Chapter 10
Jiang Minghua thought their parents would arrive soon, but to her utter surprise, the police arrived before them! Sirens wailed, and the officers who got out of the police cars were fully armed. The children had never seen anything like this before and clung tightly to Jiang Minghua. To the police, it looked as if Jiang Minghua was taking the children hostage.
When the children saw the police officers quickly draw their service pistols from their waists and point them in their direction, they all burst into tears. The chubby boy cried the loudest, his face covered in snot and tears; the little girl with pigtails sobbed and trembled; the boy in overalls stared with wide, terrified eyes; and the little mute boy clung tightly to Jiang Minghua's clothes, his face filled with fear.
Jiang Minghua then realized the seriousness of the situation. She had only called their parents to inform them, so how did it involve the police?
A commotion arose in the crowd opposite, and several well-dressed men and women finally arrived in a hurry. The men were dressed in suits and ties, and the women's skirts fluttered in the breeze. A woman in a light blue silk dress was the first to see the children. Her delicate makeup was slightly smudged from running, her chest heaved, and her pearl earrings swayed incessantly beside her pale cheeks.
"Don't move! Put your hands up, you're surrounded!" The lead policeman shouted at Jiang Minghua, gun raised.
“My child,” the woman in the blue dress trembled violently. She broke free from her husband’s hand, took a step forward, and was immediately pulled back. “Madam, I will give you anything you want, please, don’t hurt my child…” Her nails dug deeply into her husband’s arm, but the man seemed oblivious, his entire attention focused on his daughter.
"Panpan, don't be afraid, Mom and Dad are here!" the woman tried to comfort her, but her voice was broken.
Another mother, dressed in a Chanel suit with her hair meticulously pulled back, was tightly covering her mouth with her hand, as if only in this way could she suppress the scream that was about to erupt. Her husband, panting heavily, wiped the sweat from his brow and asked in a trembling voice:
"Madam, we have no grudge against each other, why did you kidnap my son?"
Jiang Minghua: ...If she said it was actually a misunderstanding, would the other party believe her?
Jiang Minghua gently patted the children on the shoulder, signaling them to go find their parents. The children understood and, despite being afraid of the police's guns, mustered their courage and ran to their parents.
"Mommy!" the girl with pigtails cried out and ran into her mother's arms.
The moment the children timidly let go of Jiang Minghua's hand, the air seemed to freeze, both sides tensed up, their hearts pounding in their throats.
The police officers' fingers were still firmly on the trigger guards. The parents held their breath and leaned forward in unison, as if ready to rush forward and shield their children at any moment. They thought Jiang Minghua might launch a last-minute counterattack or pull at them.
However, she did nothing.
Jiang Minghua simply stepped back slowly, her gaze calmly watching the children stumble towards their parents' arms. The autumn wind swept through the park, ruffling a few strands of hair on her forehead and lifting the hem of her faded school uniform.
Jiang Minghua: "It's just a misunderstanding. I guess I didn't explain it clearly on the phone. After all, it's getting late. I hope you can come here as soon as possible to pick up the child."
The setting sun cast its last rays across her profile, outlining a soft yet resolute silhouette. Her eyes were bright and clear, as if washed by autumn water. She stood there, upright and composed, a stark contrast to the vicious thugs. The police officers exchanged glances and finally lowered their guns.
Just as everyone was about to leave with their children, Jiang Minghua suddenly spoke up, her voice clear and calm as she called out to the parents.
"etc."
She took a small step forward, her gaze sweeping over the parents present, finally settling on the children huddled behind their parents. "When I first saw them, these children were forcing their classmate to jump into the artificial lake next to them."
As she spoke, she pointed to the lake beside her, its surface gleaming coldly in the twilight.
Jiang Minghua turned her head to look at the parents again. Her beautiful face showed no reproach, only an undeniable solemnity:
"I think that as parents, we should guide our children properly when we get back. After all, parents are the first mirror for their children. Wealth and status are certainly important, but what cannot be ignored in a child's growth is their character and conscience."
Before she could finish speaking, the fat boy's father scoffed, his face filled with disdain and arrogance. He patted the front of his crisp suit jacket and said dismissively:
"What do you know, you little girl? In this world, as long as the compensation is paid in time, what can't be settled?" As he spoke, he raised his chin slightly, his gaze sweeping lightly over Jiang Minghua's faded class uniform, finally settling on the school badge on her chest.
"Eton Norland International Academy, or just a regular class?" He asked, as if he'd discovered something amusing, his tone suddenly taking on a condescending air of superiority.
“Young man, since you’re from Eaton Nolan, you must know about the Jiang Group, right? I’m Chairman Jiang’s deputy assistant.” He emphasized the words “deputy assistant,” as if it were some kind of prestigious title.
"Given your average qualifications, if you can't find a job after graduation, you can come to Jiang's for an interview. Maybe I can give you an internship opportunity to serve tea and water."
Jiang Minghua listened quietly as he finished painting a rosy picture. Far from being angry, her face showed a faint smile. The smile was subtle, yet like a fine needle, it inexplicably made the man uncomfortable. Just as he was about to frown and continue his lecture, Jiang Minghua calmly took out her phone, skillfully dialed a number, spoke only a few words to the person on the other end, and then hung up.
She looked up and refocused on the somewhat impatient assistant, her tone as calm as if she were stating a trivial matter:
"I really wanted to interview you, but you've been fired."
The man was taken aback at first, then, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, he curled his lips into an exaggerated smile: "What did you say? Fire me? Who do you think you are!"
Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang sharply. He glanced down at the message on the screen, and the arrogant expression on his face froze instantly, then shattered like fragile glass, leaving only disbelief, panic, and deathly paleness.
Amidst his panicked gaze, Jiang Minghua finally spoke slowly, "Since you were once Chairman Jiang's deputy assistant, you should know he has a daughter." She paused slightly before clearly uttering the second half of her sentence.
"That's me."
She watched as his pupils suddenly contracted and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, then continued in the same condescending tone the man had used earlier:
"If you can really educate your child to have good character in the future, perhaps you can let your child come for an interview at Jiang's."
The cool evening breeze carried her last words clearly to everyone present.
The other parents could only leave reluctantly with their children. Once back home, they had only one thought in mind: they must educate their children to be good people.
Everyone else had left, leaving only the little mute boy beside her. Jiang Minghua looked down at him, and he, in turn, stared at her with his large, clear eyes.
Where are your parents?
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded behind her. Jiang Minghua looked up and saw an unusually thin boy rushing towards her. He stumbled slightly because he was walking too fast. He was wearing an oversized coat that didn't fit him at all, hanging loosely and making him look even thinner. In the twilight, his pink hair had a withered, lifeless gray tone. Jiang Minghua's heart skipped a beat when she saw this.
When the person came into view, Jiang Minghua could finally see his face under his messy, dry long hair. The boy's skin was very white, the kind of white that doesn't see the sun for many years. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, and the color of his lips was very light, almost blending into his skin.
[Warning! The villain Xie Yan from the original novel has appeared] The system's sudden notification sound rang in Jiang Minghua's ears.
When the little mute boy saw the person coming, his eyes curved into slits, and he wanted to run over happily, but Jiang Minghua unconsciously grabbed him.
Upon noticing her movement, Xie Yan slowly raised her head, her unfathomable eyes, swirling with gloom and desolation, staring intently at Jiang Minghua.
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