Chapter 139: A Moment of Warmth in the Heart
Daybreak.
Lu Yao slowly opened her eyes, her gaze resting blankly on the window, her heart feeling heavy. Behind her, the warmth of a chest was already gone. The words Ye Zehong had spoken still echoed in her ears: to maintain their original romantic relationship until the day she left. When that day truly arrived, would he be willing to let her go?
Knock, knock, knock...
The sound of knocking interrupted her thoughts. Zhou Luoxi’s voice, sounding slightly weary, called out, "Yao, I’ve prepared a Western-style breakfast. If you don’t mind, please come down and have some."
Lu Yao sat up and was about to get out of bed when the corner of her eye caught a file resting on the nightstand. She frowned slightly, picked it up, and flipped through it. As the contents became clear, she immediately called out to Zhou Luoxi outside the door, "I just woke up. Leave it there for a moment; I’ll come down to eat after I wash up."
"Alright, make sure you eat."
Hearing Zhou Luoxi’s footsteps receding, Lu Yao immediately took the file to her desk and began to carefully review the data from beginning to end. The document recorded the annual transfer history of the charitable foundation established by Ye Hua. Ordinarily, such records would be unremarkable, but in this case, the funds came from various donors yet were funneled into a single welfare organization, which then transferred the money to an account belonging to someone named Fang Xiaoya. The end of the document included a detailed profile of Fang Xiaoya.
Fang Xiaoya, seventeen years old, attended a closed-campus girls' school. Her grades were mediocre, she had no standout subjects, and there were no records of her receiving any awards. Logically, a student with such average qualifications should not have been receiving educational grants.
"Fang Xiaoya, seventeen?" Lu Yao murmured.
The words of Guan Ran echoed in her mind. The daughter Guan Ran had with his ex-wife—wasn't she around seventeen or eighteen? Could this Fang Xiaoya be Guan Ran’s daughter?
At this thought, a knowing smile blossomed on Lu Yao’s face. This file must have been left by Ye Zehong. The memory of him so tenderly applying medicated oil to her the previous night made her heart feel incredibly warm.
Lu Yao immediately got up and rushed to the bathroom. After freshening up, she didn't even wait to eat breakfast before hurrying toward the school where Fang Xiaoya was enrolled.
Zhou Luoxi watched her departing figure, wanting to call out to her, but she had already vanished from sight. He stood where he was, sighing helplessly. His heart sank instantly. His hand, hanging at his side, gripped his phone tightly; the screen displayed surveillance footage of Ye Zehong breaking into his villa the previous night.
...
When Lu Yao arrived at the girls' school, she was stopped at the entrance by a security guard before she could even step inside. The guard looked her up and down and asked with a hostile tone, "What are you here for?"
Lu Yao rarely visited schools and was caught off guard by the question. She replied offhandedly, "I... I'm here to see your principal to discuss something."
The guard looked skeptical and asked, "Which principal are you looking for?"
Confused, Lu Yao countered, "Your school has more than one principal?"
"What do you think?" The guard stared at her as if she were a fool and replied unkindly, "Our school has seven principals. One principal, surnamed Lan, and six vice principals: one in charge of the primary school, two for the middle school, and three for the high school. Who exactly are you looking for?"
Lu Yao thought for a moment and said, "I'm looking for Principal Lan."
The guard looked utterly unconvinced and was just about to ask if she had an appointment when, the very next second, his expression shifted to one of warmth and extreme respect as he greeted someone behind her: "Principal Lan, you've arrived."
Hearing this, Lu Yao’s back stiffened. She turned slowly, looking awkwardly at the elderly man who had appeared so suddenly.