"explained Xia Wanying.
Wang Han gave a grunt of acknowledgment, rubbed Guoguo's head with his stubble, and said, "Say goodbye to the teacher."
"Goodbye, teacher," Guoguo waved, her voice dripping with baby-talk cuteness.
Xia Wanying waved goodbye, watching Wang Han leave. Then she hopped into her BMW and drove happily back home.
Halfway up the slope, Wang Han turned back.
"Principal Duan!"
Principal Duan trotted over eagerly. "Mr. Wang, what can I do for you?"
"This stretch is a bit dangerous—too much traffic and a steep incline. I was wondering if we could build a footbridge here. Do you know anyone who can estimate the cost? I'll foot the bill."
Upon hearing this, Principal Duan beamed, nodding and bowing. "I know people! I'll make the call right now."
After hanging up, he said, "Mr. Wang, it'll cost about four million."
Wang Han gave an "oh" and said, "Give me an account number, and I'll transfer the money to you right now. Get construction started as early as possible. Find reliable people—damn it, I don't want... I don't want any shoddy construction."
"Understood." Principal Duan gave Wang Han an account number.
Wang Han transferred the money immediately.
Principal Duan stared blankly at the four million that had just arrived in his account.
He glanced back at the retreating figure of Wang Han. Food delivery guys really were hidden dragons crouching tigers.
Who would have thought this was the same guy who had haggled over five hundred bucks just moments ago?
Transferring four million was as casual to him as transferring four hundred.
Wang Han went home, settled Guoguo in, and bought her a pile of educational toys.
Then he turned and went into the kitchen to cook.
His phone buzzed incessantly.
As the meal was almost ready, Wang Han picked up his phone, thought for a moment, and called Su Qi. When her line was predictably disconnected, he had no choice but to send her a text message.
"Hey, come home and eat."
Su Qi coldly replied with two words:
"No."
"I'll come to your company tomorrow at noon to bring you lunch."
"No."
Wang Han sat down, scooped a bowl of rice for Guoguo, and tied her bib on.
"Still angry?" He sent another text to Su Qi.
After a long while, Su Qi replied with a single word:
"Mm."
As if tickled by something funny, Wang Han replied, "Then stop being mad. Getting angry hurts your health. Shall I bring you food?"
"No."
"It's for our kid."
"Don't come looking for me before the baby is born! I'm very busy. That's that!"
Wang Han twirled his phone in his hands. He had already figured out Su Qi's personality pretty well.
She was a very clean woman with no bad intentions, stubborn to the core, and sometimes quite cute.
Wang Han put his phone down and pondered how to get Su Qi to stop being angry.
After all, the two of them were married.
Since they were married, they might as well make the best of it. What else could they do—get a divorce?
The reason he hadn't revealed his true identity to Su Qi earlier was actually quite simple.
Wang Han wanted to see what kind of character she had.
A person's true character could be judged by how they treated the vulnerable.
Clearly, Su Qi's character was beyond reproach.
Even though Su Qi always called Wang Han a food delivery guy, she never meant it with any contempt; she was merely stating an objective social gap.
Unlike Zhuang Dafang, whom they'd run into today—a classic snob who looked down on delivery workers and laced every word with disdain for the profession.
His phone kept buzzing without stop.
Wang Han picked it up to take a look.
He saw it was the parents' chat group.
Twenty-eight members.
Twenty-six parents, plus Principal Duan and Xia Wanying.
The unread messages had already passed 99+.
Wang Han glanced through them roughly.
The very first message happened to be from that Zhuang Dafang.
"Everyone, let me bring something up. I heard that a mysterious parent is going to build a footbridge right in front of our children's school. I'm sure you all know how heavy the traffic is outside the school gates, not to mention that slope—it's quite dangerous. Building a footbridge is a fantastic idea. I heard Principal Duan came up with it; I must say, Principal Duan is truly thinking of the students every single second."
Quite a few people in the group chimed in to agree.
Zhuang Dafang continued, "The reason I'm bringing this up is simple: I hope we can all chip in some money. We shouldn't let this mysterious parent bear the whole cost alone, right? Everyone can contribute a little gesture. My husband and I discussed it, and our family will put in one hundred thousand. I figure since everyone managed to get their kids into this school, your finances are basically fine. Let's all chip in. After all, the school doesn't belong to any single one of us, right? This is just a way to show our collective support."
Chapter 31: Who on Earth Is It?
The chat group went quiet.
Behind the scenes, quite a few people were mentally calling Zhuang Dafang an idiot.
Show off on your own if you want, why drag everyone else into it?
