Chapter 905: Chapter 905
Su Kaicheng glanced at Su Nuoyan and said, "Oh right, Dad, the Eastern Province is about to shut down the orphanage soon. Shouldn't you talk to them? Okay, I'll personally speak to Uncle about it later. Alright, leave it to me. By the way, how's Little Sis doing?"
It's unclear what the person on the other end of the phone said, but Su Kaicheng's expression gradually turned sorrowful. He finally hung up the phone, and his entire demeanor became much more downcast.
"Elder Brother, Little Sis… what's wrong with Little Sis?" Su Nuoyan asked nervously, staring at Su Kaicheng.
Su Kaicheng sighed and said, "This matter… let's talk about it when we go back. Ye brothers, don't worry about the orphanage matters anymore. The orphanage will definitely continue operating!"
"Huh?" Ye Qing's eyes widened as he looked at Su Kaicheng in astonishment, wondering if he had heard wrong.
"The Standing Committee meeting already took place, and this… this orphanage was rejected. How… how could I keep it running?" Ye Qing asked hastily. In truth, he desperately hoped the orphanage could continue. Even if there was the slightest hope, he wanted to fight for it. But… was this really hope?
"The resolution from the Standing Committee is just the Eastern Province's stance—it does not represent the country's position!" Su Kaicheng looked at Ye Qing with a calm tone and said, "Your orphanage is now elevated to a national-level project and is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Province. Therefore, the Eastern Province's resolution is no longer valid. Starting today, the country will take over the comprehensive evaluation of your orphanage. If everything passes the assessment, your orphanage will get approval. Moreover, it will receive national funding, with an annual allotment from the state budget dedicated to the orphanage's daily expenses!"
"Ah…" Ye Qing's eyes widened further in disbelief, wondering if he had misheard. He reached out and pinched his thigh twice, the pain confirming that this wasn't a dream. Yet, it all sounded like something straight out of a dream.
What kind of status did this Su Kaicheng hold? With just one sentence, he could overturn the Eastern Province's Standing Committee's decision and elevate the orphanage to a national project? How ridiculous! Liu Changping and Zhou Bolong had exhausted tremendous efforts but failed to get approval even within the Eastern Province. And now, it's being elevated to the national level? How was that possible?
Su Nuoyan, standing nearby, smiled at the two of them. She understood the situation most clearly, which was why in Shenchuan City, she had dared to tell Ye Qing boldly not to worry.
"Ye brothers, if there's nothing else, let's wrap things up for today!" Su Kaicheng stood up and said, "I still have some matters to attend to here. After I'm done, I'll visit Shenchuan City with Third Sister."
Ye Qing was still in a daze. Watching Su Kaicheng stand, he quickly got up too and said, "Elder Brother Su, just now… just now, about the orphanage's situation, what exactly… what exactly…"
"Ye, don't worry!" Su Nuoyan said with a smile. "My Elder Brother has already said it's fine, and it definitely will be. They've been paying attention to this matter in the Capital for a while now, and discussions are underway. But their opinions differ from those of the Eastern Province."
"Huh?" Ye Qing was even more shocked and said, "The people in the Capital are paying attention to this? Isn't… isn't that overly serious?"
"Ye brothers, this is a good thing!" Su Kaicheng explained. "Our country has always operated public orphanages. Generally, orphans are taken care of by public orphanages. However, over the past few years, integrity issues have frequently emerged in public orphanages. This has led citizens to gradually lose trust in them. As a result, several leaders in the Capital planned to change the situation. They proposed allowing those who genuinely want to do charity to have the opportunity to care for these children. This idea has been brought up for some time now, but there hasn't been any implementation so far. Coincidentally, Ye brothers, your orphanage in Shenchuan City paved the way for this concept. Your orphanage caught the attention of leaders in the Capital early on, leading them to deliberate on whether your orphanage could serve as a test case for the private orphanage model. If successful, private orphanages may proliferate in the future, benefiting society as a whole!"
Hearing this, Ye Qing finally understood part of the situation, and his joy was evident. So, it seemed that his orphanage still had hope of continuing. However, Ye Qing couldn't shake his growing doubts about Su Kaicheng's identity. How did Su Kaicheng know about matters in the Capital? Furthermore, why did he personally inquire about this? Based on what he said earlier, it seemed he could directly decide this matter. Clearly, Su Kaicheng's identity was far from ordinary.
Thinking back on what Zhao Chengshuang had said, about how the orphanage matter was reported before the Standing Committee meeting had even started—itself an incredible feat—Ye Qing began forming suspicions. It seemed that Su Nuoyan's identity might not be simple either.
