After school in the afternoon, Hua Kai saw Guan Rui waiting for her at the school gate. He looked very haggard.

Hua Kai told Zhang Miao to go eat first, then went to the roadside with Guan Rui and asked, "Guan Rui, is something wrong?"

Guan Rui sighed and nodded: "My best friend is seriously ill. I skipped class last time to go see him. He's not a biological parent. His adoptive parents abandoned him after he got sick. I spent a day at the hospital, so I missed the time I promised you."

Hua Kai admires this boy; after all, he's still a student, and it's not easy for him to have such a sense of responsibility.

She said, "These are all minor matters for me; you didn't need to make a special trip to bring them up. So, what are your plans for the future? After all, you're a student; you can't afford to take on so much."

Guan Rui frowned: "I don't know either. My parents are in another city, and I can't tell my grandfather. Besides, I've run out of money. He needs surgery, and I really don't know what to do."

Seeing Guan Rui's pessimistic and indecisive state, Hua Kai understood that it was fortunate that his family was well-off and could hold on for so long. In this era, anyone who could start drawing from elementary school usually came from a family with some financial resources. If it were an ordinary person, they probably would have been unable to withstand the financial strain long ago.

She thought for a moment and said, "This is not something people our age can handle, so..."

Before Hua Kai could finish speaking, Guan Rui said firmly, "No, I can't give him up. You don't understand. We grew up together. I know how hard he's been all these years."

Hua Kai looked at Guan Rui, who was on the verge of collapse: "Listen to me. I'm not telling you to give up on him, but to help you think of a solution."

Guan Rui looked at Hua Kai with hopeful eyes: "Do you have any ideas?"

Hua Kai wasn't an ignorant child. She said to Guan Rui, "First of all, the most important thing for medical treatment is money, so you can go to the school leaders or influential places in society to donate. Secondly, you need to hire a caregiver. It's impossible for you to take care of him all the time, and even if you can manage, your family won't agree. Finally, go to the city TV station and go on TV. Use public opinion to condemn him, whether it's forcing his adoptive parents to come forward or finding his biological parents."

Guan Rui was stunned for a while after hearing Hua Kai's words, then looked at her with admiration: "Thank you, Hua Kai, this pighead is saved." After saying that, he asked with some hesitation: "But how do I go to the TV station? What if the TV station won't see me?"

Hua Kai said, "First, communicate with his homeroom teacher and try to get a school representative to contact the TV station. If that doesn't work, then use your skills to draw big-character posters and put them up at the TV station and the school gate to create a sensation. As long as it becomes news and is controversial, the TV station will be willing to report on it."

This is an experience that Huakai learned in the future society: to use media platforms to create momentum. People in the 1990s didn't know about these things, so she believed that her tricks would definitely be useful in this era.

Guan Rui looked at Hua Kai as if she were an elder, and nodded repeatedly after listening: "You're right, so what should I do now?" He had finally found a backer, and at this moment he completely trusted Hua Kai's question.

Hua Kai looked at him and said, "Go hire someone to take care of your friend first, then go home and rest so you'll have the energy to handle these things tomorrow. Oh, and I'll talk to Director Gu and your homeroom teacher tomorrow and ask them to help you ask for leave." After saying that, she took out thirty yuan and handed it to Guan Rui: "Take this to hire someone in an emergency."

Guan Rui shook his head: "No, I can't take your money."

Hua Kai stuffed the money into Guan Rui's hand: "I admire your attitude towards friendship. This money isn't for you, take it. If you need anything, come to me. If I can't do it, you can ask my friend."

Her first impression was that Ye Yifan could solve anything, so she just said it directly.

Thinking of Ye Yifan gave her a sense of security, as if he were her last line of defense. He could handle anything. If it were Ye Yifan in her shoes, he would probably have handled this better than she had.

Guan Rui accepted the money and looked at Hua Kai, saying gratefully, "I didn't expect that we'd only just met and you'd already gone to so much trouble for me."

Hua Kai comforted Guan Rui, saying, "You said we're friends, so don't be polite with me. Go to the hospital quickly, get everything arranged so you can go home and rest properly. Otherwise, if you collapse from exhaustion, there will really be no one to help your friend."

"Well, I won't thank you enough. I'll be going now." Guan Rui was now filled with fighting spirit.

Hua Kai nodded, waved to Guan Rui, and watched him leave. She sighed; life is truly unpredictable, with too many uncertainties.

She went to the cafeteria with a heart full of emotions. By then, many people had finished eating and come out, so there was no need to queue. However, many dishes were sold out, so Hua Kai just ate a bite and went back to the classroom.

That night, Hua Kai had trouble sleeping. There are always so many people in life who have difficulties and setbacks. She could start over, but not everyone has that opportunity. She didn't know when she finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Hua Kai went to Gu Xiaoxue and asked him to ask Guan Rui's homeroom teacher for leave.

After hearing what had happened, Gu Xiaoxue exclaimed, "You're so kind-hearted. I never imagined that the kid skipped class that day for this. You're a very righteous person. I'll go and talk to his homeroom teacher later."

Hua Kai smiled at Gu Xiaoxue: "Director Gu is also a man of strong character."

Gu Xiaoxue said, "That's right, otherwise Brother Fan wouldn't treat me like a brother."

Hua Kai has always been a little curious: Gu Xiaoxue seems to come from a good family and is quite capable, so why does she always admire Ye Yifan so much? If she were a woman, she probably would marry no one but him.

However, it wasn't appropriate to ask too many questions, so he said, "Then I'll leave this to Director Gu. I'll go back to class now."

Gu Xiaoxue nodded: "Go ahead, don't let these things affect your studies. I don't want to see you fall behind in the midterm exams."

Hua Kai was still confident: "I won't let Director Gu down."

After leaving the office, Hua Kai returned to her classroom, still praying that everything would go smoothly for Guan Rui, and hoping that the school could resolve these issues.

On Friday noon, Guan Ruicai reappeared. Although he looked more haggard, he had a smile on his face and invited Huakai to lunch. They talked as they ate.

Hua Kai knew things were almost done and wanted to hear what happened next, so she went with Guan Rui to a snack bar near the school.

They ordered two stir-fries and two bowls of rice, and then Guan Rui recounted what had happened.

Hua Kai didn't expect things to go so smoothly. The school listened to Guan Rui's advice and organized a donation that very day. Then the principal contacted the TV station directly, and the TV station agreed. There was no need to draw up any big-character posters or anything like that.

After the news aired on television, a business owner anonymously donated three thousand yuan, which immediately covered all the medical expenses.

Then, the boy's family members couldn't stand the scorn and ostracism from those around them, so they went to the hospital to take care of him. They even made excuses, saying that they had gone out to borrow money before, and that they didn't need the money now. The adoptive parents' attitude improved, and the matter was resolved satisfactorily.