While families able to attend an elite school weren't poor—mostly belonging to the middle class—that moron Zhuang Dafang threw out one hundred thousand right off the bat. If others fell too short of that figure, they'd surely lose face. Besides, one hundred thousand wasn't a small amount of money.
Seeing that no one in the group was speaking up, Zhuang Dafang continued, "Why is everyone quiet? If you have any opinions, feel free to voice them. I still hold the same view: our kids all go to school here, and I don't need to tell you how important safety is. If only my child went to this school, I certainly wouldn't be bringing this up with everyone—even if I had to pay for the footbridge entirely by myself, I wouldn't have a word to complain about. But the school doesn't belong to my child alone; it belongs to all of us, right? I've made some inquiries, and building the footbridge will cost around four million. If that mysterious tycoon pays for it all by himself, wouldn't it look bad if we didn't do anything? How about he pays the bulk, and we cover the small share?"
Still, no one in the group said a word.
Zhuang Dafang's intention was actually quite simple: she wanted to flex, and beyond that, she wanted her child to outrank others at school so that teachers and students would treat her kid better, thereby showcasing her family's financial muscle.
Everyone saw right through this idiot's little schemes.
"How come so many people were talking just now, but nobody's saying anything? Are you donating or not? You don't have to donate much—ten thousand or so is fine, as long as you feel it's appropriate. We can put it in the kids' names. Chengcheng's mom? Say something too, don't leave all the talking to me."
A moment later, Chengcheng's mom sent a message: "Well, I'll follow along and donate fifty thousand. Just a tiny gesture."
"Lele's mom?" Zhuang Dafang called out another name.
A few dozen seconds later, Lele's mom sent a message: "Our family will donate fifty thousand too."
With a few people echoing her, Zhuang Dafang grew emboldened. "What about the rest of you? Let me think, how about this? There are twenty-six of us, let's standardize it. If your family is well-off, donate fifty thousand; if your family is average, donate thirty thousand. That's fair, right?"
Seeing this message, Wang Han rolled his eyes again.
This big idiot loved showing off way too much.
This wasn't even a question of whether to donate anymore.
That remark instantly stratified the parents in the group by class.
How were people supposed to handle that? If you only donated three thousand, it meant your family conditions were poor. If you donated fifty thousand, many would undoubtedly feel the pinch in their wallets.
To his surprise, Zhuang Dafang actually started calling people out one by one.
When it was Wang Han's turn: "Guoguo's dad? Huh? How come I've never seen this Guoguo's dad before?"
"He's new today," Lele's mom replied.
Zhuang Dafang immediately turned enthusiastic. "Hello, Guoguo's dad! Fancy you joining us just in time for such a wonderful cause. My husband and I have discussed it—after the footbridge is completed, we'll have the names of the children whose families donated engraved directly on it. Your Guoguo's name will be on there too. From then on, every single kid who attends this school will know your child's name."
Wang Han twirled his phone. "Fifty thousand is too much, isn't it? Didn't you say this was just everyone's little gesture?"
"If fifty thousand feels like too much, thirty thousand is fine," Zhuang Dafang said promptly.
Wang Han sent another message: "Thirty thousand is still too much. People's money doesn't blow in from the wind. Whoever wants to donate can donate; whoever doesn't, doesn't have to. There's no need to force everyone like this, right?"
"Thirty thousand isn't much, is it, Guoguo's dad?" Zhuang Dafang's tone had already turned disdainful. "Is there any parent who can't even scrape together thirty thousand to send their kid to this school? Surely not?"
Wang Han wished he could crawl through the internet wires and slap that idiot across the face twice.
"You wouldn't want your child to hold their head down at school, would you?" Zhuang Dafang sent another message.
Wang Han chuckled. "So if you don't donate, your kid has to hold their head down at school?"
"Otherwise?"
"Then if you donate more, can your head fly up into the sky?" Wang Han clashed right back with Zhuang Dafang.
"What's Guoguo's dad's job? Don't tell me you can't even afford thirty thousand?" Zhuang Dafang's tone grew somewhat sarcastic.
Without hesitation, Wang Han sent: "Delivery worker."
To everyone's surprise, Zhuang Dafang sent a voice message instead: "So it's you! No wonder you've got such a poverty-stricken look! I've said it before, elite schools aren't places where the kids of delivery workers belong! No wonder you couldn't scrape together thirty thousand! Making that little bit of money a month and spending it all on school tuition—you probably eat chaff and vegetables every day, right? If you don't have money, why are you sending your kid to an elite school?"