Noticing Ye Qing's astonished expression, Su Nuoyan chuckled. "Ye, there's no need to worry. You've helped me before, and your matter is now my matter. I'll try my best to help with the orphanage. Plus, since my Elder Brother has already confirmed the situation, you can rest assured everything is almost certain. The so-called national evaluation isn't going to have any issues. I've seen it with my own eyes; it will definitely pass!"
"Uh…" Ye Qing nodded, uncertain of what to say. Finally, he said, "Elder Brother Su, then… then this matter will be in your hands…"
Seeing Ye Qing's mixture of surprise and excitement, Su Kaicheng smiled faintly and said, "We'll speak again when I visit Shenchuan City. Ye brothers, we're leaving for now!"
Su Nuoyan also said her goodbyes and followed Su Kaicheng out. The two walked out of the restaurant, and as soon as they left, Su Nuoyan approached Su Kaicheng and asked, "Elder Brother, what's your impression of Ye?"
Su Kaicheng didn't respond. He kept his head down, walking forward silently with Su Nuoyan following behind. The two got into a car.
Sitting in the car, Su Kaicheng finally looked at Su Nuoyan and said, "This time, Dad sent me over mainly to see if he's truly sincere about doing charity work. The implementation of private orphanages carries a major concern—some unscrupulous people might exploit this opportunity to profit off the children. That's why we must find genuinely philanthropic people to manage these private orphanages. Ye Qing is precisely the person Dad was searching for!"
Hearing this, Su Nuoyan was overjoyed. She knew this meant Su Kaicheng fully recognized Ye Qing, and that the orphanage matter was 90% settled. As long as the evaluation passes, there wouldn't be any problems.
"I've said from the beginning—Ye is truly a good person," Su Nuoyan said.
"While he's good-hearted, his background is far from clean," Su Kaicheng replied. "For him to reach this point in Shenchuan City, he's had to shed plenty of blood along the way. That kind of history will inevitably impact his future development."
Su Nuoyan paused, surprised. "Elder Brother, you… you've specifically investigated his background?"
"I had to," Su Kaicheng said. "If his private orphanage gets approved, it will be the first of its kind in the country. I need to proceed carefully and understand everything about him. Honestly, I didn't even need to investigate. Don't forget who I am!"
Su Nuoyan rolled her eyes and said, "I know—you're someone from the State Intelligence Bureau. But aren't you supposed to focus on external intelligence? Since when did your investigations extend internally?"
Su Kaicheng didn't answer and just said solemnly, "The materials I reviewed indicate that Ye Qing is meticulous in his actions, and this is an excellent trait. Also, he's invested considerable resources into the orphanage and genuinely cares for the children. That's why I agreed to proceed with this orphanage project. Nuoyan, you chose well."
"Of course! I've said from the start that Ye is a good person!" Su Nuoyan replied smugly. Then, she suddenly remembered something and asked urgently, "Oh no, I forgot to ask! What exactly happened to Little Sis?"
Hearing this, Su Kaicheng fell silent. After a while, he let out a long sigh and said, "Little Sis was hit by a car. The doctor says… says Little Sis might end up a vegetative state."
"What!?" Su Nuoyan's face changed drastically. She froze entirely, staring at Su Kaicheng in shock and forgetting everything else.
Su Kaicheng sighed again. The worry etched on his face made it clear that this matter weighed heavily on him—it was his little sister, after all.
"How… how could this happen?" After a long while, Su Nuoyan finally snapped out of it and asked hastily, "Where was Little Sis hit by the car? What kind… what kind of car could hit her so severely?"
"It happened on Changan Avenue. Little Sis was coming home after shopping with classmates when she was hit by a speeding sports car!" Su Kaicheng gritted his teeth and said in a grave tone, "After hitting Little Sis, the car immediately fled the scene. By the time Little Sis was rushed to the hospital, it was too late. The doctors tried their best and barely managed to save her life, but… but…"
He couldn't continue, and Su Nuoyan's face turned pale as she asked angrily, "Whose car was it?"
"The investigation is ongoing…" Su Kaicheng paused before speaking firmly, "It's likely one of the cars belonging to the Capital's street racing gang. The car was unregistered and involves many second-generation offspring from prominent families in the Capital. Investigating it could potentially implicate many families, so Dad is extremely cautious at the moment, and the case hasn't yielded concrete results yet."
Su Nuoyan said indignantly, "That street racing gang should have been disbanded long ago! Why are they still allowed to race? Are the officers in the Capital City Police Department just twiddling their thumbs?"
"Three deputy directors of the police department have already resigned out of responsibility!" Su Kaicheng added after a pause, "But those deputy directors were scapegoats. Pushing the blame onto them doesn't solve anything."