The expression on Stephanie’s face was filled with joy and surprise when she saw Charlie.She ran toward Charlie immediately as she grabbed hold of Charlie’s arms with both of her hands before she asked, “Brother Charlie, why didn’t you come back to visit us at the orphanage for such a long time?”Charlie did not feel uncomfortable at all even though she was grabbing her arms with her hands. On the contrary, he was like her elder brother, and he said affectionately, “I have not been doing well after leaving the orphanage. Therefore, I feel a little embarrassed to come back to the orphanage to visit all of you.”As soon as Stephanie heard his words, her eyes turned red, and she choked as she sobbed and said, “Mrs. Lewis told us that you have been working on a construction site after you left the orphanage. She also told us that you would always send all of your hard-earned money to her so that she could buy us books, clothes, and food. Why didn’t you come back to see me at all? It ha
Although she did not look too bad herself, she could not help but feel that she was lacking and inferior compared to Claire.Moreover, she was just an orphan who had no father or mother. She did not have anyone to support her or back her up in life. Now that she was working at the orphanage, she was still working and relying on charity to support herself. She did not earn a lot of money for herself.Even though she was not making a lot of money, she also had the same attitude as Charlie. She would donate all of her money to the orphanage, hence, at the end of the day, she was just a poor girl who had nothing at all.In this aspect, she felt that she could not be compared to a career woman like Claire at all.She felt a little envious and she said to Claire nervously, “Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Stephanie Lewis. We are meeting for the first time today.”Claire nodded before she smiled and said, “Hello, Stephanie. My name is Claire Wilson.”Stephanie looked at Claire before s
Charlie had lived in this orphanage for the past ten years, from the time when he was eight until he turned eighteen years old. Therefore, he had a lot of affection for this place.In the past, he did not have the face to come back because he was still a little destitute.Now that he already had a little money, he felt that it would be good for him to go in to see what other items the orphanage needed. That way, he would be able to help them to solve this problem when the time comes.Charlie nodded slightly before he said, “Then, let’s go in and take a look around the orphanage.”Stephanie was overjoyed. She hurriedly grabbed Charlie’s arm before she dragged him into the orphanage.Charlie could only allow her to drag him around as he held onto his wife, Claire’s hand.Claire could feel her heart beating a little faster, but she allowed Charlie to continue holding her hand as he led her into the orphanage.The Aurous Hill Welfare Institute was built in the last century and had a
Stephanie brought Charlie to the dormitory area of the orphanage. Charlie could see the dormitory that he used to live in at a single glance.After looking out the window, Charlie saw a dozen or more children who were about one to two years old playing under the leadership of one of the aunts in the orphanage.He could not help but ask, “Stephanie, why are there so many young children at the orphanage now?”Stephanie replied, “There are many irresponsible parents who sent their children directly to the entrance of the orphanage after giving birth to them. Some of these children were abandoned because of congenital disabilities or diseases. Some of them have the same fate as me, and they are abandoned because they are girls.”Stephanie could not help but sigh when she spoke of this.After that, she said angrily, “There are also many children who have been abducted by human traffickers but were subsequently rescued by the police. Some of the children are too young, and it is impossi
When the three of them stepped out of the orphanage and were about to head toward the restaurant, a pleasantly surprised voice sounded in their ears, “Charlie, Stephanie!”The both of them turned around and saw several figures walking toward them.These people were all the friends who had grown up with him in the orphanage.However, there were many people from this group that Charlie had basically not seen again ever since he had left the orphanage. The only person he had kept in touch with after leaving the orphanage was his close friend, Harvey.During Charlie’s early years in the orphanage, he had a very reticent attitude and personality because of his parents’ accidental death. He was very introverted and withdrawn, and he would not even speak a single word to anyone else for the whole day.He was often isolated by the other children because of his personality.Charlie could still remember that Harvey, who was a little older than him, would always stand up for him and play
After he was done speaking, he said, “By the way, I haven’t asked you. Aren’t you supposed to be in Lancaster? How did you come to Aurous Hill so quickly?”Harvey smiled before he said, “It is really very coincidental that my company has arranged for me to come over to Aurous Hill for a business trip. I only arrived here earlier in the afternoon today. As soon as I got off the bus, I saw all of you chatting in the group chat. That’s why I decided to come here as soon as possible!”Charlie asked curiously, “Didn’t you start your own business? Why are you working for others again?”Harvey smiled bitterly before he said, “Business is bad. How could anyone’s business be doing well now? The economic situation in the past two years has not been easy, and it is not easy to run a business at all.”After he was done speaking, Harvey looked at Claire before he smiled and said, “Charlie, is this my younger sister-in-law?”Charlie nodded before he said, “Yes. This is my wife, Claire.”After
The window of the Mercedes-Benz was wound down. Charlie peered at the man behind the window and instantly recognized him.He was Max Wyatt, the guy who had taken the liberty to organize today’s gathering in their messenger group.However, Charlie and he were just normal acquaintances.Max was dressed in a suit that seemed tight over his chubby figure and leather shoes. He stopped the car when he saw the crowd, poked his head out of the car window, and said, “Oh, hey, sorry guys for keeping you waiting.”A tinge of arrogance and hubris hovered in his eyes. He cleared his throat and explained in a smug tone, “Oh, there was a traffic jam on my way here, that’s why I’m late.”Someone gaped in surprise, “Wow, Max, is this your car? When did you buy it?”Max laughed pompously. “I just got it two days ago.”Charlie squinted in realization. No wonder this guy was so eager in organizing the get-together, he just wanted to show off his brand new car to his childhood friends!Someone aske
“Is she our friend from the orphanage too?” Max mumbled to himself.He started to dig through his memories, trying to think of any fragments related to this beautiful girl.Still donning the pretentiously polite yet smug smile on his face, he looked at Charlie and said, “Hey, you’re Charlie, right? Long time no see!”Charlie grinned and said, “Butt Trumpet?”Butt Trumpet was Max’s nickname back when they were in the orphanage. He used to be a chubby glutton who farted a lot, and more importantly, he farted wherever he went and whenever he felt like it. He would fart in classes, during game times, during meals, and when sleeping.At that time, everyone was troubled and in misery due to his farts, hence the nickname—Butt Trumpet.Max’s face turned green when he heard Charlie mention his nickname, but before he could say anything, a young man behind him chided indignantly, “Hey, Charlie, watch your tongue! How dare you embarrass our Manager Wyatt right in front of everyone? Max is n