chill run down her spine. Once Mother Chen finished, she asked another question, "What about these surveillance cameras? Were they also provided by President Wu?"
Mother Chen seemed surprised again. "Yes, of course. He’s the only one with both the means and the thoughtfulness to care for the children so thoroughly."
This time, it wasn’t just Guan Xia—even Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu couldn’t suppress the creeping unease down their backs. But given the setting, they couldn’t speak openly. They could only exchange uneasy glances.