These words made everyone deeply uncomfortable.
Someone sent a message: "Dongdong's mom, wasn't that a bit unnecessary? Whatever job Guoguo's dad does, he earns that money through his own hard work. There's no need to look down on any profession."
"Enough, enough! What are you all playing the saint for? I'll put it right here: the daughter of a food delivery guy doesn't deserve to go to an elite school!"
"Dongdong's mom, you've gone too far!" Xia Wanying sent a message.
Zhuang Dafang let out a cold snort. "Ms. Xia, I know you have a kind heart, but everything I'm saying is the truth. There's no need for you to speak up for people at the very bottom of society."
Principal Duan immediately followed up with a message: "Parent of this student, our school has always treated every student equally. I hope you will refrain from making such remarks again. Also, as for the donation, forget about it—the funds are already fully in place."
"Principal Duan, I never expected a tiny matter like this to disturb you. I must say, the idea you came up with to build a footbridge is simply fantastic! It just proves what a great principal you are, always considering the students and parents every single moment!"
Zhuang Dafang fawned over him shamelessly.
To her surprise, as soon as the message went out, Principal Duan's reply came back: "Mother of Dongdong, building a footbridge at the school gate was not my idea. It was Guoguo's dad's idea."
Zhuang Dafang froze for a moment, then sneered, "What's the use of just coming up with an idea? If you don't implement it, isn't it all just empty talk in the end? Unwilling to shell out a single cent and relying purely on lip service—who couldn't do something like that?"
Wang Han decided to lock horns with this idiot today. "If you could do it, what took you so long? What's with all the hindsight whining?"
Zhuang Dafang laughed coldly. "Even if it's hindsight, it's useful hindsight! I can still shell out one hundred thousand—what about you? Useless for anything! What can you do besides run your mouth? Picking a fight with me? Fine! I've got all the time in the world to fight with you! I don't even have to lift a finger and my husband makes millions a year. If you don't do anything, your whole family starves, don't they?"
Principal Duan mediated from the middle, "Dongdong's mom, let's stop here. Mr. Wang has already paid the entire amount; no further donations are needed."
Zhuang Dafang immediately shifted posture and began fawning again. "Mr. Wang? Who is Mr. Wang? Is he in the group? Principal Duan, can you add him to the chat? An owner so wealthy and generous—I simply must make his acquaintance."
"Mr. Wang is right here in the group." Principal Duan adopted the stance of someone pulling up a chair to watch a good show.
"Who is it? Which one is Mr. Wang? To think such a low-key tycoon was hiding right here in the group! Principal Duan, hurry up and introduce him to everyone!"
A crowd of parents stared at their screens, eager to find out who Mr. Wang was.
Xia Wanying was equally curious about which parent could shell out four million in one go while remaining anonymous.
Principal Duan slowly sent a message: "It's little Guoguo's father."
Chapter 32: Because I Damn Well Feel Like It
The atmosphere in the chat group suddenly turned bizarre.
The second before, everyone had treated Guoguo's dad, the delivery worker, as part of a vulnerable group; the next second, he turned out to be the mysterious tycoon who had funded the four-million-yuan bridge.
Zhuang Dafang refused to believe it. "Principal Duan, stop joking around. He's just a delivery guy—you could sell him off piece by piece and still not raise enough for a bridge, let alone four million to build one. Please stop trying to give him a way out."
After wiping little Guoguo's mouth, Wang Han sent a message: "Did a delivery guy dig up your ancestral graves or eat your rice? What's wrong with being a delivery worker? You said your piece, time to shut it—is your yapping endless? Exactly how much more noble are you? Did you grow an extra head or an extra tongue compared to me?"
Zhuang Dafang immediately started spraying venom: "I look down on a delivery guy like you, is there a problem with that? Have you ever even seen what four million looks like? Principal Duan gave you a face-saving exit and you're actually taking yourself seriously? Why don't you take a piss and check your own weight? When Principal Duan gives you an out, you take it and shut up. Stop making a fool of yourself, will you?"
Just as the message went out,
Principal Duan dropped a screenshot into the group chat.
It was a receipt screenshot.
Four million.
Remitter: Wang Han.
The group chat went dead silent instantly.
Parents across the group clicked on the picture to inspect it.
Behind more than twenty screens, curses rang out in unison.
Zhuang Dafang was utterly shocked and instantly stopped running her mouth.
She wilted completely.
Her family might make a few million a year, but there was still a huge gap between that and Wang Han being able to casually fork over four million in one breath. Her family couldn't even manage to pull a whole year's income out to build a bridge.
