Chapter 12
——Ding ding ding
The knocking rhythm was very familiar, but this time Guan Shiyun did not respond to the person knocking. Instead, she silently counted 1, 2, 3... The sound of the doorknob turning rang out, and Guan Shiyun's lips curled up slightly as she listened to the kitten scratching at the door, unable to get in.
Yes, she locked the door from the inside.
"Sister, I haven't bought any pajamas yet, could you get me another set?"
Hearing the kitten's plea, Guan Shiyun still didn't answer. She simply got up to find some clothes, then opened a small crack in the door and handed the clothes out.
How could a cat, being a fluid creature, be confined? A crack would suffice. Li Miao didn't take the clothes; instead, she reached out and widened the gap in the door, slipped inside sideways, jumped onto the bed, covered herself with the blanket, and did it all in one swift motion.
Wearing the nightgown she changed into late last night, she was wrapped in the blanket, staring wide-eyed at Guan Shiyun, who hadn't even reacted yet, as if afraid of being kicked out.
"Go ahead and read your book. I'll only stay for a little while, then I'll leave."
Great, the blankets still smell like Guan Shiyun, she's not leaving.
Guan Shiyun looked at Li Miao, who was wrapped up so tightly that only her head—no, half her head—was visible. Her mouth was slightly open, and she finally sighed softly. Seeing Guan Shiyun sigh, Li Miao felt reassured. Humph! She's got it all.
My gaze followed Guan Shiyun intently as she reluctantly walked to the bedside, picked up the book from the bedside table, and then...
— He strode quickly to the door, left, and closed it in one smooth motion.
"！！！！！！！"
Li Miao jumped out of bed and ran out quickly, but she was too slow and was locked out of the guest room by Guan Shiyun.
"Go to sleep now. I have work to take care of tomorrow. You should get a good night's sleep so you'll have the energy to have fun. If you can't sleep, think about what you want to buy tomorrow. Goodnight."
"I'm going to sleep! Goodnight! Hmph!!!!"
So infuriating! So infuriating! It makes me grit my teeth! Li Miao felt like she was being manipulated. How could this woman be so powerful? They had only known each other for less than a month, and she couldn't win an argument with her. It was as if she had surveillance cameras installed in her head, making her completely helpless. She felt like she didn't even have enough experience to outwit the dean.
Hearing Li Miao's exasperated goodnight, Guan Shiyun pursed her lips, trying hard not to laugh out loud. Teasing the kitten was indeed a very enjoyable thing. Sure enough, doing bad things makes people go to great lengths. She was very curious about what Li Miao was like growing up. She would find some time to talk to the dean and find out.
Picking up this book that once held so many of her imaginations, she wanted to see another perspective this time: how was Tomoe Gakuen, which was so magical in Totto-chan's eyes, created?
Things in the world are always interconnected, and she wanted to create an environment for her carefully nurtured kitten to unleash its imagination and natural instincts.
A vibrant soul can easily get lost and wither on the path of pursuing worldly success. She had experienced this and seen many lost souls. What would become of Li Miao in the future? She thought she would do her best and leave the rest to fate.
——Welfare Home
Guan Shiyun reached out to greet the person who came in. It was a middle-aged woman with a kind face, not much different from what Guan Shiyun had imagined.
"Hello, Dean Li, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me."
"No trouble at all, it's all for the children at the orphanage. I watched that child grow up, even though she's left now and started working. Mr. Guan, are you Li Miao's daughter?"
Dean Li looked at Guan Shiyun with admiration and satisfaction. She was young and accomplished. Yuanshan Investment had been donating to the welfare home for a long time. She had known for a long time that the CEO was a very young girl, and today she finally met her.
When questioned, Guan Shiyun did not explain her relationship with Li Miao, but focused on learning about the welfare home through 'Li Miao'.
"She's a senior colleague. I came today to ask about Li Miao. She has a unique personality, but she's very well-suited to this job and does an excellent job. I heard she grew up here and loves it here, so I'd like to know more about her."
Hearing this, Dean Li was relieved. Half of the reason was that he didn't know the purpose of Guan Shiyun's visit, and the other half was because of Li Miao. This child finally had something important to discuss. Dean Li explained one thing at a time.
"Li Miao, this child was abandoned at the age of 5 because both her parents died. Her relatives took her in for a few days and then abandoned her in an orphanage. She's stubborn and mischievous, and I've suffered a lot in trying to educate her. Just kidding, mainly because she doesn't listen to reason and is a very opinionated child. Later, I just couldn't control her anymore, so I could only accept it and think that as long as her mischievous nature doesn't cause her any trouble in society."
"It's no joke. I also suffered a bit from being her boss, but it's good to have ideas at work." Guan Shiyun smiled and agreed.
Just like most ordinary parents, Dean Li talked about her child's naughtiness, but since it was her child after all, she still praised him in front of her superiors, using the tactic of praising before criticizing to show her kindness.
