Chapter 85 85 I Want to Let Go But I Can’t

While waiting for the Daqu County Criminal Police Brigade to coordinate the surveillance video, Guan Xia was not idle. She went to the orphanage with Pang Le to take a look.

Because plans could not keep up with changes, Guan Xia did not have time to prepare too many things. She could only hastily buy some books and toys suitable for children. When Pang Le drove the rented car into the orphanage, he unexpectedly met several people from the Second Squadron in the parking lot.

Xu Nian and the others were unloading things from the trunk. Wang Yu took the time to greet Guan Xia. "Good afternoon, Guan Xia. Are you surprised?"

Guan Xia was indeed surprised. She looked at Wang Yu, then at Xu Nian, "What are you doing..."

She never liked to trouble others, so she came quietly this time and left home very early in the morning, for fear that Xu Nian and the others would know that she had come together for her own reasons. If Pang Le hadn't mentioned it before and they lived in the same room, she wouldn't even want to tell Pang Le.

I didn't expect that even though she was so secretive and didn't reveal anything, Xu Nian and the others still came.

After placing the rather heavy-looking cardboard box on the ground, Xu Nian spoke up, "Actually, we discussed coming here before we even came to Quming City."

"After all, this is where you were raised," Wang Yu said with a smile. "We're also curious about what kind of orphanage it is to have nurtured someone as outstanding as you."

"That's right," Jiang Yingyao added, "so don't feel burdened. We're doing this for you, but not entirely for you. We're also doing this out of our own love. Actually, I really like children."

Jiang Yingyao said this with a smile on his face as he looked at the children playing in the orphanage from afar. It was obvious that he really liked children. He was still there, but Guan Xia could clearly see that he was ready to make a move.

Guan Xia couldn't tell what she felt and subconsciously looked at Pang Le.

Pang Le was so frightened that he didn't know what was going on in his mind. He immediately took a step back and said carefully, "Don't look at me. I know you so well, so I kept my mouth shut. I really didn't say a word. I really didn't know they were coming this time."

Guan Xia was feeling mixed emotions, but when he saw Pang Le like this, he was immediately amused. He said helplessly, "What kind of image do you have of me? I haven't said anything yet, why are you so nervous?"

Pang Le then relaxed and laughed, "I'm not nervous. I'm just afraid you'll misunderstand me. I don't like arguing with people. It's too taxing. I still like fighting with people, but I can't fight with you."

After a few random words, Pang Le abruptly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, the conditions in this orphanage are quite good. It's nothing like what I imagined. What is that building? It looks a bit like an auditorium."

Pang Le looked around and quickly focused his attention on a two-story building that was circular in shape.

Guan Xia looked in the direction of her finger, thought for a few seconds, and then said, "That should be the training center that Mother Chen mentioned. It was built in the past two years. Normally, it's where the children take interest classes. On major holidays, and when leaders come to inspect, they'll have some cultural performances. It wasn't there when I came back two years ago."

"Wow," Pang Le was a little surprised. "Has Quming City developed so well in the past two years? Can they allocate such a large sum of money to build a training center for you?"

Quming City and Yongquan City both belong to Dingyuan Province, but due to their geographical location, they have not developed well and have a small population. In fact, their first subway was not built until the year before last.

Guan Xia recalled and explained, "This wasn't a grant from Quming City. I remember Mother Chen said it was a child who grew up in the orphanage many years ago. He started from scratch and made some money, and donated the money to build this. Not only this training center, but also the basketball court, football field, and running track were all renovated with his donation. I also learned painting when I was a child, and other children's specialties, all thanks to his financial support for many years."

"Is this considered a kind of inheritance?" Pang Le thought for a moment and said, "Just like when you grow up and make money by drawing comics, you will transfer money back every month."

Guan Xia looked at the small figures running and jumping in the shade of the woods, and nodded with a smile. She had heard the orphanage staff say many times that the orphanage could grow to its current size, in addition to government funding, there were also many children who grew up and walked out of this orphanage. Everyone did their best, those who earned more donated more, such as the training center, and those who earned less donated less, such as the children's books and notebooks.

While they were chatting, several people worked together to move all the things prepared in the trunk. Guan Xia was a little surprised that no staff from the orphanage showed up, and then she saw a familiar figure holding a little girl and running towards them hurriedly.

Guan Xia recognized the person at a glance. It was Mother Chen who had taken care of her since she was a child. After not seeing her for two years, Mother Chen had not changed much. She still had the chubby figure, kind smile, and bright eyes when looking at them.

It was incredible that she could run so fast in such a hot day. She waved to Guan Xia from a long distance, "Guan Xia, you're back."

Guan Xia ran towards her and saw that she was sweating profusely. She easily took the child from her and said with a smile, "Mother Chen, I'm back."

Mother Chen hugged her tightly, then pulled her under the shade of a tree. She took the child from her arms, looked at her with shining eyes and said, "You've become thinner, whiter, and more beautiful. Although you look good, you're a little too thin. You still need to eat more. Don't think about losing weight. As long as you are healthy, girls are beautiful regardless of weight. Don't care about what others think. Your own health is the most important thing."

