Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Convenient to be Seen

"His family? What about them?"

Nan Zhi swore she was only asking out of curiosity.

After all, when she was dating Lu Shixu in college, she had discovered that he hated talking about his family.

So now that she had a chance to learn the reason why, she wasn’t going to miss it.

But it seemed Fu Chao had misunderstood.

He stared at Nan Zhi with a complex expression that was hard to put into words, saying nothing.

The silence between them stretched until Nan Zhi could hardly bear it.

Nan Zhi started, "If..." ’Never mind if you don’t want to talk about it.’

Fu Chao asked, "You like him that much?"

The two of them spoke at the same time.

After they spoke, they both saw the other person freeze in surprise.

In the end, it was Nan Zhi who broke the awkward silence first.

"Forget it. Let’s not talk about it."

Fu Chao scratched his head, hesitating for a long moment before finally managing to say:

"His family situation is very complicated. More complicated than most people can imagine."

Nan Zhi was stunned for a moment.

A long while later, she just hummed in response.

For breakfast, she invited Fu Chao and Qing Xi to eat with them.

When Qing Xi came out with his arm around Nan Yi’s shoulders, he was smiling brightly. It looked like the two little friends had made up.

But Nan Yi had a sour look on his little face. He shook his shoulders twice before managing to shrug off Qing Xi’s arm.

Qing Xi was about to follow him.

But Nan Yi bolted.

"Mommy! I’ll help you!"

"Yiyi is just too shy."

Qing Xi shook his head and sighed.

’Are you sure about that?’ Fu Chao thought, watching from the side.

After a simple breakfast, Nan Zhi and the others took a slow walk to the village school.

They walked off their meal and took in the sights of Cuishui Village, committing them to memory.

They didn’t know when they’d be back here again.

So they had to take a good look while they could.

Fu Chao took some photos of the scenery along the way with his phone.

"Hey, you know, without that rotten apple, our days in the mountains have been pretty peaceful."

Nan Zhi glanced behind her.

"The cameras are rolling."

Fu Chao waved his hand dismissively.

"We’re not live."

Nan Zhi was exasperated.

Then she saw Fu Chao get excited, insisting on pulling her over for a group photo under a big tree.

Of course, Nan Yi and Qing Xi were in it too.

The two boys came running over a moment later.

Nan Yi ran straight for his mom without a second thought, but Fu Chao intercepted him halfway.

"Come on, come on, Yibao, stand here!"

Nan Yi puffed out his cheeks and glared.

Fu Chao pretended not to notice.

Nan Zhi was smiling, thinking it was no big deal. She casually put her arm around Qing Xi.

"Come here, Xiao Xi."

"Okay!"

Qing Xi beamed, his reply crisp and cheerful. He was much happier about it than Nan Yi.

And just like that, Fu Chao directed the cameraman to take a special group photo for them—

Nan Zhi, Fu Chao, and Qing Xi were all laughing heartily, while Nan Yi was the only one glaring resentfully at Qing Xi beside him.

"Oh, this is a great shot! Everyone looks so lively, especially Yiyi! HAHAHA!"

Fu Chao, roaring with laughter, would soon find out.

This wasn’t just a group photo.

It was the first, especially meaningful, group photo of a family...

-

Back at the village school, Nan Zhi found that Qi Pei’er and Qi Zhang were already there. They had arrived even earlier.

They hadn’t planned to meet, which just went to show they were all on the same page about this.

Just as Nan Zhi had calculated, it was right when class was letting out.

Nan Yi wanted to go to the classroom to see his classmates.

Qing Xi naturally followed him.

Nan Zhi and Fu Chao entered the office one after the other.

As soon as she reached the door, she heard Qi Pei’er talking to a smiling Teacher Zhang.

"...You all have to come, I’ll cover the plane tickets and hotel. That’s a promise!"

Teacher Zhang nodded eagerly.

"Okay, okay, we’ll definitely be there."

Hearing the last part of the sentence, Nan Zhi knew what Qi Pei’er was talking about.

"Is this about taking the kids to the concert?"

Qi Pei’er turned around smugly.

"Of course! I always keep my word!"

But when she saw Fu Chao, she was quite surprised.

After asking, she learned that Fu Chao had just gone to Nan Zhi’s house to freeload breakfast.

Qi Pei’er clenched her fists in anger.

"How despicable!"

Fu Chao felt greatly wronged.

"I was there to help!"

The two of them started bickering childishly.

"Why didn’t you invite me?"

"Look at how greedy you are! Unlike me, I was there on important business!"

"I’d have to be an idiot to believe you!"

"You are one!"

"..."

Nan Zhi ignored the two children and walked over to Teacher Zhang.

"I came to say goodbye."

"I know, I know."

Teacher Zhang nodded repeatedly, her eyes quietly turning red.

Although she had long known that Nan Zhi’s group wouldn’t be staying for long, she still felt sad about the inevitable departure.

But sadness aside, Teacher Zhang hadn’t forgotten about important matters.

"Oh, right. A kind benefactor has started making annual dedicated donations to our school. The school’s conditions have improved a lot. They’re going to repave the nearby roads soon, build a new library, and they’ve even hired a new chef for the kitchen. Would you like to take a look? You could stay for lunch, too."

Since Teacher Zhang had invited them, Nan Zhi naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Teacher Zhang invited her outside to see the construction work.

She heard Teacher Zhang say with great emotion:

"We’ve received many donations before, but this one is the most efficient! The benefactor’s assistant actually made a special trip here yesterday. He said he needed to do an on-site visit to ensure the funds are properly allocated. It’s rare to see someone so dedicated to doing charity work."

Nan Zhi followed her gaze and saw that the empty land near the school had been cordoned off, with workers bustling about inside.

She couldn’t help but chuckle.

"It’s probably to make it easier to be seen."

’Same old subtle schemes as always.’

But her mutter reached Teacher Zhang’s ears.

Teacher Zhang was confused.

"Hm? Seen by whom? The viewers? But isn’t the live stream over?"

Nan Zhi smoothly changed the subject.

"Didn’t you say we were going to check out the cafeteria? Perfect, I’d like to try the new chef’s cooking."

As expected, Teacher Zhang’s attention was diverted.

"Ah, yes! Teacher Nan, you’re a professional. You should definitely take a look!"

Teacher Zhang enthusiastically pulled Nan Zhi along.

Halfway there, they were joined by Qi Pei’er and Fu Chao, who had finally caught on and followed them out, turning their duo into a group of four.

They had originally thought that their trip to the village school to say goodbye would only take a little while.

But as it turned out, they were first invited to tour the construction site, then asked to stay for a lunch prepared by the new chef.

After lunch, the children insisted on throwing a farewell party for them.

Xiao Hu, who had received a new guitar from Qi Pei’er, skillfully strummed the strings.

Although he could only play a few simple tunes, it was enough to accompany his classmates’ singing.

Their young voices carried far.

The camera quietly recorded the scene.

In the mountain forest not far away, a man standing under a large tree was also listening quietly.

His gaze seemed to travel far, seeing the singing and dancing on the village school’s playground, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up.

His assistant, Tao An, couldn’t help but ask:

"Sir, you’ve done so much. Aren’t you going to go over and show your face?"

Lu Shixu said flatly:

"There’s no need. It’s enough that she knows."

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