"Haha, Mr. Guan, you're joking. Children can be a bit mischievous when they're young, but Li Miao is a very honest girl. She says whatever she thinks, and she's also very energetic and hardworking. She's also very grateful, and she sometimes comes back to visit. It's great that she has a good job now. When she was little, I always told her she wanted to marry a rich man, but she wouldn't listen to any advice and wouldn't study. No matter what I said, it was useless. So she said she didn't want to stay here anymore and wanted to go out to work, so I let her go out to work. It's good for girls to work, and now I'm relieved."
"Yes, that's true. What about adoption?"
The conversation had progressed to this point, and Guan Shiyun finally asked the question she most wanted to know. At this, Dean Li seemed hesitant, unsure how to begin. But she felt she had a clear conscience, and glancing at Guan Shiyun, she considered the purpose of her visit; perhaps speaking frankly would be a plus.
Guan Shiyun noticed the dean's hesitation and asked softly.
"It's alright, please feel free to speak."
"Actually, it's not that there weren't people who wanted to adopt her, but those people had problems." Guan Shiyun thought, and sure enough.
"Actually, this is just my guess, without any evidence. The couple didn't have any children, so they wanted to adopt one."
And—she wanted a girl. Dean Li pondered how to phrase it so that people wouldn't think she was making baseless guesses, since this was essentially labeling someone and spreading rumors.
Guan Shiyun guessed what Dean Li meant, and seeing the unusual look in his eyes, she asked in response.
"As far as I know, apart from special reasons, such as having been in contact with the child, doing volunteer work, or having some kind of connection, most of the adoptions are boys, right?"
Dean Li saw that Guan Shiyun understood her meaning but did not answer, and continued speaking.
“They took a liking to Li Miao, saying they felt a connection with her, but the adoption process requires the child’s consent as a very important criterion, and Li Miao was unwilling. This child came to me and said that the aunt was strange, she didn’t like her, and she also disliked the uncle, who lifted her skirt.”
Dean Li carefully examined Guan Shiyun's expression again before continuing his speech.
“I know Li Miao quite well. She’s a bit of a troublemaker. I’m wondering if there’s been any misunderstanding, since the couple’s family is quite well-off. At least from our perspective, the adoption criteria are excellent. Children might not lie intentionally, but they might talk nonsense. But I’m still worried, so when they came to spend time with Li Miao, I observed them.”
"Yes, it is a blessing for the children to have a director like you who truly cares about them."
"No problem at all."
This was unexpected for Guan Shiyun. Seeing Guan Shiyun's surprise, Dean Li was not surprised at all.
"What I found problematic was that when this person saw that the child's wishes were not approved, he thought I was holding him back, so he gave me a red envelope containing 100,000 yuan."
Dean Li took a sip of water from his teacup, chuckled softly, and didn't look up.
"A child's life, worth 100,000 yuan."
After speaking, Dean Li looked up at Guan Shiyun with a serious expression, but only for a moment before reverting to his usual gentle demeanor.
"As you later learned, I didn't agree. It was all just speculation without any evidence. Of course, I was also following the rules, and the child's wishes are very important."
"It's a blessing for the children to have such a meticulous and patient director like you. We at Yuanshan Investment also feel very reassured to have a director like you overseeing the children's development."
"No, no."
Guan Shiyun stood up, and Dean Li followed suit. The two shook hands and reached a friendly exchange.
Watching Guan Shiyun leave, Dean Li couldn't help but recall what had happened. In fact, Li Miao had come to her twice to "complain." If it were any other child, she would probably have been alerted the first time, but this brat Li Miao lied as soon as she arrived.
The first time, she thought the child had misbehaved again, but she took it seriously the second time. In fact, she used this incident to give the naughty child a thorough lesson.
She told Li Miao why she didn't believe her the first time: because she always lied and wasn't an honest child. If everyone else thought she was dishonest, then no one would believe her in the future, she would suffer, and she wouldn't be able to make friends, just like this time.
After explaining the reasoning, I told Li Miao the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" with great emotion. It worked very well; the naughty child learned the value of honesty through tears.
Actually, she really liked this mischievous child. He was a bit of a troublemaker, but he was doing very well at the orphanage. His boundless energy made the other children feel childlike too.
Guan Shiyun understood what Dean Li meant, and of course she also understood Dean Li's 'meaning'. In fact, if it were someone with Dean Li's character and ability, she would be willing to donate more money to such a person. He was principled and knew how to be flexible.
It was Li Miao's sensitivity that alerted the dean. What if it were a child who didn't understand anything? She trusted Dean Li's thoughtfulness and flexibility, after all, the child's wishes were very important.
Thinking of the 'taste' Li Miao mentioned, she wasn't sure if it was a real taste or a description of a person based on her perception of kindness or malice. No wonder the dean was always nagging and scolding her; it turned out she wanted to marry a rich man when she was young, which must have been a hardship for the dean in persuading her to continue her studies.
And she finally understood that Li Miao's retreat that day was truly out of fear. After all, she had deliberately acted so frivolously and maliciously in order to make Li Miao understand.
Guan Shiyun was missing her kitten. She had kept that mischievous kitten in the guest room for a few days. Maybe she could let her run in tonight, then gently hug her and tell her that she was really wonderful to grow up to be like this, bright and cheerful.
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