Principal Duan immediately followed up with a message: "This student Dongdong's mother, I hope you will refrain from making remarks like today's in the group ever again. Everyone has the right to be respected. You cannot look down on someone simply because they do grassroots work—that is a very immoral display, and it will also corrupt your child."
Zhuang Dafang felt quite wronged. "Well, who could have guessed that a big boss like Mr. Wang would go around delivering food?!"
Wang Han slowly sent a message: "Do you know why I wrote the *Tao Te Ching*?"
"Why?" Zhuang Dafang replied reflexively.
"Because I damn well feel like it!"
The parents behind their screens in the group all burst out laughing.
Clutching her phone, Xia Wanying laughed so hard she was shaking like a leaf.
Sitting across the table, her friend asked with exasperation, "I say, Wanying, what are you laughing at?"
Xia Wanying put down her phone. "That Brother Wang I was just telling you about—he asked another parent in the group chat, 'Do you know why I wrote the *Tao Te Ching*?'"
"Why?" asked her friend, Liu Daiman, with curiosity.
"Because I damn well feel like it, hahaha..."
Resting her chin in her hands, Liu Daiman looked at Xia Wanying. "Wanying, for the nearly hour we've been sitting here, you haven't stopped talking about this Brother Wang of yours. I've never seen you talk about a man like this before."
"Huh?" Xia Wanying's face flushed red, and she was at a loss for words.
"Confess honestly, do you have feelings for him?" Liu Daiman asked.
Xia Wanying absentmindedly poked at a piece of steak. "What are you imagining? No way. I'm not getting into relationships before I'm thirty."
Playing the role of a romance master, Liu Daiman lectured, "Oh, please. You think you can fool me? When it comes to romance, once fate arrives, you have to grab onto it. If you don't grab it now, it won't be so easy to catch later."
Xia Wanying thought about it. "I wouldn't call it 'like' exactly, just... a very strong favorable impression. How should I put it? The feeling he gives me is just so different from everyone else. I thought we'd never see each other again, but then at the Zhou Family's place, we ran into each other. He barged into the banquet with a few brothers back then—super handsome. Afterward, I thought we were done seeing each other, and yet—bam, bam, bam—we kept running into each other."
"That's fate! What are you standing there stunned for? Seize the opportunity!" Liu Daiman encouraged.
Xia Wanying pondered, "I remember you know some management folks at the delivery company. Can you help me ask if there's any way to make him deliver food specifically to me?"
Liu Daiman smiled. "That's easy. I remember the system can dispatch orders, and manual intervention is possible. I'll have my friend help you set it up."
"If he's exclusively delivering to me, I might get a little nervous."
Liu Daiman thought for a moment. "Coincidentally, our junior high classmates are having a small gathering tomorrow. You can use that opportunity to order delivery so it won't look deliberate at all, and it'll even make him think your bond is pure destiny."
Xia Wanying blinked in surprise. "What gathering?"
"Just three or five close classmates."
Xia Wanying bit into a cherry tomato. "Who's going?"
"Just those few of us who've always been close. Besides them, there's also Su Qi. Remember her?"
"Her? I remember, how could I not?"
Liu Daiman smiled playfully. "Back in the day, the two of you were the school's twin beauties, and the two of you competed all the way to graduation."
Xia Wanying said speechlessly, "We weren't competing, okay? Both of us were pretty Zen about it. It was everyone else sticking their noses into things they shouldn't and always comparing us. We were both quite helpless, you know."
After tapping out a message on her phone, Liu Daiman said, "Give me your account, and give me that Brother Wang's phone number. I'll have my friend set it up."
Happily, Xia Wanying provided the account.
A little while later, Liu Daiman put her phone down. "All set."
"Then how do I make sure that when I order delivery tomorrow, he happens to be the one delivering?"
"This Brother Wang of yours takes orders almost all day long, he's very dedicated. Didn't you say he's super capable? Why's he even delivering food?"
Xia Wanying let out a mischievous chuckle. "Because Brother Wang said, 'Because I damn well feel like it.'"
After dinner, Wang Han practiced his cultivation for a while.
After telling Guoguo a few stories, she finally fell asleep.
Wang Han smoked a cigarette on the balcony.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
Without thinking much, he answered, "Hello."
"Bastard, missed me?" An alluring chuckle came through the earpiece.
"Damn it!" Startled, Wang Han almost threw his phone away.
The woman burst into laughter. "Come on, come on! Come fuck me!"
"You—!"
Wang Han's face twisted into something resembling a crumpled paper ball.
The person on the other end of the line was none other than...