Whenever she called, Mother Chen would talk about the same old things, as if she was afraid that she would starve.

Guan Xia reluctantly avoided Mother Chen's hand that was about to take the child, and held the child herself in a more comfortable position. She also looked at her seriously a few times and said with a smile: "Mother Chen is the same as before, still so healthy and beautiful."

Mother Chen liked to hear the word "healthy". She smiled even more kindly and looked at Guan Xia with a kind look in her eyes.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before Guan Xia asked curiously, "Where are the other people in the orphanage? Uncle Chen, Aunt Liu, and the young staff who came when I came back two years ago? Why haven't I seen any of them?"

"What a coincidence," Mother Chen said, "Mr. Wu Yang, the one who funded the training center, sent his secretary here today. He said he'd like to donate money to the hospital to build a library and renovate the children's dormitory. Oh, and Meng Lan, too. She sent her assistant, too. She bought a lot of things for the children and is planning to personally sponsor some of them. So the staff at the hospital are all busy. Actually, they had someone specially reserved to receive you, but I wanted to see you, and since they were so busy, I took the initiative to do it."

"Meng Lan?" Guan Xia was stunned when she heard the name. What surprised her even more was that she didn't come in person, but sent an assistant.

The last time we contacted each other, Meng Lan had just changed jobs and joined a large company. Her salary doubled, but she was very busy and the competition was much more intense than in her previous company. It has only been a few years since we last met, and she has been promoted and has her own assistant.

Guan Xia was happy for her, but also felt complicated. They were so close at the beginning, just like she and Pang Le are now. What happened that made her suddenly cut off contact with her?

Guan Xia couldn't figure it out. She wanted to let go but couldn't.

Guan Xia tried to keep her expression calm, but Mother Chen, who had raised her for over a decade, saw through her immediately and said in a gentle, soothing voice, "Yes, it's Meng Lan. She's been gone for several years without a trace. Not to mention you, I was worried about her too. So when I found out that the girl was Meng Lan's assistant, I found the perfect opportunity to ask her about her."

Mother Chen sighed when she said this, "Meng Lan's child has had a hard time too. The girl said that Meng Lan has experienced a lot in the past few years. First, there was an accident and she almost lost her life. She and her sister were fine, but her biological parents and brother, whom she had just found, all passed away. It was said that it was due to a natural gas leak. Her sister was on a business trip that day and escaped, but she caught up. Fortunately, her physical fitness was better. She noticed something was wrong and struggled to go out for help. As a result, she fainted at the newly opened door and luckily saved her life. After that, the two sisters were busy arranging the funeral of the three people in the family and the distribution of the inheritance. Her sister was a good person. She had her own business and only asked for some money and real estate. Her parents' business was handed over to her, so she had an assistant. In the past two years, she has been working from dawn to dusk to take over the company. The girl said that Meng Lan really wanted to come by herself, but because of an important meeting, she was sent in the end."

Guan Xia listened attentively, but her mind was in a state of confusion. So much had happened to Meng Lan during the time they'd been disconnected, but why hadn't she told her? Was she afraid she'd worry? Or was she too busy to tell her? Or perhaps, to Meng Lan, she had more important family and a career, and she'd become insignificant, so she felt there was no need to tell her.

Guan Xia analyzed several possibilities she could think of. Sometimes she thought Meng Lan was very cold, and sometimes she recalled the years they had been together, and couldn't help but find various excuses for her. But no matter how she thought about it, she wanted to contact Meng Lan more urgently. No matter what the reason was, she wanted Meng Lan to tell her in person. Even if it was the worst case, that she really had become a dispensable person to her, she wanted to hear her say it in person.

Thinking of this, Guan Xia looked at Mother Chen with bright eyes and asked her, "Is Meng Lan's assistant still here? I want to say a few words to her."

Mother Chen wasn't surprised Guan Xia would ask this. She reached out and took the child from Guan Xia's arms, smiling and saying, "Yes, right here in the training center. Your Uncle Chen and Aunt Liu were distributing things to the children right now. They were almost done when I came, so you two could have a good chat. But you have to hurry. Mr. Wu Yang's assistant is in the dean's office right now. Once we're done, it'll be Meng Lan's assistant's turn to go in."

Guan Xia nodded and thanked Mother Chen sincerely.

The child returned to Mother Chen's arms, and Guan Xia could see clearly that it was a very beautiful and cute little girl, about five years old, with round eyes. While they were talking, she looked at Guan Xia and then at Mother Chen. The little person was very busy and quiet, which made her think of Meng Lan again.

Meng Lan is quiet most of the time. She will quietly accompany others when they are busy, and will say a few words tentatively. If she gets a response, she will continue to speak. If there is no response, she will continue to sit quietly by the side.

Perhaps this is why Guan Xia became friends with her. Guan Xia is always the one who responds. Even if her hands are busy, she will respond from time to time with a look or a few short words to indicate that she is listening.

So Guan Xia never believed that the two would lose contact. She always thought that they would always be friends. After all, Guan Xia had always responded to her and never stopped.